The summons came at dawn.
Not by bell.Not by siren.
Every participant—students and delegates alike—felt it as a pressure behind the eyes, a silent pull toward the central forum.
The amphitheater filled slowly.
Twenty-five delegates from the villages stood apart, forming no pattern. Around them, academy students occupied the outer rings, watching without permission to speak.
At the center stood Valen.
Not Masako.Not Mizuki.
That alone unsettled people.
"The Evaluation begins today," Valen announced, his voice amplified without magic. "What you will hear are not guidelines. They are conditions."
The projection ignited behind him.
ELEMENTAL CAPACITY ASSESSMENT — STRUCTURE
"Participants," Valen continued, "have already been selected. Five representatives from each village. You have been deemed ready."
No one reacted.
"The Assessment consists of multiple stages. Each stage records behavior, not outcome."
A pause.
"Yes," Valen said, anticipating disbelief. "You can succeed at a task and still fail the Evaluation."
Murmurs rippled through the amphitheater.
STAGE ONE: RESISTANCE TRIAL
"No combat," Valen said. "No opponents."
The projection shifted—an empty field, layered with concentric barriers.
"You will be placed under sustained pressure. Physical. Elemental. Psychological."
"How long?" a delegate asked.
Valen met his gaze. "Until you are no longer performing."
Silence followed.
"You are not removed for collapsing," Valen added. "You are removed when you choose to."
STAGE TWO: CHOICE SCENARIO
The image fractured into branching paths.
"You will be given incomplete information," Valen said. "Every option will carry cost."
He folded his hands.
"There is no correct decision."
The words sat heavy.
"Only recorded consequence."
STAGE THREE: SILENCE FIELD
The projection went dark.
No terrain.No markers.
"No elemental response," Valen said. "None."
Several students stiffened.
"You will act without feedback," he continued. "Those who rely on instinct alone will struggle. Those who rely on power will fail."
A student whispered, "How do we pass?"
Valen did not answer.
FINAL STAGE: CROSS-VILLAGE ENGAGEMENT
The amphitheater went still.
"Yes," Valen said calmly. "Combat."
The projection displayed paired silhouettes—faceless, unnamed.
"Engagements will be one-on-one," he continued. "Opponents will be assigned. Victory is noted."
He raised a finger.
"But it is not decisive."
Confusion spread visibly now.
"Rankings," Valen explained, "will be determined by cumulative assessment."
New text appeared:
Tactical adaptation
Resource management
Cognitive response
Strategic intent
Historical performance across prior stages
"And," Valen finished, "what you learned."
A delegate scoffed. "If victory isn't decisive, why fight at all?"
Valen's gaze sharpened.
"Because under pressure," he replied, "people reveal priorities they don't know they have."
A student raised a hand. "What happens after ranking?"
Valen smiled thinly.
"You are placed."
"Placed where?"
Valen looked past the student—past all of them.
"Where you are needed."
No one asked anything else.
From the upper tier, Masako finally spoke.
"This Evaluation," she said, her voice carrying easily, "does not exist to crown champions."
She turned slightly, addressing both students and delegates.
"It exists to sort risk."
Her eyes lingered briefly on the Vaelrion delegation.
"And opportunity."
Kurogane felt the weight settle fully for the first time.
Not dread.
Expectation.
"They're not testing who's strongest," he murmured.
Raishin nodded. "They're deciding who gets sacrificed first."
The projection faded.
Valen stepped back.
"The first trial will begin within the hour," he announced. "Prepare."
As the amphitheater emptied, one truth followed every participant into the corridors:
The rules were not meant to be fair.
They were meant to be revealing.