The day had come, the final trial. The candidates stood in silence, the tension hanging in the air like a storm about to break. Some clenched their fist, others tightened their grips on weapons made from hope and desperation. They weren't strangers anymore, they had struggled and bled together. But now, They stood as opponents.Blessing scanned the field, eyes calm but searching. Somewhere in this arena were allies he'd fought besides with and rivals who had their true strength hidden. He whispered to himself, "This is it, the final step."Naoki cracked his knuckles, the paper blade humming slightly with energy. He was here to prove the world wrong. "I have to level up."Kaito stood still hands in pocket determination flickering in his eyes. No words came from his lips just silence.Then the ground rumbled. A voice echoed across the field, not loud, but steady. "This in the last stage. No more simulations, show us who you really are."And at that moment they knew, this was a fight, a choice to rise or fall. "Let the final trial begin."At that moment the arena gates creaked open. And as they stepped into the light, one thought echoed through many. "Only those who conquer their battles are worthy to move forward."The air inside the arena was sharp with pressure, not from altitude or the crowd, but from expectation. Above them a holographic screen pulsed with four words "FINAL TRIAL: FINAL STAND" A voice echoed through the arena not from the regular announcer but from Kairo. "From this point forward, there are no alliances, no pauses, no second chances. Each of you will face two battles, one to test your strength…the other to test your soul."Blessing stood still, his breath slow, his heartbeat loud in his ears. Around him, other candidates shifted, but his mind replayed one thing, Esther's face. "To protect her… I have to survive both fights. Even if it breaks me."Somewhere else, Naoki leaned against a wall, bandages tight around his arms, the hum of paper blades whispering against his spine. He grinned. "Two fights? That's double proof. Let them see what paper can really do."Yuki stepped in, her name was the first to be called out. Her opponent Zane.Zane charged in immediately but Yuki didn't flinch. She threw a seed, drew a line and back-stepped. Within seconds, vines exploded from the cracks in the arena, following chalk marks she had laid earlier, perfectly placed, geometrically aligned to entangle his legs, then slam him to the ground. Every movement she made followed calculated angles, arcs and traps.The crowd went silent. And Kairo muttered, "Brilliant…"As Zane struggled beneath rooted vines, she leaned close and whispered, "Power is loud but intelligence… is silent and deadly." Cheers erupted across the trial grounds with Yuki's easy and planned win. "Alright Yuki!" Blessing celebrated from the sides as he waved his hands.Yuki smiled proudly. "Told them geometry wasn't useless."The moment hung bright, laughter, cheers and the rush of triumph echoed through the arena.Elsewhere far from the light and applause, in a shadowed chamber behind the arena walls, silence reigned. A proctor stumbled back, blood trailing down his lip.Headless stood still, paper ribbons swirling around him like a storm held in suspense.He tilted his head. "Seems like the children are having fun out there." Headless said with a grin. "So why don't we play a game…" his voice low and amused. "…Heads or nothing."Before the proctors could move Headless clapped his hands and the screams began.Back at the trial ground, the mood remained unaware, intense, fighters squaring off the next wave. The crowd roared again as fights continued, tension thick, the real storm still unseen.Fights erupted across the trial grounds, each more intense that the last.Blessing watched from the sidelines as different fighters clashed. But then the time came, it was Kaito's turn.His opponent stepped in, already smirking silver hair and silver eyes, lean build, silver earrings shaped like turning forks, voice smooth and mocking. He went by the name Rin Arashi."So, you're the prodigy everyone's whispering about?" Rin said, arms relaxed. "Tch. Doesn't look like much."The sound manipulator snapped his fingers, and a pressure wave blasted toward Kaito. Kaito didn't move but as soon as the attack went near him it completely dissolved.The arena buzzed with invisible tremors. Every sound that he made turned into a weapon, clicks, claps, even his words reverberated as attacks.Kaito didn't say a word. "You're quiet, scared?" Rin laughed. "Or just realizing you're nothing special?"Kaito replied voice low. "Scared, nah, I'm just annoyed by the noise you're making."Rin scoffed "Is that so." He smirked. "Then allow me to show you something else then."Suddenly, the tone shifted, Rin's feet blurred, sound propulsion. Every time the audience heard an impact it had already landed. Kaito staggered back."Can't even react," Rin taunted. "Pathetic."Each attack made Kaito stagger back. The arena buzzed with tension. Kaito stood in the dust, fists clenched, facing Rin Arashi, the self-proclaimed prodigy of sound. Rin smirked, his voice echoing unnaturally, bending the vibrations in the air."This kid is too fast." One proctor murmured as Rin blurred forward, his attack landing the moment the sound reached the crowd's ears.Kaito staggered back, jaw clenched.Another proctor leaned in. "Sound manipulation… incredible. Kaito is good, but there's no way he can win this."But Elan leaned casually against the railing, arms folded, sun glasses covering her eyes. "Under normal circumstances yeah, But… this kid was trained by Kanji."The proctors fell into stunned silence. One of the elder proctors gasped. "Impossible Kanji trained someone?!"Rin circled, laughing. "Is that all, Kaito? Your silence speaks volumes." He launched another attack, vibrations slicing the air like knives.Kaito finally looked up, a grin tugging at his lips. "You talk too much for someone who hasn't made me move yet."Rin snarled and charged faster, louder with annoyance. "Are you dumb, just look at yourself!" he yelled.But this time, as the attack came in, Kaito caught his face mid-air."To slow," he said coldly as he smashed Rin's head into the ground with a thunderous crack. The arena went dead silent. Confusion and shock hitting them at once.From the crowd, Blessing's eyes widened. "Impossible… what happened?"Kaito put his hands in his pocket and as he walked off the stage, his eyes flickered up, locking directly with Blessing's. No words, just a quiet, knowing look before he turned and disappeared beyond the exit tunnel.Yuki in watching all this, smiled faintly. "I see," she whispered, as if a puzzle had just snapped into place. The arena was still silent. Dust hung in the air, the echo of Kaito's last words. "Too slow." Still etched into the stunned expression of both spectators and proctors.Blessing sat on the edge of the waiting zone, eyes wide, breath caught somewhere between awe and unease. Kaito left the ring without a word, but his eyes, cold and cutting had locked with his for a moment. Like a challenge or warning."Next match, Blessing Chiaki vs Vorn Keller." The proctor announced.Blessing rose slowly, he felt the sweat on his palms and the way his legs hesitated. His last match was nothing compared to the pressure now crushing his chest. He stepped into the ring. The cheers were faint now, they were watching and measuring. Von was already waiting. The gravity manipulator stood tall, unmoving, a force of nature in a simple stance. No flash, no show just silent pressure.Blessing's foot touched the ring floor. Heavy.The announcer called the start and Vorn didn't move. Instead, the gravity around Blessing's legs intensified, pinning him to the ground. His airflow manipulation stuttered under the force.The crowd whispered. "It's over already."But as the weight crushed down, leaving Blessing unable to move a face flashed in his mind, Esther grinning during lunch, flicking crumbs at him, carefree and trusting. Blessing's eyes lifted."You're in my way." He said his eyes slightly glowing, the words were low, but carried far like the wind right before a storm.Vorn flinched. Just by a fraction. Then the air around Blessing exploded.A burst of pressure surged under his feet, cancelling the gravity zone, lifting him in a sharp gust. Vorn tried to increase the gravity but Blessing moved faster, slicing the shift with controlled jets of air at his back and sides, darting unpredictably.He wasn't the same kid who walked in, he was a storm. Blessing weaved around a gravitational burst and unleashed a compressed vortex, striking Vorn in the side and cracking the ring floor.Vorn grunted, tried to shift the field again, but Blessing was already gone, reappearing behind him wind dancing around his arms his eyes laser focused. With one final controlled strike Blessing launched Vorn to the opposite side of the ring.In the upper rows of the spectator stands, where shadows stretched longer and light barely reached. A girl leaned against the railing, eyes sharp beneath the brim of a hooded cloak trimmed with silver lining. Her lips curved into a faint chuckle as Blessing's victory settled across the arena."Kaito… Blessing… seems this tournament isn't gonna be boring after all." Her voice was smooth, almost musical, but there was weight in it, like someone who had seen far more than her youthful face let on.Strands of midnight purple hair fell across her face, catching a strange shimmer when the light touched them. Her eyes were mismatched, one a deep violet, the other a cool silver giving her an otherworldly presence. A faint tattoo of a rose shaped hourglass curled around her left wrist, barely visible beneath the lace of her glove.As the dust settled Blessing stepped off the platform, still catching his breath. Yuki approached him, a subtle smirk on her face."Not bad windy." She teased, tossing him a water bottle.Blessing smiled faintly, still shaken by his own shift in power. "I just remembered something important."They stood there talking, quiet thoughtful words exchanged between them. But then a roar of disbelief echoed across the arena."Wait, what? It's over already?" a proctor shouted.Blessing and Yuki turned toward the ring.Standing tall in the centre was the mysterious girl from the stands, her cloak now resting at her shoulders. At her feet, Naoki was seen unconscious, buried half way into the wall, twitching slightly.No one saw what happened, no build up, no technique announced, just done. She dusted her hands and walked off the platform like a casual stroll, not even sparing Naoki a glance. Blessing eyes widened but no word come from his lips with shock. Yuki's eyes narrowed. "She's not here to play."And somewhere in the crowd whispers began. "Who is she…?" "What kind of power was that?" "She didn't even take a stance."No one truly knew what happened but one thing was clear, the tournament had just gotten a lot more dangerous.
