Kael's boots stomped on the gritty arena floor as he made his way through the crowd, Mara walking beside him.
The square was a mess, candidates were shoving, their beasts snarling, kids yelling names to familiarise themselves.
The canvas tents loomed ahead, their flaps pinned with parchment lists fluttering in the breeze.
Kael's heart beat loudly as he walked towards it, what would his wave be like?
He reached the nearest tent, its parchment was filled with names written in black ink. Candidates crowded it, some cursing, others whooping.
Kael stared at the lists, his finger tracing the third wave, he finally saw his name.
Kael Ardyn.
Then he froze. The list didn't just name waves—it grouped them. Teams of three. His name sat under Wave 3, Team 7, with two others.
Teams? The scout hadn't mentioned that. His gut twisted—relying on strangers in a maze of traps and beasts wasn't his plan.
He frowned, looking at the other two names below his.
Eryn Thalor.
Jorik Vell.
"Eryn?" Kael raised a brow, feeling better. At least he knew Eryn, their teamwork wouldn't be too messed up. He hadn't seen her since their last meeting in the forest.
"So she made it...huh?"
Now...who was Jorik?
If Eryn was on his team, he could work with that. But Jorik Vell? No clue. He frowned, scanning the crowd, until a shaky voice sounded beside him.
"Uh… are you Kael? Ardyn?"
Kael turned to see a small-sized boy, standing there, his D-rank skitterclaw crouched beside him. It looked nonchalant and uninterested.
Kael was suddenly amused. "It was clear he has a very low sync with his beast...they didn't seem to get along quite well.
The kid's face was pale, sweat beading on his brow, Kael suddenly recognized him, he was the same one who had whispered about rogue beasts during the scout's speech, shaking like a leaf. Apparently, he was still shaking.
Kael's jaw tightened, a mix of disbelief and dread sinking in.
"You're Jorik Vell?"
The boy nodded, swallowing hard. "Y-yeah. That's me. I… I saw your name with mine. And hers." He jerked a thumb toward the list, his skitterclaw skittering back as Mara's tail flicked.
"Didn't expect teams either. I'm… not great at this."
"Obviously you aren't."
Kael exhaled, rubbing his neck. This was their third? A scared kid with a D-rank beast that looked ready to bolt?
He forced a neutral tone, not wanting to spook the boy more. "Just stay close in the maze, Jorik. We'll be fine."
Mara tilted her head, gold eyes sizing up the skitterclaw. Kael flashed a smile at him and Jorik's shoulders eased a fraction, though his hands still shook.
Before Kael could say more, a voice cut through the crowd, sharp and familiar. "Kael, still messing around with that fox?"
Eryn Thalor strode up, her C-rank mistviper slithering at her heels, it's scales glinting green. Her dark hair was tied back, eyes glinting with a mix of amusement and appraisal. She seemed a bit leaner Kael remembered.
Kael smiled, he hadn't seen that Mistviper before, he thought she was one of those people who concentrated fully on their mana, and had nothing to do with beasts. It seemed she was good at both.
"Hey...Eryn."
"You look better than the last time I saw you. Stronger, maybe. Not starving in an alley anymore, huh?"
Kael's lips twitched, not quite a smile. Eryn hadn't changed, blunt as hell.
Her gaze flicked to Jorik, then back to Kael, lowering her voice. "That kid looks a mess, do you know him?"
Kael smiled with closed eyes, pain underneath the smile. "He's...the third member of...our team."
Eryn paused for a moment, then she erupted.
"Whaaaaatttt!!!?"
Before they could say anything else, another voice broke in, joining their conversation.
"Kael? Eryn?"
Lila stepped from the crowd. Her hair was braided, her eyes wide and warm, catching Kael off guard.
She wore a faded green tunic, a dagger strapped to her belt. She was more of combat styled, she had a mount and a combat type beast too, but she was mostly with the mount.
"Lila smiled as she stepped even closer to the. I didn't expect to see you two on the same team. That's… a good pairing...I guess."
Eryn frowned immediately. "Why... because we're both orphans and homeless?"
Eryn's voice was sharp and piercing. And the silence that ensued was deafening. Kael paused, not staring at either Lila or Eryn.
Eryn wasn't like him, she wasn't ready to forgive all the misdeeds, and she had grown quite bitter.
Lila muttered quietly. "That's not what I meant..."
"Then just what did you mean—" Eryn was about to take it up again but Kael placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. He turned to Lila.
"You're in this wave?"
She shook her head, "Second wave."
The awkward silence followed again.
Lila smiled at him. "You've got a great team..." She went quiet, then she mumbled again. "About Thom..."
"Thom's nothing," Kael said, sharper than he meant. Mara growled low, sensing his shift, and he eased his tone. "We'll be fine, Lila."
Lila smiled, of course he would.
There was a small sound like an explosion far away and they all turned to stare at the location where the sound came from, but something else caught attention even more.
Lila pointed downwards, her face was blank, clearly surprised. "Err...is he gonna be okay?"
Kael and Eryn stared in the pointed, and their face flushed, the embarrassment was too much. Jorik was on the floor, trying to hide behind his Skitterclaw.
This kid was gonna be dead weight.
Kael reached out and pulled him up. "Hey...you'll be fine. Just stick with us, we'll cover you, got it?"
Eryn frowned, clearly not in support of that. She wasn't covering anyone.
Jorik nodded fast, clutching his skitterclaw's leash like a lifeline.
"G-got it. I'll try. I just… don't want to die."
"You won't," Eryn snapped."
Jorik stared at her, his gaze made her soften unwillingly.
"Kael's right. We're a team. Let's not be the idiots who get netted first."
Jorik nodded his head, not saying anything.
Lila smiled, small but genuine. "Good luck, you three. I'll see you later."
Kael stared after her, Eryn's words had clearly hurt her. After all, she was just like them too, she was an orphan.
He shook it off, standing. "C'mon, Mara. Eryn, Jorik, let's move. Wave three's soon."
They all nodded, then they began walking forward. The scouting exams was starting soon.
Time to light it up.