OVERLOAD
Chapter 1 – "The Runner"
Heavy footsteps.
Shouting voices.
Boots pounding the pavement.
"He went down that alley!"
"Cut him off from the west side!"
Kael Myrrin ducked under a rusted pipe, vaulted a stack of crates, and bolted down a narrow street so tight his shoulders scraped the walls. His chest heaved, breath sharp, but his grin held steady — reckless, lopsided, and absolutely not sorry.
Behind him, city guards in blue-and-silver uniforms thundered after him, their gauntlets glowing faintly with elemental charge.
"Stop right there, Myrrin! This is your last warning!"
"Last warning?" Kael shouted over his shoulder. "What about the five you gave me yesterday?"
A fire pulse blasted the wall to his left, erupting in shards. Kael ducked reflexively, nearly tripping over a basket of rotten fruit.
He barreled into the marketplace, shouts rising around him as he weaved through stalls and knocked over a crate of fish.
"Kael!" shouted Mira, a vendor with both hands on her hips. "Not again!"
"Emergency cardio!" Kael said, diving behind her cart. "Promise I'll pay for the apples later!"
He crouched low, heart thudding as the guards stormed into the square, scanning frantically.
"Where'd he go?"
Kael peeled back a tarp, peeking between hanging spices and sacks of rice. His shirt clung to his back. He could smell sweat, metal, and garlic.
"You again?" Mira hissed, tossing a bruised apple at him. "They'll shut down my stall!"
"Five minutes," Kael whispered, biting into the apple. "I'll vanish after that. Pinky swear."
Across the square, one of the guards growled. "He's gone. Must've jumped rooftops again."
The squad fanned out, still searching, but drifting further away.
Kael exhaled slowly. Another escape. Barely.
He leaned his head back against a barrel and took another bite. It was sour, but better than nothing.
Above the rooftops, a massive projection flared in the sky — a pulsing blue sigil with gold lettering:
"TRIAL OF SELECTION – ALL GIFTED MAY ENTER"
"GLORY. RANK. 5,000 GILD TO THE VICTOR."
Kael squinted.
"…Five thousand?"
He stood, brushed off his coat, and grinned.
"Looks like I'm joining a tournament."
Later – The Arena Grounds
Kael's boots hit the polished stone as he stepped into the Trial arena for Round One.
The place was massive — a bowl of elemental chaos, shifting terrain, magical glyphs flickering underfoot, and floating screens overhead. Around him stood dozens of gifted contestants, each bristling with magic or armor.
To his left, a girl flexed her fingers and lit them ablaze like candles.
To his right, a man levitated small blades using only his mind.
Kael? He had a pebble.
He lifted it with a twitch of his fingers. It wobbled in the air.
Totally impressive.
"Contestants ready," boomed a voice above.
Let's try not to die, Kael thought.
Arena Control Tower – Moments Before Launch
High above the stadium, behind a crystal-glass window, Zara Electra lounged in her seat, arms crossed, expression flat.
She didn't clap. She didn't smile. She watched.
"Try to show some interest," said the man beside her — Commander Rael, a sharp-jawed royal officer. "It reflects poorly when the advisor's daughter yawns during official trials."
Zara didn't look away from the field.
"I'm watching," she said. "They just don't impress me."
Her eyes scanned the field. Too many show-offs. Too many amateurs.
Then she spotted him.
Kael Myrrin. Hood half-on, shirt torn, balancing a rock on one finger.
She blinked.
"…What's he doing here?"
"Low-tier magic," Rael said, checking a scroll. "Unregistered. Troublemaker. Somehow slipped into the trial."
Zara watched as Kael waved at someone in the crowd who definitely wasn't waving at him.
"…Interesting."
Round One – Survival Match Begins
A loud horn.
The gates opened.
Dozens of magical beasts poured into the arena — summoned by glyphs, spirits bound in flesh and fire. Wolves made of shadow. Constructs of stone. Elemental serpents.
Chaos erupted.
Contestants scattered, powers flying. Fire collided with ice. Psychic shields exploded.
Kael? Kael ran.
"I am not dying for five thousand gild!" he shouted, diving behind a cracked wall.
A massive sand-beast lunged toward him. He grabbed the only thing he had — a vial of explosive ink swiped from a market stall — tied it to a stone with a bootlace, and slingshotted it into the creature's eye.
POP!
A flash. A screech.
The beast staggered, crashing into another enemy's summon.
Kael dropped to the ground, covering his head. "That worked?!"
He crawled through smoke, leapt over a downed contestant, and ducked under a wave of flame.
Another monster charged. Kael whistled sharply. "Hey, over here!"
A wind-user turned. "What are you—"
"TRUST ME!"
The wind-user ran, dragging the creature toward Kael.
Kael kicked a loose pile of boulders hanging overhead — used a flicker of his power to move the final stone — and collapsed the whole structure on top of the beast.
CRASH.
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
Kael stood, hair tousled, shirt smoking, and grinned.
"Still alive, baby."
Observation Deck
Rael frowned. "That boy again."
Zara said nothing.
She watched Kael as he stumbled, bleeding slightly, dodging smarter than he should've.
"…He's thinking," she murmured.
Rael raised a brow. "Excuse me?"
Zara leaned forward. "He's not powerful. But he's unpredictable."
Final Monster – Last Moments of Round One
One monster left. A colossus, fused with earth and shadow, stomping straight toward him.
Kael stood alone. Arms trembling. Everyone else was either down or retreating.
He reached out.
Not just at a rock — into the earth.
Something stirred.
A stone spike rose from the ground.
The beast tripped.
BOOM.
It collapsed just feet from him.
Round One – COMPLETE.
Kael dropped to his knees. Alive. Exhausted. And grinning.
"Guess I'm not just a pebble pusher after all."