The applause echoed across the assessment grounds.
One squad after another emerged from the maze.
Some celebrated.
Others collapsed from exhaustion.
Several teams had returned without their banners.
A few...
Returned with fewer members than they had entered with.
The instructors silently escorted the eliminated students toward the medical wing.
Squad Seven stood together near the finish line.
Eric stretched his back.
"...Can we agree that was more stressful than the Tower?"
Luna looked at him.
"No."
"...Fair enough."
Professor Ingrid walked toward them.
Her boots echoed against the stone courtyard.
Every nearby student instinctively stepped aside.
She stopped in front of Squad Seven.
"You completed the assessment."
"Yes, Professor."
Noah answered.
She looked at each member individually.
"Any complaints?"
Eric immediately raised his hand.
"The maze copied our voices."
"That was creepy."
Professor Ingrid replied with a completely straight face.
"It usually is."
"...Usually?"
"No further questions."
Eric slowly lowered his hand.
Several students nearby laughed.
Even Noah smiled.
Professor Astrid arrived carrying a stack of reports.
"The final results have been confirmed."
Students all around the courtyard immediately gathered closer.
Everyone wanted to know.
Professor Ingrid raised her voice.
"Listen carefully."
"The purpose of today’s assessment..."
"...was never to determine who was strongest."
She looked toward the assembled first-years.
"It was to determine who people naturally trusted under pressure."
Several students exchanged confused glances.
"The instructors observed every decision."
"Every argument."
"Every mistake."
"Every act of cooperation."
She opened the first report.
"Squad One."
A young woman stepped forward.
"Leader..."
"...Aurelia Voss."
Polite applause followed.
One after another...
The squad leaders were announced.
Students accepted the responsibility with varying degrees of confidence.
Finally...
Professor Ingrid reached the final report.
"Squad Seven."
Eric quietly whispered,
"...Here we go."
Professor Ingrid looked up.
Her eyes settled on Noah.
"The appointed Squad Leader is..."
A brief pause.
"...Noah Blackwood."
Silence.
Then applause erupted across the courtyard.
Eric immediately slapped Noah’s shoulder.
"I knew it!"
Sophia smiled warmly.
"Congratulations."
Luna nodded once.
"It fits."
Damien simply extended his hand.
"...Congratulations, Leader."
Noah shook it.
"...Thanks."
Professor Ingrid raised a hand.
The applause faded.
"Noah Blackwood."
"Step forward."
He obeyed.
She handed him a small black case.
Inside...
Rested a silver badge shaped like a wolf.
Unlike the ordinary academy badges...
This one bore seven tiny stars around its edge.
"This identifies you as Squad Seven’s acting leader."
"You are responsible for your squad during academy missions."
"Outside academy walls..."
"...your decisions carry consequences."
Noah carefully accepted the badge.
It felt surprisingly heavy.
Professor Ingrid’s voice softened slightly.
"Being a leader doesn’t mean always having the right answer."
"It means..."
"...being willing to answer for your decisions."
Noah nodded solemnly.
"I understand."
Nearby...
Cain Draven watched the ceremony quietly.
One of his teammates asked,
"You were made leader too."
"Yes."
"What do you think of Blackwood?"
Cain looked toward Noah.
"He doesn’t chase authority."
"Which is why people give it to him."
That was all he said.
Cedric overheard the conversation.
A faint smile crossed his face.
"...Exactly."
The ceremony concluded.
Students slowly dispersed.
Some headed toward lunch.
Others toward training.
A few immediately challenged one another to practice matches after seeing the new rankings.
Life at Valhalla Academy quickly returned to normal.
Almost.
As Squad Seven walked across the academy courtyard...
Professor Astrid caught up with them.
"There is one final matter."
Everyone stopped.
"The caravan to Eldermere departs in seven days."
She handed Noah a sealed envelope.
"The mission briefing."
"Do not open it until tomorrow evening."
Eric tilted his head.
"...Why?"
"The contents change depending on academy intelligence."
She looked directly at Noah.
"So wait."
Noah placed the envelope inside his bag.
"I will."
Astrid gave a small nod before leaving.
Luna stretched her arms.
"So..."
"We’ve got a week."
Eric grinned.
"A week without life-threatening monsters."
Damien looked at him.
"...You just guaranteed we’ll find one."
Everyone laughed.
Even Noah.
For the first time since entering the Tower...
He felt like an ordinary academy student again.
Training.
Friends.
Classes.
A first mission ahead.
As they walked toward the dormitories...
Noah unconsciously touched the rusted iron key hanging beneath his uniform.
It remained warm.
Just as it had been since leaving the Hall of Oaths.
"...Strange."
He whispered.
Far away...
Hidden inside the academy archives...
An old librarian carefully slid a dusty book back onto a shelf.
As he did...
One ancient page loosened and drifted to the floor.
Across the faded parchment was a sketch of a rusted iron key.
Beneath it, written in nearly illegible ink, were six words.
"It opens only for the Seventh."
The old librarian frowned.
"...I don’t remember seeing that before."
He bent down to pick up the page.
When he looked again...
The writing had vanished.
The sun dipped behind the towering walls of Valhalla Academy.
For the first time in weeks...
There were no alarms.
No monsters.
No collapsing towers.
Only the familiar sounds of students arguing, laughing, and hurrying between buildings.
Noah unlocked the door to his dorm room.
The moment he stepped inside...
A familiar voice echoed in his mind.
"...You’ve finally stopped running."
Ragnar.
Noah closed the door.
"I’ve been a little busy."
A low chuckle resonated through his consciousness.
"I noticed."
Noah removed the silver leader’s badge and placed it on his desk.
Beside it rested the rusted iron key.
The key gave off a faint warmth.
Almost like a heartbeat.
"...Do you know what this opens?"
Silence.
Then Ragnar answered.
"No."
That surprised Noah.
"You don’t?"
"If I did, I would tell you."
A pause.
"But... I recognize the metal."
Noah’s eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean?"
"That key wasn’t forged by humans."
"...What?"
"Long before kingdoms existed... there were smiths who shaped reality itself."
"Their creations were never meant to be found by mortals."
Noah reached for the key.
It felt ordinary.
Old.
Weathered.
Nothing about it suggested divine craftsmanship.
"So why do I have it?"
Ragnar was silent for several seconds.
Then...
"That is the question that worries me."
A knock interrupted the conversation.
Knock. Knock.
"Noah!"
Eric’s voice.
"You alive?"
Noah slipped the key back beneath his shirt.
"Come in."
The door swung open.
Eric entered carrying two trays piled high with food.
"I figured the new squad leader would’ve forgotten dinner."
Behind him walked Sophia, Luna, and Damien.
Luna glanced at the trays.
"...You stole those."
Eric looked offended.
"I borrowed them permanently."
Damien sighed.
"You bribed the kitchen staff again."
"They accepted."
"That’s not what bribery means."
"It worked."
The room quickly filled with laughter.
For a while...
No one spoke about the Tower.
Or rankings.
Or hidden voices beneath the academy.
They simply enjoyed being students.
Halfway through dinner...
Sophia unfolded a notice she’d collected from the academy board.
"Tomorrow’s schedule."
Eric groaned dramatically.
"Please tell me Professor Ingrid isn’t teaching at sunrise."
Sophia smiled.
"Not tomorrow."
She read aloud.
"Morning: Combat Conditioning."
"Midday: Monster Ecology."
"Afternoon: Leadership Seminar."
Eric froze.
"...Leadership?"
His eyes slowly turned toward Noah.
"Noah."
"What?"
"You have homework now."
Luna smirked.
"Leader."
Eric immediately saluted.
"Leader."
Even Damien’s lips twitched slightly.
Noah sighed.
"...Don’t start."
That only made them laugh harder.
The next morning...
Training Grounds Three.
Dozens of first-year students assembled beneath the clear summer sky.
Professor Ingrid stood before them.
"As of yesterday..."
"...every squad has an official leader."
Her gaze swept across the crowd.
"Today..."
"We discover whether those appointments were mistakes."
A nervous murmur spread through the students.
"Leaders."
"Step forward."
Noah joined Cain, Aurelia, Cedric, and several others at the front.
Professor Ingrid tossed each of them a small wooden token.
Noah caught his easily.
"What is this?"
"A command seal."
She answered.
"For today’s exercise..."
"...only the leader may speak."
The courtyard instantly fell silent.
Eric’s eyes widened.
"...Seriously?"
Professor Ingrid nodded.
"Squad members may not give advice."
"They may not warn."
"They may not argue."
"They follow."
Several students looked horrified.
One leader protested.
"What if we make the wrong decision?"
Professor Ingrid’s expression never changed.
"Then your squad suffers the consequences."
Noah looked down at the wooden token resting in his palm.
It suddenly felt much heavier than the silver badge.
Professor Ingrid continued.
"Leadership isn’t about giving orders."
"It’s about carrying responsibility."
She raised her hand.
"The exercise begins..."
"...now."
Massive stone walls erupted from the ground with a deafening roar.
RUMBLE!
Within seconds, the training field transformed into a sprawling battlefield of barricades, towers, and narrow streets.
Above it floated glowing crystals displaying a single objective:
Capture the Central Beacon.
Professor Ingrid smiled faintly.
"Let’s see..."
"...who can lead when every decision matters."
Far above the training grounds...
Headmaster Alaric watched from a balcony.
Beside him stood Professor Astrid.
"He has potential."
Astrid said quietly.
Alaric nodded.
"Yes."
His golden eyes lingered on Noah.
"But potential attracts attention."
He looked toward the distant mountains beyond the academy walls.
Where dark storm clouds gathered on the horizon.
"...And our enemies have begun to notice."