🔥 The Trial Begins
The giant bell of Galactus Academy rang loudly.
All students' bracelets glowed red. A message appeared in the air:
> FURNACE TRIAL - STARTING
"Survival creates strength. Strength creates rulers."
Hundreds of students stood inside the giant stone hall. In front of them floated Instructor Thalindra, her long white coat waving as the wind of magic swirled.
> "This is your first true test," she said calmly.
"You will be thrown into the lower trial realm. A broken battlefield full of danger."
"You fight alone. You survive if you can."
Her voice became colder:
> "No killing allowed directly. But accidents are... allowed."
The students went silent.
Everyone knew what that really meant: "Survive however you want."
---
💠 The Fall
The floor under their feet glowed. Circles of light swallowed them one by one.
Cyrus felt his body pulled into a tunnel of wind and color.
Then—
He appeared in mid-air, falling fast.
His sharp eyes saw everything in seconds.
Floating islands everywhere.
Huge cracks in the sky, like broken mirrors.
Gravity twisting strangely.
Purple storms swirling far away.
He adjusted his body as he fell.
> Gravity here is broken because old dimensions crashed here long ago.
The battlefield is unstable... but that means it's full of tools.
Below him were sharp rocks and glowing crystal pools. One mistake meant death.
He twisted his body slightly, letting the wind slow him.
He aimed for a small pool of mana water and landed with a light splash.
> Safe.
---
🔧 Finding Tools
Cyrus looked around carefully.
Near him stood the broken remains of an old tree. Its roots had turned into hard, shiny crystal from the wild mana storms.
> These roots are strong but light. Perfect for binding.
Mana crystals nearby — unstable but full of energy.
Some glowing blue moss — highly flammable.
While others might panic, Cyrus moved quickly.
He pulled three root pieces and snapped them into sticks.
He picked small mana crystals, careful not to touch their sharp tips.
He gathered the glowing moss and crushed it into sticky paste.
> With these, I can build a simple bomb.
Not powerful, but enough to control space.
Within two minutes, he had created a small explosive.
No magic. Only knowledge.
---
🐍 The First Enemy — Reality Serpent
A strange sound made him stop.
From the floating cliffs ahead, a giant creature slithered into view.
A Reality Serpent — long, silver, and smooth like glass. Its six glowing eyes spun like wheels.
It twisted through the air, sliding between broken rocks as if swimming in water.
> It senses movement. Not magic. Good.
The serpent's tongue flickered between dimensions, hunting.
Suddenly—it charged.
---
🩸 The Dodge — Fast and Clean
Cyrus didn't panic.
As the serpent's head snapped toward him, he stepped right—not running, but shifting his weight smoothly.
The serpent's mouth missed by inches, slicing through the air with a loud crack.
Behind him, rocks shattered under its breath.
---
Cyrus reached into his pocket and threw his sticky resin bomb upwards, not at the serpent — but where he knew the beast would turn.
> The creature likes to loop when it misses.
The resin caught fire as it flew, spreading sparks.
The serpent twisted right into the burning air — its skin flickering as its dimensional skin was disturbed.
It hissed in confusion, momentarily blind.
---
🌀 The Trap — Using Gravity
Cyrus sprinted toward a floating platform nearby — but not by chance.
He was leading the beast toward a trap:
A gravity fracture — a hole where space pulled in on itself, like a black hole.
> The serpent can't sense gravity changes as fast as I do.
As he passed the edge, he dove sideways and rolled.
The serpent followed—but entered too deep into the gravity hole.
The pull was sudden.
Its long body stretched unnaturally. Bones cracked.
Then space itself folded — crushing the creature like paper.
In seconds, it was gone.
> One threat removed.
---
💀 The Ambush — Rogues Appear
The quiet didn't last long.
From behind the rocks, three students appeared.
Rogue minor House kids. Jealous. Dangerous.
Their leader, tall and muscular, smiled cruelly.
> "You're alone. No magic. Easy prey."
Cyrus stared, calm.
> "You are wrong."
The leader charged first — smashing the ground to create a small shockwave.
---
🩸 The Fight — Smooth and Sharp
Cyrus waited until the last second.
He shifted one foot back slightly.
Let the shockwave roll under his body.
Slid forward under the man's swinging fist.
Struck behind the man's knee with sharp precision.
The big man screamed as his leg twisted sideways.
He fell, unable to stand.
---
The second attacker rushed in, swinging a glowing energy blade.
Cyrus stepped into the attack instead of away — cutting the angle.
He grabbed the attacker's wrist, twisted sharply—
Pop — the arm dislocated, the weapon falling.
---
The third hesitated, fear in his eyes.
> "I-I surrender!"
Cyrus simply answered:
> "No surrender in survival."
He triggered a small charge planted earlier behind them.
Rocks exploded, knocking the last student unconscious.
---
🕶 The Watchers Above
Instructor Thalindra watched from high above.
She whispered:
> "No powers. No spells. But the battlefield obeys him."
---
🌑 The Reputation Begins
When the trial ended, the surviving students were pulled back.
Already, rumors spread fast:
"The Aurelius Phantom."
"The one who fights without power."
"He turns the world itself into his weapon."
The Houses noticed him now.
But Cyrus simply stood there, hands behind his back — eyes cold.
> This is only the beginning.
---
End of Chapter 4