The first morning after the events of Eldermere arrived without ceremony.
No alarms.
No emergency summons.
No ancient bells.
Just sunlight.
Soft golden light slipped through the windows of Valhalla Academy, painting the dormitory walls in pale orange.
Noah Blackwood opened his eyes.
For several seconds, he stared at the ceiling.
Then he exhaled.
"...Another day."
He sat up.
His body felt strangely light.
Too light.
Noah frowned.
Something had changed.
He could feel it.
Not pain.
Not exhaustion.
Something deeper.
He looked down at his right hand.
A tiny flame appeared above his palm.
It was ordinary at first.
Orange.
Warm.
Then the center of the flame briefly flickered with a faint pink glow.
Noah’s expression changed.
The flame disappeared.
"...Again."
He raised his hand.
Nothing.
He tried once more.
Orange fire.
A tiny pink-orange shimmer.
Gone.
Noah stared at his palm.
"That’s new."
A faint system window appeared before his eyes.
[Ragnarok Synchronization: Stable.]
Noah blinked.
Another line appeared.
[Residual phenomenon detected.]
His eyes narrowed.
"Residual?"
The window vanished before he could ask anything else.
Noah remained still.
The system had never been particularly generous with explanations.
That much he’d learned.
He got out of bed and walked toward the mirror.
His reflection looked normal.
Dark hair.
Ordinary eyes.
No strange aura.
No flames.
Nothing.
Noah touched his chest.
For a brief moment, he remembered Eldermere.
The Keeper.
The Bell.
The journal.
The Sixth King’s words.
The first lie I ever believed... was that monsters are born.
Noah’s expression hardened.
He pushed the thought aside.
Not today.
The training grounds were nearly empty.
Noah preferred it that way.
The academy had only recently returned to its normal rhythm after the Eldermere incident, and most students were still taking advantage of the quiet morning.
Noah stood alone in the center of Training Field Three.
He raised his hand.
Fire erupted.
WHOOM.
The flames wrapped around his forearm.
Orange.
Then brighter.
He swung.
A wave of fire tore across the training field and struck the reinforced barrier.
BOOM!
The barrier shook.
Noah watched carefully.
"More control."
He tried again.
This time the fire didn’t explode outward.
It compressed.
A thin layer of flame wrapped around his arm like a burning sleeve.
Noah smiled faintly.
"Better."
He stepped forward.
One punch.
The barrier cracked.
Noah’s smile disappeared.
He stared at the damage.
"...That shouldn’t have happened."
He hadn’t used much power.
Not nearly enough.
The fire had simply become denser.
More responsive.
Almost...
Alive.
A faint warmth traveled beneath his skin.
Noah suddenly felt something watching him.
He turned.
Nothing.
The training grounds remained empty.
"...Who’s there?"
Silence.
He slowly lowered his arm.
The sensation disappeared.
High above the training grounds...
Someone stood beside an open window.
Laura Esteria quietly watched Noah.
Her silver-white hair moved gently in the morning breeze.
Her violet eyes remained fixed on him.
She had been there for several minutes.
She hadn’t intended to watch.
At least...
That was what she told herself.
Noah suddenly looked upward.
Laura immediately stepped back from the window.
Her heart skipped.
"...He noticed."
She placed one hand against her chest.
Then frowned.
Why was her heart beating so quickly?
Noah looked at the tower.
For a moment, he thought he saw silver hair.
Then it disappeared.
He smiled.
"Laura?"
No answer.
He shook his head.
"Probably imagining things."
He turned back toward the training field.
The flame returned to his hand.
This time...
The center remained pink-orange for several seconds.
Noah stared at it.
Something inside Ragnarok had changed.
He didn’t know what.
But he knew one thing.
The power he’d returned from Eldermere with...
Wasn’t exactly the same power he’d entered with.
By midday, the academy had come alive.
Students filled the corridors.
Classes resumed.
Training grounds became crowded.
The dining hall was louder than usual.
Noah entered with Eric, Sophia, Luna, and Damien.
Eric immediately grabbed a tray.
"I’m starving."
Luna stared at him.
"You ate breakfast two hours ago."
"That was breakfast."
"And?"
"This is lunch."
Sophia laughed.
Damien sighed.
"You possess an impressive ability to convert food into conversation."
Eric pointed at him.
"See? Damien understands me."
"No."
"That sounded like understanding."
"It wasn’t."
Noah smiled.
It felt strange.
Normal.
Almost peaceful.
They found a table near the windows.
Laura was already sitting nearby.
She looked up when Noah arrived.
Their eyes met.
She gave him a small nod.
Noah returned it.
Nothing more.
But Eric noticed.
Of course he noticed.
He leaned toward Sophia.
"Something’s happening."
Sophia blinked.
"What?"
Eric subtly pointed toward Noah and Laura.
Luna immediately kicked him beneath the table.
"Ouch!"
"Don’t."
"I’m just observing."
"Observe quietly."
Noah looked over.
"What are you two whispering about?"
"Nothing."
Eric smiled innocently.
"Absolutely nothing."
Noah narrowed his eyes.
"Right."
Laura hid the smallest smile behind her cup.
For once...
The academy felt ordinary.
Until the bells rang.
DONG.
Everyone in the dining hall stopped.
A second bell followed.
DONG.
Then a third.
DONG.
Noah looked toward the windows.
Three bells.
That wasn’t the normal schedule.
Eric lowered his fork.
"...What’s that?"
Damien’s expression became serious.
"Assembly."
Luna looked toward the entrance.
"Everyone?"
Before anyone could answer...
A voice echoed through the academy.
"All students are requested to report to the Grand Assembly Hall."
A pause.
Then:
"This announcement concerns the future of Valhalla Academy."
The dining hall erupted.
Students stood.
Questions spread through the room.
Noah slowly rose.
Laura looked toward him.
Something about the announcement felt different.
Not dangerous.
But important.
Noah glanced at his right hand.
The faintest pink-orange flame flickered between his fingers.
Then disappeared.
He closed his hand.
"Let’s go."
Squad Seven followed.
And somewhere high above the academy...
A sealed document waited inside the Headmaster’s Tower.
Its crest was unfamiliar.
Its origin...
Far beyond Valhalla.
And written across its first page were four words:
THE INTER-ACADEMY TOURNAMENT.
The Grand Assembly Hall was already overflowing by the time Noah and Squad Seven arrived.
Students packed the enormous chamber from the lowest seats to the upper balconies.
The atmosphere was different from an ordinary academy assembly.
There was excitement.
Confusion.
And a growing sense that something significant was about to happen.
Noah entered with Eric, Sophia, Luna, and Damien.
Laura followed a few steps behind.
Her violet eyes briefly settled on Noah.
He looked calm.
Too calm.
She still remembered seeing him alone on the training field that morning.
There had been something strange about his flames.
Something she couldn’t quite identify.
"Do you think we’re getting expelled?"
Eric whispered.
Sophia stared at him.
"Why would the entire academy be assembled for that?"
"Maybe they finally discovered how much food I eat."
Luna sighed.
"That would require an investigation."
Damien adjusted his glasses.
"Which would be justified."
Eric looked betrayed.
"You too?"
Noah laughed quietly.
Laura covered the corner of her mouth.
For a few seconds, everything felt normal.
Then the massive doors at the front of the hall closed.
BOOM.
Silence spread through the room.
Headmaster Alaric stepped onto the elevated platform.
Professor Ingrid stood behind him.
So did Professor Astrid.
Several senior instructors had also gathered.
Alaric looked across the students.
Then smiled.
"Students of Valhalla Academy."
His voice carried effortlessly through the hall.
"Today, I bring you news that will determine the direction of this academy for the coming months."
The students leaned forward.
"Six years ago..."
Alaric paused.
"The last Inter-Academy Tournament was held."
Murmurs immediately spread.
Noah glanced toward Damien.
"Six years?"
Damien nodded.
"That’s what the records say."
Alaric continued.
"The tournament was created generations ago."
"At its beginning, four academies competed against one another to determine which institution produced the strongest young generation."
The hall grew quieter.
"Over time, those contests evolved."
"More academies joined."
"Kingdoms began supporting the event."
"Governments began attending."
"And eventually..."
Alaric’s expression became serious.
"It became the greatest gathering of young talent in the known world."
A student in the upper balcony shouted:
"Are we participating?"
Alaric smiled.
"Yes."
The hall exploded.
"WHAT?!"
"VALHALLA’S GOING?!"
"THE INTER-ACADEMY TOURNAMENT?!"
"ASGARD WILL BE THERE!"
"ELEMENTRO TOO!"
Eric stared at Noah.
"Wait..."
He swallowed.
"Did he just say Elementro?"
Sophia’s expression changed.
"Yes."
Luna crossed her arms.
"Then this isn’t going to be easy."
Damien calmly replied:
"It was never supposed to be."
Alaric raised one hand.
The noise gradually faded.
"This year’s tournament will be held in Hildgard."
A map appeared behind him.
The image showed a vast territory surrounded by mountains and ancient forests.
At its center stood a massive city.
Hildgard.
But what immediately caught Noah’s attention was the sky.
Three moons.
One crimson.
One blue.
And one strange scarlet-violet moon surrounded by faint stars.
Noah stared.
"...Three moons?"
Laura looked at the projection.
Her expression became unusually quiet.
Alaric continued.
"Hildgard is not governed by an academy."
"It is an autonomous territory under the protection of several kingdoms and overseen by its own governing council."
"The tournament arena lies at the heart of the territory."
Another image appeared.
The arena was enormous.
A circular structure surrounded by towering stone walls.
Beyond it stretched a strange forest filled with enormous trees whose branches twisted upward like cathedral spires.
"The terrain surrounding Hildgard is naturally infused with divine mana."
"Certain tournament events will make use of that environment."
Eric’s eyes widened.
"So the arena itself can change?"
"Potentially," Damien answered.
Eric grinned.
"Okay."
He cracked his knuckles.
"Now I’m interested."
Alaric’s expression became more serious.
"Fifteen academies have been invited."
The hall went silent.
"Each academy may register between four and seven contestants."
"Most institutions will send five."
Noah glanced around.
Four to seven.
That meant the tournament wouldn’t simply be a few dozen students.
There could be dozens upon dozens of competitors.
And among them...
Some would be monsters.
Alaric continued.
"The tournament will not be decided through a single competition."
A series of images appeared behind him.
A massive racecourse.
A battlefield.
Two opposing teams.
A circular dueling arena.
An ancient structure.
"The events will test strength."
"Speed."
"Adaptability."
"Strategy."
"Teamwork."
"Reliability."
"And the ability to protect your comrades."
The final image showed two students standing back-to-back against a massive creature.
"Power alone will not guarantee victory."
Noah smiled faintly.
That sounded more interesting than a simple tournament.
Alaric raised his voice.
"Valhalla Academy has been ranked fifth among the participating institutions."
The students reacted immediately.
Some cheered.
Others groaned.
Eric blinked.
"Fifth?"
Luna nodded.
"That’s pretty high."
Eric scratched his head.
"I thought we were higher."
Damien looked at him.
"Based on what?"
"My confidence."
"That isn’t a ranking system."
Alaric continued.
"Above us stand Volstra Academy."
"Milgard Academy."
"Elementro Academy."
"And..."
The entire hall seemed to hold its breath.
"Asgard Academy."
The reaction was immediate.
Even the instructors looked serious.
Asgard.
The number one academy.
The institution that had dominated the rankings for generations.
Noah’s eyes narrowed.
"Asgard..."
Laura glanced toward him.
"You’ve heard of them?"
"Only stories."
She nodded.
"They’re powerful."
Something about the way she said it made Noah look at her.
"You’ve met them before?"
Laura’s expression froze for the smallest fraction of a second.
"...No."
She looked away.
"Not personally."
Noah didn’t press.
But he remembered.
Alaric continued speaking.
"This year’s tournament will also feature academies from across the northern territories, western kingdoms, eastern regions, and southern territories."
Names appeared one after another.
Jazdris.
Skadi.
Jotun.
Freya.
Niflheim.
Kingsguard.
Delenhart.
Velaguard.
Singcard.
Veynholm.
Fifteen names.
Fifteen institutions.
Thousands of spectators expected.
Eric stared at the projection.
"That’s..."
He swallowed.
"A lot of people."
Sophia nodded.
"And probably a lot of monsters."
Noah smiled.
"Good."
Everyone looked at him.
Noah’s eyes remained fixed on the projection.
"I was starting to get bored."
Eric burst out laughing.
"That’s the spirit!"
At the edge of the hall...
Laura watched Noah.
A small smile appeared.
But beneath it...
She remembered his strange flames.
That faint pink-orange color.
And the look on his face when he’d stared at his own hand.
Something was changing inside him.
She didn’t know what.
But she intended to find out.
High above them...
Alaric’s presentation changed.
The final image appeared.
A gigantic arena beneath three moons.
HILDGARD
The letters glowed across the projection.
"The tournament begins in six weeks."
The hall erupted.
Six weeks.
Six weeks until Valhalla stood before the greatest academies in the world.
Six weeks until Noah would meet students far beyond his previous experience.
Six weeks until...
Ragnarok would be tested.
Noah looked down at his hand.
For the briefest moment...
A tiny flame appeared.
Orange.
Then...
A faint maroon-pink spark flickered inside it.
Noah’s eyes widened.
The flame disappeared.
Nobody noticed.
Nobody except Laura.
Her eyes narrowed.
And from somewhere deep within Noah’s mind...
Something whispered.
Kill.
Noah froze.
Then the voice vanished.
He looked around.
Nothing.
His heart began beating faster.
Far away...
In another academy...
A young man stood before a window.
He held a tournament invitation in one hand.
His reflection stared back.
A faint smile appeared.
Alcris Vannheim.
He looked at the invitation.
Then quietly said:
"...So that’s where you are."
He didn’t know why he’d said it.
He simply knew...
Something about the upcoming tournament interested him.
Very much.