The Reevire estate was overwhelming. Marble floors, spiraling staircases that seemed to stretch into the clouds, golden statues of warriors frozen mid-battle, and paintings that looked like they belonged in royal vaults. Guards patrolled the halls like shadows.
The head butler opened the door with a practiced bow. "I had no idea someone from the Asura family would be visiting today. Although the young master did mention four guests. Excuse my ramblings—I am the head butler of the Reevire estate. Please, take a seat in the dining hall. The young master will meet you soon."
Tori and Mica didn't wait. They darted through the halls, admiring everything with wide eyes and zero restraint. Sunless trailed behind, trying to keep them from touching every piece of gold and art they passed.
"Your turning eighteen soon—be mature!" Sunless snapped at Tori, dragging him by the collar.
"And Mica, don't be such a child!"
"Hey!" Mica shot back. "We're both sixteen!"
Sunless flicked her forehead. "Shut up."
Eventually, Sunless managed to herd them into the dining hall. They collapsed into chairs and started eating the table snacks like they hadn't eaten in days.
The door creaked open.
Issac peeked in, looking mildly amused. "Well, I wasn't expecting you to find the fifth participant without me. But… good job, I suppose."
He walked in and sat down, eyes landing on Sylph. "Didn't expect you to be here."
"I thought I could do something nice," Sylph replied casually. "Who even are our opponents?"
Issac sighed. "The idiot asked you to help and didn't tell you? I apologize on his behalf. We're going up against the Royal Academy of Aspin."
Sylph's expression shifted. "Well then… I used to attend there, actually."
Sunless and Tori both looked surprised.
"I mean, I figured," Issac said. "You are an Asura, after all."
Tori groaned, resting his head on the table. "How come I'm the only one who doesn't know anything?"
Issac didn't miss a beat. "Of course you're the clueless one. If you plan on leading a guild, you have to be more informed about the world around you. Instead of just training, you should study. Your mind is also your Authority."
That hit harder than expected. Tori stared at the polished wood grain, thoughts swirling. He'd always trained his body. But the world was bigger than strength. Bigger than him.
Issac stood. "Now then, I'll say our roles. If we end up being defenders, Mica is the queen—"
"Wait," Mica interrupted. "I never asked you why did you chose me?"
Issac turned his gaze onto mica. "Your diverse fighting style may throw them for a loop if it ever comes down to you fighting. You might buy more time than anyone else here."
Mica smiled to herself and nodded.
"Right. Mica is the queen. I'm the general. Tori is the knight. Sylph is the scout. Sunless is the sniper. Any complaints?"
No one raised a hand.
"Good. Then train accordingly based on your roles," Issac said, walking away.
"Hey, Issac!" Tori called out.
Issac stopped.
"Spar with me," Tori declared.
Issac turned back with a grin. "You're on."
They stepped into Issac's private training field. It made Tori's home field look like a patch of dirt.
Wooden blades in hand, they squared off.
"On my signal," Sunless said. "Go!"
Issac lunged first, aiming for Tori's right side. Tori blocked, smirking. He kicked at Issac's stomach, but Issac caught it with his arm and dashed back to gain ground.
Tori didn't wait. He lunged again, swinging his blade toward Issac's head. Issac dodged and sent a gust of pressure toward Tori's leg—just enough to throw him off balance.
Tori fell on his butt.
Before he could get up, Issac's blade was at his face.
"Dang. Lost again," Tori muttered, grinning.
Issac helped him up. "You did good. Maybe if you'd used your Authority, you could've won."
"Yeah, about that…" Tori scratched his head. "I can't use it anymore."
"What?" Sunless, Mica, and Issac said at the same time.
"After that match, I grasped my Authority and unlocked it. But I can't activate it. Every time I try, nothing happens."
"You have six days to figure that out," Issac said, placing his sword back on the rack.
Tori did the same.
"I know you can do it. You're like that—you always prove fate wrong. Even if you're fated to be a colossal idiot."
Issac walked back inside.
Sylph clapped lightly. "You both did equally well, to me."
She brushed off her skirt and left the estate.
Tori, Mica, and Sunless returned to their neighborhood and went home.
After school the next day, training resumed.
Sunless had a goal: add a new Authority to his Stockpile. So far, he had two—his mother's mana control and Issac's healing and atmospheric pressure.
"Dad," Sunless said, bowing slightly. "Teach me how to use your Authority."
Eric raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be learning the Reglard Flame Sword Style?"
"Yeah, but I need a long-range Authority. Your Double Helix ability is perfect. Especially the way you use it in combat."
Eric grunted. "Fine."
He walked to the target posts and lifted his face upward.
"Watch me first," he said, closing his eyes. "Condense your mana. Take a portion of it and make it take shape."
Blue mana formed in his hand. Wind spiraled around him. Sunless's black hair swept in the breeze, his dark blue eyes reflecting the glow.
"Now, convert it into a double helix."
The mana spiraled.
"Then tighten it. It forms into a drill."
The glowing drill spun in his hand. Eric launched it at the target—it tore through, leaving a crater in the tree behind it.
"Whoa," Sunless whispered.
"You can also incorporate the helix into any weapon with enough mastery," Eric said, wrapping the helix around his wooden blade and slicing a log post clean in two.
"What's your mastery level?" Eric asked.
"Thirty-four," Sunless said confidently.
"Pretty low. I was seventy-eight at your age," Eric bragged. "You should be able to grasp the bullets. But don't get any ideas—that's the best you can do for now."
Tori watched from the window, then opened his System window.
Mastery: 1
He stared, dumbfounded.
He sat in a meditative position and began training his mana. He shaped it, played with it, strengthened his core.
Minutes passed. Then hours.
When he finally snapped out of it, he shot up. "Crap—I gotta go eat dinner!"
He rushed downstairs. Everyone else was already eating. Beatrice was scarfing down her food.
He pet her and apologized for being late.
After dinner, he returned to meditation. He absorbed mana from the air, explored his abilities—and then saw it.
Something… staring at him.
Glowing golden eyes.
He reached out.
And woke up—touching Sunless's face.
"What are you doing?" Sunless asked, towel in hand.
"I was meditating. I saw something and tried to grab it."
"Whatever it was… it was ominous."
Tori stared out the window.
The following days were a blur.
Tori did everything he could to increase his Authority mastery. Sunless focused on swordsmanship with his father—until he got a better idea.
He visited Mica's house.
When he returned, he was sharper. Faster.
He'd added Mica's Authority to his Stockpile. It was passive, but powerful. Even deactivated, it made him feel like a sword master.
Issac trained too, refining his Authority and patching up weaknesses from his fight with Tori.
Mica… mostly watched.
Even Beatrice got inspired. She launched fireballs at targets—accidentally setting a tree on fire.
Tori watched, wondering if Sunless would ever allow Beatrice into combat. She was a powerhouse, even if her lineage was unknown.Sunless had checked Beatrice's bond profile once, out of curiosity. What he found didn't make sense.
Her Beast Authority? Just three question marks. Her attributes? All blank. The only thing visible was her mana pool—over 60,000.
He stared at the number for a long time. It wasn't a glitch. It was real. Whatever Beatrice was, she wasn't ordinary. She might be an ordinary mans beast of sorts.
Six days passed.
Tori stood at the front door, dressed and ready. Beatrice sat on his shoulder, tail flicking as she scanned the quiet street. Sunless was beside him, calm as always.
Tori opened his System window one last time.
Authority Mastery: 15
Not great. But it was something.
He closed the window and took a deep breath. "Let's do this."
Sunless nodded, and the two stepped outside.
Today was the War Game. Their first real test. And the first step toward becoming adventurers.