The Monster Tamer Association branch sat at the northern end of the city's commercial district.
It was not a small building.
Wide stone facade. Heavy double doors, both open. A carved emblem above the entrance — a Monster silhouette circled by a ring of runes, the Association's mark. The kind of structure that had been built to last and wanted you to know it.
Qalish stopped outside for a moment.
The area around it was different from the rest of the street. Quieter, in a particular way — not empty, but purposeful. People moved with direction. A woman passed him leading a creature on a long lead, compact and grey-scaled, its eyes scanning everything. Two men stood near the side wall in low conversation, each with a Monster at rest beside them — one broad and furred, one hovering faintly off the ground.
Monsters everywhere. Different species, different ranks. None of them restless.
Trained. Disciplined.
This is their world.
Foxy was in his Inner Space. He had made the decision that morning — drawing unnecessary attention before he even stepped inside wasn't smart.
He walked through the doors.
---
The interior was larger than it looked from outside.
High ceilings. Long counters along the left wall, staffed by Association personnel. A wide open floor with benches and notice boards. Hallways branching off to the right — deeper into the building, toward rooms he couldn't see yet.
More Monsters here too. Perched, resting, standing — accompanying their Tamers naturally, without being told to stay. The air carried something different from the academy or the hunting ground. Less tension. More familiarity. These were people who spent their days with Monsters, and it showed in how both moved around each other.
Qalish took it in without stopping.
He moved to the counter.
---
The staff member looked up as he approached. Young woman, Association uniform, a small creature perched on her shoulder — something avian, dark-feathered, watching him with sharp eyes.
"Registration for the Tamer Apprentice assessment," Qalish said.
She nodded and pulled up a panel on her Monster Watch.
"Name and Crystal rank?"
"Viridis Qalish. F rank."
She noted it without reaction.
"Today is one of our two annual assessment dates," she said. "Walk-in registration is open to anyone who meets the base requirements. We have roughly twenty-five applicants so far today. Assessment begins in the east wing once registration closes."
"Requirements — Level 10, D rank contracted Monster?"
"Correct. Both must be met at time of assessment. Do you have a contracted Monster at D rank or above?"
"Yes."
She noted it. Slid a registration card across the counter.
"Fill this in. There's no fee. Anyone who meets the criteria may apply — but passing the assessment is a separate matter. First Star requires you to demonstrate basic Taming competency in a practical task."
She paused.
"The task will be assigned individually at your station. You'll receive it when the assessment begins."
Qalish took the card.
"Thank you," he said.
She had already moved on to the next person.
---
He found a bench near the notice board and filled in the registration card.
Around him, the other applicants were doing the same. He counted without being obvious about it — twenty-three so far, not including himself. Mixed ages. Mixed ranks, from what he could read at a glance. A few looked like they had been here before and hadn't passed. Most were his age or slightly older.
The atmosphere was focused. Not tense — people had come prepared, or thought they had.
He handed the completed card back to the counter and moved toward the bench nearest the east wing hallway to wait.
That was when he heard the voice.
---
"Hah. Didn't expect to see you here."
Qalish didn't turn immediately.
He already knew.
Nateant stepped into his peripheral vision — arms crossed, expression carrying that particular brand of relaxed mockery he had never managed to fully disguise as confidence.
"Monster Tamer Association," Nateant said. "Ambitious. For someone with your... situation."
Qalish looked at him.
"Situation," he repeated, without inflection.
Nateant's mouth curved.
"F rank talent. You know how Monster Taming actually works, right?" He glanced around — making sure people nearby could hear. "It's not about the Crystal you show everyone. It's about the original. Your actual talent rank. The one that determines your boost when you try to evolve a Monster."
He let that sit.
"F rank. Ten percent. You'd be the weakest Tamer in any room you walked into. What exactly are you planning to do here?"
Qalish held his gaze for a moment.
Then looked back down at the notice board in front of him.
"Apply," he said simply.
A beat.
Nateant's expression shifted — not into anger, not yet. Something closer to disbelief. He had expected more of a reaction. He always did.
"That's it? You're not going to—"
"Nateant."
Qalish's voice was even. Not sharp. Not dismissive.
Just done.
"I heard you. I don't disagree with the facts. I just don't particularly care what you think about them."
He turned away.
Not dramatically. Not with a parting line.
Just — finished with the conversation.
Nateant stood there for a moment longer.
Then left.
---
What Qalish didn't see:
Nateant walked directly to the east wing corridor. Not toward the waiting area. Toward the examiner rooms.
He stopped at the second door on the left.
Knocked twice.
The door opened.
The man inside was broad-shouldered, unhurried in his movements — the kind of stillness that came from authority held long enough to become habit. He looked at Nateant with the mild attention of someone who had been expecting him.
"He's here," Nateant said.
His uncle looked past him toward the waiting area — briefly, without making it obvious.
"F rank talent?"
"Original, yes."
A pause. The examiner's expression didn't change.
"The assessment is fair," he said. "Whatever happens, happens within the rules."
Nateant looked at him.
Something passed between them.
"Of course," Nateant said.
He left.
The door closed quietly.
---
The east wing was a long corridor with individual stations arranged along both sides — small desks separated by low dividers, each with a Monster Watch reader mounted on the surface and a sealed task envelope at the center.
Twenty-six applicants filed in and found their stations.
Qalish found his near the middle of the left row. He sat down. The desk was plain — reader, envelope, a small tray for materials. Nothing else.
At the front of the room, the lead examiner — a tall woman with a 3-star Monster Tamer emblem on her collar — stood with a calm that said she had run this assessment many times.
Beside the door: two other examiners. Both male. One younger. One older, broad-shouldered.
Qalish noted him without looking directly.
He didn't know who the man was. But the way his gaze moved briefly to Qalish's station when he sat down — unhurried, just once — was enough to register.
He filed it away.
The lead examiner raised her hand.
"Assessment begins. You may open your envelopes."
The sound of paper across the room.
Qalish reached for his envelope. Broke the seal. Unfolded the single sheet inside.
He read it once.
Then read it again.
His expression didn't change.
But behind it — something was already calculating.
---