The morning sun cast long shadows through Kara's window as she slipped into her red and black jacket, something familiar to hold into against her skin. She paused in front of the mirror, smoothing down the lapels of her uniform, trying to ignore the tight flutter in her chest.
"Okay," she murmured to her reflection, adjusting the ruby gem in the middle. "I've got this, no biggie.."
She walked toward the kitchen counter where her lunch box sat, wrapped in a checkered cloth. Her silver eyes flickered at the bright yellow sticky note stuck on top,
'Good luck! Make sure to take the juice I've prepared in the fridge;) – Skye'
She glanced over at Yuri as she picked up the lunch box, tucking it securely into her bag.
The round canine was happily munching on his breakfast in the corner of the room, bits of kibble scattered around his paws. He looked up, tilting his head as the brunette past him, then quickly devoured the rest of his meal
With a final satisfied lick, he bounded over to Kara, leaping onto the hood of her jacket as she reached for the door.
"Easy there, you little rascal," she chuckled, adjusting him so he wouldn't block her view.
"Rhra!" Yuri purred in response, settling comfortably between her shoulders as she reached for the doorknob.
Taking a deep breath, Kara opened the door and stepped out into the bright morning air, cool and fresh.
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[Last week. The Entrance Exam.]
Ground's dirt against her shoes as the brunette stood firm in the dueling circle. Her silver eyes wonder, small crowd at the fence.
Fresh faces sweating, upperclassmen yawning.
Two professors leaned against the fence, one with a clipboard, the other scanning the field with sharp eyes.
All eyes on the two of them.
Kara's face was a smooth, unreadable mask.
Inside, though, her stomach twisted. Even this small audience made her skin prickle, making her want to shrink into the ground.
Across from her, a boy with tousled brown hair gripped the shaft of his training spear so tight his knuckles sharking, sweat roll his face even without him doing anything. But his eyes sharply focus on her.
Nervous? Yeah. Determined? More than that.
"The rules are simple" the first professor called out, his voice clear and sharp, "Each of you has three barriers installed in your gems, those are your life points. Hit your opponent, and one negates. Get to zero, and you lose."
"And no Arcana allowed, this is about raw skills only."
Kara nodded, but her mind was already wandering. 'First round. Of course I'm picked first.. typical bad luck.' She tried to tune out the murmur of the crowd, but it buzzed in her ears like wasps.
"First to win gives the opening speech— BEGIN!"
The boy moved fast, faster than she'd expected, spear tip whistling for her torso.
"Ah—" Kara's thoughts were still scattered, her movements stiff with discomfort.
"Kuh..!" She twisted late, and the tip of the spear grazed her arm.
CRACK!
One red barrier burst into stardust and was gone.
'Wake up, idiot!'
He swung the spear in a wide arc for another strike. She ducked under it, close enough to smell his sweat, and slammed her palm into his wrist.
The spear wavered, she jammed her gun to his gut and fire.
BANG!
"Ah..!" He stumbled back, gasping, as one yellow barrier fizzled out in sparks.
He looked up at her then, surprise melting into focus. . . he'd underestimated her. He steady his grip on the weapon, eyes sharpening into serious determination.
"Sorry." The boy's voice was tight, sharp. "My family's counting on me to pass. I won't waste this chance to get into my dream school!"
Kara didn't say a word. He charged straight at her, spear blade glinting— she dodged, but he swung the lower end of the shaft, and it cracked against her thigh.
The brunette winced at the pain.
He grinned, just a little. He figured it out. There's no need for the blade to hit.
Anything that connects counts.
FIZZ—Her second red barrier popped into nothing.
She leaped back, trying to put space between them, but he was already running after her, feet pounding dirt.
Clever. Sure, she'd give him that.
But as he barreled forward, Kara already noticed it after she got a hit on him.
His guard was always wide open since the start. And after that shot, in her eyes. . .
He became incredibly slow. . .
The dust swirled as Kara lifted her gun. Not at him. But his feet.
BANG.
The shot kicked up dirt right under his boots. He yelped, his legs slipping out from under him and in that split second, she was under him, elbow crashing into his shoulder.
CRACK—His second barrier exploded into sparks that stung his skin.
The impact sent him sprawling, spear clattering out of his grasp into the dirt. He winced, gritting his teeth against the throb in his arm, eyes squeezing shut for just a moment.
When he opened them, the cold metal of her gun was inches from his forehead. The boy was backed against the center.
One more shot. That's all it took. No way out for him.
Kara's finger hovered over the trigger. . .
Then, the words hit back. Screaming at the back of her head.
The first who achieve victory will be the starting host.
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First to win gives the opening speech.
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Speech.
She'd have to give a speech, all eyes on her, talking to everyone.
If she win here, it's game over for her.
The thought made her froze. Just for a second.
But a second was all he needed.
He lunged from the dirt, hand slamming into her torso before she could react.
FIZZ—!
Her final barrier dissolved into thin air, like it never existed at all.
The boy stared, panting.
Then it hit him. He won. He actually won.
"Duel over!" the professor called out, voice booming. "Victory to the challenger!"
Kara stood still, her mind a blank.
As the professor called for the next round, the boy stumbled toward the center to give his speech, grinning so wide his face hurt.
The brunette turned and walked away with a sighed, each step heavy. She slipped into the entrance tunnel, and in seconds, she was gone.
In the stands, a boy with split white and dark hair, his gaze fixed on the empty spot where she'd been.
His eyes narrowing sharply.
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Seth leaned against the rooftop railing, looking down at the school grounds below.
There was Serina, bouncing on her toes, waiting by the main entrance. Then the brunette came into view, hands in her jacket pockets, while her pet perched on her shoulder.
The second Serina spotted her, her face lit up like a firework. She skipped forward, arm waving so hard it looked like it might fly off, calling something he couldn't hear.
Seth ran a hand through his split white-and-purple hair, letting out a long sigh that fogged the cool air.
'How the hell are these two supposed to be worth staying for?'
"Seriously," he muttered to himself, voice low and rough. "Out of everyone possible to choose. It had to be her of all people."
He pulled his hand back, shoving it deep in his pocket, and turned away from the railing.
No point watching any longer.
He started walking toward the staircase, his footsteps echoing soft against the rooftop concrete.
. . . .
"Kara! You made it— I was starting to think you'd bailed on me already."
The brunette shook her head, a small smile tugging at her lips as she adjusted Yuri on her shoulder. "I'm not about to do that on the second day. Though… how's the visit to the faculty office? You were supposed to go early, right?"
Serina groaned, letting her arm flop down to her side as they fell into step together, heading toward the training grounds. "Ugh, don't even get me started. Professor Vance was this close to putting me on 'permanent hallway cleanup duty'." She held up her thumb and index finger, barely an inch apart.
Kara's silver eyes widened slightly. "Really? That bad?"
"Nah, he's just dramatic." Serina grinned, shoving her hands in her pockets. "Turns out the Senior's the one who got in real trouble, apparently using that poison smoke bomb thing is considered 'dangerous underhanded tactics' or whatever. Vance said if he does it again, he'll get suspended."
She kicked at a loose pebble on the path. "As for me… I just got assigned to fix the scorch marks on the floor and patch up the wall. He even gave me a toolkit, said 'if you break it, you fix it yourself'."
"Are you even good at fixing things?" Kara asked, trying to keep a straight face but failing.
"Hey!" Serina laughed, nudging her playfully. "I fixed my greatsword's handle last month when it came loose. Sure, I used way too many nails and it's a little lopsided now, but it works!"
Yuri let out a soft rwaf as if agreeing, and Kara had to stifle a giggle. "Well, at least you're not in as much trouble as you thought."
"True. Though Vance did make me promise to 'think before I act' next time." Serina pouted. "Like where's the fun in that? Half the time my best moves come from just going for it."
They rounded a corner, and the training grounds came into view, empty except for Seth, who was standing against a tree near the center, tapping his foot impatiently.
Kara's smile faded a little, her shoulders tensing. "He's already here."
"He's in a mood because as per usual, probably woke up on the wrong side of the bed...again. Besides, we've got bigger things to worry about, like showing him what we can do together."
She quickened her pace, calling out toward Seth. "Hey grumpy! You ready to see your new teammates in action?"
Seth pushed off the tree, his expression as unimpressed as ever. "Took you two long enough. I've been standing here for ten minutes."
"Relax, we had important things to discuss." Serina gestured vaguely at the sky. "Like… how nice the weather is today."
"It's cloudy."
"Exactly! Perfect for you, actually." She grinned, plopping down on a nearby rock and patting the spot next to her for Kara.
The brunette sat carefully, Yuri curling up in her lap. "So… what's the plan for the Trial Run?"
Seth crossed his arms, looking between them. "First, are you even familiar with how the Trial mechanics work here?"
Kara shook her head, silver eyes wide with curiosity. "No… I didn't get to attend the orientation ceremony yesterday because…" She glanced at Serina for a split second, a small, knowing smile on her lips. "You know."
"Figured." He let out a short sigh, his gaze cutting to the blonde. "You're a bad influence, Einhart."
"Hey!" Serina protested, throwing her hands up. "I didn't get to attend my first-day from last month's orientation either! It's not my fault she got roped in, this was partner business we're talking about!"
Seth just rolled his eyes and started to pace, ignoring her. "Alright, listen up. The trial run is a set of challenges given to us by an assigned professor. Passed it, and you get to fight them personally to achieve a medal as proof of your victory."
"Make no mistake, these professors are strong, and smart enough that not all student was able to passed. The Queen herself handpicks them for their skills, to teach the next generation of Arcanists."
He paused, kicking at the dirt. "There are seven trials total. You have to overcome all of them to graduate and get your official Arcanist license."
Serina popped up from the rock, eyes sparkling. "And once we have that license? We can travel the world, take on jobs, train with other strong Arcanists, basically do whatever we need to get ready for the Grand Ascend!"
"That's the gist of it." Seth kept walking, his voice steady. "Though being a fighter isn't the only way to graduate. You can do it the normal way, pass all your classes over the four years. That's why there are three courses here."
"Guardian Course, that's for tamers who train [Bounds], like Yuri here." Serina chimed in, reaching over to scratch the canine's head. "They compete in matches where their [Bounds] fight against each other—super intense, but also really cool to watch."
She counted off on her fingers. "Then Scholar Course, those are the brainy ones. They study and learn their profession, practical jobs like medics, teachers, even politics.. All about company, research, and strategy. . . no big fights, just lots of books and planning."
"And Arcanist Course, which is what we're in." She grinned, tapping her chest. "The one for people who want to master their own Arcana, protect civilians, and test their strength against the best."
"The trial run is how you speed things up," Seth added, stopping to face them. "That's why I'm taking this route. The Grand Ascend is two years from now, four years is too slow."
His gaze landed on Kara, sharp and direct. "Surely there's a reason you picked the Arcanist Course. You didn't just sign up on a whim without knowing what you're getting into, did you?"
The question hung in the air, and Kara felt her chest tighten. She fidgeted with Yuri's fur, avoiding boy's eyes for a moment before looking up.
PAW!
Serina clapping her hands together loudly. "Okay, okay! Enough with the third-degree interrogation!"
She stepped between them, giving the hot-headed boy a pointed looked. "Last I checked, you were the one who said we shouldn't waste time. Remember? 'The Grand Ascend is two years from now' and 'We are not playing pretend out here'?" She mimicked his rough voice, making a silly scowling face.
Seth's jaw tightened, but he didn't argue. He just snap a hand to his waist and looked away, a faint flush of annoyance on his cheeks.
"See? Even grumpy here knows I'm right." Serina grinned, then turned to Kara, her expression softening. "We can talk about why later, okay? Right now, we've got a trial to start—and I, for one, don't want to keep our assigned professor waiting."
She grabbed Kara's hand and pulled her up from the rock, ignoring the brunette's small yelp of surprise. Yuri scrambled onto the brunette's shoulder, clinging on with his tiny claws.
"Wait, who's the professor we should go first? Do we already have one?" Kara asked, stumbling a little as Serina dragged her toward the training grounds' eastern exit.
"Yep!" Serina nodded, picking up the pace. "Professor Vance told me this morning, our first trial is with Professor Leon. Since he's challenge area is the closest, just past the eastern courtyard."
She glanced back at the hot-headed boy, who was already following behind them at a steady pace. "You coming, or are you gonna stand there scowling all day?"
Seth let out a short huff, but he quickened his steps to catch up. "I'm coming. Don't want you two getting lost before we even reach the challenge area."
As they walked through the eastern courtyard, the air grew cooler, and the sound of birdsong faded into the distance. Ahead of them, a tall stone archway stood, covered in twisting green vines that wrapped around its pillars like living ropes.
"That's it," Serina said, pointing at the distance while looking back. "The entrance to the trial's challenge area."
Kara looked up, her lips parting in awe 'Its like a witch tower, or more like.. a dungeon?'
The blonde let go of her hand and took a step forward, then turned back to face them, her blue eyes determine. "Ready to start our first of seven trials? Let's go show Professor Leon what Team… uh… what Team we can do!"
"We don't even have a name yet." Seth massage his forehead.
"Details, details!" Serina waved a hand dismissively, already heading through the archway. "We'll figure that out after we pass the first trial. Now come on, no more wasting time!"
. . .
". . . This is the entrance, right?"
They all stared at the door.
"Pretty much."
A note that read:
[On the leave, be back after the renovation!]
"You gotta be kidding meeee?!!"