The brightness of the sun that day was evident to how sunny it was. The waves of water, calmly whooshing so as to not disturb everyone's good day.
The horses clip-clopped their way to the port, dragging behind them a carriage that expressed royalty in every single way.
At last, they finally stopped, the door to the carriage opened and everyone inside stood out of it. There stood two kids, one boy and one girl. The boy had bright grey hair and yellow eyes, with an attire reminiscent of something a prince would wear.
The girl on the other hand had bronze, curly hair with brown eyes and an attire reminiscent of something an assassin would attire. They did not stop anywhere crowded, rather, they stopped at a deserted area near their actual destination, accompanied by two other carriages behind them.
"..Do you really have to leave?" The boy asked, his voice was filled with sorrow, the type of sorrow a kid would feel if they had to part ways with their playmate to go back home.
She nodded. "I have to. Will you miss me?"
"..Yes-" He quickly turned his head away. "I-It's not like I'm gonna miss you or anything! In fact, I w-wouldn't even shed a tear!"
She leaned forward. "Oh, reallyyy?" Her voice had nothing but a teasing tone inside of it.
He sobbed all of a sudden, when he looked at her, a tear flowed down his cheek. "W-Why do you even have to leave!?
"You know.. My dad really wants me to go to that academy, and I can't say no."
"Did he force you..?"
"No, he told me it was for my own good after all.." She grabbed both of his hands and held it with hers. "He said it's for you too!"
"For.. Me?" He asked with a curious tone.
"He said I can help you when you need it if I start to learn more about magic, and that I won't be a burden to you if that's the case!" She said excitedly.
The boy let out a big sigh. "Okay.."
She let go of his hands and pulled him into a big, tight hug, he couldn't help but just hug her back tightly, as if it would be the last time they'd see each other.
As they let go of each other, she turned around and walked farther away from him, but for one last time, she turned around with a big smile on her face, but her eyes were honest. The tears she tried so hard to hold back just flowed down and kept flowing down.
"H-Hey.." She called him out as she wiped her tears. "Don't get another girl while I'm gone!"
When he heard that, a warm feeling spread across his body instantly, it's as if he knows this won't be the last time they'll see each other.
"I'll see you around, Meredith."
"Yeah.. I'll see you next time, Sévir!" Meredith turned around again, walking forward to a new world without Sévir for three years.
Her assistants walked alongside her, waving at Sévir as they disappeared one by one.
He walked back inside the carriage, his cheeks were still flustered. The wind swept by with a renewed strength, carrying with it the echoes of their shared childhood memories.
Sévir's eyes flipped open in an instant, he looked around his surroundings. That dream again..
He gently pulled the blanket off of him and stood up, he looked at Zephyr. Does Zephyr still remember Meredith? And does Meredith still remember Zephyr?
He then turned his eyes to Sanguinex before walking towards the closet.
...
Today's morning should be like any other morning, but that is not the case. Today is different. Everyone is riled up, everyone is full of energy and determination as it's their last day before the tournament officially begins.
There stood two men, standing on the very back, away from the rest of their classmates. They watched everyone as they expressed their excitement.
"I can't believe it, the tournament is happening tomorrow." Said Kalvin, he stood there with his arms folded across his chest.
"Where are we going?" Sévir asked. It would only be natural that he'd ask since this is his first year in the academy.
"We'll be going to Magiaville." Kalvin replied.
"Magiaville? Where's that?"
"It's a town nearby, north of Stepanburg."
"Okay.. And why are we going there?"
"Magiaville is where the Dunkron Academies Tournament takes place, it takes less than a day to get there by foot, and that's what we're doing."
Sévir looked him in the eyes earnestly. "..We're going there by foot?"
...
An hour passed by, we find ourselves in a gravel road with nothing but hills and grass surrounding it, in the road was a long line of Stepan students.
The sun was as bright as it could get for this cold month which wasn't as much. That's the only fortune they could get.
"Ugh.. This is so tiring!" Sanguinex exclaimed, slowly panting as her movement got slower and slower ever so slightly.
"Tough it out, this is the first trial to see if we are really fit to join the tournament." Minerva replied, there were little to no signs of her being exhausted, not even a single drop of sweat anywhere.
Sanguinex sighed. "I wish Sévir was here.. I'd make him carry me like a princess!" For a moment, she entered her delusional world and imagined what she just said. She could imagine Sévir carrying her like a princess with a suave look on his face, while she was there being mesmerized by her one and only prince.
"Please limit your imaginations to what reality can offer." Minerva let out a sly tone when she said that. She looked at Sanguinex again with a sly smile this time. "How about I carry you instead?"
Sanguinex looked at her with blank eyes, trying to process what she just asked.
"I'll take that as a yes!" Minerva immediately swooped in and took Sanguinex off her feet, carrying her like a princess without giving Sanguinex time to react.
"H- Hey!? Put me down!" Sanguinex exclaimed.
Minerva tried to hide it, but her face let out a clear, unpleasant look. Heavy..
She continued carrying her for around 23 seconds before letting her go.
"Hey.. You had an unpleasant look the whole time you carried me. What's your problem!?" Sanguinex asked, her voice had nothing more, nothing less than hostility.
"I never knew you polymorphs are that heavy." Minerva commented.
"..Who the hell are you calling heavy!?" Sanguinex replied with a piercing glare. "Sévir can carry me with just one hand without trying, mind you!"
"That's because he's your wielder. If you're very light for him, you're normal or heavier to us." Minerva crossed her arms, her voice hinted at slight disappointment.
"Anyways.. Where're we headed to?" Her mood changed as quickly as the topic.
"Magiaville." As soon as she said that, they reached the border between the hilly grasslands of Stepanburg and the dense forest of Magiaville.
Minerva quickly rested her left hand on her hilt, eyeing their surroundings every now and then.
Sanguinex took notice of this, she may not know what's around, but even she could feel the sudden change of the atmosphere, as if it's wanting them to get out of there or else they face the consequences. "H-Hey.. Just w-w-what the hell is in here?" Her voice could be heard shaking despite her best efforts to keep it hidden.
"To put it simply.. Beasts that no man should ever face if possible." Even Minerva sounded upset when she said that.
"..I don't like it when even you sound like that, it makes me think whatever's in here is really bad..!"
This part of the trial is the one I hate the most.. I've seen more than enough students dying or getting injured by these beasts roaming around this forest. Even Minerva has something to hate.
"Is it a coincidence that our class was put in the very front of the line?" Asked Sévir, his arms folded behind his head as if he feels nothing about the tense atmosphere that the rest feels.
"It's no coincidence, most of the Undefeated Octet are from the fifth year." He hugged himself as he turned his eyes to Sévir. "More importantly.. Do you not feel the atmosphere of this forest?" He asked with slight distress in his voice, even he can feel it.
"Not that much, but since you did mention beasts.." He rested his hand on the hilt of his dagger. "I'll prepare myself."
Kalvin nodded in agreement. "That's the smartest thing you've said since we left the academy."
Suddenly, a ball of light appeared from behind, bright enough to light up the road. Sévir and Kalvin looked back.
"What's that?" asked Sévir.
"Oh, that's Ms. Trysta." Kalvin said with a gentle tone in his voice.
Sévir grunted. "Damn, will it hurt to put it a little higher?"
"Now now, I don't know why you have a short fuse whenever someone mentions 'Trysta', but just leave it be."
He rolled his eyes. "Okay."
As Sévir looked to the right, he spotted two glowing lights, supposedly eyes, colored red.
He quickly put his right hand in his hilt, but before he could unsheathe it, Kalvin grabbed his hand.
He shook his head. "Don't. It'll only trigger them."
Sévir nodded and continued eyeing on their surroundings as they continued walking straight.
...
They arrived halfway inside the forest, it only got less and less visible as they continued the march, the light that guided them halfway through the forest had faded away, blocked by an endless, absurd horde of leaves. It was even more silent. It's as if a plug has been plugged in their ears. Sévir looked at the edges of the road, other than the usual grass and trees, bones were scattered, tons of them. You can't even see whether it's a human or not.
"As expected.. It would've been weird if there were no bones along the way."
Suddenly, the line stopped. Sévir and Kalvin leaned and tiptoed to see what happened.
"What happened?" Sévir asked with a curious tone.
"I think we stumbled upon one of them.." Said Kalvin, his voice had nothing but worry in it. He clenched his fists in anticipation.
"W-What is that..?" Sanguinex asked with a terrified face. What she saw looked like a wolf with long claws, everything about it screamed aggression, its eyes were glowing blue and it had scars all over its body.
It's growl was nothing more and nothing less than an aggressive dog's growl
While Sanguinex stood there frozen, Minerva put her hand over Sanguinex's shoulder, slowly pushing her down as she did the same.
Percival walked over and stood right in front of the beast, his face did not flash fear or anything, but it was a stern face that did not allow any negative faces.
"Percival? What are you doing?" Minerva whispered, an eyebrow raised.
They stared at each other. Second after second, the beast slowly backed away until it turned around and fully ran away when he narrowed his eyes.
"W.. What did you do?" Sanguinex asked.
He turned around and faced them. "Whatever I do, don't try repeating it." Without anything else to say, he walked away, back to his original spot. Minerva was still clueless as to what he did.
The line started moving again, Kalvin let out a big sigh of relief. "It seems like we didn't get into any trouble.
Though.. We might be getting closer to the end already." He said with his voice hinting worry yet again.
Sévir raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Why?"
"As we reach the end, the forest gets denser and denser, these beasts love the dark."
"..I get it now." He said as if he realized something that was so obvious from the beginning.
"What is it?"
"This is a test to see if the students truly are worthy to participate in the tournament. If they die or back out, then they're not worthy."
Kalvin nodded. "Nobody has died these past years, but a lot backed out.." He looked down with a frowning face. "..And I'm one of them." His voice had nothing but regret in it. Although he said he's not prepared and won't join the tournament, it has hurt him as much as it saved him.
"Okay." He said with nothing in his voice, it's as if he didn't care at all. He actually, really doesn't care at all.
At last, they began to descend, the atmosphere got even more tense, as if it's now a thick blanket tightly wrapped around their bodies.
This has to be the final one, everything about where they are now pleads for them to run away, to not go any further.
The dead silence that once filled the forest was now gone. They can hear the long howls, the aggressive growls, fast anomalies moving in the bushes, groups of unsavory glowing eyes staring deep into their souls. But when they have come this far, will they back down now?
This is the first time I've been in this part of the forest.. Kalvin's muscles coiled purely with tension, while his mind says yes, his body says no, urging to stop and turn around. My body is trying to resist.. But as long as I have my mind, I'm never turning around ever again! Clinging to his resolve, he is dead set on continuing the march with Sévir and the rest.
Sévir is looking quite calm when everyone's quite tense. A small smile crept up in his face. No way in hell I'm losing! With a sense of competition now filling his heart, he presses on.
Sévir looked at Kalvin, only to see his arms folded across his chest with a small but confident smile on his face, nodding.
What's he nodding for..? Sévir wondered.
"What's the situation in the front?" Noelle turned to Meredith when she asked.
"I'm not sure, Ms Trysta. It's probably alright since Minerva is there." She took a quick glance at the ball of light above them. "More importantly.. Are you sure you'll keep this ball of light?" She asked with a worried voice, if Noelle keeps this up, she'll run out of mana eventually.
"It's fine. We'll be resting when we get there anyways." Noelle waved it off.
"Oh Ms Trysta, you're always like that." Meredith tugged a small, forced smile as she looked away. You should worry a little more, if I had killer instincts, I would've killed you right away when you were resting a whole lot of times already. Although Meredith appears to be a girl that can agree and work with Noelle Trysta all the time, it seems that deep inside, that is not the case.
"How many times have we done this together?" Noelle asked as she turned to Meredith with a smile.
"If I recall correctly, we've done this together ever since our first year." Meredith replied.
"I remember you used to cling onto my arm all the time whenever you heard the most minor sounds in our surroundings." Noelle chuckled, whereas Meredith's cheeks turned red. She can already imagine Meredith clinging onto her arm by the little noise she can hear around them.
"W.. Well.. I remember when you used to cling onto ME whenever beasts passed by, you were even screaming which led to the beasts attacking us!" She shot back even harder. She can already imagine Noelle screaming in pure terror, clinging onto not only Meredith's arms, but to her whole body to the sight of a beast.
Noelle's cheeks turned red, she cleared her throat. "O-Okay, you got me there."
"And that ti-" Meredith was rudely interrupted by the sound of bushes right beside her moving, forcing her to turn her eyes to the direction of the bush.
"These beasts are making noises but aren't attacking us.." She turned her eyes back to Noelle.
Noelle pointed up. "It's because of my light, these beasts try to avoid light as much as possible."
Meredith nodded and looked in front of her. I wonder how Sévir is doing..
As they continued marching forwards, unsightly things began to appear all around their surroundings.
Sanguinex forced herself to look straight ahead as she saw piles of dead bodies around them. "I didn't sign up for this, damnit!" She said as she pinched her nose, the smell hanging around the air got worse and worse.
As they delved deeper, not only did they see lifeless, decomposing bodies, but broken carriages, its wood split everywhere.. Horses whose heads and other parts are missing. Sanguinex's breathing got more rapid by the sight of these.
"Minerva.. How are you so calm!?" She exclaimed, freaked out.
Minerva looked at her with a cool face, but her eyes were honest. Her eyes screamed horror in every single way, she was as terrified as Sanguinex. "Y-You just get.. Used to it..." Minerva muttered.
Percival on the other hand, continued walking behind them, unfazed by the unsightly appearances that lay in front of them. This much can't faze me anymore.. I've seen worse, you little babies! Percival felt nothing but disappointment when he saw both of them go weak by the gruesome scene.
In front of them, a beast feasted on another decomposing horse. The beast, exactly like the one from earlier–wolf-like with long claws, roughly and violently pulling the meat off the horse's body.
As Minerva raised her hand to signal everyone to stop, a snap can be heard from the ground, and when they looked down.. A twig was under her foot.
The beast quickly looked at their direction, clearly unhappy as its feasting had been disturbed.
It slowly walked towards them, with a threatening glare and growl.
Minerva slowly drew her cutlass with her left hand. I've always seen beasts around here, but I've never actually faced one before.. Minerva gulped in uncertainty.
Sanguinex took a step back, her blood running cold even more every time the beast took a step closer. I can't die, but this is scary.. It's gonna hurt a lot too! Her thoughts exclaimed, not wanting to suffer in pain since she can't die to just a beast.
The beast stopped, it looked up and let out a loud and long howl with its raspy voice.
As if by instinct, Sanguinex hurriedly grabbed her wand from her pocket.
"Crap.. This isn't good!" Said Percival with worry in his voice.
As the howl stopped, countless amounts of glowing eyes appeared from the darkness, all in various colors~red, blue, green..
"CODEX RUBER!" Minerva shouted as loud as possible. Everyone nearby was alerted, drawing their weapons as they all faced their respective sides, it's as if they've been training for this kind of situation.
Noelle and Meredith were alerted, instantly drawing their own weapons as they faced the beasts hiding in the darkness.
"Hey.. Don't you dare cling onto my arm this time!" Noelle exclaimed.
"I beg the same out of you, Ms Trysta!" Meredith replied.