The Golden Sanctuary Academy is the highlight of the entire place, with the Golden Sanctuary right adjacent to it. Together, these two places makes up a major portion of the Irregular populace of the entire world.
A secluded place, disconnected from the confines of this world. This huge island is home to the greatest secret that mankind had to offer. And in the midst of it, a new generation was budding.
Unlike a regular school, the Golden Sanctuary Academy is home to Irregulars. And all the students therein have an irregularity one way or the other. Of course, everyone residing in the Golden Sanctuary as a whole was either connected to Irregulars, or Irregulars themselves.
Additionally, the Golden Sanctuary Academy receives an influx of application throughout the world. After all, only a handful of secret academies have the curriculum that would cater to Irregulars.
That's why, every midterm, the Headmaster had decided to go through every application, and accept a batch of transferees every now and then. Right now was one of those times, and he had processed a total of twenty students. Not bad for the midterms enrollment.
"And the instructors?" The Headmaster let out, addressing his secretary who quietly stood at the corner of his office.
"They are awaiting your orders, sir." The secretary responded.
"Let's begin." The Headmaster let out as a slight grin appeared on his face.
— — —
Even before he stepped foot inside, Kurayami Hikari could already feel it—an oppressive pressure that clung to the air like a thundercloud about to erupt. His feet halted right outside the grand arched doors of the Hall of Trials.
Despite the quiet of the corridor, there was something deafening about the stillness, as if the world itself was holding its breath. The air was heavy, and it wasn't just from the humidity. It was from anticipation.
The Hall of Trials was nothing short of majestic. Towering pillars lined the curved walls, each carved from obsidian-like stone that shimmered faintly with runic etchings. The ceiling arched high above, seemingly impossible in height, painted with a celestial mural depicting scenes of legendary duels, Irregulars facing monsters, students clashing with instructors—the very history of the academy was etched into its very bones.
Golden beams of light filtered from slits in the domed ceiling, their glow diffused through crystalline lenses that gave the whole place a sacred aura. The entire chamber was circular, amphitheater-like, with seats that extended all the way up to the shadows of the ceiling. But no one sat there today.
The ground beneath Hikari's feet was unlike any normal surface. It wasn't earth, nor stone, but a special material that shimmered between the two—firm yet slightly yielding, allowing for both shock absorption and traction.
It was a battleground made for the finest of warriors. Silent and wide, with every step echoing faintly against the cavernous walls, the Hall seemed alive, almost like it had its own consciousness, watching, waiting, judging.
Hikari stood near the edge, his cloak barely brushing the glowing line that marked the threshold to the center. His fingers twitched. It wasn't that he wanted to back down. He had already come too far for that.
But still, he couldn't shake the nerves that had coiled inside him. After all, what did he know of fighting others who had trained for years? He barely had control of his Shadow Bind, and his Legendary Sword? A fleeting apparition at best.
Master Ryu hadn't entered with him. He had said only this before walking away:
"This is your path now, Hikari. I can only guide you so far."
So here he stood, alone.
He closed his eyes, letting out a quiet exhale. The shadows around him seemed to pulse faintly, almost responding to the emotion stirring inside him. A reminder that, while he was uncertain, his power was there—however raw it may be.
A sound broke the silence. A whisper of cloth against air. Then, footsteps. Not rushed, not heavy. Confident. Measured. Deliberate.
When Hikari turned his gaze, he saw her approaching from the far end of the arena.
Her hair was the color of moonlit snow, silver and soft as silk, tied back into a high ponytail that swayed with each step. She wore the academy's instructor robes—a sleek black coat with golden trims, layered over a combat tunic that hugged her lean form. Her eyes were sharp, one silver and the other red, a piercing gaze that spoke of a thousand battles. She carried no visible weapons.
Instructor Kaelis Ardent.
Rumor had it that she was one of the academy's youngest instructors, yet among the most feared. Not for her cruelty, but for her precision. Cold, calculated, ruthless in execution—Kaelis was known not for brute strength, but for ending matches in seconds. She was the Flame Reaver, an Irregular who had once faced a rogue mystic-class beast alone and walked out unscathed. Not a scratch. Not a scorch.
Her Irregularity? Pyrokinetic Reversal. She could not only manipulate flames but redirect any fire-based attack used against her. The more intense the heat, the more potent her counter. A passive ability that made fighting her an exercise in futility for most fire-based combatants. And even those who didn't rely on fire found themselves outmaneuvered by her tactical acumen.
Kaelis stopped a few meters away, her eyes running over Hikari like a blade unsheathing.
"Kurayami Hikari," she said, her voice calm and without inflection. "The last candidate of this cycle."
There was no emotion in her tone. No cruelty, but also no kindness. Pure, indifferent evaluation.
Hikari swallowed hard. He felt as though she could already see the gaps in his form, the hesitation in his heart.
She tilted her head slightly. "You seem to possess great power, and yet you tremble in front of me. Why?"
He opened his mouth, closed it, then said, "Because I'm not ready."
To his surprise, Kaelis didn't scoff or criticize. She simply nodded once.
"Then show me how unready you are."
She turned and walked to the opposite end of the trial ring, her footsteps a whisper against the hallowed ground. Once she stopped, she faced him again, arms loosely at her sides.
From afar, she looked serene. Almost like a monk. But Hikari knew better.
This was the calm before a supernova.
From the shadows at the edge of the chamber, a deep gong resounded. The trial had begun.
Hikari didn't move yet. He stared at Kaelis, committing every detail to memory. Every twitch of her fingers, the subtle lift of her heel, even the way her coat fluttered ever so slightly. She wasn't attacking.
She was waiting.
Waiting for him to move.
But he couldn't. His mind was too loud, filled with every bit of doubt he had shoved down since the day he found that man bleeding in his shadow.
He took a shaky breath.
He would fight. He had no choice. But not now.
Not yet.
This chapter wasn't about the battle. It was about the storm that builds before it. And Kaelis Ardent was the eye of it.
The next time his foot moved, it would mark the beginning of his trial—not just into the academy, but into the world that demanded more from him than he ever thought possible.
But for now, he just stared back into those red-and-silver eyes, the flames of his own fear flickering quietly beneath his skin, waiting for ignition.