Chapter 23: Uncertain Futures

The village was quiet as Kael and his team approached. The air was heavy with the weight of anticipation, and despite the relief of surviving the trials, an undercurrent of tension hummed between them. They had come so far, fought so hard—but now it all came down to what the scouts would decide.

Kael’s thoughts were scattered. He knew the trials had been designed to push them to their limits, to force them to rely not just on their strength but on their wits and teamwork. But even with the relic in hand, his stomach twisted at the uncertainty of what the morning would bring. Only ten of them would be chosen to go to the Academy, and even though his team had done everything right, the final decision wasn’t theirs.

Sera broke the silence as they walked into the village square, her voice still rough from the strain of battle but carrying a flicker of hope. “We’re going to make it. I can feel it. They’d be fools not to take us.”

Tarin chuckled lightly, though his eyes betrayed his own unease. “You sound confident. Don’t jinx it.”

Alec remained silent, his mind clearly elsewhere. His usual cool, calculating demeanor seemed sharper, more focused. Kael didn’t need to ask what he was thinking. Alec was likely going over every move they’d made during the trials, every decision, trying to find any gaps in their performance. But there had been none. They had given everything.

Mira walked a little behind, her expression calm but weary. She had been a constant source of support throughout the trials, always there with healing magic when they needed it most. Without her, Kael knew things could have turned out very differently. He owed her—and the rest of the team—more than he could express.

The villagers had begun to gather, murmuring in small groups as they saw the competitors return from the forest. Kael caught glimpses of familiar faces—some looked relieved to see him alive, others curious about what had happened. But none approached, leaving the weight of the moment undisturbed.

The group made their way to the inn where they had been staying, the day’s events hanging over them like a storm cloud. Inside, they collapsed into chairs around a large wooden table, exhaustion catching up to them all at once.

Sera groaned, leaning back in her chair. “I don’t think I can move for a week.”

“You’ll have to move tomorrow,” Alec said flatly. “We still have to be at the square when they announce the results.”

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Tarin leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Think it’ll be quick? Or are they going to draw it out just to mess with us?”

Kael shook his head. “We’ll know soon enough. The scouts don’t seem like the type to waste time.”

A silence settled over the table as the reality of what lay ahead began to sink in. The Academy—the place they had all dreamed of reaching—was within their grasp, but it still felt impossibly distant. They had survived the trials, but survival alone wasn’t enough. The decision would come down to the scouts, to what they had seen, to whether Kael and his team had proven they were worth the investment.

The tension in the room was thick, and Kael could feel the weight of the uncertainty pressing down on him. He had never been one to doubt himself, but the trials had shown him just how dangerous and unpredictable the world could be. If this was what it took just to enter the Academy, what would the actual training be like?

He looked around at his team, each of them lost in their own thoughts. They had fought alongside him, bled for him, and trusted him as their leader. And yet, the decision tomorrow could tear them apart, send them in different directions. If they weren’t all selected, it would mean leaving some of them behind.

The thought tightened Kael’s chest.

Finally, it was Mira who broke the silence, her voice soft but filled with quiet strength. “Whatever happens tomorrow, we’ve done everything we could. We fought for each other. That’s more than some can say.”

Kael met her gaze, appreciating the calm reassurance she offered. Mira had always been the quiet, steady presence among them, and her words were a reminder that they had faced challenges far greater than this uncertainty.

“You’re right,” Kael said, his voice steadying as he spoke. “We did everything we could. We’ll face whatever comes next, together.”

The others nodded in agreement, though the tension remained. There was nothing more they could do tonight except wait.

The night was restless for Kael. He lay on his bed, staring up at the wooden ceiling, his mind racing with thoughts of the trials, the Academy, and everything that lay ahead. He thought of Dalen, of the fierce determination in the assassin’s eyes, and the certainty that their paths would cross again. There was no question in Kael’s mind that Dalen would continue to be a threat, but it wasn’t just him. The Academy would be filled with competitors just as dangerous, if not more so.

His unique skills—God Eye and Copy & Evolve—had given him an edge, but they were just the beginning. He would need to master them, to push himself harder than ever before, if he wanted to survive the next stage of his journey.

Sleep, when it finally came, was fitful and filled with fragmented dreams of the trials. Visions of battle and fleeting glimpses of faces—some familiar, some unknown—flashed before him, always just out of reach. Kael woke several times, his heart pounding, only to force himself to lie back down, waiting for the dawn.

When the first light of morning crept through the window, Kael was already up, pacing the room. The others stirred not long after, the weight of the day ahead pulling them from sleep.

They ate quickly, the silence thick with anticipation. No one spoke much, their thoughts already on what awaited them in the village square.

The square was crowded when they arrived, the other competitors gathered in clusters, their expressions tense. The scouts stood at the front, a raised platform behind them where the viscount himself stood, overseeing the final moments of the trial.

Kael’s group found a spot near the edge of the crowd, close enough to hear but not in the thick of things. They exchanged glances, a silent reassurance passing between them. This was it—the moment they had been fighting for.

The gray-haired scout stepped forward, his sharp eyes scanning the crowd, his voice commanding as he addressed the competitors.

“The trials are complete, and today, we will announce the ten who have earned their place at the Academy. Each of you has shown strength, skill, and determination, but the Academy requires more than that. It requires the ability to rise above the rest, to prove that you have the potential to stand with the strongest.”

Kael’s heart pounded in his chest as the scout’s gaze swept over the crowd.

The scout nodded to another, who stepped forward with a scroll, unrolling it with deliberate slowness.

The names were about to be called.

Kael’s entire future hinged on what came next.