After one hour, the bell rang, and the six stood on the edges of their respective arenas.
In one arena, after walking into the arena, Lucas looked towards Elara and Ivy. He was nervous but equally confident and just wanted to see the reasons for fighting hard. Dashiell and Elara smiled at him, and Ivy also smiled while sitting nervously. She knew the importance of this match and couldn't hide her nervousness like Elara and Dashiell.
"Are you ready?" the referee asked Lucas.
Lucas looked to the sky, took a deep breath and nodded. The referee proceeded to ask Wyatt, who, booming with confidence, nodded immediately. The referee blew his whistle, and they sprang into action.
In the beginning, Wyatt took the upper hand in the fight. His punches and kicks were calculated. Lucas, who was already nervous, started losing momentum. Even after a few rounds of exchanges, Lucas didn't get any advantage over Wyatt, but he was able to defend better as time passed. As he was defending, Wyatt punched him in the chest. Though he defended, the force moved him to the arena's edge. If Wyatt had continued his attacks, he would have won, but his confidence clouded his judgment.
He gave Lucas time to recover from that punch. Lucas had read Wyatt's attack pattern and knew how he was attacking. Following the exchange, Lucas started his offence. He began dodging Wyatt's moves and attacking the openings he made. Lucas landed a few hits on Wyatt's ribs and abdomen, but Wyatt was stronger and faster than Lucas. He parried the dangerous attacks.
However, Lucas's persistence began to pay off. He noticed that Wyatt's movements were becoming slightly slower, likely due to the accumulated hits. Lucas capitalised on this, increasing the speed and precision of his attacks. He delivered a swift kick to Wyatt's knee, causing him to stagger.
Sensing an opportunity, Lucas launched a flurry of punches aimed at Wyatt's torso and head. Wyatt tried to defend, but Lucas's relentless assault left him with little room to counter. With a final, powerful uppercut, Lucas knocked Wyatt off balance, sending him crashing to the ground.
Wyatt struggled to get up, but the referee stepped in, declaring Lucas the winner. Exhausted but triumphant, Lucas raised his fists in victory, having turned the tide and emerged victorious against the odds.
For Lucas, this win was his first step to becoming strong, strong enough to protect his loved ones. When the referee announced his win, he looked at his hunter family, and tears started flowing from his eyes while he was smiling. Ivy was laughing, Elara was smiling with tears in her eyes, and Dashiell was smiling back at him. This scene was so fulfilling for him. He knew his efforts, and so did Elara, who had seen him fall, get up, and dress his wounds after practice. Ivy, the primary motivator for him. Dashiell, he may have entered the story late, but he was also an inseparable part of it.
While Lucas was busy admiring his win, the other fights reached the conclusion way earlier. Xaviers' fight concluded just before Lucas's. He won, but his condition was not much better than that of his opponent, Jaxon. Both had swollen cheeks and torn skins on fists and legs, the difference between both would be Jaxon's broken nose and him lying unconscious on the ground. Xaviers himself was completely exhausted.
Violet finished her fight very quickly. Looking at her, it seemed that her fight was the easiest one. Lucas was shocked by this; he had expected her to lose. He didn't pay much attention to her because he had won, and now he was one step closer to his dreams.
Judges announced the final list of selected candidates. And they were:
1. Aria Johnson - Girl
2. Blake Smith - Boy
3. Caden Brown - Boy
4. Delilah Davis - Girl
5. Ethan Wilson - Boy
6. Freya Taylor - Girl
7. Violet Young - Girl
8. Harper Thomas - Girl
9. Isaac Jackson - Boy
10. Xaviers Brook - Boy
11. Kaia Harris - Girl
12. Liam Martin - Boy
13. Maya Thompson - Girl
14. Nolan Garcia - Boy
15. Olivia Martinez - Girl
16. Lucas Stone - Boy
17. Rowan Lewis - Boy
18. Sienna Walker - Girl
19. Tristan Hall - Boy
20. Uriel Allen - Boy
Before they left, they congratulated them and asked them to gather in the arena the next afternoon.
Lucas went to his family, who were eagerly waiting for him in the stands. Elara hugged him, and she was in tears. She was happy for him; she knew how much effort he had put into this. Ivy was clapping and hopping around them. Dashiell was admiring Lucas and Elara's bond. He was satisfied that Elara was so happy.
Dashiell had seen Elara when Ryan was around, and she fell after that. She had tried doing good for others, but people still scorned her. After trying numerous times, she gave up and started only to do her duties as a hunter without any retort to insult that people hurled at her. That's why he was shocked when he returned and found Ivy at her house. Usually, her house would be silent and gloomy even with her in it. But it was different when Ivy opened the door for him. It felt warm, felt more like a home than a house. Later, when he met Lucas, he understood a bit why. They both accepted her as she was; Ivy warmed up to her, and Lucas treated her like a sister even when Elara told him about what had happened with her brother. Dashiell had understood why her house felt like home and cosy.
They went to their inn and celebrated by eating and drinking juices. Because Lucas & Ivy, Dashiell and Elara also didn't drink any alcohol.
The next afternoon, all of them had gathered in the arena. The sun was on top of their heads.
"First of all, congratulations to all of you for being selected into the Academy. Your training will start on the first day of next year, the first of the month Bloodmoon of 1051. You must report to the academy by the twenty-fifth of the month, Embernight. You will be given a map of the city and your selection letter. And you have to bring them with you when coming to the academy. If you have any questions, you can ask now." One of the Judges spoke monotonously.
When none of them asked anything, they asked them to collect maps and selection letters and leave. The ones distributing both the scrolls were in their mid-teens; most likely, they were hunters under training at the academy. When they gave the scrolls to Lucas, they were surprised, but because of the academy's discipline, they said nothing.
One was a detailed map of the whole Nameless city, while the other one was a selection letter filled in with Lucas's name. Below were the rules of the academy. He took them and met with his family, who were ready to leave for their residence. It was a half-day journey from the arena to where Elara lived. It may be called the city, but it was way bigger than any city. It was comparable to small Nations. Lucas had two weeks before he had to leave.
He had to live in the academy for two years before taking the graduation exam. If he passes, he will become a hunter; otherwise, he will have to attempt next year until he graduates. He will get three such chances before being thrown out of the academy. One can stay for a maximum of five years in the academy, if they fail to graduate, then they will be kicked out of the Academy, and they will lose the opportunity of becoming a hunter ever again. One can take holidays occasionally but not more than two days. Family members can visit them but only on dignified days.
Lucas spent these days playing with Ivy and chatting with Elara about the Academy. He also told Elara many times to take care of Ivy. Elara had ascertained to him every time that she would do. All four of them would go out of the city, and Ivy would play with the pup. She had started calling it Luca. When Elara first heard her calling it Luca, she laughed upon seeing Lucas's face. Not only her, but even Dashiell also laughed. The pup was happy upon hearing the name. It danced around Ivy as if it only saw her.
The sunlight trickled through the leaves of the tall trees, creating a cosy, shaded spot where the four friends sat together. They enjoyed the roasted deer meat that Dashiell had hunted with his wolf, Ghost and Aurora. The extra meat had been given to the wolves, who were now resting nearby.
Dashiell and Elara shared amusing tales of their hunting adventures, making Lucas and Ivy laugh heartily. The atmosphere was warm, a perfect blend of nature and family.
Lucas, Ivy, and others stood before a giant gate. Hunters' Academy was etched on the gate. They had arrived at the Academy gate. The gatekeeper had seen his selection letter and went inside to inform the person responsible for handling newcomers.
"Elara! How have you been?" A middle-aged man came with the gatekeeper. He seemed to know Elara.
"Hey, Arthur! I am fine, what about you?" Elara was surprised to see a familiar face.
"What can happen to me inside here?" Arthur replied.
"We will talk about ourselves later. For now, let us in," Elara said to Arthur.
"So, this is Lucas, ha… so reports were true you are quite young," Arthur commented after looking at Lucas. "Come on, let me show you where he will stay," Arthur asked them to follow him.
They followed him. While they walked through, Lucas could see the training grounds and buildings for their further studies and training. Elara told him about them. He could also see other participants coming. Elara started explaining how it worked in the Academy. Students will be divided into various groups, and Each group will comprise people from almost all the selection arenas around the outer city. Arthur was in charge of one such group. Each group will live in one hostel. Various competitions will occur among these groups during the two years of training.
After walking for half 'n' hour, they reached the hostel. Arthur took them inside the boundary; Lucas gasped, seeing the large courtyard. The courtyard size was such that fifty tiny houses were built at the courtyard's edges.
"There are fifty houses; each house is built for two people. Many of the students have already arrived and taken up the residence. You can choose from the remaining. By the way, Elara's room is empty; you can take that." Arthur explained with a smile. What Arthur didn't say is that no one has taken that room after Ryan's death.
"Then I will take that room," Lucas said without consideration.
"Which one is it?" Lucas asked.
"Third one from the left," Elara said simultaneously with Arthur.
"I also want that room." Before Lucas could move, a sweet yet firm voice came from the yard's entrance.