Rush sat in the waiting room of Eta, his eyes fixed on the floor rather than the screen. The final battle of the inter-squad trials was about to begin, and he had chosen not to watch the pre-match spectacle.
Then he heard it.
Loud booing. A wave of disapproval rolling through the arena, so intense it seeped through the stone walls of the waiting room. He understood who it was for — the Dragonean who had put his own teammates in danger.
Richard's reputation had taken a hit.
A little while later, the booing shifted. Then came the cheers. For Jennifer, for her squad. Names were announced. The two final squads — Squad One and Squad Two — had entered the arena.
Rush finally looked up at the mana screen.
The arena was a neutral field — no environmental advantage for anyone. Flat cobblestone, marked boundaries, the pale mana-infused rock designed to absorb and disperse excess magical energy.
Professor Spellworth stepped forward, his voice amplified by wind magic.
"Begin."
Richard stood at the front of his squad. Patricia never looked at him. And Kurt adjusted his gloves in silence. Not one of them spoke before the battle began.
Rush remembered how they had entered the arena two days earlier — confident, composed, certain of victory.
They looked nothing like that now.
The battle that followed was nothing like the semifinals.
Richard's squad was different from two days ago — broken, tense, the air thick with unresolved friction. Richard was healed physically, but mentally, he was a different person. He wasn't as motivated as he had been against Rush. Neither were the Aetos twins. And it was understandable.
Jennifer's squad, on the other hand, looked complete. They had Jennifer — someone born to lead. Nia — who surprised everyone that day with her control over the terrain. And Slavic — an explosive alchemist.
The edge was clear from their first exchange.
Rush watched closely.
***
The arena became cold.
Jennifer's ice magic spread across the ground, creating unstable footing. Nia moved shifting the terrain, her speed unsettlingly precise. Slavic's explosions punctuated their advance, blinding and disorienting.
The opposing squad fought separately — just as they had against Rush's squad. But that was the problem. In that match, both squads had fought one-on-one. Against Jennifer's squad, which fought as a cohesive unit, that approach was fatal.
Richard, Patricia, and Kurt were isolated. They couldn't coordinate. They couldn't support each other like they did in their previous battle.
Jennifer's squad picked them apart. First to lose his marker was Richard. Jennifer disrupted his vision while Nia reached for it.
Richard instinctively reached for his collar. It was empty. His hand remained there for a heartbeat.
He looked at the marker in Nia's hand.
Then he lowered his arm and stepped back without saying a word.
Rush's eyes narrowed. He had seen Nia fight before — careful, measured, never revealing her full strength. But this time, she was different. Fiercer. More aggressive.
Then Richard's words from the volcanic valley surfaced in his mind.
...was this because of that? Rush realized. For what he said about Father.
He hadn't asked her to. He hadn't even hinted. But she had done it anyway.
She didn't reveal herself completely — her movements were still controlled, still measured. But the edge was there. The fire beneath the ice.
The Aetos twins still had their synchronization, but Jennifer had learned from Rush's match. She learned that Kurt never goes offensive on his own. Instead he supports his sister. Jennifer took on Kurt first while Nia and Slavic kept Patricia busy. Then only Patricia's marker remained — and not for long. It was never easy with the Aetos twins. Patricia's control on her sword was dangerous but this time she had a wrong enemy — Nia, a girl trained by the Ryanhearts.
Nia got hers after Jennifer joined them.
The match was over within fifteen minutes.
The mana screen flickered.
[ Winner: Squad One ]
The crowd erupted. Cheers filled the arena, drowning out everything else. Rush smiled from his seat, watching his friends celebrate.
Jennifer stood at the center of the arena, her breathing heavy, her frozen blade still in hand. Nia was beside her, calm as ever. Slavic was grinning, his glasses slightly crooked.
They had won.
Richard didn't speak. He hadn't spoken a single word to anyone since he got up after his battle against Rush. He simply turned and walked silently toward the waiting room.
The Aetos twins greeted Jennifer and her squad. Patricia's expression was cold. Kurt's was unreadable.
The cheers didn't stop. They didn't stop when Richard retreated. They didn't stop when the Aetos twins went to the waiting room. Until Jennifer's squad went to the waiting area. Ten minutes passed. The crowd began to settle.
***
Professor Spellworth stepped on the platform, an envelope in his hand. He stood at the center of the arena, flanked by Professors Argonean and Malon. Rosetta stood nearby along with other student council members, her stopwatch still in hand.
All the squads that participated in the trials were called in the arena. Rush stood with his.
The arena fell into a hush.
Spellworth opened the envelope and began to read.
"The winners of the inter-squad trials — Squad One: Jennifer Wolfheart, Slavic Petrova, Nia Whispers."
The crowd cheered again. Spellworth allowed it for a moment, then raised his hand for silence.
"The rewards for the winning squad are twofold. First—confirmed participation in the Hexan Crucible."
Another wave of applause came from the spectators.
"Second — a spell from the greatest mage of Atherland. Headmistress Elyse Worldword herself has agreed to teach the winning squad a spell of their choosing."
The arena buzzed with murmurs. That was an honour beyond measure.
Then Spellworth looked down at the list in his hands.
"The remaining students who will represent the Academy at the Hexan Crucible are as follows."
He paused.
"Richard Dragonean."
Richard, standing at the far right of the row, didn't react. He simply stared at the professor But the crowd reacted.
A murmur spread through the arena at Richard's name.
Spellworth waited for it to settle.
"Selection is based on overall performance throughout the trials," he said evenly. "Not solely on the outcome of a single match."
The murmurs gradually faded.
"Patricia Aetos. Kurt Aetos."
The twins exchanged a glance. No smiles. But satisfied with the hint of acknowledgment.
"Rush Ryanheart."
Rush heard his name and felt something shift in his chest. He had known he would qualify, but hearing it confirmed was different.
"Ethan Takahashi. Amber Valerius. Kimberly Housart."
The list ended.
Spellworth folded the parchment and looked across the arena.
"These students will represent the Royal Academy of Atherland at the Hexan Crucible, to be held in Elcaster — the capital of the Elven kingdom after a week."
The crowd roared for the first years.
Afterward, Rush found Jennifer's squad near the waiting area. They were still buzzing with the energy of victory.
Slavic was the first to spot him.
"Rush!" He practically bounded over. "Did you see? We won! We actually won!"
"I saw." Rush smiled. "Congratulations. All of you."
"You too," Jennifer said, approaching Rush. "We all made it through for selection."
"We earned it."
She tilted her head.
"We had an advantage because of you. Richard's squad was different today."
"And you capitalized on it. That's what good leaders do."
Jennifer looked at him for a moment. Then she smiled — a small, genuine thing.
"Okay. Let's do our best together then, in Elcaster."
Rush nodded.
"Our departure is next week probably."
Nia caught his eye from across the room. She said nothing. She didn't need to.
Rush turned and walked back toward his room. He watched the Academy slowly return to its usual rhythm. Beyond the eastern horizon lay Elcaster.
The possible cure for his fractured core.
And the answers he had been searching for since the day he entered the Academy.
The Hexan Crucible.
The Inter-Squad Trials had ended. But his real journey was only beginning.