~LaurentLying has never been my strong suit. Not because I can’t — but because I hate wasting words on things that aren’t true.Still, last night left me with no choice.It took three tries before I found a version that made sense to Marek and Jonah. Something about Ivelle being a cousin from out of town who got lost on her way to the girls’ dorm. Marek believed me immediately. Jonah didn’t, not until I threw in that she was engaged — to someone very jealous. That shut him up fast.They dropped it after that, thankfully. Though I caught them whispering this morning about how pretty she was and how they needed to find the person she was engaged to so that they’ll take him out of the equation. It was funny to hear. By morning, the tournament resumed. By the time I reached the arena, the noise of the crowd had already swallowed the air. Sunlight poured down in heavy streaks, catching on the banners of each system tower. The stands were a mess of color — red, blue, black — students cram

~CielaThe Ardent mansion sat on a rise overlooking the city — a sprawl of white stone and black iron, its windows gleaming under the sun like watchful eyes. The main gates bore my family’s crest, two wings wrapped around a crown. Guards stood at every post, perfectly still.Inside, the air was cool and perfumed faintly with lavender. The floors gleamed; the chandeliers caught and fractured light shone into hundreds of small, trembling reflections.My room was on the second floor, overlooking the inner gardens. The kind of room people wrote songs about — high ceilings, soft blue drapes, a bed that looked untouched no matter how many nights I spent tossing in it. You’d think that much space would make it easier to breathe. It didn’t.A knock came at the door — sharp, controlled.I was still sitting at my desk when I heard my father’s voice.“Ciela.”I stood automatically. “Good afternoon, Dad.”The door opened. Lord Ardent filled the frame — tall, broad-shouldered, his dark coat fasten

~OmniscientThe crowd was restless as usual today before the tournament even began. Heat shimmered off the stone arena, banners rippling above the stands. Every system had shown up hours before the event was even meant to start. The guards lined the outer ring, polished armor flashing beneath the sun.Laurent sat among them, outwardly still, eyes half-lidded. Denzel leaned forward in the next seat, pretending to follow the announcer’s booming voice as it echoed through the amphitheater. Between them, Ivelle had her hood up and her mouth full of roasted nuts she’d bought on the way in.“When do we move?” she whispered, crumbs dotting her chin.“When the crowd screams,” Denzel murmured. “First match. First distraction.”“And we’re sure everyone will be busy here?” Laurent asked. “Every guard, every instructor, every spectator. The management building should be nearly empty.” Denzel said.“I thought you searched there already. Why are we going there again?” Laurent asked. “I didn’t sea

~CielaThe air in the arena felt electric that morning—sunlight slanting through the high lattice windows, banners trembling overhead with every cheer. The stands overflowed with students, mentors, and spectators, all pressed shoulder to shoulder. I sat among my classmates, the usual chatter bubbling around me. The hum of hundreds of systems made the air itself seem to vibrate.“Next match!” the referee’s amplified voice rolled across the amphitheater, cutting through the din. “Psychokinetic versus Celestial—Ciela Ardent versus Lyra Vonn! C rank versus C rank!”A ripple moved through the crowd. I felt the eyes on me—half expectation, half curiosity. My palms were damp despite the cool breeze. I mustn’t lose. Dad won’t let me hear the last of it if I did.Lyra Vonn stepped onto the stage opposite me. She was tall, wiry, her hair a pale, cloudlike gold that shimmered faintly as if touched by starlight. The air around her shimmered too—thin motes of light like dust suspended in sunlight.

~LaurentThe forest was restless tonight.Leaves whispered against each other as though something beneath them was listening back. I adjusted my grip on the map, its edges glowing faintly where the ink pulsed with residual mana. The route it traced cut through the Verdant Forest like a scar — deliberate, clean.Denzel followed behind me, his steps careful but heavy. He kept glancing around like the trees might turn on him.“You’re sure this is the place?” he whispered.“Yes.” I didn’t lift my eyes from the map. “If Calen’s people are hiding in this location, this is where they’d be.”The map shifted slightly as I focused my heightened senses.Faint threads of dark light bled out from the parchment, marking the path like veins under skin. The forest ahead dimmed in response.We moved without talking for what felt like hours. The deeper we went, the thicker the fog became — cold, heavy, sweet with rot. At some point, I stopped seeing the moonlight at all.When we reached the clearing ma