The next morning, sunlight streamed through the academy windows, casting long golden streaks across the polished floors.

A few glanced through the windows at the clear sky, grateful for the break in the recent rainy weather.

Inside Training Hall No. 9, the atmosphere was different.

The room was vast and open, its floors marked with faded lines from countless sparring sessions.

Reinforced walls hummed faintly with protective inscriptions, and the air carried the subtle scent of residual mana.

The hall had seen years of training, injuries, and victories. Today, it would see more.

Edwin had booked the hall for the next twelve hours.

He had woken up early to secure the reservation, knowing that training spaces would become scarce as the tournament approached.

Other teams had the same idea. The academy was already buzzing with preparation.

Aria and Brania stretched near the center of the room, their movements slow and deliberate as they loosened their muscles.

Sweat had already begun to form on their brows, though the session had barely begun.

Aria focused on her hamstrings, leaning forward with controlled breaths.

Brania rolled her shoulders, then her wrists, then her neck, each motion precise and practiced.

Edwin sat on a bench near the wall, his mobile in hand, scrolling through the latest news about "The Grand Summit Trials."

Edwin’s brow furrowed as he read.

The selection process was brutal. Elimination rounds, survival tests, one-on-one duels.

Only a fraction of the registered participants would make it to the main event.

He scrolled past a profile of Vara Sloan, the youngest Platinum in history, already being hailed as a favorite to win.

He scrolled past interviews with Council officials, who promised the trials would be fair but unforgiving.

He scrolled past comments from spectators already placing bets on their favorite competitors.

Aria paused her stretching and looked at him.

"Where is Cael?"

Edwin glanced up from his screen.

"He had a meeting. He said he will join us in a few hours."

Aria nodded and resumed her stretches. She did not enquire further.

Brania did not nod. She crossed her arms and muttered,

"Busy body."

...

Inside Seraphina’s house, Cael sat opposite Seraphina’s sofa. The room was quiet, the only sound the soft ticking of a clock on the wall.

Sunlight filtered through the window behind Seraphina, casting her face in shadow.

The desk between them was neat, almost bare, save for a single stack of papers and a cup of tea that had long gone cold.

Cael’s eyes were dazed. His thoughts were elsewhere.

No matter how hard he tried to focus, his mind kept drifting back to the previous night.

The moonlight. The grass. The weight of Elowyn on his chest. The kiss.

Even by just thinking about it, Cael’s ears turned red.

Seraphina gave him a deep look.

"What are you thinking about?"

Cael shook his head.

He said nothing. He could not tell the truth. Never.

But if he lied, Wrong Eye would reveal it. So, it was best to keep his mouth shut.

Seraphina studied him for a long moment. Then she sighed and let the matter drop.

"The reason I called you here is that I want to put some restrictions on you during the competition."

Cael raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

Seraphina glared at him.

"Are you seriously asking me that? You killed a Council agent. They are still looking for a Black Lightning user everywhere."

"Do you plan to use it in front of millions of people?"

Cael’s eyes widened slightly.

"Oh. So, it is about Black Lightning."

Seraphina shook her head.

"That is not all. Do not use Mana Sovereignty unless you want to become a war slave against the vampires."

Cael agreed and asked,

"Anything else?"

Seraphina smirked. It was not a warm expression.

"Use Battle Reaper’s Focus and Battle Reaper’s Dominion. Use them to defeat [Gold] rankers."

"Do not engage in battles against [Platinum] rankers during the selections."

"Don’t lose, especially against Guild parties."

She leaned back in her chair. The wood creaked under her weight.

"There is still one month before the competition starts. If you reach [Gold] by then, you can target [Platinum]."

"That said, be extremely cautious. Do not use Mana Sovereignty under any circumstances. Not even reflexively."

Cael took a deep breath and nodded,

"I understand."

The reason Seraphina did not warn him about [Diamond] rankers was simple.

There was no way a person under twenty could achieve [Diamond].

The youngest [Diamond] ranker in history was twenty-three.

That person was Seraphina herself. She had held the record for over a decade.

She did not expect anyone to break it anytime soon.

...

Students moved through the corridors in small clusters, their voices echoing off the stone walls as they headed toward their first classes of the day.

Cael walked into Training Hall No. 9 and greeted his teammates.

The door slid shut behind him with a soft hiss, sealing the room from the rest of the academy.

Aria was now jogging in place, her breathing steady, her eyes focused.

Brania was checking her gloves, tightening the straps around her wrists.

Edwin had finally put down his mobile and was stretching his arms.

"Sorry for the delay."

Cael said and asked,

"How are we going to train?"

Brania tilted her head slightly.

A strand of purple hair fell across her face. She did not bother pushing it back.

"How about we spar? The selections are said to be brutal."

"Let us spar in the virtual world. What do you think? After the battle, we can work on individual weaknesses."

Aria and Edwin nodded. The virtual world would allow them to fight at full strength without risk of permanent injury.

It was the smart choice.

But Cael shook his head.

"I am not in the mood to fight at all."

Brania’s eyes narrowed, and she asked,

"You are a lazy one, aren’t you?"

Cael admitted without shame,

"Indeed, I am."

He sighed as if he had made a great sacrifice.

Then he straightened his posture and looked at his teammates one by one.

Aria’s calm determination. Edwin’s eager anticipation. Brania’s skeptical glare.

"Fine. Let us spar. But it is three against one. Otherwise, it will be too boring for me."