Lupine Echoes

Chapter 12: Lurking Truths

The high-tech training arena buzzed with near-tangible energy, the electric blue grids on the walls throbbing in rhythm with the humming machinery. This was freshman year at Lightcrest University, the Tactical Combat Training for Ultra-Tellurians class—where raw talent was shaped into something formidable. The arena itself, vast and intimidating, was designed to mimic real-world environments. Above them, holographic projections flickered, casting shadows across the floor as they displayed data for the upcoming battle.

Skylar stood beside Adam, his gaze calculating as he observed their surroundings. The ambiance crackled with apprehension, their nerves heightened under the intense lights that illuminated every inch of the colossal room. Adam was wound tight, his muscles coiled like a spring, barely containing the reckless energy thrumming beneath his skin. Even as a level-A ultra-tellurian back then, he wasn't much different: a wild, untamed frost—rash, uncontrolled, and dangerous.

Skylar's voice was calm, his demeanor composed despite the growing storm beside him. "We need a plan." He glanced at Adam, already rolling his shoulders like a boxer preparing for a fight. "You can't just bulldoze through this."

"I can take them," Adam grunted, his jaw clenched with tenacity. His blue eyes blazed with that familiar cold fire, the same spark that haunted Skylar now, long after this memory had passed. "Trust me. You don't need to do anything."

Skylar smirked, cocking his head slightly. "Are you always this arrogant?"

Before them, their opponents—two senior students—stood with casual confidence, their stances relaxed, but their eyes were sharp, watching. They were level-A ultra-tellurians too, battle-hardened and poised, with the kind of experience freshmen like Adam and Skylar could only dream of.

"Adam, wait!" Skylar hissed, but it was too late.

Adam was already charging ahead before the match was even officially underway. His fists balled as his cryokinesis flared to life. The temperature plummeted, and a layer of frost spread beneath his feet. With effortless grace, he glided across the ice, unrefined power propelling him straight toward their opponents.

The seniors didn't hesitate. The first one spotted Adam barreling ahead and clapped his hands with a thunderous boom, sending a shockwave rippling and smashing into Adam head-on. The force hit immediately, lifting the young Winter Wolf off the ground and tossing him through the air like a ragdoll.

"Shit," Skylar cursed under his breath, his instincts kicking in as he bolted after Adam. He barely noticed the second senior, now airborne thanks to jet propulsion, swooping in above Adam's tumbling form. With a sweep of his hand, the second senior conjured a swirling vortex of wind that slammed Adam down, crushing him into the ground.

Skylar's heart lurched, but he didn't falter. He darted forward, catching Adam just before the Winter Wolf could crash onto the arena floor again, his breath ragged with exertion. For a fleeting moment, their eyes met—Adam's burning with frustration, Skylar's steely and steadfast.

But the respite was short-lived when the first senior pounded his hands onto the ground. A current of vibrations erupted from him, unleashing a powerful quake that shook the arena.

Skylar barely had time to register the danger before the shockwave struck them, launching both him and Adam off the arena like they were mere pebbles rattling in the face of a seismic tremor. The world spun, the arena lights blurring into a mess of colors as they tumbled out of control. When they finally crashed against the cold metal wall, the impact jarred Skylar's vision. He winced, pain flowing through his body. Beside him, Adam groaned, more bruised in pride than in flesh.

Skylar wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth and smirked. "Told you—you can't bulldoze through everything."

"Get up, boys! And get ready for round two!" barked the professor, his voice echoing through the vast arena. "Try not to get knocked off the arena in less than a minute this time."