I saw a few guards standing outside. I half expected them to stop me as I walked through, but they took one look at my uniform and let me pass.

I was slightly surprised when I found Professor Wright and the Headmaster standing before Goldy's cage.

There was another woman I didn't recognise standing with them. Her sharp, dark eyes followed me as I entered. I knew she was from the military with her short dark hair and simple uniform.

Professor Wright nodded at me as I arrived.

"Kajus, good that you've joined us, the messenger reached you I hope."

Seeing inside the cage, it took me a second to answer. Another familiar face was inside. The former General Drake was holding a small creature in front of Goldy. Who was standing in the corner, growling slightly, but other than that, staying calm.

"No, I didn't get any messages. What's going on here?"

Instructor Drake turned to me as I entered the cage. Allowing me to see what he was holding. An F-rank monster. A red-horned lizard was writhing in his hands. A creature that even I could quickly kill.

While Goldy didn't seem happy for them to be in the room, he had followed my orders not to hurt anyone. As soon as Goldy saw me, the pressure from the tether lessened considerably.

"The Professor told us about the changes to your monster. We wanted to see that for ourselves. That and what effect it's had on the beast."

I was surprised they chose to do this on the last day of the rankings. I had thought the Headmaster's presence would be essential.

While I couldn't say, I was happy with Drakes's explanation. There wasn't much I could do in the face of the Headmaster and the S-ranker in front of me.

"He is still following my orders, so don't worry. I have full control over him."

The woman outside whispered something to the Headmaster before turning on her heel and leaving.

At the same time, Drake bent down in front of Goldy, holding the Lizard.

The bond once again surged slightly. It was clear that Goldy wanted to eat the creature in front of him.

I knew Goldy hadn't been too happy with the few cuts of meat I had given him. But the yearning he felt was more than hunger.

I could feel the ferociousness lurking in Goldy for the first time. Something that hadn't been clear in front of any human.

"Can you feel your beasts longing for it? Terror wolves particularly like eating this type of monster. I couldn't tell you why. It was Instructor Drake's idea to see if the monster would lose control."

The Professor explained from behind me as Drake continued to wave the Lizard in front of Goldy's snout.

I tried my best to keep my face neutral in front of the S-ranker.

The Professor walked in, looking at both Goldy and Drake for a few moments.

"It wasn't our best idea, but we wanted to test the limits of your control at an early stage. The changes your monster went through were unheard of after all. Only beasts with S rank potential usually go through a similar instant state of growth."

He had mentioned that it was only higher-rank beats that displayed similar signs. I didn't realise it was monsters with S-rank potential alone that showed such abilities.

While I didn't exactly agree with their testing, I was glad to see that my orders had been followed even now. However, Goldy had made it clear over our bond that he wasn't happy with it.

Even now, there was slight surges when the Lizard got close to his mouth. I could feel his urge to try and bite out at the creature.

"Can you let him have it? I can feel that he wants to eat the Lizard."

Both the Professor and Drake looked at me sharply with that.

"You can feel that he wants it?"

While I wouldn't say I liked how they looked at me, I decided to be honest. While I didn't particularly appreciate how Drake had been around me, he had seemed earnest in wanting the best for all of the New Types, even if he seemed slightly biased.

"That's how I knew something was happening here. I didn't get any message from any messenger. It was the first time I had felt anything like it. I could feel through my bond that Goldy wasn't too happy with whatever was going on."

While the Professor looked more pensive, I could see a more dangerous look begin to brew on Drakes's face. Maybe telling him I could feel what happened to my tamed beast wasn't the best idea.

The Professor turned to look at me once more.

"So you could sense what happened there with your monster. Why couldn't you sense it before? We have done similar tests a few times over the past few days. Did none of those messages reach you?"

That was when Drake stood up, finally moving the Lizard away from Goldy's mouth. That made Goldy even less happy as the bond surged even more. But I was feeling a lot calmer with the food being further away from the wolf.

"There were never any messengers sent to Cadet Kajus. His involvement didn't seem necessary with any of the experiments."

That surprised me less than it did the Professor. I had never expected them to do anything but whatever they wanted. I thought my presence would only ever be necessary once I had enough strength to be a force of my own.

The Professor seemed more than indignant for the both of us.

"Who allowed you to make that decision? I thought Kajus had been busy. We can learn a lot more with him than without. Is getting the wolf to lose control the only reason you have been doing the experiments? If so, then I will have to put my foot down about doing any more."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

I was surprised at how passionate the Professor was about my inclusion. While I completely agreed, I didn't think I would ever be listened to by any higher-ups. My estimations of the professor became higher.

While I still needed to figure out who I could trust in the Academy, the Professor quickly rose to the top. Even if it wasn't for me, I could trust him to want to explore the full extent of my abilities. That would be more than enough for now.

If Drake felt any shame with his decision, he didn't show it. He looked towards the Headmaster, who had joined us in the cage.

"It was a joint decision not to include Kajus in the early experiments. We had to ensure his control would remain no matter where he was. It wouldn't prove much if he were constantly beside his monster. Now we know, at least at this level, that it would be unlikely for the monster to lose control in many situations."

Clearly, the Professor wasn't too happy with the Headmaster's decision. But he wasn't going to argue with the man. Instructor Drake was one thing. However, the Headmaster had absolute power within the Academy.

Anyone who went against his decisions wasn't long for the Academy.

"In the next round of experiments, he will be more involved. Now that we can confirm he can control and commune with the beast from a considerable distance. We can begin the next stages of our plans."

While that sounded ominous, I was glad I would at least be involved with whatever happens in the future. The Professor shared that sentiment as he gave a satisfied nod.

The Headmaster finally turned to look at me.

"We will create a fully adjusted schedule for you. You will be busy over the coming weeks, but now it's time for us to return to the arena. It's almost time for the finals. Not something a headmaster can miss."

I wasn't sure if he attempted to lighten the mood slightly, but it fell flat. I did my best to give a polite smile as I said goodbye.

With that, both the Headmaster and Drake left the cage. I half expected the Instructor to take the Lizard with him, but he broke the Lizard's neck with a quick movement. Killing it in an instant.

Goldy seemed to whine happily as the man threw the Lizard in his direction. He then looked at me, pleading clear in his eyes and through the bond.

"Go ahead."

I wasn't even through the first word before Goldy had pounced on the creature. Eating it in a few bites. The Professor had remained beside me, watching the wolf devour its prey.

"They still fascinate me every day. I hope you will be the key to a new realm of understanding."

With those heavy words, the Professor left the stables as well. Leaving me alone with Goldy, who seemed the happiest I had seen since I tamed him.

He was bouncing around the room with newfound energy. While I was loathe to leave the monster behind now that he was happy.

The two guards who appeared behind me gave me no choice as they began to close the door. Ordering me to leave the stables in turn.

Goldy was still bouncing around as I left, looking inward, I could see the slight difference with the bond. Rather than the turbid waves that had called me over. A gentle swell now seemed to touch my heart lightly.

It put me in a far better mood as I returned to the arena. There was none of the roars that I expected. Instead, an unfamiliar voice was echoing throughout the arena.

I was more focused on reaching my seat quietly than listening to the women standing in the middle of the arena. Ignoring the pointed looks from those around me as best I could.

There was a dourness to the others as I arrived back. None of them seemed all that happy as I sat down. Finally, focusing on the woman speaking.

".... We shall now commence the quarter-finals of the 96th year of the Academy. I wish all who will be fighting today good luck. Without further ado, The first-year finals can begin."

I was surprised when I saw the woman who had been at the stables only a few minutes before giving the speech.

I turned to Arthur, who, before I even got out the question, gave me an incredulous look.

"That is the Grand Marshall, please tell me you were not about to ask who she was."

I didn't do a good job of hiding the shocked look on my face as he sighed slightly before turning back to the arena.

It took me a few moments to process what he had said. The woman in the simple uniform who had been right beside me was the most powerful human alive.

A single word from her could change the course of humanity. The fact that she had taken such a keen interest in Goldy and me didn't seem good.

The cheers from the crowd broke me from my thoughts.

The question of why the first row was in a bad mood was soon answered as Blaine and Ryan took to the arena floor.

While there were other skilled Heavy Types in the year, none showed the same power and dominance as Ryan and Blaine. This would be the clash for the best Heavy Type in the year.

The tension rose as they both activated their armour. Ryan's massive form was an intimidating sight. In contrast, Blaine's mass was all horizontal. The exuberant smile he had sported whenever I saw him was long gone. Only a severe look remained.

Their first clash echoed throughout the arena. Ryan's massive Warhammer hurtled straight into Blaine's Tower shield.

Any opponent that had been hit straight on by Ryan so far had been sent flying.

Blaine, expecting the blow, set his position before the attack struck. Letting the blow hit the centre of his shield.

Blaine managed to keep his footing. But the dent in the manasteel was clear for everyone to see.

Ryan was quick to follow it up with a volley of smaller attacks. He was letting Blaine fall into a rhythm of defence.

Blaine showed no sign of using his mace to counterattack the larger man.

He had managed to stick to the centre of the arena. His movements stuck to a small circle. He gave Ryan no chance to defeat him by knocking him out of the arena.

It seemed that Blaine was waiting for Ryan to use his skill. After all, if he could survive Frenzy, Ryan's weakness afterwards would make him easy to defeat.

Ryan seemed content with damaging Blaine's shield and armour as much as he could, seemingly in no hurry to use his skill.

I wasn't sure how long the impasse would go on for. As long as Blaine didn't attack, he was disadvantaged. His shield would only last for so long. Ryan kept his distance with his attacks, giving no chance for the shorter mace to retaliate.

The fight was nearing five minutes, and with Blaine's shield holding up better than expected, Ryan finally decided he had had enough. After a vicious attack that left Blaine reeling, he activated his skill.

He brought the hammer up in an overhead attack, hammering down with all his frenzied strength.

That was when Blaine brought out a skill of his own.

A red aura began to coalesce around his shield. He was giving Ryan no time to react. As his hammer hit the shield, he was blasted back. The skill Ricochet. While not a rare skill, was a powerful one in the right situation.

It allowed the user to reflect an attack onto the attacker, with around double the power.

Blaine had kept the ability hidden, allowing him to use it at the perfect moment to turn the tides.

While Frenzy was great at powering up the user with strength and speed, it left Constitution to the side, which meant that Ryan had been hit with a hefty blow.

There was a cheer from the people around me with Blaine's accurate use of his skill. Something that required far greater timing than most other skills to be truly useful.

While the Ricochet had been devastating for Ryan, it wasn't enough to knock him out of the ring. His armour was all but falling off as he managed to get to his feet. Only moments after, Blaine came sprinting in to attack him.

While his armour had been significantly damaged, his Warhammer still looked intact. Allowing him to parry the attack desperately.

The scarlet of his armour was fading fast. Which only gave him a few more moments to use Frenzy. Blaine's attack was unrelenting, not giving Ryan a chance to fight back. Ryan was being continuously pushed back.

He was only a few strides away from the boundaries of the fight.

The cheers from the crowd were rising as the fight began to reach its conclusion. The others beside me were already standing up and preparing to cheer the impressive victory.

I could hear Georgia cursing loudly somewhere behind me. Not too happy with how the fight was going.

As Ryan grew closer and closer to the edge, Blaine pushed his advantage. He was being careful not to overextend. Ryan was forced on the defensive as without the defence of his armour, any rogue blow from Blaine's mace would be fatal.

As the scarlet faded from his armour, Ryan made one last ditch effort. Lunging at Blaine, trying to get close.

Blaine readied his shield once more. Ready to defend against a final attack.

That was when Ryan pivoted, stopping his blow to extend his hammer and hook the back of Blaine's Shield. With a titanic roar, Ryan used the momentum to pull Blaine forward, spinning with his last bit of strength.

Anywhere else on the field, it would have been an ineffective move. So close to the edge, however, it only took Ryan tackling him to take him out of bounds. Ryan followed only a second afterwards.

There was a massive cheer at the turnaround. Ryan had done it. In the last moment, he had turned the tides.