Chapter:28
The coliseum stood still under the pale light of dawn.
Above its towering spires, banners bearing the crest of Aflety Magic Academy swayed in the wind, but this morning, something was different. The air was heavy with tension—like the sky itself held its breath, waiting.
Within the students' resting chamber, Evan sat in silence. He had returned from the Gauntlet of Spirits not as the boy who entered it—but as something more. Something steadier. His dark hair clung slightly to his forehead from the mist of magical condensation, and his violet eyes glinted faintly with a new depth.
Beside him, Nex—no longer just a hatchling Basilisk—curled lazily. Though he hadn't evolved fully, his form shimmered with translucent energy, scales layered with midnight blue and hints of stardust. His eyes burned with greater awareness.
Evan rubbed his head gently. "Feeling any different?"
Nex flicked his tail and muttered, "I had an emotional awakening and nearly became your therapy dragon. So yes, I feel different."
Evan blinked.
"You're really getting snarky."
"You named me. You raised me. My attitude is your fault."
He snorted, shaking his head as Lilith approached from the hallway.
"Still talking to yourself?" she teased, arms folded elegantly in front of her pristine uniform. Her long hair was pinned back in a twist of royal crimson and pearl, highlighting her noble presence.
"I'm talking to Nex."
"Same thing," she replied, rolling her eyes.
Nex grumbled, "I'm present, thank you."
Lilith smiled warmly. "I'm glad he's back."
Behind them, the rest of Evan's team—Silva Elowen, Gareth Ironfang, and Cassia Belvane—filed in one after another. Silva wore a cold, unreadable look. Gareth yawned and scratched his head while muttering about missed breakfast. Cassia merely walked past everyone and took a seat, already opening a new book on soul-link theory.
The bell tolled in the distance.
Moments later, Lord Gawain—the Headmaster—entered with a group of professors and high-ranking officials. The energy in the room shifted.
"The Dominion Trials begin at midday," Gawain said, voice sharp and resonant. "This final stage will determine the ranking of all academy teams. It is not just a measure of strength—but of unity, adaptability, and resolve."
He paused, then turned to Evan's group.
"You, especially, will be watched closely."
"Why us?" Gareth asked.
Gawain's eyes met Evan's. "Because the Emperor himself has taken interest in your progress."
A stunned silence followed.
Lilith's eyes narrowed. "So it was a real letter…"
Evan didn't respond. The weight of that royal envelope still burned in his memory—its seal untouched, its contents unread. Not yet.
But he sensed it. A storm was coming.
And not just from rival academies.
⸻
In the Spectator Box Above the Coliseum…
From a glass-shielded chamber lined with enchantments, foreign dignitaries arrived one by one. Among them was a tall, silver-robed figure whose presence made even the professors stand straighter.
"Is that…?" Silva whispered.
"Yes," Cassia replied under her breath. "That's Prince Caelith of the Holy Elven Empire."
Caelith bore the distinctive long hair and starlit eyes of the Elven Royal Line. His expression was unreadable, but his attention remained fixed on the arena below.
"Observe carefully," he said to his attending envoy. "The Black Nest is said to move in shadows, and shadows love chaos."
⸻
Meanwhile, in a darkened chamber beneath the academy…
Within a sealed crypt-like space marked by anti-scrying runes, the masked figure of Shade Cardinal stood before an arcane mirror.
"The Gauntlet nearly awoke his soul. He's moving too fast."
From the mirror, a distorted voice hissed. "Delay him. Send her next."
Shade turned to a hooded girl kneeling nearby. Her eyes were like polished onyx, void of light or warmth.
"As you command," she whispered.
Shade's voice turned colder.
"Test him in the Dominion Trial. If he fails, erase him. If he survives… then he will be ready."
The final horn sounded across the sprawling Aflety Arena.
Students, spectators, professors, and foreign dignitaries all stood at attention as the center of the arena began to transform. Great rings of ancient glyphs spun in the air, forming a massive circular battleground unlike any seen before. The sky darkened slightly, not from storm clouds—but from the power of layered enchantments activating in tandem.
Evan stepped out with his team and felt it—like walking into the breath of a sleeping giant. Mana surged around them in waves, old magic woven into the very stones of the battlefield.
From the viewing tower, Professor Loreva, the Head Examiner for this trial, addressed the crowd.
"Welcome… to the Dominion Trials."
Her voice, amplified by sound-runes, echoed throughout the entire academy.
"In this final stage, teams will battle for honor, ranking, and recognition. Each group must conquer a multi-phase gauntlet: conquest, defense, strategy, and survival. No illusions. No handicaps. Victory will require heart."
She paused.
"And the first matchup shall be…"
The magical display shimmered midair, revealing:
Team Evan Rochel – Aflety Division One
vs
Team Kyran Sol – Ignis Tempest Academy
A gasp ran through the crowd. Silva's eyes narrowed immediately.
"Of course they sent them."
Gareth grinned. "Now it's getting fun."
Lilith stepped closer to Evan, her voice low. "Ignis Tempest is known for their hybrid flame-users. Their captain, Kyran Sol… he's a fire tamer, but his beast is rumored to be a dual-essence drake."
"And?" Evan asked.
Lilith's eyes darkened. "And he's one of the Emperor's hidden picks for next generation Imperial Guard."
Nex hissed softly from Evan's side. "Then let's burn the future guards to cinders."
Cassia chuckled, adjusting her gloves. "Elegant. Brutal. I like it."
Evan tightened his grip on Nex's summoning ring. His mind was steady, his heart calm—but deep down, the quiet pressure of expectations curled like mist through his ribs.
From the opposite gate, the Ignis Tempest team stepped into the light.
Kyran Sol led them—a tall young man with bronze skin, flame-scarred armor, and ember-colored eyes. His beast, a sleek fire-drake with silver and red scales, walked at his side like a loyal hound.
Kyran's gaze locked with Evan's.
"Rochel," he said with a confident grin. "Didn't think we'd meet this soon."
Evan didn't blink. "Disappointed?"
"Not at all." Kyran's smile sharpened. "Let's see how long your beast lasts."
Nex arched his neck. "Say that again, grilled chicken."
"Easy," Evan whispered with a faint smile, though Nex's tail thumped behind him in irritation.
"Begin!" Professor Loreva's voice rang out.
The Dominion Field flared, dividing into quadrants—each marked with different terrain: volcanic rock, shifting sand, icy cliffs, and verdant forest.
Evan's team was pushed into the forested quadrant. From the sound of a whistle, they had one minute before the match began.
Cassia raised a dome of translucent shielding magic over them temporarily as they regrouped.
"Plan?" Silva asked briskly.
Evan responded instantly, "We bait them toward the waterfall edge. Gareth and Silva lead the distraction. Cassia, keep the pressure up with ranged control. Lilith and I flank from below. Nex and I take Kyran together."
Lilith glanced at him. "You're not letting anyone else deal with him, are you?"
"No," Evan said. "He's mine."
Gareth's wolfish grin returned. "Gods, I missed this feeling."
"Then let's fight."
The shield fell—and the battlefield roared to life.
⸻
Phase 1: Conquest – Clash Begins
Kyran's team wasted no time. Fire erupted across the trees, pushing the forest quadrant into a controlled blaze. His drake unleashed a storm of flame, fusing magic and breath into arcing molten blasts.
Silva sprinted through the fire without pause, her water-affinity staff swirling with gleaming azure. She clashed with a twin-blade user, her attacks fluid and precise.
Gareth tanked a flame bomb head-on, slamming his gauntlet into the ground to scatter the enemy team. His beast, a Stonehide Badger, launched itself into battle like a wrecking ball.
Cassia stood at the rear, manipulating shadows and illusion magic to create doubles that misled the enemy team, while targeting their support mage with needle-thin bursts of darkness.
Meanwhile, Evan and Lilith emerged through a hidden underground vine-tunnel Nex had carved with Earth mana. They surfaced right beneath Kyran's rear line.
Evan and Nex moved as one.
"Kyran!" Evan shouted.
The fire-tamer turned, fire gathering instantly at his palm.
"Let's end this!"
The drake charged, but Nex leapt high with ghostlight wings flaring wide, slamming down with a burst of Darkness and Water fusion. The arena floor cracked.
Lilith blurred forward, claws unsheathing, crimson magic wrapping her limbs.
"I'll handle the healer," she said with calm precision, disappearing into a flurry of movement.
Evan focused on Kyran.
The two clashed—sword and flame, spirit and will.
And then—
A sudden flare of light blinded the arena.
From above, a forbidden glyph activated—one not part of the official trial.
Everyone froze.
Professor Loreva stood abruptly. "What is this?!"
Lord Gawain's eyes narrowed. "That's… not Aflety's magic."
From the stands, Shade Cardinal watched in silence.
Within the battlefield, a shadow emerged behind Kyran's team—a masked girl, draped in purple flames.
"The Black Nest," Nex hissed.
Evan saw it too.
Kyran was caught off guard.
"What the hell—? We didn't call in reinforcements!"
The girl's voice echoed like a whisper of death. "This battle is irrelevant. We came… for him."
She raised a hand—and aimed it directly at Evan.
Lilith reappeared by his side in an instant, her crimson energy surging.
"You dare interrupt his duel?!" she snarled.
The sky fractured above them.
And then—
A beast descended from the shadow above.
Not summoned. Not tamed.
It was wild—a chimeric thing formed of stitched flame, bone, and shrieking spirit. A weapon of The Black Nest.
The professors leapt from the stands.
But Evan had already stepped forward.
"Nex. Soul link."
Nex's body ignited with runes.
Their souls linked fully.
Magic poured from Evan's body like a flood—and his voice echoed across the arena:
"This is our fight."
The beast lunged—
And Evan struck with a burst of fused elemental force: Darkwater Spiral Fang.
The monster screamed.
The clash of unnatural magic and Divine Beast shook the coliseum.
Chapter End.
⸻