Before Seraphine could even gather her thoughts, Kieran calmly raised his free hand.
The air around him seemed to still for a moment.
"Devorare."
The temperature dropped.
A chilling mist spread across the arena.
The ground froze beneath Seraphine's feet.
From the audience, a loud sneeze echoed, the sudden shift from the heat of the steam to the biting cold making it impossible for some to escape the shock.
***
The freshmen couldn't help but ask from afar,
"Isn't that ice?"
"Ice element exists?"
"How is he able to use the ice element?"
"According to my father, the ice element is a part of the Secret Mystical Art of the Eisen Kingdom but was lost after they lost in the continental war two decades ago."
An upperclassman leaned in and whispered, "It's not his art. It's the skill of his familiar, the wolf. The creature grants him that power."
***
Seraphine's breath came out in visible white puffs, the cold seeping deep into her bones.
As the mist thickened around her, obscuring her sight, the last thing she saw was Kieran's eerie smile, his eyes gleaming an unsettling satisfaction.
She heaved a deep breath, her chest tight with anxiety.
Her instincts screamed at her to surrender immediately, but her noble pride refused to yield. She couldn't let fear dictate her actions, not when defeat felt so unbearable.
Then a shadow moved. It was the wolf.
She just noticed It had disappeared from Kieran's feet.
Seraphine spun around, panicked. "Where?!"
A blur of black and blue zipped past her, so fast she couldn't react in time.
Before she could even turn her body fully,
"Tundra vinculum." Kieran's chat echoed.
CRACK.
Seraphim's body lifted off the ground, her ribs caving in under an invisible force.
The spirit wolf had strucked her without touching her.
A ring of frost surged from the ground, locking Seraphine's limbs in place. The sharp edges cut through her skin, drawing blood as they tightened around her.
She gasped as she struggled, but with each movement, the ice dug deeper, causing her to scream in pain. The frost spread quickly, tightening its grip on her.
"I surre..."
"Unda Aqua."
Before she could finish her surrender, a wave of water slammed into her face, drowning her in its force.
She coughed violently, water flooding her throat, her vision blurring as she gasped for air.
"Stop!" Professor Fuchs screamed, urgency in his voice as he sprinted toward them. "Seraphine, dematerialize your staff, now!"
But Seraphine could hear nothing but the pounding of her own heart. It echoed in her ears as if it was the only sound in the world.
Kieran smirked mischievously as he watched the professor's desperate attempt to intervene. His eyes gleamed with twisted amusement as he turned his gaze toward Seraphine, the panic on her face only fueling his satisfaction.
"Please stop," she pleaded, her voice trembling as tears welled in her eyes.
He lowered his hand. "Unda Aqua."
Another wave of water crashed against her.
The ice that held her in place shattered, and as the debris scattered, they tore at her skin, leaving cuts all over her body.
The force pushed her off balance.
The moment she hit the ground, a spike of ice shot up, stopping just before it could impale her throat.
She couldn't move, paralyzed by fear, too terrified to scream.
Blood began to flow from the cuts all over her body, staining the ground beneath her.
Seraphine started crying as her body shivered uncontrollably from the cold and fear.
"Seraphine!" Professor Fuchs yelled.
Her sobs echoed in the dead silent arena.
The wolf loomed over her, its breath visible in the freezing air.
Kieran tilted his head.
"WAAAHH!" She cried so hard.
"Pathetic." He said, his voice dripping with disdain. Then, as if he had already lost interest, he turned away, dispelling the ice that had been pressed against her throat.
"BWAHHH! NNNGHHH!" She cried so hard that she couldn't breath anymore.
Professor Fuchs just arrived beside her.
"She's done," Kieran declared.
After a moment, Seraphine collapsed. Blood covered her from head to toe.
As Professor Fuchs knelt beside Seraphine, he glared up at Kieran.
"You went too far."
Kieran yawned, his tone casual. "She should've known better," he muttered before turning and leaving the arena.
No mocking laughter came from the crowd.
No jeers.
No cheers.
Just an uneasy silence.
For the first time in the freshmen's eyes, a noble wasn't the villain.
The entire arena seemed to hold still. However, the professor did not.
With the same measured authority he carried throughout the ceremony, he raised a hand and gestured subtly. "Medics," he called, his voice firm yet calm. "Tend to her immediately."
Some upperclassmen began turning away to leave as well, not out of disgust, but out of pity.
It was only then that the students noticed them—paramedics who had been stationed nearby all along, blending into the background until needed.
They moved with practiced efficiency, checking Seraphine's vitals before carefully lifting her onto a stretcher.
"She'll be fine," the professor assured the crowd, as if he had expected this all along. His tone remained steady, his expression composed. "A battle of this caliber is bound to push limits, but rest assured, our medics are more than capable."
The tension in the air lingered, but the professor knew better than to let it settle.
He clapped his hands together, breaking the silence with an air of finality.
"Now then! Let's not forget why we gathered here in the first place." His voice lifted, regaining its usual lightheartedness. "This battle was not just about victory or defeat. It was a demonstration of spirit and the potential each of you holds."
The students exchanged glances, the heavy atmosphere slowly giving way to something lighter.
"And with that," he continued, sweeping his gaze across them, "I officially welcome you all as full-fledged students of this academy! You have endured the trials of today, and now, you stand at the starting line of your journey. I hope each and every one of you strives to reach the heights you dream of."
A few hesitant claps turned into a wave of applause, the mood shifting as his words settled in.
The professor smiled, nodding in satisfaction.
"Now, get some rest and get ready for the Mystical Evening Ball tonight in the Academy's Grand Hall."
With that, he turned briskly on his heel, following the paramedics from behind.
Though his pace remained controlled, there was no mistaking the urgency in his steps.
As soon as the professor announced the Mystical Evening Ball happening tonight, a wave of excitement rippled through the students.
But that didn't stop other students to murmur about what just happened with Seraphine.
"A ball? Tonight?"
"That was so brutal?"
"I didn't think we'd have one so soon!"
"Was that a normal thing in the Academy, I think I have to drop out."
"I need to find something to wear—"
"I felt so sorry for Seraphine."
"Do we get to dance? Or is there some hidden test?"
"How is a commoner so strong?"
"This is going to be amazing!"
"Shh! Don't say that out loud, his followers might hear you."
Conscious whispers and eager chatter filled the air, a mix of anxious thoughts and sparking anticipation.
"Tch," Austin clicked his tongue in disapproval, eyeing the students who remained indifferent despite clearly witnessing what had happened.
He shook his head, a frown crossing his face, before turning and walking toward the exit.
Lucian, who saw this, started to speak. "Sometimes it's better to pretend that everything is okay rather than letting yourself suffer from things you can't control."
Austin glanced at him with a surprised look.
"What?" Lucian asked unpretentiously.
"Are you really the Lucian that I know?" Austin asked jokingly.
The two of them shared a look before laughing.