Morning came with the soft hum of power cells recharging. The Emberfield Arena was alive again—walls shifting, drones hovering, and training lights glowing in rhythmic pulses like a breathing heart.
Inside Section C-5, the Forgeborn Coalition's base, chaos had already begun.
Juno's holographic board flickered between schematics and error messages.
"Who re-routed the flow lines from the auxiliary circuit?!" she groaned, slamming her palm against the wall.
"Not me," Mira said, feigning innocence from behind a half-built console. "Maybe the wall ghosts?"
Oliver didn't even look up from his workbench. "Wall ghosts don't leave burnt wiring."
Kai, leaning over the main energy panel, laughed quietly. "Relax, Juno. The auxiliary flow is stable—I just looped it through the kinetic buffer to balance the surge from yesterday's test run."
Selena blinked. "You did what?"
Before Kai could answer, the entire base's lighting dimmed for two seconds, then brightened again. The ceiling vents hissed as if sighing in protest.
Valerie groaned, rubbing her temples. "I swear one day you're going to make the building explode, Kai."
"Hey," he said with a grin, "experimentation is the path to mastery."
"Or self-destruction," Oliver muttered.
The mood was light—half banter, half tension. Outside their metallic walls, other coalitions were warming up for their first official day of Academy Combat Coordination Training.
The Assembly
A resonant gong echoed through the entire facility—low, deliberate, commanding.
"ATTENTION ALL COALITIONS," Dr. Zhao's voice boomed. "Proceed to the central arena for live simulation orientation. Training begins in ten minutes. Late arrivals will clean drone filters for the next week."
No one wanted that punishment twice.
Forgeborn hurried into formation. Kai led the line, followed by Selena, Valerie, Oliver, and the rest. They stepped into the heart of Emberfield Arena—an expanse of shifting metal and light, surrounded by observation balconies filled with hundreds of students and faculty.
From above, the other coalitions were already forming up: Crimson Vector, Iron Pulse, Blue Horizon, Obsidian Spire, Silver Trace, and others—each in their own formation, banners glowing softly with their insignias.
The air vibrated with anticipation.
Dr. Zhao's Briefing
"Today marks the beginning of your first coordinated training," Dr. Zhao announced, his voice echoing off the dome. "You will learn not only to fight—but to function. Coordination, communication, and composure are the trinity of survival."
He paced slowly, gaze sharp.
"This arena will simulate combat situations drawn from the Apex Engagement Protocols. The first sessions are non-lethal—meant to evaluate reaction, strategy, and mental adaptability. Your teachers will observe and grade every movement."
He paused, smirking faintly. "Try not to destroy too much of my equipment."
A ripple of laughter moved through the arena.
Beside him, Instructor Nivra Holt stepped forward, her calm, firm tone balancing Zhao's gruffness.
"Coalitions will be divided into practice sets. Each set will perform both offensive and defensive drills. Remember—victory is not your primary objective today. Cohesion is."
She raised her hand, and names began to scroll across the holographic display overhead.
"Set A: Forgeborn versus Crimson Vector."
A stir rippled through the stands. Even among students, the tension was instant.
"Set B: Iron Pulse versus Blue Horizon."
"Set C: Silver Trace versus Obsidian Spire."
The announcement ended with the flicker of Emberfield's core lights.
The Arena Shifts
Panels along the floor slid apart, revealing sections of terrain—one a metallic desert with kinetic mines buried beneath, another a maze of hard-light barriers flickering in and out of existence.
Kai's coalition stepped onto their half of the field. Across the shimmering boundary stood Crimson Vector, led by Lyra Halden—a tall, composed figure with a half-smile that radiated confidence.
She gave a short wave. "Ready to lose, Zore?"
Kai grinned. "We'll see who's left standing."
The Countdown
"Simulation commencing in ten…"
The AI voice filled the air.
"…nine… eight…"
Oliver cracked his knuckles. "I've reinforced the shields. We'll last longer this time."
Selena adjusted her wrist module. "I've synced everyone's energy flow monitors."
Valerie flicked her visor down. "And I've calibrated our sensors to counter light interference."
Kai's Divergent Core pulsed once beneath his chest rig—steady and eager.
"…three… two… one."
The world lit up.
First Engagement
Kai darted forward, magnetic boots clinging to the arena's steel surface. The floor beneath him shimmered with kinetic traps.
(If I angle left, I can bait the first detonation—force their lead to expose.)
His mind raced, the rhythm of Divergent Flow syncing with the hum of the suit. A flash erupted ahead as he shifted direction, narrowly avoiding a mine burst.
(Too slow—she anticipated that.)
From the opposite end, Lyra lunged forward, her crimson suit gliding effortlessly, a staff of condensed plasma swirling in her hand.
Spectators gasped.
"Did you see that spin?!" someone shouted from the gallery.
"She just redirected the shockwave midair—how?!"
The commentary rippled through the stands while on the ground, chaos unfolded with precision.
Selena anchored herself behind a rotating shield platform, calculating energy vectors. "Kai, flank right! Their defense core is vulnerable for seven seconds tops!"
"On it!"
He pushed forward, dodging a sweep from Joren Vek's twin-blade drones. Sparks flew as he twisted midair, landing hard behind the crimson line.
Valerie's voice rang through comms, quick and precise: "Visual distortion engaged—covering field active!"
The air around Forgeborn shimmered, bending light just enough to scramble targeting systems. Crimson Vector's sensors began flickering with static.
In the Observation Deck
Dr. Zhao leaned forward, watching the feed. "Zore's reaction speed is irregular. He anticipates before sensory confirmation—still risky, but effective."
Instructor Holt nodded. "And the team cohesion? Notice how Selena keeps time for the entire formation. They're adapting faster than I predicted."
Below, other teachers murmured, comparing notes, arguing softly about grading metrics.
Clash and Counter
Back in the field, Lyra smirked through the static. "Nice trick, Forgeborn—but illusions fade."
Her energy staff extended, sending out a wave of electric current that destabilized Valerie's field. The distortion cracked like broken glass.
(She's good. Too good to brute force.) Kai thought, scanning the field.
Then his eye caught the faint flicker of Crimson Vector's rear relay—a power link pulsing every three seconds.
(If I overload that frequency…)
He sprinted toward it, plasma heat biting at his side as a drone nearly clipped him. He could feel his energy reserves fluctuating, Divergent Flow building pressure in his core like a wild heartbeat.
(Just one chance—control it, don't let it burst.)
His hand slammed into the conduit, energy spiraling from his gauntlet in a blinding surge. The air cracked—shockwave rolling across the arena as Crimson Vector's shield systems overloaded, erupting in blue fire.
Spectators erupted in gasps and applause.
On the observation deck, Zhao simply grinned. "Now that's the chaos I like."
Aftermath
When the simulation finally powered down, both teams stood panting in the faint haze of residual energy. The AI voice announced,
"Simulation Complete. Evaluation: DRAW. Efficiency Rating — 78%. Cohesion Rating — 86%. Damage Level — Excessive."
Dr. Zhao's voice cut in dryly. "You burned through 20% of the arena's surface plating. Congratulations, both teams. That's a new record for Day One."
Laughter spread through the ranks. Even Lyra cracked a smile as she offered her hand to Kai. "You're reckless, Zore. But effective."
Kai shook her hand. "Recklessly effective is my brand."
The Hallway After
Later, as the coalitions filed out of the arena, the halls were alive with energy. Students compared injuries, bragged about tactics, argued over who technically won.
Forgeborn's members walked together, tired but exhilarated.
"That was insane," Mira said. "I thought the explosion at the end was going to fry us."
"It almost did," Selena replied, half-laughing, half-serious. "Next time, maybe don't try to reroute volatile energy through your arm."
Kai grinned. "No promises."
Valerie glanced back at the other groups mingling in the corridor. "You realize this was just the first training session, right? They'll only get harder from here."
Oliver adjusted his gloves, still smiling faintly. "Then we'll just have to get stronger."
Closing Scene
From the observation deck, Dr. Zhao watched them go—his hands behind his back, expression unreadable.
"Promising chaos," he murmured. "Let's see if they can turn it into order."
Instructor Holt tilted her head. "Do you think they'll last?"
He smirked. "The question isn't if they'll last. It's what they'll become when they break—and build themselves again."
Below, Emberfield's lights dimmed, preparing for the next session.
The world of competition had only just begun to burn.