"Shouldn't have hesitated."
Boros pressed the edge of his greatsword against Jonas's throat.
The steel bit just enough for a thin line of blood to trail down his neck.
"ENOUGH!"
Scarlet's voice cracked through the arena like a whip.
Boros clicked his tongue and eased the pressure, pulling the blade away before smoothly sheathing it.
Scarlet stepped into the ring. On the surface, her expression was composed - calm, authoritative, professional.
Inside, her thoughts raced.
'How is he this skilled in every aspect?'
'And how have I never heard of him before?'
Jonas pushed himself to his feet, dusting off his knees and shoulders as if he hadn't just been inches from losing.
"That was a damn good fight," he said with a wide grin.
"I could say the same," Boros replied dryly.
He handed his sword to the attendant beside him and stepped off the stage.
"Oi!"
Boros paused but didn't turn.
"What is it?"
Jonas wiped the blood from his neck.
"What's your name?"
The entire arena went still.
After everything he'd displayed during the exam, the examiners and attendants burned with curiosity. They needed to know who this man was.
But none more than Scarlet. Ordinarily, she would've shut the exchange down to keep the exam moving.
Instead, her fists tightened at her sides, listening to every word he was about to say.
"My name?" Boros repeated.
A low chuckle left his lips.
"Do your best to get into this guild, Jonas. Depending on how strong you become... and where my journey takes me..."
He glanced back slightly, just enough for his eye to catch the light.
"...maybe one day, you'll earn the right to know it."
Then he walked off.
Eyes followed him the entire way.
He returned to the back of the crowd where he had stood before, crossed his arms, and stared ahead as if nothing had happened.
......
In the shadowed section of the stands, the hooded man remained seated.
There was always a heavy air around him - something suffocating, something coiled.
But now it was different.
The attendant beside him noticed it immediately.
His superior's shoulders trembled.
His fingers dug into the armrests hard enough to crack the wood.
And that smile-
That wide, unrestrained, manic smile.
"Did you hear that?" he asked calmly, though excitement tremored beneath his voice.
"Yes... sir," the attendant replied stiffly, eyes forward.
"'Where my journey takes me,' he says..." the hooded man murmured, leaning back slowly into his chair.
A quiet chuckle slipped from beneath the hood.
"Why did you hide your strength all this time...?"
His crescent-shaped eyes gleamed in the dark.
"And just what kind of journey are you about to begin?"
....
Scarlet stood before the crowd, her expression firm and unreadable.
If anyone looked closely, they might have noticed the faint tension in her jaw - but her voice remained steady.
"That fight marks the end of the sparring phase of this exam," she announced. "We will now proceed to the final stage."
A quiet murmur rippled through the candidates.
"I will lead you to the testing grounds. All injured participants have already been healed and are waiting there."
She turned without another word.
"Follow me."
And with that, she stepped down from the stage, the crowd parting as the candidates began to trail behind her.
.....
The sun blazed high in the sky - nothing unusual for the Western Cardinal.
Inside the White Tigers Guild compound, a man strolled lazily across the stone courtyard, a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth.
It was the examiner.
By the time he reached the arena where the male candidates had been sparring, the place was empty.
No candidates.
No crowd.
And most importantly-
No Scarlet.
He exhaled a slow stream of smoke.
"Hm. Thought I'd make it in time." He glanced around the vacant ring. "Looks like they're done with this phase."
His eyes landed on an attendant sweeping the edge of the arena.
"You."
The attendant stiffened and snapped into a salute.
"Sir!"
"Where'd everyone go?" the examiner asked, smoke curling from his lips.
"O-Oh! You just missed them, sir. They've headed to the Zone Testing area for the final phase."
"Ah... right." He scratched his jaw. "I'm supposed to be invigilating that, aren't I?"
"Sir?" the attendant asked cautiously.
"Nothin'."
He waved him off casually.
Another drag.
Another slow exhale.
He reached back and scratched at the gorilla tattoo inked along the back of his neck, just below the hairline. Then he shoved his hands into his pockets and tapped his foot lightly against the stone floor, squinting up at the sky.
"What is it?"
The familiar voice echoed inside his head.
"Oh... so you answered." The examiner chuckled, cigarette resting between his fingers. "For a second there, I thought you were ignoring me, Rovan."
On the other side of the compound, Rovan stood with his hands buried in his pockets, staring at the crowd of female candidates gathered before him.
"Where the hell are you?" he asked flatly.
"Had something to take care of," the examiner replied casually.
Rovan narrowed his eyes.
"Don't tell me you killed Scarlet."
There was a brief pause.
"No," the examiner said, flicking ash from the tip of his cigarette. "Not yet, at least."
"...You're not funny."
"I didn't call to entertain you," the examiner continued. "Tell the girls to start heading to the Zone Testing area. I'll meet you there."
Rovan exhaled through his nose. "Fine."
He started toward the ring.
"Oh-and I wanted to ask you something," Rovan added suddenly.
"Bye, Rovan."
"Wait, you damn bast-"
The connection cut.
"...Tch."
Rovan clicked his tongue and stepped up in front of the female candidates, his expression shifting back to professional indifference as he prepared to address them.
"Listen up!" Rovan barked, cutting through the chatter of the female candidates.
"I just got word from your examiner-he wants you all moved to the next test location. So follow me, and let's get this test over with."
Kinuko tilted her head, stroking her chin. "I wonder where our examiner went..."
"Forget about that!" Akeno snapped, giving Kinuko a shake. "We're going to see Shiro!"
"S-Shiro?" Kinuko's cheeks flamed red as she looked away, avoiding Akeno's gaze.
"What, still thinking about earlier?" Akeno asked, expression flat.
"Me? I'm not thinking about anything!" Kinuko replied quickly.
A sudden thud echoed nearby. Both girls turned to see Rovan landing from the ring, hands casually in his pockets.
"Come on, drag your asses and follow me," he said, stepping ahead.
The female candidates fell in line behind him. Rovan scratched at the back of his neck, revealing a large tattoo of a dragon's wing, stretching from his upper back up toward his neck.
"Tch... need a damn smoke," he muttered, continuing down the path.