"New pairs," Brax barked.
"Veil—Arena C."
"Kaelen, with him."
Alric Veil smirked.
"What, they paired me with the silent giant? Guess I drew the fun one."
He spun his axe with a casual flourish.
Kaelen said nothing. Walked to the line. Stared ahead.
Why isn't he wearing armor?
No guards? No padding? What, is he too good for protection? Or just too dumb to care?
Whatever. The bigger they are—the louder they fall.
Alric struck first.
Fast. Technical. Precise.
He landed a clean shot to Kaelen's side—through nothing but skin and cloth.
Kaelen staggered—barely.
Then advanced.
One brutal strike.
Alric blocked, but the force shook him.
What—what the hell was that?!
Another hit. Another block.
Kaelen got faster. Stronger.
He's feeding off it—every strike.
Alric's face changed.
From smirk to focus.
Then to fear.
He's not fighting me. He's fighting ghosts.
Kaelen slammed into him, blade to axe, overwhelming him like a storm.
Headbutt.
Alric fell back. Blood from his nose. His grin was gone.
Kaelen stood still. Silent. Sword down. Unshaken.
—
From the sidelines:
Brax: "Oh-ho! The pretty boy just woke the beast."
Veren: "You sure this is still a training match?"
Brax: "It is—for him. For the other one? Might be his final lesson."
—
Alric's thoughts as he fell back:
What is this thing?
He's just—moving. Without care. Without hate. Just—need.
He's not a cadet. He's a weapon.
—
The moment froze again.
Then—
"Stop," Brax called.
The arena fell silent.
Everyone watched Kaelen.
Some narrowed their eyes. Others avoided his entirely.
From the sidelines, two girls who had whispered about him during morning drills stood frozen.
One of them had even giggled once when he walked past.
Not now.
"Did you see his eyes?" one whispered.
"He didn't even care who his opponent was."
Their voices dropped lower.
"He's not one of us."
"He's—like some kind of apex predator."
Neither of them looked at him again.
—
Instructor Veren approached Brax.
"You call that training?"
Brax shrugged.
"He stood. The other one bled. That's called learning."
Veren raised a brow.
"And the rest?"
"Let them watch. That's what predators do.
They don't lecture.
They demonstrate."