CHAPTER 278: NEW PROFESSORS (6)

This time he didn’t go for speed, he used darkness. The shadows along the field stretched, twisting upward like ribbons, obscuring his path. Lightning flared inside the gloom, sudden, bright, blinding.

Merlin moved through it as if he’d been waiting for it.

Wind erupted beneath his step, his form flickering like mirage-light, and in the next instant, Nathan’s blade met nothing.

Then—

Merlin’s palm struck lightly against Nathan’s chest. A pulse of controlled lightning rippled outward, throwing the boy back several meters through the rain.

Nathan landed hard, sliding across the slick stone. His daggers clattered away. But before anyone could speak, he was laughing, genuinely, breathlessly.

"You could’ve ended it there," he said, looking up through the rain.

Merlin stepped closer, hand lowering. "You’re holding back."

"So are you."

"Maybe."

Nathan grinned wider, standing again, water trickling from his chin. "Then don’t. You’ve been different lately. I want to see it."

Merlin studied him for a long moment. The rain fell harder now, a constant hiss against the stone.

"...Are you sure?"

Nathan’s eyes narrowed with determination. "Yeah."

Merlin exhaled once, then lifted his hand.

The air shifted. The field darkened.

Wind spiraled around him, threads of lightning weaving through it like veins of gold. Water rose from the puddles, forming thin streams that coiled around his arms. The ground itself seemed to bend slightly, faint ripples of distortion where space flexed around his presence.

Every element harmonized, not separate, not fighting for control, but in rhythm.

The students watching fell silent.

Elara’s eyes widened slightly, a flicker of pride cutting through her usual calm.

Nathan’s grin faded, replaced by something else, awe, maybe. Or acceptance.

"Alright then," he whispered.

He lunged, darkness flaring behind him, daggers reforming from pure mana. Lightning wrapped his body like armor, and water surged under his feet for momentum.

Merlin didn’t move until the last moment. Then—

He flicked his wrist.

A gust of wind exploded outward, redirecting Nathan’s trajectory midair. Lightning burst from Merlin’s fingertips, striking in three clean arcs that cut through the rain like burning silk.

Nathan countered the first, blocked the second, but the third struck home, grazing his shoulder and sending a shock through his arm.

He dropped to one knee, breathing heavy, steam rising faintly where mana clashed against mana.

Merlin stood over him, calm, rain washing across his hair and face.

"That’s enough," he said quietly.

Nathan looked up, then laughed softly, shaking his head. "Yeah... I figured that’s how this would go."

Merlin extended a hand. "You’ve gotten stronger."

"Not strong enough." Nathan took it, letting Merlin pull him to his feet. "But maybe next time, I’ll surprise you."

Merlin’s golden eyes softened. "You already did."

The rain eased slowly. Clouds began to thin, light spilling through in warm threads of gold. Around the field, the small crowd started clapping, hesitant at first, then louder.

Elara smiled faintly, crossing her arms. "Show-off," she murmured, though the edge in her voice couldn’t hide her amusement.

Merlin glanced her way, smirk tugging at his lips. "You could’ve joined, you know."

"I’ll wait until you’re tired."

"I don’t get tired."

"Then I’ll wait longer."

Nathan groaned softly beside him. "Great. Now I feel like the warm-up act."

Merlin chuckled under his breath.

The three of them stood there for a moment as the clouds finally broke. The rain turned to mist, the sun catching the droplets in the air until it looked like the whole field was glowing.

Students began to drift away, murmuring to each other about the duel, the lightning, the calm precision of Merlin’s strikes. Some sounded in awe. Others, nervous.

But Merlin didn’t hear them. His gaze was on the horizon, where the sunlight burned through the gray, lighting the academy towers one by one.

It had been a long road to get here, from the labyrinth, from the simulation, from the months lost between realities. But for the first time since waking in that hospital bed, he felt something simple.

Belonging.

The storm had passed. The world was real.

And he was still standing.

That night, when the sky turned indigo and the stars scattered like silver dust, Merlin stood on the balcony of his dorm. The wind played softly with his hair, carrying the faint scent of wet stone and pine from the hills.

Nathan had gone back to the dorms exhausted. Elara had lingered longer, walking with him in silence before she left, just a look, brief and knowing, before she disappeared down the hall.

He leaned against the railing, eyes half-lidded.

[You’ve grown.]

The message appeared faintly across his vision, the quiet pulse of the system he never spoke of.

Merlin smiled faintly.

’Not enough.’

[Then continue.]

’I intend to.’

He looked toward the training field below, now empty, just the faint shimmer of lightning still running along the puddles where their battle had ended.

"...One step at a time," he murmured.

And with that, Merlin turned back toward the dorm, the night closing gently behind him, a quiet end to the storm.

The courtyard buzzed with the restless hum of hundreds of students.

The banners of Starpower Academy fluttered in the cold breeze, stitched with the sigil of a silver star cutting through a blue sky. Beneath them, the second-year division had gathered in their neat rows, each wearing the modified uniforms signifying their new rank, darker coats, new emblems, slightly heavier trim to mark progression.

Merlin adjusted his collar as he stepped into formation beside Elara, who was leaning casually on her spear. Her lilac eyes drifted toward the horizon, calm and unbothered, though Merlin caught the faint twitch of her ears every time the loudspeaker crackled.

"Another year," she murmured. "Another test."

Merlin smirked. "You make it sound like war."

She gave him a sideways look. "With you around, it might as well be."

Before Merlin could reply, Nathan jogged over — still the same dark-haired, blue-eyed boy with his dagger belts slung low on his hips. His grin was tired but genuine. "They’re saying this one’s different. No standard affinity drills. Supposedly it’s ’real-world readiness.’ Whatever that means."

Adrian followed, his golden hair catching sunlight, resting his massive battle axe over one shoulder. "It means they’re gonna throw us somewhere dangerous and see who crawls out."

Liliana shot him a glare. "You make it sound like we’re being sacrificed."

"Maybe we are," Ethan muttered, running a hand through his short brown hair, expression perpetually bored. "Wouldn’t be the weirdest thing this academy’s done."

"Quiet down," Seraphina hissed, her black hair perfectly tied back, silver eyes narrowing as she noticed the approaching instructors.

And just like that, silence rippled through the courtyard.

Three instructors approached from the main hall, boots tapping sharply against stone.

Vivienne led them, fire affinity blazing faintly around her like a faint mirage. Her long blonde hair was tied in a loose ponytail today, her expression somewhere between warmth and steel. Behind her came Sophia Ashford, the runes instructor, carrying a crystal tablet; and finally, Reinhardt Vale, the academy’s swordmaster, his black coat trailing behind him like a shadow.

They stopped before the gathered students.

Vivienne spoke first.

"Second-years of Starpower Academy," she began, her tone carrying across the courtyard. "Last year, you learned what it means to fight. To understand the limits of your affinities, your bodies, and your teamwork. This year..."

She paused, gaze sweeping over the students, resting briefly on Merlin, and for a heartbeat, the faintest flicker of pride passed through her eyes.

"...this year, you learn what it means to endure."

A low murmur spread through the crowd.