"Will you come to witness the test this year?" a young man asked Andre who was eating his meal. He wore a red robe. Passing the test will give them the choice of joining the various towers around the kingdom under the influence of the Tower Masters.
Andre has joined the Red Tower, red tower mages are known for their strength. Something that matters the most in the world, but they are also known for their bad tempers.
"I don't think anything is interesting. There's no need for me to go there" Andre said as he clench his fists. His acquaintance sees this and turns to him. "You still can't forget about what happened?" he asked but Andre just stared at him.
He stepped on a landmine. It is something that Andre doesn't want to talk about or even remember. It was a disgrace.
He has been ridiculed after the test was concluded. Andre's reputation plummeted down because he got beaten up by a Void Mage. He is seen as a disgrace to all Prime Mages for what happened.
"There is no way that I can forget that test so easily. I have suffered for months because of what happened that day." Andre said aggressively but his acquaintance is not fazed about his behavior.
"If you are that disturbed about it then you should face it before it haunts you back later on." Andre turned away.
There is nothing much that he wants to say. At that time, he only sees William as someone that got close to Hannah and wants to humiliate him but ended up suffering the humiliation instead.
"That day, I thought of him as someone that's not even a threat. His persistence ate me away and before I knew it, I realized that he is not weak." He thought to himself.
Andre realized it himself. William can put up a fight despite being a Void Mage, and on top of that, he was only using a single spell, and that spell is even a defect that greatly opened his eyes.
"You don't understand what it feels like. At that time, I saw myself as invincible. No one can defy me until he came around. A mere Void Mage showed me how terrifying the world can be." Andre murmured.
"So it was true after all. The rumors about that guy's ability- they are not just exaggerations. If Andre is suffering this much after facing him, I can't even try to imagine if that guy is a real mage."
It was the first time that Andre talked about the test and how he felt. For his entire stay in the tower, he kept silent while suffering from how the other disciples are treating him.
It was a surprise. His acquaintance finally realized the weight of what everyone had said to Andre. "I feel bad for him now. Not everyone here is nearly as strong as Andre, if the guy that made him miserable were to fight the other disciples, there is a high chance that they would lose." He added.
Andre despite being looked down on is stronger than most of the senior disciples. His ability to control his spells after facing William proved to be top-tier.
"If that's the case then that is more the reason to go there. Who knows what that guy will pull off this time." He suggested.
He said some interesting words. He caught Andre's attention. "Why do you want to see that guy? Are you curious about his skills that badly? Even if you are a Prime Mages yourself?" Andre asked.
His acquaintance, Volt is also one of the strongest among their peers. He took the test from a different region and ended up living in the current region.
"What's wrong with that? I kept hearing good things about that guy, so it's normal to be curious. I am not the only one that feels that way. I bet some of our seniors are curious as well."
Yet again, Volt reminded Andre of the past.
After joining the tower, Andre fought against a senior who is also a Prime Mage. Their fight ended briefly, and Andre is completely demolished without being able to put up a fight.
SHIVER! SHIVER!
"That's right. There are a lot of monsters in this world." He said to himself as he remembers the piercing gaze that his senior gave him.
"Is that all you've got? What a bummer. I thought you'd be stronger but it turns out that you are nothing. Makes sense how a mere Void Mage is able to injure you."
Those are the words that his senior left him after his overwhelming defeat.
"I don't want to face that monster again in the future," Andre said to himself. "Okay. I'll go."
The next few weeks came in a flash and the test for that year has arrived.
The town is filled with people from all over the region once again. And just as they have expected, the performance of the mages this year is on another level compared to the earlier years.
"Do you think he will be here?" Volt asked Andre who has no clue about it as well. "Why are you asking m-!" Andre saw Hannah from the corner of his eyes.
As always, she is beautiful. Andre felt like he is seeing her for the first time. It was love at first sight again. Her beauty is just that stunning.
Volt saw Andre and turn to look at what he is looking at and saw Hannah as well. "So she is the alleged young lady that caught your attention last year as well, huh?" Volt said with a smile while nudging Andre.
"Shut up." He denies it with a flustered face.
As the crowd moved around, it revealed that Hannah was not alone. She was with someone, and they are enjoying each other's company.
Suddenly getting caught up in his emotions, Andre slowly starts to wall toward them when all of them are caught by surprise.
"William Pierce and ---------, please come to the stage-!" everyone went silent. Even the announcer, Mark's father is speechless and confused at the same time. "What?"
"I thought that kid had enough."
Andre saw Hannah's reaction, she was shocked beyond belief to hear William's name getting called in this year's test.
"William-!?" her words are cut short when she felt a shadow looming above her. She looks up and gasps in horror.
GASP! "What is that?!"