Victoria Ramses wandered like a lost child through the sea of attendees sprinting around her to find their perfect matches to make it through the next exams. People had always approached her growing up due to her father's status. Thanks to that upbringing, introducing herself to others had never been a strong suit. It wasn't that she lacked confidence. Rather, Victoria was sure that any team she was on would be able to beat the next test with her knowledge. Her voice just felt lost in this vast crowd of screaming teens, their faces all looking so desperate to latch onto someone. She wanted to yell out that she needed a partner, that she was the best candidate there and anyone would be lucky to have her join them, but all she managed to do was wave and smile awkwardly at her fellow examinees as they ignored her to form teams of their own. I can't let it end here! Her palms perspired and her knees started to feel weak as the reality of her situation only worsened the unease in her stomach moments before. She nearly had a perfect score on her written exam. She didn't even fall to a single knee when the Captain tapped her with Light. So why was no one approaching her?

  Five minutes had already passed; five incredibly awkward moments filled with the Duchess' failed attempts at getting others to notice her. Most of the examinees were standing around leisurely and getting to know their new teammates—it was torture for Victoria to see so many of them relaxing. Panic set in, and her strides grew quicker as she wove her way towards the crowds' center. It took every bit of meditative power she could conjure not to pay attention to the timer slowly ticking down on the stage above. The "waiting plan" had been tossed out the window. She tapped the shoulders of a few examinees, but most of them just shrugged her off and pointed towards their newfound allies. After several attempts at this, her ego began to shatter, and the young noble found herself motionless in the center of too many already-formed groups.

  Is this how it ends?! I don't get in because everyone already has a Human on their team?! All my dreams? My ambitions? Is this what they're all worth?! What am I–?

  A hurried set of taps on her shoulder knocked Victoria back to the world.

  "Hey, you need a team?"

  She spun around with worried eyes, and to her dismay the troublemaker's red-haired brother was poking at her.

  "Wha–?" She shuddered away from the dark boy's touch and stared at him with a sour look, but the boy didn't seem surprised by her disgust.

  "Sorry about that," he went on. "I didn't mean to startle you. My brother and I are looking for a partner. By chance, are you a full-blooded Human?" Victoria was hesitant to accept his offer, but time wasn't in her favor. She had no choice.

  "Uhhh... my mistake! I shouldn't have been so surprised given all this." She gestured around the ongoing chaos on the stage floor. "I'd love to join your team..." She reached out a hand to introduce herself properly. "My name is Victoria Ramses. I'm a Human from here in the capital."

  "Sachi, Sachi Van'Heatah—from the Green Edge." They shook hands and Victoria had a stronger grip than Sachi expected. He smiled at the girl with hair colored like his Kingdom's flag with a sigh of relief; it seemed he too had been searching for a partner for a while. Sachi pointed behind him to the blue hair who had made trouble for the attendant earlier. "That's my brother, Mira—neither of us are full-blooded Humans. It looks like the "half-bloods" are able to pick which Clan to represent them for this exam. If all three of us team up, we'd be able to pass." He called out with cupped hands. "Mira, get over here!" Mira was busy asking every person he saw to join their team. It seemed like he was getting on the nerves of some young women who found his lack of social awareness to be creepy, so it was a good thing Sachi called him back when he did.

  Mira was ecstatic to meet Victoria. He shook her hand wildly in a seesaw motion. "It's good to meet ya'!" The boys were nicer than she had assumed after watching Mira trying to start a fight with an old man earlier. She thought there'd be no harm in being friendly back to them. However, upon hearing their names she instinctually was forced to poke at them with a joke.

  "Sachi...and Mira...?" She snickered in a teasing tone. "Aren't those girls' names?" The brothers weren't amused in the slightest at her jest. They stared her down for a moment with frowns that challenged the proportions of their faces, then responded in unison.

  "No!"

  Victoria kept giggling to herself, only regretting the joke slightly. "Okay, okay. Sorry. It was just a joke. I'm bad at meeting people so I like to try making them laugh first. I'll take a note not to try that one again with either of you." Mira managed to crack a smile, but Sachi still didn't seem entertained. "So, let me guess..." Victoria snapped her fingers and pointed at the redhead. "You're half-Elf and half-Human."

  "How could you have guessed that one?" Sachi responded sarcastically, rolling his eyes and gesturing to one of his over-sized ears. "It's 'Elv' by the way—you won't believe how many Humans mess that one up."

  "Elv, huh? Well, that's good for me to note too." The Duchess felt a bit embarrassed at her mispronunciation, but she refused to let her smile slip. "And don't get me wrong, those ears were a dead giveaway. But I know you're definitely half-Human from your hair and complexion." She looked Sachi over again from head to toe. "Honestly, if it weren't for the big ears and green eyes, I could've mistaken you as one of the princes. They all have dark skin and red hair too."

  "The princes...?" Sachi raised a brow and almost blushed at that. He never thought himself handsome enough to be mistaken for a noble, and certainly not a royal.

  "And you're..." She looked down at Mira with a finger aimed between his golden eyes and paused for a moment. "Alright, I'm lost with you. I've got nothing. I've never seen anyone with eyes or hair like that. What are you?"

  Mira scratched his head. "Well, I never met my mom, so I'm not sure what her half of the family looked like. But my dad's half-Human and half-Titan."

  Victoria looked down at the childish teen doubtfully. She placed her hand a few inches below her chin, where the top of Mira's head reached. "I'm pretty sure a Titan would at least reach eye level with me." Sachi let his toughened composure slip and laughed aloud at that one. Mira just stood there with red cheeks, scowling at the young woman for teasing him.

  The blue hair crossed his arms with embarrassment. "Rude! My dad's super tall." Mira pointed up over Victoria's shoulder. "He's even bigger than that thing."

  She turned, still giggling at her own joke, finally stopping when she laid eyes on what Mira was pointing at. It was lamp post on the stage; a fifteen-foot-high light post. She turned back to the short boy with yet more doubt in her eyes. "Sure, shorty... and I'm Anne Corvus."

  "He's not lying." Sachi chimed in, still fighting his giggles from Victoria's jokes. "Go ahead, try to pick him up."

  "Sachi!" Mira protested. "We're in public, that's scandalous behavior!"

  The fool's brother was quick with the response he knew would get this all over with. "Just let her do it. After all, you don't want her to think you're a liar, do you?"

  Mira's eyes widened at the accusation. He pouted in his steps forward but begrudgingly held his arms out to his sides, eyes closed, waiting to be picked up. Victoria gazed back to the brothers like they were mad.

  "I'm not picking him up. That's-"

  "Just do it." Sachi interrupted. "Your jokes started this. Now go prove yourself wrong."

  After taking a moment to consider how her big mouth caused this uncomfortable situation, Victoria rolled her eyes and walked up to Mira. "Fine." She placed her hands under the small boy's armpits and tried to lift him, but to her surprise he wouldn't budge at the initial pull, nor her second when she adjusted her feet for a better angle. On her third try, she got frustrated and used her full strength, but even less seemed to happen. Not at all. It was like trying to move a statue welded into concrete. Her legs strained from lack of preparation before attempting that third lift at Mira's immense weight. She took a step back with wide eyes of disbelief.

  "You're..." She trailed off only to return with aggression. "I mean, was your mother a castle? Are you made of bricks? You weigh at least ten-thousand pounds, kid!"

  Mira chuckled at her surprise. "I told ya', I wasn't lying! And for the record, I only weigh seven-hundred pounds—we checked last week." Mira's laugh was wholehearted and came straight from the belly. "She-he-he!" He swung back or curled forward every time he would bark out that gleeful tone, gripping his stomach as if the sides would rip off if he let go. Sachi joined in on his brother's laughter with his more reserved tone. Mira might have pushed Sachi past his patience on occasion, but he always found it funny watching people's faces when his weird big brother surprised them.

  "See," chuckled Sachi. "He's definitely got some Titan in him with weight like that." Victoria was still processing how Mira's small body could hold so much weight and still be able to walk; it was illogical by every law of nature she knew. For a moment, she even started considering whether the weight was coming from his bones or organs. She looked back up to the portrait of the late-General Ren Holo on the stage with a shade of terror taking her expression.

  This may have been the worst idea I've ever had...

  After the ten-minute chime sounded on the tall stage, those who were unable to find a team wandered out of the stadium with sunken faces. Victoria noticed most of the examinees who had to leave were Humans; she was glad to not be among them. The Corvus Kingdom was primarily a Human nation, so there were bound to be a few stragglers when all the examinees from other Clans got paired up. Besides, there would always be next season for the losers if they were motivated enough to come back. The newly formed three-man squads were then instructed to assemble before the stage, and again Captain Dori took the microphone to explain their next challenge.

  The rules of the next test were straightforward. The teams were to face off in a game called "capture the flag", a children's game played all across their nation. Only the winning teams would move on to the next test, cutting the number of examinees in half. The C.R.M. was only looking for the best and brightest soldiers to join their ranks. Those with poor teamwork skills, useless Radiances, and anyone unable to perform under stress would be weeded out quickly to train harder or find a new career. The next "twist" from the enthusiastic Captain Dori was how their games would not be taking place in the Colosseum, which resulted in another groan from his crowd. Many of those examinees, particularly from the capital, spent years dreaming of proving themselves on the Deslit's stage, but that right had to be earned. Instead, the games would take place in the Red Grove surrounding the Royal Family's Palace: The Scarlet Aerie.

  The hike wasn't too long, but many examinees still complained anyway as they marched north from the Deslit, Mira and Sachi didn't join in on the whining. It was the brothers' first time in Gilgamere, so they marveled at every high tower and flawless stone lining the roads with the eyes of bewildered children. The East Meadow boys marveled at just how much taller buildings within Gilgamere were compared to those in Palos, some reaching so tall Sachi was able to count eight, or even twelve stories. Then there were the roads: those stainless, crack-free roads of carefully cut stones; roads that looked untouched by boot or carriage. The brothers had never thought any such road could exist. It felt wrong to even think of walking on them.

  Sachi and Mira lived in the coastal city of Posidon to the south for the last six months, but even that ocean-front city paled in comparison to the spotless pewter streets of Gilgamere. The buildings were all too tall, and the people all dressed so well, like they were guests running late to some ballroom party awaiting at the end of each of their paths. The capital people's exceptional garments caused Mira and Sachi to whisper back and forth about how one might tie a tie or fit into such intricate dresses, and ask if they were dressed well enough to walk amidst those nobles in their cheap cotton and denim. The intimidation was understandable, for Gilgamere citizens preferred being dressed for the eyes in all given situations; fearful they would bring shame to their prestigious family names if caught dead in public wearing anything unbecoming of their status. The Van'Heatah boys definitely would not have been mistaken for nobles in the outfits they brought to the exams. Sachi's pants were well pressed, but they were clearly old and made from imperfect material. Other than that, the redhead just wore an old, black cotton tee and dirty boots. Mira, on the other hand wore no shoes; or socks for that matter. He wore his favorite, pineapple-pattern shorts for the occasion. He ran out of shirts a few days back while training with Sachi, so he coupled the shorts with a sleeveless black hoodie that needed a couple stitches.

  Monuments of and in tribute to heroes from the seven Ages could be found in small parks and closed-off fields all along their way to the palace. In the city's most historic park, known as the Generals' Walk, stood statues of the sixteen Generals of the Corvus Royal Military's history. Two rows of gardens filled with roses, tulips, violets, daisies, and carnations lined the sides of a walkway that snaked through the park in a winding pattern. The flowers were surrounded by freshly cut ryegrass. A seventeenth slab of stone was being chiseled toward the end of the path at that moment; this one was for the recently departed Ren Holo. Based on the massive size of the pewter slab, it was clear that General Holo's statue would be full-scale; by far the largest of any of his neighbors. He deserved it, not just for his physical stature, but for serving the longest term as General that the Corvus Kingdom would ever see.

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  Along their walk to the Red Grove the boys took notice of another one of the capital's well-preserved parks. This statue park wasn't nearly as crowded as the Generals' Walk, but there were still four people who were scattered around it, enjoying the weather in the grass or smoking their pipes in the shade. It was a small park with only two statues in it, but it had a different vibe than the others the examinees had passed by. There was no path leading to the monuments, nor were there flowers or decorative vines surrounding them, just a well-trimmed field of grass. The statues were also not like the others they had seen. Instead of pewter, steel or bronze, they were crafted from solid gold. They looked Human as far as the Van'Heatah boys could tell. One was of a Man adorned in a suit of armor sporting oversized, layered, shoulder plates. He stood proudly with his hands gently clasping the pommel of the large sword planted in the ground before him. The sword could have been a monument on its own, for it was monstrously large and masterfully etched with jewels. The end of pommel reached just below the golden man's chin even with nearly a foot still buried in the grass, and his gaze was fixed to the south. Next to the man stood a small woman in mail armor. Her hair was straight down her back, and her face showed no smile. Perhaps she was pretty in person, but the boys could not tell for sure due to the weather damage and many chips she had suffered over the years. His armor and her forehead were also defaced, appearing as if some vandal had carved the Burning Crow of Corvus into them in some amateurish attempt at graffiti.

  Sachi pointed over to the gold statues curiously. "Hey, Victoria. Who are they?" Victoria looked to the spot Sachi aimed his finger at, then back to the boys with disapproval.

  "You boys really must be from the Green Edge if you don't know him. That's Posidon. Y'know... like the city..."

  "Posidon was a person?" asked Sachi with a surprised look. "Where is he?"

  "He died at the end of The Golden Age." The Duchess had already started to walk away with the rest of the crowd. The statues were old news to her, and she had to keep her mind focused for the test ahead. There was no time for history lessons with these uninformed hicks. "That statue was here long before the Kingdom was founded, but members of all Clans say good things about him. They say he was a great Hero."

  "Well, what about her?" asked Mira, walking briskly to catch up with his new friend. He pointed at the statue of the woman next to Posidon. Victoria had no time for this game of twenty-one questions. Her answer was short.

  "No one knows who she was. Now come on, let's go. We've got a game to win."

  The Red Grove was a sea of gargantuan redwoods one could easily get lost in, each adult tree standing at least two hundred feet tall. Their fall leaves created a canvas of deep orange that blocked out the blue sky above. A single trunk from one of these monstrous trees would have taken up the entire floor plan of the Van'Heatah's house, and then some. That forest both bewildered and humbled the non-local attendees as they stepped into it. But still, these massive redwoods were but saplings before the enormous, one hundred and forty eight story palace that lurked in the distance. Many of the examinees from more impoverished regions of the Kingdom had thought the scale of this forest to be a fairytale before this day, but Victoria had played in these woods all throughout her childhood. She would come to the edges almost every week during her childhood to climb, and then to hunt with her father when she was old enough. She looked out listlessly into the woods as some nostalgia from those days returned to her. She came back from the void of her memories when she walked into Sachi's back. It was a surprise to him, for he had been dazing off as well.

  "Sorry about that!" He said quickly with manners only a poor boy could afford. "These trees are just so..." His words trailed off as he found it impossible to describe the scale and brightness of what he was seeing properly. "I've never seen anything like this." He quickly turned back to see where Mira was, seeming to snap out of his own daze. This forest, with its seemingly unreachable treetops and branches that stretched on as far as the eye could see, would be paradise for a speedy daredevil like Mira to explore. To Sachi's pleasant surprise, Mira looked rather content. Out of the three of them, he actually seemed to be the most focused. An eager smile crept across his face as Sachi turned back to him.

  "You ready to win this?" asked the blue-haired boy with a dumb smile.

  Victoria couldn't help but smile with ease when she set eyes on her teammate's goofy grin. "Well, I'm glad one of us isn't nervous. We're one of the youngest teams here, and I'm sure the competition will be-"

  "The competition's got nothin' on me and Sachi." interrupted Mira. "We've been training all summer long, and there ain't a person here that can beat us." Victoria laughed at Mira's tall claims, but Sachi couldn't help but grin smugly at his brother's cocky words. He knew Victoria was in for another surprise during their exam.

  The teams were each guided to a flagpole out in the redwoods by attendants dressed in secondhand armor, displaying medals that revealed their lack of rank. To cover their spotty metalwork, the attendants would wear thick black cloaks with red fur collars in vain attempts to appear more respectable. The Sergeants and lower-Officers explained that in this game, one team was set to guard a black flag; the other a red. To win, each team needed to find, steal, and finally return their opponents' flag to their starting area. The game would only be over once a team planted their opponents' flag inside the circle back in their own area.

  Victoria's team was led out to their starting spot like all the others, a grassy clearing in the woods with a black flag planted in the center of a chalk-drawn circle. The team started stretching out and waited for the signal to start their match. They were not told the location of their enemy flag, for part of this game was to find it. This would be a team exercise involving scouting, reconnaissance, asset protection, and search-and-rescue style tactics—or at least that's how the exuberant Captain Dori defended the childish game being considered a test. Regardless, this was the test she was given, and she would prove herself at anything those Captains threw at her to claim a spot amongst their ranks.

  Before heading to the Red Grove, Victoria had quickly changed into her exam gear. She felt herself again, now wearing cargo pants stitched with the black and red camouflage pattern their military was famous for. A peculiar set of leathers were tied at her waist and around her thighs. Along the sides of the strange fashion choice were a series of slips for daggers, and four holsters where handguns would have hung had this not been an exam. Her chest piece, shoulder guards, and wrist protectors were all crafted of the same dried-up brown leather; as was the holster belt. There was a thin trim of fur along the shoulders and collar of this cheap armor. A year ago, the fur had shined a spotless white, but now it had all nearly torn off and faded to dark gray. Beneath the armor, she wore lightweight chainmail of no grade; and beneath that she wore a loose black undershirt. Victoria had also tied her hair into a tight bun at the top of her head, worried it might get in the way when she had to fight for the flag. As the team stretch out, Mira and Sachi kept looking over to her outfit, feeling increasingly more underdressed in their street clothes as the exam stages proceeded. They hadn't the money for armor, but then again, neither would need it for something like this.

  Sachi called over to his new teammate with a laugh. "I thought a capital citizen would at least have something of Iron-grade in her wardrobe."

  Victoria cracked a smile at him. Many nobles found her crass and rude for the ways she'd jest at them, but it was clear these boys from the Green Edge had been called things far more foul than any capital citizen would even think of saying. "My dad has a full suit of Silvers, but they're waaay too big for me. These leathers and crap-mail are all I can afford until I get into the C.R.M." She thought it best to not tease her new comrades for their lack of armor and changed the topic. Mocking Mira's stature was one thing, but she thought it cruel to poke fun at someone for their lack of family money. "So, why would two Meadow kids like you want join up? Do the farms really smell as bad they say around here?" Her tone was playful, as to not offend them.

  Mira responded on cue, ready to tell Victoria who they were. "Two brothers..." He stood dramatically; those odd, golden eyes gleaming in the checkered glow that managed to find holes through the canopy. He met the Duchess' gaze with his more serious face and prepared to tell their tragic ballad. "Brought together by f-"

  "Not now, Mira!" Sachi interjected before his brother embarrassed them further.

  "C'mon, dude!" Mira tossed his arms over his head in frustration. "When can I say it?"

  "Never."

  Mira's face sank into disappointment after his epic tale was ignored. He sat back on the ground in frustration and waited for the exam's starting horn to sound off. Sachi then gave an answer to Victoria, but it wasn't much of one. "My father had a dream for this Kingdom. We're just here to help fight."

  "How interesting. My father was a military man too—he actually made it all the way to the rank of Captain. Maybe our fathers-"

  "My father was a silversmith." Sachi interrupted. "Not the best one, either..." He chuckled at the thought of the clumsy Elv in a suit of armor, bald head shining like Captain Fissure's. But still, his father had fought bravely on the night of the purple cloaks, and he was stronger than most of the merchants and barkeeps in Palos due to his Elvish heritage. "Sorry, but I don't think they've met." Sachi still laughed as he finished responding to Victoria. "Every sword he made broke at first impact, and I've never even seen him hold a firearm in my life."

  "Well, there's always a first in the family, I suppose." Victoria shot him a teasing smile and went back to triple checking that her armor was secured perfectly. "We should talk about our strategy for this test. The starting horn will ring any minute, and I want to make sure we're prepared." She took a knee and began drawing a map in a patch of dirt to coordinate their positions. "Gather around. I think it's important we get to know one another's Radiant Arts to position ourselves best for this test." Sachi raised a brow at this, just a moment ago this young woman had been nervously joking around and fiddling with her leathers, but now she spoke like they were actually at war.

  "We'll split into two teams," continued Victoria. "One to attack the enemy flag and one to guard our own. The person whose Radiance is most suited for a defensive role should stay back and protect our flag." She started drawing X's and O's in the dirt to represent their position. "Sachi, what are the qualities of your Light's Radiance?" Victoria pointed to the half-Elv like he was under her already pledged to serve under her command.

  Victoria's tone may have taken him by surprise, but it wasn't intimidating enough to stop him from poking fun at her. "Okay, General Victoria..."

  "Take this seriously!" She retorted. "If we don't pass today, we'll all have to take try again next season. Trust me, waiting months to do this all over again will be way worse than how depressing the walk home without your wings today will be."

  "Fine..." said Sachi still chuckling about his General joke. Victoria stared at him with her arms crossed, smokey eyes unamused by the lack of concern in his expression. Sachi sighed and pointed up to his ears. "I heal, okay?"

  "So, you can't heal others?" She asked the question a bit incredulously. "I suppose that would make you fitted best for a defensive role." She marked an "S" in the dirt next to the "X" she had drawn to represent their flag. "Mira, what can you-?"

  The starting horn rang before Victoria could finish her plan. Mira hopped up as quickly as the horn rang with blue sparks already gathering around his feet. He spoke quickly, as if his Light had reached his tongue to speed up his speech.

  "I'll-be-right-back-with-the-flag-bye!"

  He shot off into the woods in a burst of blue static, fading into the tree line with the sharp buzz of his Radiant Art lingering in the air. Mira was filled with complete bliss as he ran away. He had been waiting patiently, so patiently, for his chance to run free in those majestic woods. Victoria was left in a stunned silence as Mira disappeared. It took her a few seconds to process what just happened, but she got there.

  "What the... Is he serious, right now?!" She stood and gazed with eyes of burning smoke at the sparks still dancing on the path Mira created. "We- we should follow him! I mean, right? No—No, the flag's here... So, if he's gone..." She whipped back at Sachi with a furious stare. "What's wrong with your damn brother?! We didn't even finish going over the plan!"

  Sachi had to cover his mouth to keep himself from blurting out in laughter at Victoria's frustration. Watching Mira shock people never failed to amuse. The half-Elv took a seat and looked out into the woods without any concern for what had just happened. Victoria still huffed and puffed behind him, unable to comprehend Mira's lack of planning. This is a test; a serious test.

  "What is he thinking?!" she managed to blurt out.

  "He's not." mused Sachi. "He never does." The crimson-haired boy turned back to his flustered teammate, amused by her increasing scowl. "Try not to worry about it. We've already passed this test."

  "What do you mean? We just-" A blur of blue static sprinted between them before Victoria could get her next words out.

  He's back?! thought Victoria in a panic.

  Barely a minute had passed, and Mira already stood in front of her with a childish grin, holding the red flag of their opponents.

  Victoria stared at the flag for a moment in disbelief, but she quickly marched up to Mira to reprimand him for running off. "Are you insane!?" She grabbed the small boy's shoulders and hissed in his face. "Do you have any idea what you could have cost me?!"

  "B-But I got the flag." Mira tried to interject.

  "That's not the point!" Victoria began to shake the troublemaker back and forth as she lectured him, just as she had seen his brother doing in the Deslit. "We were in the middle of planning our attack and you ran off without us! This is my dream—do you hear me? My dream, Mira! Ever since I was a kid, all I've had on my mind is joining this army! Then you... You... How did you even get the flag so fast? You weigh a thousand pounds!"

  "I'm just really good at running! I'm sorry, Tori!"

  She shook him harder at the unapproved nickname. "Tori?! When did I-"

  "Yeah... I figured yours was coming soon." said Sachi, putting an end to Victoria's aggravated shouts. "He gives everyone a nickname, except me." He sounded a bit pouty as he said that last part. "Now can we please plant the flag? We can't officially win until we do."

  Victoria stopped shaking Mira and peered down to the flag he had dropped on the ground during her assault. It was over, and she had no need to keep yelling at him. "Hmph." She let go of his shoulders and picked up the flag. "You did good. Just... Try to wait up next time until we have a plan." She planted the red flag in the ground next to their black one. She felt rather useless in that moment. All her training and planning, the armor she had made sure was perfectly strapped on, all for this odd kid to return with the flag faster than she ever could have.

  How did he get it so fast? Was he too fast for the enemy to see coming?

  "Yoo, Tori! Hurry up!" Mira was already calling back to her from a few paces ahead. The brothers had started to walk away before Victoria even planted the flag.

  Victoria stuttered at their overconfidence before responding. "Uhhh... Coming!" She scurried along to catch the Meadow boys. There was no doubt they were an odd pair, but with speed like Mira's it was impossible to deny they were strong recruits. Whatever it was, her anxiety subsided as she ran to catch up with them; feeling confident in her team's chances for the next exam.

  A few hundred yards away, pained groans could be heard from their opponents' base. Three boys of mixed Clans lay beaten and bloody on the ground where a flag once stood. One of them managed to stutter through his injuries. With blood filling his lungs, he gargled out a question to an approaching Officer.

  "W- who was that monster...?"

  (To Be Continued...)

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