The room remained silent after Oscar’s strike.

  Fragments of the shattered crystal sphere rolled across the floor before slowly coming to a stop. Several students stared at Oscar as he stepped back into line.

  Some looked confused.

  Others looked uneasy.

  It wasn’t every day a giant skeleton appeared behind someone as they activated their core.

  Clarence cleared his throat.

  “Well,” he said calmly. “That was certainly… something.”

  A few students chuckled.

  Oscar was slightly caught off guard by the reaction.

  They aren’t afraid?

  Clarence glanced down at the remaining crystal spheres.

  “Hopefully that’s all of the destructive users out of the way.”

  He pointed toward the next student.

  “Aster.”

  Aster scoffed and looked at Oscar.

  “Oscar, watch this.”

  Oscar smirked.

  “Knock ‘em dead.”

  Aster laughed.

  “Very funny.”

  He stepped forward and stood in front of the crystal sphere. Taking a deep breath, he raised his hands.

  Several students immediately felt the calm flow of his core.

  “Water Convergence: Rapid Tide.”

  Pressurized water burst from Aster’s hands like a rushing current.

  The stream slammed into the crystal sphere.

  CRACK.

  The sphere split apart as the water forced its way through, sending shards sliding across the floor.

  Aster smirked as he walked back.

  “I can compete with you too.”

  Oscar nodded.

  “Solid power. Your core was very stable.”

  Aster grinned.

  “Not bad?”

  He scoffed.

  “Mine was perfect.”

  Clarence raised a hand.

  “Next.”

  His eyes moved toward a girl standing near Elaina.

  “Lillie.”

  “Ready.”

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  Lillie stepped forward and pulled the guitar from behind her back.

  Several students blinked in confusion.

  She strummed one of the strings softly.

  “Sound Amplification: Conductor’s Rhythm.”

  A powerful vibration spread across the room as the sound waves expanded outward.

  A powerful vibration spread across the room as the sound waves expanded outward.

  The crystal sphere trembled under the pressure of the sound.

  For a moment it hummed with energy before the vibrations faded, leaving the sphere completely intact.

  Clarence nodded thoughtfully.

  “It seems your core can function offensively as well.”

  Lillie scratched the back of her head.

  “Kinda… but it takes a lot out of me. I’m much better at support.”

  Clarence smiled slightly.

  “I can tell you don’t yet understand the importance of support cores.”

  Lillie smiled brightly.

  “Thanks, sir!”

  She walked back to the group cheerfully.

  Clarence turned his head.

  “Kakeru.”

  The boy punched his palm.

  “Finally. My turn to show off.”

  He stepped forward confidently.

  “Flame Core: Flash Flame.”

  Fire erupted from his core and surged down his arms.

  He lunged forward, launching the flames toward the sphere.

  BOOM.

  The crystal sphere exploded from the intense heat.

  Flames scattered briefly across the floor.

  Aster quickly released a stream of water, cooling the remaining fire before it spread.

  Clarence looked irritated.

  “You need better control of your flames.”

  Kakeru scratched the back of his head.

  “Sorry.”

  Clarence nodded.

  “That’s why you’re here.”

  Kakeru returned to the group.

  “Yuki.”

  The quiet girl stepped forward without speaking.

  Her long white hair shifted slightly as cold air gathered around her.

  She raised her hand slowly.

  “Ice Core: Glacial Pierce.”

  A thin spike of ice formed instantly and shot forward.

  The spike pierced through the center of the cracked crystal sphere.

  CRACK.

  The frozen structure shattered into icy fragments.

  The room fell silent again.

  Clarence looked impressed.

  “Excellent precision.”

  Yuki gave a small bow before returning to her place.

  Alexander leaned toward Oscar.

  “She barely moved.”

  Oscar nodded.

  “She’s hard to read… and her control is impressive.”

  Clarence sighed and looked down at the floor.

  “…That was the last crystal sphere.”

  Several students looked surprised.

  One raised a hand.

  “What about the rest of us?”

  Clarence folded his arms.

  “The purpose of this test wasn’t destruction.”

  He looked across the class.

  “It was control.”

  He raised four fingers.

  “There are four things I will evaluate this year.”

  “Combat.”

  “Control.”

  “Coordination.”

  “Adaptability.”

  Aster leaned toward Oscar.

  “This is gonna be hell.”

  Oscar remained serious.

  “Good.”

  Clarence pointed toward the testing platform.

  Oscar looked around the room.

  Every student here had power.

  Real power.

  But this academy wasn’t about who could break things the fastest.

  Clarence stepped forward again.

  “Good.”

  He clasped his hands behind his back.

  “Now we understand your cores.”

  He looked across the class.

  “But power means nothing if you can’t fight.”

  Several students straightened.

  Clarence pointed toward the large arena doors at the end of the facility.

  “Follow me.”

  The class moved toward the doors.

  As they opened, a massive combat arena revealed itself beyond them.

  Clarence stepped aside and gestured toward the floor.

  “The remaining eight of you, pair up.”

  Excited whispers spread through the class instantly.