Jace the Elemental

Jace quickly went through his morning routine, moving with an ease he wasn't used to. His muscles no longer ached from the strain of training, and as he stretched, he realized something felt… different.

When he ran, his body felt lighter, his movements faster, more controlled. It wasn't just recovery, something had shifted.

He flexed his fingers, clenching and unclenching his fists as he focused inward. That strange energy was still there, nestled beside his mana, quiet but present.

Whatever had happened last night, it hadn't just been a dream.

Hoping one of the others had experienced something similar, Jace hurried to class.

But when he arrived, his thoughts of the dream were momentarily pushed aside. Color had broken through the sea of black uniforms. The students who had been demoted now wore their new ranks, the vibrant shades standing out starkly against the usual monochrome.

Among them, a group stood off to the side, their movements tense, their heads lowered as if trying to avoid attention. Even without seeing their faces, Jace knew who they were.

Christian's team. Their red and orange uniforms were impossible to miss, a vivid, humiliating reminder of what happened to those who failed.

"Damn, looks like only the twenty of us from the undefeated teams got away completely unscathed," Jace said as he approached his group.

Ethan waved before responding, "It seems the team that lost to the rank 2's got off light. Only the three that lost were deranked, and even then, just to rank 2."

"Still, it feels weird seeing so many different colors here," Orion said, glancing around at the other teams. In total, it looked like sixteen students from rank 1 had been demoted.

Felix adjusted his glasses. "Honestly, it makes sense. The entrance exam can only do so much to assign us to our proper ranks," he said with a shrug.

"Especially with people like Elizabeth and Kael deliberately taking a worse rank than they deserve," Lyra muttered, her voice tinged with frustration. She had always prided herself on giving her best effort, so the idea of someone intentionally underperforming was almost offensive to her.

Astra and Selene exchanged a glance before looking toward Aurora.

"I'm alright now," Aurora said quickly, as if reading their thoughts.

They didn't have a chance to push further before Lord Severian entered the hall.

"Greetings, class," he said, his sharp gaze sweeping over the room. His expression remained unreadable, but his next words landed like a slap to those who had been deranked.

"I am disappointed by the amount of color I'm seeing."

A tense silence followed. Several students shifted uncomfortably, their newly assigned uniforms feeling heavier under his scrutiny.

Finally, one of the demoted students hesitantly raised a hand. "Um… sir?" His apprehension was obvious. "Can I ask why I was deranked? I mean… My team and I won our gauntlet. It was just our solo who lost."

"That's true," Lord Severian acknowledged with a nod. "However, you are the captain of your team, and after reviewing the match, the instructors determined that if you had adjusted your team's positioning, you should have been able to sweep your opponents." His golden eyes locked onto the student. "As captain, your team's performance is your responsibility. And so, you were the one who deranked."

A murmur rippled through the students, uncertainty creeping into their expressions. Four of the captains exchanged uneasy glances, if they had known they could be deranked just for mismanaging their team, some of them might have reconsidered taking the position.

Aurora, however, remained unfazed. Her expression was calm, almost indifferent. She had been born to lead, and leadership always came with risks.

The captain who had spoken lowered his head in acceptance. "Understood, sir."

"Good," Lord Severian said with a nod. "Now that we have no further questions, allow me to explain your next contest."

As he spoke, his familiar purple writing began forming behind him, letters swirling into crisp, elegant script.

"Round one will be a conjuration challenge, requiring three participants. Round two will be a one on one duel. And round three," his gaze swept across the room, "will be a four on four group battle."

The students had all experienced enough of his classes to know that he wasn't finished yet, his signature purple writing was still forming behind him. So they remained silent, waiting for what came next.

"From this point forward, your team rank will be based on your captain's rank," Lord Severian continued as new words took shape in the air, listing the matchups.

Team Gabriel (Rank 3) vs. Team Sienna (Rank 14)

Team Hannah (Rank 1) vs. Team Lila (Rank 4)

Team Christian (Rank 15) vs. Team Leander (Rank 19)

Team Finn (Rank 2) vs. Team Mira (Rank 6)

And finally… Team Aurora (Rank 1) vs. Team Jasper (Rank 3)

A low murmur spread through the room as students studied the pairings, analyzing their opponents. Some teams looked relieved, others tense. The weight of the matchups settled over them all.