CHAPTER 44: ZENITH WEEK

The next morning dawned pale and silent over the Academy. Early mist drifted between the tall white towers, curling through stone courtyards like ghost smoke. Birds cried faintly from distant gardens as the halls filled with quiet footsteps and murmured greetings.

Inside Training Hall Zero, the air was cool and still. The reinforced stone walls were lined with projection panels flickering with combat footage from the day before. Class Zero sat scattered across the polished floor, some cross-legged, others stretching or tinkering with gear. Silas reclined against the wall, arms folded behind his head as he yawned wide enough to crack his jaw. Evelyn sat beside Reia, her knees pulled to her chest as she toyed with a flickering lightning orb between her trembling fingers. Reia didn’t speak, her golden circuits dim as she flicked through strategy files on her tablet.

Vyn stood alone near the window, silent as always, grey eyes watching the drifting mist outside without expression.

The heavy doors slid open with a quiet hiss.

Lucian walked in, his black coat trailing faintly behind him. His bangs fell low across his half-lidded eyes, casting them in shadow as he stepped lightly across the polished floor. A faint cold breeze drifted in behind him, brushing his hair across his cheek before the door sealed shut.

The class went quiet.

Silas opened one eye, his grin stretching faintly. "Yo."

Lucian didn’t respond. He walked past them in silence, his steps calm and unhurried. Evelyn’s flickering lightning dimmed as she watched him pass, her red eyes narrowing faintly in curiosity.

Reia looked up from her tablet. Her gaze flickered over his posture, his stride, the faint tightness in his left shoulder. Her golden circuits brightened slightly.

He’s stronger than yesterday.

She couldn’t see the numbers. But her combat sense, honed to near absolute within ten meters, felt the quiet density in his aura. His presence felt sharper. Cleaner. Like a blade honed against stone all night.

Lucian reached his usual spot at the back and lowered himself onto the floor, sitting cross-legged with his elbows resting lightly on his knees. His half-lidded eyes remained unfocused, staring at nothing in particular.

The room remained silent for another heartbeat before the side door slid open with a soft chime.

Athena stepped in, her black uniform coat drifting around her ankles. Her sharp violet eyes scanned the class with cold precision as she walked to the center of the hall. She paused when her gaze landed on Lucian.

Her eyes narrowed faintly.

His aura feels... denser.

She didn’t ask. Not here. Not now. But she held his gaze for a moment longer than usual before turning back to the others.

"Stand."

Her voice was quiet, but it carried like steel across water. The class rose in unison, their shadows stretching long across the cold polished floor.

Athena folded her arms lightly, her violet eyes sweeping across them one by one.

"Five days from now," she began softly, "Zenith Week begins."

Silas grinned faintly, rolling his broad shoulders with a low crack. Evelyn’s fingers tightened around her flickering lightning orb. Reia remained expressionless, her eyes locked on Athena’s lips. Vyn tilted her head a millimeter, silent as always.

Athena’s gaze was calm and cold as she continued.

"Zenith Week is not a tournament. It is not an assessment. It is a crucible."

She flicked her wrist lightly, projecting a faint blue screen into the air beside her. It flickered with footage – older students battling monstrous chimeras, entire squads fighting in coordinated formations under simulated dungeon conditions, others locked in fierce duels against external Academy challengers. Screams. Sparks. Blood. The footage cycled in silence.

"It is seven days of combat drills, dungeon raids, tactical assessments, and external duels under the observation of guild mentors, artifact contractors, and recruitment officers," Athena said softly, her voice as calm as a drifting knife. "Your names, your talents, your abilities... everything will be recorded, analysed, and priced."

She let the words hang for a moment. The screen flickered to show a ranking list. Past names glowed gold at the top, some now legends known worldwide. Others were scratched out in dull red.

"Failure does not end in expulsion," Athena continued, her violet gaze flickering faintly as her coat drifted in the silent breeze from the vents above. "It ends in obscurity. Forgotten. Erased from advancement consideration. Those who succeed... will enter the direct mentorship pool for A-Rank Hunter certification. Those who excel... will be scouted by guilds before graduation."

Evelyn swallowed hard, her throat dry as lightning flickered across her trembling fingers. Silas’ grin widened, eyes glowing with quiet savage anticipation. Reia’s circuits brightened along her temples, her golden eyes flicking rapidly as strategies and data simulations flowed behind them. Vyn remained silent, her grey eyes unfocused as mist drifted softly outside the window behind her.

Athena let the projection fade into blue dust as she lowered her arm. For a moment, she said nothing, simply watching them with that cold, unreadable gaze.

Then her eyes flicked to Lucian at the back.

His posture was calm, elbows resting lightly on his knees, half-lidded eyes flickering faintly with shadowed light as his bangs drifted across them. He didn’t react to her gaze. Didn’t shift. Didn’t blink.

He just... breathed.

Athena’s eyes narrowed faintly.

"Some of you will thrive," she said quietly. "Some of you will break."

Her violet gaze swept across them once more, the room silent except for the faint hum of mana vents in the walls.

"Prepare yourselves."

She turned sharply, her black braid swinging down her back as she began walking toward the side door. But she paused mid-step, her eyes narrowing as she spoke without turning back.

"Lucian."

His half-lidded eyes flickered up calmly.

"Stay."

The door slid shut behind her, leaving the rest of Class Zero standing silent in the cold hall. Silas exhaled loudly, rolling his shoulders again.

"Damn... Zenith Week, huh..." he muttered, a faint grin still flickering across his lips.

Reia didn’t speak, her golden circuits flickering as she flicked through projected data files. Evelyn closed her eyes tightly, clutching her flickering lightning orb to her chest as her heart pounded painfully. Vyn just watched Lucian, her grey eyes calm and unreadable as ever.

Lucian remained seated, unmoving, as Athena’s footsteps faded into the quiet instructor corridor beyond.