The sun was beginning its descent toward the horizon when the examiners called the names for the final round. Twelve candidates had made it this far.
"Dorian," the examiner called out. "Versus Davin Cross."
Adrian stepped forward. His opponent was already on the arena floor, a boy with dark hair and a coat that had been tailored to fit perfectly. He moved like someone who had trained since childhood, his posture perfect with soaring confidence. Adrian had seen him before. He was among those who had laughed during the first round.
Davin drew his blade with a flourish. "No hard feelings, frontier boy."
Adrian was a bit surprised. He had not told anyone aside from the examiners that he was from the frontier.
'Wait... The Examiners!' Adrian face-palmed mentally.
Apparently the nobles had talked amongst themselves and the information had spread to their children.
He sighed and drew his blade. There was nothing he could do about it.
Immediately the examiner raised her hand, Davin struck first.
'Fast' was what Adrian thought as he saw Davin move.
His blade came low, then high, then low again. Adrian stepped back with each strike, meeting them with his own blade.
The exchange lasted a few seconds as Adrian was waiting for an opening to strike back. It came on the fourth exchange when Davin overcommitted on his high strikes, leaving his left side exposed for a heartbeat.
Adrian closed in, his blade striking for the opening, fast and precise, just as Lilith had taught him.
Davin barely got his blade up in time. The impact jarred them both. Davin's eyes widened. He had not expected Adrian to be that fast.
Then something changed. The air felt heavier with a sudden surge of energy. Davin's next strike came faster than his body should have been capable of. Adrian blocked but the force drove him back three steps.
He looked at Davin's blade. It was glowing brighter than it should have been. Brighter than Cassius's had been. Brighter than anyone's.
'He's drawing more than he should' Adrian realized. 'Way more'
Davin came again. Adrian blocked, and the impact shocked his arm. Davin was stronger now, faster, his movements augmented by a spirit that was supposed to be watching from the stands.
The rules said soul energy was permitted. They did not say how much.
Adrian did not retreat. He met each strike, his arms screaming, his grip holding. He was not going to run. He was not going to give him that satisfaction.
The crowd was whispering now, some of them noticing, some pretending not to.
Davin's blade came in high. Adrian caught it and held it. For a moment they stood locked together, Davin's face close, his breath coming fast.
"Give up," Davin hissed. "You can't win."
Adrian looked at him. "I don't need to win."
He drove his forehead into Davin's nose.
Davin reeled back, blood streaming down his face, his guard dropping. Adrian's blade swiftly came up and pressed against Davin's throat.
The crowd went silent.
"Enough," the examiner said. "Winner: Dorian."
Adrian lowered his blade. Davin stood there, blood dripping onto his perfect coat, his face a mask of shock and fury. His blade was still glowing, still drawing on power he should not have been using.
"You—" Davin started, his voice shaking.
Adrian walked past him not looking back.
---
He was at the edge of the crowd when the grey-haired examiner caught up to him.
"That was reckless," she said.
Adrian met her eyes. "He was cheating."
"I know." She studied him for a moment. "House Cross will complain. His family has influence."
"They can complain all they want. Everyone saw what he did." Adrian flexed his hands.
The corner of her mouth twitched. It was not quite a smile, but close. "You could have killed him. When his guard dropped. His throat was wide open."
Adrian was inwardly shocked that an instructor had said that aloud.
'Is she testing me?' he thought.
But he thought deeply about what she said. The way Davin had looked at him like he was nothing. The satisfaction of watching him bleed on his perfect coat.
"He wasn't worth it," Adrian said honestly.
She looked at him a moment longer. "No. He wasn't." She nodded once, then walked back toward the platform.
---
He found Lilith waiting at the edge of the stands. Her face was calm, but through the bond, he felt something warm. Approval.
"You didn't kill him," she said.
"No."
"You wanted to?"
Adrian looked at his hands. They were steady. "He wasn't worth it."
Lilith said nothing. But as they walked through the gates, out of the academy, into the streets of Aurelis, he felt her approval settle into his chest like something solid.
---
The next morning, Adrian woke to grey light filtering through the window.
He sat up, his body stiff, his mind still tangled with the events of the day before.
He did the daily quests quickly as he'd always done everyday then sparred with Lilith for a few minutes before taking a rest.
He pulled up the system interface expecting to see the same notifications he had seen every morning for the past week.
However, a new notification had popped up.
[Daily Quest — Morning Cultivation: Complete]
[Daily Quest — Physical Conditioning: Complete]
[Soul Energy Control Proficiency: 7/7 days]
He stared at the screen. Seven days.
[Soul Energy Control: Unlocked]
His breath caught. He had been waiting for this. Six days of pushing through exhaustion, of learning to find the warmth in his chest, of forcing his body through exercises when all he wanted was to sleep. And now—
He felt something shift in his chest, like a door opening. A space he had not known existed. His soul space. Empty and dark. At its center, a faint light pulsed.
A guess told him that this was his bond with Lilith.
He sat there for a long moment, letting the feeling settle. It was strange. Not uncomfortable, but unfamiliar. Like standing in a room he had always known was there but had never been allowed to enter.
"You felt it," Lilith said. She was already dressed, standing by the door.
He nodded slowly. "It's there."
"It will grow," she said. "As you do."
He looked at his hands. They were steady. He had fought without this. Without her power. Without the full bond he was supposed to have. And he had won.
"Now come," Lilith said. "The results will be posted. When we return, you can check it out all you want."
---
The main hall entrance was crowded when they arrived.
Candidates pressed close to the large wooden board propped against the wall. Adrian quickly scanned the columns. His name was not in the first. Not in the second. He was about to move closer when Lilith spoke.
"Fourth column. Near the top."
He followed her gaze. There, between names he did not recognize, he found his.
Dorian. Rank: 3. Accepted.
He stared at the word. Accepted. No written test. No further assessment.
'Perhaps they didn't think it was necessary to do the written test'
A boy near the board let out a sharp laugh. "Third? I was ranked fourth." He was tall, with a sharp jaw and a coat that screamed nobility. "How does a frontier boy get third?"
Adrian turned to the boy unfazed. The brat had confirmed that the nobles knew he was from the Scar.
The boy took a step toward him. "What, you don't have anything to say?"
A hand caught the boy's arm. "Leave it."
Adrian looked at the newcomer. He was tall, with sandy hair that fell across his forehead, a face that seemed made for smiling, and a coat that was clean but plain.
"He's not worth it," the sandy-haired boy said. "You got fourth. He got third. Move on."
The angry boy wrenched his arm free, shot Adrian one last glare, and stalked off.
The sandy-haired boy turned to Adrian and extended his hand. "Ethan Mervin. Ranked fifth."
Adrian took his hand. "Dorian."
Ethan grinned. "I know. Everyone knows. The guy who headbutted a noble in the final round." He shook his head. "My combat instructor back home would have killed me if I tried that."
Adrian said nothing. He was still looking at the board.
Ethan followed his gaze. "Cassius Vorne took first, of course. No surprise there." He pointed to the top of the board. "Second is Serena Ashford. House Ashford. She fought clean, didn't lose a single round." He lowered his voice. "She's also been glaring at everyone who placed below her like it's personally offensive."
Adrian glanced toward the crowd. He found her immediately.
She stood apart from the others, her arms crossed, her back straight. Her hair was dark and perfectly arranged, her coat fitted and expensive, the Ashford crest stitched into the collar. Her face was striking with sharp cheekbones, a mouth set in a hard line and eyes that moved across the crowd with cold assessment. She was watching the board like it had insulted her.
Adrian looked away feeling irritated. Unwanted memories were beginning to surface from seeing a face he recognized.
He turned back to Ethan and asked "Then you?"
Ethan tapped his name. "Then me." He gave a short laugh. "The nobles are going to hate this. A frontier boy and a merchant's son in the top five."
Adrian looked at him. "Merchant's son?"
Ethan gave a small shrug. "Textiles. Not noble, not poor. Just somewhere in between."
He looked at Adrian. "So… you're really from the Scar?"
"Yeah."
Ethan shook his head. "That's a long walk. And you fought a cheater without soul energy and still won."
"I was just lucky. You did well yourself," Adrian said.
Ethan's grin widened. "I know."
He looked past Adrian. "Hey, there's someone who wants to meet you."
Adrian turned as a girl approached from behind. Her dark hair was tied back, her coat worn but clean, and her boots marked by hard use. She moved with a casual ease, and though her face was warm, her sharp brown eyes missed nothing as it settled on them.
She stopped in front of him and extended her hand. "You're Dorian? The one who headbutted that noble?"
Adrian nodded and took her hand. Her grip was firm.
"Tessa," she said. "Ranked eighth. Which means I'm not as impressive as you two, but I'm working on it."
Ethan snorted. "You handled the spirit better than half the nobles."
Tessa's mouth quirked. "I handled it but I didn't win." She looked at Adrian. "You just stood there in the second round. For like ten seconds. I thought you were going to lose. Then you moved and it was over."
Adrian shrugged. "It was the only way."
She studied him for a moment. "You don't talk much, do you?"
"Not really."
She smiled. It was genuine. "That's fine. I talk enough for three people."
Ethan laughed. "She's not lying. She talked through the entire first round. I could hear her from across the arena."
Tessa elbowed him. "I was nervous."
"Everyone was nervous. You were the only one narrating it."
Adrian watched them. They were easy with each other. He had not seen that in a long time.
"We sat next to each other in the waiting room," Ethan explained. "She talked to me the whole time. I think she was trying to distract herself."
"It worked," Tessa said. "Mostly."
Further down the board, Adrian saw Davin's name.
Ranked twelfth. Accepted.
He wondered if his family had pulled strings to get him that high. It didn't matter though. Everyone had seen what happened.
He found Lilith waiting at the edge of the crowd.
"You're quiet," she said.
Adrian glanced back. Ethan and Tessa were already walking toward the dormitories, their voices fading into the courtyard noise.
He would see them again.
He took a step forward. "Let's go."