Chapter 30: New program II

The Arcanums followed Dorian into an obstacle course of towering walls, weighted chains, and paths that demanded endurance and stamina. He looked back at then and smirked before saying, " As first timers I'll allow you all to pick what you'd like to endure." 

The Sigils gathered under Amira, where she conjured streams of pebbles that shot through the air like bullets, forcing her group to dodge while trying to sketch sigils in impossibly short bursts of time.

"Trying to sketch under constant pressure will help improve your ability to create runes in the shortest amount of time possible, in high speed situations you'll need to keep up and form proper runes to aid not only yourselves but your likely team members as well."

And the Archetypes followed Selvar into the open field.

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"Looks simple, doesn't it?" Selvar said, his tone sounded lazy and almost mocking. "Your task is easy. Make it across this field. A hundred meters. Nothing more."

One of the Archetypes groaned. "Well, that doesn't sound too bad."

Riven glanced at him. "Why do I feel like you'll regret saying that?"

Selvar's smirk widened. "Because," he said, tapping his foot lightly against the ground, "I've set triggers all over this field. Runes. Traps. And they're hungry for your mistakes."

The earth responded at once, glowing faintly as dozens of circles of runes flickered in and out of view before vanishing again.

A collective gasp rippled through the students.

"When—when did you do that?" one asked nervously.

Selvar shrugged. "While you were busy staring at the sky." His eyes glinted with a little humor. "This is about high-speed observation and evasion. Learning to sense the smallest shift before it swallows you whole. You are Archetypes so use your senses and survive."

He chuckled, stepping back. "And don't worry. This will be fun… for me of course."

The students exchanged uneasy glances. Then one muttered under his breath, "Well… here goes nothing."

They broke into movement.

Almost instantly, disaster struck. A scream tore through the field. They turned around and saw a girl had sunk knee-deep into the ground, the soil shifting beneath her into quicksand that pulled at her legs.

"Shit!" Ceyric, who was closest, wanted to lunge away from her, only to stagger as the earth under him turned to liquid, dragging him down with a splash.

"Fuck me," Riven muttered, scanning the ground. His eyes caught a faint ripple spreading under another boy's foot. His Instinct surged at that moment. "Watch out!" he shouted.

The boy blinked, startled, then leapt back just in time for the ground to turn to thick mud where he had been standing.

The boy nodded in thanks before sprinting again.

"So… you saw it too?"

Riven turned sharply. Leo was beside him, eyes sharp, scanning the ground.

"There's a faint ripple," Leo said quickly, "right before the traps trigger."

"Two seconds," Riven added. "That's all we get."

Their words carried to others nearby. Lynn's eyes widened, and she leapt just before the ground beneath her gave way. She landed with a smile, exhilaration on her face at having dodged the trap. Kevan, noticing, followed suit, springing back from another ripple.

On the sidelines, Selvar arched a brow, tapping his foot again. His grin widened. 'Not bad. Not bad at all.'

The ground trembled, and suddenly students collided with what felt like a wall of a sort that hadn't been there before sending two sprawling into the dirt.

"What the—" Riven staggered as he slammed into one himself, clutching his ribs as he stumbled back. His hands pressed forward, at first meeting what he could only describe as a solid rock, then nothing. His palm slipped through the invisible wall as though it wasn't there at all.

"Invisible… shifting walls?" he muttered.

He barely had a moment to recover before the ground rippled under him again, forcing him to leap aside.

He wasn't the only one. Around him, students slammed into unseen barriers, only to be dragged into ground traps immediately after on timed intervals.

Realization struck. "Wait! The walls and the traps they're timed together!" Riven shouted, pointing. "There's an interval, feel around and dodge the wall, then watch the ground!"

Leo nodded, and spoke over the chaos. "Look for the distortion and slight shimmer in the air before the wall manifests!"

The message spread fast. Students began to adapt, moving sharper, quicker and more focused. Riven led with his intuition and Leo matched him step for step, their observations saving half the group from disaster.

From his vantage point, Selvar watched, eyes narrowing in appraisal. His smile had faded into something colder and more calculating. 'They adapted quickly,' he thought before looking at Riven. 'Keen Observes, analyzation skills and communicates well with others and doesn't hoard what he learns. Most Archetypes wouldn't bother sharing. This one… promising. And that Leo boy too.'

Hours passed in the brutal gauntlet. Even with the knowledge of the patterns, Selvar constantly shifted the traps, forcing them to adjust again and again. By the time the last of the group stumbled across the finish line, bruised, scraped, and caked in dirt, the sun was sinking low.

Ceyric collapsed to the ground, mud dripping off him in clumps. "That… was hell. Pure hell." He groaned, dragging a hand through the muck. "I never want to see mud again."

Riven, standing nearby, let out a short laugh. "Don't worry. You'll be eating it again tomorrow."

Ceyric glared, too tired to retort. He simply grunted and looked away.

Selvar clapped his hands once, drawing every weary eye toward him. His smirk returned, sharp and merciless.

"Congratulations," he said. "Day one is done. You survived. Barely if I might add. Tomorrow, you'll come back here, and you'll do it again. And the day after that. And every day for the next month. Welcome to your new life."

The students groaned collectively, but not one dared defy him.

Selvar's eyes lingered on Riven, Leo and a few others as he turned away, a faint murmur slipping past his lips. "Promising… very promising."

And so ended the first day in the endurance yard.