Once outside the portal, Samuele saw slightly more familiar surroundings.
"We're back at the Guild." Whispered Sofia's voice beside him. Her eyes were bright with hope. "So are we done? Are we in?"
Samuele slowly shook his shoulders. Around him, everyone else relaxed, aware that the difficult test had come to an end and that they would never have to face Alberto Ricci again.
"God, that was hell..." Manuele thought aloud, sitting down on the floor in exhaustion.
"Really?" Diego huffed, the corners of his lips slightly turned up. "You looked like you were having fun in there. You were smiling like crazy." Diego's smile grew bigger as he saw his ears turn red.
"I still can't believe it... did we really make it? All of us passed?" Federico, the boy Samuele had passed the first test with, asked incredulously.
"If nothing else, the practice part of the exam is over." Lucia reflected with a hand on her chin. "Since we're inside the Guild, I don't think we'll keep fighting."
"Honestly, I hope all the tests are over so I can celebrate and play my ukulele." He admitted with a slight laugh Paolo, who only now Samuele noticed was carrying on his back a musical instrument similar to the guitar but much smaller that he did not know.
"You will soon, Mr. Fontana." A male voice from above answered him. Everyone turned toward it and saw Guild Chief Michelangelo Rizzo coming down the stairs. Like the first time they saw him, his walk conveyed great authority and power.
Almost unconsciously, they all lined up side by side like soldiers who had just heard the dormitory bell signaling that it was time to get up.
As soon as he finished descending the central stairs, Michelangelo Rizzo stood before them all, scrutinizing them one by one. His expression was hard, impassive.
"Congratulations to all of you," the Guild Leader began, his voice deep and authoritative. "You have passed every test we have imposed on you. Each of you has shown remarkable potential." His eyes rested on each of them, creating a sense of excitement and pride.
Then, without warning, his gaze hardened. "But there is a sore point." He said, taking a step forward. "Sofia."
Sofia felt herself freeze. Her heart began to beat wildly. "Yes, sir?" she asked, trembling with nervousness.
"You have been disappointing." Said Michelangelo Rizzo in a firm voice. "You are a Healer, yet you have shown nothing more than your colleague here." He pointed to Eliana, the other Healer, who lowered her gaze in embarrassment as she felt Sofia's eyes on her.
"Your passing of the tests was only the result of pure luck. In both tests, you fluctuated between mediocre and superfluous. If you had been in a real emergency situation, you would have fallen at the first hurdle, and that's not hyperbole." The Guild Leader's voice grew more intense, each word a bullet sinking into the girl's chest.
Sofia felt the blood drain from her face. "But... I... I gave my best!" she exclaimed, trying to defend herself, her voice trembling.
"Your best?" This time he mocked her. "And where is your added value? The Guild needs strong and capable members, not entanglements." Sofia opened her eyes wide. She tried to speak, but it only resulted in a pathetic babble. " Entanglement...?"
"That's right. Entanglement. To put it simply, you were as useful as a parasol in the middle of a hurricane. Do you understand better?" Cold, harsh words pierced her like arrows. Sofia lowered her gaze, biting her lip.
"I... I can improve..." She mumbled in a broken voice.
"You can improve? I doubt it," replied the Guild Leader with an icy smile. "For now, the truth is that you have no place here." Sofia's shoulders shook. A silence fell over the Guild, broken only by poor Sofia's sobs. She felt as if the world was collapsing around her. The dream of becoming part of the Guild vanished in an instant.
"Come back when you have something real to offer." Michelangelo Rizzo continued to rage.
"A parasol in the middle of a hurricane?" Repeated Samuele aloud in an incredulous voice, drawing the attention of everyone and, most of all, Michelangelo Rizzo. "Come back when you have something real to offer? These are the words you address to the girl who has put her whole self into joining this Guild?" A silence, this time frosty, again fell over all of them.
"Would you like to say something, Mr. Rua?" He asked, his tone also icy.
Samuele had until then silently observed the dramatic scene before him. He could not believe his ears. Was this really the amazing Guild according to Sofia, he wondered to himself. Was this Guild really his dream? Samuele did not understand any more.
"Yes, I have something to tell you. She was the one who pushed me to try the entrance exam. She always talked about how exceptional and unique this Guild was. How everyone in here was a family, how we were always helping each other out."
The others began to pay attention.
"But looking at how you behaved," Samuele continued, his face flooded with anger, "I realize that's not the case at all. It's disgusting. I thought we were here to help each other, to support each other, but your attitude only shows how cold, insensitive and even overbearing you are."
If looks could kill, then Samuele would have already been buried because of the Guild Leader's glare, but the Mage continued anyway. "I have no intention of working in a Guild that has such a person devoid of humanity as its Leader. This is not what I had hoped for. If this is the true face of the Guild, then I refuse to be part of it."
He grabbed the hand of Sofia, who looked at him surprised, and shook it. He turned one last time toward Michelangelo Rizzo. "If you can't see Sofia's value, then it is your loss, not hers." He turned toward the exit and dragged Sofia with him, who followed stunned.
Lucia turned her gaze between the two boys and the Guild Leader. "He's right. If this is the treatment you give your Adventurers..." She said in a low voice, but loud enough for everyone to hear. "I'm leaving, too." She finished, following Samuele and Sofia.
Manuele looked at her in surprise. "Hey..." She mumbled, biting her lower lip. After a few seconds, he gave a small, embarrassed smile toward the man and ran toward Lucia.
"You know what?" Paolo began, backing a few steps toward the exit. "There was no reason to treat that girl that way." And he turned to leave with the others.
"Yeah, no one deserved a demoralizing speech like that." Federico added, joining the others.
Diego gave a small smile without saying anything, but he too turned to leave.
Samuele and Sofia, who had stopped long ago as soon as they heard Lucia speak, looked at them in amazement. They had not expected such an aggregation. Sofia looked at Lucia, who put a hand on her shoulder.
"Why?" She asked in a whisper.
"I don't know about the others, but we are friends." Replied the brunette with a warm, genuine smile. Sofia's eyes once again shone with tears.
Michelangelo Rizzo then turned to the last two remaining.
"So, the only ones left are just Ms. Capuani and Mr. Bellucci."
Tommaso smiled wildly, happy to have entered. Eliana, on the other hand, continued to look at the floor with an uncertain expression.
"I... Actually, I don't want to stay in this Guild either." Said the girl, looking up in the direction of the Guild Leader, who squinted his eyes.
"Is that your final decision? Once you walk through that door with the others, you won't be able to go back." He said in a grave tone.
He remained a few seconds in silence. "I see." She gave a small smile. "Thank you for the opportunity." She said and joined the others, but not before hearing a snort of derision from Tommaso.
Michelangelo Rizzo watched them all. There in front of the Guild's front door was the group that would leave the Guild.
"Then it is decided." He affirmed, solemnly. "The group, consisting of Sofia Proietti, Samuele Rua, Lucia Moretti, Manuele Nocerini, Paolo Fontana, Federico Trevisani, Diego Cremonesi and Eliana Capuani, passes the exam with flying colors and is entitled to join the Lupi di Castiglione Guild."
None of them were not surprised by the Guild Leader's communication of level 90.
"What?!"
"What?!" Tommaso Bellucci exclaimed, along with everyone else. "This is a joke, right?"
Michelangelo Rizzo turned to him with a smile. The icy expression from before disappeared, giving way to a warm expression. "No, not at all. I'm sorry, but you failed the exam. You can't join the Guild yet."
Tommaso was speechless, as was everyone else from the exam participants. Soon an angry expression spread across his face and he began cursing at him. "To hell with you and this damn Guild! I'll go and join the Falchi Magici Guild. They will definitely let me in there."
The group in front of the gate made way for him, but before he could leave, Michelangelo called out to him.
"I wish you good luck with everything, then."
Tommaso froze for a second, but then resumed walking and went out.
Another silence fell again in the Guild. All of them had stunned looks on their faces, not knowing what to do or how to act. Had they passed, just like that? Was there any celebration to be had? They all looked at each other as if to find the answer to these questions in each other's faces.
"I don't think I understand what happened." Manuele admitted, massaging his neck.
"I will make the explanation very simple for you, then." Said Michelangelo Rizzo, drawing everyone's attention as he walked around them and stood in front of the Guild's massive gate.
"Listen carefully." he continued, his words rumbling like war drums. "There is one fundamental principle you must always keep in mind, which is the very heart of our Guild."
He turned to the huge coat of arms hanging above the door, a silvery wolf set in profile howling to the sky.
"Trust, loyalty and union." he proclaimed, his voice vibrating with pride. "If a comrade falls, the others help him up. If a comrade falls behind, the others wait for him. If a comrade is in danger, the others rescue him."
In his voice was a sacred promise, an oath that was never to be broken. Michelangelo's eyes shone brightly as he lowered his gaze to the young group.
"This..." he concluded, his voice lower but full of solemnity. "Is the way of the Wolves Guild." Then a smile full of pride made its way across his face. He looked at each of them with satisfaction.
"And you have shown that you can carry this burden on your shoulders. All of you have fought together, have faced the challenges that have been set before you side by side, looking over each other's shoulders. And when you overcome a battle together with others, they end up becoming our comrades, our friends. And you all decided not to abandon your friend."
Lucia wrapped her hand in Sofia's. Samuele smiled warmly at the sight, and he was not the only one. Then, his gaze, as well as everyone else's, returned to the Guild Leader.
Michelangelo gave a fatherly smile. "All of you." He began. Then, still under the Guild crest, he spread his arms theatrically and spoke again. "Welcome to the Lupi di Castiglione Guild."
Immediately after his words, cheers of happiness erupted behind the group, which found itself flooded with the new faces in the room.
"Congratulations, you made it!" Exclaimed a girl with ash-blond hair. "And there are so many of you!"
Despite the great hubbub of voices, Lucia, Sofia and Paolo seemed to recognize her. "Was it you who blocked us in front of the wall?" The first asked, receiving an energetic nod from the girl. "My name is Elisa, but you can call me Lizzy." She introduced herself with a smile, before turning around as if to look for someone. Her eyes lit up and she walked away, approaching a boy who stood on his own, uncomfortable, and dragged him there by the arm.
"This is Lorenzo, by the way. He is very shy, so you would hardly have made his acquaintance without a push from me."
" Nice to meet you..." Lorenzo whispered in such a feeble voice that it was only through lip reading that they understood what he said.
Samuele, Federico and Eliana looked at each other with complicit looks and smiled slightly, having clearly recognized him.
"Did you guys see that?" Michelangelo asked aloud, with a smile that went from ear to ear. "I have brought you nine more guys for us all to have fun with! We must celebrate until the wolves have howled at the moon!"
The newcomers found themselves overwhelmed by the huge uproar of shouting, laughter and slammed glasses, but soon the tension melted away like snow in the sun and they too joined in the rejoicing.
New members hugged each other, laughter mingled with the sound of friendly pats on the back. Someone pulled out bottles of prosecco while others took to drumming their fingers on the wooden tables, creating a spontaneous melody that filled the room. The neon lights on the ceiling seemed to pulse in unison with the group's energy. Trays of focaccia, cold cuts, and local cheeses were arranged on a long table, and soon the impromptu feast came to life.
The feast lasted until everyone was too tired and full to continue. For Samuele, and certainly for Sofia as well, he thought, seeing the huge smile on her face that did not disappear for a second during that party, it was the most fun he had ever had in his entire life. They had just joined the strongest Guild in Italy. A day they would never forget.
Turin, a cold autumn sunset. The streets of the city center were crowded, the lights of street lamps reflected off store windows and sidewalks wet from the recent rain. Fabrizio Diacono walked alongside Leonardo Pisani, the Falchi Magici Guild Leader. Although his heart was beating fast, his face was impassive. The Falchi Magici Guild represented a new phase for him. After a lifetime of silence and abuse, he had decided that he would no longer lower his gaze to anyone.
The Guild was located on a side street, not far from the GAM Museum. From the outside, the building appeared anonymous, but once he crossed the threshold, the atmosphere changed dramatically. Inside, a group of adventurers were training in a large, poorly lit room. The clangour of metal against metal echoed within the walls, and grunts of exertion mingled with the harsh laughter of those who were fighting.
But as they entered, the chaos died down. Eyes turned to them, or rather, to Fabrizio, the new face. Leonardo, with his piercing gaze and trademark mischievous grin, stood in the center of the room.
"Welcome your new companion," he said in an amused tone, the smile not leaving his lips.
The hall, however, fell silent. But it was not a friendly silence. The looks were stern, suspicious, almost threatening. Fabrizio felt the weight of those eyes on him, but he did not waver. His face remained ice-cold, even when one of the sturdier adventurers stepped forward.
"Hey, brat," he called him in a gruff tone, his gaze grim. "I don't know how you got into this Guild, but you're worthless here until you prove you've got balls."
With a casual gesture, the man pulled out a knife he handled carelessly and threw it, aiming to scare him more than to hurt him. The blade hissed through the air, aiming at the wall near Fabrizio's head. But, with a lightning-fast movement, Fabrizio caught it on the fly, without even looking away from his attacker. A flash of cold determination crossed his eyes as he returned a look that could have frozen his blood.
"Then I will make sure to imprint on your brain that I am well armed with it," he said, his voice as low and sharp as the knife he held.
With a sharp gesture, he threw it back. The blade thrust into the marble floor at the man's feet, producing a dull sound that broke the silence in the room.
Leonardo, observing the scene, smiled wildly, smugly. "This is my Guild," he declared, his voice resonating in the resumed silence of the hall. "The Guild where you will have to prove your worth every day so that you will not be outclassed and get pushed around."
He turned, spreading his arms upward, showing the Guild crest hanging above them: a majestic falcon, wings spread, the symbol of power and freedom.
"This is the Falchi Magici Guild!" he concluded, with a fervor that rekindled the atmosphere. Guild members observed Fabrizio with new eyes, assessing him, challenging him.
But Fabrizio did not lower his gaze. He had spent his whole life running away from confrontations, but now he was different. Now he was ready to fight, to prove that no one would ever corner him again.
END OF CHAPTER.
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With this final chapter, all the characters who would be featured in the second part of the story came into play. Of course, there would be other characters to be introduced, for example., the "God's Elect" (who would play a major role in the third part).
As anticipated as early as Chapter 15, this book goes on official hiatus indefinitely. I have other ideas in my head for some fanfiction, various DxDs, and one in particular for MHA (the latter I've been carrying around for years, but having lost the files with some things written on them, I don't really want to rewrite it. For now xD) As for DxD, it is two short stories and two long stories. For the time being, I'll go for the short ones, since I think I know myself very well by now and I know that I would abandon the long ones in less than a month.
That said, if this first part of the story interested you, or even better, you liked it, tell me in the comments, in the reviews or by leaving a power stone. If you didn't like it, honor to your brave hearts that made it this far.
I would love to repeat those seven words of greeting one more time, but I would be lying, so....
See you in the next story. Bye!
P.S. DB Sparking Zero recently came out, but since I'm poor, out of nostalgia I'm replaying Budokai Tenkaichi 3 after 12 years. I still remember all the moves xD