The prevailing mood in the room was that of shock, as nobody had expected the scene in front of them to occur. However, shock was not the only thing people had felt after witnessing the spectacle. Some felt contempt, believing that Arc had only gotten through because of his connections, some were given hope that no matter what happened for them it was possible for them to turn it around. And finally, there was one person who felt true admiration, enough to shout out in praise.

“That’s how you do it! Take life by the horns young man!”

The rest of the examinees all looked at him as if he was an idiot. They all had the same thought in mind, that the examiner would make life harder for those who openly supported Arc.

Arc stands in front of Savvas with a confident guise, but in reality his body aches in pain from the backlash of using the Emperor token. However that pain is minimal compared to the mental pain he was going through.

“I allowed myself to sink into despair. Even if it wasn’t for long, I was still ready to give up! That’s unforgivable. I got caught up in the mood of this place, the allure of the potential examination. I need to be more careful from now on.”

Savvas takes a deep breath, and at the same time glances at Arthur still on the ground tied up in golden chains. He opens his mouth, but words don’t immediately fill the air. Instead he looks as if he’s pondering on what to exactly say.

“I… Welcome you to the Fool Island. I assume you’re joining?”

He strikes a hopeful glance with a sad smile, hoping that he answers no. Those hopes are quickly crushed.

“Of course, I wouldn’t waste one of my three uses of my Emperor Token on this if I wasn’t planning on joining.”

Arcs wording was quite deliberate. Pointing out his Emperor Token had multiple charges was a thinly veiled threat towards the old man. He was blatantly telling him that he could still kill everyone in the room, and the old man picked up on it.

Pushing a large amount of air out through his nostrils, Savvas continues to speak.

“Great. Although the way you lit the flame was quite unorthodox, you did make the candles light. That grants you a membership rite for the Fool Island. Please go outside and wait like everyone else.”

He quickly ended the conversation and directed Arc away back on the path he came from. The candles surrounding it are still lit with flame as Arthur is still tied up on the ground.

As he walks back through the path, Arc looks down at Arthur and apologizes to him. He had not heard Arthur’s insults before, and he truly bared him no ill will. Unbeknownst to Arc, this apology does not go over well with Arthur.

Passing by the examinee’s, he receives several differing reactions. Angry looks from some, looks of praise from others and one even offers a bout of encouragement.

The attendant had returned to her normal stoic self, but there are varying conflicting emotions running through her head.

The moment Arc leaves the room, the chains wrapping around Arthur and the ones covering his mouth all fade away.

Outside the room 10 people sit awaiting their official acceptance into the Fool Island. Arc finds his own spot to sit and quietly closes his eyes, also awaitng his acceptance so that he can finally put in place the plan his mother set out for him.

“Arc, this is very important so you must listen closely. The Fool Island has an important fragment of the Arcana hidden inside the depths of it. When you become a member there, you’ll be guided to it. You must become a member there!”

Inside the room, Arthur fumes with rage as he takes his place behind Savvas. Savvas apologizes profusely and Arthur accepts his apology, but does have some confusion about the whole thing. He questions the old man on it, wanting to know more on why what happened just did.

“I’m confused, why didn’t you kill him like you said? I’ve heard stories about the kind of power people can get from here, and you seem like you’ve been here a while, so you should have power, right? If my assumptions are true, I just don’t get it, why didn’t you kill him?”

Savvas responds with detail, knowing that the more Arthur learns now the better.

“He had an Emperor Token. They’re crystallizations of power created by those who study the Emperor Arcana. Even though I am not weak, against something like that I would… no, anyone here on the Fool Island would suffer a quick death. It’s something I can’t trifle with.”

Arthur looks quite surprised by what was said, and quickly fires another question.

“It’s that strong? Why would he have that, he was just a talentless nobody wasn’t he?”

“No, it’s not that simple. He himself is nothing, but his backing is quite something. His mother brought quite a bit of change to the Arcana Chain when she arrived, and although she isn’t here anymore people still support the boy quite heavily. Originally people thought that he’d be like his mother, and bring great changes. However now that the potential examination has shown what his future will be like, it’s possible that those backers will fade away. If that happens, and he runs out of charges on that Emperor Token then I will strike him down.

Savvas’s face is filled with a fierce expression and killing intent oozes out of his body. Arthur nods in agreement with his decision, also bearing quite a grudge against Arc after the humiliation he was put through.

The rest of the examination then once again began and was carried out with no more especially exciting incidents. People passed the exam, some people even failed but those who did could not cause a flame to light in any way, so they could only lower their heads and accept their own lack of talent.

Arc nearly nodded off as the examination continued on but willed himself awake, and after the examination was over, Savvas, the attendant, and Arthur stepped out together. Arthur shot Arc a harsh glare which Arc took notice of and reluctantly accepted, understanding that he too would probably be angry in this situation.

The attendant begins to address the entire group.

“All those of you who have passed and been accepted into the Fool Island will now move on to the acceptance of the Fools knowledge. I sincerely congratulate all of you on making it to this step.”

All those gathered get up, preparing themselves for what lies ahead. Arc in particular has a solemn look on his face, readying himself for what will happen. All though he’s not sure what exactly will happen, he does remember that his mother told him that he must be the last person to retrieve the Fools knowledge.

Savvas begins to lead the group forwards, Arc including. Arc makes sure to be the very last person in the group, following what his mother said.

As the group heads forwards, a storm begins to form around the Fool Island. It is not physical, but one of sudden tension. Not everyone can feel the rising tension however, only those who had reached a certain strength. There was not a single person on the Fool Island that was capable of feeling it.

The storm of dread grows larger and larger, spreading throughout the Arcana chain, all the islands were affected by the same intense feeling. On the Emperor island Alexander sits on a golden throne, his eyes cloudy and not truly seeing anything. He speaks to himself quietly.

“Was I wrong in letting him go there? Can he push through the fate that his mother set out for him… I don’t know. His words held so much conviction, so I allowed him to go even though I know what’s awaiting him. I’m afraid however, even he doesn’t know what will happen.”

Even Waite the sailor was affected. He instinctively looks towards the Fool Island he had recently set sail from.

“Something big is about to happen.”

The storm then spread to the entirety of the Rage continent. The strongest of the various forces on the continent all felt it, their reactions all different. Two individuals set off in the direction of the Fool Island, both thinking the same thing.

Even the Abyssal mountains were affected. The feeling the storm carried dived into the deepest depths of the mountain, and a voice that the Rage continent hadn’t heard for 10 long years spoke in response. It was a quiet declaration, but one that all those who had felt the storm on the rage continent had heard.

“Do not interfere.”

No one was sure who it was directed towards, but they all felt the same kind of fear they had ten years ago. And so the strongest of the Rage continent were all stopped by three words. That is the power this voice holds.