Tobias' POV
The man at the podium stood straight, voice clear, emotionless. His white uniform, lined with red, gave him the air of a surgeon rather than a proctor.
"Phase Two will now begin. Each team is to work together to neutralize a designated target. Only the top fifty will qualify for Phase Three. Scores from both phases will be tallied."
The courtyard was dead silent.
Too silent.
Not the usual tension. No coughs. No whispers. Not even the rustle of fabric.
Like the world had hit mute.
The man continued, unfazed.
"Proceed to your assigned training halls. Each team was given a number upon registration. Your corresponding hall awaits."
He turned and left. Still, no one moved. No one even breathed wrong.
I glanced at the others.
Eyes wide. Jaws tight.
We all felt it.
None of us understood it.
Silence hung for a moment.
Then it exploded.
Murmurs. Whispers. Low voices vibrating with curiosity and anxiety.
"Seven against one? That's overkill."
"I tried to talk earlier, but couldn't. Like my throat locked up."
"That test was weirdly underwhelming."
"How strong could one person be against a full team?"
Raika folded her arms. "They're not wrong. I can't imagine anyone standing up to all seven of us. Unless they're a Sentinel. Or from the Vanguard."
None of us argued.
We made our way through the halls. The academy was unnervingly quiet now, as if the very walls were holding their breath.
We stopped in front of Hall Seven.
Our number.
Liam opened the door.
Inside, a girl stood alone in the center of the massive space. The room was a hybrid between a dojo and a training simulator—flat panel floors, curved steel walls, and adjustable gravity anchors along the sides.
She turned as we entered, arms behind her back.
"This is your test. The objective is simple: You're a squad of Sentinels and your mission is to neutralise a tier 5 metahuman, me."
Her tone was sharp, professional. Not a student. Not an intern—a proctor.
"The test will begin in five minutes. The combat suits are in the changing room."
We rushed toward the changing rooms, each combat suit was in a case each with our number. 007, I grabbed mine, opened it, and quickly put it on. It felt different from how it was in VR, something about the weight. I slipped the helmet on, the HUD flickered to life as I locked the helmet in place.
We all came out ready and spread out instinctively.
Weapons ready.
Abilities humming.
I dropped into stance. Both arms glowing faint blue, then erupting into flame.
Then she looked at me.
I met her eyes.
Irritation. Not challenge. Not caution. Irritation.
Odd.
Then something in my spine tightened. Instinct.
Move.
I brought both arms up, but she was already gone.
Lightning cracked.
She appeared in front of me.
Too fast.
Her fist slammed into my gut—not straight. Upward.
My feet left the ground.
My world shattered.
And everything went black.