Crestfall: Darkness Unveiled

A month had passed since the first training session, and with it, the sharp tension that had once lingered in the air had slowly given way to quiet anticipation. The students of Class 13-A had grown accustomed to their routines, their progress more evident with each passing day.

Sosuke stood at the edge of the training yard, looking out over the field. The familiar hum of mana swirled in the air, the scent of grass and earth mixing with the crisp autumn breeze. He could feel the weight of the coming trials pressing down on him, but the anxiety that had once clung to him like a shadow had faded, replaced by a quiet confidence.

Rin approached from behind, her usual teasing smile in place. "You seem calm. What's wrong with you?" She nudged him lightly with her elbow, her eyes scanning the other students gathered for the midterm briefing.

Sosuke glanced at her, smirking. "What can I say? I've had a month to get used to the idea. Besides, we've trained for this, right? Just another day."

Ren caught up to the two and placed an arm around both their necks. "What did I miss."

"Nothing, you're here on time for once." Sosuke rolled his eyes and moved Ren's arm off. "It's gonna start in a few seconds."

The students of Class 13-A gathered at the far end of the training yard, their eyes fixed on Professor Aleron, who stood at the front of the group. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the field, and the air felt charged with anticipation.

Sosuke stood with Rin and Ren, his body tense, but his expression calm. He had grown used to the rhythm of school life over the past month, but this day felt different. The excitement, the pressure—it was all starting to sink in. This was it. The Midterm Trials were on the horizon.

Professor Aleron cleared his throat, drawing the students' attention. "Welcome, Class 13-A. You've had a month of intense training, and today, we begin preparing for the Midterm Trials." He paused, letting the words sink in. "This will be unlike anything you've faced before. You will be tested on everything you've learned so far: your magic, your teamwork, and your ability to think on your feet."

The professor lifted up a cube that exuded a strange aura. "This cube contains a domain of sorts," Aleron turns the top half of the cube then places it on the ground far from the students. "Anything that happens within the cubes domain, won't. Allow me to elaborate. You will all be sparring in tournament like battles. In here you can go all out without a worry. Once the battle ends, all injuries or mana drain, is removed. Like it never happened." I'll reveal the bracket early tomorrow. You'll be given a single week to prepare for these fights. I suggest not to slack off."

After Aleron's briefing, the students dispersed, their conversations a mixture of excitement and nervous energy. Sosuke, Rin, and Ren made their way toward the first-year hub. The area buzzed with the quiet hum of mana-infused machines and the low murmur of other students strategizing for their upcoming battles.

The trio were having a nice talk in Rin's room, but Ren was hardly speaking. His hands trembled slightly and he was sweating profusely.

"Hey Ren, you good?" Sosuke asked with a worried expression.

Ren's gaze avoided any eye contact. "I can't hide it anymore, and it's best I shouldn't. You guys should follow me to my room. I have something to show you."

Sosuke and Rin glanced at each other, then back at Ren. They followed him out of Rin's room and into his. Ren shut the door and locked it behind them. He walked over to a drawer and tossed a book out. Sosuke peered around him to see what he was doing. Ren's fingers twitched as he lifted up a fake compartment in the drawer and pulled out a paper, a page.

Ren held it up to Sosuke's face. "I took it. I took the professors page." He crouched back down to grab a few more papers. "It wasn't just Aleron, I took from others. I didn't want to make it obvious." Ren looked through the torn pages in his hands. Sosuke's heart sank, eyes grew wide, and unable to form a sentence. Rin leaned forward in a chair, shocked. "My original motivation for such a thing was so I could get a head start on you Sosuke. But I realized something, now that we're on the same team, I don't need to hide it! It's pages of learning to use core techniques. With this we could easily beat everyone in the tournament and trial!"

Sosuke grabbed the pages out of Ren's hands and looked at them. He shook his head in disbelief and disappointment. "This is bad Ren. This is cheating! How do you think Professor Aleron would react if you pulled your fucking core technique out of no where!? He's not an idiot. You clearly haven't thought this through enough." Sosuke tossed the pages onto the floor and sat on the edge of Ren's bed, sighing heavily.

"I say we use them." Rin's voice cut through the silence. "Definitely not for the tournament, but for the trial. How would they ever know? I doubt they'll be monitoring us in there. I heard they track monster kills through other methods."

Sosuke turned to Rin in disbelief now. "W-wha… you guys are seriously considering this?" Sosuke glanced at both of them. The two shrugged.

Sosuke groaned. "This is all happening too fast. Don't you two realize that we'll be banished from any magic school in the world if we're caught! It seems to me neither of you realize the consequences. That's not even mentioning the fact that you stole from teachers Ren! That's grounds for suspension already." Sosuke paced around the room and fidgeted with his hands. "We should burn them. No evidence and it'll gone forever. Never to worry about it again."

Ren's gaze avoided Sosuke's again. "I read through some of it. I practiced in the training yard during free time and… I was able to pull something off."

"You're really making this worse and worse. Just forget about it, don't use it at all during the trial. We don't have to be the best, we just have to survive." Sosuke took deep breaths and sat back down on Ren's bed.

"You think I'm not worried? I did it without thinking, it was so easy too. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have I…" Ren's breathing was shallow and erratic. He fumbled around with the pages before dropping them again.

"I think we should save them. Think about this," Rin stood up from the seat. "We're going to learn core techniques eventually right? We might as well start now. As for using them for other things, during the tournament is just outright stupid, and during the trial is very risky. But… if we do it right, maybe we can. I'm saying that we could learn this to save it for the big monsters. The ones that'll give the most points." Rin spoke with confidence and calmness.

"That won't work, if we're fighting the high-value targets and use it, someone will see. We're not gonna be the only ones after those targets." Sosuke reasoned.

"Right, then we go for the middle tier ones. That way it'll be worth to use it on them to get points, and we won't be caught. Killing multiple mid tier targets that give reasonable points quickly will definitely bring our count higher than those going after high-value targets that'll take a long time to take out." Rin smiled and her eyes grew wide. "It's perfect."

"Maybe… maybe you're right." Sosuke squeezed his eyes shut. Maybe Rin is right, it's unlikely they'd get caught with that strategy. "I don't know, is it really worth the risk?" Sosuke shook his head. "I-I won't do it. You two can do whatever you decide is right, but I… refuse." Sosuke closed his eyes and sighed.

Rin gave a satisfied grin and pointed at Ren. "Ren, are names are too similar, you said you already learned a bit of your core technique right? Show me."

Ren looked surprised, but he nodded. "Sure, it's useless though." Ren closed his eyes and focused, mana visibly flowed out of his hand and wrapped around itself to form a knife. "That's all I can do. It's not much."

"Don't say that. It might not be true. You have limited knowledge and training on your ability. Not every technique is understood at a surface level. It's very possible that there's more to it. You'll just have to figure that out." Rin sat back down in the chair and leaned back, letting out a sound of satisfaction. "What do you say Ren, you willing to follow me on my plan? I can guarantee that the little knife you summoned, isn't the full extent of your ability."

Ren processed the situation, weighing the pros and cons. Sosuke brings a valid point in the insane consequences to face, but Rin's plan seems foolproof. "I'll… do it. I'll do it." His voice more confident the second time.

Rin simply grinned and closed her eyes in relaxation. "I expected such." She wagged her finger around.

"Don't get cocky now." Sosuke rolled his eyes. "We'll have to see who were each up against first in the tournament. I'll be up early just to see that bracket. We have a week before that part begins, you guys should save the technique stuff for after the tournament. Better off training regular combat skills and spells."

"Agreed." Ren stood up and shook off his earlier anxiety.