SWNOVELXO Chapter 14: Chapter 14 – Trial by Element: The First Challenge Begins
The morning mist cleared over Arcane Academy's training colosseum as Principal Alden stood before the selected six teams.
> Alden:
"This trial will test your synergy, wit, and will. Each team will be sent to a separate, magically-constructed domain. Inside lies a fragment of an ancient artifact. Find it, and return within the time limit. Fail... and your ranking drops."
With a gesture, portals opened across the arena—each glowing with different elemental hues.
> "Begin."
---
🔥 Show & Karen – Volcanic Ravine
Flames danced in the air as they stepped onto crumbling platforms above molten lava. The heat distorted the air, making it hard to breathe.
> Karen: "One wrong step and we're toast."
Suddenly, lava serpents slithered from the cracks.
> Show (grinning): "I've got fire, they've got fire—guess it's a family reunion!"
He unleashed a flame vortex, drawing the serpents in while Karen leapt across platforms, creating illusionary decoys with her attract magic to confuse them.
She reached the top ledge and grabbed the artifact shard glowing in a lava crystal.
Just as the cliff collapsed, Show rocketed up using a flame burst from his feet, catching Karen mid-air.
> Karen (blushing, angry): "Next time—give me the dramatic rescue."
---
❄️ Drake & Lyra – Frozen Expanse
They trudged through a blizzard-blanketed wasteland, visibility low, the shard hidden in a glacier.
Suddenly, ice golems emerged, mirroring their movements like reflections.
> Drake: "Mimic magic…"
> Lyra: "Then don't move how they expect!"
She sent vines underneath the snow, breaking the ground beneath one golem. Drake unleashed a spiral frost lance, shattering the others after Lyra distracted them.
Finally, Lyra directed a thick root wall up the glacier, and Drake froze it solid to create a bridge.
Together, they retrieved the shard and shared a calm nod.
> Lyra (quietly): "We work… pretty well."
> Drake: "Told you."
---
🌀 Raelyn & Teach – Unknown Zone
Their domain was surreal—a floating labyrinth of time-locked platforms, shifting in and out of reality.
> Teach: "This is a gravity-twisted spatial domain. I've read about these."
> Raelyn: "Just don't fall into a void."
Using telekinetic pulses, Teach stabilized the floating debris while Raelyn leapt from one platform to another, striking down mana phantoms with light blasts.
They had to pass a logic puzzle made of floating runes. Raelyn impatiently tried to force it.
> Teach: "No, no—see the equation on the corner?"
Raelyn grumbled, letting Teach solve it. The path opened.
They floated toward the center, where the shard hovered in a time bubble.
> Raelyn: "I could get used to your brain."
> Teach: "It's a national treasure."
---
🧩 Cyrus & Akito – The Mirror Maze
A shimmering crystal maze with hundreds of reflections. Every direction looked the same.
> Cyrus: "I hate puzzles."
> Akito (smirking): "I love puzzles."
Akito used illusion magic to mark false paths while Cyrus smashed through mirrored golems guarding the wrong trails. One illusion trap nearly caught Cyrus, but Akito triggered a mirror bomb card, redirecting it.
> Akito: "Good thing you have me."
> Cyrus: "Good thing mirrors don't punch back."
Finally, the center mirror split open to reveal the shard, floating in a suspended illusion field. Akito dispelled the trap and handed it over.
> "One mirror shard, delivered."
---
🪨 Chris & Presto – Rocky Range
They navigated a field of collapsing stone bridges and shifting terrain. Presto dashed ahead, lightning-fast, while Chris created earth platforms to keep the path stable.
Suddenly, rock hounds attacked—massive beasts of mana-infused ore.
> Presto: "Let me handle this!"
He zapped through them, stunning them mid-leap while Chris used stone pillars to pin them down and crush their armor.
Near the top of a mountain, the shard rested within a stone monolith. They climbed together, coordinating perfectly.
> Chris: "Nice control this time."
> Presto (grinning): "I know! Epic, right?"
---
🌳 Lina & Lily – Verdant Wild
Their forest seemed serene—too serene.
> Lina: "I sense something... watching."
Forest spirits emerged from the trees, drawn to the healing energy. Instead of fighting, Lina began channeling healing pulses, calming them.
Lily wrapped vines gently around the spirits, allowing them to guide the duo toward the shrine in the center, where the shard was blooming inside a giant flower.
> Lina: "Sometimes… magic just needs kindness."
> Lily: "That's why you're in the top six."
---
🏁 All Trials Cleared
One by one, the pairs returned through their portals—scorched, frozen, bruised, or glowing with pride.
Alden stood before them, watching silently.
> Alden: "Interesting results. Some of you showed power. Others showed heart. The next trial… will not be so forgiving."
> "And the artifact fragments… were more than just tests."
As whispers passed between the professors, none of the students noticed the faint glow each shard still emitted…
---
> TO BE CONTINUED