CHAPTER 46: THE HIDDEN TRIAL BEGINS

Raj tightened the strap of his gloves and stepped onto the private path leading to Sector 7. His bag felt heavier than usual, but it wasn’t the gear inside—it was the weight of the day ahead.A man in a Ghostline uniform handed him a sealed envelope without saying a word. Raj opened it quickly.

Candidate RC-042: You are selected for Ghostline’s Elite Gear & Performance Trial. Private observers will judge technique, mental resilience, and emotional impact. Good luck.

No big announcement. No second chances.

Raj folded the letter neatly and walked on.

The campus changed as he crossed into Sector 7. It wasn’t a regular practice area anymore. Here, everything was sharp. Clean lanes. Silent observation decks hidden behind tinted glass. No casual chatter. No second tries.

Raj’s mind sharpened the same way. No distractions. Only movement.

The system popped out softly.

[System Notice: Trial Performance Tracker Activated]

Behavior. Gear. Emotional Field Impact.

Every step, every reaction, every glance would now be quietly scored.

Ahead, a few other candidates warmed up. Some looked sharp, most looked nervous. A few shifted their gear awkwardly, eyes darting to each other. Everyone carried something heavy today—the fear of being forgotten.

Raj didn’t show nerves. He adjusted his helmet, flexed his new glove once, and stood apart.No words needed.

Priya and Spandana stood behind a low wall, watching. Priya gave a small nod. Spandana handed him a simple bracelet,yellow and blue threads twisted carefully. Raj tied it around his wrist without hesitation.

"Burn quietly," Priya said.

"Stitch it your way," Spandana added.

Raj smiled lightly. He understood. This wasn’t just a test. It was a forge.The entrance buzzed. A group wearing Gravex tracksuits loitered near the side, not officially part of the trial, but watching. Eyes sharp. Smirks ready.

The system whispered.

[System Warning]:

Rival Observation Detected.

Ignore External Provocation.

Raj didn’t look at them. He moved forward without a pause.

At 10:00 AM sharp, a voice crackled over hidden speakers.

"Candidates, proceed to your designated zones. No outside communication. All movements monitored."

Raj walked toward his assigned net. He noticed the small details—the upgraded cameras, the biometric sensors lining the cages, the dull hum of machines waiting to test not just gear, but heart.Gear check came first.

An assistant approached him with a scanner, running it over his gloves and bat carefully. Raj’s glove glowed faintly under the inspection light, the flame stitching absorbing and reflecting the energy like a living thing.

[System Alert]

Glove Integrity Scan Passed: 99.6% Efficiency.

The assistant nodded without expression and moved on. Raj stayed still.Then he saw it.

Near the gear testing station, a Gravex insider—pretending to be part of staff—slipped a piece of modified testing equipment into the pile meant for Raj’s trial. A small spike. Enough to puncture. Enough to make a glove fail under stress.

Raj’s heartbeat remained steady.He didn’t react outwardly.

The system popped up again.

[System Warning]

Sabotage Attempt Identified.

Passive Response Recommended.

Raj shifted his bag slightly, positioning himself between the real test equipment and the tampered one. When his turn came, he handed his glove to the real staffer, bypassing the planted trap completely.

The Gravex insider frowned. Raj caught the flicker of frustration in his eyes.Without a word, Raj slipped on the glove again.

Untouched. Unbroken.

The first test began: the Compression Stress Trial.

Raj walked calmly into the simulation net. A mechanical arm applied downward pressure onto the glove, mimicking the force of hundreds of rapid catches under intense play.

Raj didn’t flinch.The glove bent, flexed, and absorbed.No tears. No snaps.Smooth adaptation.

[System Passive: Thread Resonance Activated. Emotional Stability +8%.]

The evaluators behind the glass murmured, scribbling notes.

Raj didn’t need to hear them.He just caught the small shifts,the way one of them leaned forward slightly, how another stopped taking notes to simply watch.

Impact wasn’t always made by noise.Sometimes, it was made by silence.Next came the Flexibility Endurance Test.The glove was pulled, twisted, stretched.

Raj’s hands adapted naturally, letting the glove flow rather than fighting the tension. His fingers moved like memory itself had stitched them.

Other candidates struggled. Small rips formed in competitor gloves. Screws fell loose. Muffled curses.

Raj’s glove held firm. Breathing instead of breaking.The final part of the morning trial: Field Adaptability Drill.Balls fired randomly at odd angles, speeds changing every shot. Catches demanded instinct, reaction, rhythm. Not just skill—but emotional flexibility.

Raj moved like water.

No stiff shoulders.No panic.Just trust.

The new glove, stitched with both Flame Zero’s forgotten dream and his own belief, responded like a living extension of him.

[System Notification: Adaptability Score Rising.]

Audience Emotional Interest: +23%

Rival Confidence: Dropping

By the end of the first trial wave, Raj stood alone under the hot lights.

Helmet off.Glove raised casually.Breath even.

The Gravex members watching from the shadows had stopped whispering.

Somewhere in their guts, they realized it too.

They hadn’t broken him.

They had refined him.

The first set of tests ended.

Candidates walked off, some rubbing their wrists, some muttering excuses. A few looked broken already. But Raj stayed quiet. His glove flexed naturally around his hand, breathing like part of him.

The system popped up again.

[Trial Progress Update]

-Gear Integrity: Passed (100%)

-Flexibility Test: Passed-Emotional Stability: Excellent

Raj untied the yellow-blue bracelet on his wrist, tightened it once, then retied it securely. Spandana’s quiet support didn’t just feel like luck. It felt like armor.

The second wave was about to begin.The coordinators moved faster now. Names were called sharply. Candidates shuffled toward the Performance Simulation Zone — a field recreated indoors with unpredictable ball machines, fake crowd noises, random distractions.

It was designed to shake your focus.Raj’s name came up second.He adjusted his helmet, pulled his glove tighter, and walked forward.No nerves.Only readiness.

Inside the simulation dome, Raj caught sight of Gravex’s hidden players again. Still pretending to be part of the maintenance team. Still watching him.

Their smirks had thinned.Their silence grew heavier.Because Raj hadn’t cracked yet.And deep inside, they feared he wouldn’t.

A Ghostline official pointed Raj toward the field."Score high here," he said in a low voice. "It’s what decides who stays and who’s cut."

Raj nodded once.He stepped into the zone.

[System Tip]

Stay focused.

Field Simulation Difficulty: Hard.

Audience Emotional Reading: Active.

The machine roared to life.

First ball: random spin.,,,Second ball: sudden swing.,,,Third ball: low bounce.

Raj moved smoothly.

Not robotic.

Not mechanical.

Natural. Like he wasn’t reacting ,he was flowing.

His glove caught impossible balls that twisted in mid-air.His bat swung not in panic but in rhythm.His body became an extension of every stitch he had ever placed.

Gravex watched.One of them muttered angrily."He’s making it look easy."

Another leaned closer to the control station where field staff operated.They whispered something.The machine settings changed.

Raj didn’t see it.But the next ball fired faster than regulations allowed.

High. Sharp. Dangerous.

An illegal speed spike designed to rattle him.

The system glowed urgently in red.

[Hidden Threat Detected]

External interference confirmed.

Ball speed: Illegal.

Reaction: Adapt without protest.

Penalty for complaint: -10 Trial Points.

Raj didn’t flinch.He shifted weight, ducked low, and let the ball whistle over his helmet.

Calm and unshaken.

The Ghostline officials monitoring through glass frowned immediately. They flagged the machine settings without Raj needing to say a word.

Gravex’s attempt failed.Badly.The field quieted again.Only the hum of machines and the rhythm of Raj’s breathing filled the dome.

Ball after ball came.

Spin. Swing. Bounce. Pressure.

Raj answered everything.Not with force but with precision.

Not with anger but with belief.

[System Performance Update]

Fielding Simulation: Passed

Stress Response: Passed

Audience Emotional Impact: Rising (+26%)

Raj finished the drill with a soft glance toward the evaluation room.

No bow.No celebration.Just silent presence.

Exactly what burned deepest into people’s minds.Outside the simulation zone, candidates whispered now.

"Who is that guy?""Was he already contracted?""No... he’s fresh."

The Gravex players backed away from the maintenance area, whispering harshly among themselves.They realized something they didn’t want to admit.They hadn’t sabotaged Raj.They had sharpened him.

Raj walked calmly toward the rest area.

The system’s soft voice echoed again.

[Hidden Trait Progression Unlocked]

Flamecraft Resonance Level Up!

Shot Memory Imprint +7%

Emotional Carryover Between Matches +10%

Unlock Potential: Future Team Buff Aura

As Raj sat down, letting his bat rest against his knee, he felt it.The stitch wasn’t just in his gloves anymore.It was in his movement.His decisions.His silence.The flame stitched inside him didn’t roar.It didn’t demand attention.

It changed the air around him without making a sound.He took a deep breath.Closed his eyes briefly.

Tomorrow, more trials would come.They will be Harder and meaner.More brutal.But Raj wasn’t afraid,Because they were preparing for players who shouted.

Raj was preparing for players who lasted.

Raj adjusted the wristband lightly and walked toward the next trial zone. His body stayed calm, but his mind sharpened further. The system’s soft voice guided him.

[Trial Update]Next Phase: Survival Field TestDifficulty: ExtremeFocus Areas:- Reaction Speed- Mental Endurance- Pain Tolerance Simulation

Candidates lined up near the entrance. Some stretched nervously, others bounced on their heels, trying to hide their fear. Raj didn’t fidget. He simply stood still, feeling the energy around him, letting the silence become part of his presence.

The field gates opened with a mechanical buzz. Inside, ball machines were positioned at random angles, crowd noises blasted from hidden speakers, and strobe lights flashed like chaotic camera flashes. It was designed to break players mentally, not just physically.

A supervisor announced sharply, "Survive ten minutes. React to every ball. Adapt to every surprise. Fail once, you lose points. Complain, and you lose more."

Raj stepped onto the field without hesitation.

The clock started.

The first ball shot low and fast. Raj bent quickly and caught it with a soft touch. The second ball came high and dipping. He shifted weight easily and plucked it from the air. Then came chaos—balls fired from two directions, spin, swing, bounce. Speakers screamed fake crowd noise at random intervals. Strobe lights flashed, blinding and disorienting.

Raj didn’t react with panic. He didn’t resist the chaos. He flowed through it, adjusting naturally. He answered with precision instead of force, and he moved with belief instead of anger.

[System Status]- Reaction Alignment: 92%- Emotional Stability: Excellent- Stress Response: Neutral

Halfway through, the difficulty increased. Balls came two at a time. The ground jolted lightly under his feet, simulating a sprained ankle scenario. Raj staggered slightly but corrected his balance immediately, adjusting his stance and rhythm without breaking focus. His glove flexed with him, breathing instead of stiffening.

Out of the corner of his eye, Raj noticed suspicious movement. One of the Gravex insiders was pretending to adjust a maintenance panel near the simulation controls. A few quick taps later, the crowd noise spiked painfully high, loud enough to shake the concentration of even the calmest players.

The system warned him immediately.

[System Warning]

External Sabotage Detected: Sound Amplification AttackP

enalty for Complaint: -10 Points

Recommended Response: Adapt and Ignore

Raj gritted his teeth against the rising noise but didn’t break stride. He tracked the next ball’s spin through the glare and caught it easily. He shifted with the next, adjusting his hands like he had stitched memory into his muscles. He didn’t complain. He didn’t falter. Gravex’s trick failed because Raj didn’t let noise control his movement.

[Trial Progress Update]

-Simulation Survival: Continuing

-Stress Adaptation: High-Audience Emotional Engagement: +26%

The machine fired balls relentlessly. His body reacted with memory; his glove answered like it had stitched itself into his nerves. Even as distractions pushed harder, Raj moved without resistance. He didn’t fight the environmen,he absorbed it.

In the final minute, the simulation changed pace again. Three balls fired together at impossible angles. Raj moved instinctively, catching the first, deflecting the second, and adjusting his body to prevent a collision with the third.

The buzzer blared.The trial ended.

Raj stood tall at the center of the field, breathing steadily. His shoulders were relaxed, and his glove hung naturally from his hand. He didn’t collapse like others. He didn’t sit down immediately. He simply picked up a water bottle and sipped slowly, while eyes around the field turned toward him in quiet disbelief.

He hadn’t just survived the test. He had stitched his calm into the air around him.

[System Bonus Unlocked]- Flamecraft Mode – Level 2 Activated- Field Awareness Boosted - Emotional Carryover Strengthened

Ghostline evaluators scribbled notes faster now. Some pointed directly at Raj through the observation glass.

"He adapted even after sabotage," one whispered.

"Candidate RC-042... emotional fire stable under extreme pressure," another said through his communicator.

Gravex’s insider, realizing Raj had survived everything, slammed a control panel in frustration before disappearing into the service exit.

Raj didn’t glance at them. He didn’t chase revenge. He had already stitched his answer onto the field without needing a word.

The system whispered softly inside him.

[Hidden Bonus Activated: Silent Guardian]

Teammates’ Emotional Resilience +3%

Opponents’ Confidence Drain Over Time -5%

Raj leaned back slightly, feeling the weight of the silent fire stitched tighter inside him. He didn’t smile because he didn’t need to; deep inside, something far stronger than happiness had settled — a quiet force, stitched permanently into who he was becoming.

He wasn’t surviving anymore.

He was rising.

The field grew quiet as the survival test ended.

Candidates trickled into the waiting area, some limping, some silent, others still shaking off the tension. A few stared openly at Raj, no longer seeing him as another competitor but as something different,something they hadn’t been prepared for.

Raj sat calmly, adjusting his glove, sipping water without rush. His breathing was steady, his mind clear. He wasn’t waiting for validation. He had already earned it, stitched into every step he had taken today.

The system pulsed a quiet reminder inside him.

[System Status]

→ All Trial Phases: Completed

→ Scoring Compilation in Progress

→ Audience Emotional Rating: High

A sharp chime echoed across the sector. The candidates stiffened. One of the coordinators walked forward, a tablet in hand, eyes scanning the gathered faces.

"Finalists announcement," he said in a clipped voice. "Top three candidates selected for internal Ghostline sponsorship and advancement."

No second chances. No explanations.

Just names and futures will be decided now.

Raj stood quietly among the group, not leaning forward, not holding his breath. He knew the work he had done. That was enough.The official called out the names.

First, a boy with sharp footwork but shaky nerves. He looked stunned to be selected.

Second, a girl known for her aggressive fielding but inconsistent emotional balance.

And third

The official paused slightly, glancing at his tablet again before announcing.

"RC-042. RajCraft."

A small ripple went through the candidates. Some gasped. Some muttered. A few simply looked down, knowing they had been outshined.

Raj didn’t raise his hands. Didn’t celebrate. He simply nodded once, acknowledging it like it was just another step forward.

The system chimed warmly.

[System Achievement Unlocked]→ Selected for Ghostline Elite Advancement→ Reputation Boost +25%→ Sponsorship Eligibility: Pending Trial Completion

The coordinator continued speaking, but Raj’s focus shifted.

He noticed a figure moving near the shadows of the maintenance corridor. One of Gravex’s players, the same who had tried to sabotage the trial earlier. He slipped something under a bench—an envelope, marked faintly.

Raj’s instincts flared.

[System Warning]

→ External Activity Detected: Potential Threat

→ Recommendation: Observe Without Immediate Action

Raj didn’t react outwardly. He filed the information away. Right now, attention mattered more than confrontation.The coordinator finished the announcement.

"You three finalists will participate in the Final Showcase tomorrow. Full match simulation. Full public evaluation. This will determine sponsorship contracts and exposure points."

Public.

Big stage.

Real pressure.

Raj’s heart stayed calm. Because no matter how big the audience grew, no matter how loud Gravex tried to shout, he had already stitched his flame into every glove, every step, every glance.

They couldn’t take that away.As the candidates were dismissed, Priya and Spandana rushed toward Raj from the sidelines.

Priya gave him a fist bump without words. Her eyes shone with something fiercer than pride.

Spandana handed him a small folded sketch,a quick drawing of him standing still in the chaos, balls flying around but untouched, a small stitched flame glowing on his chest.

Raj took the sketch carefully, folding it into his bag.He didn’t need to say anything.They understood.The system popped out gently.

[Hidden Quest Update]→ Silent Flame Recognition Progress: 78%→ Optional Hidden Title: The Player Who Changed Winds (Unlock Pending)

As they walked back toward the campus dorms, Raj spotted something unexpected near the bulletin board.

A new poster.

Ghostline Final Showcase – TomorrowPublic Invited. Scouts Watching. Sponsorships on the Line.

Beneath the heading, three pictures were displayed.

The first two finalists smiled awkwardly.But Raj’s photo showed him standing tall, glove resting easily against his hip, blue eyes calm under the shadow of his helmet.

The caption beneath his picture read:

RC-042: Stitching Dreams Without Noise.

He didn’t smile widely.Just a slight upward tilt of his lips.Because finally, the world wasn’t noticing him for shouting louder.They were noticing him for burning steadier.

Later that night, in his small dorm room, Raj unwrapped the glove he had stitched with Flamecraft.The glove looked simple under the room’s dim light.

No gold.

No diamonds.

No show-off designs.

Just clean, pure function. A second skin.The kind of gear not meant to impress by sight but to conquer by action.

He ran his fingers over the seams, feeling each line, each decision stitched into it.He thought about tomorrow.He thought about Gravex.

He thought about all the noise the world loved so much and how his silence would slice through it sharper than any shout.

The system spoke one last time before he slept.

[System Message]→ Final Showcase Objective: Perform Without Emotional Break→ Bonus Quest: Silent Impact (Unlock Hidden Sponsor Paths)

Raj lay back on his narrow bed, arms behind his head, the glove resting beside him.

He didn’t feel fear.He didn’t feel pressure.He only felt the steady fire stitched into his chest.

Tomorrow wasn’t just another match.Tomorrow was where the boy with stitched gloves and quiet dreams would carve his place—not by fighting noise.

But by becoming something too steady to shake.

TO BE CONTINUED.......