"Into the Wilds of the Arcshade Domain"
The transition from the amphitheater to the Trial Grounds was nothing short of a magical feat.
A blinding flash engulfed the candidates, and when their vision returned, they were no longer in a city of stone and spells — but in a vast, twilight forest where the sun never fully rose.
This was the Arcshade Domain.
A dimensionally compressed ecosystem designed by the Founders of Valeborne, it was a pocket world populated with flora and fauna chosen specifically to test the instincts of young mages. Trees towered like cathedral pillars, their leaves casting deep shadows despite the eerie violet hue of the light filtering through the canopy.
And somewhere in the distance… something roared.
Arrival in the Domain
Kieran stood beneath a crooked blackwood tree, his hand brushing its bark. It pulsed faintly beneath his fingers — mana-infused wood. He crouched, brushing the leaves aside to examine the ground.
[System Scan: Activated]Environment: Arcshade DomainThreat Level: VariableLocal Mana Concentration: 124% NormalPassive Gain: Mana Regeneration Boost (Minor)Nearby Entities: 3 Detected – Unclassified, Beast-Type
He glanced to the right.
A few dozen meters away, Lyra was already kneeling by a patch of glowing mushrooms, collecting spores into a small cloth pouch.
To the left, Riven stood guard, blade drawn — though no threat had shown itself yet.
Several groups of candidates were still blinking, dazed by the teleportation.
A horn sounded from the sky.
A voice, deep and emotionless, thundered through the trees:
"Candidates, welcome to the Magical Beast Trial."
"You will be given twelve hours to survive within this domain."
"Points will be awarded for resource collection, teamwork, combat ability, and adaptation. You may form teams of up to four. Leaving the trial boundaries or collapsing from mana exhaustion will result in immediate disqualification."
"Begin."
The Wild Awakens
No sooner had the voice faded than the forest shifted.
The temperature dropped. The wind stilled. And an oppressive weight settled over the land — like the forest itself had been waiting.
From the deeper thickets, soft growls echoed. Leaves rustled, but no wind stirred them.
The beasts had awakened.
First Encounters
A group of nobles led by Leonhart Duskveil immediately drew together, forming a small circular encampment using conjured walls of earth and fire sigils. Velia was seen casting barrier spells around their base.
"Let the monsters come," she sneered, "we'll farm them and rest easy."
They intended to hunt from safety, using power and prepared gear.
Elsewhere, a group of three commoners tried to form a defensive triangle — but one screamed as a shadow-wolf lunged from the underbrush. Its body was coated in illusion magic, almost invisible until it struck.
The boy barely escaped with a deep gash across his shoulder.
Kieran watched it all from a low branch, arms crossed, eyes distant.
[System: Analysis Mode – Activated]Scanning Beast: Shadow Lupus Minor – Rank D+Weak Point: Rear Spine NodeBehavior Pattern: Ambush, Illusion-Reinforced
Strategy: Minimal mana expenditure – use terrain for forced redirection.
He dropped from the branch silently.
The shadow-wolf didn't even hear him until it was too late.
One flick of a conjured illusion spike tripped the beast mid-leap. As it fell, Kieran drew a mana-thread from the environment and channeled a binding rune beneath its body — trapping it in place.
No wasted motion.
[Beast Subdued – Points Gained: 40][System Passive Function: Beast Core Extraction – Active]
Kieran reached into the creature's still form, and a tiny orb of mana, pulsing like a heart, was drawn into his hand.
He stored it in the System Storage.
'Efficient,' he thought. 'More like a recon mission than a trial.'
Gathering Allies
As he moved through the forest, he passed several other candidates: some crying, some panicked, some already knocked unconscious by beasts or misused spells. Mira, the psionic girl, was standing atop a rock surrounded by sleeping creatures — not slain, just calmed.
Interesting.
He marked her again.
[Mark of Potential – Applied: Mira L. | Affinity: Mind-Type, Rank Unknown | Priority: High]
He continued until he found a clearing where Lyra and Riven had gathered, both bruised but unharmed.
"Company?" Riven asked warily.
Kieran simply nodded. "For now. I want to observe how this domain unfolds."
Lyra looked at him curiously. "You're awfully calm."
"Am I?" Kieran replied.
A beat passed.
"...We could use someone like you," she finally said.
[System Notice]Side Objective: Temporary Alliance FormedObservation of Target: Lyra C.New Ability Unlocked: [Shared Sense – Level I]Enables limited mana-sharing and sensory overlap during combat for short periods.
Deeper into the Arcshade
Hours passed.
They avoided skirmishes with higher-tier beasts, focused on trapping, scouting, and conserving mana. Kieran silently supported the team — disarming traps, healing with minor support sigils, guiding them without overt control.
Yet he was always watching.
Learning.
Cataloging.
He saw which students worked together — and which ones looked for someone to betray. He noted who saved others, and who watched them fall without flinching.
All while the System continued to harvest data, feeding it into Kieran's growing network of viable recruits.