My body lands on the firm golden surface of Rowan's golden hand. I turn to Rowan then Zora. Feeling both their Lumin come out their bodies, ready to fight.
I jump out of Rowan's hand and stand between them, my arms spread. What I just did with Zora is something I shouldn't have done but I did. What I did could break the alliance so it's better to just stop the fight, that's caused because of what I said. But what I said about Koan must've really triggered him.
I look back to where Zora stands as his arms are lowered. He almost walked forward before a loud horn booms. All of us look to where it came from and we see large silhouettes come out of the fog. Rowan lowers his stance and his arms fade away, Zora scoffs while walking past us to the cafeteria.
As if it was a concert numerous adventurers rush out of the inside to see what's going on though they part from us as if we were infected. They lean near the railings looking at the emerging silhouettes approach.
Rowan laughs quietly as if finding his thoughts funny. "What are you laughing at Rowan?"
"I'm just thinking of the fact that I spared you. Letting you stay in the exams. It's rather funny because if it wasn't for me you would've been sent to Hoax Port."
"What do you mean?"
He looks up at me in the eyes, his golden eyes shining against the sun. "I let the Eighty vote for others so their votes can outweigh yours. Quite a lot of people wanted you and your friends gone from the exam after what you've done to Ren. Your friends probably had low votes but you could've been gone since a few dozen voted you out. But you're still here. Because of me."
What does he mean by that? People wanted me out of the exam. Even after Ren confessing himself as a psychopath? I turn back to the distracted crowd of rookies, some holding the rails and leaning forward as they talk to one another. Rowan... saved me?
"Why did you spare me from elimination?"
"Because I remembered what you said. You wanted to fight me right? You wanted to settle our feud. You've set your terms when you came looking like a dead man. But now I saved you so I can properly follow my end of the deal. Killing you on my own so I can let the sun judge your sins."
"Zora was first place during the exam. Why haven't you eliminated him to gain the wish? So you can be in power."
"I also don't know, maybe it's my pride and hatred of you that I just ignore every other problem on this forsaken ship so I can kill you then become an adventurer. One of us will be an adventurer but one of us will not and will die in this ship. And it's not going to be me."
I walk past him leaving the upper deck of the ship to the ship's interior. Walking through the halls and reach Zora's room. I see a wall with a large blood stain across from the door. Was this what Alexandria was talking about?
I knock on the door and hear a muffled "come in". I enter the room to see Zora on the white vest holding something. A mace, the red shaft almost the size of a person's leg, befitting of someone his height. The head flanged and the metal close to black. On the shaft a written word but in a language I do not recognize.
"Berserker boy. What do you want now? Another confrontation?"
"I came to apologize for what I said about Koan. I didn't mean to call him that."
"Honestly that's what people call him." His voice low and slow. "He's a Void. A race of people with pitch black skin and patterns on their bodies. They prefer hiding themselves from the world. So they won't be noticed. So they won't be..." he stopped himself.
"I see. I apologize for what I said. I didn't mean to-"
"You came here because of the alliance Zain. Now ignore Koan, his race does not regard the politics of the ship. If you've come to apologize, I forgive you. And as for the alliance, I accept. Both our factions will work with one another against the Eighty."
"Thank you Zora."
I look at the door, holding the doorknob. I turn back to Zora who's now on the bed laying there.
"Zora... your wish... what was it?"
"You will find out soon. Well if you've broke some rules here and there. Consider it a gift for the rebels who broke the rules."
A gift for the rebels who broke the rules. What does he mean. Zora turns away from me to look at the window's view.
"Now leave before I change my mind."
I walk out of his room and walk through the hallways. It's been a while since I got into my room. I open the door of my room and sit on the bed. I look around and remember the breakfast I had with the team. Laughing and exchanging our backgrounds and where we came from.
I continue looking around the room. Before leaving this unknown feeling began to emerge. I don't know how to describe it but it's like the feeling of something that's missing and you're close to finding it.
I stay in my room and look around. I check under my bed to see a large black box. I pull it out to see it in detail. The same pattern of the Adventurer Association the same falling dragon. I open the box to see it. The same long mithral blade. The sleekness of the blade and its majestic blue.
I hold it, its familiar weight and balance. I swing it again. Finally after losing it. I feel whole, I finally feel completed, like a puzzle that's found its final piece. Rela's axe was efficient but its weight distribution not matching mine. Ren's machete is sleek and fast but it didn't have that power. My claymore fits all those, all those disadvantages gone. I'm finally back.
I notice a black leather back sword harness. I attach it on my back and place the sword there. Behind my back.
As I was about to leave the room I hear it again. The loud horn sound but it's much louder. I rush out and as I leave the halls and cafeteria is empty but I only see one figure leaning on one of the pillars. Dominio.
He takes off his white fedora, walking to me. His eyes glancing at the sword then me and smiles.
"Looks like the berserker is back." He crossed his arms.
He smiles and scratches the back of my hair. "I saw it in a box under my bed. I don't know how it got there though. Though it looked sharper and almost completely repaired."
Dominio raises an eyebrow. "That's weird. But as long as you got your main weapon. I'm just glad."
"My Lumin is still limited so I can fight but I can't techniques that require Lumin."
He looks at the cafeteria double doors. "Something's going on. We should check it out."
"Let's go see what's going on. Where's the rest of the team?"
"They're outside, everyone's outside." He jumps out of the pillar and walks out of the door. I follow him out to see what's outside.
Five massive ships, almost bigger than ours but it's blue with yellow accents. Cannons on the ship. Its figurehead a dragon head with its mouth wide open like it's roaring. The flags big and blue with the yellow symbol of a wyvern flying.
"Those are Highland naval ships." Dominio murmurs.
The plank descends as the crowd parts from it. From the plank, a man descends from it with two heavily armored guards carrying long halberds walking beside him.
The man is in heavy plate armour with a blue brigandine chest armour over his chest plate. The chest plate carrying the same yellow symbol of the wyvern. The man looks to be in his forties with short hair and gray on the sides. His beard covering his face and his eyes sharp. The eyes of a man who's already been through dangerous circumstances looks at us.
His expression calm and steady. Soldiers from other ships look at us. Their helmets keeping their expressions hidden.
The man then says—
"Get in the ship and drop out of the exams if you want to live."