The slums burned. Black Lotus enforcers tore through the East Sector, kicking in doors and dragging families into the streets. Izuku and Hana crouched in the rafters of a rotting granary, watching the chaos through gaps in the roof. The stench of smoke clung to their clothes.
[Quest Updated: Survive the Purge]
[Objective: Avoid detection for 72 hours.]
[Reward: +0.02% Pain Resistance | Risk: Death Probability 65%]
Hana picked at a scab on her knuckle. "Should've left the noble to rot."
Izuku said nothing. Below, a child screamed as enforcers overturned a cart of turnips. His fingers tightened around a rusted nail—improvised weapon, pathetic but sharp.
A knock echoed, three quick raps. Hana tensed, blade in hand.
The granary door creaked open. Lord Edric slipped inside, his silk robes muddied and torn. "They're searching house-to-house. You can't stay here."
Hana lunged, pressing her knife to his throat. "You led them here."
"No," Edric rasped. "I'm offering a way out. My family's carriage waits north of the slums. It can take you to the Imperial Magic Academy."
Izuku's eyes narrowed. "Admission age is fourteen. We're seven."
Edric hesitated. "The Academy's trial… it's a formality. A test of potential, not age. My house can forge papers. Make you wards of a minor noble line."
Hana barked a laugh. "You'll dress us in silk and call us Lord and Lady? They'll see through that in seconds."
"They'll see what I pay them to see," Edric snapped. "But you need to pass the trial. Survive it, and the Academy won't question your birth."
[Quest Updated: The Academy's Trial]
[Objective: Survive the Imperial Magic Academy's Entrance Exam]
[Reward: Mana Affinity Unlocked | Penalty: Failure = Execution]
Izuku stepped forward, his voice cold. "Why? We're slum rats. What's your stake?"
Edric's jaw tightened. "The Black Lotus humiliated me. They'll pay for that. And you… you're a weapon. One they won't expect."
Hana scoffed. "Weapon? Look at him! He can barely lift a knife."
"Not yet," Edric said, pulling a moonstone shard from his pocket. "But this can change that."
The stone glowed faintly, its light blue and cold. Izuku reached for it, but Edric pulled back.
"It's dormant. The Academy awakens these stones during the trial. But pain can trigger a spark." Edric's gaze locked onto Izuku. "You've known enough pain, haven't you?"
[Item Acquired: Dormant Moonstone Shard]
[Quest Updated: Awaken the Shard]
[Hint: Pain is a catalyst.]
Izuku took the stone. It hummed against his palm, a faint vibration that made his teeth ache. Memory: Ayaka's voice, sharp as a blade. "Power is not given. It is taken."
He pressed the shard into his half-healed collarbone wound. Blood welled, and the stone flared—a burst of light that seared his eyes.
[Moonstone Activation: 1%]
[Pain Resistance: 0.19% → 0.20%]
Hana grabbed his wrist. "Stop! You'll kill yourself."
Izuku met her glare. "We die here or die there. At least there's a chance."
"A chance to be their puppet." She pointed at Edric. "He's using you!"
"Yes," Izuku said. "And I'll use him back."
The smuggler's cart reeked of fish and desperation. Izuku and Hana huddled under tarps, the moonstone shard burning a hole in Izuku's pocket. Edric's carriage loomed ahead, its lanterns snuffed to avoid attention.
Black Lotus enforcers blocked the road.
"Check the cart," their leader growled. "The Ghost Boy's here somewhere."
Hana's breath hitched. "Plan?"
Izuku gripped the moonstone. "Distract them."
She cursed but obeyed, leaping from the cart with a scream. "Over here, you bastards!"
The enforcers chased. Izuku slipped into the shadows, the moonstone's glow guiding him to the carriage.
Edric waited inside, pale but determined. "The trial begins at dawn. Can you do this?"
Izuku stared at the moonstone. "Do I have a choice?"
"No," Edric said. "But neither do they."
To Be Continued in Chapter 10 – The Edge of a Knife