<b>[Scene Loading...]</b>


    <b>[Location: Leoncrest Estate - Dark Forest Crossing]</b>


    <b>


    [Date: August 24, y. 485 of the Fourth Age]</b>


    Zeke''s mouth was bone dry, and he glanced down at the stepping stones below. Every part of him wanted to descend the steep path down to the raging waters below, but Adrian''s voice came back to him.


    "When you get out of the desert, you''re going to want a drink, and you''re going to want it badly. Don''t take the bait that they place in front of you. That''s what did in your brother. Take the rope bridge, it''s sturdier than it looks. I''m not saying that you couldn''t get across the water down below, but those rocks are slick. Push through the pain and the thirst."


    Zeke squared his shoulders and started across the rope bridge. It swayed and rocked, but the wooden planks held. On the other side, as he staggered off of it, he caught sight of Diocletian darting off into the woods, away from the path.


    He started to move after him, then paused.


    "One misstep," he murmured. "I''ll get you."


    <b>「?????????? ????????????????」</b>


    <b>


    【Target: Diocletian de''Minziar】</b>


    <b>


    【Direction: Northeast, off-path】


    </b>


    <b>【Tracking Difficulty: Moderate】</b>


    Diocletian had left the path near a massive oak tree, the sort that was covered in knots and knobs and scars. Zeke made his way up to the tree and looked down at the forest floor where Diocletian had run off.


    It sloped downward, running off toward the castle, and he noticed a few boot prints in the mud. He frowned, then suddenly caught sight of something.


    In the knots of the old tree, there were small pools of water.


    It wasn''t much, but he drank deeply, feeling refreshed. With that, he started off slowly through the woods, following the trail to the best of his ability.


    Thankfully, Diocletian seemed to be no woodsman and made steadily back toward the castle. Zeke''s eyes narrowed as he went along.


    "I bet he''s trying to get back to the castle before me," Zeke thought. "He''ll have the flag inside the walls, and then when I show up without it, I''ll be disqualified."


    It made a lot of sense, and it almost made Zeke push on far faster, but he held himself back. The footprints were still clear, and here and there were broken branches.


    No need to rush and lose the trail.


    And then, suddenly, he saw something that turned his blood to ice. On a tree trunk, just next to Diocletian''s footprints, were scrape marks.


    Claw marks.


    From somewhere ahead, he heard a scream that broke the forest''s eerie quiet, and Zeke quickened his pace. Now, there were tracks beside Diocletian''s prints.


    Large tracks, possibly from a wolf. He didn''t think it was from a bear, though he couldn''t be sure. He could practically feel eyes on the back of his head and knew there was every chance that he was being tracked as well.


    He kept his hand on his sword, though he knew better than to draw it before it was needed. One wrong step, and he could fall upon his own blade.


    Almost thirty minutes after he heard the scream, he came to a small clearing. The ground here was a mess, as claws and boots alike had torn it up.


    There was blood and fur on the ground, as well as—


    Zeke''s eyes opened wide. Clinging to a tree branch was the third flag! It fluttered softly in the wind, and he snatched it up quickly.


    Stuffing it into his pocket, he smiled and turned toward the castle.


    Except that...


    Well...


    He groaned, knowing that he couldn''t just leave Diocletian alone in the woods. Whatever trouble the other boy had brought on himself, leaving him to die wasn''t the answer.


    Slowly, he turned in the direction of the prints and followed them off through the woods.


    It seemed that one of the two of them had been injured, or possibly both. There was a lot of blood splattered here and there.


    The ground was torn up, and the marks of a sword showed here and there on the tree trunks. Diocletian had put up a fight, at least.


    "Diocletian!" Zeke called out, but only forest sounds answered him.


    And then, suddenly, the tracks came to an end.


    They were on the side of a hill, amidst some rocks, and Zeke frowned and glanced around. The tracks simply came to an end; there was no rhyme or reason for it.


    Had Diocletian climbed a tree? Been carried off?


    Then, suddenly, he heard a growl from the trees.


    Zeke spun and drew his sword, lifting it up. A wolf, a massive one, slowly stepped forward. Its shoulder nearly reached Zeke''s chest, and it snarled, blood in its eyes.


    Zeke raised his sword and drew in a deep breath.


    "Activate Emblem: Heart of a Warrior."


    Strength flowed through his body, warming him from the inside like liquid fire. The wolf lunged. Its jaws flashed through the air, and Zeke lunged at it.


    His body seemed to move of its own accord, faster and more precise than he''d ever been before. They came crashing together in a flurry of claws and steel.


    The wolf collapsed, howling, while Zeke was sent staggering backward. He fell amidst the rocks, stumbling on the uneven ground.


    Then the earth gave way beneath him.


    There was a narrow crack in the ground, only a foot across, invisible unless you fell into it. He tumbled down into the darkness and hit cold stone a second later, groaning softly.


    Overhead, he heard the wolf''s dying cries, and he sighed and sat up.


    "You there?"


    Zeke froze at the sound of Diocletian''s voice coming through the darkness.


    "So you are alive?" Zeke called back, squinting to see through the gloom.


    "Yes," Diocletian snapped. "And don''t even begin to blame me for this, because—"


    Zeke turned in the direction of the voice and threw a punch. He connected with something, and Diocletian cried out in pain.


    "Hey!"


    "Don''t try to pass the buck on this," Zeke growled, slowly climbing to his feet. He began to focus his aura into his hand, and just like always, it began to glow, providing a dim light in the darkness.


    He found himself in a small hallway of sorts, the stone walls covered in strange runes and carvings. It seemed to slope upward in one direction, and he started walking that way.


    Diocletian rubbed his cheek, where Zeke had hit him, and then stood up.


    "I should kill you, you know," Diocletian muttered.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "No, you shouldn''t," Zeke said firmly. "And the last time I checked, I''m the one saving you, so don''t even try that."


    "You shouldn''t be here," Diocletian snarled.


    "And if I really shouldn''t be, then the Trials will weed me out," Zeke replied. "You trying to muck things up will only make a bigger mess of things."


    Diocletian muttered something under his breath, but Zeke didn''t hear what it was. He also didn''t care. He was furious, and the only reason he didn''t attack Diocletian then and there was because he knew it was wrong.


    It would have been easy, though. So easy, and no one would have ever needed to know.


    <b>「???????????????????????? ?????????????? ????????????????????」


    </b>


    <b>【Location: Unknown Ancient Tunnel】</b>


    <b>


    【Threat Level: Unknown】</b>


    <b>


    【Exploration Status: Ongoing】</b>


    They pressed onward, the path climbing steadily upward. Zeke could hear rumblings from deeper within the tunnel, far behind them, and had the feeling that they had very limited time before they would have overstayed their welcome.


    Here and there, tree roots grew down through the ceiling, some of which twitched in their direction as the two boys walked past.


    "What is this place?" Zeke asked, examining the strange carvings on the walls. They depicted creatures he''d never seen before, with too many limbs and eyes.


    "How should I know?" Diocletian replied. "I fell in just like you did."


    "These tunnels look ancient," Zeke observed. "Maybe older than the Academy itself."


    "Great. Historic. Can we focus on getting out?"


    As they moved deeper into the tunnels, the rumbling behind them grew louder. The passageway widened in places, and they passed several side corridors that seemed to lead deeper into the earth.


    Zeke made sure to keep to the path that sloped upward, hoping it would lead them back to the surface.


    "Look at these," Zeke said, pausing to examine a particularly detailed set of carvings. They showed robed figures kneeling before what appeared to be a massive tree. "I wonder what they were worshipping."


    "I don''t care if they were worshipping cheese," Diocletian snapped. "Keep moving."


    Finally, they reached a large antechamber. There were skeletons scattered all about, and a doorway that was covered in vines.


    Zeke knew instantly that it would be almost impossible to see from the outside. He started in that direction, only for a shadow to fall across the door from the outside.


    "What''s that?" Diocletian murmured, his voice suddenly quiet.


    "I don''t know," Zeke muttered. There was a sharp sniff, and with a snarl, a wolf slowly strode through the curtain of vines.


    It was the same one that they had been fighting, that much was instantly obvious. Blood matted its fur, and it gazed at them with an intense hatred.


    Diocletian trembled, and he shook his head.


    "I can''t do this," he murmured. "I''m only certified against D-ranked monsters, and that thing is a C-rank!"


    Zeke snorted. "Do I have to do everything around here?"


    He looked down at his glowing palm, then bent down and scooped up a small piece of rock. It was about the same size as one of the spheres from Aura Infusion class, and the wolf snarled at the movement.


    As it started to bound forward, Zeke threw the stone as hard as he could, channeling his aura into it at the same time.


    ZZZZZZAT!


    His whole arm went numb, and a blast of lighting launched the rock from his palm straight through the skull of the wolf. It was sent tumbling head over heels, coming to a stop right in front of them.


    Zeke prodded the corpse with his sword, then shrugged and stepped over it.


    "There we go," Zeke said, trying not to make it too noticeable that he couldn''t move his right arm. "Come on."


    Diocletian stared at him with wide eyes. "How did you do that?"


    "Professor Gerald''s class is good for something after all," Zeke replied with a grin.


    They soon slipped out and into the woods. It was just starting to get dark, but Zeke had the distinct feeling that they shouldn''t camp anywhere.


    He could feel the forest stirring around them. It could sense blood, and it wasn''t going to hesitate to take advantage of them.


    "What now?" Diocletian murmured, looking around nervously.


    "What do you mean?" Zeke shrugged. "We keep moving. Unless you happened to bring camping gear?"


    Diocletian turned white. "I didn''t... I..."


    Zeke spent a few moments getting his bearings. It took him a few seconds to determine the direction of north, as the lack of sunlight meant that moss grew on pretty much all sides of the trees with equal abandon.


    The moment that he had his bearings, though, he started off.


    "Try to keep up," he called over his shoulder. "And stay quiet. We don''t want to attract anything else."


    They struck mostly to the south, bearing slightly back to the west. Zeke could hear the dull roar of the river and did his best to keep it off to his right, making sure that they would arrive back at the castle in the right place.


    The trees remained just as thick as ever, but as Zeke''s strength returned to his arm, he was able to make his hand light up once again.


    "You''re really determined to do this, aren''t you?" Diocletian asked as they stumbled along.


    "Yes," Zeke set his jaw. "I am."


    "Why?" Diocletian pressed. "You know what people say about House Godfrey."


    "I don''t care what they say," Zeke replied. "My family has a proud tradition of service to the realm. Whatever mistakes we''ve made, whatever enemies we''ve earned, that doesn''t change who we are."


    "And who are you exactly?" Diocletian''s tone was mocking, but there was genuine curiosity underneath.


    "I''m the guy who''s going to complete all thirty-four Trials," Zeke said simply. "And then we''ll see what people say."


    Diocletian didn''t have much more to say to that. Zeke could see dark forms moving through the trees, pacing them, but none of the forms attacked.


    He couldn''t say why, but he was grateful for the fact.


    As they continued through the forest, the night deepened around them. Through the sparse breaks in the trees, Zeke found that he could see stars here and there.


    He knew that, if he had been trained on it, he could use the stars for navigation, but he hadn''t even begun to do such research.


    "So why did you take the flag?" Zeke asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.


    Diocletian was quiet for a long moment. "My father said House Godfrey needed to be put in its place."


    "And you always do what your father says?"


    "Wouldn''t you?" Diocletian shot back. "If your father ordered you to do something?"


    Zeke thought about that. "I don''t know. I guess it depends on whether it was the right thing to do."


    "Right and wrong don''t matter much in the games nobles play," Diocletian said bitterly. "Only winning matters."


    "Is that why you''re here at the Academy? To win?"


    "Why else would anyone be here?"


    "To learn. To grow stronger. To be ready when the realm needs us."


    Diocletian laughed. "You really believe all that, don''t you? That we''re training to be heroes?"


    "I believe we''re training to be knights," Zeke replied. "What that means is up to each of us."


    They continued in silence after that. The forest began to thin around them, and as the morning light just began to dawn, they caught sight of the immense Academy wall.


    A flash of hope filled Zeke''s chest.


    "We made it," he said with a grin.


    They soon entered the Training Woods proper. Diocletian bolted on ahead, likely not wanting to be seen in Zeke''s company, and Zeke let him go.


    He was exhausted, and had little desire to push himself beyond what he had already endured.


    By the time that he arrived at the little gate, his legs felt like lead weights. He pushed through the rusty metal and staggered onto the path, looked up at the castle, and drew in a deep breath.


    "Time to claim my reward."


    <b>「?????????? ??????????????????」</b>


    <b>


    【Flags Collected: 3/3】</b>


    <b>


    【Time Taken: 2 days】</b>


    <b>


    【Status: Success】</b>


    The doors of the Headmistress''s office were closed when he made it all the way up the stairs. He knocked on them nevertheless, and they slowly opened for him.


    As he stepped inside, her voice came sharply back.


    "If you are here on anything unimportant, you had best get out of here right now," her voice punctuated the room. She was bent over her desk, furiously writing a letter. "I am afraid that I have urgent business to attend to."


    "I won''t take much of your time," Zeke replied.


    Headmistress Florence sat up so quickly that she almost fell out of her chair. Zeke approached her desk and tossed the three flags onto a bare portion of her desk, then crossed his arms.


    "As requested."


    She looked down at the flags, then back up at him. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and he shrugged.


    "You completed it in two days?" She pursed her lips. "How?"


    "I asked for advice before I entered. I listened to that advice," Zeke answered. "Not really much more to it than that. Also, I didn''t camp last night, because I was stuck in the Dark Forest. Probably shaved off twelve hours at least."


    "Hmm." The Headmistress frowned, then shrugged. "Well, now that you''ve completed your trial, I suppose I should tell you that the monsters of the Dark Forest won''t attack anyone with an E-Rank Aura. The types of monsters that will attack you become more and more powerful, the more powerful your aura becomes."


    "Then why did a wolf try to eat my face off?"


    Headmistress Florence blinked in surprise. "You were attacked by a wolf?"


    "Yes," Zeke nodded, then frowned. "Okay, so not me, but..."


    Headmistress Florence''s eyes narrowed. "There was someone else out there with you? Helping you, or hindering?"


    "Trying to kill me," Zeke said bluntly.


    "I see." The Headmistress slowly rose. "Would you like to give me a name?"


    Zeke considered this. Diocletian had tried to sabotage him, had stolen a flag and run off with it. But in the end, they''d both faced danger together and made it back alive.


    That meant something, didn''t it?


    "Nah. I think I humiliated him enough," Zeke shrugged.


    "Very well," Headmistress Florence folded her hands. "Well, I certainly must congratulate you on your accomplishment. Whether or not it was well-earned, you''ve done something that few others can claim, and I can tell that you did go through all three portions of the forest."


    "Really?" Zeke blinked in surprise.


    "You have stains on your clothes from the blue flowers of the Old Forest, you have a sunburn from the wastes, and you have dirt stains from the Dark Forest," she gestured to his disheveled appearance. "Perhaps the next Trial will knock you down. For now, your classes resume tomorrow."


    Zeke bowed his head and started to leave. As he reached the door, she called out.


    "One more thing. There has, historically, been a small token given to the members of House Godfrey who complete their first trial. You clearly don''t know about it, and I will not extend this grace in the future, but... Receive your reward."


    「?????? ???????????? ????????????????」


    【Emblem: Endurance】


    【Effect: Increases tolerance for heat, cold, thirst, and other environmental factors by 100%】


    Zeke blinked in surprise. That would come in handy, he imagined. He nodded in gratitude to the Headmistress, then turned and walked away.


    That was one trial done. Only thirty-three more to go.


    As he made his way back to his room, he couldn''t help but smile. There had been those who thought he would fail at the first hurdle, but he''d proven them wrong.


    He still had a long way to go, but today was a victory.


    When he reached his dormitory, Ralph was waiting, pacing anxiously in their shared room.


    "You made it!" Ralph exclaimed when he saw Zeke. "And in only two days! You have to tell me everything!"


    "Tomorrow," Zeke said, collapsing onto his bed. "Right now, I need sleep."


    "But you did it, right?" Ralph pressed. "You got all three flags?"


    Zeke grinned and held up three fingers before his eyes drifted closed.


    One down. Thirty-three to go.


    <b>[Scene Close]</b>


    <b>[Earned Emblems:]


    Heart of the Warrior


    Endurance</b>


    <b>[Active Quests:]


    </b>


    <b>[Back to Business: Return to classes]</b>