Theo's POV
The attention didn't fade.
If anything—
It sharpened.
Not loud.
Not obvious.
But focused.
Like everyone had silently agreed—
Something had changed.
And they needed to understand it.
"…You feel that?" Kairo muttered beside me.
"Yeah."
"Good," he said. "I was hoping it wasn't just me getting paranoid."
"You? Paranoid?"
"Hey," he said, offended. "I can be serious when I want to."
"…Rarely."
"Wow."
He placed a hand over his chest.
"That hurts."
I almost smiled.
Almost.
But the feeling didn't go away.
That pressure.
Not from the Void.
Not from inside.
From outside.
From the people watching.
From the instructors above.
From something else—
"…Oi."
Kairo nudged me lightly.
"You're doing that thing again."
"…What thing?"
"The thinking too much thing."
"I'm not—"
"You are," he cut in. "Your face does this weird serious thing."
"…That's just my face."
"Yeah, and it's getting worse."
I exhaled quietly.
"…Something's off."
Kairo didn't joke this time.
"…Yeah," he said. "I know."
That made me glance at him.
"…You noticed it too?"
"I notice everything," he shrugged.
Of course he did.
"…Not the crowd," he added.
"…Then what?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Which meant—
This wasn't casual.
"…We're being watched," he said.
I almost said obviously.
But something in his tone stopped me.
"…We're always being watched," I replied.
"Not like this."
That—
Got my attention.
I followed his gaze.
Not to the students.
Not to the instructors.
But past them.
Toward the edge of the training grounds.
Where—
Someone stood.
Still.
Unmoving.
Watching.
"…That's not normal," Kairo muttered.
"…No," I said quietly.
It wasn't.
There was something off about the way they stood.
Too still.
Too focused.
Like they weren't observing—
But analyzing.
"…You know them?" Kairo asked.
"…No."
"Same."
That wasn't reassuring.
Before we could react—
A voice echoed across the training grounds.
"Instructor approaching."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Students straightened.
Movement slowed.
Order returned.
A figure stepped forward from the upper platform—
Calm.
Controlled.
Authority in every step.
"…That's new," Kairo muttered.
"Yeah."
Instructors didn't usually step in like this.
Not unless—
Something mattered.
They stopped at the center.
Eyes scanning the field.
Then—
Landing on us.
"…Of course," Kairo whispered. "We're popular now."
I didn't respond.
Because this wasn't the same kind of attention.
This was—
Deliberate.
"…You two," the instructor said.
No hesitation.
No confusion.
They knew exactly who they were calling.
"…Called it," Kairo muttered.
We stepped forward.
The entire training ground felt quieter.
Watching.
Waiting.
"…You handled the anomaly earlier," the instructor said.
"…Yes," I replied.
Their eyes shifted slightly.
Not just on me.
On Kairo too.
"…And you," they added.
Kairo raised a hand slightly.
"Present."
I resisted the urge to react.
Barely.
The instructor didn't.
Didn't smile.
Didn't react at all.
"…Show me."
That was it.
No explanation.
No buildup.
Just—
A command.
Kairo glanced at me.
"…Well," he said quietly. "This escalated."
"…Yeah."
But there was no refusing this.
Not now.
I stepped forward slightly.
Mana gathering.
Controlled.
Focused.
But before I could act—
Crackle.
Kairo moved first.
Of course he did.
A sharp arc of lightning snapped into existence around his hand.
"…Guess we're doing this," he said.
The instructor's gaze sharpened slightly.
Interested.
Good.
Because this—
Wasn't just a test.
This was evaluation.
And whether we liked it or not—
We were already part of it.
I raised my hand.
Water gathered instantly.
Clear.
Stable.
Ready.
Beside me—
Lightning flickered.
Sharp.
Unpredictable.
Two different forces.
Side by side.
For the first time—
Not separate.
But aligned.
"…Don't slow me down," Kairo said.
"…You wish."
He grinned.
There it was again.
That spark.
"…Good," he said.
Because now—
It wasn't just about getting stronger.
It was about proving it.