Chapter 21: The First Test
The gates of the House of First Light closed behind them with a deep grinding sound.
For a moment, none of the ten students spoke.
The courtyard inside the academy was far larger than it had appeared from outside the walls. Stone paths cut across training fields, and tall towers watched over the grounds like silent guardians.
Somewhere in the distance, a beast roared again.
Not loud enough to be close.
But close enough to remind everyone what this place trained them for.
Master Ilyara did not slow her pace as she walked across the courtyard.
"Follow."
The command was simple.
The students obeyed immediately.
Boots crunched against gravel as they moved deeper into the academy grounds. The place smelled faintly of metal, dust, and something else—something older.
Aren felt it the most.
The quiet stirring behind his thoughts had not disappeared after entering the gates. If anything, it had grown slightly clearer.
Like whispers just out of reach.
He rubbed his temple briefly but said nothing.
Up ahead, Master Ilyara stopped before a massive circular field surrounded by stone pillars.
The ground inside the arena looked uneven—packed dirt, scattered stones, patches of sand.
It didn't look like a place meant for training.
It looked like a place meant for breaking people.
Several older instructors stood along the edges of the field.
They watched the ten students carefully.
Evaluating.
Judging.
Master Ilyara turned to face them.
"This," she said, "is where your first screening begins."
The students straightened.
"The Trial of Endurance."
A few exchanged quiet glances.
Everyone had heard stories about this trial growing up, but no one knew exactly how it worked.
Master Ilyara pointed toward the arena.
"You will cross this field."
Silence.
That was it.
No explanation.
No instructions.
Just cross it.
Jaro Owase frowned slightly. "That's all?"
The instructor standing beside one of the pillars chuckled quietly.
Master Ilyara's expression didn't change.
"If it were that simple," she said calmly, "every child born into the bloodlines would become a warrior."
She lifted a hand.
One of the instructors struck a metal staff against the stone pillar.
A deep vibration rippled across the arena.
The ground changed instantly.
What had looked like normal dirt began shifting.
The sand thickened.
The air grew heavier.
Aren felt it immediately—like someone had placed a heavy hand on his shoulders.
Gravity.
No.
Something like gravity.
The pressure increased slowly.
Master Ilyara spoke again.
"This field responds to your weakness."
A few students shifted uneasily.
"The farther you walk, the heavier it becomes."
Kito Mensah let out a low whistle under his breath.
"So we just… walk?"
Master Ilyara nodded.
"To the other side."
Luta Owase cracked his neck with a grin.
"That doesn't sound so bad."
The instructors said nothing.
That alone should have been a warning.
Master Ilyara stepped aside.
"You may begin."
For a brief second no one moved.
Then Jaro Owase stepped forward first.
The Owase boy walked into the arena confidently.
His first step looked normal.
The second slowed slightly.
By the third step, his shoulders had tightened.
"...huh," he muttered.
The pressure had already started increasing.
Luta Owase laughed and followed him.
Soon the others began stepping forward as well.
Amara Mensah walked in with calm confidence.
Kito followed beside her.
The twins, Niko and Kala Kwofie, entered together.
Behind them came Lena Adua and Bram Adua.
Only two remained outside the arena.
Reth Djanah stepped forward next.
He walked with controlled calm, like someone already certain of his place.
Then Aren followed.
The moment his foot touched the arena floor, the pressure pressed against him.
Not crushing.
But noticeable.
Like walking through deep water.
Ahead of him, Jaro Owase had already slowed considerably.
Luta, who had been laughing earlier, was no longer smiling.
"Why does it feel heavier already?" he muttered.
They had barely crossed a quarter of the field.
Master Ilyara watched silently from the edge.
The students kept walking.
Step.
Step.
Step.
The pressure increased again.
This time it was obvious.
Shoulders hunched.
Breathing grew heavier.
Amara Mensah clenched her jaw as she pushed forward.
Kito's steps slowed behind her.
The Kwofie twins were whispering to each other quietly as they moved.
Even Reth Djanah had begun to feel it.
Aren noticed something strange.
The pressure around him felt… uneven.
It pressed down on his body like it did the others.
But beneath his feet, the ground almost seemed to soften slightly with each step.
He frowned but kept moving.
Halfway across the arena, the real struggle began.
Luta Owase dropped to one knee.
"Damn…!"
He forced himself back up, teeth clenched.
Jaro was sweating heavily now.
The Mensah siblings slowed but kept steady.
The twins stumbled once but caught each other before falling.
Lena Adua breathed slowly as if trying to draw strength from the ground itself.
Bram walked beside her with shaking legs.
Reth continued forward, slower now, but still controlled.
Aren exhaled carefully.
The whispers in his mind stirred again.
Just faintly.
And suddenly the weight pressing down on him shifted slightly.
Not gone.
Just… different.
Like the arena itself didn't quite know what to do with him.
Ahead, the finish line was finally visible.
But the pressure doubled again.
Jaro Owase collapsed forward onto his hands.
Luta swore loudly as he struggled beside him.
Amara nearly stumbled before Kito steadied her.
The Kwofie twins were breathing hard now.
Even Reth's calm expression had cracked.
Only a few steps remained.
Just a few.
One by one they pushed forward.
Jaro crossed first—rolling across the line with a groan.
Luta followed seconds later.
Amara and Kito crossed together.
The twins staggered across next.
Lena and Bram nearly collapsed as they passed the line.
Reth stepped across slowly, breathing heavily but still standing.
Finally, Aren crossed last.
The moment he stepped beyond the arena, the pressure vanished.
Several students dropped to the ground immediately.
Master Ilyara stepped forward again.
Her eyes moved across the exhausted group.
No praise.
No congratulations.
Just quiet observation.
"Good," she said at last.
A few students looked up hopefully.
Then she added,
"That was the easiest trial."
Groans echoed across the field.
Master Ilyara turned toward the academy buildings.
"Rest."
Her voice remained calm.
"You will need it."
She glanced back at them briefly.
"The Trial of Balance begins at sunrise."
And unlike the first test…
That trial had a reputation for breaking even the strongest prodigies.