(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)

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The Observation Hall buzzed faintly with the hum of mana. Eleven translucent screens hovered in a wide arc across the air, each about ten feet tall. Ten displayed the top contenders; the last, centred slightly above the rest, cycled between notable events and exceptional manoeuvres.

Rows of students filled the stands. Faculty members sat at the front, murmuring occasionally, eyes fixed on the displays. The scent of polished stone and ink hung in the air, sterile, like every academy facility.

Elysia Chronos sat among the upper-year section, her posture straight, her chin balanced on her hand. She wasn't particularly interested in the noise around her, but her eyes, cold, grey, were glued to the top left screen, where a silver-haired boy had just appeared within a forested zone.

"Who's that?" a Second-year beside her whispered.

Elysia didn't look his way. "Orion Chronos," she said.

"The one the instructors keep talking about?" He asked.

She nodded subtly.

The screen flickered as Orion examined his surroundings. No wasted movement. His posture centred. His gaze, still but sharp. There was something deliberate about everything he did, like even his breathing was planned.

"Interesting," Elysia muttered.

Down below, the instructors were discussing the parameters of the shrinking zones. One of them adjusted the viewing matrix, the forest image expanding slightly, increasing resolution.

"Look at the way he's scanning the terrain," said another voice from a few seats down.

Elysia's eyes flicked briefly to another screen. Another one named Kael Chronos was using brute strength to overpower two opponents. His movements were raw but effective, direct, and no wasted mana. Another showed Aalaya Chronos securing a shrine. The golden glow pulsed steadily from her sigil stone on the altar.

"They've already found shrines?" a voice said behind her.

"Some zones have them nearby," Elysia said.

"Luck plays a role in the opening minutes. But keeping it, that's where the difference shows." She said.

Another instructor, a middle-aged man with streaks of white in his hair, spoke from the front, voice amplified by magic.

"Five minutes into the commencement. Current top ten unchanged. Most participants are still orienting themselves."

No one paid much attention; their eyes stayed on the screens.

Orion had started moving. The forest blurred as he glided through it. No mana visible, only the physical fluidity of someone who had long outgrown his age. His steps were calculated, his balance perfect.

"He's tracking someone," Elysia said suddenly.

The words drew attention. The students around her leaned forward.

"How do you know?" Someone asked.

"His eye movement," she said.

"He's not looking at random intervals; it's patterned. He's following residue or trace movement. Someone was there."

As if to confirm it, Orion crouched, touching the soil. The image magnified slightly, subtle indentations, almost invisible. He rose, expression steady, eyes narrowing.

The hall stayed silent as he disappeared from the spot, a blink movement, instant but clean. No flash, no flare.

"Teleportation," someone said.

"No," Elysia corrected.

"That wasn't aether step, not standard. He's manipulating space differently, not teleporting, just making it easier to break through. It's not uncommon, some even do it unconsciously, but he's definitely doing it consciously." She said, her eyes narrowed.

"You can tell?" They asked.

"I can see it," she said, eyes glowing slightly.

"The mana displacement is quieter. He masked the transition."

Her attention stayed fixed. The screen followed as he appeared behind another boy with short silver hair, the air snapping faintly from the displacement.

The hall collectively exhaled as the confrontation began.

The boy turned, startled. The two exchanged no words for several seconds. Then, motion — clean, sharp, minimal. The punch landed, and the silver-haired student dropped.

They watched as the student performed a last-ditch effort by throwing his sigil stone.

"Smart," Elysia commented.

But her eyes narrowed when she saw the same stone in Orion's hand.

"I thought the stone was gone. How did he get it?" Someone asked.

"That shouldn't be something an acolyte can do," Elysia said.

"No, it shouldn't," someone said beside her.

A short light flashed as the merge completed.

"Two points," Elysia murmured.

"First recorded merge," said one of the faculty members below. "Candidate Orion Chronos, one elimination achieved."

The ranking list adjusted automatically, his name rising from the middle of the screen to the top ten.

The Observation Hall broke into muted chatter.

"That was quick."

"Less than eight minutes in."

"Who did he take down?"

"Unknown yet. Probably from outer districts."

Elysia didn't comment. Her eyes remained on the forest image, now calm again, Orion walking away like nothing had happened.

"What do you think?" the second year asked beside her.

"Efficient," she said.

"Too efficient."

"You mean he's hiding something?"

Elysia turned to him with an expression that said, "Hiding what?"

The person just coughed and looked away.

"No," she said after a pause.

"I mean, he's used to this. That's not the movement of someone fighting for the first time."

The upper-year students around her exchanged quiet glances.

"I highly doubt he's the only one that isn't fighting for the first time among all of them." The second year said, hesitantly.

"I'm not talking about practice." She replied simply.

The second year's eyebrow rose, shocked by what she was insinuating.

The floating middle screen changed, shifting briefly from another candidate's duel to display Orion again, a rare double feature. His actions had been marked as notable. The caption below read:

<First Official Merge Recorded — Candidate Orion Chronos>

Below the screens, faculty began noting details on a parchment. Elysia leaned back, eyes thoughtful.

"Someone's going to have to stop him before the compression begins," one of the spectators said.

Elysia hummed, noncommittal.

"If anyone can." She said.

The glow from the screens reflected faintly off her eyes. She wasn't smiling or frowning, just watching.

No one replied. They just watched the boy on-screen walk deeper into the forest, expression unreadable, as the image slowly zoomed out, ten names still on the board, one beginning to climb faster than the rest.

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