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  The student collided with Meliodas' shoulder, eyes wide with panic.

  “Run, man!” he shouted. “He’s nuts, completely crazy! This isn’t worth it!”

  Before Meliodas could say anything, the student bolted, disappearing into the trees.

  Meliodas turned back toward the clearing.

  At the edge of the field, he spotted a familiar figure, the larger noble from his class. Or at least, he had been. The boy looked thinner now, sweat-soaked, face pale, legs shaking as he struggled to keep moving.

  Meliodas stepped forward carefully, eyes scanning the scene.

  Students were everywhere.

  Some were locked in frantic sparring matches. Others were dragging themselves through the water of the nearby river, teeth chattering in the cold. A few collapsed outright, only to scramble back to their feet moments later.

  Then a roar cut through the chaos.

  “STOP!” Kazzek bellowed. The sound hit like a physical force.

  “Five-minute break!” he continued. “Move it!”

  Instantly, the students disengaged and began running laps around the clearing, groaning and cursing under their breath.

  Kazzek casually sat down atop a large stone, resting his elbows on his knees clearly enjoying the show, Meliodas could tell from the grin on his face.

  Meliodas stepped into the clearing.

  “Professor,” he called out carefully, “what is going on here?”

  Kazzek looked down at him, eyes gleaming, as Meliodas approached him.

  “Oh?” Kazzek said. “Student Meliodas. Good to see you.”

  A wider grin spread across his scaled face.

  “Have you come to ask me to be your mentor?”

  Meliodas blinked. “No…what? No. Why would you think that?”

  A voice spoke up from below the rock.

  “Hey, bro! You made it!”

  Meliodas froze.

  Slowly, he looked down. Then rubbed his eyes. Then looked again.

  “…Tyka?” Meliodas spoke

  Tyka was laying in a push-up position at the base of the rock, drenched in sweat, stone plates cracked and half-formed along his arms. His grin was still there, but it was thinner now, edged with exhaustion.

  “What are you doing here?” Meliodas demanded.

  Tyka laughed weakly.

  “Training,” he said. “Intensive training.”

  Kazzek leaned back, tail swaying lazily.

  “Correction,” the professor said calmly. “This is an evaluation.”

  “What do you mean—evaluation professor?" Meliodas asked.

  Kazzek sighed, rolling one shoulder.

  “A lot of students constantly ask me to be their mentor,” he said. “Nobles especially.”

  His eyes flicked briefly toward several of the exhausted runners.

  “To thin the herd, I test them first. This is my solution.”

  Meliodas frowned.

  “You’re… evaluating them?”

  “Yes,” Kazzek replied simply. “It’s my six-day crash course, I'm surprised you haven’t heard about it student its quite famous ”

  Meliodas looked back at the clearing, at the students dragging their feet through laps, some barely holding themselves upright.

  “You’re evaluating all of them?”

  Kazzek nodded. “Endurance. Discipline. Control under exhaustion, although most fail by day three.”

  He turned back to Meliodas, eyes gleaming faintly.

  “Will you be joining us?”

  Meliodas opened his mouth, then stopped.

  “Your friends already are,” Kazzek added casually, pointing toward the runners.

  Meliodas followed the gesture.

  “…Liora?”

  She was jogging with the others, breathing hard but steady. When she noticed him staring, she lifted a hand briefly in greeting before forcing herself to keep pace.

  Meliodas stared, stunned.

  “You’re telling me Liora wants you as a mentor?” he said slowly.

  Kazzek shook his head.

  “No,” he said. “She wants Adelion.”

  Meliodas raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Then why is she here?”

  “One of Adelion’s requirements,” Kazzek replied. “Any student he considers for mentorship must first endure my evaluation. Two days, in his case.”

  He paused, then added with a sharp grin.

  “Some professors require three.”

  His gaze locked onto Meliodas.

  “If you want me as your mentor,” Kazzek said, “you endure all six.”

  “No, thank you, Professor,” Meliodas replied evenly. “I’m still deciding whether I even want a mentor, after whatever this is.”

  Kazzek laughed, a low, rumbling sound.

  “Then don’t take too long,” he said. “If I have to evaluate you alone instead of in a group… let's just say it won’t be pleasant.”

  Meliodas shivered at the thought.

  “So I take it I won’t be seeing the two of them in the near future,” he said, glancing toward the runners and then to tyka.

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  “Correct,” Kazzek replied. “They’ll sleep here. Eat here. Train here. No one leaves until it’s over.”

  Meliodas nodded slowly.

  “Before I go, Professor,” he asked, hesitating, “why are you sitting on Tyka?”

  Kazzek’s eyes flicked toward the half-giant.

  “That one’s special,” he said. “He named me as his mentor. Same with the ones swimming instead of running.”

  Meliodas followed his gaze to the water, where several exhausted students struggled through the freezing current.

  “I may push him harder than the rest,” Kazzek added casually, gesturing toward Tyka. “He can take it.”

  Meliodas exhaled slowly, taking in the brutal scene before him.

  “How many pass?” he asked.

  Kazzek didn’t hesitate.

  “Almost none, by morning I expect that half will leave. By tomorrow? Almost everyone will be gone.” Kazzek said

  Meliodas nodded once.

  “Very well,” he said quietly. “See you, Tyka.”

  “See you, brother,” Tyka replied with a wide grin, sweat pouring from his forehead and darkening the ground beneath his feet.

  Meliodas turned and started walking away.

  “A shame,” Professor Kazzek murmured to himself. “He’s one of the good ones.”

  He lifted his gaze to the moon, inhaled deeply, then raised his voice.

  “Break’s over.” Kazzek rose from the rock and looked directly at Tyka.

  “You,” he said, pointing. “Stay where you are. I’ll deal with you after.”

  Then he turned back to the clearing, his grin widening as his spear manifested.

  “Very well,” he shouted. “Come at me with everything you’ve got, students.”

  ****

  Later that night, Meliodas bathed in silence, the warm water washing away the dust and tension of the day. Owen had reappeared and joined him, floating lazily nearby, his flame gently heating the water. Meliodas stared up at the ceiling, thoughts racing.

  What a day… It was a shame he wouldn’t be seeing Tyka or Liora for the next few days. Kazzek’s evaluation would keep them occupied, exhausted, and sore.

  So what now?

  Tomorrow he had Arrays and Formations. That much was settled.

  But his thoughts drifted back to earlier, to Professor Aurelius. Their conversation lingered in his mind, rich with insight and quiet depth. The way the man spoke of monsters and Straum beasts… it felt like listening to someone who had lived the knowledge, not just studied it.

  I still have thousands of questions, Meliodas thought.

  He exhaled slowly. Very well.

  He decided, tomorrow, he would visit Professor Aurelius again.

  ****

  Meliodas was examining the various artifacts and books scattered throughout Professor Adelion’s study. He had arrived a bit early to class, but he doubted the elf would mind him taking a look around.

  The sheer density of knowledge made his head spin, arrays sketched in parchments, annotated books, half-finished theoretical models stacked carelessly beside polished relics.

  He was so absorbed that he didn’t hear her enter.

  “And who are you?” a voice interrupted.

  Meliodas flinched slightly and looked up from the book in his hands.

  Standing by the doorway was an older girl. Her pointed ears marked her elven lineage immediately, and her long caramel-colored hair fell neatly down her back, the color was similar to Professor Adelion’s. Her posture was relaxed, but her sharp eyes were already assessing him.

  Meliodas closed the book carefully and stood.

  “Nice to meet you,” he said politely. “My name is Meliodas.”

  The girl looked him up and down, taking her time, then raised an eyebrow.

  “Oh,” she said. “You’re Thalessa’s brother.”

  She offered a small smile.

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Caelinne, third year, wind element.”

  She offered her hand. Meliodas took it without hesitation.

  “Meliodas Archypego. First year. Fire element.”

  To his surprise, she didn’t react at all. No raised eyebrows. No tension. She only smiled.

  “I heard,” she said lightly. “From your sister.”

  “Very well,” a voice cut in smoothly.

  Professor Adelion entered the room, adjusting his sleeves. “It seems you’ve already met my assistant… and my trainee.”

  He glanced at Meliodas. “It is good to see you again, Student Meliodas. Please, sit.”

  Meliodas and Caelinne took their seats while Adelion settled behind his cluttered desk.

  a brief moment of silence passed before Adelion spoke

  “Before we discuss anything further, I wish to test your knowledge, Student Meliodas.” A faint smile tugged at his lips.

  “Do not be shy. I am well aware your father was never much of a theorist.”

  Meliodas nodded. “What would you like to know, Professor?”

  “Start with what arrays are,” Adelion replied.

  “Very well,” Meliodas said after a brief pause.

  “Array formations are a form of Straum manipulation designed to persist. Unlike simple spells, which disappear after one use, arrays are constant constructs, spells given structure, if you simplify it. Depending on their complexity and design, they can last for years… some even theorize centuries.”

  He hesitated for a fraction of a second, gathering his thoughts.

  “This longevity is possible because arrays are not sustained by the caster alone. They rely on modified spell structures and often incorporate ancient symbols or runes to amplify and stabilize their function, as such producing a formation in active combat is nearly impossible due to the precision and time required.”

  Adelion nodded.

  “At their core,” Meliodas continued, “arrays draw on ambient Straum to maintain themselves for a predetermined duration. Each array is unique, with vastly different applications. Some are defensive barriers, others regulate environmental conditions, such as the weather arrays used throughout the Academy.”

  He lifted his gaze.

  “More advanced formations include large-scale transportation arrays, like the wormhole networks used to travel between the three continents.”

  Meliodas stopped, thought for a moment and nodded.

  “That's about what I know,” he added.

  Adelion raised an eyebrow, and asked

  “Do you know the ancient language, student?”

  “Yes, Professor,” Meliodas replied. “Though only the first layer. I understand there are three layers in total, each more complex than the last. The deeper one goes, the more refined and powerful the array becomes… but also far more dangerous.”

  Adelion and Caelinne exchanged a glance, both of them visibly satisfied.

  “You have a far stronger foundation than I expected,” Adelion said at last. “Very well, then. Show us what you can do, Student Meliodas.”

  Meliodas didn’t move.

  A faint flush crept up his face.

  “Is there a problem, student?” Adelion asked.

  “Yes, Professor,” Meliodas admitted. “I understand the theory… but I’ve never actually constructed an array myself. My mother forbade it. She said that if done incorrectly, arrays can cause catastrophic harm.”

  For a moment, Adelion simply stared at him.

  Then he laughed.

  It wasn’t mocking. After a few seconds, he composed himself,adjusting his sleeves.

  “I see,” he said thoughtfully. “That explains quite a bit.”

  He studied Meliodas with renewed interest.

  “Your theoretical knowledge is exceptional,” Adelion continued. “Frankly, I was impressed. But it seems your execution is… nonexistent.”

  Meliodas lowered his gaze slightly, embarrassed.

  Adelion paused, then smiled.

  “Very well,” he said. “That settles what we will be doing in today’s lesson.”

  ****

  “So,” Adelion said a while later, arms folded as he watched the fading formation on the floor. “What do you think, Caelinne?”

  She didn’t answer immediately. Her eyes lingered on the residual glow of the array, already dispersing into the ambient Straum.

  “He’s got what it takes,” she said finally. “He built the flotation array with surprising care and patience. He wasn’t exaggerating about his understanding of the first layer of the ancient language, he knew it perfectly.”

  She glanced back toward the workspace.

  “He just lacks practice. Nothing more.”

  Adelion nodded, clearly pleased.

  “A correct evaluation,” he said, then he paused and continued. “I must admit, I’m satisfied. Two array enthusiasts in a single year is… unexpected.”

  Caelinne blinked and turned toward him.

  “Two?” she asked. “Who’s the other one, Professor?”

  A faint smile crossed Adelion’s face.

  “She is currently enduring Professor Kazzek,” he replied calmly. “Which, in itself, is impressive.”

  Caelinne raised an eyebrow.

  “I’m surprised she hasn’t given up yet,” Adelion continued. “If she passes Kazzek’s trial, she will become my pupil.”

  He paused, then added thoughtfully,

  “She already possesses the second prerequisite after all, foundational knowledge of arrays. In fact… she may be even brighter than Student Meliodas.”

  Caelinne’s eyes widened slightly.

  “And you don’t say that lightly,” she said.

  “Indeed,” Adelion replied. “I am not easily impressed.”

  Caelinne considered that for a moment, then allowed herself a small smile.

  “…It would be nice,” she admitted, “to have a junior.”

  ****

  Meliodas walked toward Professor Aurelius’ laboratory with a smile still lingering on his face, his thoughts replaying the sensation of creating his first array.

  The feeling had been intoxicating.

  Molding ambient Straum, drawing the ritual directly into the air, every symbol, every rune demanding absolute precision. Timing, intent, visualization. A single mistake and the structure would collapse. It wasn’t brute force or raw talent. It was pure control and finesse.

  He opened his palm as he raised one hand.

  A small glass sphere was in it. He fed Straum into it carefully, slowly. Ice-blue light bloomed as symbols emerged around the orb, rotating in perfect harmony; after a few seconds, the sphere lifted on its own, hovering weightlessly.

  Meliodas stared at it.

  Then he laughed under his breath.

  The smile on his face widened into a grin that stretched from cheek to cheek.

  He stopped, and the glass sphere drifted gently back into his palm. As he resumed walking, his thoughts spiraled, over and over, around the same realization: how this simple array, when scaled correctly and fed enough power, could lift entire buildings… perhaps even islands.

  “Student Meliodas,” Aurelius’ voice called out, pulling him from his thoughts. “You seem unusually pleased today.”

  Meliodas looked up.

  “Hello, Professor.” he said with a smile. “I created my first array.”

  Aurelius was kneeling beside a flowerbed outside his laboratory, carefully watering the plants as Meliodas approached.

  “Congratulations, Student,” Aurelius said, with genuine warmth in his voice.

  “Thank you, Professor.”

  Meliodas lingered, watching him for a moment longer than necessary.

  Aurelius glanced up. “May I help you with something, Student? Or are you planning to stare at me until the flowers wilt?”

  Meliodas laughed.

  “Actually, Professor… you’re exactly the person I wanted to see.”

  Aurelius raised an eyebrow.