Alonzo and Elaine went deeper and deeper into the castle, the atmosphere became more and more solemn. They found themselves standing in front of a heavily guarded giant door. As the doors slowly opened, Elaine whispered to Alonzo:
"You need to go alone. Whatever you do inside, know that I love you!"
Alonzo didn't bat an eye and went straight inside.
There were many kids of the same age as Alonzo who also came to get tested. Over the years, Alonzo had come to recognize some of those kids, yet he didn't really try to make friends with them.
A short girl with red hair and crimson eyes, wearing a white noble robe, approached Alonzo and said in a shy manner:
"Hi Alonzo, I see you also came here to get tested. Would you like to team up during the trials?"
The trials basically start after your affinities are tested. You have to prove yourself in battle against a lesser being. To eliminate the risk factor, they sent parties of Luminari kids, each supervised by an elder. Alonzo thought about it. Since the rules clearly stated they should hunt in parties, to eliminate the risks , he had to comply for now:
"I will team up with you, Evelyn."
Alonzo knew the girl. After all, she lived in the same castle, but she had a higher status than him. She was the legitimate daughter of a count, while Alonzo was apparently the illegitimate son of a regional lord who was more of a law enforcer. Even though the regional lord was lower in status, those were not the criteria they were chosen by. They were chosen by who was a stronger and more capable mage.
Evelyn looked happy that Alonzo accepted to come into her party and said:
"Let's go, I need to introduce you to the oth—"
She was interrupted as a powerful voice rang through the entire room:
"Pay attention! My name is Atlas and I am in charge of the affinities testing grounds. I will call each of you up on the stage. All you need to do is touch the Zephyr and concentrate. Any questions?"
The man who spoke was an old man, but he looked like a giant mountain. Usually, Luminari were pretty frail when it came to constitution; they compensated with magic. But the old man in front of them had his entire body bulging with explosive muscles. You could see the muscles through his robes since they barely fit him.
Evelyn raised her hand and asked the elder:
"What's the reward we get for having the highest talent and score?"
The elder furrowed his eyebrows and yelled out:
"You get to live as a proper young Luminari warrior!"
Evelyn was displeased with the reply of the elder, but she knew it was better not to make a scene.
Atlas started calling out participants without wasting any time:
"Romero, Atticus, and Aurelia, come up!"
The three of them went up with much anticipation and nervousness. Each of them touched the Zephyr, the big white ball. Romero's talent had a fire attribute, Atticus had a nature attribute, and Aurelia had a wood attribute. The affinities of the Luminari people were usually more nature-related since they had a strong connection to the world. Many kids were called out by the elder until it was Alonzo's turn.
Atlas called out again:
"Evelyn, Aaron, and Alonzo, come up!"
The three of them made their way to the elder. Aaron was the son of an influential viscount. He looked at Alonzo with disdain. How could the son of a concubine even dare to compete with him?
The first to take the test was Aaron. He touched the Zephyr with clear confidence and anticipation. The Zephyr became a bright yellow ball. It was a rare element. The elder commented:
"Light element, indeed rare. Next!"
Next was Alonzo. On his way, he could see the ridicule and pride on Aaron's face as he came back, but he ignored him. He knew what he had to do. Alonzo touched the Zephyr and it became dark on one side while the other side of the ball became blue. Despite the elder's years of experience, he was surprised:
"You have darkness attribute and a space attribute — dual affinity."
He quickly adjusted himself. After all, he himself wielded more elements. The elder yelled out:
"Next!"
Alonzo made his way back. He could feel the looks of disdain from his clansmen turn into looks of astonishment, but Alonzo didn't care about those. He knew he could wield more elements if he advanced and trained in certain ways.
Evelyn made her way to the elder shyly and touched the Zephyr. Inside the ball there was lightning, rain, and the ball was trembling. The elder commented:
"It seems in this young generation we have many talents. You have an affinity with three elements: water, earth, and lightning. Your potential is endless!"
The kids surrounding the stage were jealous, while the adults were astonished. After all, having so many elemental affinities right off the bat was unusual.
After some time, all the kids got tested. Alonzo approximated the number to 30 kids, 6 of which were dual wielders like him, and Evelyn was the only triple wielder among them. Atlas the elder retreated from the stage and was replaced by a young, gorgeous woman with dark hair and dark eyes, with a body that could have been said to be out of an action figure. She said:
"My name is Beatrix. I will conduct this trial, in which you'll have to hunt a lesser beast. You have 30 minutes to find a team. You can have as many teammates as you want, but keep in mind for each teammate you'll need to slay a lesser beast. Any questions?"
This time it was Alonzo's turn to ask a question:
"I do have a question. Can I be alone and without a team?"
Despite promising Evelyn he would be in her team, after hearing they needed to slay a lesser beast for each kid present in the party, he simply couldn't bring himself to do the work for the others.
Beatrix looked interested in Alonzo and said:
"Sure you can, but you must realize if you fail the hunt, you will be sent to the Luminari Army instead of the Academy."
Alonzo replied unfazed:
"I am aware, elder!"
Evelyn looked betrayed at Alonzo and said:
"I thought we discus—"
But she was again interrupted by the elder:
"Follow me to the designated location of the trials!"
The elder left the platform quickly and took a book from the nearby bookshelf. Suddenly, the entire wall split, leaving a secret passage behind. Beatrix and the kids went inside. After some time, they entered the outside world. It was night as always. The light emanating from the moon was still there. Beatrix turned her back and told them:
"All right, you have one day to hunt down one lesser beast. Good luck!"
All the kids quickly scrambled into their respective parties. Alonzo didn't start hunting; he felt watched, and he was right. From a distance, Aaron and his party were eyeing Alonzo. Alonzo turned back, looked directly at them, and said:
"What do you want?"
Aaron and his party slowly approached and said:
"I want you to forfeit for your own good."
Aaron gave a smug grin:
"If you want, we can vote your forfeit decision."
Six hands were raised, which meant Aaron's party was voting for it.
Alonzo was unimpressed. He knew he had the numerical disadvantage, but he was a trained soldier. His body had become strong after many years of training in this new environment, and his power was amplified by his core. His experience from his first life was vast. He took a fighting stance and waited for them to come:
"I veto this vote!"
Aaron looked at him with ridicule and said:
"Do you think your dual elemental affinity will help you? I must teach you a lesson!"
They all rushed toward Alonzo. The first guy tried to grab Alonzo by his shirt but got thrown over his shoulder onto the ground, and his arm was snapped while he was immobilized with a punch to the face.
Next, two of his goons came at him together, so Alonzo lowered his body and gave a clear kick to the knee, breaking his leg, and moved backward for a safer range. But from behind came another one, who tried to ambush Alonzo, but to no avail, since Alonzo noticed and side-kicked him in the neck, leaving him choking on his own.
He redirected his attention back to the one who came charging at him, and charged back at him. He lowered himself more and did a basic double leg takedown, throwing him as hard as he could to the ground, leaving him motionless but not dead. He didn't want to kill those kids since that would be against the rules and would bring the hatred of the Luminari people on himself. For now, he wanted to lay low and be on the safe side.
The rest of the party and Aaron stood silently watching things unfold in shock. When Alonzo turned back his attention toward the rest, the party disbanded and ran off, except for Aaron, who didn't know what to do.
Alonzo didn't say anything, but slowly walked toward Aaron. Aaron became scared and yelled at the top of his lungs:
"Stop right there! Don't you know who I am? My name is Aaron Kushim, my father is a viscount! You don't dare to—"
But he quickly shut himself up. Alonzo stopped only a few inches away from Aaron and looked him down as he said:
"And my name is Alonzo Arden."
There was a few seconds' pause, after which Alonzo punched Aaron as hard as he could, sending him flying into a giant mushroom and leaving him unconscious.
The elders were watching from above and were discussing what unfolded before them. The elder Atlas said with a rough voice:
"This kid seems like he doesn't like to work in pairs."
A short middle-aged elder, named Aurelius, spoke:
"Impressive. He would make a fine scout, maybe even Noctis (Nightborn Order of Covert Tactics, Infiltration & Shadows)."
Beatrix broke the silence:
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. He needs to take down a lesser beast alone. However, it's commendable he could hold back his anger and not kill those pricks. We would have had to eliminate him from the trials."
In the trials
Alonzo was scouting from the trees. He didn't want to take chances and be ambushed by some beast or find a beast far more powerful than him. He needed to find a target. Not far from where he was, there were some footprints on the ground — a good way to track down whoever made them. Alonzo acted with caution, not making any alerting sounds.
After some time, the footsteps stopped, and they led to a cave. Alonzo was aware it would be dangerous to fight inside since it would limit his movement, so he had to try and bring whatever was inside out. What better way to do that than throw rocks inside? He started throwing as many rocks as he could, but he stopped shortly after since he heard a roar from deep within the cave.
Alonzo jumped behind a boulder and hid, waiting to ambush the beast.
It came out of its place. Alonzo moved a little to take a peek, but before he could move to take a look, he jumped. The boulder was smashed and he was spotted by the beast.
It was a bear-like monster. Above the trial, the elders watching wanted to intervene since this one was a medium-tier beast, but they were stopped by Beatrix:
"Remember, if we intervene he's out. Let's see how he proceeds."
The elders were stunned at this decision. After all, it was just a kid and, most importantly, he was alone. How could he defeat a beast like that? But the trial was conducted by Beatrix; she had the final say.
Back to the trials
Alonzo jumped from tree to tree. The bear rushed behind him, breaking every tree in its way, yet they were slowing him down. Alonzo knew he couldn't defeat the beast in a fair fight alone, so he needed an advantage.
Deep in a muddy place, Evelyn and her team were searching for a beast. They had to kill one in the few hours they had left. Suddenly a fellow Luminari said:
"I hear something coming fast!"
Alonzo flew past them on a nearby tree, and behind him the bear was chasing. The bear saw more people, which meant more food. He was delighted and forgot about Alonzo. He tried to grab the closest Luminari, but found himself stuck in mud. The bear got angry and exerted all his force. In the end he managed to escape, but he found himself in the same situation — the mud was restricting his movement, after all he had a massive frame.
Alonzo saw this and decided to wait for the best opportunity. The bear swung at Evelyn, sending her flying into a mushroom, then swung at another Luminari. If this hit, he would have clearly died, but he was teleported by the elders away. The bear was confused how his food disappeared, leaving him wide open.
In the meantime, Alonzo found a sharp stipe from a cut down mushroom , which he carried on his shoulder and jumped straight up from behind the bear, landing a critical hit and penetrating the bear's skull with the stipe.