Morning came softly over Eryndral.
The forest was gleaming with light.
Hajime woke to the sound of Rei's voice.
"Get up, number two."
Hajime sat up, annoyed, pressing a hand to his chest. His Seiki (聖気) glowing under his skin, gold and silver weaving in quiet harmony.
For the first time since Eisenwald, it didn't hurt and felt closer to being controlled.
Izumi entered, her robes trailing.
"You slept through half the morning," she said. "Queen Sylvara's court has convened. We need to hurry."
Rei stood by the door, armored, expression unreadable.
"Izumi, whose Will do you carry? If you don't mind me asking," Hajime stated.
"I inherited Eve's Will (イヴの意志 / Ivu no Ishi)," Izumi replied with a smile.
Hajime started blushing from the obvious fact that their wills were once lovers. Rei was loving every second of it.
"At least now we know I have Adam's Will (アダムの意志 / Adamu no Ishi), Izumi carries Eve's Will (イヴの意志 / Ivu no Ishi), and Rei wields Uriel's Will (ウリエルの意志 / Urieru no Ishi). Sorry for the delay, let's head to the trial."
The trio started walking towards the court.
The court stretched beneath a massive hollow trunk. Roots curved upward like pillars, sunlight pouring through the canopy into shifting patterns across the floor.
Councilors sat in a half-circle — Lords of Verdant Veil, envoys from other factions, and Queen Sylvara herself, calm amid the chaos.
At her right stood Commander Takahiro Izanami, tall, sharp-eyed, with an aura that rippled faintly green-gold. Moses's Will (モーセの意志 / Mōse no Ishi) radiated authority through him like an unseen commandment.
He studied Hajime for a moment.
"Are you ready to start your training?"
Rei's tone was cool.
"Can we get this over with?"
Takahiro's gaze flicked to Rei.
"One of these days, I'm going to rip out your tongue."
The air shifted. Seiki rippled invisibly between them, a silent clash.
Suddenly, blue and gold-green currents met in midair, and the pressure started bending the light.
Queen Sylvara's voice broke through the tension.
"Enough."
The currents stilled.
Sylvara looked to Hajime.
"The Eidarus Trial will begin at sunset. Until then, observe and try to learn."
Hajime nodded. "Understood, thank you."
Takahiro stepped forward, robes brushing the ground.
"Let me train him. He'll learn more among those whose Wills mirror his own. Rei's faction still worships angels. They've long forgotten what it means to be a divine human."
Hajime tensed. "Let's not fight over me, guys..."
Rei's voice cut in like a blade.
"Didn't your Moses Will (モーセの意志 / Mōse no Ishi) drown thousands once?"
Gasps rippled through the court. Takahiro's hand twitched toward the hilt of his staff almost as if his will was acting on its own.
Queen Sylvara let out a sigh.
"If you must fight, do it outside."
Rei smirked faintly. "Gladly."
Takahiro turned toward him, eyes narrowing.
"Celestine dog."
They walked outside and faced each other beneath the Eidarus canopy, Seiki swirling like mist.
Hajime stood near Izumi at the edge, tense.
"Are they really doing this?"
Izumi sighed softly.
"Commanders like them don't argue... They love fighting. Rei, especially. It's like he gets high from intense battles."
As Rei drew his sword, he calmly said, "Uriel's Ascension (ウリエルの昇華 / Urieru no Shōka)." Uriel's Flame (ウリエルの炎 / Urieru no Honō) flared blue-white along his sword.
Takahiro raised his staff, Seiki spiraling into water-like ribbons around him. Moses's Will (モーセの意志) shimmered as sunlight.
"Verdant Principle: River's Judgment (裁きの流れ / Sabaki no Nagare!)"
A torrent of glowing water erupted from the staff, spiraling like a serpent.
Rei met it head-on, slashing downward with his blade, splitting the current in half, flames hissing against the mist.
The impact sent waves through the clearing.
Trees shuddered. The soil cracked.
Rei started laughing.
"Is that really all you have?"
Takahiro smiled thinly.
"Verdant Commandment (翠の戒律 / Midori no Kairitsu)"
He slammed the staff into the ground.
Roots erupted upward, twisting into wooden whips that lashed toward Rei from every angle.
Rei blurred forward, cutting through them.
Each strike landed perfectly, clean arcs of holy flame slicing through the roots without burning the wood.
Izumi whispered to Hajime.
"Do you see what's happening? It's Se-"
Hajime squinted. "Like the Seiki Resonance (聖気共鳴 / Seiki Kyōmei) thing Queen Sylvara was telling us about?"
"Exactly," replied Izumi.
The shockwave from their clash blasted outward, forcing Hajime to raise his arms against the force.
When the light cleared, both men were standing perfectly still. Rei's blade was inches from Takahiro's throat, and Takahiro's staff was on the ground with his hands up in the air.
The two stared, and both men were smiling faintly.
Sylvara's voice echoed from the balcony above.
"Enough. Both of you proved what I already knew. Hope you were watching closely, Hajime!"
The Commanders sheathed their weapons.
Rei stepped back, shrugging.
"I don't think I'll ever taste defeat."
Takahiro exhaled, annoyed.
"You're insufferable."
Izumi finally let her barrier drop. "If I have to use my barrier one more time on an ally fight, I swear!"
Rei, Hajime, and Takahiro glanced at each other, faces equally defeated, then spoke in perfect unison.
"We're sorry."
Even Queen Sylvara had to hide a smile because three of the world's strongest were apologizing like scolded schoolboys.
As the court dispersed, a shadow lingered high among the upper branches.
Chains coiled and tightened, faint silver glimmers catching the sunlight.
Selaphine's eyes followed Hajime as he walked behind Rei and Izumi.
The wind stirred; she licked her lips as she melted into mist, vanishing from sight.
Later, Hajime stood alone before the Eidarus Tree. The entire forest hummed softly.
Rei joined him quietly.
"I wanted to say man-to-man, I'm sorry for your loss at Eisenwald."
"Thank you, Rei," replied Hajime.
Rei smirked. "Come on, it's time to get some rest."
Hajime exhaled, staring up at the glowing branches. He took a deep breath, stood up, and made his way to his room.