Trial by Stone

A stunned silence hung in the air.

Leon, Finn, and Fanny stood frozen for a moment, eyes wide, breath caught in their throats. Then, without a word, the three rushed to the massive boulder trapping Isla. Grunting with effort, they pushed and heaved. The rock trembled but didn't budge.

"Come on!" Leon shouted, his muscles straining.

With one final push—combined strength and desperation—they managed to shift the rock enough for it to roll to the side, crashing into the wall behind. The wall cracked open with a deafening thud.

Leon immediately scooped Isla into his arms. "Come on, stay with me!" he said urgently.

They sprinted down the corridor toward the nursing room, Leon cradling Isla close. Her eyes fluttered open slightly.

"Isla, what happened?" Leon asked, panting.

She tried to speak but could barely form words.

"Don't talk now. Save your strength. We're almost there."

They burst through the door of the nursing room. To their surprise, Darius Sir was already there, standing calmly as if he'd been expecting them.

They placed Isla gently on the bed.

Darius didn't ask a single question. No concern about how she was injured, no confusion about why they were there. He just began examining Isla with swift, practiced hands.

Leon blinked, confused. "Sir, aren't you going to ask how this happened?"

Darius looked up and smiled faintly. "There's no need. I've had several students come in like this today."

Leon's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"She got injured during Edric Sir's training," Darius explained casually, as if that clarified everything.

Their jaws dropped.

"You're kidding," Finn said. "How could training injure someone this badly? What kind of session was he running?"

Darius adjusted his glasses. "I assume you haven't attended Edric's session yet. Did you, by any chance, come across a very large rock?"

Leon nodded slowly. "Yeah… We found Isla trapped under one. Took all three of us to move it."

Darius gave a sheepish smile. "That rock is the training."

Fanny's eyes widened. "You mean… we're supposed to move that thing?"

"Exactly. Each student has to push it at least ten centimeters. Without using powers."

Their faces turned pale, as if the life had been sucked from them.

Leon stared at the floor. "That's… insane."

"I did mention Edric's training wouldn't be easy," Darius said, standing and walking toward the door. "And I still think mine is harder."

He paused at the exit. "Wait here until Isla wakes up. Then you can join the others."

"Okay, sir…" they replied in weak voices.

As the door clicked shut behind him, Finn slumped into a chair, tears brimming in his eyes. "How the hell are we supposed to move that rock? Alone? It's impossible."

Fanny nodded. "Even with all three of us, it barely moved. What kind of cruel training is this?"

Leon was thinking the same but didn't voice it. He just sat silently, mind spinning.

A soft rustling broke the silence. They turned to Isla's bed—she was stirring.

"Isla?" Fanny rushed to her side, grabbing her hand.

Her eyes fluttered open. She looked around, confused. "Why… am I here? Wasn't I in training?"

"You were," Fanny said gently. "We found you unconscious. You were under a huge rock."

Isla's eyes widened as memory returned. "Oh… Right. I tried pushing it, but then it started rolling toward me. I slipped. That's the last thing I remember."

Leon leaned forward. "So it's true… In Edric Sir's training, we have to move that rock?"

Isla nodded. "Ten meters. No powers."

She started sitting up, but Fanny and Leon held her back.

"What are you doing?" Leon asked.

"You need to rest!" Fanny scolded. "You're not going anywhere."

Isla gave her a small, tired smile. "Alright, alright. I'll stay. But you guys should go."

"You sure you'll be okay?" Leon asked.

"Of course. Just don't come back looking like me," she joked weakly.

Finn muttered, "I don't want to go. I value my life."

Fanny grabbed his collar. "Move it, crybaby."

"Monster!" he cried, digging his heels in as she dragged him out the door.

Leon gave Isla one last glance. "Take care, okay?"

She smiled. "Good luck."

Leon sighed. "We're going to need more than that."

Outside, as they walked toward the training grounds, two students rushed past them, heading in the direction of the nursing room.

Leon frowned. "Looks like we're not the only ones struggling."

Finn muttered, "Soon we'll be joining them back there."

They pushed open the doors—and froze.

The field was littered with unconscious students. In the center, Edric stood tall, shouting commands like a general in battle.

"Why are you giving up so easily?" he bellowed. "You think this is hard? You haven't even started yet!"

He spotted them. "Ah, you three! Just in time. Come, your rocks await. Move them ten meters—no powers."

Finn hesitated. "Y-Yes, sir."

As Edric turned to leave, Finn grabbed Leon's arm. "Did you see all the students lying around?! We'll die out here! Even Edric can't push that thing without powers!"

As if hearing them, Edric paused at the door. Then, casually, he turned and kicked one of the massive rocks.

The boulder flew across the training ground and slammed into a wall with a thunderous boom.

Every jaw dropped.

Even Leon and Fanny stood frozen in awe.

With no other choice, they walked to their assigned rocks.

Leon placed both hands on the cold surface and planted his feet. He gritted his teeth and pushed with everything he had—legs trembling, arms burning. But the rock didn't budge.

Still, he didn't stop.

Finn tried too, his face twisted in frustration, but it was hopeless. The rock remained immovable.

Fanny clenched her fists and gave it her all. The rock shifted slightly—but not enough.

One by one, they collapsed to the ground, panting and drained.

Moments later, Isla appeared on the field, running toward them.

"Are you guys okay?!"

No response from Finn—he lay flat, pretending to be dead. Fanny gave a weak thumbs-up. Leon smiled faintly. "Just… need a minute."

Behind Isla, two boys stepped into view—twins. They watched her, eyes filled with cold amusement.

They hadn't forgotten how Isla humiliated them in front of everyone last week. This was their chance.

One gave a subtle nod. The other responded in kind.

A rock stood behind Isla.

One twin raised a hand and fired a stream of water, striking the rock. The other used his ice powers to freeze Isla's feet to the ground.

She heard the rumble.

Her eyes widened.

The rock was coming—fast.

She tried to move.

But her feet… were frozen solid.