A heavy silence settled over the Royal Guard's arena in the aftermath of Vale's strike, the kind of silence that pressed against the ears and made their breath feel deliberate, as though even sound itself hesitated to exist. Along the upper tiers, the assembled guards leaned forward in disciplined stillness, their reactions restrained but far from empty, some watched with narrowed, analytical eyes, dissecting every movement Vale had made, while others betrayed faint flickers of surprise beneath otherwise controlled expressions. Regardless of outward composure, all attention remained locked on him, measuring, reassessing and recalculating in quiet consensus.
Korin stood among them with a posture that remained relaxed yet attentive, his gaze angled downward in steady scrutiny. After a moment, he glanced toward Eskar and spoke in a low, measured tone that carried more weight than simple curiosity, asking, "Where did he learn that?" Eskar responded without hesitation, offering a small, almost indifferent shrug as he replied, "His teacher's on his back." The answer lingered briefly between them, and Korin's brow lifted in mild curiosity before his attention drifted back to the arena floor.
Vale still stood there, though barely. His body swayed faintly under its own exhaustion, breathing uneven yet controlled, and despite everything he remained upright through sheer force of will. After a moment of silence, Korin murmured, "I see… if that is the case, then I suppose I will not interfere with what comes next." Eskar frowned slightly at that, fingers tightening around the leather pouch at his side as he began to ask, "What do you,"
He never finished his sentence.
A deafening roar tore through the tower.
The crimson wyvern outside erupted into motion with overwhelming fury, its massive body slamming into the structure with catastrophic force as stone pillars cracked and splintered beneath the impact. Dust and debris rained through the chamber while its enormous frame forced its way inside, blocking out the rising light as its eyes burned with feral rage. Its maw ignited almost immediately, flames gathering with unnatural speed as heat warped the air and its focus locked entirely onto Vale.
The vice commander turned sharply, her composure fracturing for the first time as she shouted, "No, stop this immediately!" but the warning was already lost in the chaos. The wyvern surged forward regardless, each step crushing stone beneath its claws as the arena trembled violently under its weight, fractures spreading outward while debris fell in jagged bursts from above.
Vale tried to move, but his body refused him entirely, the energy from his last strike having drained him to the core and left his limbs heavy, unresponsive, and distant from his will. His vision blurred at the edges while his breath came shallow and unstable, and he could do nothing as the threat closed in. Above, the guards remained largely unbothered, some sighing and one even rolling his eyes as though observing an inconvenience rather than a crisis, treating the moment as a disruption rather than imminent death.
The wyvern's jaws opened wide as flames surged to life, and then the spear on Vale's back erupted.
Darkness spilled outward in a violent surge, coiling around him in thick spirals before expanding and condensing into form, shadows twisting upward between Vale and the beast as though guided by instinct alone. In moments, they assembled into a towering figure that solidified with deliberate intent, Shade.
The wyvern lunged, and Shade met it head-on.
With both arms outstretched, the construct caught the charge and braced against the impact, its feet grinding into stone as the force thundered through the chamber. Claws tore across its form, yet Shade held firm despite the strain, shadows rippling violently under pressure. The wyvern snarled and gathered even more flame before unleashing a torrent that engulfed Shade in roaring heat, the shadows flickering and distorting as parts of its form destabilized under the assault, yet still it refused to yield.
Its crimson eyes narrowed.
Then it moved.
Shade surged forward with sudden force, one hand snapping upward to seize a fang and force the wyvern's jaws shut mid-breath, cutting off the flames instantly. In the same motion it twisted and hurled the creature aside, sending it crashing across the arena where stone fractured beneath its weight as it skidded to a halt. A brief silence followed.
Shade remained standing.
Though parts of its form had been scorched away, the darkness immediately began to reform, flowing back into place as if damage had never occurred. Without hesitation, it reached behind itself and condensed a massive greatsword from its own mass, the blade solidifying as it rose to point toward the recovering wyvern.
The creature snarled, attention split between Shade and Vale behind it, while from above Korin let out a low chuckle and remarked, "A third-category construct with regenerative properties… I have to admit, that is impressive." His gaze sharpened slightly as he added, "But it does raise the question of how exactly you came across something like that."
Before anyone could respond, a sudden flare of light erupted near Eskar.
All attention snapped toward him at once.
The leather pouch at his hip began to glow intensely as heat radiated outward, the material straining before splitting at the seams and tearing open in rapid succession, unable to contain what surged within. Silfur's expression changed instantly as she muttered, "Oh no… it seems the little one has awakened."
The pouch ruptured completely.
A beam of searing orange energy burst free, slicing through the air toward the wyvern and scorching everything in its path, leaving molten distortion trailing behind it. The wyvern reacted just in time, raising a wing to intercept as the beam struck, melting stone beneath the impact and carving glowing scars across the arena floor.
Eskar moved immediately, catching the small dragon as it slipped free.
The hatchling rested easily in Eskar's hand, yet its appearance carried a stark contradiction to its recent outburst of power. It was fragile, unfinished in form, its crimson scales uneven and only partially developed, revealing softer, unarmored layers beneath. The violent energy it had released moments earlier had already faded, leaving behind something subdued and almost weightless. A faint ember still flickered within its maw as it breathed, each exhale shallow and irregular, as though even life itself came to it with difficulty rather than certainty.
Its unfocused gaze slowly lifted and met Eskar's.
He did not move at first. He simply looked back, and in that stillness something shifted in him, surprise giving way to a quieter, steadier awareness. His grip adjusted instinctively, no longer reactive but protective, as though the instinct to guard it had overtaken everything else. Around them, the arena's chaos seemed to fade into distance, the world narrowing down to the fragile, trembling weight in his palm. For a brief moment, everything truly held still, suspended in a silence that felt unnatural after so much violence.
Then the wyvern roared.
The sound shattered the pause, tearing through the arena with renewed force, deeper and sharper. Its attention snapped away from Vale and locked onto Eskar in an instant. The massive creature rotated its entire body in a single fluid motion, muscles tightening beneath its scaled frame as its claws ground into fractured stone. This time, there was no hesitation in its movement. It had chosen a target.
It lunged forward again, this time with intent focused entirely on the hatchling.
Eskar moved immediately. Without a moment of delay, he lowered the small dragon behind him, shielding it from view as best as the narrow opening of time allowed. In the same motion, he rose and drew his blade, stepping forward to place himself directly between the wyvern and the young dragon behind him. The difference in scale was overwhelming, almost absurd, yet his stance did not waver. Instead, it sharpened, resolve settling into place as the tension across the arena spiked to a breaking point.
"ENOUGH!"
The vice commander's voice cut through everything.
It did not merely echo, it dominated, pressing into the space with absolute authority. The wyvern's charge faltered mid-motion, its momentum collapsing into a tremor that rippled through the stone beneath it as its body locked in place. Slowly, its head turned toward her, flames dying in its throat as its aggression stalled completely under the weight of her command.
She stood upright despite her injuries, posture unwavering and composed. There was no hesitation in her presence now, only control. Her fists were clenched at her sides as she spoke again, each word measured and cold.
"Inferno. Leave. Now. This was a sparring match. Your interference was not required."
Her words effected the wyvern immediately.
The wyvern's aggression unraveled. Its frame lowered slightly, tension draining from its body as though the command itself had stripped it away. A low rumble escaped it, something close to reluctant acknowledgment. It looked briefly chastened, like a creature that understood it had crossed a boundary it was not meant to breach.
Slowly, it turned away.
Each step was heavy, its claws scraping across fractured stone as it retreated. The intensity that had defined it moments earlier dissolved into subdued restraint. At the edge of the arena, it paused once, then spread its wings and launched into the sky, vanishing and leaving behind only broken stone, scorched ground, and fading silence.
The vice commander remained still for a moment longer, gaze lingering in the space it had occupied. Then she turned back toward the arena,
and disappeared before Vale could meet her eyes.
Vale stood in place for a moment before forcing himself upright. Exhaustion settled into him fully now, his breathing uneven but controlled through effort alone. Beside him, Shade began to collapse inward, its towering form unraveling as shadows condensed and reformed into the spear resting against his back. Vale secured it and crossed the arena step by step to retrieve his fallen blade. Above, the guards continued to observe, some leaning back, others exchanging quiet remarks. Their interest remained, but the urgency was gone. To them, this had been an assessment. Nothing more.
Vale scanned the arena once more. There was no sign of her yet again.
A hand came to rest on his shoulder.
Korin stood beside him, a faint, measured smile on his face.
"Well done," he said calmly. "You've officially passed the trial."
Vale exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulder as some of the tension eased from his body. "Was the wyvern part of that too?" he asked dryly.
Korin let out a quiet chuckle, slightly uneasy. "Not exactly," he admitted. "But we all assumed it would react if you landed a solid hit on the vice commander."
Vale raised a brow. "What, you can't say her name?"
Korin's smile turned faintly wry. "She prefers to remain anonymous."
Vale gave a short, tired laugh and shook his head. "Right. So why did it go after him like that?"
Korin turned toward the exit, gesturing for him to follow. "It's still very young," he explained as they walked. "Only a few months old. It reacted instinctively, protecting the one it recognizes as its mother."
The explanation settled in quickly.
Vale winced faintly as he pressed a hand to his side. "Yeah… that makes sense. It definitely looked ready to kill me." He glanced back once. "Good thing Shade stepped in."
They walked for a while in silence, the atmosphere gradually easing as they moved further from the arena. Then Vale spoke again.
"So… what happens now?"
Korin slowed, turning slightly as Eskár and Silfur caught up. His expression shifted, still calm, but now more deliberate.
"We're heading out," he said, gesturing between them.
"To help the people."
His gaze sharpened as it passed over each of them.
"And you're coming with us."