The excitement of the trial still hung faintly in the air like the scent of fresh ink on a newly written page. But for Solis and Ada, the path forward required more than celebration.
They had earned their C-Rank.
Now they had to prove they could carry it.
After a brief meal shared near the fountain in Mailie's central square, the two parted ways with a promise:
"Two days. At dawn. We will meet at the town gate."
Solis nodded. "Don't oversleep."
Ada smirked. "I'm more worried you'll show up in pajamas."
They parted with a laugh — light on the surface, yet heavy with all the things neither had said aloud.
---
Solis's POV — Infirmary Wing
The warmth of the infirmary hadn't changed.
Pale sunlight filtered through curtains, casting amber shadows across the floor. A faint hum of bubbling vials and the sharp scent of medicinal herbs filled the space.
Solis stepped inside, his boots clicking softly on the stone.
Elizabeth looked up from a cluttered table, adjusting the tiny glasses perched on her nose. Her once dark hair had more silver now, pulled into a tidy bun. She wore her signature apron, ink-stained and stitched from many patches.
"Well now," she said gently. "The duel-hound returns."
He smiled faintly. "More like a recovering mutt."
She waved him over. "Come. Sit. I heard the news. Rank C, hmm? Tedric would've made that terrible proud grunt of his. You know the one."
Solis chuckled as he sat across from her. "The one that sounded like he bit into a lemon?"
Elizabeth smiled, her eyes softening. "That's the one."
A silence passed between them. Not awkward — just familiar.
"I still remember how furious he was when you first showed up," she said. "He kept muttering, 'This one's got too much heart and not enough sense.'"
Solis (sighs):
"I guess I proved him half right."
Elizabeth looked at him long and steady. "You're still carrying the accountability, aren't you?"
He didn't answer.
"You saw what he became in the end," she said quietly. "He wasn't a man bound by rules. He became a man bound by love. For this town. For you kids. For me."
Solis lowered his gaze. "I was... I just couldn't shake th e feeling of being not able to save him from..."
"From what? I was holding his hand when he was being buried," she replied. "So, we've both got scars that don't bleed. Just remember this and don't over-commit please. You alone can't change the destiny."
A long pause. Wind stirred the curtains.
Finally, she reached out and placed something in his hand.
A small bronze pin — a wolf's head, carved by hand. The lines weren't smooth, but they were careful.
"He made this. Said he was going to give it to you when you passed his personal test. Said he'd 'know when it was time.' Guess the old goat knew better than either of us."
Solis stared at the token for a moment, then closed his fingers around it. It's the second thing he got from his instructor after his death.
He brings the medallion from underneath his shirt, looking at it. After Instructor Tedric's death it has been kept by him as a memorial of him. Now the wolf token has joined the set.
"Thank you."
Elizabeth stood, brushing her hands off on her apron. "You will leave soon, don't you?"
He nodded.
"Then promise me one thing," she said.
Solis looked up.
"Don't just fight for him," she said. "Live for yourself too. Make the choice you want to make. Tedric and your father would have wanted you to make."
He gave a small, grateful smile. "I'll try."
She turned away, blinking faster than usual. "Bah. These herbs are making my eyes sting."
---
Ada — Grit and Gears
The clang of steel. The hiss of effort. The thud of a training dummy absorbing another punishing strike.
Ada exhaled through her nose, resetting her stance.
Her steel sword — the same one she'd used since her first day — had new splinters near the hilt. Her gloves were torn at the fingertips. Sweat clung to her skin like a second shirt.
"Again," she muttered.
With a leap, she brought the blade down in a fast combo — three strikes in a diagonal fan, finishing with a sweeping block. Her breath stuttered by the end, her legs trembling slightly.
"Still not enough."
Her mind kept going back to Jannick's blow — how easily it had sent her flying. And worse, how she'd dropped her weapon.
If I can't stay on my feet… I can't protect others. Or myself.
She took a short break to down a red stamina tonic from the pouch on her belt. Then, brushing her bangs aside, she jogged to the objective board just outside the training grounds.
Three sheets fluttered on the cork panel.
• Wolf Pup Migration Escort – 10 Reputation
• Crimson Ant Nest Sweep – 12 Reputation
• Healer's Parcel – High Altitude Drop – 15 Reputation
Ada ripped down the last one and strapped her sword tight.
---
By midday, she'd cleared all three.
Her armor was scuffed. Her stamina low. But the pile of earned reputation points was real — and hers.
With her new Privilege Points from the C-rank exam and the added rep, she headed straight to Marlo's Armory, a stone-and-timber smithy with a lazy smoke trail and even lazier owner.
Marlo was snoozing on a bench when she nudged him.
"Up, forge troll."
He grunted awake. "Bah… Ada? I'm not taking any more bets on your sparring matches. You broke a chair last time."
"I'm here for gear."
Marlo blinked, then sat up. "...C-Rank, huh? Thought I saw your face on the board. Alright. Come inside. Let's see what we've got."
---
Inside, racks of equipment gleamed under torchlight. She skipped over the gaudy helmets and oversized hammers. She knew what she wanted.
Defense. Speed. Mobility.
Marlo leaned against a post, chewing on some grass. "So… light hybrid gear? I got an intermediate set — alloy weave chestguard, reinforced leggings, and a shoulder cape that's flame-treated. Nothing top-tier, but it'll keep you from folding like parchment."
Ada raised an eyebrow. "How much?"
"25 Reputation points."
She clicked her tongue. "You drive a hard bargain for someone with bedhead."
"Bedhead's a lifestyle."
She gave a long sigh, then handed him two Privilege Points and five Reputation Points. (One Privilege Point is equivalent to ten Reputation Points in terms of trade, though PP can't be used for promotion)
When she emerged from the smithy half an hour later, Ada was clad in fitted gear that felt like a second skin — light enough to run in, dense enough to absorb blows. Her mobility had barely dropped.
She threw a few mock punches and kicks in the air, grinning.
"Now we're talking."
---
Solis — Twilight Reverie
Back near the training fields, Solis found himself sitting by the edge of the lake where he used to train with Tedric. The still waters reflected the pastel hues of the dying day.
In his hand, he turned the bronze wolf token over and over.
Memories rose unbidden — of Tedric's callused hands guiding his grip, of Elizabeth laughing over burnt tea, of Ada flipping him onto the dirt during sparring.
A future stood ahead, but ghosts walked beside him.
He stood slowly and made his way back to the dormitory. Before bed, he wrote a short letter and left it on Vaidya's bunk.
"You'll catch up. I know it. Until then, watch over Mailie like you always do. —Solis"
---
Ada — Firelight Resolve
That evening, Ada set up a training dummy.
Under torchlight, she practiced new stances in her upgraded gear — running strikes, sliding recovery, and endurance drills. Her arms trembled, but she didn't stop.
One more round.
One more set.
One more swing.
By the time the moon rose high, she collapsed beside the dummy, panting and smiling.
"This is who I am now. Not just the fastest blade. The one who lasts."
---
The Final Night Before Departure
The stars above Mailie sparkled like dust shaken from a grand old map. Somewhere in the darkened edge of town, the wind rustled leaves in a rhythm that sounded almost like breathing.
Solis stood outside the city gate, staring up at the sky.
Ada joined him moments later, her new armor catching the moonlight in flashes.
"You're early," she said.
He nodded. "Couldn't sleep."
They stood in silence for a while, the quiet stretching comfortably between them.
Finally, Ada asked, "You ready?"
Solis looked toward the north-eastern road, where Caldemount waited.
"Not entirely. But that never stopped us before."
Ada smirked. "Two crazy kids walking into the lion's den with borrowed courage and new armor. What could go wrong?"
Solis gave a tired laugh. "Everything. But we'll face it anyway."
They didn't look back.
And somewhere far beyond Mailie's hills, in the winding corridors of Caldemount. A shadowy fog — cloaked in crimson and gray — stood behind a sealed chamber. He is talking to someone.
She says, "Everything is ready dad. I just need perfect time. You will be free, soon."
He smiled.
"Soon."