Akai...

Apart from the tradition of assembling revolvers within the Ashenlocke family, Akai was another tradition. It is something treated as both a sport and a deadly elimination method, practiced only by Gun Alchemists and sometimes other types of Alchemists participated for the fun of it.

It is simple in idea, yet terrifying in execution.

Two Gun Alchemists would stand facing each other, unmoving, their bodies still as statues. They would wait... and wait... until the signal changed. The moment the light shifted from red to green, both would move at the same time, performing gun alchemy at their fastest possible speed and firing.

Whoever shot hit first...won.

The outcome depended entirely on speed, accuracy, and how well one could execute gun alchemy under pressure.

The rules follows;

First, all participants must stand within a circle, only a few meters apart, leaving no room to run or stall and none of them are allowed to cross or touch the circle line.

Second, no one is allowed to carry prepared materials before the light turns green, only once the light turns green are the participants allowed to bring out their material and perform their alchemy.

Third, only one type of gun can be used during the match. Once the match began, that choice cannot be changed mid-fight. Gun Alchemists have to rely on that single gun they chose to create until the fight ended. As for Other Alchemists, they can use prepared guns, but they will have a half-a-second delay before acting.

Fourth, Gun Alchemists have to create their own bullets or magazines during the match. Pre-made ammunition is not allowed, except if the Alchemist is not a Gun Alchemist.

Fifth, victory is decided when an opponent’s gun is shot out of their hand or when a bullet hits their body.

Sixth, there were two types of Akai. One is for sport, where fatal shots were not allowed. The other... is for elimination, where death is part of the rule.

***

Tracy walked slowly into the room.

Her boots pressed lightly against the stone floor, the sound echoing faintly against the walls as she moved further inside. The air felt colder than outside, and the silence in the room made every small movement feel louder than it should be.

She turned her head to the left... then right... taking in the structure of the place.

Stone walls, a wide-open space and at the center...

An arena.

"Ahhh..." she exhaled slowly, her shoulders dropping just a little. "I’m starting to get cold feet..."

Her eyes shifted toward the middle at the circular platform where the Akia will commence.

She walked forward, each step slower than the last, until she reached it. The moment her foot touched the platform, her body stiffened slightly as if reacting to something unseen, then she saw the circle.

Just large enough for one person to stand inside comfortably, but small enough that movement would be restricted.

No room to dodge widely nor space to retreat.

Only forward movement and quick reaction.

"Okay..." she whispered, closing her eyes briefly.

Her fingers tightened slightly at her sides.

I can do this.

Her eyes opened again.

This time sharper.

She stepped fully into the circle and immediately...

Another circle appeared a few meters away.

A gust of wind burst into the room, sharp and sudden, forcing her hair to sway back as if something had just arrived.

A figure formed.

A young man, in his late teens wearing the Ashenlocke black military uniform.

Dark brown hair, black eyes, tanned skin and a face with no expression.

He stood there like something carved out of stone.

Tracy stared at him. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"...Mr. Reggie," she said, forcing a small smile, though her fingers twitched slightly.

The platform beneath them lit up.

Red.

A deep, warning red.

The light spread outward, stopping just before their circles.

Her breathing slowed and her right hand immediately hovered close to her space bag.

Across from her, the illusionary Reggie did the same.

No movement or sound, coming from both of them.

Only focus.

That alone... made her chest tighten.

He isn’t even alive... but this pressure...

Her throat felt dry.

Her thoughts began to scatter.

"No..." she whispered under her breath.

She clenched her fist.

"I can’t let this stop me... I can’t fail everyone outside. Not now. Not ever."

Her gaze hardened.

"I’m going to win this," she muttered.

Then she raised her voice.

"I’m going to win so I can brag to Linda when she wakes up! So, bring it on!"

The red light flickered...

Then it turned green.

Both of them moved at the exact same time.

Their hands shot into their space bags fast.

Tracy’s fingers grabbed a steel bar and flung it upward.

Clap!

Her palms came together instantly, Cognis surging through her arms into her hands.

The alchemy circle formed between her palms almost immediately.

She didn’t look at Reggie, not that she even could since if she did, it could cause a lag in her movement.

During an Akia, one’s focus is everything to them, that’s why the Alchemist’s only attention should be on themselves and nothing else, because everything depended on this one moment...

The moment when the first to finish making their gun, gains the first shooting advantage.

Her hands slammed onto the falling steel bar, the metal melted mid-air reshaping and reforming into a revolver.

Her fingers closed around it the moment it finished forming.

She raised it still without looking much...

Bang!

The sound echoed sharply through the room.

Tracy froze.

Her eyes widened slowly.

She looked forward, then down at her own hand.

Smoke drifted from the barrel of her revolver, then she turned back to Reggie.

The illusion of Reggie...Was fading like dust flowing in the air until it vanished completely.

Just like that.

"...Hahaha..."

She laughed softly, covering her face with her hand.

"I was actually scared..." she muttered, shaking her head slightly.

"He didn’t even get to activate his alchemy..."

She lowered her hand, exhaling.

"...before I shot him."

Her heartbeat began to slow.

So... Ezra was right.

She straightened her posture, clapping her hands lightly as if resetting herself.

"No more overthinking and no more hesitation."

A door appeared.

Without wasting time, she walked forward and entered the next room.

Outside...The reaction was instant.

Cheers exploded.

"Zack is already on the second floor!" someone shouted from Vera’s group.

"And Tracy!" voices from Veda’s side followed immediately after.

"Humph," Bale smirked, folding his arms. "Cedric is moving too."

He glanced back at his group.

"Don’t just stand there...cheer!"

The energy rose even higher.

Keith, standing near the entrance of the tower, watched everything with a tired expression.

"They do know this is still a trial... right?" he muttered, his shoulders dropping slightly.

His eyes shifted toward the glowing windows.

"Aren’t they enjoying this too much..."

The lights changed again and the cheers of each group followed.

"Zack reached the third floor!"

"Cedric too!"

"Tracy just entered the third floor!"

"Even the guy from Felix’s side is also progressing... although he just got to the second floor," Nickolas said, his eyes fixed on the glowing windows of the tower as he watched the lights.

"The time they’re using isn’t even long at all," Priscilla raised her wrist slightly and checked the time on her watch with a focused expression.

"Is the trial really that easy?" Nate asked, turning to her with a look of surprise. "You said it would be hard."

"I did," Priscilla replied calmly, lowering her hand. "But I suppose you were right... our experience is simply far ahead of theirs."

Her gaze remained steady on the tower, patiently watching for the next green light.

Far at the back of the field, away from the noise and cheering...

Some candidates continued their training, only occasionally glancing toward the front to check the progress of those inside the tower.

Ezra was among them.

He had just finished his laps and muscle exercises, his breathing steady as he wiped the sweat from his face with a towel.

The cold air brushed lightly against his skin, but with the heat stimulating pills and his body still carrying heat from the training, he remained perfectly fine.

He lowered the towel slightly and looked toward the crowd gathered at the front.

The loud voices... the cheering...

"...Someone would think this is a festival instead of a trial," he muttered under his breath.

His eyes shifted upward, locking onto the glowing windows of the tower.

"They’ve not even spent up to a minute per floor..."

He reached into his space bag, took out a bottle of water, and opened it.

Tilting his head slightly, he drank slowly, letting the water cool his throat before lowering the bottle again.

After placing it back inside his space bag, he turned and walked toward a section of the training ground filled with practice dolls arranged closely together.

That area...

Was his own making, in the training grounds, it is allowed for candidates to create exercising methods by buying the equipment from the market place. Veda had also created some training platforms with the equipment he bought which plenty, candidates from other groups used while Ezra’s own had drawn a few curious looks when he first set it up, but eventually, no one paid it any real attention.

Since, to them, it didn’t look useful.

Not like weapon training nor like physical strength training, just... strange movement which didn’t attract anyone’s attention, except for some certain candidates.

Ezra stepped into position exhaling once, slowly.

Then he moved forward.

A step, shift and another step and another step again, then moved backwards.

His body moved smoothly between the tightly placed dolls, weaving through them without touching a single one.

He repeated the motion.

Again, and again.

To most people watching from a distance, it looked pointless.

Like he was just walking in circles.

Not training with a weapon, not practicing attacking nor defending.

Just... moving.

But if someone paid close attention...

They would notice.

Every step he took was controlled and measured.

The foot that moved forward never extended too far from the one grounded behind.

His balance never broke and his center never shifted unevenly.

When he stepped back, he followed the same pattern of footsteps repeated exactly, as if his body had memorized every motion perfectly.

There was no wasted movement, no extra force and no imbalance.

Over and over again, he continued.

This was not just movement.

It was control, it was the perfect training for...

Training his center of gravity, training his footwork to remain stable even in tight spaces and training his body to react without losing balance.

A long number of Minutes passed.

The rhythm of his steps remained steady.

Then...

The noise from the front suddenly grew louder.

"Both Zack and Tracy made it to the fourth floor!"

The shout carried across the training ground, even those who were still training nearby paused.

Some stopped completely while others turned their heads toward the tower.

Those who had already finished their routines began walking toward their groups, drawn by the rising excitement.

Ezra slowed his movement slightly but didn’t stop.

His eyes shifted briefly toward the tower.

After a short while...

Cedric advanced to the fourth floor, then, after a delay of about two minutes, the boy from Felix’s group finally reached the third floor.

"Let’s go!!"

Bale’s voice rang out clearly, cutting through the overlapping cheers.

Ezra could hear it even from where he stood.

He stopped this time, just for a moment.

His gaze lingered on the tower.

"...It would have been interesting if we had set up a betting system for this," he said quietly to himself.

A small smile appeared on his face, then he shook his head lightly.

"...Not like it matters."

He stepped forward again and resumed his training.