4- First day and battle…

Kael barely slept.

Even after Voss left, even after Lena was escorted out of the Academy and he was taken to his new dorm, sleep never came. His mind replayed the events over and over—the cloaked figures, the metal reacting to his will, the word Metalborn lingering in his thoughts like an unshakable shadow.

What did it mean?

And why had Voss reacted the way he did?

Kael stared at the ceiling, his body tense with exhaustion but his mind restless. He didn't belong here. Not really. Vanguard Academy was for people like Rex Donovan—born strong, raised to be heroes.

Kael was just… Kael.

Except now, he wasn't.

And that terrified him.

Morning – Vanguard Academy Training Grounds

The next day came too fast.

Kael stood stiffly in a massive open-air coliseum, surrounded by towering stone walls and reinforced steel barriers. The Training Grounds—Vanguard's famous combat arena.

All around him, students stretched, sparred, and activated their Manifestations in preparation for the combat trials. The air crackled with raw energy—flames bursting, water swirling, the occasional sonic boom as students flexed their powers.

Kael felt completely out of place.

He had been at Vanguard for less than twelve hours, and now he was expected to fight?

A sharp clap echoed through the coliseum.

Professor Voss stood at the center, his arms folded behind his back. The entire class went silent at his presence.

"Combat Trials," Voss announced. His voice was calm, but the weight behind it was absolute. "Here at Vanguard, power is meaningless without control. That's what today's trials will determine."

Kael swallowed hard. He already knew how this would go. He'd be paired against someone like Rex, get humiliated, and spend the next few months being a joke.

He shifted uncomfortably, but then—

A name caught his attention.

"Kael Renshiro."

Voss's voice rang out across the coliseum.

Kael froze.

"Step forward."

The entire class turned to look at him. He felt their eyes bore into him, some curious, some amused. Whispers followed.

"Wait, he's the powerless kid, right? Why is he here?"

"I heard he awakened out of nowhere."

"He was at the Revenant attack yesterday. Think he's dangerous?"

Kael clenched his fists. He forced himself to step forward.

Across the arena, his opponent stepped up.

Kael's stomach dropped.

Rex Donovan.

Rex smirked. "Oh, this is gonna be fun."

Kael was so screwed.

The First Match

The arena hummed to life.

The stone beneath their feet vibrated as an invisible energy field enclosed the battle zone, preventing collateral damage. A large holographic timer appeared overhead, counting down from 10.

Kael's heart hammered against his ribs. He barely had time to process anything before Voss's voice rang out—

"Begin."

Rex exploded forward.

A burst of fire ignited beneath his feet, propelling him across the arena faster than Kael could react.

Kael barely dodged as Rex's flaming fist came within inches of his face. The heat scorched the air around him, and he stumbled back, barely keeping his footing.

Rex grinned. "What's wrong, Renshiro?" He casually twirled a ball of fire in his hand. "That all you got?"

Kael's breathing was ragged. What could he even do here? His powers had only just awakened. He had no idea how to use them, let alone fight with them.

Rex didn't wait for an answer.

He launched another attack—this time, sending a wave of fire sweeping across the ground toward Kael.

Kael's instincts screamed at him to move, but his legs were frozen. The fire was coming too fast—

His mind barely registered the metal in the arena.

Not just the barriers. Not just the steel weapons in the armory racks. But tiny fragments—bolts, plates, even microscopic shavings.

Without thinking, Kael reached out.

And something answered.

At the last second, a wall of metal shards rose from the ground, colliding with the flames in a burst of steam and sparks.

Kael's eyes widened. Did I do that?

Rex frowned. "Oh? So you're not completely useless after all."

His fists ignited again, but this time, Kael felt something different.

The metal called to him.

The bolts scattered around the arena trembled, reacting to his thoughts. Kael exhaled sharply, focusing on them—willing them to move.

The bolts shot forward.

They weren't fast, but they made Rex dodge, disrupting his rhythm.

Kael pressed forward. More metal—a fallen staff from an earlier fight—rattled on the ground. Kael reached out, and it lurched into his grasp, like an old friend responding to his call.

For the first time in his life, Kael Renshiro was fighting back.

He swung the staff. Rex dodged, but Kael could feel himself getting stronger with each second. The pieces of metal around the arena felt alive, like extra limbs ready to act on his command.

But he wasn't fast enough.

Rex suddenly vanished in a burst of flames, reappearing behind him.

Kael barely had time to register it before Rex's fiery fist slammed into his ribs.

The force knocked the air from his lungs. Kael flew backward, his back colliding hard with the ground.

Pain exploded in his body. His vision blurred, his limbs numb.

Rex loomed over him. "You actually put up a fight," he admitted. "Didn't expect that."

Kael tried to move. Tried to fight back.

But he was already spent.

Damn it.

"Match over," Voss announced.

The energy field deactivated. The battle was over.

Kael had lost.

But as he lay on the ground, staring up at the sky, one thought burned in his mind.

I never want to be weak again.

Later that night, Kael sat alone in his dorm, staring at his hands.

He could still feel it—the metal's pull. The way it had moved when he needed it to.

He had lost today. But for the first time… he hadn't been helpless.

That meant he could get stronger.

And if he could get stronger—

He could find out the truth.

About his powers. About the Metalborn.

And about why the Revenants were after him.

Kael clenched his fists.

He would survive here.

And one day… he wouldn't just fight back.

He would win.