Elysia walked silently.

She brushed a loose strand of hair from her face and exhaled softly.

"Well, well... if it isn’t the academy’s favorite genius."

Elysia stopped. Her brows furrowed slightly as she turned around.

Behind were four other students—his group members—each one smirking.

Elysia said. "What do you want?"

He pushed off the wall, walking toward her slowly.

One of them said, "I’m going to teach these juniors a lesson," he said.

One of his teammates—a tall boy with a scar under his left eye—cracked his knuckles and grinned.

"Finally. I’ve been waiting to put her in her place."

"Let’s take this inside," another one said.

She stepped back slightly. "I’m not interested in fighting you. Move aside."

But Ethan’s group had already surrounded her.

Their grins widened as they closed the circle.

"Sorry," said the scarred boy. "But the senior says you need a lesson."

"Five against one," she said softly, her voice edged with disbelief.

"Do you really think this is fair?"

"Who said anything about fair? You should’ve thought about that before humiliating Ethan"

"I am not humiliated", said Ethan lying on the floor, injured.

Before she could reply, one of his group members—a girl snapped her fingers, and a gust of wind exploded toward Elysia.

She leapt aside, rolling across the floor, but another attack came immediately from the other direction.

A burst of flame roared across her path, forcing her back.

"Come on!" the flame user taunted.

"Show us that brilliance everyone keeps talking about!"

Elysia’s instincts kicked in.

She raised her hand, summoning a faint golden shield of mana that barely deflected the incoming blows.

Sparks erupted as fire met light. The room quaked from the pressure of clashing energy.

But there were too many of them.

Two more joined in—one conjuring lightning, another charging straight at her with a short sword.

Elysia ducked and sidestepped, her body reacting to pure survival.

A blade grazed her shoulder, tearing her sleeve and drawing blood.

She gasped and stumbled back, but before she could recover, a lightning bolt struck the ground beside her, knocking her balance off.

Her shield flickered.

"Pathetic," Ethan muttered, watching with a cruel smirk.

"You can’t even defend against basic team coordination?"

One of them lifted their hand, and mana surged around his palm.

"Let’s raise the difficulty."

They thrust their hand forward, releasing a wave of magic that streaked across the room like a storm.

Elysia barely threw up her sword barrier in time, but the force sent her crashing into the wall.

Her body hit the ground hard.

Pain rippled through her ribs. Her breathing grew heavy.

(How do I dodge this), Elysia thought.

The orange-haired girl laughed. "Oh, it’s not. It’s a lesson!"

The others continued their assault—fireballs, wind blades, lightning bursts—all aimed at her.

She dodged left, then right.

Every defense she put up was shattered by the next strike.

She was overwhelmed.

"You wanted to play the hero earlier, right? Let’s see how much your ’justice’ helps you now!"

Another bolt struck the ground, and debris exploded upward.

Elysia coughed as dust filled her lungs.

"I... I can’t keep this up," she whispered to herself, staggering to one knee.

"If I can just—"

Before she could finish, the scarred boy appeared behind her, swinging a heavy punch.

She turned just in time, blocking it with her arm—but the impact sent her flying again.

She hit the floor, rolled, and barely managed to stand.

Her vision blurred. Her body trembled. Her mana core was nearly drained.

"Elysia, Elysia, Elysia..." Ethan’s voice echoed mockingly as he laid at the floor.

"All that talk about talent, but look at you now—barely standing."

She glared at them. "Coward... You’re five against one. Is this your pride?"

"You should be honored. We don’t usually waste this much effort on nobodies." One of them said,

He stood again and gave a short nod to his teammates.

"End it."

The words struck her harder than any spell.

The next few moments blurred together.

Blasts of elemental power rained down from every direction—flames scorching the air, lightning tearing across the floor, wind blades slicing through the dust.

Elysia tried to move, but every muscle screamed.

A fireball hit her shoulder, spinning her around. A wind blade struck her side.

Then a final blast of lightning struck her back, sending her collapsing face-first onto the cold floor.

One of them lowered his hand slowly, exhaling through his nose. "That’s enough."

The others hesitated, then backed away and their expressions a mix of satisfaction and unease.

Elysia lay motionless, her body bruised and bloodied, her breathing faint.

The orange-haired girl frowned slightly. "Ethan... I think she’s—"

"She’s fine," Ethan interrupted sharply.

"She just needs to remember her place."

He looked down at Elysia.

Her lips were parted slightly, blood tracing down from the corner of her mouth. There was no defiance left in her expression.

"Clean up," one of them said to the group. "If anyone asks, she trespassed into our training session. Got it?"

They nodded, though their earlier confidence had dimmed.

One of them glanced nervously at Elysia before dragging a towel to wipe the scorch marks off the floor.

Ethan walked to the door, pausing just before leaving. For a moment, he glanced back. His jaw clenched.

"She should’ve known better," he whispered coldly to himself, then stepped out.

The metallic door hissed shut, leaving the training room in dim silence.

Time passed.

Elysia’s fingers twitched.

Her eyes fluttered open weakly.

She tried to move but couldn’t. Pain pulsed through her body with every heartbeat.

The metallic taste of blood lingered on her tongue.

Slowly, she turned her head. The room was empty.

She saw scorch marks across the walls, traces of battle. Her mind replayed everything in flashes—their laughter, Ethan’s smirk, the relentless attacks.

Her vision blurred again as tears welled in her eyes.

"Why...?" she whispered weakly.

"If I can’t face them, I won’t be able to face Kael head on"

Her hand gripped the floor tightly.

She had fought hard to earn her place at the academy.

She had worked endlessly, night after night, trying to prove herself—not for fame, but for strength.

Yet even now, strength seemed so far away.

Then in that moment she passed out in Ethan’s training room.