CHAPTER 192: THE STORM THAT WELCOMES NO ONE

The island had been unpredictable since the moment the students set foot on it, but nothing in the previous phases compared to the pressure now crawling across the sky. The air felt wrong—too still, too heavy, too aware of their movements. Clouds gathered over the mountains in a slow, spiraling formation, dark and swollen like ink drops bleeding through paper. The island did not simply change; it warned. And warnings on a place designed by the Academy were never gentle things.

By the time the morning sun rolled across the basin, Arios and his team had already broken camp, checked gear, and begun their ascent toward the inner ridgeline. Each step was timed, precise, purposeful. The terrain shifted from soft moss beds to fractured stone slopes, and the sound of running water grew louder with each meter they climbed.

The Academy’s notice had been simple—Phase Three will begin upon arrival at the Plateau Sector.

But no one had expected the plateau to look like this.

The slope eventually leveled into a wide, high shelf of land, thick with tall grass that moved in slow waves beneath the rising wind. Old stone pillars loomed across the field like cracked vertebrae from a long-dead giant. Some leaned, others had toppled, and all were marked with strange grooves that resembled ancient etchings—patterns running so deep that moss and vines refused to cover them.

Already the other teams were here. Some gathered near the natural cliffs, others explored the elliptical formation of stones at the center. The hum of tension filled the air—competitors pretending they weren’t watching each other when they absolutely were.

Arios and his squad approached silently, blending into the hum of activity. His eyes scanned quickly—Lucy slightly behind him, Liza on the opposite side, both mirroring the same quiet alertness. Their formation was made for motion, for adjustment, for rapid changes. And the island was demanding all three.

A sound cracked across the plateau—like fabric being torn apart by force—and every student stilled.

A holographic shimmer burst to life above the tallest stone pillar.

The Academy seal spiraled outward.

And then came the voice.

"Phase Three — Stormfront Protocol. All remaining teams are hereby notified. This phase will measure adaptability, perimeter control, threat mitigation, and survival cognition under unpredictable environmental duress."

A murmur rose through the crowd. Stormfront Protocol wasn’t whispered about like a rumor—it was feared like a ghost story. It was one of the Academy’s most extreme assessment formats, rarely used because students had actually been injured the last time it appeared in Academy history. Not fatally... but enough for instructors to reconsider the ethics of it.

Which made its sudden revival all the more unsettling.

The hologram expanded again, projecting a map of the plateau with three sectors marked in glowing arcs.

Sector One — The Gale Zone

Sector Two — The Breakwater Corridor

Sector Three — The Eye

Each zone pulsated faintly, indicating dynamic hazards rather than static ones.

The system voice continued.

"Environmental patterns will shift every hour. Each shift will alter the following: atmospheric stability, visibility, mobility conditions, and danger classification. All teams must secure and maintain control of one zone. Failure to establish a foothold will result in forced elimination from the phase."

Another flash of light.

"Additional directives will be issued once stabilization is confirmed. Stormfront Protocol lasts until the island stabilizes."

The hologram dissipated into crackling motes of blue.

And then silence.

Only the wind moved. Stronger now. Colder.

Lucy spoke first, her voice calm but clipped. "This is... significantly different from the projected rotation."

Liza nodded slowly, eyes narrowing toward the dark sky. "They changed the exam structure. And not last minute—this is coordinated."

Arios inhaled deeply, letting the atmosphere sink through his senses. The island’s energy twisted. Even the ground reacted differently, as if the soil itself vibrated with the pressure of the upcoming shift.

He closed his eyes for a single breath, felt the tension roll across his skin, and then opened them with sharpened clarity.

"Sector Two," he said. "Breakwater Corridor. That’s where we’re going."

Lucy blinked. "Not the Eye?"

Liza tilted her head. "Most teams will rush to the Eye. The Academy always makes the central region attractive."

Arios shook his head. "Exactly. And they’ll cannibalize each other for it. Breakwater gives us terrain advantage. Partial cover. Rock formations. Natural channeling points. And..." He looked toward the distant cliffs. "It’s the only zone positioned between two wind convergence lines."

In other words, the most stable unstable place. Controlled chaos.

Lucy allowed a faint smile. "Then we move."

Liza’s expression softened—not visibly to others, but Arios saw it. "Lead the way."

They departed immediately—not running, but moving with precision and controlled urgency. Students from other squads glanced at Arios’s team as they passed, some with recognition, others with a hint of apprehension.

The plateau’s tall grass swayed violently now, snapping in different directions as the wind currents became erratic. Dust blew in brief whirlwinds. A cold tremor rippled through the ground.

Stormfront had already begun.

Breakwater Corridor was not a single corridor at all—it was a labyrinth fashioned by nature and time. Massive slabs of stone slanted in multiple directions, creating sharp passages, narrow choke points, and sudden cliffside drops. The wind funneled through the cracks like something alive—sometimes whispering, sometimes howling, never consistent.

The moment Arios and his squad crossed the boundary marker, the wind hit them like a living force. A gust curled around the stones and yanked at their clothes, threatening to throw balance off.

Liza braced herself. "This is already borderline hazardous."

Lucy crouched and placed two fingers against the gritty stone floor. "The pressure changes are accelerating. The first environmental shift might strike within minutes."

Arios scanned the terrain. "Then we make this home before it happens."

They moved deeper, climbing over angled stone ridges and weaving through narrow slits where the wind screamed overhead like metal scraping metal. Arios reached a vantage point—a natural outcropping overlooking the central and far eastern sections of the corridor.

From here, the entire zone unfurled like a fractured maze.

And something else.

Hidden under the shifting shadows of the jagged cliffs, faint lines glowed on the rock. Not bright enough to be obvious, but clear enough when the sun hit at the right angle.

Symbols.

Ancient ones.

The same type etched into the stone pillars on the plateau.

Liza noticed them at the same moment. "Those markings again..."

Lucy stepped closer, eyes narrowing. "They follow a pattern. Not random. Almost like... activation runes."

Arios crouched, tracing one of the grooves with his eyes. "Not natural. The island was designed. But this—this predates the Academy modifications."

The wind roared suddenly, blasting against the rocks with violent force. A low rumble echoed through the entire sector.

The shift was coming.

Arios stood. "Positions. Anchor the site. Lucy—left flank. Liza—elevated support. I’ll cover the choke point."

They moved instantly.

Lucy took the left channel, where the wind tore through a narrow passage that could funnel both debris and enemies. She braced her weight low, ready to resist whatever force tried to punch through.

Liza climbed a steep stone arc, reached the ridge, and settled with perfect stability. From this angle she had a full 180-degree view of incoming threats—natural or otherwise.

Arios positioned himself at the central bend, the only route broad enough for multi-team movement. The wind battered him relentlessly, but he adjusted his footing with a natural instinct, grounding himself through shifting balance rather than brute force.

The sky cracked open with a thunderous roar.

Wind spiraled downward in a violent column from the clouds—touching the far end of the zone with the force of a descending beast.

And then the first shift hit.

The corridor howled.

The air pressure dropped so fast it felt like the world compressed inward. Dust shot upward in a swirling column. Rocks shook. A tremor rippled across the stone like a heartbeat.

Liza raised her voice over the storm. "Shift type: Aerokinetic Surge! High variability! Expect—"

A sound cut her off.

Not wind.

Not stone.

Footsteps.

Dozens.

Arios spun his gaze toward the left entry point just as a cluster of students emerged through the storm. They weren’t running. They weren’t panicked.

They were coordinated.

A rival squad—one of the high-ranked ones. Their leader locked eyes with Arios, and something cold flashed in his expression.

Arios exhaled.

Of course they’d come here.

Because Breakwater Corridor was advantage-rich terrain.

Because Arios had chosen it.

Because Arios had become a name that competitors either wanted to avoid—or take down to prove something.

Lucy shifted her stance, ready to intercept.

Liza tightened her grip.

Arios stepped forward.

But before either group could move—

The island made its own move.

Stone pillars exploded upward from the ground, forming jagged vertical segments that blocked paths, split routes, and reshaped the entire battlefield in seconds. Dust billowed. Wind screamed through new cracks. The environment became a living weapon.

The rival squad staggered, struggling to find footing.

Arios didn’t.

His voice cut sharply through the storm. "Move!"

His team responded instantly.

Liza leaped to a new elevation as a stone spike erupted below her previous perch.

Lucy slid into a new defensive angle just before another ridge split apart.

Arios advanced through the chaos, navigating it as if he’d rehearsed this exact scenario. He read the shifting patterns—micro tremors beneath each stone movement, the oscillation of wind pressure, the tilt of falling debris.

Stormfront Protocol wasn’t just a physical exam.

It was a test of reading chaos, of becoming the only stable point in a world designed to collapse.

The rival squad managed to regroup, but the environment had stolen their initial advantage. Their leader snarled through the wind, pointing toward Arios.

"Take them out before the next shift!"

They charged.

Arios didn’t retreat.

He stepped into them like an anchored blade.

The first attacker lunged, but the wind tilted his balance at the worst moment—Arios pivoted, used the momentum, and redirected the opponent into a jutting stone slab.

Another came from the right; Arios ducked low, swept the leg, and let the shifting wind carry the student into a spiraling fall.

Lucy blocked two opponents at once, her movements precise and efficient. The storm didn’t slow her—it empowered her. She flowed with the wind rather than resisting it.

Liza provided high-ground suppression, using elevation and timing to force enemies into bad positions.

The environment roared around them—violent, unpredictable, punishing.

Yet Arios carved through it like he was meant to walk inside a storm.

Thunder cracked overhead. The sky flashed white. The wind bent sharply—changing direction in an instant.

Another shift.

The Academy voice echoed:

"Shift Two: Turbulence Spiral. Visibility is reduced. Balance distortion active. Proceed with caution."

Arios steadied himself, eyes narrow.

The storm was evolving.

And Phase Three had only begun.