CHAPTER 78: CH 78: UPDATE.

He turned his phone to them. "The new rankings are out."

Quinn immediately lost interest again and returned to her pillow.

Zara tilted her head. "What rankings?"

Aegon moved closer to Eli as he explained. "Basically they’re the percentage chance of people who’ll survive the next trial."

"Oh." Zara laid back down. "Whose number one?"

To absolutely no one’s surprise...

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

Number One (Of 1,436)

Name | Micheal Anderson.

Faculty of Elementals. | Affinity: Metal/Fire.

Aether Control: Extraordinary. | Percentage Chance: 85.4%

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

"Michael’s been destined to be number one since before we even awakened." Eli joked as he continued to scroll down the list.

"Pretty sure the list isn’t gonna change that much but damn—" Aegon sat at the edge of his bed. "—the numbers of awakened really dipped."

"This year was actual good compared to the previous ones." Quinn said through her muffled pillow. "And you also have to account for those that left now that they’re not forced to undo the trials."

’Wish I had that luxury.’ Aegon thought bitterly.

"Aegon?" Eli’s eyes were peeled back as he shoved the phone in his face. His shock was valid.

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

Number Five.

Name | Aegon Dhalar. | Domain Name: King Of The Tundra.

Faculty of Aether Studies/Elementals. | Affinity: Replication/Fire.

Aether Control: Pathetically Poor. | Percentage: 68.5%

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

"Jesus!" Aegon exclaimed. "From 2, 235 to 5. How the hell does that even happen?"

"Even I can tell it’s because you got a domain and a double affinity." Zara added. "Not to mention they’re from two different faculties which should be impossible."

"Where’s Cara?" Aegon asked Eli remembering she was previously number Five.

"Uhmm." Eli muttered as he searched for her name. "She’s number Six."

He ran a hand across his face. "I dragged her down."

Quinn chuckled from within the pillow.

"How about me?" Zara asked as she perched on the bed.

"Zara Torres..."

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

Number Forty-five.

Name | Zara Torres.

Faculty Of Beasts | Affinity: Wings.

Aether Control: Adequate. | Percentage Chance: 42.7%

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

A realisation flashed across Aegon’s face as he had a thought. He turned to Eli. "Check Ren Yamamoto."

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

Number Three.

Name | Ren Yamamoto.

Faculty Of Elementals. | Affinity: Shadows.

Aether Control: Phenomenal. | Percentage Chance: 80.6%

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

That particular one got everyone’s attention even quinn6was officially upright. "He pushed Mira down?"

"Apparently so." Eli added.

Hours ebbed away as the banter in the dorm room thickened. The four had quietly fallen asleep oblivious to the storm that was awaiting them tomorrow.

*

They got up bright and early coursety of Principal Miller’s new rule which stated they had to be ready at all times.

The group got dressed and headed for their first time in the simulation room. The girls had already tracked ahead as Aegon and Eli walked together a little behind.

"What’s wrong?" Eli asked Aegon, seeing how his shoulders were slumped and distort he looked.

"What?" Aegon said, pulling his hair back to see him clearly. "Nothing man, just have to fight a mole."

"What mole?"

"Hhhh." He sighed. "You remember the attack in school after the Adept Trial. Well I think one of the students is behind it."

"What?!" Eli screamed before reducing his tone. "Wha- why would a student even do that?"

"Beats me man." Aegon shrugged. "Just have to know what am I missing."

"We’re here man."

His eyes darted up and his mouth hung open. But only for a second as he shook his head and smiled. "Just when I thought I’d seen everything."

Tall, angular, and cut with sharp geometry — every edge looks intentional, like a blade forged for architecture. No windows or vents—it was a giant black rectangle.

The whole structure is a matte black alloy that drinks in sunlight instead of reflecting it, giving it this lowkey ominous aura.

He studied the walls the closer he got, electric-blue lines thread through the outer plates, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.

The front door? A tall arch of obsidian alloy that only opens after a full biometric sweep. When it slides apart, it does so silently — not even a whisper.

Above the door, a single floating emblem rotates slowly: the academy’s crest, rendered in holographic gold.

’No wonder the academy’s broke this session.’ He thought as he walked in. ’Alex was splurging all the funds.’

He stepped in and the interior was a complete opposite from the outside.

Everything. Absolutely everything—from the floorboards, to the walls and crawling up to the roof was made of a glossed white panel that gave the impression of weightless serenity.

Distances were now an illusion as the opposite walls seemed miles away and a hair’s breadth distance at the same time.

"You like it?" Alex walked in with his sharp suit. Catching the students gawking at the space. "It costs more money than a spacecraft fuelled with unicorn tears."

They all turned their attention to him as he stepped in front of them. "But this..." he outstretched his hands. "This is what the future costs and I’m willing to pay for it."

He continued to give them a rundown of its specks like they cared.

"The façade isn’t solid; it’s made of interlocking plates that subtly realign themselves depending on the training load inside.

You barely notice it unless you stare too long — then you see the seams ripple like tectonic plates under skin."

His eyes swept through the crowd to see most of them didn’t care so he moved things along.

"Alright, the Next Gen program starts tomorrow so I have to get the first batch of you in shape early.

So if you hear your name please step forward.

Micheal Anderson. Quinn Orvin. Ren Yamamoto. Mira Stark. And finally... Aegon Dhalar."

The first stepped ahead of the group, and took their positions behind Alex.

Alex continued. "I picked them because they’re the top five—" Aegon immediately notices Cara, arms folded and glaring at him. "—and I feel like they should show you all how it’s done."

He slid his hands in his pockets and retrieved a remote. He raised his eyes to the majority. "You’re gonna wanna take a step back."

They scooched further back and watched the room change around them.

The panels flipped and the world around them was transformed, they stood in place as the entire room mutated.

In the next second, they were standing in front of a burning apartment block that looked way too real for comfort.

But what was most jarring were the sensory details that took them by storm all at once.

The harsh glare of the sun on the heated day, the smell of ash and dust, the screams of people who didn’t exist one second ago.

They turned their eyes to Alex who had his hands on his waist as he stared at the building, reveling in his work.

"Sir," Aegon finally broke the silence. "What’s this supposed to be?"

"This—" he gestured towards everything. "—is how you get hero training without costing people their actual lives."

In that moment, a lady runs over to Aegon. The details were too explicit to ignore.

Her poker dot pattern dress that was darkened by sooth, her blond hair tangled and wild, the sweat that dampened her eyebrows and worst of all?

Her eyes. Blue like the sky as tears welled up behind them. She spoke in a shaky voice that almost undid him. "My baby’s in there—" she pointed at the burning building. "Please save him."

"And that’s your first mission guys. Save all those still in the building."