Chapter 430: Chapter 429- Resolute

“Are you really sure about this?” Ariana asked, legs crossed, tension tightening her posture as she watched her fiancé.

Adrian didn’t hesitate as he nodded in agreement,

“I know what I’m doing, Ariana. Elana needs my support, or she’ll end up exposing her origin.”

The room was silent—too silent. No students or instructors.

Just the two of them, walls closed, air heavy with the weight of a dangerous truth.

Ariana let out a long, slow sigh, rubbing her forehead.

“But there will be so many eyes on her,” she murmured. “And with all these rumors circling the academy… Runebound harboring independent magic users… rogue affinities hiding in plain sight—”

She shook her head.

“Adrian, once she reveals she can use magic without an armament, it’ll be nearly impossible to protect her.”

Her voice wavered—not from fear of Elana, but fear for him.

Ariana’s gaze softened, worry bleeding through every line of her expression.

“You’re gambling your position for her,” she whispered. “Once she loses control, no amount of shielding from you will be enough. They’ll drag her away… and you along with her.”

Adrian stepped closer, his tone low but resolute.

“She won’t lose control.”

Ariana’s lips pressed into a thin line, uncertain.

He continued:

“She’s not the same girl from three days ago. She stabilized faster than expected. And she’s pushing herself harder than anyone I’ve ever seen. If the faculty gives her a monster she can’t handle, she’ll trigger the surge—but if I control the conditions, she’ll pass.”

Ariana shook her head again, conflicted.

“You trust her too much.”

“I trust her because I’ve seen her fight herself ” Adrian replied. “And that battle is harder than anything the academy can throw at her.”

….

“Gaah!” Aries hissed as she collapsed onto the bench beside Elana.

Her assessment had finally ended—somehow she had passed without too many injuries, but “not too many” still meant painful cuts and bruises. A medic hurried over, hands glowing faintly, beginning to patch her up.

“Ss—careful with that,” Aries warned as the bandage wrapped around her left arm. A deep slice ran from her elbow toward her wrist—one she hadn’t even noticed until the blade was already carving through her blind spot.

In front of them, the second-ranked student was undergoing his assessment. Instructor Rylie presided over this round, arms crossed, eyes sharp.

Aries wished Professor Adrian had been the one judging her segment, but after Henry’s test, Adrian had vanished into the monitoring room without explanation.

Speaking of Henry—

His battle had been a spectacle. Adrian had summoned a Water Dragon, a creature many deemed too difficult even for seasoned combatants. Some students whispered that putting Henry against such a beast was excessive.

But Henry—dense, durable, impossibly experienced—proved them wrong.

He dismantled the dragon with strategy, armament techniques, and brutal efficiency. The crowd had watched in awe as he carved through an opponent meant to dwarf him.

That performance alone likely secured him a top score. Well, for now.

Aries exhaled, letting her tension bleed out before glancing sideways.

Elana sat motionless beside her, eyes fixed on the arena—but unfocused. Hollow. Not watching. It seemed only her body was present here, not her mind.

Aries almost teased her—something about daydreaming of her “favorite professor.”

But she stopped herself.

She recognized that vacant look.

Elana wasn’t drifting. She was drowning in her own thoughts.

“I’m fine now. Thank you,” Aries told the medic. The woman nodded and moved on to tend to others, leaving the two of them alone in their quiet corner.

Aries turned back to the silver-haired girl.

“You’re not actually worried about the test, are you?”

Elana flinched softly.

Then blinked.

“What do you mean? Of course I’m worried. It’s the finals, Aries.”

Aries let out a low chuckle.

“I get it if you don’t want to talk… but at least don’t lie to me.”

Elana’s lips parted—but no words came. She shut her mouth again, throat tight. She couldn’t lie to Aries. Not after what Aries saw three days ago.

Aries had been there when Elana lost control of her magic—when the forest bent and screamed under her unstable surge. She must have pieced together the rest: Elana’s sudden disappearance from the school grounds, the days she spent locked in her room, the silent panic she carried like a shadow.

And yet—Aries hadn’t confronted her.

She hadn’t pushed or demanded answers.

She simply… stayed close.

A quiet reminder that if Elana needed someone—really needed someone—Aries was there, ready to listen without judgement.

Elana exhaled softly, shoulders loosening just a fraction.

“I… am not worried about the test, you’re right,” she admitted. “And I’m sorry. I can’t tell you any more than this.”

Aries smiled—not teasing, just warm.

“I understand, Elana. I just hope you don’t give up on whatever you’re going through. Stronghart or not… the girl I know would die before she ever gave up.”

Elana’s breath caught.

For a moment she simply stared at the raven-haired girl beside her—the only person she had allowed into the walls she kept so fiercely guarded around other students. And as that warmth settled in her chest, she realized something:

She hadn’t made a mistake choosing her.

“I won’t,” Elana whispered.

It wasn’t a promise to Aries.

It was a promise to herself.

Her professor had risked everything for her—his reputation, his standing, his future. Elana couldn’t turn away. She wouldn’t. She would regain control, overcome this flaw, and cross this obstacle head-on.

“Alright, someone take him away,” Gilbert called out.

The second-ranked student lay sprawled across the floor, gasping for air. He had made it far—almost to the end—only to fall to the flaming falcon right at the threshold.

“The loss must’ve stung more than those wounds,” Aries muttered.

And she was right.

The second-rank always carried the weight of expectation. To come so close and then collapse at the very last step… it was a bitter failure, the kind that burned deeper than fire.

Assistants rushed in and carried him out while the stage began to shift again—four towering walls rising from the ground, enclosing the battleground like a colossal cage.

The first stage had been the same for everyone—defeat the training dolls, survive the traps, endure the elemental interference.

But the second stage was where the real trial lay.

The faculty didn’t tailor the challenge based on rank—they tailored it based on performance. Henry had faced a full-fledged Water Dragon because he had shown brilliance. The fourth-rank had been tested with something notably weaker.

Perform better in stage one, and you earn a stronger foe—and a higher score.

“Next contestant, please stand on the mark!” Gilbert announced, voice booming across the arena.

Aries placed a confident hand on Elana’s back.

“You got this, Elana. Just focus on the test—and nothing else.”

Elana rose, silver hair swaying behind her as she stepped forward.

The moment she moved, a ripple went through the audience.

Students leaned forward.

Whispers surged.

Eyes sharpened.

Because the academy’s strongest—the first-ranked warrior, the girl who had dominated every single assessment until now—was finally stepping into the arena.

And every gaze was pinned on her as she walked toward her mark, silent and resolute, ready to face whatever obstacle was waiting.

Elana’s gaze drifted left—and relief washed through her like a warm tide.

Professor Adrian had returned.

He was striding into the gym with purpose, heading straight for Gilbert. Though she couldn’t make out a single word from this distance, their body language told a clear story: Gilbert questioning, Adrian explaining… and explaining hard. His hands moved, his brows drew tight, his tone looked firm but respectful.

A full minute passed—long enough for her pulse to rise, for her stomach to coil with worry.

Then Gilbert nodded.

And headed toward Instructor Rylie.

Elana couldn’t see the two men clearly now; the tall enclosing wall blocked her line of sight. But judging by the shift in atmosphere, the subtle murmurs among the faculty, and the way Adrian stepped back with his arms folded…

He had done it.

He had convinced Gilbert to let him take charge of her final trial.

A tiny, quiet fist-pump escaped her.

He was risking so much for her—yet again.

Protecting her from being pushed into something that would trigger her loss of control.

Now it was her turn.

Her duty to walk forward without faltering so he wouldn’t end up taking the blame for shielding her.

The twin batons rested at her waist, cold and steady.

No mana stirred around her—not a hint of frost or fluctuation.

Her breathing slowed.

Her posture solidified.

She would not slip.

Not here.

Not with him watching.

Gilbert came back to his podium, his voice resonant and official.

“Student, are you ready?”

Elana gave a firm nod.

He raised a hand.

“Name: Elana Stronghart. Rank: First. Element: Ice.”

Mechanisms clicked.

The surrounding walls shuddered—then began to descend slowly, revealing the battlefield piece by piece. Training dolls filled the arena in scattered formation, their joints locked, their sensors waiting.

A hush fell over the students.

Then—

“Begin!” Gilbert declared.

And the trial ignited around her.

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