Chapter 3: The Initiation Trials Begin

The morning air buzzed with excitement as students hurried through the academy corridors.It was the first day back, and though it should have felt like any other, something was different—something in the air, in the way students whispered amongst themselves.

Mia crossed her arms, concern evident in her furrowed brows. "So, what do you guys think about the PRM?"

Yuki leaned back against the marble wall, his expression conflicted. "I mean, it sounds great on paper, but what about when students are actually in danger? Especially on missions? Sure, it's been in testing for four years, so they've probably worked out the flaws… but still." His voice trailed off, doubt lingering in his tone.

She nodded in agreement, then turned to Mark, who sat unusually silent, staring off into space. "Mark?"

No response.

"Mark!" Mia snapped her fingers in front of his face.

Mark blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. "Huh? What were you saying?"

Yuki sighed. "We're asking what your thoughts are on the PRM."

"Oh, yeah… it's not bad."

Mia rolled her eyes. "Not bad? You're the tech guy, Mark. You always have something to say about these things."

Mark shrugged, a rare look of uncertainty crossing his face. "I think it's for the best. With all these anti-resistance gangs roaming around, security measures need to be tighter."

Mia bit her lip, hesitating. "That's exactly my concern. The gangs won't agree with this system. If anything, they'll see it as a threat—and then chaos will break out."

Yuki nodded. "She's right. It's one thing to implement a new security system, but it's another to enforce it when half the population refuses to comply."

Mark exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "Come on, it's just a bunch of rebellious kids who don't want to follow rules now that they have powers. What could they really do?"

Yuki gave him a pointed look. "You seriously think that? You of all people should know how dangerous they can be."

Mia frowned. "And besides… it's not even being put into effect yet."

Mark raised a brow. "Why not?"

Yuki exchanged a glance with Mia before answering. "Because the professors want to test the students first—at their full strength."

A heavy silence fell over them as the weight of that realization sank in. Whatever was coming, it wasn't going to be easy.

"We better get to class," Yuki muttered, stretching his arms behind his head.

Mark smirked as he checked his watch."Let's see… Class 8D."

Mia nodded. "Same."

Yuki groaned, rubbing his temples. "Great. I'm in 8A. That means I have to walk all the way up there."

"Why not just take the elevator?" Mia suggested.

A moment of silence passed before realization dawned on them.

"Oh yeah," Mark chuckled. "It's always packed."

"You better start moving then," Mia teased.

Mark grinned mischievously. "We all know students in the top classes love to be fashionably late, but you don't have that luxury."

"Yeah, yeah." Yuki waved them off before turning toward the staircase.

As he climbed, an exhausted sigh escaped his lips. "This isn't fair. Speedsters should be on the top floors classes, not us."

A voice beside him huffed in agreement. "Tell me about it."

Startled, Yuki turned to see a boy walking alongside him.

"Oh, didn't see you there."

The boy nodded. "I get that a lot. Better to stay distracted when climbing a flight of stairs anyway."

"You new?" Yuki asked, eyeing him curiously.

"Yeah. I'm Tobiasi."

"Yuki. Nice to meet you."

They climbed together, only stopping when they noticed a group of students gathered outside a classroom door. A pit formed in Yuki's stomach.

Yuki's face twisted into one of pure dread. "Ms. Ralph is back."

Tobiasi frowned at Yuki's sudden stiffness. "Something wrong?"

Yuki's face darkened as he muttered, "I'm not gonna make it through today."

At that moment, the classroom door swung open with a loud creak.

A sharp voice cut through the air like a blade.

"Ah, finally! The last of you delinquents have arrived. And look who it is—Yuki. Some things never change, do they?"

Yuki forced a grin as he turned to face Ms. Ralph, her piercing eyes scanning him like a hawk.

"Oh, hi, Ms. Ralph. Long time no see. How's life treating you?"

She crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Compared to whatever mess you've been up to? Probably inconsequential."

Her voice boomed down the halls, commanding attention.

"Enough small talk! Since this is your first day, I'll let this slide. But next time? You won't be so lucky. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Ms. Ralph!" the students muttered in unison.

Yuki barely made it through the day, and by the time he collapsed onto his bed that night, exhaustion finally caught up to him; the moment his head hit the pillow, he was out cold.

Until something woke him.

A faint thump.

At first, he ignored it. Probably just someone moving around in the dorms. But then—

Knock. Knock.

His eyes snapped open. He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his face. Again, the knocking came, more insistent this time.

Frustrated, he threw open his door, ready to give whoever it was an earful. But the hallway was empty.

Irritated, Yuki threw off his covers and yanked the door open, prepared to scold whoever dared disturb him.

But there was no one there.

A chill ran down his spine. His instincts told him to go back inside, but curiosity won out.Yuki glancing both ways, he stepped into the hallway, dimly lit by the pale glow of the moon, his eyes scanning the shadows.Someone had to be messing with him.

Then he saw it.

A shadow—tall and unmoving at the end of the hall.

Yuki's breath hitched as he stared at the silhouette. Before he could react, something tapped his shoulder.

He jumped, spinning around with a startled yell—only to be met with another scream.

"Why are you screaming?!"

"I screamed because you screamed!"

The boy before him scowled. "What the heck are you doing standing in the middle of the hall like a creep?"

Yuki narrowed his eyes. "I should be the one asking that. Were you the one knocking at my door?"

The boy scoffed. "Why would I waste my time doing that? I was just getting a snack."

Yuki frowned. "Then who—"

Click.

The sound of a door closing echoed through the corridor.

They both froze.

"You heard that, right?" Yuki whispered.

"Yeah," the boy muttered. "It came from around the corner."

Moving cautiously, they tiptoed toward the source of the noise. As they turned the corner, a dark figure loomed over them, poised to strike.

"AHH!"

"For goodness' sake, Yuki," a voice grumbled. "What are you doing?"

Yuki blinked. "Who the—?"

The figure sighed. "Thalos. Thalos Arctur. I'm in your homeroom class."

Yuki scratched his head. "Doesn't ring a bell."

We didn't have a proper introduction yet so I wouldn't blame you.

Another voice chimed in. "Since we're doing introductions, I'm Edward Randolph."

Yuki raised an eyebrow. "A noble, huh? Fancy."

As Edward and Thalos spoke, Yuki's attention drifted. His gaze locked onto another shadow—this one moving in the distance.

"Guys, over there," he whispered.

The group turned, watching as the shadow slipped further away. Without thinking, Yuki started after it, the others following.

Thalos hesitated. "Why are we chasing a shadow? This feels like a trap."

"It interrupted my sleep," Yuki grumbled, pushing forward.

Edward raised an eyebrow. "That's your reason?"

They followed the shadow to the academy's back entrance. Gasping for breath, they stopped as the figure suddenly vanished.

"What the—where did it go?" Yuki muttered.

Before anyone could answer, the door in front of them swung open violently. A blinding light flooded their vision.

Then, a voice.

"Thank you, Edward, for luring them here."

Yuki's stomach dropped.

Edward stepped forward. "You'll keep your promise, right?"

"Of course," the voice responded smoothly. "What are friends for? You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours."

Thalos clenched his fists. "Yuki, we can take him. It's just one guy."

As if on cue, two more figures stepped out from the shadows.

Yuki groaned. "You had to say something."

Thalos cursed under his breath. "We can still take them."

Then, something clicked in Yuki's mind. His eyes widened.

"Wait, Thalos—I just remembered what today is."

Thalos frowned. "What?"

Yuki swallowed hard. "It's the initiation trials."

Thalos paled. "What?! I thought that was just a rumor! You're telling me it's real?!"

Edward smirked. "Very real."

Thalos exhaled sharply. "How could you forget something this important?!"

Yuki hesitated. "Uh… is this a bad time to say I don't have any powers?"

A moment of silence.

Then—

"WHAT?!"

Before anyone could react, shadows moved in. A firm seized Yuki's arms twisting them behind his, back will a rough fabric was yanked over his eyes,

plunging him into suffocating darkness.He straggled,but his captors were swift and unyielding.Nearby, he could he could hear muffled grunts. Thalos-Edward hadn't escaped either.Footsteps echoed around them, deliberated and