Jace the Elemental

Team Christian (Rank 1) — 0-3 — (Rank 12) Team Elizabeth.

"Wait, what?" Jace stood stunned, not fully believing what he was looking at. "Not only did a rank 1 team lose…but a 0-3? 

A couple of the other rank 1 teams had dropped a point, with one even losing 1-2 to a rank 2 team. But a complete shutout? Against a rank 12 team? It was unthinkable.

"Of course they had to be the first match of the day," Lyra finally managed to say. "I wish I could've seen what actually happened."

Astra, still in shock, smacked her own cheek as if to break out of it. "I'm not seeing things, right?"

"Nope, that definitely says what it says." Jace's voice was full of awe. Then a sudden thought hit him. "Wait… how far did they drop?" He quickly scanned for the rank update, his eyes widening. "Holy…"

"15… They went down to rank 15." Disbelief fully apparent in her voice.

Silence hung between them as the weight of that result fully settled in. One of the strongest teams in the school, the unbeatable rank 1s, had fallen. Not just by a little, but all the way to the bottom.

Something had happened in that match. Something big.

And Jace wasn't the only one who wanted to know what.

"They wouldn't have dropped that far without a major mistake right?" Ethan asked, looking towards everyone.

"Even the two who didn't compete fell," Orion murmured

Aurora crossed her arms, deep in thought. "They must have made some massive errors… or something happened that none of us expected."

Felix let out a low whistle, arms crossed. "Rank 12 taking down Rank 1 like that? Either Team Elizabeth has been hiding something, or Christian's team imploded."

Selene, who had been quietly studying the board, finally spoke. "It doesn't make sense. Even if Team Christian underperformed, they shouldn't have lost that badly. The rank difference is too big."

"Unless someone on Team Elizabeth is a monster," Lucian added, rubbing his chin.

Jace narrowed his eyes. "Not just one. They'd need at least three people strong enough to dominate. One could win a point, but all three?" He shook his head. "No way it was just a fluke."

The realization sent a ripple of unease through the group.

For a rank 12 team to obliterate a rank 1 team this badly... who the hell was on Team Elizabeth?

The murmurs in the crowd grew louder. At first, the conversation revolved around whether rank 1 was overrated, but that theory was quickly dismissed.

After all, the rank 1 teams combined had only given up six points in total.

And three of those belonged to this one match.

Jace shifted his gaze around the crowd. More and more students were gathering in front of the results board, whispers turning into full-blown debates. Some were laughing, thinking this was the biggest joke in the academy's history. Others were dead serious, analyzing every possible reason for what had just been revealed.

A sudden voice rang out from behind them.

"No way in hell they lost fair and square."

Jace turned to see a woman wearing the rank 1 uniform. Her brown hair with auburn highlights framed her face. Her hazel eyes held a simmering fury, as if the board had personally insulted her.

"It has to be a mistake." The woman continued, glaring at the names on the board. "There's no way Christian lost 3-0. He must've thrown the match."

Lucian scoffed. "You really think he'd do that? Even if he wanted to, you think his team would let him? Ignoring their pride, they had their ranks on the line."

The woman started getting loud. "Then explain it. Because I'm telling you right now, if they really got beaten like that, then whoever's on Team Elizabeth is dangerous."

The crowd around them kept buzzing with speculation, but Jace barely heard it. His mind was spinning, thinking through the possibilities.

Until he felt it.

Someone was watching them.

He turned, his eyes locking onto a group of four students wearing the rank 12 uniforms, yellow with orange trim.

And in the middle of them stood the tallest person Jace had ever seen.

The man had to be at least 6'7", built like he could bench press a horse. His jet-black hair was cut short, almost a buzz cut, and a long, jagged scar ran down the side of his cheek. But the most unsettling thing about him?

His eyes. Piercing gray. Unmoving. Unshaken.

Jace swallowed, feeling the weight of the man's gaze.

The sheer presence he exuded was suffocating, like standing in the shadow of a mountain. He wasn't cocky, nor did he seem surprised by the attention. He just stood there, arms crossed, exuding a quiet, undeniable authority.

Aurora's face shifted into pure shock.

If anyone had been watching her, it would have been the most emotion they had ever seen from her.

"Why is he in rank 12?" she whispered.

"Holy…" Ethan muttered under his breath. "Who the hell is that?"

Aurora hesitated before answering, her voice laced with actual worry.

"That… is one of the strongest current nobles. Giorgi's brother. And probably… an enemy of ours now."

She exhaled sharply before finishing.

"That… is the current successor of House Bane.

Kael Bane."