Chapter 7: The Hero Games Begin
The campus buzzed louder than usual.
Banners flapped between towers, digital screens pulsed with countdowns, and every student walked a little taller, a little faster — like today mattered more than the rest of the year combined.
Because it did.
The Hero Games weren't just tradition. They were blood sport dressed up as PR — a school-wide combat showcase where students fought for ranking, recognition, and the attention of actual heroes in the audience. Every match was broadcast live. Every move analyzed. Every failure immortalized.
It was a feast, and the world would be watching.
Rook Vale stood in the waiting chamber behind Arena Two, watching the wall screen blink his name into place.
ROUND 1: ROOK VALE vs. LANCE KRILL
A file popped up beside it. Lance's photo. Power profile. Combat rank. Prior performance.
Ascension: Type-2 AerokineticClass Rank: C+Record: 5-2Temper: Competitive. Prone to overconfidence.
Rook studied it in silence. Not because he needed to. Just to kill time.
A door slid open to his left. Nico appeared, holding two energy gels and grinning like he'd already won.