"You've come earlier than expected."
Aurora rose from her seat and gestured at Solis to follow her.
"Yes, my body healed. The arrow wound is no longer bothering me."
"That's good. That means we can test you to see which part of my Star Knights you would be a part of."
"Part?"
Solis knew that it was not common knowledge that the army that Aurora commanded, the Star Knights, was split into multiple divisions based on their fighting experience and power. It would be best to pretend he didn't know.
"My army is split into multiple parts. Whenever we recruit, we have a small test to see where we should place the person."
"I see."
Aurora continued to stroll as if she had all the time in the world. Her head was tilted upwards to look at the sun.
"General, may I ask where we are going?"
"To your test."
Aurora's eyes glowed with power as she turned around, her fist flying towards his abdominal area.
Solis widened his eyes as he moved to the side. Aurora let her fist's momentum bring her leg around towards Solis's head after spinning around.
Solis brought his arms up to block the kick.
"Your speed is indeed just as fast as it was when you protected Terra."
"You praise me too much, General. The power behind that kick was terrifying."
"But tell me Sir Sol, can you perform your quick motions while facing killing intent?"
A screeching sound filled his ears as a dark aura surrounded her.
He shivered. Killing intent that was able to be drawn out at will was something that only happened after immense training.
Just how strong was Aurora?
Solis tilted his head, her fist stopping just where his head was. He practically heard the wind be forcibly moved as the force behind her strike was enough to displace the air around it.
Four consecutive strikes were thrown after, each one holding just as much power as the first.
Aurora spun, Solis widening his eyes and doing the same.
The stone made a loud cracking sound as the hidden sword in Aurora's sleeve struck the stone path so hard, it stood straight up.
Solis gripped the handle and lifted the sword, blocking the incoming overhead slash from Aurora, who had drawn another blade.
He forcibly swung upwards, disengaging their blades before swinging aggressively horizontally. Aurora pushed off her feet backwards, avoiding Solis's slash by a large margin.
What happened after was a flurry of strikes and parries from both sides, faster than the eye can see.
It ended when Solis abruptly threw his sword at her, the steel blade snapping as it struck the ground. Aurora held the flat of the blade out, letting Solis's momentum from his kick help her to redirect his strike.
She spun the sword in her hand, holding it in a reverse grip as she held it against Solis's throat. However, at that exact moment, a blade was held at her throat as well.
Droplets of blood fell to the ground as Solis held the blade of the very sword he had broken in his throw to her neck, the sharp edges digging into his palms.
"Impressive."
Aurora lowered her blade, Solis doing the same.
"However, you are reckless. You need to bandage your hand." Aurora looked at his bloodied hand. "Come, I'll help you."
"I can-"
"You will come with me. I have some questions for you."
Solis bowed his head. "Yes, General."
-----
Solis was tense as he kept his palm open for Aurora to wrap bandages around. Her calloused hands were rough, yet she was gentle as she handled his hand.
"This is the second time I've seen you, and you've gotten injured twice. I cannot tell if it's you being reckless, or it's just you being unfortunate to always get hurt."
Solis bowed his head. "I am ashamed that you have seen one of your men get so easily injured."
"You were the one who grabbed the naked blade of the same sword you broke yourself." Aurora laughed.
Solis could only chuckle with her.
"Your movements were very impressive Sol...or should I refer to you as Sir Sol now?"
"Either way will be an honor General."
"Sol, where did you learn how to move like that? For someone that hoped to become a scholar, your ability to move despite my murderous intent was beyond incredible. I felt the strength behind each one of your strikes, matching my own. Simply impressive."
Aurora finished tying the bandages and stood, putting some distance between the two of them. Her eyes glowed as she stared at him. "So I will ask you only once-"
This was different from earlier. Solis felt a chill go down his spine as a terrifying aura surrounded Aurora. It was far more intense than what he felt earlier while fighting with her.
"-How did you become this strong? Who trained you?"
Was he afraid?
No, a warm feeling was filling his body, counteracting the coldness.
He was proud.
Aurora had gotten so strong in only a decade.
"I lived in a small village, and I was raised by a very strong master." Solis leaned back, putting on an unguarded font. "We didn't have any books there, so maybe that's why I wanted to become a scholar so badly."
He knew Aurora's kind heart would not ask him for more information after he seemed nostalgic.
"I see." She leaned forward with her hands behind her back. "But that doesn't answer my question Sol. Do not make me repeat it."
Solis almost flinched at her cold tone. Not only did she grow more powerful, her role as a General grew alongside her strength. She was no longer controlled by her heart, but her sense of duty.
"My master put me through years of grueling combat. The only reason why I was able to come here was because I passed my master's training. My parents wanted me to be a scholar, but my master wanted me to pursue martial arts."
Aurora was quiet, her eyes staring into his silently.
She crossed her arms, almost as if Solis still hadn't answered her, which he realized he did not.
"I don't know her name. She always told me to call her master, butโฆ" Solis's brows furrowed. All of his words so far contained not a single lie. He really was trained by someone when he was younger in a remote village.
However, he had never learned of his master's name during his early years.
He did remember the silver mask and armor that person bore with a symbol of the moon etched onto the faceplate when they reported to his master.
He also remembered his master calling the "knight" by name. What the knight called his master continued to reverberate in his mind, as if it were coaxing him.
"I remember someone referred to her as 'Moon King.'"
With his words, did the room seem to darken. Both Solis and Aurora shivered instinctively despite not knowing why.
"I see. I have never heard of this person, but they must truly be among the most formidable fighters in all of Clarity if they can train you to be on par with me."
"You compliment me too much."
Aurora lowered her arms from her chest and held her hands behind her back once again. "I've decided. I will make a special case. You are among some of the strongest of soldiers I've had, so I will have you join my own personal group."
She walked to the corner of the room, and he heard gears turning as the hidden mechanism inside of the room activated. Aurora tossed a long piece of gray fabric at him. Despite the dullness of the color itself, it seems to glow in the light.
"Welcome to the Star Knights, Sir Sol. I look forward to commanding you."
Solis's breath was taken away as she tilted her head with a smile.
A radiant smile under the morning light was enough to make Solis's heart warm.
-----
The question that Aurora had asked him plagued his mind.
After so many years, he finally thought of his former master that trained him since he was a small boy.
How did he forget about someone who basically made him the person he was today?
"Oh? What's this?"
His thoughts were broken as three people surrounded him.
"Oh, hello."
Gray capes covered the back of their formal attire. Each of them was dressed in white robes, the symbol of a star being etched into the fabric.
These three were all from the Star Knights, and judging by how there wasn't a number below the star symbol, they were also a part of Aurora's personal group of knights.
"It's been a while since I've seen a new recruit in our group!"
The friendliness reminded him of Michael.
"Yes, I've only recently joined. Today in fact." Solis raised his hands to feign nervousness.
"Woah today? That must mean-" The lone female raised her finger and pointed at his face. "You are Sir Sol! The scholar that protected the Second Princess!"
He rubbed the back of his neck, mimicking uneasiness. "Haha, news spreads quickly."
"Of course, such a courageous feat can only be talked about for a long time!" The blonde male clapped Solis's back.
"Come join us Sir Sol. We were just about to have lunch." The brunette male cheered.
"A-ah." Solis stumbled on his words.
"Sir Sol, who tested you to join the Star Knights?" The female started the conversation.
"Her Highness was the one who tested me."
"W-woah!" It was as if stars replaced their eyes. "G-general herself? That's amazing!"
"Yeah, she was really strong. I was barely able to match her. Every strike I had to match with my full strength."
"You were able to block her hits?!" The blonde one practically shouted as he stood.
The people around them uncomfortably shifted. Not a single one dared to speak up against them due to their status as knights, but their discomfort was obvious.
The brunette laughed nervously as he pulled the blonde one down to his seat. He waved in apology to all the other customers.
"Is it really that impressive?" Solis sheepishly rubbed his neck.
"Of course it is." The woman sighed dreamily. "The General is seriously really strong. The only person I know that can match her is His Highness First Prince."
"That's not true." The brunette corrected. "There were a total of four people who could match the General. Now five, since Sir Sol was able to."
"You guys are making it sound much more outlandish than it really is. General has simply trained to be where she was. We just need to work as hard as she does and we can all reach her soon too."
"Such humbleness!" Stars filled their eyes.
The woman reached out and grasped Solis's hand. "Please call me Senior Sister!"
"Uh-" Solis pulled his hand back.
"Don't mind her antics. Her name is Kaira. My name is Uriel, and he is Shima." The brunette pointed at Kaira, and then himself, and the blonde last.
"It's good to meet you all. I'm Sol."
"Honored guests, your food is here!"
Their conversation was broken up by the server.
The three of them cheered as they dug into their food. Solis picked one of the dumplings up, tasting it.
He blinked and stared at it.
"It's delicious!" Kaira cupped her cheek as she took the first bite.
Delicious? Then why were his dumplings so tasteless?
Solis's thoughts on his food were broken when he heard someone behind him bump into him. "Man, these knights that eat here. Who do they think they are thinking that they can just stroll in here and not pay?"
They all heard it.
The entire restaurant heard it.
The hecklers were purposely speaking loud enough to have the knights start a fight with them, and turn the situation into an unfavorable one.
"I can't stand them. Nothing but a bunch of rich brats. These knights are only given their rank because of their blood right, not because they actually deserve it."
"Hey, that's enough." Solis stood, glaring at the loud mouthed patron. "Don't talk as if you know everything."
"Solis-" Kaira tried to calm him.
On the outside, Solis seemed calm, but inside, his heart was full of rage. He was used to badmouths and rumors from his time as Prince, but to insult the very people he had once supported and picked out himself?
He had never felt more insulted in his life than now.
"Am I wrong? All of the real strong citizens of Clarity are overshadowed by money and corruption. They are unable to join the armies of Knights because of the lackluster support for commoners."
He could feel his army of Lunar Knights waking from their graves as the man in front of him downplayed their training and efforts.
Solis gripped the collar of the heckler's shirt, pulling him up threateningly. "I worked to get where I am. Do not mistake my effort to be nothing but a whim from Her Highness, Princess Yi'Ung."
"But you saved Second Princess Finxit, Sir Sol. Is this not the same as using the favor given to you by His Majesty and Her Highness to convince Princess Yi'Ung?"
"I will allow your entry to the Star Knights if you win against me."
He gripped Solis's wrist tightly, so tight that Solis thought that his wrist was going to snap.
Solis's eyes widened in shock as their eyes met underneath the man's straw hat that hid his face until now.
First Prince Tempus Ruptor's eyes glowed as he threw Solis to the side as if he were a ragdoll. The wooden tables snapped in half as Solis was launched into the table with so much force, the wooden floors splintered and broke when he hit the floor.
"You were able to match Aurora you say? I'll see for myself just how good you are."
Tempus rolled his shoulders, his brown eyes shining brightly under the light.
He wasn't using his full Sacred Artifact, but he was utilizing the passive effects it gave him. Solis knew he wouldn't be able to fight Tempus without using his own.
But he couldn't reveal that he wielded one. Doing so would compromise his identity.
He raised his arms to block Tempus's arm swing.
"Wh-"
Solis was sent crashing to the side as something "bit" him in the shoulder.
He was sure he had blocked it, so how did Tempus's arm change direction? Did he change the trajectory in mid motion?
His arms were like snakes, slithering and finding their prey.
Three more strikes from Tempus were thrown, all three of them connecting as Solis was unable to block any of them.
"Do you see what I mean, Sir Sol? You may have talent, but I have far more experience than you." Tempus gripped him by the neck, holding him up. Solis choked as he clawed at Tempus's hand. "Someone like you is not a match for me or Aurora. You don't deserve a spot on the Top 5 Strongest of Clarity just because you were able to stand against Aurora for the test. So don't say that you were able to match her when you couldn't even last seconds against me."
The First Prince dropped him, leaving him gasping for breath.
Tempus gave him a glare before walking away, being flanked by two knights covered in black formal attire.
"Solis, are you alright?" Uriel picked him up.
"That-" Shima growled. "Why was the Crown Prince following us?"
Solis could only try to regain his breath.
What did it mean for Tempus to personally test Sol, the newest recruit of the Star Knights?
-----
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