They made their way to the academy cafeteria. Alex leaned casually on the counter, greeting the aunty behind it. Then he turned to Hati.
"What do you want to eat?"
"Woof, woof," ca the imdiate reply.
Alex rolled his eyes. "Steak? That’s not a light breakfast, you know."
Still, he ordered it. The two of them took their trays and settled into their usual corner.
A few minutes later, Selene entered the cafeteria. Spotting them, she made her way over with a soft smile.
"Hi Alex. Hi Hati."
"Woof," Hati barked politely.
Alex shot Hati a narrowed glance.
Hati just rolled his eyes and returned to devouring his steaming steak.
Selene chuckled at their exchange, the warmth in her smile matching the quiet peace of the morning.
As Alex saw Selene’s smile, he clenched the fork in his hand and focused hard on his food. He refused to look at her again—because if he did, he might do sothing very stupid.
Inside his mind, a war broke out over that one innocent smile.
White Alex laughed like a lunatic.
"That’s the smile of a goddess! I’ve seen it now—I can die in peace!"
Black Alex grabbed him by the collar, throttling him with both hands.
"Then go die, idiot! You’re making us vulnerable again!"
In the real world, Alex kept his eyes glued to the plate, but sothing strange crept into his heart—sothing he didn’t understand yet.
As he finished eating and stood up to leave, Selene stood as well, saying casually,
"You took forever to finish that. I was waiting so we could go together to the arena."
Alex didn’t respond. He walked ahead, Hati trotting on one side like a smug bodyguard, and Selene trailing on the other like persistent chewing gum that refused to let go.
What Alex did notice were the looks people gave him—cold, venomous.
"Trash commoner," soone whispered.
He didn’t flinch. He was used to it. But still, he walked faster, putting distance between him and Selene.
Selene, however, matched his pace effortlessly. What he didn’t notice was the nervous tension in her steps. Today’s match had her on edge, and her smile... it was her shield.
They arrived at the arena together. The crowd had grown even larger than the day before. One section, elevated and organized, stood out—its occupants dressed in sky-blue uniforms that shimred like frost.
It looked like an entire ice mountain had co to watch the match.
Dozens of heads turned toward Alex as he entered. Their gazes were sharp, suffocating. He felt the weight of every stare scraping against his skin like ice.
Without thinking, he moved closer to the massive figure of Captain Darian, using him like a human shield.
Darian let out a loud laugh.
"So, you two finally showed up! We’ve been waiting forever."
Selene smiled and teased,
"Soone here was completely zoned out during breakfast."
Alex rolled his eyes.
"Is it starting now?"
Tina stepped forward, arms crossed, a frown on her face.
"Yes, it is. We already lost the toss thanks to our amazing captain."
She glanced at the arena and continued,
"Today’s match will be in the Snowstorm Zone. Snowfield terrain. We’re really at a disadvantage... we’re up against the Ice Phoenix Club."
Alex blinked.
"What? Did they bribe the umpire or sothing?"
Tina shook her head.
"No. It’s random. Always is. But sotis..."
She looked out at the arena battlefield, her voice dropping.
"Sotis, you don’t get to choose your enemy... or where you’ll face them."
Alex nodded, his gaze following hers toward arena.
Selene felt happy—truly happy.
Yes, she thought, I’ll finally be able to show my power freely.
Her eyes wandered toward the spectator stands, where she noticed sothing unusual.
Most of the people from her clan were present—an intimidating sea of dignified elders, warriors, and nobles.
Why are all of them here? she wondered. Did Mama drag them here?
She frowned slightly,
It’s just the main round, Mama... They should have co for the quarterfinals or semifinals. Why now, for sothing so minor?
She exhaled slowly, shaking the thought from her mind.
No. Don’t overthink it. Focus on the match.
anwhile, far from the cheers and lights of the arena...
Deep within the dark, ancient corridors of the Academy Castle—two figures t under the shadows.
One, cloaked figure spoke in hoarse voice:
"Is everything ready?"
The second figure, bowed, nodding.
"Yes. Everything is prepared. The Monster God said he won’t co himself... but he’s sending A-rank monsters."
The first one stepped closer, voice like steel drawn across bone:
"Don’t fail. The mission is clear. Capture Selene Frostreign and Riven Veylor. Spread as much chaos as possible."
The second figure bowed low.
"Yes, sir."
With that, both vanished.
In the silence that followed...
A black dragon uncoiled from the darkness where it had been watching.
Its voice grated like stone grinding on stone:
"Should I warn him...? No. I promised the master not to intervene unless his life is truly in danger."
"Things are getting interesting," it whispered.
Back to the Arena...
Both teams stood ready.
The Frostreign Club, clad in their signature ice-blue uniforms, lined up in neat defender columns, confident and smiling.
Opposite them, the Rebel Club stood defiant—a mismatched group that radiated diversity.
Tina stepped forward, voice thunderous as it echoed through the arena:
"Move as we planned. Win—no matter what! Defeat them on their ho ground! Break their pride!"
The team responded in unison, a sharp and powerful chorus:
"Hooo!"
Selene crouched down, with eyes shining like she wanted to prove the very pride she held in her heart.
Alex readied his black daggers, and black lightning streaked around his body, crackling. He was feeling restless—sothing in him wanted blood, and only blood would ease this restlessness.
Rina, on the other hand, had a new resolve in her eyes. With her katana unsheathed, she was ready to prove herself—that she was moving forward, that she was following the path of her mother.
Everyone was trying to prove sothing, sothing that clung to their hearts—sothing personal.
Not for the team, but for themselves.
They were fighting for themselves.
That’s always the first step to winning.
When the stakes beco personal, you give everything to win.
Words like "Win for the team" are too shallow, too impersonal.
The Whistle Blew.
30:00
A sudden hush fell over the arena.
The tension was palpable.
Even the crowd held its breath.
A second whistle cut through the silence.
29:59
The tir started.
BOOM.
A snowstorm erupted across the arena field.
Blistering winds howled. Visibility dropped to near zero for the players.
Snow piled up quickly—knee-deep, thick, and icy.
For the audience, however, the field remained magically clear.
Tina moved first.
Her katana blazed to life, flas wrapping around the blade. She lunged forward—her signature move—Fire Slash.
A burning arc tore through the blizzard, cleaving toward the front line of Ice Phoenix defenders.
The flas illuminated the battlefield.
And then—
The Captain of defender team stepped forward calmly and...
Flicked his finger.
Boom!
An ice shield burst out of nowhere, blocking the attack.
Alex darted forward, a crackling shockwave of lightning trailing behind him.
Boom!
An enormous ice boulder materialized in his path.
Boom! Crack!
He crashed into it face-first, the impact echoing across the battlefield.
Rina surged forward, forming armor from earth and enhancing her speed with the air elent.
Boom!
A punch ca flying toward her like a teor. She was knocked back, skidding across the ground.
As she stood, she looked ahead—and froze.
In the first column stood a towering ice golem, massive like a mountain, an unyielding barrier against their advance.
Tina roared, summoning her elental fire into a blazing dragon.
The fire dragon soared forward—
Boom!
It collided with the ice golem, lting half of its body in a searing blast.
The golem cracked.
The golem broke.
From behind, the Frostreign Captain scowled. "Tch. It was destroyed earlier than I expected."
Selene watched in disbelief. She muttered, "They’re going all out..."
Without hesitation, she sprinted toward the frontal column. As Tina’s flas consud the golem, Selene slipped past—her form rging into the snowstorm, as if she was the snow itself.
Only the spectators noticed her movent.
Even her own teammates didn’t see her.
She was the shield breaker—but now, she dashed like the wind.
Alex and Rina, their roles as dashers, had been halted at the first column.
But Selene had passed through.
The shield breaker was now leading the charge.
Alex stepped back, breath heavy, trying to think.
How do I cross the first column?
Their captain is good—really good—and he has the environntal advantage.
Then it clicked.
Environntal advantage.
He smirked.
Shrouding himself in darkness, he rged with the scant shadows scattered across the battle arena. His form lted into a shifting black patch that slithered across the frozen ground.
He passed the first column.
Then the second.
But as he entered the third column, sothing changed.
The pressure increased—
As if invisible hands were squeezing him, trying to force him out like paste from a tube.
Pain exploded in his limbs, racking his body.
He scread.
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