Novels by Anya Tan

The sound of Isla’s sandals clacking echoed through the quiet hallway. In this usually bustling place, there weren’t many people passing by right now. They were all busy preparing for the arena exam, or too exhausted after taking the written exam. Isla glared at her friend. “Rivan, make sure this is important—we have the arena exam coming up soon. If not, I’ll—” “Trust me, this is important! Keep walking,” Rivan cut in without looking back. Isla glanced at Talia, opening her mouth to whisper softly. “What’s wrong with him?” Talia shrugged, remaining silent. Yet her gaze remained fixed on Rivan’s back. His thoughts were unreadable, but from the young man’s face, Talia could tell something was wrong. “What do you know about that shield?” Rivan asked suddenly. “Tell me.” Isla blinked, then scratched her head. “Okay, so… I heard this from an upperclassman at the market. Apparently, the academy’s shield isn’t just a single layer—it’s three layers. The outer layer keeps the Echoe

His eyelashes fluttered slightly before his eyes opened; the blurry light made him blink reflexively. Rivan winced, clutching his head. ​Just before his vision cleared, Rivan faintly heard someone scream, followed by a roar. It instantly made his body tense. ​He clenched his fists and slowly looked up. His pupils trembled; not far from him, an Echo was devouring a human body with a joyful expression. ​The smell of blood mixed with dust hung heavy in the air. Debris rained down—some landing on students trying to escape, others crashing onto the Echoes or the ground. ​“RAWWRRR–” The Echo’s roar pounded against Rivan’s eardrums. ​He clutched his chest tightly, his breath coming in rapid gasps. A suffocating tightness gripped Rivan’s heart, making it hard to breathe. ​“Haah.... haah....” ​Even so, Rivan’s gaze remained fixed on the scene before him, unable to look away. ​His ears were ringing; he could no longer hear anything. Not even his friends' panicked, worried screams. ​A b

Up ahead, Nathan had already taken out many Echoes. His movements were agile and swift, while Isla drew her bow and fired shot after shot.Rivan took a deep breath, refocusing his mind. He gripped his dagger tightly and charged toward the enemy. “Slow.”Instantly, the Echo’s movements slowed; Rivan used those two seconds to strike at both its legs.The Echo collapsed, whimpering in pain before roaring angrily at him. Rivan caught his breath, surveying his surroundings. His mind raced, devising various ways to kill the Echo.​With his current power level, Rivan could only use the ‘slow’ and ‘stop’ spells for a maximum of 5 seconds.​Since it was crucial for him to kill Echo quickly, Nathan had taught him to move fast. The training had worked, but not without its issues.His stamina would be completely drained, and it would take time to recover. Just then, Lunara patted his shoulder, causing Rivan to tense up before relaxing.“I’ll hold them off; don’t worry, just focus on killing Echo.

The strength test was always broadcast live to all schools, including the small restaurant where Rivan and Isla were eating. With a bowl of delicious mushroom noodles, Rivan watched the match intently on the screen in front of him. Isla came over with a bowl of hot soup and sat down in front of Rivan. "Who are they?""Ryne and Isaac," replied Rivan, glancing briefly at the screen before focusing back on his meal. On the screen, Ryne dashed forward with confidence. Meanwhile, Isaac looked bored. With one kick, Ryne threw fireballs at Isaac and continued to run around him. Isaac placed his hands on the surface of the arena, and instantly a wall of earth rose up around him. "Wow, they're amazing," Isla exclaimed in awe. "Yes, the way they fight is really exciting." Rivan nodded in agreement.Isla sipped her soup, watching the match. "You could do that too, if only you didn't end it so quickly."Rivan glanced at her briefly before answering. "Nathan forbids me from using my powers f

The Practical Exam Arena is not an arena used for playful fights like those between Isla and Talia. This arena is a massive circular structure, specially designed to test the limits of students' strength. Its walls are made of high-level energy-absorbing material, and its floor is decorated with intricate magical patterns that serve as strength gauges and stabilizers.A faint rumbling sound and occasional flashes of light from the arena across the way created an atmosphere of tension. Hundreds of pairs of eyes were fixed on the stage; the judges, consisting of senior instructors and several members of the Aegis Division, sat in the highest row, their faces serious and impassive.Rivan stood at the arena entrance. His heart was pounding, but it was different from anger—it was pure adrenaline."Next fighters: Rivan Aster versus Leana Dione!" the referee's mechanical voice echoed throughout the complex.Rivan stepped forward. His opponent, Leana, a girl with light brown hair and determin

For Rivan, five days of focusing on academics felt like five years of torture. He spent his time in the library, the heavy wooden desk before him feeling like a weight pinning him down.Currently, Rivan and Isla were studying together. Tall bookshelves whispered promises of knowledge around them."Look at this, Rivan," Isla said, tapping a thick book titled Theory of Resion Power. "Aethel classification level eight and above. This will definitely appear on the exam."Rivan exhaled, staring at the complex meanings written on the page. "My head feels like it's going to burst. I know the basics, but details like these…”"—and all of this is your fault! You said the monthly exams were split in two, and that each student could only take one. But Madam Margen said we’re required to take both,” Rivan complained, collapsing limply onto the desk.Isla cleared her throat, pushing away her guilt and embarrassment. “Sorry, I only found out as well.”A faint sigh of resignation slipped out as Riva