"You should take pride in pushing me this far!"
Edgan held his sword before his face, while his rival pressed on with his weapon. Just as the dull edge of the blade was about to graze his nose, Edgan twisted his body to the right, stepping out of harm's way.
His rival's short spear struck the dirt heavily; it was obvious the youth in white garments was using all his strength.
"I was about to say the same thing to you!"
Lunging forward with a mischievous smile, Edgan's hair scattered in the wind, making the young girls blush. Advancing with one leg bent and the other trailing tight behind him, his sword was leveled straight ahead. Seeing the direct assault, his rival pulled back his short spear and waited.
To an outsider, the spear—longer than the sword by two hand-spans—seemed to have the advantage. Knowing this, the boy launched himself like a loosed arrow the second Edgan closed the distance.
Both of their feet left the dirt; the second they leapt forward to strike, their clash was set—or so most of the crowd thought.
The moment the spear bypassed the sword and aimed for his chest, Edgan's trailing foot struck the dirt hard. Keeping his forward momentum, the long-haired youth pivoted to his left; though his rival tracked him with his eyes, he was powerless to stop his own charge.
A breath later, the winner was clear; pressing the tip of his sword against the back of his rival's neck, Edgan won his first match in the finals.
The applause fell like heavy rain; beneath the sighs of the girls and the watching women in the arena, he walked down the stone steps toward his sister.
"Nalt, you are here too? What a surprise. Where is Mel?"
When Edgan looked around, Nalt started talking fast.
"I don't know, I really don't! Strange things happened this morning, and Mel has been missing since then!"
Marvina jumped in.
"What happened? Tell us!"
Nalt told them everything, starting from the second day of the trials. In a single breath, he explained how they entered the outer forest that night and passed the trial the next day, earning their spots in the academy.
"Hold on, stop right there! Are you telling me you spent a night in the outer forest? Stop making up stories!"
"I am not making it up. Mel led us all the way to a waterfall inside the forest. I think he is there right now; we need to go and make sure he is alright!"
When Edgan rebuked him, Nalt did not back down; laying bare his thoughts, he silently begged for his help.
This made Marvina grab him fiercely by the collar.
"Who are you working for? Who ordered you to use Mel to drag my brother into the forest and get him killed?"
The young girl saw the matter through a completely different lens. As she gripped and shook the boy, his eyes went wide.
"What order? I only came to ask for your help for Mel's sake!"
Nalt stuttered; seeing this, Florin stepped up and pulled his friend out of the girl's grip.
Looking at the two boys watching him with nervous eyes, Edgan spoke calmly.
"Listen to me."
"I don't know what your goal is, but if I go into the outer forest like this, I know I won't make it back out. If your story is true and Mel is out there, he has the strength to return on his own!"
Edgan turned his attention back to the martial arena; the warrior on the floorboards was raising his hand to yield.
"I have to step up for the final match soon, if you will excuse me."
Linking arms with his sister, he walked away from them; though Marvina glared back at them, he remained perfectly calm.
"What do we do now, Florin?"
Showing he had come here clinging to his last hope, Nalt turned to his martial cultivator friend, but Florin's face had grown dark too.
"As much as that girl annoys me, the noble is right. If we walk into that forest, we are going to die."
Nalt kept his head down; he did not look convinced, but he stayed to watch the final duel. He could not step into a forest that even Edgan—who was now pushing his rival to the edge with his sword on the martial stage—feared to enter.
"Maybe he is right. If Mel could go there last night, he can do it again!"
Muttering these words, he turned and left the arena as the crowd roared. Edgan was crowned the champion of this year's Martial Division trials.
When the moon rose into the evening sky, the final stage of the Alchemy Division trial took place. Though she did not put on a show like her brother, Marvina proved her worth and earned her spot in the academy.
The night passed quietly, and when the sun lit up the settlement again, a few hundred people gathered on the hill to the north.
Familiar faces stood among them; the boys who had passed the Botanical Division trial, the Martial Division champion Edgan, his sister Marvina, along with Florin and Nalt—who had also earned entry into the academy this year—all locked their eyes on the horizon.
"Master Hanry, if you would please step this way!"
The Head of the Botanical Division and Master Louise stood beside a flying ship shaped like a boat, and the Young Master called out to the middle-aged man. Cantankerous Hanry looked reluctant to join them, but the Division Head's gaze demanded he obey.
The second he stepped onto the deck, the ship rose into the sky. It was followed by the ships from the Martial and Alchemy Divisions. The Division Heads and commanders went first, taking the candidates who had earned their place in the academy this year into the distance.
Finally, only the boys from the common ranks who had passed the Botanical Division trial were left standing on the hill, and a heavy problem hung in the air.
"Did you children not arrange a ship for your travel?"