From high above, the world looked peaceful again.
Rolling plains, silver rivers, warm sunlight washing over everything like a calm breath. Birds circled lazily, unaware of how strange the world truly was.
But when the view drifted lower…
Two familiar boys walked along a cracked old road, backpacks bouncing with each step, arguing about lunch as if the fate of the world depended on it.
Rynn held a piece of stale bread at arm's length.
"I'm telling you, this is dirt in loaf form."
"It's food," Eren replied.
"No, it's a crime."
"You bought six pieces."
"That's called optimism."
They kept walking.
A man followed them from behind.
Not hiding.
Not sneaking.
Just walking casually — hands in pockets, scarf fluttering in the wind — as if stalking two clueless teenagers was part of his daily routine.
He finally sighed and stepped forward.
"You two really don't notice anything, do you?"
Rynn turned so fast he nearly tripped.
Eren jerked backward, eyes wide, staring at the stranger like the man had appeared out of thin air.
"W–Where did you come from?!" Eren blurted.
The man blinked slowly.
"I've been behind you for the last two hours."
Rynn squinted. "No way. We would've noticed."
The man looked at them the way someone looks at a lost puppy walking confidently into a wall.
"…Would you?"
Neither answered.
He sighed again, as if this conversation was physically painful.
"Name's Lior."
Rynn frowned. "Okay… Lior. Why are you following us?"
"Correction," Lior said calmly, pointing at Eren. "I've been following him for a year."
Eren's jaw dropped open.
"A—A YEAR?!"
"Yes."
"You mean— I never— not even once—?!"
"Not even once," Lior said. "Your awareness is outstandingly terrible."
"That's not a compliment!"
"It should be."
Rynn tried — and failed — not to laugh.
Lior walked ahead of them and sat on a stone by the roadside, as if he'd been waiting to deliver this speech for weeks.
"The Wild Grid exam you took wasn't the real Seeker exam. It was the first filter — to see who survives long enough to be worth teaching."
Rynn muttered, "That thing nearly killed us."
"Exactly," Lior said. "Good filter."
Eren crossed his arms. "So what now? Another exam?"
Lior nodded. "Yes. But not like the Grid. You've both learned enough Mirra control that you won't collapse from using it anymore. That qualifies you for the real test."
Rynn exchanged a look with Eren.
"The real test?" he echoed.
Lior lifted a hand, letting the words hang for a moment before saying:
"The Second Gate Trials."
The breeze stilled. Even the wheat stopped swaying.
Eren swallowed. "That sounds… bad."
"It is," Lior said cheerfully.
The man reached into his coat and pulled out two tickets, then placed them in their hands.
"Train tickets," he explained. "You'll be heading to the nation of Arasverin. Across the eastern mountains. Home to the Guild's largest examination fortress."
Rynn blinked at the print. "This early?"
Lior nodded. "The Trials begin in one and a half months."
Eren nearly choked. "That's soon!"
"You'll be fine," Lior said, unbothered. "It takes a month to get there by train. That leaves you two weeks to prepare."
Rynn felt his soul quietly leaving his body.
Lior dusted his coat, preparing to leave.
"One more thing," he said. "During the Trials, I'll be watching you again. Handler duties. Try not to die; it's mildly inconvenient for paperwork."
Rynn made a face. Eren groaned.
Lior waved lazily and began walking away.
Eren called out, "Wait! Are you seriously just leaving like that?!"
"Yes," Lior replied without turning. "Good luck. You'll need it."
And just like that, he disappeared back into the scenery — the same way he had appeared.
Rynn dropped onto the grass.
"…We're going to another country," he said slowly.
"And nine exams," Eren added.
"And Lior followed you for a year."
"STOP SAYING THAT!"
Rynn grinned; Eren groaned into his hands.
After a moment of silence, Eren asked quietly, "You nervous?"
Rynn nodded. "Yeah."
"…Good," Eren said. "Same."
The wind passed over them gently, carrying the scent of the distant mountains — the direction of Arasverin.
A new road.
A new trial.
A new chapter.
The real journey was finally beginning.
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