SSS Rank: Strongest Beast Master

The silence in the meditation garden was absolute, but Jonah's mind was a storm.

Ariana was gone, but her words echoed in his mind. Symbiotic power. Anomaly. I wish to face you.

A burning desire surged through him. He wanted to show her that his power wasn't a shortcut, that it wasn't a violation. He wanted to summon Maul and show her its controlled rage, to call forth Specter and demonstrate its silent grace, to let her feel the peace of Sylva. He wanted to prove that his path, a path of partnership and creation, was just as valid as her path of inner harmony.

He wanted to accept her challenge.

And he couldn't.

The Headmaster's words from the day before were a cage around his ambition: "Observe. Learn. But do not reveal the full extent of your power in a schoolyard brawl."

He was a national asset and a tool to be kept in its box until it was needed. He held his fists tight, the frustration a bitter taste in his mouth. The world had just gotten bigger, and he was being forced to watch from the sidelines.

"Senior Fellow Jonah."

The voice was deep and showed no feeling. Jonah turned. Two of the Headmaster's personal guards stood at the garden entrance. They wore black and gold armor, their faces hidden behind blank helmets.

The timing was too perfect. He had been watched.

The lead guard lowered his head a bit. "The Headmaster requires your presence. Immediately."

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Jonah found himself back in the Headmaster's private study, the one with the crackling fireplace. The Headmaster was standing by the hearth, staring into the flames. He didn't turn as Jonah entered.

"Sit, Jonah," he said.

Jonah sat in the worn leather chair, the data crystal from the archives still resting on the small table between them, a silent reminder of the conversation that had changed everything.

The Headmaster finally turned, his eyes pinning Jonah in place. The look on his face was one he had never seen before: a mixture of grim resolve and something that looked shockingly like humility.

"I was wrong," the Headmaster said bluntly.

Jonah was so surprised he couldn't even form a response. The Headmaster didn't seem like the kind of man who was ever wrong, let alone admitted it.

"My strategy was sound, based on the world as we knew it yesterday," the old man continued, beginning to pace slowly. He moved like a chess master considering his next five moves. "To keep you as a hidden threat, an unknown quantity, was the correct play against the Bureau and the Church. But the board has changed."

He stopped and looked directly at Jonah. "This girl, Ariana, is not just a student. She is an ambassador, an envoy from a nation we did not know existed. Her power is… pure. It is a direct challenge to the very foundation of our own."

The Headmaster's voice grew harder, losing its weary tone. "Her challenge to you in the arena was not a simple schoolyard boast. It was a political probe. The Silver Phoenix Empire is testing us. They are measuring our strength. And they have chosen you as the measuring stick."

Jonah finally understood. This was no longer just a tournament.

"For our Living Saint, the hero of the Veridian Province, to be publicly challenged by a foreign power and then fail to answer…" The Headmaster's eyes narrowed. "It projects weakness. It projects fear. In this new game, we cannot afford to look weak. Not to them."

Jonah's mind was racing. "So you want me to…?"

"My previous order is revoked," the Headmaster declared, his voice leaving no room for argument. "You are officially entered into the Tournament of Ultra Awakened. Your first match has already been scheduled. It is tomorrow morning."

A rush of excitement went through Jonah. He was in. He could finally answer Ariana's challenge.

"Do not look so eager, boy," the Headmaster warned, his tone cutting through Jonah's excitement. "Your wish has been granted, but it comes as a command, not a gift. And it comes with new rules."

He leaned forward, placing his hands on the back of his chair, his gaze intense. The weight of his full authority pressed down on Jonah.

"You will compete. And you will win. Victory is not negotiable. But victory alone is not enough. You must control how you win. You are not just a fighter now, Jonah. You are a message."

He held up one finger. "Rule one: you will not reveal Maul unless your life is in immediate danger. The world expects the Weaver of Beasts to command a monster. Do not give them the monster they expect. Let them wonder what you are truly capable of."

Jonah's heart sank. His most powerful, straightforward weapon was now off the table.

The Headmaster raised a second finger. "Rule two, and this is the most important: do not show them your full hand. Win, but win intelligently. Win with strategy. Win in a way that leaves them with more questions than answers. I want our new friends from the Silver Phoenix Empire to see you not as a weapon, but a puzzle they cannot solve."

The excitement Jonah had felt moments before turned into a cold fear. He got what he wanted, but it became a hard problem. He had to fight, but with one hand tied behind his back. He had to answer Ariana's challenge, but he couldn't show her the very things he wanted her to see.

"Do you understand your orders, Senior Fellow?" the Headmaster asked, his voice returning to its familiar, commanding sound.

Jonah met the old man's gaze, His nation's future now rested on him.

"Yes, Headmaster," he said. "I understand."

He walked out of the study, the door closing softly behind him. He looked out the high window towards the distant, noisy arena. Tomorrow, he would step onto that stage, not as a student seeking glory, but as a soldier on a new, unseen battlefield.