January 8th, Guild Hall

It was late morning in Valgore and unlike most days, the guild was rather quiet. Most members were absent, having taken the day off or so to do their own stuff since it was the weekend and all. Only a handful of them remained, either engrossed in their own activities or having just returned from missions.

Iggie and Asuka were currently sprawled over one of the tables, taking a short nap after a long night of patrol duty. While Asuka had his eyes closed and shielded with a eye mask, Iggie was openly snoring away, little snort bubble growing from his nose. Despite the noise, Asuka was still soundly asleep, the night taking its toll on him.

Trevor and Len were currently in the midst of a game of darts, standing at the far corner of the guild. Since both of them specialised in long ranged combat, the duo decided to have a match to see who had superior aim however thus far, the match had been a draw. Each of them matched point for point, not giving an inch to their opponent.

Criss, Vento, Korol and another young mage were currently in the midst of a game of cheat. He went by the name of Silver Soul and was considered one of the youngest guild members around. He had short messy brown hair with some of it almost covering both of his yellow coloured eyes. He had light skin, standing at 5'7 and had a skinny but a bit of an athletic frame. He was currently dressed in a sleeved white hooded cloak with a brown leather book strap around him to carry his books. Underneath his cloak he was a plain short sleeve black shirt and a pair of blue pants.

"Two threes," Criss called out confidently as he passed on the baton to Silver who was looking at him with uncertainty. He had another three in his hand but he did not want to risk the chance. The deck of cards was currently piling up and it would be a hassle to clear them if he got it wrong.

"Errr…another three," Silver said quietly as he threw down his next card.

"CHEAT!" Vento hollered with excitement, thinking he finally found a loophole. However, the big smile on his face instantly vanished as Silver revealed the top card to actually be a three. The other two cards below though were a six and an ace.

"Aish," Korol sighed in resentment. This was a never ending cycle thus far. Criss cheats, Silver plays fair and Vento calling out wrongly. At this rate he was never going to earn any money to meet this month's rental.

"Easy money, easy game." Criss hummed as he swept the stack of cards to Vento and grabbed the wads of cash from the other players. While he had no use for the money, it didn't hurt to actually save did it. That's why they had banks or something like that right. He was just following the world's current trends. "Another game," he suggested.

Korol nodded begrudgingly and Silver followed suit, simply just happy that he had some company. Vento on the other hand was out of options. He had lost all his lunch money and given the low number of missions he takes each month; he would just barely scrape by. Fishing from all over his body, he dug out what few coins and crumpled notes he had left, praying fervently that he would go big this round.

At another end of the guild, Hikari was alone and playing the harp. She preferred days like these over others, when the guild was mostly quiet and she could enjoy her music. Unknown to her though, Scar sat on the balcony above her, playing the violin in tune to her. Though she would never admit it, Scar thought that Hikari was playing decently and decided to be and accompaniment to her movement.

Lance and Blitz were in the middle of the guild, discussing their findings over the energy shield the other day. While Lance deemed it as a dangerous and volatile experiment, Blitz saw the innate potential within it. While it was true that the shield could only hold so much damage, it was still a valuable resource in buying time to escape.

"We're home!" a mage cheered as she entered the guild doors. She had silky and wavy lavender hair, with the tips of her hair brushing against the end of her ribcage. It was typically tied into a simple but neat half up crown braid, framing her heart shaped face quite neatly and highlighting her pretty round shaped sapphire blue eyes. She stood at 5'4 having a thin hour glass figure and a decent bust size. Her hair, eyes and milky white complexion were also complemented by her regular outfit, which consisted of a white blouse, pastel purple skirt, white stockings, and white knee high boots with a matching pastel purple short tie and French beret. Despite her friendly cheer, no one really responded to it, causing the mage's smile to fall slightly.

"Told ya no one would care Yuuna." Her companion berated, causing the girl's eyes to fall downcast. She was 5'8 with a light-tanned creamy complexion. She had long athletic legs, delicate but strong shoulders and an hourglass figure with D-Cup sized bust. Her golden nose stud caught the morning sun's rays, causing it to sparkle. He jet black hair was tied into a ponytail, obscuring the black rose tattoo on her shoulder like how her bangs covered the right side of her face. She wore a plain red tank top under a black mini-leather jacket. The jacket had golden studs running vertical down the sleeves ending at the elbows and golden chains placed in zig-zags on the back. Her black jeans were ripped and she also wore black biker boots. As for her accessories, they consisted of a golden studded red belt with a black small card-holder attached to it, red fingerless gloves and a golden chained necklace with a rose-shaped ruby charm.

"But Grace," Yuuna whined slightly, "I was just trying to showcase my emotions. Besides, usually people would return with a smile or two so I though the same would happen since we have less people today."

"You're just being naïve," Grace mumbled under her breath, trying her best not to upset the girl even further. She did not know why, but she seemed to have a soft spot for Yuuna, giving in to her demands periodically and going as far as not to be blunt to her.

Taking a seat near the bar, the duo was about to order a drink when Grace heard something, raising her hand to signal the bartender to put that on hold. Leaping off her seat, she made a beeline for where Hikari was playing.

"Hey," she barked, "You played the last few notes wrong." Hikari tilted her head up so that one narrowed eye could be seen, the light of the guild catching her glare and making her eye flash. "I did not." She stated flatly, though the look her face gave said anything but calm and composure.

"You did," Grace retorted, not liking her opinion being challenged. "If you can't accept the fact that you made a mistake, maybe you should stop playing at all."

"And who are you to judge," Hikari hissed, dropping her harp and standing head to head with Grace, her eyes fuelled with anger. "A non-musician like you has no right to say anything."

"Oh you wanna go," Grace challenged, propping a leg up on the table next to her. Unknowingly, she accidentally knocked over the harp Hikari was playing, causing it to clatter to the ground.

That very instant, Hikari's anger boiled over and before Grace could react, she delivered a sharp axe kick to the taller woman's neck, sending her crashing into a few benches. "How dare you!" she snarled. That harp was the last present her brother gave her and yet she treated it like it was just trash. Absolutely unforgiveable!

"If that's how you want to play it, fine by me!" Grace roared in anger, a silver card materialising in her hand as she manifested her magic. Throwing the card into the air, she called out "I call upon in the World of Mythica. Open Legendarium Gate of the one-eyed Giant! Cyclops!" There was the shimmer of silver dust as a gigantic man with one red-coloured eye materialised in the centre of the guild, his head nearly brushing the ceiling.

"HOLY SHIT!" Iggie yelled as he quickly dragged Asuka off the table they were on, just in time before the giant smashed it into wooden splinters with a kick of his foot.

"That's so awesome!" Vento cheered blissfully, though the rest of the guild didn't seem very happy that a fight was breaking out.

"Please don't destroy anything," Criss prayed. The last thing the Combat Division needed was a wrecked guild hall to add to their pile of debts.

"Crush her," Grace commanded from atop the cyclops' shoulders. With a deafening roar, the cyclops brought his fist down, fully intending on squashing Hikari like a bug.

"I don't think so," Hikari replied, nimbly tucked and rolling between the cyclops' legs. The punch went wild, missing its target and splintering another couple of benches. The cyclops growled in anger, swinging its fists wildly as it tried to locate Hikari. Unfortunately, one of them just had to target Scar who had been sitting out the fight thus far.

Just as the fist crashed into the balcony, Scar instinctively leaped into the air and landed along the cyclops' arm. She then made a beeline for his head, running along the tough creases of his skin. The cyclops seemed to have noticed her, firing off a huge crimson laser from his eye as he tried to eliminate Scar.

"Pathetic," Scar whispered as black winds twirled around her arms. Slamming them together, Scar called out the name of her spell. "Black Storm!" A whirlwind the shape of a drill manifested before her, easily spearing through the cyclops' laser beam. The cyclops only managed a grunt of surprise before the whirlwind blew his brains inside out, tearing his entire head off.

"Cyclops!" Grace yelled as she watched her companion disperse into silver dust. Before she could react though, Scar was on her like white on rice, using a wind enhanced fist to punch her straight into her gut, sending Grace sprawling into Blitz and Lance's table.

"Dammit," Blitz hissed as he panicked catching Grace bridal style. They then exchanged awkward glances before Grace punched him in the chin, forcing him to drop her. Blitz then pulled out from his pocket a handful lacrima bombs. After setting the charges and explosion radius, he hurled the whole lot at Scar. However, Scar simply expanded the wind around her arms into a shield. The bombs safely bounced off the shield, deflecting themselves to the table with the card players. All members' eyes literally popped out as they scrambled for cover, and not a moment too soon as the table exploded into a million splinters. Along with all the money that was on it.

"Oh for fuck sake!" Korol exploded. Losing it to Criss was one thing but having it burn into ash was another. He then focused his magic into his hand, forging a blade of arcane and leapt towards Lance who had just recovered from his ears ringing.

"You got the wrong dude man!" Lance replied, focusing his magic into his palms as he caught Korol's arcane blade. However, Korol was not having any of that, still bringing the blade closer and closer to Lance's face. "Well you're at the same table as him. So you are equally at fault." He hissed, though black lines trickled down Lance's forehead as he heard the reasoning.

"How about you cool your head a bit," Lance replied, his stomach swelling with divine energy. Korol only noticed the changes too late when he saw Lance's cheeks growing. Before he could retreat, Lance called out. "Divine God's Voice!" A large ray of light erupted from his mouth, blasting Korol point blank in the face and sending him flying. He then hit a pillar and coughed slightly, falling limply to the ground unconscious.

"Oooo….Pretty," Vento drawled as he saw the ray of light. Closing his right eye, he focused the rest of his vision on the left, a magic circle forming in front of it. Numbers then danced before his eyes as the name of the spell came to him. Like Lance, he took in a deep breath and exhaled, firing off a similar ray of light.

Unfortunately, unlike Lance, Vento could not alter the course of his attack. Initially he had it aimed at Blitz but instead it flew towards Hikari who was taking cover behind an overturned table. Hikari heard the attack long before she saw it and held a hand out, stopping the beam dead in its tracks. The beam then condensed itself into a small ball which she hurled blindly. There was a resounding explosion though the lack of shouts or screams indicated that no one got hurt.

Meanwhile, Yuuna, Silver, Iggie and Asuka had all taken cover behind the bar amidst the chaos. "Why aren't you participating?" Silver asked blindly, not sure who he was referring to.

"I don't want anyone to get hurt…" Yuuna whimpered as she covered her ears over the explosions. She did not like fighting at all, preferring to talk things out more peacefully.

"Too bright, can't see." Iggie replied, raising his voice slightly so he could be heard. While he was always in for a good fight, he preferred it when the circumstances were in his favour. Asuka nodded in agreement. He was already badly injured so the last thing he needed was even more injuries.

"You started this," Hikari hissed swinging her parasol in a wide arc as she ran for Grace. Dodging the initially blow, Grace unlimbered the black katana to her left, bringing it to bear. With a swift strike she slashed across the parasol, grinding the blade against it in hopes of shattering it.

"Blame your lack of musical sense," she retorted and suddenly release her pressure on the katana. Not expecting that, Hikari stumbled forward and Grace took the opportunity to kick her in the gut. Hikari coughed slightly though that did not buy her any respite as Grace followed up with a roundhouse kick that sent her flying towards Trevor and Len.

Before Grace could give chase, a pair of strong arms seemingly materialized from beneath her own, holding her in a locked position. Grace struggled to free herself but they held fast, preventing her from breaking away. "Knock it off," Criss growled as he tightened his grip, forcing Grace to wince in pain and drop her katana.

"Oh a fight?" Trevor grinned, having completely ignored everything up till the point of Hikari landing flat in front of him. "I love fights!" he hollered with glee, the tattoos on his palms coming to life. There was a sudden plunge in temperature as he brought forth Korii, charging up his mana into the barrels of the twin revolvers.

"GLACIER AGE!" he roared with laughter as he fired both shots into the ground. A tsunami of ice ensued, flooding over the entire guild hall and freezing anything that it came into contact with. Amongst all of the combatants, only Scar and Criss noticed the attack and leapt to safety on the second floor. The rest of the guild could only watch with gaping eyes as the wave of ice engulfed them, freezing all of them solid.

"Now let's heat you guys up shall we," Len grinned, following Trevor's lead. Concentrating magic into all parts of his body, he underwent multiple transformations. His arms changed into bazookas and a cannon popped out from the centre of his mouth. His chest also proceeded to open up revealing an armoury of chain guns and missile launchers within it.

"Oh shit…" was the only thing passing through all the mages minds at that point in time.

"End of the World!" Len cackled as he let loose, firing wildly rounds after rounds of heavy explosives and magic bullets. The frozen mages could only watch in fear as the rounds imploded onto the ice, causing a massive explosion of flames. The ensuing shockwave shattered the ice completely, sending all the mages flying through walls or windows.

"HAHAHAHAHHA! WE ROCK!" Trevor and Len gloated as they did a victory pose. Though that was hardly anything worth celebrating for. For one the entire guild hall was in shambles, the centre charred black from the explosion and literally every chair and table had been turned to ash. For another, no one shared their excited sentiments, having been beaten black and blue. The only place literally left standing was the bar which had a veil of darkness covering it.

"You maniacs," Asuka muttered as he dispelled his magic and took a good look around the guild. Beside him Yuuna, Iggie and Silver popped their heads out, their mouths agape as they observed the carnage incurred.

"If Master Glaive doesn't flip when he sees this, count our lucky stars," Iggie hissed in shock, Silver and Yuuna nodding their heads in agreement. This would take literally forever to repair.

"Alright! Whose up from round two?" Len declared eagerly, seemingly unexhausted despite the overwhelming barrage earlier. Before anyone could answer, all of them began floating into the air. It was as though the entire guild hall was in zero-g conditions and without anything to grab a foothold of, the mages began to spin about wildly.

"The hell happened here," Kane demanded as he stepped into the now barren guild hall, glancing at the disarray it was in. While one of his hands was filled with groceries, the other was glowing with a white magic circle, indicating he was the one who activated the gravity field. On his back was Mia, sleeping soundly and blissfully at what had just happened. Beside him was Chantal and Aengus who were also holding groceries, though now said items were strewn all over the floor as their hands covered their gaping mouths. "Have you buffoons forgotten the guild rules again? Something along the lines of, please spar in the courtyard?" he growled.

"Heh! Who cares about that!" Trevor grinned despite hanging upside down. "I do as I please…" Before he could finish his sentence, Kane swiped a finger and Trevor spun uncontrollably, eventually having his head collide with a wall.

"uggghhhhh…. peachy…" Trevor mumbled out before his lights went out, half his body still embedded in the wall.

"So how about owning up now. Who started this?" Kane scowled.

"She did!" Grace and Hikari pointed at each other, attempting to shift the blame. Unfortunately, that only seemed to anger Kane even more as he swiped his fingers once more, sending both mages plunging through walls, their lower halves sticking out as odd decorations.

"Now that we dealt with that, I expect the whole lot of you to start cleaning up. I don't care how you do it but this place had better be exactly the same when Master Glaive and the S-classes return in the afternoon." Kane growled lowly as he made his point.

"But this will take ages…" Vento whined, only to be silenced by a glare from Kane.

"Then would you rather face their wrath," Kane demanded, causing the mirror mage to shake his head fervently.

With that, Kane released the gravity field and lowered all of them back to the ground. Without question, all of them, including the more stubborn ones like Scar immediately took off for the nearby furniture shops. Dealing with Kane was one thing but incurring the wrath of the Master was another.

"Wow, does this happen very often," Chantal quipped as she watched the mages obey Kane's words without any complaints or hesitations. She didn't know if there were any fights at all due to the guild looking spick and span whenever she entered.

"Not really," Kane replied in a monotone voice. "while things like these happen occasionally, the S-classes are usually around to put a stop to it before it escalates. Too bad today no one was around."

"To cause this much of damage, everyone here must be crazily strong." Aengus remarked. To almost utterly devastate the guildhall with less than 10 people, some of their ranks really don't do justice to their strength.

"That's true," Kane agreed. "while the rank given initially is an indication of a mage's strength, a lot of them have undergone serious training to improve themselves. As of now, it is possible that they are all miles ahead of their original powers."

Same Guild Hall, Late Afternoon

By some sort of miracle, the mages managed to buy almost all the furniture that was originally in the hall. While one team went about purchasing, another was busy scrubbing and cleaning, making sure no scorch or frost marks remained. This carried on for a good 2 hours or so with Kane monitoring them and when they were finally done, the guild hall looked brand new. Not a moment too soon as well as Glaive and the S-classes entered through the front gate. Although they were initially puzzled as to why everyone was panting and sweating furiously, they brushed it off as the by-products of serious training and made their way to the second-floor balcony.

Around the same time, the guild hall also started to fill up with more guild members. What was the originally about 10 members easily tripled in a matter of minutes, the benches and chairs almost completely filled up. It was as though someone had informed them to be present at a particular time, about some important announcement.

"Hey, do you have any idea what's happening?" Chantal asked Lila who was seated next to her. Seated along with them were Criss and Tsuki who were currently engaged in their own conversation, hence Chantal decided not to bother them.

"Beats me," Lila shrugged. She had not seen a gathering this big throughout her years in Scarlet Nova so it was a first for her too. "Maybe something important is going to happen?"

Before Chantal could probe further, there was the distinct sound of Glaive clearing his throat, an indication that he was about to begin. The once noisy guild hall fell into a deadly silence, awaiting what the Guild Master had to say.

"My dear mages," Glaive began as he looked down at his family. "It brings me great honour to be here addressing you today. First off, I would like to thank all of you for arriving on time. All of you have been specially chosen to attend this hearing and I'm glad to see punctuality. So, without further ado, let me congratulate all of you for being shortlisted to participate in this year's S-class Exams!"

There were roars of surprise and excitement as mages fist punched the air and cheered for joy. The S-class exams was like a sacred ground for all of them and they had just made the cut! What better news was there! However, there were a few who held puzzled looks on their faces. Wasn't S class exams meant for the A-class mages only? So why were there B and C-class mages being shortlisted?

"I know what you are thinking," Glaive said with a warm smile as he noticed those looks of confusion. "While originally the S-class exams are reserved only for the A-class, I decided to change the rules a bit this year and also reward the B and C-class mages who have contributed heavily to the guild and produced stellar mission results. After finalising the reports and receiving opinions from each S-class mage, we have selected this year's candidates. And now, I shall announce who will be participating in this year's exams."

That last sentence silenced the guild once more. There were those that began praying fervently, hoping that they would get selected. Then there were those who had confident grins on their faces, knowing that they would be the handful that are picked. All mages held their breath at this point and after what seemed like an eternity, Glaive made his announcement.

"Scar Midnight,"

"Kane Strix,"

"Criss Bol,"

"Caroline Kamora,"

"Wisteria Wick,"

"Vale Sitri,"

"Grace Olympia,"

"Tsukiko Takahashi,"

"Blitz Alabaster,"

"Hikari Eien,"

"Len Vega,"

"Congratulations to the whole lot of you. You are now officially S-class candidates!" Glaive pronounced with a gleeful smile on his face. Thunderous applause ensued as members of the guild proceeded to congratulate them one by one. While some held disappointed looks on their faces that they were not elected, that did not stop them from shaking their hands and wishing them the best of luck in the upcoming exam.

As for the candidates, they all had mixed reactions. Criss literally hugged Tsukiko with all his might who returned it equally, tears of joy brimming at her eyes. Wisty and Caroline cheered their hearts out, a tidal wave of emotions flooding through them. A small smile was etched across the faces of Grace, Vale and Hikari. While they did not show much on the outside, their hearts were brimming with joy. Kane and Scar said nothing, simply just fist bumping each other as a form of respect. Blitz and Len had other ways of expressing their joy, firing off an array of fireworks into the sky which decorated the guild hall in a shower of colourful flames and sparks.

"Be reminded that like all S-class exams, you have to choose a partner. He or she cannot be another candidate and has to a member that has already been shortlisted. Please inform either me or your respective S-class mage your partner by the end of today." Glaive spoke amidst the cheers and cries of celebration. "The S-class exams will be held a month later so please take this time to coordinate your techniques and strengths. We will meet at Hargeon Port a month from now so remember not to be late. Any late comers will be disqualified on the spot."

"And so, with the formalities out of the way, may the best mage win!" Glaive yelled enthusiastically, his cry echoed by the mages which sat below him. In everyone's opinion, this was probably going to be the most exciting S-class exams ever. Anyone could be a winner and regardless of who, history will be made here in Scarlet Nova.

A short while later, the various candidates had already began seeking out their partners for the upcoming examination. While some found it easy, others had a really hard time deciding, having not worked with anyone before. However, due to the exam regulations, they were forced to choose someone.

"Let's combine our forces, whatdya say," Trevor suggested, taking a seat net to Len. "Our combination attack worked perfectly well in that guild brawl so nothing will stand in our way." Len took a moment to consider Trevor's idea, carefully running through the scenario which occurred earlier on. While it was true that their attacks worked well together, the time delay was still a bit too long for his liking. Plus, they didn't exactly manage to hit everyone, so that was another factor to take in as well.

"Nah, why am I even thinking so much," Len thought to himself. This was not his style at all. He was more of a smash first, think later kind of guy. While he originally wanted Korol or Lance as a partner, they would have probably been too uptight about things anyway, especially since the last episode at the laboratory.

"Yeah sure, why not," Len smirked as he fist-bumped Trevor who was also grinning from ear to ear. While he was not an S-class candidate, he had an axe to grind with Kozmotis for humiliating him on his entry test. What better way to do that than freeze fry him, literally. With Len around, beating him was no longer a distant dream.

At another corner of the guild, Scar was still busy looking out for a particular mage. Despite being under constant siege from Grace, she noticed a particular magic being used and it caught her attention instantly. Noticing her target, she walked up to him, ready to make her offer.

Vento was in the midst of chowing down on a bowl of ramen at the bar when he suddenly saw a shadow cast over him. A quick glance over his shoulders almost caused him to gag, Scar's scowling face glaring dead at him.

"Errrrr yes, can I help you?" he managed to make out timidly as he sweated buckets. Scar was by far the scariest A-class mage he had ever seen and she had business with him? This was not a good sign at all

"Tell me something," Scar growled, Vento nodding timidly in response. "You shot out a light beam similar to Lance's, earlier didn't you? How did you do that?"

"Errrr…well…my magic lets me copy any spell that I have seen before, though the strength of it really varies. Depending on the mana consumption, I also have a cooldown time before I can use another one." Vento stammered as he tried to hold his gaze. Why was she so interested in his magic anyways?

Upon hearing that, Scar's expression softened slightly. Her suspicions were confirmed about the boy. While he may not look like it, his magic would definitely be a great source of support in the upcoming exam. Perfect for being her partner.

"We're registering now," Scar said as she dragged Vento by the back of his collar. Vento was still in a daze when his arse left the chair but a second later, his face contorted into one of fear when Scar's words sank into his brain.

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" he protested, waving his arms wildly in an attempt to escape. Unfortunately for him, Scar was not having any of that.

"Well looks like she found an interesting partner," Criss stated as he watched Scar leave with Vento in tow. He knew that the boy had just joined a year ago, but for Scar to take notice of him, he must be really special.

Around him sat the other members of their group. Although Ashar failed to qualify, he still had a small smile on his face, genuinely happy that the rest managed to. Wisty had smiles all over her face too, betraying her overwhelming feelings of excitement. Apart from them, there were also a few new additions to the group, having found their way there to become partners. Korol had his legs kicked up against the table, his head in the clouds as to why he was called here. Tsukiko was there with Neel as well, both girls chatting happily about looking forward to the S-class examinations.

"I call dibs on Ashar," Wisty winked as she threw her arms around him, causing him to blush slightly due to the physical contact. "We go way back so I know how his magic works best." Ashar said nothing, just nodding his head in agreement. Although he was generally fine with everyone in their group, he still felt the most comfortable around her. He guessed it was also for the best too. He did not want to drag anyone down because of his awkwardness.

"Fine by me," Tsuki grinned. "My partner here is going to be Neel and we're going to kick some serious butt!" She had her arms wrapped around Neel too who also gave a slightly awkward smile. She was sure to give her best to help Tsuki in any way she could but deep down, she really did not want to fight some people. She didn't specialise in magic for direct confrontation, so that would put her at a great disadvantage against particular mages she knew. Then there were the people she held dear to her heart. If she really had to go up against them, she knew she would definitely throw in the towel. There was no way she could bring herself to hurt them. All she could do now was pray for a good matchup and support Tsuki all the way. Only then could she hold her head high and say proudly that she had tried her best.

"I guess that leaves me and you then," Criss nodded to Korol who gave a thumb up in response. "You hold your fight well, I will give you my best in response." Korol stated. While they had never worked with each other before, Korol had heard of and seen most of Criss' missions on lacrima logs. Having done research beforehand, he was surprised that Criss was a well-adapted fighter despite being frail looking. At the very least, he did not need to carry him throughout the course of the exam.

As for Criss, unknown to the rest, he had a special reason for partnering with Korol. Having seen the reports from Aamor's desk, Korol's magic had caught his eye very quickly. If really was like what he imagined it to be, he could very well help him reclaim his lost power. That would definitely be a great boost to his confidence and chances of becoming an S-class mage.

"So, are we going to be training together?" Tsuki asked around. She had heard previously that the group would be discussing strategies and stuff but in the S-class exams they may also very well be fighting each other so it kind of seemed contradictory.

"I don't see why not," Ashar replied. "While it does gives us a head up on what kind of magic you guys might be meaning, it also means that we have no excuse to lose to each other if we really do have to fight one another eventually. Then, we can really go all out with no regrets."

"Well you guys go on ahead first," Criss intervened. "I need to visit my hometown for a while before I can join yall. Hope you guys don't mind."

"Not at all," Neel chirped. "Keep safe!" The rest of the group also gave understanding smiles and nods, approving of Criss' temporary absence. Criss gave a small bow as he took his leave, deciding to depart for his home immediately. It was a long way back and Criss needed to compensate for this.

"So where to," Korol questioned.

"Somewhere beyond the borders of Fiore." Criss answered simply, deciding to keep Korol in suspense till they would arrive.

In another corner of the guild hall, Yuuna was busy bandaging Grace's arms and shoulders. It too her a while to remove her from the wall and when she did, Grace was in a foul mood. Now, Yuuna treaded lightly, hopefully not pissing her off even more.

"You should take more care of yourself you know," Yuuna chided slightly as she applied the ointment. "It's not nice to start a fight with our guildmates too."

"She had terrible music sense," Grace grumbled. "I did nothing wrong in correcting her." Yuuna pouted slightly upon hearing that, purposely adding a bit more force on her arms which caused Grace to wince.

"Hey, gently pls." Grace muttered, despite the glare she gave Yuuna who did not really seem to mind. "Then please think with your head next time," Yuuna reminded amidst wrapping. "Not everything needs to be resolved with brute force."

"Well, I will stand for what I think is right," Grace replied. "I will definitely prove to that girl, Scar and that annoying Kane that I'm the strongest amongst us."

"Yes you will, yes you will." Yuuna repeated gently, like a mother soothing a spoilt child. Honestly though, she sometimes really wondered who was the older one between the two of them.

Similar sentiments were shared when Lila and Caroline heard Hikari's story, both bursting out into laughter when they heard everything from top to end.

"What's so funny," Hikari snarled.

"Well, it just seems like the kind of childish reason you would start a fight for," Lila chuckled. "You're actually acting your age for once."

"Hey!" Hikari snapped annoyed but she immediately composed herself, reminding herself why she was even speaking with those two. "In any case, do you want to be my partner Lila?" Regrettably, Hikari had not worked with a lot of people save the Combat Division. So, when she saw all the prominent members already in groups, she started panicking internally. Face with no other options she decided to turn to Lila and Caroline.

"With your attitude, I'll pass." Lila joked. "I'm sorry but I've already agreed to partner Caroline. You see we made the pact a while back that we would support each other if either of us gets chosen to be S-class." For a brief moment, Lila swore she could see a tinge of sadness in Hikari's eyes but as soon as it came, it quickly vanished.

"Tch," Hikari clicked her tongue in annoyance as she watched the duo leave to train. She subconsciously began to chew on her thumb, her mind in a big loss at what to do now. She was really running out of options here. Did she really have to speak to Master Glaive about this and ask for an exception? That would leave her at a disadvantage though, seeing as it may be a 1 versus 2 battle. What should she do…

"Hikari," a voice called out, snapping her out from her thoughts. A quick glance upwards revealed Asuka standing before her, his eyes showing slight concern. "What do you want," Hikari snapped. "I'm busy here."

"Nothing much," Asuka answered. "Was just wondering if you needed any help."

"No I do not," Hikari growled. "Now leave me alone." With that she stood up from her seat and turned to leave. Looks like she would have to ask for an exception after all. That was until she heard Asuka's next words.

"I knew Yami."

That caused Hikari to stop dead in her tracks, her body trembling slightly as she turned around. "What did you say?" she asked, her voice lacking the usual bluntness and venom. Instead, it was choked with emotions, feelings that she had long locked up beginning to show themselves.

"I said I know Yami," Asuka repeated. "He told me before, that if you were in trouble, I was to lend you a hand. So, let me be your partner for this examination."

Thousands of questions flooded Hikari's mind, causing it to be even more confused than before. Asuka knew her brother? How? Why? When? What did he have to say? Did he leave any last words? "No no no," Hikari told herself mentally, "That's not the important thing right now." She could get answers out of Asuka later but more importantly now, she had found a partner.

"What magic do you use?" she stuttered out, desperately trying to rein in her emotions and maintain a cool facade. "Dark Arts," Asuka channelled his magic to his right palm, forming a black sphere before Hikari's eyes.

"He even uses the same magic as him," Hikari muttered silently. This was too good to be true. If he really was as good as Yami, they would be unstoppable.

"Meet in the forest tomorrow morning," Hikari said, turning her back and heading for the door once more. She did not even bother seeing the nod that Asuka gave. All she wanted to do right now was head home and cry.

At long last she had finally found someone who knew what happened to her brother.

"So I guess we're in this together huh," Blitz said as he walked out of the guild master's office with Lance.

"Well, we're both from the Research Department so it would be better to work with someone you know, right?" Lance quipped, a smile on his face. Blitz nodded in agreement. It was time they showed the rest of the guild that the Research Department were not just bookworms or nerds. If they wished to, they could be as powerful as any one.

"Should we get started on the barrier project?" Blitz suggested. The final preparations were already underway and soon a new prototype would be ready for use. What better way to test it than to use it for the S-class exams?

"Yup, let's do that." Lance seconded his opinion. If successful, it could prove to be a lifesaver in critical situations. Just as they reached the elevator, the doors opened and revealed Kane with Chantal. Both candidates gave each other a small smile as they passed, wishing the other party all the best.

"Erm, are you sure Kane?" Chantal asked softly as she followed him towards the guild master's office. "I mean there are other mages out there who are better than me, so isn't it better to have them as a partner instead?"

Kane sopped in his tracks and turned to face Chantal, causing her to gulp slowly when she saw his imposing frame. 'We've been through this Chantal," he said gently, his tone causing her to jump in surprise. "My magic requires an energy source and cannot be used in day time. Assuming we fight during the day, I would be powerless so I need your help. Please lend me your power."

That last sentence made Chantal blush slightly, though Kane caught none of that. Speechless, she just nodded awkwardly. Sensing that he had made his point, Kane continued walking.

"Well, I hope nothing goes wrong," Chantal told herself. If anything, she believed Kane could easily crush anything hurled at him as evident of the earlier guild skirmish. For him to actually ask for help, he must really need it. Not that she wasn't happy he asked for her help, but more worried whether she could meet his expectations.

"Let's just Moonflower can help him out then," she shrugged her shoulders.

"You've got to be kidding me," Vale uttered under his breath as he gazed at the short iguana-like freak in front of him. He had to partner with him?!

"Well I'm sorry for disappointing you," Iggie scowled, hands on his hips. "You aren't my cup of tea either." Initially he wanted to pair up with Kane but when he saw that he already teamed up with some random girl, he dropped the idea.

"Why couldn't you be shortlisted instead?" Kane asked himself, though they all knew the question was directed at Silver who was standing in between them.

"I just joined about a month back and am still adapting to this place so I kinda told Master Glaive to exempt me from special activities till I'm ready." Silver gave an awkward smile as he fiddled his thumbs.

Vale just sighed internally. If Trevor was shortlisted, he was hoping Silver would too but the boy had already made prior arrangements. Now he was stuck with the prankster of the guild and if that wasn't bad enough, he had fiery temper to match it.

"Whatcha staring at," Iggie snarled, seeing as how Vale had just been looking at him dead centre for the past minute or so. "Haven't seen a freak before?"

"Nope, at least not one as ugly as you."

"HEY!" Iggie shouted while Silver laughed at the response. Though initially planning to insult him further, Vale dropped the idea lest he wanted Iggie to screw with him during their training or at the examination itself.

"Just don't get in my way," Vale stated flatly, hoping that would suffice as an apology.

"Unfortunately, that's what I do best," Iggie replied with a smirk, causing Vale to groan internally.

This was going to be a long, frustrating month…

A/N: And there you guys have it, the S-class candidates and their partners. Please don't hate me if your character isn't chosen. A lot of factors had to be taken into consideration, in particular the year they joined so I can't satisfy everyone's wishes. Also, apologies for the late chapter update. I was busy changing my laptop last weekend so I did not have time to do up the chapter till this week.

Just a short notice, Checkmate 4 submissions are closed and I can still take one more Dark Guild Grunt. With this I conclude the end of the OC introductions and as the curtain falls, we welcome the second act which is the S-class exams. Do look forward to it XD

Death Obelisk out

Credits

Cloudsomaniac: Yuuna Suzuki

AnEternalMelodyToAFlamingSoul: Grace Olympia

Shadowselfcyber: Silver Soul