(A/N Big thanks to everyone for the Power stones and Golden tickets, they mean a lot. As usual, please don't hesitate to comment or drop a review. ENJOY)

Power stones people, Gimme it.

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He spread his arms, mana flowing from him like a gentle wind. "For now — rest. Reflect. You have earned your place among the five thousand."

The runes along the hall brightened, casting warm gold light over the remaining students.

Orion looked down at the coin in his hand — gleaming, solid, warm from the mana it carried. A single engraved numeral shone faintly at its center: 1.

He smiled. His face brightened as he was engulfed in the light himself, everything fading from perception

A few seconds later.

The world snapped back into focus.

Orion blinked, his senses adjusting to the shift in space. The forested battlefield was gone. Now he stood at the base of the Academy's main spire, where towering marble columns framed a circular plaza. Thousands of acolytes reappeared across the stone expanse, their uniforms faintly scorched, some limping, others collapsing from sheer fatigue.

For a moment, no one spoke. The silence felt strange after four hours of chaos.

Then the murmurs began.

Orion exhaled, rolling his shoulders. The soreness was still there, deep in the muscles, but manageable. His mana felt balanced again — whoever restored them had done it thoroughly. Around him, exhausted faces turned from confusion to dawning relief.

"Well," a familiar voice said from behind him, "that was dramatic."

He turned to find Seris, silver hair a little messy but her grin perfectly intact.

"You look like you enjoyed it," he said dryly.

"Of course I did! Four hours of running, fighting, and outsmarting people who thought they were clever? That's entertainment." She brushed a speck of dust off her sleeve.

"I even found a kid who thought hiding underground would help him. Can you imagine?"

Caelum arrived next, tall and calm as ever, his dark blue uniform barely ruffled.

"You're one to talk. You nearly made us get eliminated"

"I call it creative problem solving."

"Creative," he repeated with a sigh, "isn't supposed to have such risks."

Before Seris could retort, Selene appeared behind them — quiet, composed, silver hair tied back neatly. She looked less winded than most, though faint traces of vibrations flickered along her fingers.

"You all survived," she said, voice soft but teasing, her eyes deliberately on Seris "Impressive."

"Barely," Seris replied with a small grin. "You make it sound like we were supposed to die in there."

Selene tilted her head. "Not die. Just… fail."

Seris laughed. "You don't really think that do you."

Orion chuckled under his breath. It felt good — the easy rhythm, the absence of pressure. For the first time since the trial started, none of them were trying to outdo one another. They were just… students again.

He folded his arms. "So? How'd it go for everyone?"

Caelum was the first to answer. "Steady. I didn't chase points; I focused on defense."

"Typical," Seris muttered, smirking. "Playing it safe as usual."

"It worked," Caelum said simply.

Selene added, "He's not wrong. The final compression was brutal. Most participants ran out of mana just keeping their sigils active."

Seris grinned. "Not me. I drained three shrines dry before compression even started. I swear, if they gave out awards for style, I'd be first."

"You placed third," Orion reminded her.

"That's practically first with extra steps."

Caelum raised an eyebrow. "Is that how numbers work now?"

Selene sighed, smiling faintly. "Don't argue. She'll make a chart to prove it."

"I might," Seris said proudly.

Orion leaned against one of the pillars, watching the others with quiet amusement. The exhaustion around them made the light banter feel even better. "Guess we all did well," he said finally.

Seris tilted her head. "You're one to talk, Mr. First Place. How does it feel sitting at the top?"

"Overrated," he said with a shrug. "I didn't even finish my mission."

That earned him three surprised looks.

"What mission?" Selene asked, genuinely curious.

Orion just chuckled "I set one for myself."

Serisstared at him strangely. "Weirdo."

Caelum's tone softened. "Still, you outperformed everyone. Even Erevan."

Orion just shrugged, "He's… better than I thought."

The conversation lingered there for a moment, thoughtful but light. Then Seris clapped her hands. "Alright, enough seriousness. We survived, didn't we? That deserves celebration."

"With what energy?" Selene asked. "Half of them can't even stand."

Seris grinned wider. "Then we'll celebrate tomorrow. After orientation."

Orion smiled faintly. "You're assuming we'll still have energy tomorrow."

"I'm assuming we'll still be alive," she said cheerfully. "Big difference."

They all laughed — even Selene, quietly.

For a while, they just stood there, watching the plaza thin as others departed. The base of the spire loomed high above them, its shadow stretching across the smooth marble. A calm breeze carried faint traces of mana, whispering against the banners that lined the walls.

Eventually, Caelum straightened. "We should go," he said. "They'll want everyone rested before the orientation."

"Same," Selene added. "We'll meet before orientation?"

"Definitely," Seris said immediately. "Don't think you're ditching me tomorrow."

Caelum smirked. "Wouldn't dream of it."

They parted ways slowly, their footsteps echoing through the open space. Orion lingered a little longer, watching as the last of the light dimmed across the spire's base. The plaza was nearly empty now — just faint mana residue glowing along the edges where teleportation runes had triggered.

When he finally turned to leave, the system's voice chimed softly in his mind.

[Mission Failed.]

[Condition not met: Victory under limitation parameters.]

[Reward: Nullified.]

He paused, staring at the faint text before it faded.

He just sighed.

Another notification appeared.

[Status Updated.]

He opened it instinctively.

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STATUS

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NAME: Orion Chronos

AGE: 10

GENDER: MALE

RACE: HUMAN

ATTRIBUTES:

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STRENGTH: 100

AGILITY: 114

ENDURANCE: 143

VITALITY: 423

INTELLIGENCE:384

MANA: 384

CHARM: 115

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RANK: (HIGH) APPRENTICE RANK

TALENT: MYTHICAL

BLOODLINE: ???

AFFINITY: SPACE, TIME

ABILITIES:

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Innate Skills:

*Temporal Distortion (Peak proficiency)

-The ability to alter the space around you. You can break, mend, and control the fabric of space. Depends on your proficiency.

*The Seer (Peak proficiency)

-The ability to view glimpses of the present, past, and future with varying locations. It can be through visions or dreams. Depends on your proficiency.

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Acquired skills:

*Eye of truth and façade (Peak proficiency)

The ability to access the information of another party with a single glance in the form of a status screen and alter your perceived strength from others. Heavily depends on proficiency.

*Reflection

The ability to dive into one's memories, recalling every single detail with unnatural clarity. (Requires no mana)

*Protocol (Low -> Mid proficiency)

The Mental and Physical protocols of this world are yours to see; do with them what you will.

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Trained skills:

*Kairos step (Peak proficiency)

Acts at the perfect moment, improving dodges and counterattacks.

*Aether Step (High proficiency)

Short-range teleportation (≤ 10 meters).

*Nova Spark (Peak proficiency)

Compress a marble-sized pocket of distorted space, then release it in a small, concentrated burst.

*Nova Bloom (Low proficiency)

Collapse a larger sphere of warped space and trigger a massive, radiant detonation.

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