In the hall filled with prospective students, several battles were visible on the escren. However, everyone’s focus was on the two escrens that showed two people with absolute dominance. A commoner girl in tattered clothes, and a commoner boy with a bloody face. Everyone watched the two people with bated breaths and marvelled at their prowess. However, the feelings for the two couldn’t be any different. When people watched Adhara, they felt elated and rooted for her. There was grace in her violence. After all, she killed only in self-defence and utterly destroyed whatever stood in her way.

On the other hand was Mehr. A lunatic who looked for blood every moment he walked. His attacks went beyond what was necessary and by the expression on his face, he was truly enjoying the torment he laid on people. When the audience looked at him, the only thing they felt was fear.

There were four monsters for the people inside the trial that they needed to avoid. However, to the ones watching the battles, there were only two.

In the same hall, beneath the various escrens and the Gate stood an old man with his back bent. Wrinkles on face told the tales of his experience as he controlled the world within the Gate. Nothing escaped the eyes of the old man. From every single breath that the participants took, to every single time they swung their weapons. His eyes sparkled like the depth of the night sky as he judged the participants fighting. The old man was Professor Sionn Innis.

He divided his focus on the participants’ actions and put it on the plump man approaching him from the side.

“Master Willem, you should be at the main hall right now.” Professor Sionn said.

“Well, Cecilia is handling the screening and anyway, this trial is always much more entertaining, isn’t it?” The plump professor, Willem said.

“It’s unlike you, Master Willem.”

“Stop, Sionn. It’s your fault that everyone thinks I’m some 200 years old freak. Please stop calling me master. You’re at least triple my age!” Professor Willem exclaimed.

“It’s a show of respect, Master Willem and I’m only 106 years old.” Professor Sionn chuckled while looking at the battles on the hilltop.

“Don’t lie. You husband and wife are at least 150. You’re basically walking hand in hand with death.”

“Too bad, Master. Death is still quite far from my lovely wife and me.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just tell me about the kids this year. A couple of them looked quite good.” Willem changed the topic at hand.

“Of course. It is quite rare to see so many High Noble children in the same year and more are still waiting for the next batch. This year is quite something.”

Professor Willem looked at the escrens and watched for a while. He was quite engrossed in the scenes as he started mumbling something under his breath.

“Four Monsters, huh? Quite a title. What do you think about them? Willem asked after he mumbled for a while.

“Well, most of them will clear the trial obviously.”

“Most? Not all four?” Willem asked curiously, “Elaborate.”

“There were more participants that caught my eyes, so I’ll just start from there,” Sionn said while shaking his head.

Willem looked at Sionn with a sour expression on his face and said in jest, “Either start listening to me or stop calling me master.”

“If I listened to you, I would have stopped calling you master, Master Willem.” Sionn chuckled.

“Damn, grumpy old man. Just tell me.”

“Well, Hope Woodrow would be the first clear. Decisive, unforgiving, and she didn’t back down in the face of someone stronger. Highly admirable qualities, I must say.” Sionn said while looking behind him at Hope Woodrow who was being consoled by her twin brother, Fynn.

“David Eastmere. Never attacked anyone first. Even in the direst circumstance, he always showed respect to others. Very honourable young man. He will pass as well.” Sionn gestured towards the escren where the battle between Mehr and the survivors was going on.

“Nora Forde. Again, never attacked others first. The only time she killed a person was to bring him relief. Trustworthy. She will pass as well.”

“Sirius Frye. A kind soul and truly innocent. The only time he attacked someone was in self-defence. Throughout his journey, he helped anyone he found and went so far as to use healing arts on the injured. He is a bright child and he will pass as well.”

“Adhara, commoner. She also never attacked first. She didn’t kill the ones who had surrendered. Good morals. She will pass as well. These were the only ones who I thought were worthy enough in this trial. There might be others who would pass, but none would come close to these people.”

Willem looked at Sionn who was stating his judgement when he curiously asked, “Didn’t you forget one?” He pointed towards the scene where Mehr was standing victorious on the hilltop.

“Him? A failure through and through. Always attacks first. Kills in the cruellest way possible. Tortures others. Extremely arrogant and downright evil. He is nothing but a deranged man hungry for blood. He will, obviously, not pass.” Sionn said affirmatively.

“You cannot deny his strength, though,” Willem said.

“If strength was the only criteria, then I would have filled this academy with beasts, Master Willem. There is simply no redeeming quality- … huh?” Sionn’s words stopped immediately as soon as he noticed what was happening on the hilltop.

“Haha. Well, there are your redeeming qualities and very strong ones at that.” Willem chuckled as his eyes sparkled at the scene he was witnessing.

****

At the top of the hill, Adhara was standing to the side while looking at the other three people talking happily. She noticed the badge was still kept safely on the stone slab and hadn’t been touched yet. So, she moved towards it to pick it up and end the trial. However, a spear was instantly drawn in front of her. She looked to the side, to the boy with sticky hair and odd eyes who was looking at her with annoyance.

“The badge is not yours to take,” Mehr said.

Nora and Sirius were standing to the side while looking at the two people.

“Adhara.” Sirius said, “They were the first to reach here. So, the badge belongs to Nora and Mehr.”

“Then why haven’t they taken it yet?” Adhara inquired calmly.

“It’s my badge. I will do whatever I want with it. Who the fuck are you anyway?” Mehr said in an annoyed tone.

“Mehr, language!” Sirius elbowed Mehr in the side, “I met her in the forest. We have been travelling together for a while now. She is a good person.”

Mehr stared at Adhara for a while and then looked at Sirius and said, “I really doubt your judgement. Anyway, how many battles did you fight, Sirius?”

“Huh? One, I think? I mean it was only a brief scuffle that ended with a single attack.” Sirius replied with a confused look in his eyes.

Mehr sighed as he looked at Sirius, “I knew it. Go and pick up that badge.”

Nora and Adhara looked at Mehr bafflingly. Everyone was thinking that Mehr would take the badge for himself. And yet here he was, asking Sirius to take the badge.

“You’re not going to take it for yourself?” Nora asked from the side.

“Obviously not. Sirius hasn’t fought at all which means his chances of clearing the trial are the smallest. If he takes the badge, that means he will pass.” Mehr replied while sitting down on the stone slab on which the badge was kept.

“But you reached here first Mehr. How can I take it?” Sirius shook his head.

“Just take it, idiot. What would be the point of me clearing the trial if you fail?”

Sirius listened to Mehr and after a brief moment, he smiled widely and said, “Well, okay!”

Adhara looked at Sirius smiling brightly and Mehr’s face with odd-coloured droopy eyes that reflected comfort as he looked at Sirius’s smiling face. She wasn’t going to attack first anyway and if the badge was going to go to someone like Sirius, she didn’t have any qualms. She turned back and mumbled softly, “I withdraw.”

Adhara turned into specks of light and the rest of the people belatedly noticed. Nora also looked at the two friends and Mehr, “Is that why you were killing those people, so that they couldn’t get the badge?”

“Well,” Mehr hesitatingly chuckled, “It’s partly true.”

Nora looked at Mehr and sighed. She also breathed out the words ‘I withdraw’ and turned into specks of light. Now only Sirius and Mehr remained on the hilltop.

“What did she mean by you killing people?” Sirius asked.

“Ah, don’t mind that. Just take the badge.” Mehr dismissed.

Sirius looked at Mehr’s sticky hair and clothes that had become crusty because of the dried blood. He looked at the cloth that covered his spear which had turned brown by now. He looked at Mehr’s uncomfortable sight as Mehr noticed Sirius gazing at him. Sirius also noticed several injuries on Mehr’s body.

“How many fights were you in?” Sirius asked

“Not many.”

“How many did you kill?”

“....Many.”

Sirius sighed while walking towards Mehr and patted him on the shoulder.

“You promised you will control yourself,” Sirius said while looking straight into Mehr’s eyes.

Mehr chuckled while looking at Sirius, “Yeah, I fucked it, didn’t I?”

“Language.” Sirius said and smiled, “Well, it will get better, brother.”

“You’re too corny. Just take the badge.” Mehr pushed Sirius towards the badge and crossed his arm.

During their four years of training, Mehr’s instincts had flared up many times. Fighting against a pack of beasts or training against the guards. If he started to enjoy himself, he would start tormenting his opponents. Mehr never truly cared about it. This was a habit of his from his previous life and he never worked to get rid of it until Sirius interfered.

Mehr shook his head as he remembered the event with Sirius and pain and regret filled his heart. He clenched and unclenched his fists as he remembered how ecstatic he was while killing those people in the trial. Every drop of blood and every piece of flesh gave him happiness… and he hated it. Mehr took a deep breath and looked at Sirius who was standing near the badge and slowly whispered, “I withdraw.”

The world turned around him and the space twisted. He didn’t move a single step and yet he found himself walking out of the Gate. Loud murmurs welcomed him and he looked around at the faces of the audience members who were looking at him with several different expressions. He turned his attention the other way and looked at the escren that showed Sirius picking up the badge and the world inside the Gate dissolved instantly. Sirius was walking out of the Gate with the badge in his hand and the audience erupted with applause.

From the side, an old man with his back bent was watching Mehr with focused eyes when he heard Willem’s mischievous voice from the side, “Looks like that child will pass as well, Sionn.”