Arcane Dominion didn't believe in orientation speeches.
They believed in blood.
Within hours of arrival, every new student stood in the Trial Arena — a monstrous coliseum etched into the mountain's bones, where echoes didn't bounce… they screamed.
Above them, professors watched like gods behind one-way barriers. Each held an enchanted quill, ready to scribble down names of the promising… and discard the weak.
Ash didn't care.
He wasn't here to impress anyone.
He was here to win.
A floating crystal orb pulsed at the center of the arena, crackling with lightning as the Head Examiner's voice rang out, cold and sharp:
> "Trial One: Combat Compatibility."
> "You will be randomly paired. Survive as a team. Kill if necessary. We won't stop you."
> "Welcome to the Dominion."
The crystal flared.
Names formed in the air.
Ash blinked once.
[Pair #17: Ash × Seraphina Lys]
Of course.
---
She appeared beside him like a storm wearing a smile.
"Well," Seraphina said, glancing at the glowing names. "Looks like fate has good taste."
Ash didn't look at her. He was staring across the arena at the opponents — two upper-ranked legacy bloodliners, both armed to the teeth and glowing with runes.
"You any good?" he asked.
"Depends," she said. "Are you going to drag me down?"
He gave the tiniest hint of a smirk. "Try to keep up."
---
The signal rang — a deep gong that shook the stone beneath them.
And then chaos began.
The opposing pair moved fast — one launched a volley of obsidian spears while the other summoned a jagged beast of flame.
Ash didn't flinch.
His fingers moved. Barely a whisper of a gesture.
A wave of black mist surged around him like a cloak, devouring the spears midair.
The flame beast lunged.
And Seraphina moved.
A single twist of her wrist and a golden sigil burst beneath her feet. She blinked forward in a flash of speed, her blade drawn in one smooth, elegant arc.
The flame beast never stood a chance.
It collapsed into ash as she spun mid-air, eyes already locking on the summoner.
Ash was already there.
Teleportation?
No. Too fast.
His blade was silent. The kind that doesn't hum with magic — it consumes it.
He moved past the summoner with a single slash.
The boy collapsed. Screaming. His mana core fractured.
Ash sheathed his sword.
---
Seraphina landed beside him, breathing lightly.
"You don't glow when you fight," she said.
"Neither do predators," he replied.
Their second opponent backed up, trembling.
"P-please," the girl stuttered. "I-I surrender—"
Ash stepped forward.
But Seraphina raised a hand.
"Ash."
He stopped.
She looked at the girl, then at the professors watching.
"If she's weak, she'll fall later," Seraphina said calmly. "We don't need to do it here."
Ash stared at her for one long moment.
Then nodded. Once.
---
Above, in the viewing chamber, murmurs spread.
"Who is he?"
"No house symbol… no formal technique… but that speed—"
"And she—Seraphina just synced with him like they'd trained together for years."
The Head Examiner narrowed his eyes.
> "Keep an eye on them."
---
Back below, Seraphina sat on the arena wall, catching her breath.
Ash stood nearby, arms crossed, unreadable.
She looked at him, eyes thoughtful.
"You didn't hesitate to kill," she said.
"You didn't hesitate to stop me," he countered.
She smiled. "Maybe we balance each other."
He looked at her for a long time.
Then, softly:
> "Or maybe you're just the first person I don't have to fake words with."
---
From the shadows of the arena's edge, Kirito leaned against a pillar.
He hadn't fought yet.
He wouldn't need to.
Because the moment his name appeared on the board —
[Pair #23: Kirito × — ]
His partner didn't show up.
The examiners paused. Confused.
But the moment the match began, Kirito stepped forward alone.
One second.
Two.
By the third second, both enemies were unconscious — their magic ripped from their bodies without a single spell cast.
Silence.
No one even saw him move.
---
A professor whispered:
> "...He didn't even draw a weapon."
Another one whispered:
> "What the hell is he?"
The Head Examiner exhaled.
> "Two monsters in one batch. Gods help us."
---
Back in the dorm corridors that night, Ash sat by the window.
The moon bled silver across the floor.
Kirito leaned against the wall, tossing a dagger in the air, bored.
"You and the girl," he said. "You good?"
Ash didn't answer right away.
Then, quietly:
"She's dangerous."
Kirito grinned.
> "You like dangerous."
Ash stared at the stars.
"I think… she's going to change something."