The First Trial

The cavern trembled with an unnatural stillness—an eerie, suffocating silence that made every heartbeat feel deafening. Water dripped from the stalactites above, each drop echoing through the vast underground arena. The nameless boy's breath came in uneven gasps, his soaked cloak clinging to his skin as he pushed himself upright.

All around him, other students were scrambling onto the stone platforms, some clutching weapons, others conjuring magical sigils into the air. Their confusion was evident, but beneath it was something else—fear.

A deep growl rumbled from the darkness beyond the torchlight.

He turned sharply.

A pair of eyes flickered open in the shadows. Then another. And another.

All at once, a dozen sets of glowing, bestial eyes ignited like embers in the gloom, watching, waiting.

Predators.

The nameless boy's body tensed. He had no weapon, no armor, no memory of what he could even do. All he had was instinct—and instinct told him that whatever lurked beyond the light was hunting them.

The Headmaster's voice resonated from above, his tone calm, almost indifferent.

"The First Trial has begun. Your task is simple—survive."

As if those words were a command, the creatures lunged.

The first to emerge was massive, its body a blur of dark fur and sinewy muscle, claws like onyx blades scraping against stone. Its mouth opened unnaturally wide, revealing rows of jagged teeth that glowed with the same eerie energy as the sigils on the academy walls.

A girl to the left reacted first, raising a hand crackling with lightning. She unleashed a bolt toward the beast—only for it to vanish into the creature's maw. The energy dispersed in an instant, absorbed into its body like it had never existed.

Her eyes widened. "What—?"

The beast was on her before she could react, its claws flashing in the torchlight.

She barely had time to scream.

Blood sprayed across the stone.

The nameless boy flinched as the girl's lifeless body crumpled to the ground.

Some students hesitated—others bolted, scrambling toward the edges of the cavern in hopes of finding shelter. But the creatures were faster. They moved like shadows, flickering between the platforms with an unnatural speed.

Another student fell, his chest torn open in a single strike.

The nameless boy's pulse thundered in his ears. He had no time to think—only move.

Survive.

Something clicked inside him, a raw instinct overriding his frozen limbs. He ducked low, just as one of the creatures lunged at him. He twisted, his body moving on its own, narrowly avoiding the claws that slashed through empty air where his throat had been.

He hit the ground, rolled, and came up running.

He didn't know where he was going. He just knew he couldn't stop.

All around him, the battlefield was chaos.

A noble from one of the great houses swung a gleaming blade, his strikes elegant and precise, but the beasts barely flinched as they tore through the defensive spells his retainers cast. Another student, desperate, tried to summon a protective barrier—but the moment the glowing shield took form, a creature devoured it, sinking its teeth into the magic itself before lunging at the caster.

Magic was useless.

Weapons were failing.

And the nameless boy… had nothing.

He skidded to a halt near one of the fallen students, eyes locking onto a discarded weapon—a short, curved dagger. Without hesitation, he snatched it up, feeling the weight settle in his grip.

One of the beasts noticed him. Its glowing eyes locked onto him, its maw curling into something almost like a grin. It was taunting him.

His fingers tightened around the hilt.

The creature lunged.

This time, he didn't run.

At the last moment, he dropped low, shifting his weight and letting the beast's momentum carry it forward. As it sailed over him, he struck. The dagger found flesh—not in the chest, not the head, but the throat.

A desperate, reckless strike.

The blade plunged deep, tearing through the creature's exposed neck.

It let out a strangled, gurgling growl as black ichor sprayed across the stone. It staggered, thrashing, claws scraping wildly against the ground as if trying to resist what was already happening.

Then, it collapsed.

Dead.

The cavern seemed to still.

The nameless boy stared down at the body, chest heaving. He had killed it. He had killed something that was slaughtering nobles, prodigies, warriors—

A roar shattered his thoughts.

The other creatures had noticed.

One by one, their glowing eyes turned toward him.

He had their attention now.

His grip tightened around the dagger. He took a step back, then another. His mind raced, calculating, searching for an escape—

Then, something moved in the shadows behind him.

He barely had time to react before an arm hooked around his waist, yanking him backward into the darkness. He struggled for half a second before realizing whoever had grabbed him wasn't an enemy.

"Stay quiet," a voice whispered into his ear.

It was a girl's voice, low and controlled. He turned slightly, catching a glimpse of her face in the dim torchlight. She had raven-black hair, sharp crimson eyes, and an expression that was eerily calm given the carnage around them.

"Who—?" he started.

"No time for that." She pulled him deeper into the shadows, behind a cluster of jagged rock formations that concealed them from the main battle. "You're an idiot for drawing attention to yourself."

His pulse was still racing, his body still running on raw instinct, but he forced himself to focus. "I… killed one," he said, as if saying it aloud would make it real.

She gave him an unimpressed look. "Congratulations. There are fifteen more."

Something crashed nearby—a body thrown against stone. A scream followed.

The nameless boy swallowed hard.

The girl glanced around the rock's edge. "Most of the others are going to die. If you don't want to join them, you're going to listen to me. Got it?"

He hesitated. "…Got it."

She exhaled, then nodded. "Good. Stay close. And whatever happens…"

Her crimson eyes locked onto his.

"Don't let them hear your heartbeat."

A chill ran down his spine.

Before he could ask what she meant, one of the beasts snapped its head toward them.

And the shadows came alive.