Leo pressed his palm out, gathering faint white particles that shimmered like dew catching the first light. Slowly, a broad white shirt took shape in his hands. He exhaled sharply, sweat beading on his brow.
"Creating something this big… takes a lot of focus," he muttered, handing it to Zama. "Thanks to Lili, I managed to learn this spell."
Zama bowed slightly as he slipped the shirt on, the fabric stretching over his frame. "My lord, I thank you."
Leo's lips twitched. "Hades."
"…Hades," Zama corrected with a faint smile.
When they stepped out of the room, the faint scent of roasted beans drifted from the kitchen below. Feren was already moving about her café, wiping down a table as they came down the stairs.
"Where's the way to registration?" Leo asked, adjusting his mask back into place.
"Straight down the main road," Feren replied without looking up, though her thoughts trailed off the moment she caught sight of Zama filling the doorway. How did he even find a shirt that size?
Leo gave a small nod of thanks before pushing open the door. The outside air was cool, painted in soft hues of orange as the sun crept above the horizon. Few souls stirred at this hour. A shopkeeper down the lane was sweeping dust from his front step; another man wheeled a cart stacked with sacks of flour toward the bakery. The rest of the town still slept.
The two walked in silence at first, boots tapping against the cobbled street.
Zama finally spoke. "This city is quiet… fragile. You can hear the stone breathe."
Leo chuckled softly. "Fragile, huh? Most people wouldn't say that. They only see walls and guards."
"But walls fall," Zama said simply. "It is the people inside who decide whether a city stands."
Leo glanced at him. "You sound like someone who's seen too many cities burn."
Zama didn't answer. His golden eyes only followed the dim light creeping over the rooftops.
By the time they reached the castle gates, the sky was already brightening. The gate itself loomed tall and silent, its iron bars glinting faintly in the rising sun. Only three knights were stationed there. Two stood at either side, yawning into their helmets, while the third sat slouched on a wooden chair, scribbling names lazily onto a parchment.
Leo stepped forward. "Umm… can you register our names?"
The knight blinked up at him, quill hanging loosely in hand. The street behind them was still quiet, only the distant sound of a rooster echoing through the city.
The knight barely looked up at first, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Names?"
"My name is Hades," Leo said calmly, his voice muffled behind the mask. He gestured to his side. "And he's my friend, Zama."
The knight scratched the names onto the parchment with a lazy quill. "Ranks?"
"E," Leo answered without hesitation.
Zama tilted his head, then shrugged. "I don't know."
The knight froze mid-scribble, staring at him. "You… don't know?"
Zama gave him a perfectly straight face.
The knight dragged his hand down his helmet with a groan. "What the hell—how am I supposed to register you with that crap? One says E, the other doesn't even know?"
Leo leaned forward with an awkward smile. "Umm… why don't you check us now?"
The knight exhaled the way a man does when his patience has died a painful death. He reached under the desk and pulled out two crystal orbs, dull white stones that faintly shimmered in the morning light.
"Fine. Touch it. Both of you," he muttered. "Let's get this over with."
Leo placed his hand on one. The orb glowed briefly before stabilizing, steady as if weighing him. The knight squinted. "Huh. Not bad. Might be higher than—"
Then came the sound.
Crack!
The second crystal orb in Zama's hand split down the middle like glass under a hammer. A jagged line cut across its surface, then—
Shatter!
Fragments scattered across the desk, rolling onto the cobblestones.
The knight blinked at it. His jaw worked, but no sound came out.
The other two knights who'd been yawning before now stood rigid, wide-eyed, staring at Zama as if a monster had casually walked through their morning shift.
Silence hung.
Finally, the knight dropped his quill, picked it back up, and scribbled their names again without a word. "…You guys are in."
He cleared his throat. "What's your duo name?"
Leo tilted his head. "Umm… no need for a name."
The knight raised a brow, then shrugged. "Alright. Your call." He stacked the broken halves of the crystal on the corner of the desk, muttering something under his breath about budget paperwork.
Looking back at them, he added, "Just stay here. We'll take a few more candidates before starting the matches for the final selection. Don't… break anything else."
Leo smirked behind the mask. Zama only blinked, as if he hadn't even noticed the shards of crystal glinting at his feet.
Leo's head rested lazily against Zama's massive shoulder, his breathing steady, as though the chamber was nothing more than his bedroom. The two sat on a wide double chair tucked against the wall, the air around them heavy with quiet anticipation.
A knight stomped over, clearing his throat.
"Oi, wake up! It's time for the competition… or did you two come here just to nap?"
Zama shifted, his large frame moving gently so as not to disturb Leo, but then he nudged him with a careful hand.
"My lord—"
"Hades," Leo mumbled groggily, almost slipping his mask off in his half-asleep daze.
Zama caught it quickly, whispering again, firmer this time, "Hades."
Leo blinked, remembering where they were, and pulled his hand back as if nothing happened. He stood up with a stretch, yawning openly before smirking.
"Right, right. Thanks, Zama. So,"—he rolled his shoulders—"what's our first match?"
The knight checked the parchment in his hand, lips twitching like he was holding back something. "Can't tell you. Rules." He tucked the paper under his arm, then looked them over again. His expression softened into something that was half pity, half amusement. "But… boy, you two are in for some serious trouble."
Leo tilted his head, mask glinting under the chamber's faint torchlight. "Oh? And why's that?"
The knight gave a short laugh, shaking his head as he turned away. "You'll see soon enough. Try not to regret signing up."
Zama watched the knight leave, his wings-less back straight and composed, but his eyes carried a silent question toward Leo.
Leo just grinned faintly, stretching his arms behind his head as if they were about to play a game rather than fight for a spot in a deadly competition.