Natalia Kuzmina stepped through the gateway, heart beating with steady, controlled rhythm. A moment of disorientation passed as the simulation materialized around her—a vast crystalline cavern of ice that stretched impossibly high. Massive pillars of frozen water twisted toward a distant ceiling, catching light from an unknown source.

The cold that hit her lungs was so sharp it would have stolen the breath from anyone else. But Natalia inhaled deeply, savoring the sting.

"Subject 118-C," VEGA's emotionless voice filled her private comm. "Aspect: Telekinetic Manipulation. Provisional Threat Level: C-Rank, High Potential. Simulation environment: Glacial Cavern."

Natalia didn't respond.

Two months ago, she had been someone else entirely. Someone who relied on her father's reputation. Someone who masked her insecurities with arrogance. Someone who thought being the best meant standing alone.

Natalia clenched her fist, feeling the Cryo-Lich Ring cold against her skin. Its pale blue gem pulsed with her heartbeat, a second heart bound to her own.

This test wasn't just about entering the academy. It was her coronation. Her first public demonstration as Satori's queen. His keystone pillar.

"Opponent designated: Juggernaut," VEGA announced. "Designed to test raw power output and armor penetration capability. Begin."

The ground beneath her trembled. From the shadows of the cavern emerged a massive construct, easily three times her height. Its hulking form was a mass of overlapping armor plates, with thick reinforcement covering every joint. Steam hissed from vents as it spotted her, optical sensors glowing red.

To most prospects, this would be a nightmare opponent. A tank designed to shrug off attacks while delivering devastating blows.

To Natalia, it was canvas awaiting her brushstrokes.

The Juggernaut's systems whirred to life. It charged, ice cracking beneath its massive feet, sending vibrations through the entire cavern. Its movements were straightforward, predictable—a battering ram programmed for nothing but destruction

"Come on," she whispered, feeling telekinetic energy pool in her fingertips. Purple light emanated from her hands, casting her shadow against the crystalline walls. "Show me what you've got."

The Juggernaut responded with a thunderous swing of its arm. Natalia sidestepped, using the momentum to spin herself around. With a flick of her wrist, she ignored the construct and aimed her telekinesis at the cavern walls themselves.

CRACK!

Massive shards of ice broke free, responding to her call. Not one or two pieces, but dozens of glittering, deadly spears now orbited her form like moons around a planet.

The Juggernaut paused, its sensors assessing the new threat. It recalculated, then charged again with renewed ferocity.

Natalia smiled.

"Too slow."

Her fingers commanded the air, each gesture a conductor's stroke directing her icy arsenal. One shard shot forward, striking the Juggernaut's knee joint. The shard landed like a scalpel, a surgical strike that found the minute gap between armor plates.

But that was just the beginning.

The Cryo-Lich Ring on her finger flared to life, responding to her will. The ice shard embedded in the Juggernaut's knee was spreading, tendrils of frost expanding from the impact point like veins of white lightning.

The construct's leg seized up, its movements becoming jerky and uncoordinated.

Good. But not enough.

Natalia spun again, sending three more shards at different targets—an elbow joint, a coolant line exposed at the neck, and directly into its optical array. Each hit with perfect accuracy, and each carried the same spreading frost.

"KRRRNG!" The Juggernaut's systems screamed in mechanical protest.

"Combat analysis suggests a withdrawal and regroup strategy," VEGA commented. "This construct was not designed for—"

"I don't care what it was designed for," Natalia cut in, her voice ice. "This is my stage."

The shards circling her moved faster, struck harder. The Juggernaut's mobility decreased with every hit, its systems failing one by one as the frost consumed it from the inside out.

The massive construct stumbled, then crashed to one knee. Its optical sensors flickered, struggling to track her movements as she danced around it.

Natalia knew everyone was watching. The other prospects, the academy evaluators, Satori. They needed to understand what she was. Not just another student. Not just another telekinetic.

A queen.

The Juggernaut was effectively disabled, kneeling in submission before her. Natalia raised a final, massive icicle above it, poised to deliver the killing blow.

"An elegant display, Cadet Kuzmina," VEGA's voice returned, this time with a hint of condescension that felt deliberately provocative. "Your performance is... adequate. However, your time-to-kill is tracking significantly slower than the historically top-ranked prospects."

Adequate?

Natalia's eyes narrowed, pupils contracting to pinpoints of fury. Her lips curled into a sneer.

"You want a statement? I'll give you a statement."

She spread her arms wide, fingers splayed. The entire cavern responded to her call. Not just shards, but tons of ice ripped free from the walls and floor. The very structure of the simulation groaned under her power.

The Cryo-Lich Ring blazed with sapphire light, so bright it cast harsh shadows across her face. The temperature in the cavern plummeted further, cold enough that even the air itself seemed to crystallize.

The ice converged on the kneeling Juggernaut. First came the body—a massive, coiled serpent of ice, its scales rendered in perfect detail, each one catching and reflecting light differently.

"KRRRRSH!" The Juggernaut tried to move, to break free, but the ice was relentless, its prison growing heavier by the second.

Next came the tail, winding around the cavern floor in an intricate spiral pattern. Then the fangs, formed from the clearest, sharpest ice, each one as long as Natalia was tall.

And finally, the head. It materialized around the Juggernaut's own, engulfing it completely. The serpent's jaws gaped wide, crystalline fangs plunging deep into the construct's optical sensors.

Natalia stood at the center of this frozen masterpiece, arms still extended, sweat beading on her forehead despite the cold.

"Now," she whispered, "you'll remember my name."

She clenched her fists.

The entire sculpture shattered at once.

KRRRAKOOM!

The Juggernaut, frozen solid within its icy prison, exploded into millions of glittering fragments. The sound echoed throughout the cavern, a thunderous finale to Natalia's performance.

For several seconds, Natalia stood motionless in the center of the arena, the only sound her measured breathing. Ice particles drifted through the air like diamond dust, catching light as they fell.

Then her scores flashed across the HUD:

[COMBAT EFFICIENCY: 65%]

[TACTICAL ACUMEN: 90%]

[APPEAL SCORE: 100%]

A smile touched Natalia's lips. The first two scores were respectable, even impressive. But the third—that was what mattered. That was the statement.

"Combat assessment complete," VEGA's voice returned, now stripped of its earlier condescension. "Evaluation suggests a dual classification: Battlefield Control and Environmental Manipulation. Notable synergy between base telekinetic ability and auxiliary ice manipulation. Your ranking has been updated."

Natalia glanced at the leaderboard. Her name now sat in the third position, just below Satori. Exactly where she wanted to be. High enough to command respect, to prove her worth. But not so high as to overshadow him.

A queen stands beside her king, not above him.

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