hiya! Shadowmistx98 here! :D
So, chappie 21 up! :D And one heck of a long one XD As I said, I usually write up to 3k words but this got up to 6k XD But, moving on... Here's the start of the S-class. This may be a little confusing to read though. When you see the section-separator "o-o" it means they're still on the first part of the exam. When you see "~oOo~" it means that they're on the second part of the exam. ^^ Oh, and already got an idea for the arc after this ;)
So, I hope you enjoy reading this. I enjoyed writing this because I got to dive in with some of the characters' inner background story or some sort ^^
Disclaimer: I do not own most of the OCs here.
Wearing a small bag over her shoulder, Christa gave one last look at her apartment.
She had Jeric watch over Alia since he wasn't coming with them. Jeric would act as the substitute Master of the guild. Of course, his mother would come from time to time to aid him.
Christa opened the door and stepped outside. She locked the door using a crystal key. After doing so, she shattered it to dust. Then, she blocked the keyhole with crystals. It was a great way of keeping outsiders away and to avoid a 'lock pick' robbery.
She started to walk through the corridor towards the staircase. She stopped the moment she heard another door open.
Christa looked back and saw that it was Ciara, doing the same thing she did earlier. Christa almost forgot that they both lived in the same apartment complex.
Christa placed a hand on her hip and whistled. The sound echoed through the quiet corridor.
It caught Ciara's attention. She smiled at Christa and ran towards her.
"Good morning, Christa!" Ciara greeted.
"Morning," Christa replied.
They both walked beside each other as they went down the stairs.
"Phew, are you ready for later?" Ciara asked while hugging her waist.
Christa grinned at her. "Yup! How about you?"
Ciara returned an anxious smile. "I'm nervous. But I'll do my best."
They walked down and came across their landlady.
"Good luck to the both of you!" the landlady waved her hand as Christa and Ciara step foot outside the structure.
"Okay, then. To the pier!" Ciara smiled widely and pointed upwards. Christa chuckled at what she did.
"U-u-uh, h-hey, guys!"
The girls looked at their left and saw a familiar face. It was Adrian... With Reiss.
Adrian was waving awkwardly at them and Reiss had a poker face.
Christa and Ciara looked at each other in awe, unaware that their partners will make an appearance. The two walked towards the guys.
Christa leaned towards Ciara to whisper. "I'm surprised Reiss hasn't strangled Adrian yet."
Ciara looked at them worriedly, knowing that the two boys didn't get along too well.
"Hey, Adrian," Ciara paused to acknowledge the other as well. "Reiss."
Adrian smiled nervously and Reiss crossed his arms.
"What are you doing here? I thought we were going to meet up on the pier?" Ciara asked as she looked at the two of them.
"Well," Adrian started, scratching his head. "I figured it would be good to pass by your apartment."
Christa arched a brow. "So where did Reiss come from?"
Reiss sighed. "I was going to do the same but apparently, me and flower boy met up and have the same route," Reiss eyed Adrian, making him twitch.
Adrian looked at Christa, as if he appealed to her help.
"Well, what are we waiting for, then?" Christa turned a heel. "Let's go."
Ciara turned back and followed Christa's lead. The two began to walk. Reiss gave Adrian a look before following the girls. Adrian could only gulp but eventually followed Reiss by his side.
Ciara leaned her head to Christa. "That's shockingly sweet for Reiss."
Christa waved her hand up and down to brush the thought off. "He's probably just excited for the exam."
"If you say so," Ciara shrugged as she giggled. The two of them then heard Reiss shouting behind them. Surprisingly, Adrian was talking back with a nervous voice. It seemed that they were having a verbal argument.
Ciara saw that they were getting people's attention. "Should we stop them?"
Christa took a deep breath. "Nah, let's just pretend we don't know them."
ooo
Diana looked at the piece of paper that Nathan drew for her. She then looked at the house before her.
No... It looked more like a mansion.
"Is it me or did Nathan drew the map wrong?" Diana asked herself while shifting her gaze back and forth to the map and the house.
As she looked at the house, someone came out of the door. It was Nathan.
Diana's jaw dropped.
Nathan noticed her instantly and approached her. "Diana! I didn't know you would come this early."
Diana pointed at the house ignoring Nathan's last statement. "That's your house!?"
Nathan looked at it and then back again at Diana. "Yeah. It's actually an apartment."
"Just an apartment!?" Diana spazzed over the fact. "How much does it cost!?"
Nathan shrugged. "200, 000 jewels? I don't really know. My parents pay for it," he motioned her to walk to their destination.
"Wow," Diana gawked at Nathan. "You must be super rich!"
Diana spread her arms wide and moved them up and down energetically.
"I guess so?" Nathan hesitantly answered. Diana continuously chuckled at the fact. She then popped up a new conversation, cheerfully telling Nathan stories.
ooo
"Nightshade Genocide: Venus Flytrap!"
Nerium spun. She bent one knee and raised her arms. As she did this, a large Venus Fly trap appeared near her house.
Jay casually leaned to a tree and raised an eyebrow. "What's that for?"
"Just in case somebody dare enter my house or steps on one of my plants, he or she will have a meeting with my pet," Nerium said as she grabbed her bag.
"Is that–" Jay raised an eyebrow, doubtfully looking at her. "–safe?"
"Don't worry; Venus will spit him or her out eventually," Nerium replied. Jay snickered at the fact that she even named her pet plant.
"Just think of it as a warning," Nerium walked away. Jay shrugged as she followed her.
They both went their way to the pier where Master Lucas told them to meet each other.
Nerium looked at the gentle waves of the sea. The sound of the waves soothed her ears. Her relaxed state then was interrupted by Jay.
"Where are the others?" Jay looked around. "Maybe, we're the first ones to arrive, eh?"
Nerium turned her head to look for someone. "Maybe. But I don't see Master Lucas around..."
She approached one man who was looking out to the sea to ask questions.
"Hey, you don't need to ask for-" Jay was too late to stop her as Nerium already tapped his shoulder.
"Excuse me, but have you seen an old man arou-!" Nerium's eyes widened as the guy turned around to see her.
The guy was equally shocked as she saw her.
"You!?" the two of them pointed at each other furiously.
Jay shifted her eyes to the both of them, wondering how or why they knew each other.
"What are you doing here!?" Karim asked with his voice raised. He was one of the Hawk Eye mages they worked with when they were taking out Black Lotus. And the one Nerium expressed dislike to because of his 'techy' nature.
Nerium snapped back at him. "I should be the one asking that!"
"Karim!"
The three looked at the girl who called him. She approached them and looked at Nerium. She was his twin as their appearances looked similar.
"Hey, the Mystics are already here!" the girl, Mari, smiled.
"Um, did I miss something?" Jay asked, completely out of place.
Nerium glanced at Jay and then glared at Karim. Apparently, they still had this rivalry since they last met.
"These are Mari and Karim," Nerium gave Karim a wry look. Karim could only arch a brow. "They're from the guild Hawk Eye. We worked with them during that Black Lotus mission."
Jay nodded, leaving an O-shape with her mouth. Nerium looked away and crossed her arms avoiding Karim's glares.
"Why are you here anyway?" Karim asked Nerium.
"I'm an S-class candidate!" Nerium proudly said, pronouncing the words slowly.
Karim was about to say something when Mari covered his mouth. His twin sighed.
"Let's talk less before we say something stupid, kay?" Mari laughed nervously. The four of them fell silent after that.
Hearing footsteps, they all turned to the direction where it was coming from. Isaac was waving and smiling at them. Lucian was behind him.
"Hey, guys, are we late?" Isaac stopped walking when he was close to them.
"Nope, we're the first ones here," Nerium answered.
Just as she said this, Nathan and Diana came. Diana was hopping her way to them with Nathan behind her, a few steps away. Coyote and Lisbeth followed together with Shiori and Alister.
Nerium shrugged. "Well, not anymore, I guess."
Ciara and Christa were the next ones to arrive alongside Adrian and Reiss. They stopped as soon as they saw the twin mages.
"Hey, aren't you from Hawk Eye?" Adrian asked as he recognized the two from their last mission with the guild.
Mari smiled in response to his question.
They then saw a shadow on the ground slowly rising up to a figure of a man. It then took the shape of Marcus.
A rumbling sound of an engine came behind him. Kai was the one riding the motorcycle - only, the motorcycle was purely made of light magic. As he hopped off the vehicle, it vanished into the air.
"Sorry for being the late ones," Kai grinned lopsidedly. "But, the entrance makes up for it, am I right?" he turned to wink at Christa.
Christa rolled her eyes.
Then, two familiar faces appeared before them. One was Marionette Malone who was one of the mages from Hawk Eye and one was Echora Vist who was the ex-Black Lotus mage.
"Why are you guys here?" Coyote asked abruptly.
"Well, if you're asking me, I'm under probation," Echora answered. "But anytime, I might join Hawk Eye!"
Marionette closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Please stay silent for the moment."
Echora shrugged. "Okay, anything you say."
Marionette opened her eyes and looked at the Mystics. "As an ally of the Magic Council of Fiore, Hawk Eye will monitor your S-class Trials," Marionette said in a monotone voice. "Just in case someone screws up."
"Oh," everyone replied in unison.
"Ehem," they all looked at the Master as he appeared from who knows where.
"Is everyone here now?" he asked. They all looked at each other before nodding.
"Very well, then," the Master turned his back from them. "Let's get on the ship and be on our merry way."
Master Lucas motioned them to follow him to the ship. Marionette, on the other hand, motioned her guildmates including Echora to go to the speedboat Karim made.
They all walked on the wooden board connecting the ship from the ground.
"Geez," Reiss mumbled under his breath but Christa could still hear him. "Transportation. Just great."
Christa sighed and grabbed something inside her small travel bag. She got a small medicine box that she would always carry around when she was still a wanderer. Preparing for the S-class exam, she bought anti-nausea medicine.
"Here," Christa offered Reiss.
He arched a brow. "What's that?"
"It's the medicine I used to take when I was still a travelling mage," Christa said as she swallowed a tablet. "It's for motion sickness. It's effective for at least 3 hours."
Reiss seemed hesitant at first but eventually took one. "So, how about Diana?"
"Um," Christa scratched her head. "I kinda forgot about her since she isn't a candidate…"
Reiss shrugged. "Well, her partner's a rival so I guess it's just fine."
Christa sighed, feeling a little guilty about it. She shook it the thought off and went aboard.
ooo
The ship moved as soon as everybody was on board. The sight was wonderful. The sea reflected a soothing blue color.
"Wow…" Nerium stood there, face in awe. She looked at the birds flying by the ship while chirping a song. She truly loved the scenery and sounds of nature.
Just then, a noise that came from an engine disturbed her thoughts. Her head turned to the speedboat that went by them. It was a lot smaller but faster than the ship they were on. She furrowed her eyebrows and saw that it was the boat that the Hawk Eye mages were riding. Karim was the one who was driving as the three girls sat behind him.
Karim seemed to notice Nerium as he gave her a snob look. Nerium groaned in distaste. A couple of seconds later, the speedboat had already over taken them.
Jay then went by her side. "See something you like?"
Nerium took a deep breath before she could reply to Jay. "Not at all."
"Geez, what did he do that pissed you off?" Jay asked as she raised an eyebrow. Nerium crossed her arms.
"He made fun and stepped on one of my plants!" Nerium angrily replied. "And not to mention he's not that of a nature lover!"
Jay awkwardly looked at her but shrugged instead of saying anything else. "O-okay."
Meanwhile, the others had nothing much to do. Shiori was lively telling Alister stories as Lisbeth quietly listened to them or eavesdropped rather. Coyote was leaning back on his chair with his eyes shut. Marcus was on the edge, watching the waves as it hit the bottom of the ship. Kai was getting acquainted with Lucian. Isaac and Nathan were worriedly looking over Diana, who was motion sick and was about to puke out to the ocean. Christa apologized to Diana saying she didn't bring enough for the three of them. Reiss didn't say anything.
They had been there for two hours now and it was getting pretty boring. Thankfully, the Master showed up. He was on a platform slightly on a level above them.
The mages looked up at him with an enlightened expression.
"Finally! The Master showed up!" Coyote said in a dragging voice. All of the others looked and slightly glared at him. Seeing this, Coyote raised his hands in innocence. "What?"
Master Lucas raised a hand to gesture them to stop. Immediately, they all turned their attention to him.
"Coyote's right. I'm very sorry if I left you all up here without news," Master Lucas looked down at them. "But, if I were to tell stories before we got on the ship, it would have been much more boring."
Coyote sighed and a word unexpected to come out from his mouth came out. "Sorry."
Master Lucas smiled. "It's alright, child."
He then continued to his main purpose. "We're getting closer to the island and we are in reach of it within an hour."
"And I think as S-class candidates, you should know the history of the guild," Master Lucas walked around the platform slowly.
"Amethica Island is–" he paused as he tried to find the words to accompany it. "–an island with magical properties. It's appearance is very unique, if I might add."
"My family has been training on this island for generations," he stopped walking and turned to his audience.
"I have three children, Lorelei being the youngest of them. You all know her as the vice mayor of Heaven's Crest. But putting that aside, she was the most dedicated mage of the three. She would always win the trainings among her brothers, including me and my wife," Master Lucas chuckled as he recalled the memories in his mind. "In our training grounds, she would always choose the fourth passage. It was always the key to her success in the competitions."
"Because of this, we all agreed to name our guild-to-be after her magic. Lightning magic," he said. "One of her brothers said that her magic had a supernatural air to it, so he described it as 'mystic'."
The mages were engrossed with the Master's story.
"So, it's like an honor for Ms. Lorelei?" Adrian asked. The Master nodded as he smiled.
"It was quite some time that our dream guild was made into a reality. My children were still young that time and my wife had already…" Master Lucas bowed and spaced out a bit. They all fell silent, feeling awkward with the situation. They already know what happened to his wife.
Master Lucas then took a deep breath. He smiled at them and brushed it off. "Well, let's not go into dramas, hahaha."
The mages felt a little relieved but it was kind of sad to hear Master Lucas.
"Moving on with the history," he cleared his throat and pulled a metal from the floor. A map was drawn into it. "The real part begins."
"A map?" Kai tilted his head. The Master nodded and pointed at it.
"This is for your Trials," he said. The bottom of the map was the shore of the island, on the middle was a grayish-white part and on the top was five passages.
"There will be five passages that you will choose from," the Master pointed to the upper part of the board. "But before you can arrive there, you will be passing through here."
Master Lucas traced a big circle around the gray part of the board.
Diana tilted her head still a bit dazed, confused with what she is seeing. "But it's all gray..."
Master Lucas smirked. "That will be the place that you'll be slowed down. Think of it as a race to have the freedom to choose from the passages."
He pointed his finger up to add something. "But do not worry. No one will be eliminated at this part-" he looked at everyone as he paused and added something again. "-yet."
Every candidate smiled.
"As I was saying earlier about the five passages – there are three passages where two will be able to pass but only one can progress to the next exam," Master Lucas placed his hands behind him.
"So, we'll have to fight for it, then?" Nathan clarified. The Master nodded in response to him.
"The other two passages will only be able to accompany one candidate – but will have to fight a mage selected from Lunar Storm."
"Lunar Storm!?" Christa exclaimed, thinking that her brother might be one of the mages.
"Yes. In that case, you will either win or lose," Master Lucas's expression turned serious after what he said. "There will be no safe paths."
Others furrowed their eyebrows, following the Master's serious atmosphere, while the others gulped in anxiety.
The Master's eyes turned ahead. Seeing him, the mages were curious as to what was behind them. After turning behind, their eyes widened in fascination.
An island was starting to form in their eyes. But what made them fascinated about it is that its color. It was violet.
The ship then started to move faster than before making Diana grip one of the chairs in sickness. After a minute, the ship stopped in front of the island.
Master Lucas led everyone down the boat and onto the shore of the island.
"Whoa," they looked at the sand as they walked.
Ciara's mouth hung open as he looked at the ground. "The sands are violet."
"Even the plants are violet..." Nerium said, equally amazed as Ciara. She then tested out to sprout a vine from the sand. As she did so, the small plant started green. Then, the violet color crawled up to the tip. "Whoa!"
"Welcome to Amethica Island!" Master Lucas spread his arms out.
"Oh! Amethica as in amethysts, huh?" Kai pounded his right fist on the palm of his other hand in realization.
Master Lucas chuckled. "Yes, but it's not made of amethysts. There are rare gems here but that's not the case. It is named of it because of the color."
He pointed to the ground and trees. "The ground has magical properties, making it look violet. Growing on it, the flora also exhibits the same reaction. And the animals that eat the plants also appear violet."
"Oh! Like a chain reaction!" Shiori cheefully said.
"Exactly," Master Lucas smiled at her. "But we're not here to sight see."
Master Lucas looked at the sea and saw the speedboat that the Hawk Eye mages were on. He saw Karim raising a thumbs up as he looked through binoculars.
He nodded and looked at his mages. "Follow me."
The group did so as they walked forward. The more they walked, the farther they were from the shore. The ground was no longer heavy on the feet. There were more trees surrounding them but at a point, it just stopped in one area. Before them was a wide landscape with fog covering everything in front of them. It also blocked the sunlight. It made the atmosphere around them dark and eerie.
"What you see before you is a mist. Like the ground, it's full of magical properties. Beware of it," the Master suddenly spoke up. "The candidates will be the only ones affected, though. Partners – it's up to you to guide your candidates."
They were gawking at the fog before them but they still heard the Master – only, they weren't sure what he was talking about 'the candidates will be the only ones affected' part. It was impossible for them to see what was in it.
Then, they heard the Master's footsteps slowly walking away from them from behind. They all turned around.
"Aren't you going with us, Master?" Christa asked as she turned to him.
He paused and answered firmly. "No."
"You're exam starts now," he walked away again. The Master started to fade away from their line of sight. Christa looked at Reiss and shrugged.
"So, at this point, we separate, huh?" Nathan looked at everyone around.
"Well, see ya 'round!" Coyote then went in the fog with Lisbeth. She gave Nerium a competitive look in which Nerium returned it with a glare.
Everyone started to spread, bidding each other good lucks.
Christa walked beside Reiss. She coughed slightly. "This fog contains magic alright."
Reiss looked around, squinting his eyes. "This fog is blocking up my sight!"
"You think you're the only one?" Christa sarcastically replied to his statement.
Meanwhile, the others struggled to see as they walked forward. If a dragon slayer's having a hard time on seeing from this fog then a normal mage would have more difficulty.
Coyote sniffed, hoping that his sharp senses would help, but the magic around was too dense to cover any scent.
"Damn it! This is getting irritating!" he growled.
Lisbeth sighed and rolled her eyes. "We're not going to accomplish anything if you're going to complain. Just keep moving forward."
Coyote arched a brow with regard to Lisbeth's demanding voice, but he brushed it aside as he didn't want any conflicts with his partner.
On the other hand, Diana carefully walked behind Nathan, not letting him go away from her view.
"See anything, Diana?" Nathan turned his head to look at her. Diana shook her head. He turned his head back to the front and sighed. "Guess we have to do it the hard way."
Diana then remembered what the Master said. "Hey, what do you think the Master meant with 'the candidates will be the only ones affected'? Affected by what?"
Nathan stopped walking causing Diana to almost bump into his back.
"Since everything around this fog is full of magic, I get the feeling that the candidates – or in this case, me – is supposed to see something..."
"See what? What kind of stuff? An illusion, perhaps?" Diana bombarded Nathan with questions.
"My hunch is an illusion. And I feel as if it's supposed to show us something we don't like."
He looked at Diana with all seriousness. "And this illusion is digging deep down in our memories – our fears."
o–o
Kai froze as if he saw something horrifying in front of him. His breathing became rapid and audible.
"Kai... Kai!" Marcus' voice became clearer as he shook Kai into consciousness. Kai looked at him, snapped back into reality.
"We better get going. Are you okay?" Marcus asked, still expressionless, but his concern was heard in his voice.
"Y-yeah," Kai bowed his head and closed his eyes. Marcus nodded and walked together with him.
Kai still spaced out. It was then he stopped again. "Did you hear that?"
Marcus looked at him. "Hear what?"
"Gunshot," Kai replied quickly. Marcus shook his head. "No."
Kai then froze again. He covered his ears which made Marcus a little concerned.
Kai's gaze was set in front of him. His partner looked at the direction he was facing, bt found nothing worth the attention.
"Mom... Dad..." Kai mumbled to himself, eyes closing. Marcus then concluded, he was seeing some things.
o-o
Coyote stopped as he set one foot on something. "What the...?"
Lisbeth stopped as well and looked at him. Coyote bowed his head to see what he stepped on. His eyes widened and took a step back.
"W-what!?" Coyote sweated at the sight. It was an animal lying on the ground which appeared breathless.
"What's wrong?" Lisbeth asked as she tilted her head. Coyote was about to snap back at her when he realized his surroundings. There were cages in which animals were inside, crying for help.
"What the!? Who would do such a thing!?" he looked at the helpless animals pleading for help.
Lisbeth gave him an awkward look. "Coyote! There's nothing around! What are you fretting about!?"
Coyote glared at her. "Don't you see the animals around you!?" he pointed at her side furiously.
Lisbeth looked at both of her sides and took a deep breath. "Animals? All I see is fog!" Lisbeth pulled her hair as she replied exasperatedly.
Coyote arched a brow. "What?"
"I said that there's nothing around! I haven't even seen any animals yet!" Lisbeth massaged her forehead. Coyote looked at her in disbelief.
"You know what, if you're going to be like that, I'm going to drag you all the way to the next part of this exam!" Lisbeth grabbed his hand and pulled him to walk forward. "If you're seeing stuff I ain't seeing then just ignore them!"
o-o
"Alister! Quit doing that!" Shiori yelled at Alister from behind.
"Do what?" Alister asked, annoyed.
"Keep on tapping my shoulder! It's getting annoying!" Shiori shouted.
"I wasn't tapping on your shoulder!" Alister shouted back. "In fact, I'm not even doing anything to you!"
Shiori turned away from him and crossed her arms.
"Geez, Shiori, your anger at pointless things is going to get us left behind," Alister rolled his eyes. "Let's go."
Shiori calmed her nerves and followed Alister, apologizing quietly.
o-o
Ciara stopped and looked at the figure before her. Adrian, however, did not see what she was seeing.
"Sister Maria?" Ciara asked, a tear forming on the corner of her eye. Adrian was confused.
"Ciara?" Adrian worriedly asked.
"Sister Maria, you're... You're alive?" Ciara asked. Now this really bothered Adrian, chills sending down on his spine.
"Wait!" Ciara reached an arm out. "Don't go!"
Adrian saw her about to go to the opposite direction and immediately held her by the arms to restrain her.
"Wait! Sister Maria! I have so much to ask and tell you!" Ciara said struggling to break free from Adrian grasp.
"Ciara, there's no one there! Stop!" Adrian took all the breath to shout at Ciara. She stopped and looked at Adrian.
"You mean... You didn't see her?" Ciara asked.
This was getting Adrian nervous. "Ciara, I'm the only one around here! Please stop creeping me out!"
Ciara straightened her posture. "Then it's just... An illusion?"
"If that's a reason other than being a supernatural ghost, then it's fine with me!" Adrian replied.
Ciara sighed. "I'm sorry if I slowed down. Sister Maria is... the one who taught me my magic. She died of an unknown reason... I guess everything flashbacked when I saw her..."
Adrian looked at he as she opened up to him sadly. He gave her a pat on the back. "It's okay, let's keep going so that you'll make her proud."
Ciara looked at him and smiled. She nodded and the two of them ran to the direction they were taking.
o-o
Isaac looked up.
"What is it?" Lucian asked.
"Did you hear that?" Isaac glanced at him. "It sounds like somebody's in trouble..."
Lucian shrugged. "I'm not hearing anything."
Isaac twitched. "Someone's shouting for help!"
He was about to alter their course but Lucian stopped him. "Isaac there's no one shouting. If there was, I would've been equally stressed as you."
Isaac looked at him and nodded. "You got a point..."
Lucian released him from his grip and Isaac scratched his head. "Maybe I'm hearing some things..."
The two continued to walk with Lucian guiding him whenever Isaac would stop again.
o-o
Nerium sweated at the sight. Numerous plants were cut down, trees reduced to a small trunk.
"This is horrid!" Nerium exclaimed.
"What is?" Jay asked, slightly uninterested with Jay's outburst.
Nerium looked at her with disbelief. "The trees here are cut down and plants are crushed! How could you be so nonchalant about it?"
Jay raised an eyebrow as she pointed to the ground. "What are you talking about? There's not a single flora since the Master left us. All I see is the ground."
"What? You're pulling my leg!" Nerium pouted.
"Geez! Fine, don't believe me! You're creeping me with the things you're seeing," Jay rolled her eyes and started to move forward again. Nerium looked at her shockingly.
"She really can't see it?" Nerium took a look at the destroyed plants again. She shook her head. "The Master's right. This thing is going to slow us down..."
She ran up to Jay to catch up with her.
o-o
Diana placed her hands behind her back. "So, you're going to get affected too, right?"
Nathan nodded but gave her an assuring smile. "But don't worry; I won't give in to those illusions and we'll go straight forward!"
Just as he said this, he saw a cockroach fly to his arm. At the sudden contact, Nathan waved his arms to shake it off and was accompanied by a loud scream.
"Aaaaaaaah! Get this thing off!" Nathan shouted, refusing to touch it.
Diana looked at him confusingly. "But there's nothing there!"
Another insect flew to Nathan and his fear grew – as well as the volume of his voice.
~oOo~
Christa could've sworn she heard Nathan scream around the area but she just brushed the thought off.
"How long are we gonna walk?" Reiss complained.
Christa just shrugged. "I dont know..."
Reiss continued to complain on some stuff Christa wasn't really interested in hearing. She sighed and scratched her head. Just then she felt her feet slightly heavy. She looked down and saw water rising up slowly.
"Ah!" Christa grabbed Reiss' arm tightly as she looked down on her feet.
"What?" Reiss asked in a demanding tone.
"Don't you see any water on the ground?" Christa nervously shook his arm.
Reiss rolled his eyes. "We're on ground, dummy."
Christa gulped as she released Reiss' arm. She then started to move forward again, not saying anything to Reiss. He simply followed her.
She got it in an instant. It was an illusion but it really bothered her. It felt real.
As they walked further, she noticed the water rising up to her knees. And it moved into waves, gradually increasing in height. Everything about her separation from her brother flashbacked. Everything about the tidal waves harshly hitting her was brought back.
Water isn't a big deal for anyone else around but for her, it was a trauma. Even after reuniting with Ray, she still got scared with dipping in large bodies of water. She even got a little scared from the ship ride earlier.
Fretting, she started running so that the illusion would end.
"Hey, hey!" Reiss ran behind to catch up with her.
"We need to get out of here!" Christa said in a shaky voice. Reiss didn't say anything else.
Christa felt the water rise up to her waist and it slowed her down. Even if there was no real water, it took a toll in reality. Reiss was starting to get ahead of Christa and noticed her slowing down. He paused and grabbed her wrist to pull her.
"Hey, pick up the pace!" Reiss said as he pulled Christa to run.
After a couple of steps more, they finally got out of the misty area and the sun shone bright.
"Man, finally! Hahaha!" Reiss laughed in triumph as he placed his hands on his hips.
The water was gone on Christa's behalf. She swallowed a lump on her throat and rested her hands on her knees as she looked down.
"I don't know what's gotten into you, but you were so damn funn-!" Reiss stopped laughing when he saw Christa still spaced out. Concern then filled his eyes, feeling a little guilty with what he was about to say. "Hey, are you oka-!"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Christa cut him off quickly.
Reiss raised a brow. "What exactly did you see back there?"
"I'm just fine, you don't need to pry," Christa quickly brushed him off as she avoided the topic.
She stood up straight and walked forward. "Come on, let's go."
Reiss groaned at her response and followed her. Before them were five passages. Two of them were already blocked.
"Looks like we aren't the first ones here," Christa said and looked at Reiss. "So, where do you want to go?"
"Why are you asking me?" he eyed her.
"Well, you are my partner," Christa shrugged.
"Hah, and earlier you ignored my question," Reiss crossed his arms.
"I'm sorry, just let it go," Christa sighed as she sounded demanding. "Now, where do you want to go?"
Reiss rolled his eyes and moved forward. "Fine."
He went to the second passage. Christa slightly ran to his side and entered the cave. When they were in the cave completely, he entrance behind them got blocked. Looking temporarily at it, they went back to walking forward. The cave was lit by sparkling green gems stuck to the wall.
The two stopped once they got to a large area and at the other end were Shiori and Alister.
Alister was sitting on a rock and Shiori was pacing back and forth. When the two sensed the presence of Christa and Reiss they immediately stood side by side.
"So, you guys, eh?" Shiori smirked as she crossed her arms.
"Shiori," Christa simply muttered her name.
Shiori glanced at her partner over her shoulder and looked back at Christa. "So, we're going to fight for the exam. I have to admit, this will be easy."
Reiss snapped back at her. "How come? You're looking at two dragon slayers."
"You two are powerful," Alister was the one who spoke instead of Shiori. "But what matters is coordination."
"And you guys lack it," Shiori grinned.
The two couldn't answer back. They were right. The only time they fought together was during the Black Lotus mission. Even though they defeated the enemy, they completely relied on brute force. It would be a hard time understanding each other. But they had to try.
Shiori and Alister stood back to back and raised the arms close to each other. Christa and Reiss went into a fighting stance.
~oOo~
Meanwhile, in the third passage, Kai stretched his arms as he walked beside Marcus.
"Are you sure you're really okay from earlier? You still look spaced out," Marcus said with his gaze set forward.
Kai sighed. "That might be one hell of an illusion from my past. But that won't stop me from moving forward," he smiled.
Marcus shrugged but stopped at soon as he heard someone shouting. Kai did so as well. It sounded like Coyote. His voice echoed on the walls of the cave.
"I'm telling you, the animals looked helpless! It's not my fault if I get affected on such a sight! I have a puppy named Free back home – what if that happened to him? What do you think I would feel?" Coyote shouted.
Lisbeth covered her ears and groaned. "It's just an illusion, damn it!"
Kai chuckled and placed a hand on his hip. "Whoa! Two hot-headed mages, eh?"
Coyote and Lisbeth looked at them, realizing that their opponent has already come before them. Marcus' face remained to a poker one.
"Heh," Coyote grinned and showed his sharp teeth. "We've got company."
Kai punched Marcus's arm lightly. "Get ready."
"Will be," Marcus took a step back.
~oOo~
Nerium and Jay stopped at the end of the fifth passage. She tilted her head.
"Maybe we'll have to wait for another candidate," Nerium shrugged.
Jay sighed and sat on the floor. "Urgh, waiting sucks..."
Just as she said this, Ciara and Adrian appeared in the cave.
"Well, good news! We don't have to wait long," Nerium said.
Ciara and Adrian gulped. "Of all the mages, why do we have to face two poison-based ones?"
"It's all about the luck!" Jay smirked as poison blades materialized on her hands.
"Guess we don't have much of a choice," ciara said. "Adrian, we'll have to work together."
Adrian seemed hesitant to take a fighting stance but did it anyway. He nodded with an audible 'yeah'.
Vines started to grow up to Nerium's hands and smiled at the two.
~oOo~
Isaac took a deep breath, his voice echoing. They had taken the fourth passage. Lucian glanced at him.
"I hate fighting. Especially if I'm going to fight a guildmate..." Isaac said.
"Well, this is an S-class trial. We're bound to fight someone," Lucian said, in hopes of making him at least comfortable.
"Well, well, well, it took some time before someone got here."
The two mages stopped as soon as they heard the voice. The two readied. An attack could come to them any moment.
Isaac pulled out his sword while Lucian pulled out his two revolvers. They heard footsteps towards them in front. Once they heard it, they took a step back. Lucian pointed his guns at whoever that was and Isaac did the same with his sword.
Isaac then saw who was in front of them and lowered his sword.
Lucian saw him and looked at him. "Psst, Isaac, what are you doing?"
"Of all the people," Isaac muttered.
The guy before them smirked as he paused meters away from them. His hands were inside his pockets. "I recognize you when I last visited Mystic Lightning," he said as he referred to Isaac.
Lucian slowly lowered his guns.
"Christa told me your name is Isaac?" he raised his intonation, asking for confirmation from Isaac.
"Christa? What's she got to do with this fellow?" Lucian asked, surprised about hearing her name from this guy.
"He's–" Isaac gripped his sword. "–Christa's older brother from Lunar Storm."
~oOo~
On the first passage, Nathan and Diana went in.
Nathan took a deep breath. "I can't believe we were the ones who came last…"
Diana giggled. "Don't worry, Nathan! Your secret's safe with me!"
Nathan slouched and sighed at Diana's constant teasing of him. Diana then stopped at the sight of a mage in front of them. Nathan stopped too.
"This girl," Diana started. "She's with us during our fight with Black Lotus."
Nathan looked at the girl. The girl smiled at them as she recognized Diana.
"Diana! I remember the last time we fought together," she continued to smile.
"That's good, we'll have an insight on how to beat her, then," Nathan smirked.
"If you forgot my name–" she placed a hand on her chest. "–I'm Juliet."
"Wouldn't forget it," Diana smiled.
Juliet then placed her hands on her hips. "So, are you the S-class candidate?"
Diana shook her head and pointed to Nathan beside her.
"Ehem," Nathan cleared his throat. "I'm the S-class candidate."
"Well, nice to meet you!" Juliet shrugged. "Now, let's talk less and do whatever you came here for in the first place."
She then took a step back as she placed her left closed fist on the palm of her right hand.
Nathan's eyes widened. "This stance! Don't tell me she's a-!"
Juliet grinned as her hand glowed blue. "Ice-make: Wolf!"
Ooo
Master Lucas sipped tea in another area. The area he was on was a peaceful one. There weren't any monsters or animals. And there were tents and a fire lit.
"Uncle! The fights have already started!" Master Alyssa ran to her uncle.
Master Lucas nodded. "I know."
Alyssa giggled. "Sorry, I'm just excited! I mean, thanks for letting my guild participate in such an event!"
Master Lucas nodded again. "You're welcome, Alyssa."
The lady Master sat across her uncle and sipped her tea. After sipping, she placed it down.
"You know, I still remember this place," she started. "We were so young back then!"
Master Lucas chuckled. "Yes, indeed you were. Ah, brings back the memories."
Alyssa stood up and stretched her arms upward. She then set up a lacrima and a hologram monitor materialized, showing each of the fights that occurred. "Best of lucks for them!"