The murmurs hadn't died down since the gate shattered.
Dozens of examinees still stared at Kaelan in disbelief, but the pressure of the test pushed them forward. The Spirit Pressure Gate had claimed its victims — broken wills, shattered confidence, bloodied pride.
Kaelan stood silently in the shadows of the courtyard, untouched by the chaos he left behind. His aura wasn't loud… but it was undeniable. A presence that couldn't be ignored.
He adjusted the cuffs of his coat, his expression unreadable.
"Kaelan Ashborne… not even phased…"
"He crushed the gate. Is that even possible?"
"That beast behind him… I've never seen anything like it."
Meanwhile, the robed instructor's crystal tablet glowed, displaying names for the second phase.
---
Phase Two: Combat Evaluation
The instructor's voice echoed again, this time with a sharper tone.
"Those who passed the gate will now face simulated combat trials. You'll enter a mirrored space created by the Academy's artifact — the Echo Prism. Inside, you will face projections based on your spiritual and elemental resonance."
A floating orb emerged from the center of the arena, shimmering with prismatic light. The Echo Prism — an ancient relic capable of materializing your deepest instincts, fears… and opponents.
Kaelan was already stepping forward.
---
Inside the Echo Realm
The world changed again — the sky turned violet, the ground fractured and shimmered like obsidian glass. A dark figure emerged before him. Humanoid, but twisted — burning eyes, razor limbs, and shifting runes of chaos across its skin.
It hissed — a mimic of himself, forged by the Prism.
"You carry too much power, heir. You were never meant to exist."
Kaelan didn't respond.
The mirror-being surged forward, claws slashing. Kaelan dodged with minimal movement — graceful, lethal, efficient. One step, one shift, and he was behind it.
BAM.
His fist collided with the projection's core. Light cracked through its form — it screamed before collapsing into stardust.
---
Outside the Arena
The Prism blinked. Then exploded in a shockwave of blinding light — again.
Two explosions in a single entrance trial?
Even the vice-principals watching from the upper observatory stood up.
Selaira Vael narrowed her eyes. "He broke the simulation?"
Ryzen Ironheart crossed his arms. "Not broke. Overwhelmed it."
---
Kaelan stepped out of the arena.
No wounds. No exertion. Just calm eyes and a quiet sigh.
A faint smirk tugged at the instructor's lips.
"…Qualified. Strongly."
He tapped his tablet again. A glowing Ashborne crest appeared next to Kaelan's name — not as privilege, but as a marker of classification. Unranked Class. Unique Path. Echo Overload.
And so, the legend began to take root.
---
Meanwhile…
In a sealed underground chamber, six masked figures sat in silence around a circular table, their auras cloaked in pitch-black mist.
A voice echoed, mechanical and calm.
"The Ashborne boy passed. Stronger than projected."
Another replied — hoarse and laced with disdain.
"Should we interfere?"
The first speaker leaned forward, light glinting off a silver scythe insignia.
"No. Let him grow. Stars shine brightest before they fall…"
---
[To be continued…]