The morning air was cool and crisp when Aston opened his eyes.

It was still early - light hadn't fully flooded the sky yet. Gray stirred at his side, giving a lazy stretch, while Mirage rustled its feathers quietly atop the chair.

Aston rose without a word and moved to the kitchen. The silence of the house was calming, yet charged with anticipation. He cooked a basic breakfast: eggs with a sprinkle of dried herbs, lightly buttered bread, and warm milk. Gray sniffed at the food sleepily before giving an approving purr. Mirage flew in and pecked at its dried beast jerky. They ate in silence, checking the time between bites.

By six, they were out of the door. Gray perched on his shoulder, tail flicking occasionally, while Mirage glided silently above, its wings catching the early breeze.

The streets were quiet at first, but as Aston approached the northern gate, the city's hush began to stir.

There, by the gate, were dozens of figures already waiting. Some wearing differently colored cloaks, while others still lining in front of a booth. After registering, an attendant will give them a cloak based on their division.

Aston slipped into the periphery, lining up to register. Upon finishing his registration, he was given a dark green cloak with the Scouting Arts Division's emblem on the right chest.

As the minutes ticked by, the gathering grew. More and more participants trickled in, the space before the northern gate filling with excitement and nervousness. By 7 o'clock sharp, there were over a hundred people assembled - each one a participant chosen for the final trial.

Then, from atop a stone platform, near the gate, an academy attendant stepped forward. Dressed in official robes and holding a crystal-tipped staff, their voice echoed clearly through the air.

"Attention, participants!"

The murmurs stopped. All eyes turned.

"The final trial will be held on the outer bounds of Gomore Forest. Each of you will be assigned to a team of three. These teams have been composed of members from across different divisions - combat, alchemy, scouting, engineering, and more. Your task will test not only your personal ability but your coordination and adaptability as a unit."

A soft ripple of murmurs passed through the crowd.

"You will receive your team assignments shortly. The transportation to your individual destination will depart in seven minutes."

Aston exhaled quietly, fingers tightening around his satchel strap.

He looked toward the distant treeline that marked the edge of Gomore Forest, now visible beyond the open gate.

A minute later, his phone, and the other participants' devices, rang. Aston viewed the notification:

—

Stolen novel; please report.

Team 18:

Aston Rhyner

Genevieve Ortega

Yosef Redrich

—

Aston's attention was focused on the screen of his phone when he heard different noises coming from his surroundings.

"Hey! Which one of you is Finnegan Kline and Gabriel Olminus?"

"Susan Ritefel? Fillmore Tusk?"

"Looking for Trisha Comet and Erika Vorge!"

"Anyone looking for Cassandra Jules, that's me! Where are you Royce and Haidee?"

The crowd around him was shifting - students calling out names, waving their hands, pushing through the groups in hurried attempts to find their team members. Aston blinked, heart ticking faster. It wasn't just a matter of getting to the transport. This was part of the test.

He glanced at the timestamp. 07:01:35. It took a minute and a half to broadcast the message, which means…

His eyes snapped up toward the attendant near the transport platform, who raised a glowing crystal staff and announced with a hint of amusement.

"Transportation departs in five minutes. Any late arrivals will be disqualified. Team members must board together."

Five minutes left…

Aston muttered a quiet curse under his breath and looked down at Gray. He asked Mirage to fly overhead and scan the surroundings but then stopped. It wasn't just him who had thought of this. Some of the participants who had spirit beasts that could fly commanded theirs to go above and scan the surroundings.

He thought for a while and then had an idea.

He sent a thought to Nova.

Nova, scan the devices within the immediate surroundings, make a map for me, and track the device with matching notification: Team 18, Aston Rhyner, Genevieve Ortega, Yosef Redrich

He remembered during the time when he asked for an estimate for the renovations of the house, Nova scanned the building itself and made an internal estimate. If Nova can scan the house for an estimate, then…

[Scanning…]

He felt a pulse leaving his head. A moment later…

[Scan complete. Generating live map. Targets in red. With the host as the origin, coordinates are as follows…]

Upon reading this, Aston noticed a faint, semi-transparent circle at the corner of his vision. It pulsed softly, outlined with thin silver rings, and displayed a top-down schematic of the immediate area. Simplified terrain, glowing markers for his two targets, and faint red dots for detected movement blinked across its surface. Buildings and obstacles were rendered as gray, angular blocks. The other participants were represented by white dots, which were numerous on the display. A glowing arrow at the center marked his position, rotating as he turned.

At the edge of the map, the faint shimmer of a boundary pulsed, hinting at the edge of the scanning range. A subtle ping echoed in his ears every time something new entered its radius.

It's perfect! But can the range be increased? Wait, no, now is not the time for that!

He looked at the clock, it was already 07:02:56.

Four minutes… we can make it!

Aston zoomed in on the minimap, narrowing his focus to the nearest dot just past the market stalls, its distance ticking down rapidly as he sprinted. His feet pounded against the stone road, weaving between participants and passersby. Gray clung tightly to his shoulder, fur bristling in the wind, while Mirage soared overhead, wings cutting sharp against the morning sky. It adeptly dodged the other winged spirit beasts as it followed its master.

As he rounded a corner, a voice pierced through the noise.

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