Dawn broke over Thornskull, painting the canyon arena in streaks of orange and grit.
The air was thick with fog, packed with hundreds of candidates—kids from Thornskull and neighbouring villages, their beasts pacing about and growling quietly.
Canvas tents formed a ring around the arena, village banners billowing in the breeze, and wooden stands creaked under villagers shouting happily at each other.
Kael stood alone at the crowd's edge, his patched tunic sticking to his back.
Mara crouched beside him, looking very much alert.
Across the square, Thom leaned against a post, his C-rank Razorquill was bandaged in some areas but it looked a lot better than the previous day.
Thom gritted his teeth as he glanced at Kael, realizing that the orphan whom he had always belittled actually had a better chance at success here than he did. It was infuriating.
But Kael ignored him, instead, he focused on the arena ahead of him. No one knew Thom's beast got thrashed by him, it was a secret, for now.
Other candidates milled about: a wiry girl with a C-rank mistviper coiled at her feet, a cocky boy whistling to his C-rank ridgefang, kids with D-rank skitterclaws or ashfoxes shifting nervously.
No beast topped C-rank, but the arena's powerful mana promised worse. Thankfully, they didn't always have to fight, the plan was to survive.
A fight was inevitable though.
Kael was surprised as he saw the stormhawk fly high, coming to rest on a platform a few metres away from them. The stormhawk scout stood, his hood shadowing blocking out his face, only his hard jaw could be seen.
Four other scouts flanked them—two women, two men, each with beasts: an A-rank ironboar, an A-rank shadowlynx, and others Kael couldn't name.
They were all A-rank beasts.
Kael gulped.
The crowd hushed as the lead scout, the stormhawk tamer, stepped forward, his voice gravelly, cutting through the din and spreading towards the crowd.
"Listen up!" he started, his hawk screeching for silence.
"You're here for Cresthaven's scouting exams, six days to prove you're Cresthaven material. Most of you won't make it. You can leave now, save us the trouble."
The crowd tensed, staring up at him. Some looked worried, a larger number were focused, ready for whatever came their way.
Kael's lips twitched, but he stayed still, holding Mara at his side. It was still pet-sized, he still wasn't ready to disclose his powers to everyone, not yet.
"Six sections, one each day," the scout continued, pacing the platform. "Each tests are a piece of what makes a Warden: survival, combat, cunning, grit, teamwork, mastery. One winner per section—six total—earns a spot at Cresthaven. The rest go home, broken or not. No killing your rivals, but don't expect kid gloves. Rogue beasts don't play nice, and neither does the arena."
A kid near Kael shook, his D-rank skitterclaw trembling, he whispered to himself, "Rogue beasts?"
Kael chuckled softly, muttering to Mara, "They're scared already. We got this."
Mara wagged her tongue, her tail curling.
The scout raised a hand, silencing the murmurs. "Today's Section One: the survival maze. It would be filled with Canyon tunnels, traps that'll crush you, C-rank rogues that'll eat you. The goal is simple—reach the exit. You will be split into four waves, fifty each, ten minutes apart."
Kael inhaled, he was good to go. His bond with Mara was tight, her senses were already merging into his. He could whistle flank or scout and she'd move like his shadow.
The scout continued, getting into the rules of the tournament now. "No outside gear—just you, your beast, your mana. The time limit is three hours. No killings allowed. We watch everything—mana sensors, our beasts."
The stormhawk flapped it's wings, it's eyes seemed to lock on Kael for a split second, chilling his spine.
"Show us you're worth Cresthaven. You probably aren't though, most of you."
The crowd of candidates frowned, he talked down on them, they didn't like it.
Kael focused his eyes, a sharp smile breaking out on his face. These scouts were cocky.
The other scouts nodded, another one started speaking.
"Waves start in twenty minutes. Your names are posted on the tents. Move."
The crowd erupted, candidates shoving toward the tents, most of them releasing their beasts.
Kael stood at the same spot, he wasn't rushing like the others. He suddenly remembered what the scout had said to him, and he frowned.
Ardyn's kid...
"Ready, Mara?" he whispered, kneeling to Mara. Her gold eyes met his, there was fire in it.
Kael grinned. "Yeah, of course you're ready. Let's burn this maze down."
Thom's glare burned from across the square, his Razorquill's quills rattling, but Kael turned away, not even noticing him.
Except Thom, No one knew what he could do—not yet. The maze would get a taste.
Ding! The System chimed: Quest: Clear the Survival Maze. Reward: 100 XP, +1% sync. Kael's pulse quickened. Time to show Cresthaven what an orphan and his ashfox could do.