"Someone... strong?" Lluvia's tone sharpened with alarm.
"Yes. I can't pinpoint where yet, but someone's here. And they're not with us."
Alanus speaking with even a hint of fear was rare. That alone made Lluvia's pulse spike.
"Let's regroup with the twins, then we can strategize."
The pair warped out of the vicinity, reappearing near the Pansa twins, who were mid-battle with a horde of monsters.
Philto hovered above the ground, holding both axes in a diagonal cross. With a single powerful swing, he unleashed a wave of pressure that crushed the monsters beneath it. Those who survived were swiftly decimated by his brother, Pellio.
As the twins caught sight of the approaching generals, Pellio spoke first, his voice grim.
"I am going by the assumption you have noticed it as well?"
Alanus gave a solemn nod. The Pansa twins were known for their unmatched perception and observation, if they felt it, it was real.
In the distance, the sound of hundreds of stampeding monsters echoed through the forest.
Alanus turned to Lluvia. "Why don't we try Trusted Scroll 26A?"
Without hesitation, Lluvia reached into her pack and pulled out the scroll Alanus had obtained for her. Trusted Scroll 26A granted temporary dominion over the ground itself, an hour of control, to be exact.
She unraveled the worn beige parchment and began to recite:
"From the Heavens to the pits of Hell. From the Ground to the Sky. I sacrifice my freedom, my will, To His Eminence, the Beast. Grant me power, to govern the domain of the Ground."
The scroll began to glow. A sharp pop rang out. Lluvia's eyes turned a deep earthy brown as coils of dark brown magic wrapped around her body.
The monsters were closing in fast now.
The generals stepped back and let her work.
With one arm raised high and the other low, she shifted both quickly in opposite directions, top to bottom, bottom to top. The ground responded in kind, like shifting tectonic plates. A massive rupture opened beneath the monster horde, swallowing them whole.
Gone. As if they were never there. "Wow," Alanus murmured as he warped beside her. "Can you sense where the powerful presence is now?"
Lluvia nodded. "Yes. The scroll allows me to track them… Give me a second."
A few beats passed. Then she spoke.
"He's on the opposite side of the island. Heading this way, slowly."
Alanus looked to the twins. "What's the call? Face him head-on?"
Pellio raised a hand, his dark skin contrasting the bright sun-light.
"We can't confirm he's an enemy. Not yet. Let's wait and see. If he attacks, I assume we will be able to restrain him."
Philto nodded. "I agree. Priority one is still monster elimination, not dealing with unknown presences."
. . .
The other side of Preole Grye,
A man in a dark brown suit kicked a rock into the sand.
"Damn you, Mandate. Why did you send me?!"
He had messy dark brown hair and dirt-colored eyes, almost like dried mud. He looked up at the blazing sun.
"Hey. What rank are the descendants here?"
After a couple of seconds of silence, he nodded. "Only one of them is The Hilt? Dammit!"
With a frustrated grunt, he kicked a nearby rock so hard it launched into the sky.
"Argh! I'm too old for this hunting crap!"
. . .
Desby Forest, Border of Lebrad and Theales,
Samuel scanned the horizon. Endless green. Wow. It really lives up to the hype... Largest forest in the world.
The forest served as a border land between Lebrad and Theales. Strangely, no country had ever claimed it.
A sudden weight fell over the area, Nadia's presence, suffocating and vast.
"I'll explain the rules one last time," she announced.
"You'll be split into teams of two. Your goal? Survive for three months. If you see another team, kill them. If you see an instructor, kill them. If you don't… they'll kill you."
She almost looked like she was holding back laughter. Is this a game to her...?
"As for rules... there are none. Use what you have. Do what you must. Hahaha!" She burst into manic laughter.
With a snap of her fingers, the stones from the written exam reappeared in every applicant's palm.
"Rub the stone four times. Then find whoever has the same number. i made it so this time you can see each other's ink."
Samuel followed the instruction. Rubbed four times. 26... His eyes darted around, scanning for a matching number.
Beside him, Diallo did the same. His stone read: 13.
"Samuel! Are you 13?" He caught sight of Samuel's stone. "Dang it. We won't be partners."
Samuel's heart sank. He couldn't lie, being separated from Diallo stung. Out of everyone, Diallo was the one he clicked with.
"I… guess not. Sorry."
Diallo gave a sad smile and walked off.
Not long after, a voice approached Diallo from behind.
"You're number 13 too?" Diallo asked, a flicker of hope in his tone.
But the person wasn't a contestant.
It was Nadia.
"Hello, my beautiful son," she said sweetly, and then smacked his shoulder hard enough to send him flying back.
Diallo's whole demeanor shifted. His expression darkened, voice dropping low.
"What do you want?"
Nadia tilted her head, offended. "Am I not allowed to talk to my own, lovely son?"
"No." The memory of her standing over his father's corpse, laughing, resurfaced in Diallo's mind.
"Why are you here? Why won't you leave us alone?"
"Relax! I just came to wish you good luck," she said, grinning like a hyena. "Hopefully you don't run into any instructors…
"…or me."
She walked off, clapping mockingly. Diallo's shoulders twitched with rage. He turned and left without another word.
Samuel had watched the whole thing. His chest tightened.
I'm so sorry you have to deal with that, Diallo...
He felt a wave of gratitude wash over him, for his kind sisters, his family, his life.
His lips curled into a warm, quiet smile.
Right. I still need to find my partner.
"Excuse me," a voice called from behind. "I believe we have the same number."
Samuel turned. "You're 26 too?"
The boy standing before him nodded calmly. "Yes. I look forward to a pleasant and successful partnership."
It was none other than the applicant who passed the written exam in 15 minutes,
Blepharo Clemens.