5-The Training Begins

The pain was the first thing Kael felt the next morning.

His entire body ached—from his ribs where Rex's fiery punch had landed to his back, bruised from hitting the arena floor. He winced as he sat up in his small dorm bed, the sheets tangled around him from a restless sleep.

The defeat still weighed heavily on him. He had been humiliated in front of the whole class. But there was something else—a spark buried beneath the frustration.

He fought back.

Not well. Not skillfully. But he had done it. And more importantly—he had felt his power. It was raw, untrained… but it was there.

And he wasn't going to let it slip away.

Vanguard Academy – Combat Wing

By the time Kael arrived at the Combat Wing, most of the students were already gathered. Massive digital displays lined the walls, showcasing various combat simulations in progress. The air buzzed with the sounds of clashing weapons, bursts of elemental power, and students grunting through their sparring drills.

The intensity in the room was palpable. These students weren't here to play hero. They were here to become weapons.

Kael felt completely out of his depth.

"Look who decided to show up," a familiar voice sneered.

Kael turned to see Rex Donovan, his usual smirk firmly in place. His bruises from their match were already fading—his body healed faster due to his pyrokinetic abilities.

"You sleep off that beating, Renshiro?" Rex taunted. "Because you're about to get a whole lot more."

Kael's jaw clenched, but before he could reply—

A sharp voice cut through the tension.

"That's enough."

The crowd parted as Professor Voss entered the room. His cold, analytical gaze swept over the class. The room immediately fell silent.

"Yesterday's combat trials were… informative," Voss said, his voice flat. His eyes flicked briefly to Kael before continuing.

"Some of you relied solely on your Manifestations, with no thought for strategy." His gaze shifted to Rex, whose smirk faltered slightly.

"And others," Voss continued, eyes now locking on Kael, "showed instinct but lacked discipline."

Kael stiffened under the scrutiny.

Voss stepped forward. "That ends today."

The Gauntlet

The room suddenly shifted.

The floor split apart, and from the depths of the arena, massive steel panels rose, forming a labyrinth of walls, pillars, and obstacles. High above, automated turrets emerged from the ceiling, their barrels humming with power.

The display overhead flashed a single word:

GAUNTLET – SURVIVAL MODE

"Today's lesson is simple," Voss announced. "Survive."

A murmur swept through the students.

"Rules," Voss continued. "You will face multiple hazards—combat drones, traps, and each other. The exercise ends when only three students remain standing."

Kael's heart pounded.

"Manifestations are permitted," Voss said. "Lethal force is not." He paused, his eyes cold. "But pain is inevitable."

The room fell silent.

And then—

A blaring alarm signaled the start of the Gauntlet.

The Gauntlet Begins

The arena erupted into chaos.

Kael dove to the side as a bolt of plasma from a turret scorched the ground where he stood. Students scattered, some forming alliances, others attacking outright.

Kael sprinted into the maze of walls and pillars, his breath quick and his heart hammering. His eyes darted, trying to make sense of the battlefield.

A sudden whirring sound—

Kael ducked just as a combat drone shot past him, its twin cannons firing bursts of energy. He hit the ground hard, rolling behind a steel crate for cover.

The metal around him hummed faintly—the familiar pull of his power. His fingers brushed against a pile of scattered bolts on the ground.

Without thinking, he focused.

The bolts trembled—then suddenly shot upward in a cloud of shrapnel, colliding with the drone's sensors. The machine sparked and spun wildly out of control, crashing into the wall.

Kael's chest heaved. I did that.

But there was no time to celebrate—

A burst of shadow erupted from behind him.

Kael barely dodged as a mass of dark tendrils lashed out, shattering the crate he was hiding behind. He turned to face—

A girl.

She stepped from the shadows, her long, raven-black hair flowing like liquid night. Her eyes glinted coldly beneath a dark hood.

"Iris Vale," she said, her voice cool and distant. "You're the new one."

Kael's eyes narrowed. She moved with an unnatural grace, and the shadows around her seemed to obey her thoughts, flickering and shifting like living creatures.

"Look," Kael said quickly, "I'm not looking for a fight—"

Her shadows lunged again, forcing Kael to dive away.

"You're in the Gauntlet," Iris said evenly. "The only rule is survival."

The dark tendrils snapped forward—Kael raised his arm, and a nearby metal barrier twisted itself between them, the shadows slamming against it with a hiss.

Iris paused, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Magnetism," she noted. "Crude. Unfocused."

Kael gritted his teeth. "Yeah, well—"

The shadows vanished abruptly, sinking back into the ground. Iris's gaze softened for a fraction of a second.

"Better get focused fast," she said, stepping back into the darkness. "Or you'll be dead before you learn anything."

And then—she was gone.

Kael stood frozen, his chest heaving.

What the hell was that?

But before he could gather his thoughts—

A roar of flames erupted behind him.

Rematch: Kael vs. Rex

Kael spun around—

Rex Donovan stood there, his fists engulfed in fire, a predatory grin on his face.

"Still alive, Renshiro?" he called mockingly. "Guess I didn't hit you hard enough yesterday."

Kael's pulse quickened. "Rex—seriously? There are drones and traps everywhere, and you're worried about me?"

Rex's grin widened. "I don't care about the others. I want you."

Without warning, he thrust his hand forward, and a torrent of fire erupted.

Kael's instincts screamed.

He reached out—metal shards from the shattered drone whipped around him, forming a crude, swirling shield. The flames collided with the metal, and the heat was intense—Kael felt it singe his skin through the cracks.

But he held firm.

Rex's eyes sparked with amusement. "Oh? You're learning."

Kael didn't answer. He acted.

With a grunt, he launched the shield forward, sending the molten, half-melted shards toward Rex like a spray of bullets.

Rex's smirk faltered as he dove sideways, the shards sizzling through the air where he had stood.

Kael pressed the attack.

A nearby discarded steel pipe—he felt it—ripped from the ground and shot into his palm.

He charged.

Rex met him, fire roaring around his fists.

The first clash was raw and brutal—

Steel met flame, sparks bursting from the impact. Kael swung again—Rex dodged and countered with a fiery jab to his side—Kael hissed in pain but retaliated, swinging low and sweeping Rex's legs out from under him.

But Rex recovered instantly, flipping midair and landing in a burst of flames that scorched the ground.

"You've got guts, Renshiro," Rex admitted, his smirk wild and exhilarated. "But—"

He raised both hands, and two columns of fire erupted, forming a wall that rushed toward Kael from both sides.

Kael's eyes widened. Nowhere to run.

But then—

His power spiked.

The metal fragments beneath his feet shifted, and in a split-second, he pushed—

The ground beneath him collapsed.

Kael fell through the metal flooring, escaping the flames by inches. He hit the lower level with a painful thud, but he was alive.

Alive—because he felt the metal beneath him. And moved it.

He lay there, panting, his body screaming in pain. But a wild, uncontrollable grin spread across his face.

He was getting it.

He was getting stronger.

The Final Three

Above him, the alarm blared, signaling the end of the Gauntlet.

A holographic screen flashed the survivors:

-Iris Vale

-Rex Donovan

-Kael Renshiro

Kael's vision blurred from exhaustion, but he heard the distant murmur of students—

"Wait—Renshiro made it?"

"Isn't he the new kid?"

"No way. How?"