It was currently night time and a carriage was slowly moving along a clear but narrow trail in a region covered with flora and long thick trees.
Despite being rather large the carriage only had three people, the driver who sat up front steering the large deer like mounts and two passengers in the coach. One man and one woman.
The woman had short tidy blue hair that reached down to her neck, long pointy ears, pearl blue eyes and a milky complexion. By society's standards, she was indeed a beauty. This was Ariel Von Tros, or atleast that was the name she chose to go under to achieve whatever it was she was planning.
"How long until we reach the next city?" Aron who was rested on the seat opposite of her asked while his gaze was directed on the scenery outside the window.
"Hm? You refuse to answer any of my questions yet you ask your own? Don't you find that a bit unfair?" Ariel had been reading a book in silence after Aron refused to answer many of the questions she had for him after the selection had ended. She now slowly closed the book and placed it on the empty seat to her left before looking in Aron's direction with a small smile.
"Our destination and my past are two very different situations don't you think? You're free to share yours and I may reconsider." Aron looked unamused as he replied to the sly young woman.
"*sigh* You're quite stubborn but I suppose that's fair. Keep in mind if you tell anyone this, I will have to kill you and them. My real name is...." After giving a small playful warning, Ariel began to narrate a summarized story of her life.
Aron never once interrupted her and kept his gaze on the scenery outside the moving carriage. After about a time unknown Ariel finished narrating her story and waited for Aron to make a comment.
"You're an excellent liar. Everything you have told me seems accurate to the very detail and your body makes no unnatural shifts to suggest otherwise. However the age you're claiming to be doesn't match the age of your mana signature." Aron never shifted from his position as he brought this fact to light and Ariel neither denied nor accepted. She instead only smiled and picked up her book once again and leaned back into her seat.
"You're a very interesting individual Aron or whatever your real name may be." She muttered in a barely audible tone before once again going completely silent.
'He could either be the very person I need to finally accomplish my goals or the very person who stands in my way. But just who really is he and where did he come from...' Despite looking completely calm and collected, Ariel was in deep worry over how easily Aron uncovered one of her secrets.
"Humans are such cunning creatures, as an elf don't you agree?" Aron asked all of a sudden as he showed a charming smile while the moonlight glimmered on those cold grey eyes of his. Slightly caught off guard by the question, Ariel tilted her head to the left.
"What makes you say that?" Ariel asked with a brow raised in curiosity but instead of giving her answer, Aron grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into his embrace before kicking the door to his right and jumping out.
A short moment later, a bright red beam shot out from the forest and hit the carriage. What followed was a loud and bright explosion that completely decimated the carriage.
Aron and Ariel were only slightly out of the blast's range. Ariel who was currently on top of Aron who cushioned her fall looked at the now burning remains of the carriage with narrowed eyes.
"I agree. Humans are indeed cunning creatures" Ariel replied in an annoyed tone before getting off of Aron and dusting herself off. Aron stood up as well completely unscathed and looked in the direction in which the beam came from with now fierce blue eyes.
Ariel soon looked in the same direction and was about to speak when all of a sudden a gust of wind violently blew in the spot she was standing in, causing her to shield her face and close her eyes by reflex. When gust of wind faded and she opened her eyes, Aron was nowhere to be seen.
Before she could question what just happened, two loud shots could be heard coming from the same direction the beam that hit the carriage came from.
At a clearing not too far from where Ariel was, Aron was standing confidently with a grin on his face and a murderous look in his eyes. He had an arcane gun equipped in one hand and a bloody sword in another.
Infront of Aron where four masked figures wearing hooded robes. Of the four figures, one laid on the ground with two bloodied spots on his body, one on his leg and another on his shoulder.
The remaining three figures stood less than fifty meters away in alert stances and only observed Aron without making any sudden movements.
"I can already tell you won't speak so keeping you alive to ask questions is a pointless endeavor don't you agree?" As Aron asked the figures this, his grin faded giving him a more sinister look.
As if sensing the danger, the three figures took a few steps back and looked ready to make their escape, but it was far too late.
*bang*
Before they could even move their limbs again, three consecutive shots were fired by Aron at a terrifying speed.
All three masked figures now had bloody circular wounds on their foreheads. Their bodies became stiff and all three soon collapsed to the ground. A moment later,muffled yet hurried footsteps could be heard coming from behind Aron.
The owner of these footsteps came to a halt next to Aron and looked at the scene with a frown.
"Someone seems to not like you very much" Aron pointed out in a sarcastic and uncaring manner while Ariel seemed angry about the matter and clenched her fist.
"Those bastards! I knew the fact that a commoner who scored an S would cause the aristocratic community to show interest but an assassination attempt this early isn't something I suspected would happen." Ariel maintained her frown as she explained before letting out a sigh.
"So their target is me. A fatal mistake in their part." Aron quickly assessed the situation before boldly stating the one error they made.
"The fact you're an S class contestant should only be known to a select few individuals. No matter how small the clue, I always find what I'm looking for. Let's go, we'll proceed on foot and get mounts in any small settlement we come across." Ariel still had her fists clenched as she said these words before turning away from the scene and walking away.
Aron found the sight of her angry slightly amusing and showed a smirk before placing his arcane gun back in its holster and sheathing his sword. Before leaving the scene, Aron looked up to a cliff almost two kilometers away then waved his hand and walked away.
On the same cliff stood another two masked figures in a robe who backed away a few steps.
"Forty-five, what's wrong?" The masked figure a few steps away from the one that backed away asked in hoarse voice.
"That person, he can't be human...."
Ariel turned back and noticed Aron's gesture which caused her to stop walking and face him. Before she could ask however, Aron spoke first.
"Two figures where observing the entire scene from that cliff over there. I suppose their goal was too at least gauge my abilities should their assassination fail." Aron walked passed Ariel and explained briefly. Ariel herself turned in the direction of the cliff after hearing Aron's observation and smiled.
"So you killed them quickly using those two strange weapons of yours to ensure they gain nothing. I must admit, the fact they've failed in their assassination attempt and have gained no useful information about you does put a smile on my face." Ariel confessed in a playful tone before following Aron as they continued their journey on foot.