The academy's grand arena loomed above the students like a crystal palace.
Hundreds of participants had gathered — some confident, some nervous, and all eager to claim a spot in the guilds.
Holographic banners floated above the stands:
> GUILD ENTRANCE COMPETITION
Survive the trials. Earn your place among the best.
Arlen Frost walked through the entrance quietly, shoulder straight, hood down.
The previous excitement of rumors and whispers had faded; today, it was all business.
Beside him, Jay was practically bouncing on his heels.
"Man, can you feel it? The tension? The hype?" he whispered.
Arlen gave him a sidelong glance. "Focus. This isn't a game."
Jay rolled his eyes. "Everything is a game until someone loses an arm."
---
The participants were divided into pairs.
Arlen's first opponent was announced: Rivan Kest, a confident-looking boy with golden eyes and a scar across his cheek — someone who had been ranked slightly higher than him in class.
Rivan smirked as he approached. "So, Frost, I hear you destroyed the training drones yesterday."
"I didn't mean to," Arlen replied calmly.
"Excuses won't help you here." Rivan raised his fists, energy flaring lightly around his gloves. "Let's see what you've got."
> "System," Arlen whispered, "combat mode."
> "Acknowledged," the System replied.
"All subsystems active. Neural synchronization at 92%."
The arena lights dimmed.
A holographic barrier appeared between them, then dropped with a flash.
The duel had begun.
---
Rivan charged first, a blur of golden energy.
Arlen sidestepped easily, letting the first strike pass.
His movements were smooth, precise — every step calculated, every motion guided by the System's subtle corrections.
> Energy spike detected, the System noted.
Neural feedback exceeds expected Level-3 output.
Rivan's second strike was faster.
Arlen caught it on the edge of his glove, sparks flying.
The impact hummed through his arm, a reminder that this was the first time his power met someone in real combat — not training drones.
> "Interesting," Rivan muttered, circling. "You move… differently."
Arlen didn't respond.
He let the System guide him, focusing on rhythm, timing, and subtle energy flows — not strength, not speed, just precision.
---
Then, it happened.
The mark on his wrist pulsed faintly.
Energy surged through him without his conscious command, blue-white light spreading along his veins.
Arlen felt something click inside — a memory fragment reacting, a ghost of his past life whispering strategies he didn't consciously know.
He ducked a mid-level strike, countered, and in one fluid motion, sent Rivan stumbling backward.
The impact wasn't lethal, but it was enough to earn a warning beep from the arena:
> "Rival status: Critical hit. Match continues."
Rivan blinked, surprised. "Wait… how did you—?"
Arlen's calm expression didn't change. "System."
> "Reinforce synchronization," the voice replied.
"Memory fragment integration active. Combat efficiency increasing."
The duel continued, faster and sharper than before.
Every clash sent sparks across the arena, each move a perfect balance of instinct, skill, and the faint, almost imperceptible whisper of his fragment.
---
After several minutes, Rivan finally fell to one knee, exhausted.
Arlen stood a few meters away, breathing steadily. Not a drop of sweat touched his white hair.
> "Victory confirmed," the System said.
"Neural activity stable. Fragment influence recorded but contained."
The crowd erupted.
Students whispered among themselves, and some judges frowned — the subtle energy patterns Arlen displayed were… unusual.
Rivan rose, shaking his head with a wry grin. "Not bad, Frost. Not bad at all. Looks like I have some work to do."
Arlen gave a small nod. "Good fight."
---
As he left the arena, Jay was already running up. "Dude! Did you see that?! You didn't even—"
"Calm down," Arlen interrupted with a rare smile. "One match isn't a tournament win."
Jay groaned. "Man, you're impossible. But… wow. That was epic."
Arlen's eyes flicked toward the scoreboard.
Though he won, the subtle blue glow from his wrist mark pulsed faintly.
The fragment had awakened — but barely.
> Just the beginning, the System reminded him quietly.
Somewhere beyond the arena, unseen and silent, shadows shifted as if sensing the surge of power.
The world had taken note of Arlen Frost's awakening — and tomorrow's trials would be far more dangerous.
---