In the final round of the class representative examination, Yuna stood quietly beside Enyo.
The girl with the cascade of red curls barely spared her a glance, as if Yuna's presence wasn't even worth acknowledging.
Yuna sighed inwardly.
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Still, at least she no longer needed to rely on others to sense the domain's exit.
She could feel it now—the subtle pull, the call that whispered of escape.
Without another word, Yuna trailed behind Enyo into the domain.
…..
Elsewhere, Alaric's eyes flicked briefly toward Yuna as she disappeared into the portal. His gaze narrowed ever so slightly.
Setting aside the anger and humiliation she'd inflicted on him today, something about her was… off.
The fact that she could sneak up behind him, completely undetected—not a whisper of breath, not a single fluctuation of presence—was deeply unsettling.
It was as if she merged seamlessly with her surroundings, not even a ripple disturbing the flow of the world. Like she was the nature.
And that artifact—those vines that bound him so tightly he couldn't even struggle—there was no way someone of her supposed level should possess such a high-tier item.
Even he, with all his strength, hadn't been able to break free.
There was nothing ordinary about her.
"Shall we?" Dane's voice cut through his thoughts.
Alaric nodded, pushing it all aside for now.
...
As Yuna stepped into the domain, a surge of foreboding roared through her like a thunderclap.
Her instincts screamed, danger. Immediate, deadly danger.
Before she could even think, her ability flared. Kasa Water erupted around her and Enyo, forming an umbrella-like dome of shimmering liquid.
Only when the dome was up did Yuna realize why her body had reacted so violently.
Her breath hitched in her throat.
The air outside their barrier was filled with slicing, furious wind—so fast and sharp it reduced stone into dust.
She stared, stunned, sweat trickling down her spine as the dome held firm.
Beside her, Enyo cast a glance her way, eyes briefly narrowing.
A flicker of disappointment crossed the redhead's face upon seeing Yuna unharmed. It quickly vanished, replaced by a neutral expression.
She and her brother had been closely observing the Heart Class, searching for anyone who might possess that divine, pure blood. Yet, so far, none of them appeared worthy of carrying such highly refined and concentrated purity.
Enyo look outside the dome, her tone was flat as she commented, "The realm's stopped rotating."
She glanced around the whirlwind outside, calm and analytical.
"In a few minutes, it should start again. When it does, it'll spin around thirty times the speed of our world."
Yuna swallowed. Hard.
She used to wonder what would happen if Earth ever stopped spinning.
Now she didn't have to wonder—she was living it. And once it started again at 30x the speed?
Thank the stars, the heavens, the earth, and whatever higher power that existed—she'd chosen to develop a shield-based water ability.
If she hadn't, she'd already be nothing but shredded meat flung into the wind.
Her current wind affinity was no match for the storm outside her barrier.
But Kasa Water—her protective water element—was holding. Barely.
No, not just holding.
Her water was matching the storm force for force, and winning.
Because her water dominate it. Her named water element bore the trait 'Domination'
And that trait was steadily, stubbornly overpowering the wind, bit by bit.
Yuna clenched her fists.
From now on, she swore, she would never neglect her water affinity again.
She'd train relentlessly, day and night, refine its pressure, sharpen its control, push the boundaries of its dominance.
This moment had proven one thing—her survival depended on it.
This time, the catalyst and the exit point within the domain were located in completely opposite directions.
"I'm heading toward the exit," Yuna stated calmly. She don't want to linger a second longer in this disastrous place.
Given how volatile and destructive the environment was, she doubted there would be any sentient guardian watching over the catalyst. The domain's instability made it unlikely.
Enyo offered no response. She simply murmured a few incantations under her breath, then drew a shallow cut across her wrist. Blood welled up and hovered midair, not a single drop touching the ground. The suspended droplets began to glow, forming intricate runes as they arranged themselves around her. In moments, a shimmering transparent crimson film encased her—a blood-forged barrier.
"You can withdraw your shield now," Enyo said curtly without turning her head.
Yuna obediently dispelled the dome of her Kasa Water, keeping only a narrow barrier centered around herself. She observed as Enyo clicked her tongue in irritation and stepped directly into the ferocious wind.
The wind was fiercer than expected. Enyo's expression tensed as she drew more blood to reinforce her barrier, still without sparing a glance back. With a sense of detachment, she walked away into the gale.
Yuna exhaled, rubbing her brow. From her gathered knowledge—thanks to Celeste's endless lectures—she had learned that in a third-rank, low-tier domain. In an extremely unstable, the domain couldn't even support the existence of a sentient creature to guard the catalyst. Reassured by that logic, she moved toward where she instinctively felt the exit would be.
Nothing dramatic happened this time. Unlike the domain she shared with Alaric, there were no sudden shifts, traps, or surprise sentient enemies. She safely exited through the vortex.
As she stumbled out into the open world once more, Yuna let out a soft sigh of relief and smiled faintly. As expected, her devoted Heart Class was already rushing over to surround her, voices overlapping in concern.
About fifteen minutes later, Celeste emerged from her domain as well. The other class representatives followed shortly after.
Moments later, scores began to flash on the large board suspended above the training field, reflecting their performance inside the domain. Alaric and Dane had high scores.
Then came the scores for Enyo and Yuna.
Zero.
A quiet, stunned silence rippled across the students. Enyo's face turned crimson—not from embarrassment, but fury—and she looked moments away from combusting.
Before she could open her mouth to protest, Principal Lilith Noir, as if anticipating the reaction, clapped her hands cheerfully. Her bright, girlish smile contrasted starkly with the tension in the air.
"This was a team-based trial," she said, her tone sweet and lilting. "A team must act together no?. You're free to exit together, of course. But if only one does one thing and the other another ... well, that's a failure, no?"
"But she's the one who said she'd go to the exit!" Enyo exploded, pointing an accusatory finger at Yuna. "She got scared going for the catalyst! How is that my fault?!"
Lilith blinked, tilting her head as if trying to understand the logic. Then her smile returned, wider and even more impish.
"Mmm… I see," she said with a slow nod. "But that's not my problem." Her tone dismissive.
Enyo looks stifled, but Lilith paid her no mind. She continued, practically bouncing in place:
"Now for the final ranking of class representatives! In last place: Heart Class. Third place: Spade Class. Second place: Club Class. And in first place… Diamond Class! Well done, everyone!"
Her warm gaze swept across the gathered students, twinkling with mischief.
"And that," she said with theatrical flair, "is a small taste of what domains are really like. A teeny tiny sample. Based on your class representatives' performances, I hope you've begun to grasp the unpredictable nature of domains."
She raised a finger, her tone turning slightly more serious despite the ever-present cheer.
"Your next test will be held in a low-tier, first-grade domain. Much more difficult. But hey—at least this time, you'll be with your classmates, right?"
Then, as quickly as she had appeared, she twirled on her heel and waved.
"Toodle-oo~! You've got two days to prepare~!"
Before walking away, she whisper something to professor Veyne which elicit a slight twitch in the corner of Professor Veyne's mouth.
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Read author's thoughts. Imp imp.