(The Flame)

  A flickering scenery of wildfires consumed all the houses.

  (The Scream)

  A flicker of villagers screaming loudly, tormented over and over within the flames.

  (Replaying Over and Over)

  A child figure in a simple, white dress watched helplessly as she hiding below a bed from the Margias. Fear and sorrow consumed her heart as she saw her mother lying down on the ground, badly wounded with blood leaked out like a river.

  (Why did they do this? Why did the so-called protectors, the 'Margias' and 'Holders', do this? Is it because of their grudge? Is it because of the villagers? Is it because of... my existence as a whole?)

  Then, the word 'why' repeatedly echoed within the abyss, revealing the same weak child kneeling in despair, covering her head with her hands.

  "WHY?" the child screamed, instantly turned around along the way. Her eyes and mouth completely dissolved in dripping Dark Ender; a form of pure abomination.

  Carol jolted upright in her bed, waking up abruptly as the nightmare ended. It was still early in the morning. Outside, the birds happily chirped, a stark contrast to the silence in the room. Carol, panting nervously, felt the lingering horror of the sight she had just seen in her dream.

  "That dream again..." Carol mumbled, still half-asleep as she covered one of her eyes with her hand. "It's been the same over and over for a few days now. Is this related to the pact I made with Irene back in that library?"

  She looked at her reflection in the closet mirror, a worried expression crossing her face. "Well, no need to dwell on it too much," she mumbled to herself, quickly getting dressed in her uniform and attaching a small leather bag around her waist. As she saw the bloody emblem lying on her table, she paused, recalling how Irene had recently been able to control more of her body. "I... I still have the power of my own will. There's no way it would happen again, right?"

  "You really think so?" A slow, intimidating voice of Irene echoed across her room, making Carol swiftly turn her head. Because of that, Carol let out a deep sigh of frustration, snatched the emblem and tucked it inside her bag as she abruptly left the room.

  Now at the main gate of the campus, all the candidates who would join Ordeus's territory had already grouped up, leaving only Carol, the last candidate, to arrive.

  "Still late as ever, huh? Can you at least fix that habit of yours?" Aria said, annoyed by Carol's usual behavior.

  "Heh, sorry about that. I'm kinda excited a little bit with all this 'war' thing," Carol responded, attempting to hide her true intention with a nonchalant attitude. "But anyway. Looks like we have a lot more company than before for our adventure."

  "First off, this is not an adventure like the last one. Second, the company we have is a mixed group of the students we saved a few months ago and that 'Arvain' guy," Noire explained, slightly turning his head over his shoulder. He looked at Arvain, who was arrogantly basking in the attention of a group of female students, with clear disgust.

  "A-Apparently, Arvain got chosen because of his contribution on the exam. Most of the students managed to survive inside and outside of the dungeon thanks to his exceptional guess..." Saria replied nervously.

  "Is that really the reason why he's with us? Why do you sound like you know him very well in the past?" Noire asked, curious yet suspicious of Saria's detailed explanation.

  "N-no! It's just a rumor I heard from other students and lecturers. You don't have to believe it..." Saria responded in panic.

  "Hmm, if you say so."

  Saria sighed in relief, glad that Noire didn't press her further. (Almost revealed Arvain's ability to read someone's fate. Despite... him not using it to bring down the corrupted church instead.) she thought, quietly clenching her hands in fury.

  A faint crackling noise of carts could be heard from afar, growing louder as the vehicle approached. As the group of students noticed the presence of the cart, they all readied themselves, waiting in front of the gate.

  "Are you all the guests for Sir Ordeus?" one of the cart drivers asked.

  Carol was about to answer when Arvain barged in, cutting her off.

  "Why, yes. We're some of the heroes who will be working under Sir Ordeus. You guys should be grateful that you managed to see our presence first," Arvain said arrogantly, showing no regret, much to the embarrassment of the other students.

  The cart driver only chuckled in amusement, treating it like a good joke. "It's been a while since I saw such a funny guy. You really made my day."

  Arvain responded with a confident laugh. "That's more like it. At least you know how to smile."

  (He seems genuinely a good guy. Here I thought he was arrogant to the core,) Aria thought, surprised by the meaning behind his friendly interaction with the driver.

  "Alright," Arvain walked to the cart and opened the door. "Are you guys ready for the good ol' adventure with me? Because I'll be the true leader for our expedition." He pointed directly at himself, clearly believing he was special.

  (Never mind. I was wrong,) Aria thought once again, sighing in disappointment.

  As all the candidates went inside the cart, the driver commanded his horse to move, and their journey toward Qtiryn began.

  However, at the top of the Verlyn campus, a maid covered in a cloak stood quietly, unfazed. She pulled her hood away, revealing the figure of Mira as she looked intently at the carts carrying Rein and Carol.

  "They finally made a move, Miss Mary," Mira said, reporting the situation through a telepathic artifact.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  "Good. Continue on and follow them, Mira. Who knows if she's going to hurt herself?" Mary replied, transmitting her order.

  "Sorry if that sounds rude, but why do you seem so worried for the Priestess? Isn't it good that she awakens her Leviathan side sooner, now that her trauma is escalating?"

  Mary let out a deep sigh, releasing her tension before explaining her reason. "As much as I want to make her aware of her nature, I also don't want her to push herself over the edge. She is still a child, even to this day."

  "Is that so? Here I thought that all the Apostles, like Miss Mary, were on board with Sir Dein's plan."

  "Of course not, Mira. I watch everything. Her pain, her sorrow, and the devastation she felt knowing that Lydia is gone. It truly makes me... want to protect her."

  "No wonder," Mira said, closing and then opening her eyes. "You did tell me you were the closest to the Priestess."

  "Yes. But that stupid promise Lydia made is what prevents me from intervening. She said it was the only way for Carol to grow as a person."

  "A promise, huh?" Mira scoffed at Mary's statement. "I should get going. The carts are getting too far ahead for me to follow."

  "Sure. I'll wait for your news."

  With that, Mira closed the transmitter. (Huh. Can't believe that Miss Mary even has her own soft sides.) Her thought, moving afterward to follow Carol and the group from behind.

  Now arrived at the Sayern Cliff, the literal border separating the Neurn and Qtiryn territories, both carts had decided to use this path as an easy way to avoid Neurn soldiers. Unfortunately, they were ambushed by a group of bandits. A knife was surprisingly thrown, striking one of the horses and causing the cart to tremble panickedly. Thankfully, the cart driver managed to calm the horse.

  "What was that?" Rein asked, confused by the sudden shake.

  "A bandit. They're here," Carol stated, opening the cart door without looking back at him.

  "Bandit? But I don't see any sign of them on our way. It was completely peaceful crossing this cliff," Rein replied, still bewildered.

  "Or perhaps it was too peaceful that it intrigued my instinct," Carol stated, stepping out of the cart to deal with the threat.

  However, as soon as she walked outside, Arvain, without any visible fear, was already challenging the bandits.

  "Hmph, what a letdown. To think you can just ambush us like a scaredy cat. Don't you have any integrity as a fighter?" Arvain said, displaying an arrogant smugness meant to provoke them.

  "Oh? What a noble vow you have, so-called warrior," one of the bandits sneered, smiling menacingly at Arvain. "You want us to 'play' your royal battle or something?"

  Seeing their reaction didn't match his provocation, Arvain began to sweat nervously, but forced a smile anyway.

  "Heh, I don't know what you are talking about. If you don't want to fight me like a true warrior, you can just run if you want..." A sudden sound of dripping blood stopped him. Looking down at his waist, he saw a knife already thrust deeply into his side, spilling his blood.

  "How did you...?" Arvain said, his eyes widening in horror as his legs trembled with fear, slowly kneeling down.

  "Try again, little boy," the bandit said, casting a spell that summoned several sharp, stone knives beside him. "Try provoking me again if you want this knife on your face!" He charged forward, grasping one of the knives, ready to strike Arvain again.

  Fortunately, Carol managed to interrupt the bandit in time, pointing her wand directly in front of him. She illuminated the wand's tip with a green light, casting her powerful wind spell to knock the bandit several feet toward a nearby tree with great force.

  "Boss!" one of the bandits shouted upon seeing their leader's condition.

  "Now," Carol swung her wand away, creating several wind swords hovering behind her. "Can you please just let us move already? We don't have time to 'play' with your plot." She said, her eyes shining with a reddish menace to demonstrate her overwhelming dominance of power.

  "We... We're sorry!" all the remaining bandits roared in unison, retreating back into the forest alongside their unconscious leader.

  "W-why did you help me? I can handle this, you know!" Arvain stammered, his pride bruised by Carol's intervention.

  "It's not like I wanted to help you anyway, playboy," Carol turned her head over her shoulder, her eyes fixed on Arvain with that reddish menace. "I don't have time to see someone playing around like some sort of hero. Not when you weren't strong enough to even notice that knife thrusting your waist." She delivered the unusually provocative statement with a smile that wasn't kind.

  Arvain clenched his hand tightly, looking down at the ground in deep frustration.

  Carol merely snorted at the sight of Arvain, walking past him without showing any sympathy. "Just wake up from that childish attitude already. This world isn't kind enough to let you survive if you keep dreaming." She said, re-entering the cart afterward, ignoring Arvain's humiliation.

  After a long journey, the group finally arrived at Qtiryn, the most advanced city, characterized by its intricate steam technologies. In other words, a true Technopolis. All the students were astonished by the beauty and crowds of the city. They saw steam-powered cars on the road, heard the sounds of trains passing beneath the underground, and observed fancy restaurants where mechanical steam-robots served customers.

  "I can't believe my eyes... I feel like I'm in another world!" one of the students exclaimed, unable to contain her excitement.

  "You're right. It's really cool to see this city's technologies with our own eyes. I bet my brother would be jealous," Aria said, looking at the city with a calm smile.

  "Wait, you had a brother?" Revir asked, his eyes widening slightly in surprise.

  "More like a little brother. Though he just passed away nine years ago."

  "Oh... sorry for asking that, Aria. I didn't know your brother is already..."

  Aria shook her head, reassuring Revir as she noticed his look of guilt. "It's okay. It’s not that I miss him anymore. I already let him go."

  "If you say so."

  Then, a group of armored soldiers marched in unison toward the group and Arvain's contingent. The cart drivers, noticing their presence, quickly departed from the scene.

  Leading the marching soldiers was a person in formal attire: Benjamin.

  "Good morning, fellow students," Benjamin said, bowing slightly as a gesture of welcome. He raised his head back up. "I hope you all had a pleasant journey coming to our territory. Especially you, Miss Carol."

  Hearing a person she didn't know immediately address her by name, Carol instinctively pulled out her wand, pointing it threateningly toward him. The soldiers responded by pulling out their steel spears and swords.

  "Uhm, Carol..? C-can you just drop that wand of yours...?" Saria demanded, panicked by the rapidly escalating situation.

  However, Carol ignored her request, focusing on Benjamin. "Who are you? Are you the one who requested us to come here? And how the hell do you know my name?"

  "Quite a lot of questions coming from you, Miss Carol. But if you really want to know, you should come with me to Sir Ordeus's office after this," Benjamin explained calmly. "Of course, part of our discussion will be about the 'war' all of you are curious about. We will try our best to simplify it."

  Due to his calm explanation, Carol sighed in defeat and pulled her wand back into her bag. "Fine. But you better tell me how you know my name. It really creeps me out."

  "Certainly. Please, follow me," Benjamin said, guiding his guests toward Ordeus's mansion.

  Meanwhile, Mira, observing from a distant cliff far outside Qtiryn, watched Carol and the group. She clicked her tongue in frustration. "This seems bad. The security around the city is too tight for me to follow."

  However, she noticed a presence: a maid walking toward the Qtiryn gate. Mira immediately had an idea. "I guess this will work as well. Can't believe I was too stupid not to think about it," she muttered. Using her Dark Ender magic, she teleported behind the maid, knocking her unconscious with a quick strike to the neck and stealing her clothes to infiltrate the mansion.