The mont the five instructors passed through their respective portals, the world shifted.
They found themselves standing alone inside a dense forest. Towering trees blocked out most of the light, their thick canopies weaving shadows across the ground. The air was damp, heavy with the scent of soil and moss.
No one wasted ti.
Each instructor moved instantly. One leapt into the branches, concealing himself among leaves and bark, suppressing his aura completely. Another slipped into a narrow cave, sealing the entrance with a thin layer of earth and illusion. A third subrged himself in a shallow stream, masking his presence with flowing water. The remaining two scattered in opposite directions, hiding within natural terrain so flawlessly that even with open eyes, finding them would be a challenge.
They were instructors of the academy. Being outdone by a first-year student was not an option.
Divine Sense was not a common technique. It wasn't sothing one could simply learn because they wanted to. Even geniuses took years — sotis decades to truly grasp it. And yet Derek Hale had shaken their understanding within five hours.
They would not go easy on him.
anwhile, at the very center of the forest…
Derek stood still. Blindfolded. Calm.
The forest breathed around him. Leaves rustled. Insects chirped. A breeze brushed past his skin, carrying faint traces of moisture and earth. To anyone else, it would have been overwhelming — noise layered upon noise.
But Derek filtered it all out. He focused. He slowed his breathing until it matched the rhythm of the forest. His senses stretched — not through sight, but through awareness.
Then he felt it. Heartbeats.
Subtle. Uneven. Suppressed — but still there.
Five of them.
At first, they were faint impressions, like ripples on the surface of water. But as Derek concentrated, those ripples sharpened.
Distance. Direction. Shape.
It was strange. He wasn't seeing. Yet it felt as though the forest itself was painting an image in his mind. A monochro world, stripped of color but rich in detail. Trees beca outlines. Terrain ford contours. Every disturbance — breath, shifting weight, tension in muscle betrayed presence.
And unlike sight, this perception had no blind spots. Above. Below. Behind. All at once.
A bird's-eye view from every direction. Nothing could hide.
Derek exhaled softly.
And then....
He moved.
Or instead — it was as if he vanished. Back in the arena, the hovering panel showed everything.
Students leaned forward, eyes glued to the scene unfolding in the other dinsion. They watched the instructors disappear into perfect hiding spots.
Whispers spread.
"There's no way he can find them."
"Of course. Who does he think he is?"
"Even instructors would fail this."
But then they saw it.
They saw Derek move.
A blur crossed the panel.
"What? Did you see that?"
Before anyone could react, the image shifted to a narrow cave hidden behind a tangle of roots.
Inside, one instructor crouched, eyes sharp, senses alert. He was observing the area. He was on high alert so that no way Derek could find him.
But then suddenly...
WHOOSH!
A sudden rush of air. The instructor's eyes widened.
Derek was suddenly there. Standing to his left. Calm. Still blindfolded.
"Found you, sir," Derek said politely. "Four more to go."
Before the instructor could even respond....
Derek was gone. The cave fell silent. The instructor stood frozen, staring at empty air, his mind blank.
"…What?"
The arena erupted.
Gasps. Shouts. Chairs scraped against stone floors as students stood up in disbelief.
"No way!"
"How did he?!"
The panel flickered again.
Another instructor — this one hidden among the branches — felt a faint disturbance.
Too late.
Derek appeared in a branch beside him, lightly tapping his shoulder before stepping away.
"Two."
Again.
A stream. A ripple. A hand erged from the water. Derek stood at the bank.
"Three."
The fourth was found monts later. Then the fifth.
Each discovery was instantaneous. Clean. Effortless.
Less than three minutes had passed. But Derek had already found them all.
Finally, space rippled. An exit portal ford.
Derek looked at it, a smile creeping across his face. He stepped through and erged back into the arena.
Silence greeted him. Not a single cheer. Not a gasp. Not even a whisper. It was as if the entire arena had died.
Students stood frozen. Instructors stared blankly. Even Daniel had forgotten to speak.
Derek removed his blindfold slowly. His eyes were calm. Unshaken.
And at that mont, everyone understood.
This was no longer about passing trials.
They had just witnessed sothing that should not exist.
And the academy… would never be the sa again. Not just the academy, actually.
Silence lingered in the arena for several long seconds. Then Daniel finally snapped out of his daze. He cleared his throat, his voice sounding slightly hoarse as he raised his hand.
"F-For the next phase..."
Before he could finish, a calm, authoritative voice cut through the air.
"Not required."
Every head snapped upward.
The Headmistress stood from her seat, her gaze fixed on Derek. There was no excitent on her face.... only certainty.
"I have seen enough," she said evenly. "Proceed to the next trial."
A wave of shock rippled through the arena.
Daniel swallowed and nodded imdiately.
He turned toward Derek, his expression complicated — part awe, part disbelief.
"You have done exceptionally well," he said honestly. "What you demonstrated today is… unprecedented." He paused, then gestured toward the sidelines. "You may return to your team. The third trial will begin shortly."
Derek gave a slight nod and walked back calmly. His teammates stared at him as if he had returned from another world. No one spoke. They didn't know what to say.
Daniel then turned toward the gallery, his voice regaining its usual authority. "For the next trial," he announced, "it will be a battle royale."
The arena stirred instantly.
"Out of the eight remaining teams," Daniel continued, "only five will advance." His gaze swept across the participants. "For any team, if all its mbers are knocked out or forced off the stage, that team will be imdiately disqualified."
A heavy tension settled over the arena.
"All teams," Daniel said loudly, "please enter the arena."
One by one, the teams stepped forward. As they took their positions, unspoken intentions filled the air. Glances were exchanged. And without a single word spoken, every team shared the sa thought.
Before anything else...
There was one team they wanted gone first.
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