(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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Protocol was running again, smooth, stable. Yet, every time she came too close, it fluttered slightly. The interference was subtle now, no longer overwhelming.

He smirked.

His focus soon returned to the environment. Faint spatial tremors pulsed through the ground, distant combat. Other students, maybe a dozen.

The trial was far from over.

He wasn't rushing toward victory. The top spot was already his once; losing a few points wasn't the concern. What mattered was refining his control.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder.

What exactly was the Entropy bloodline capable of at full activation? If her instability could already disrupt system mechanics, what would happen once she learned to channel it?

He glanced at her briefly. She was walking a step behind him, her expression thoughtful but distant.

She still didn't understand why he'd spared her. That was fine. As far as he was concerned, she was both a problem and a lesson.

He adjusted his pace, slowing just enough for her to catch up.

Margaret looked at him warily.

"You are always this quiet?" She asked. They'd been walking for a while now, and he'd been silent throughout; it was doing nothing to ease her worry.

"Only when I'm thinking," he replied.

"What about?" She asked, trying to understand him.

"You," he replied without hesitation.

The faint shimmer of the sky above signalled another boundary adjustment. The second compression was here, and according to protocol, about an hour had passed since the start of the trial and 30 minutes since the first.

Orion noted it, then looked ahead. "We move west. Stay close."

She nodded automatically.

He didn't glance back. His eyes were already half-closed, Protocol running faintly in the background. The trial wasn't over, but for now, he had an ally, even if she didn't know what she truly was.

The sky pulsed faintly overhead, a dim shimmer passing across the clouds as the first compression began.

Orion glanced upward once, then shifted his focus forward. His spatial sense was practically ringing in his head; the boundary was shrinking, just as expected.

"We're moving faster," he said simply.

Margaret followed without question, though her steps were slower. Her mind was elsewhere. She still couldn't make sense of him, his behaviour, his calmness, the way he fought with his eyes closed, how he decided to take her along without reason.

While running, Orion reached into his pocket and tapped the sigil stone. The faint glow pulsed twice before displaying his current position in the rankings.

Third.

He stared at the number for a moment, then smiled faintly.

'It's dropped again, makes sense. Too much time wasted,' he thought.

The first name glowed above his — Daenys — 76 points.

Second was Kael — 73points.

His own number sat at 70.

It didn't bother him. Numbers changed quickly during the first compression.

He pocketed the stone and continued.

Behind him, Margaret finally spoke. "You're smiling," she said.

"Observation noted," he replied.

"But you lost a rank." She said, perplexed.

"I noticed." He said, his eyes changing direction every second.

"You're not worried?" She asked.

"No."

She frowned slightly. "Most people would be."

"I'm not most people." He said simply.

That ended the conversation.

They kept moving until the sound of faint impacts broke the quiet. The trees ahead shuddered slightly, dry leaves scattering across the air. Margaret slowed down, instinctively lowering her stance.

Orion stopped beside her,

Four signatures, clustered about fifty meters ahead. The fluctuations were sharp and frequent, another fight already in progress.

He could make out the rhythm. Two attacking, two retreating. One of the retreating mana signatures was fading fast.

"Stay here," he said.

Margaret opened her mouth to object, then closed it. There wasn't any point.

Orion stepped forward, his pace measured.

He didn't need stealth. He could already read their movements through the air vibrations alone. Each footstep, each shift in weight, each exhale. Protocol processed the rhythm, translating motion into predictable lines.

He broke through the trees quietly.

The scene was simple: two boys pressing forward against another pair, one of whom was already injured. The ground showed signs of struggle: shallow grooves, snapped twigs, scattered dust.

Neither group noticed him until he was already between them.

The nearest attacker barely registered a blur before Orion's leg swept under his, sending him to the ground. The second turned sharply, swinging with reinforced strength. Orion leaned aside and countered with a clean strike to the shoulder, redirecting his balance.

Both dropped before the others realised what had happened.

The remaining two froze, staring at him. The injured one tried to rise, but Orion raised a hand lightly.

"Stay down," he said.

The other, realising the fight was lost, hesitated before placing his sigil stone on the ground. His tone was quiet.

"Take it. We're done." He admitted.

Orion didn't reply. He collected the four stones and merged them into two, each with 20 and 18. The glow steadied, confirming the absorption.

He turned and walked back to where Margaret waited.

She was standing exactly where he'd left her, wide-eyed.

"That was…" she began, searching for words.

She just kept staring at the clearing, where the faint lights of elimination shimmered as the other students faded out.

Orion glanced down at the new merged stone. He handed her the one with 18 points.

Her head snapped toward him. "What?"

"You need points," he said plainly.

"I— You're giving me one?"

He just nodded

"Why?" She asked.

"You'll need to stay in the trial if you're coming with me." He said with a raised brow, as though she'd just asked a stupid question.

Margaret hesitated, uncertain.

"You're aware I'll drag you down." She said, her eyes darting around.

"Maybe, but I have my reasons," he said.

"And you don't plan on telling them to me." She said, looking him straight in the eye.

"At least not yet," He admitted.

She nodded and merged the stones, whatever risk she was entering into, at least she'd face it after getting into the academy.

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