"...So, does this 'second-highest rank' actually have a name, or…?"
Vale crossed his arms, his gaze settling on Ivor with quiet expectation. The question lingered in the air, but before the butler could respond, the atmosphere around the arena began to shift. The crowd beyond the steel bars grew louder, voices overlapping, rising in pitch as attention drifted toward something approaching from behind them.
Vale turned slightly, drawn by the noise.
And then he saw him.
A tall, broad-shouldered man with striking blonde hair stepped forward from the crowd, his presence alone enough to part the sea of onlookers. He did not slow as he approached the arena barrier. Instead, he reached out casually, grasped the thick steel bars, and bent them apart with a low, protesting screech of metal. There was no strain in his expression, no sign of effort. It was as if the barrier had never been meant to stop him.
Vale's eyes widened, if only slightly.
Eskar mirrored the reaction, his brows lifting in mild surprise.
Beside them, Silfur let out a low, amused whistle. "You really like showing off, don't you… Maximus?"
The man stepped through the warped opening without a glance back. His gaze was indifferent, almost detached, as if what he had just done held no significance whatsoever.
Ivor, however, did not share that indifference.
His eyes narrowed as he looked past Maximus, settling on the ruined barrier. A faint sigh escaped him, the kind reserved for repeated inconveniences. "Can you truly not see what's wrong here?" he asked, his tone calm but edged.
Maximus paused mid-step and turned slightly, following Ivor's gaze. He stared at the bent steel for a moment, his expression blank… then slowly shifted into realization.
"Oh."
He paused briefly.
"Right."
He scratched the back of his head, faintly awkward. "I'll bend them back later."
Silfur snorted softly under her breath.
Maximus lingered only a second longer before continuing forward, closing the distance between himself and the two young fighters. As he came to a stop, his demeanor subtly shifted. The casual air remained, but beneath it, something else settled.
"The second-highest rank," he began, his voice even, controlled, "is formally known as a Paragon."
Vale swallowed slightly as he looked up at him.
Up close, the man was even more imposing. He wore lightly plated armor layered over leather, practical and worn like the rest of the guild, but on him, it carried a different weight. His build was broad and powerful, his frame easily rivaling Shade's height, placing him near, or above, two meters tall. Yet what struck Vale most wasn't his size.
It was the resemblance.
Something about him, his posture, the quiet authority in his gaze, felt eerily familiar. It echoed someone Vale had seen before.
Maximus caught the stare.
"Hey," he said flatly. "Why are you just staring?"
Vale blinked, caught off guard by the sudden call-out. He straightened immediately and gave a brief, respectful bow. "Ah, sorry about that."
Maximus exhaled lightly through his nose. "It's not an issue."
He shifted his stance, then continued without hesitation.
"I assume it would be useful to explain why you were given the rank of Paragon."
His gaze moved first to Eskar.
"You," he said, "fight without structure. Your style is wild and unpredictable. That alone makes you difficult to deal with. But combined with your ability to generate and control flame…" He paused briefly. "…something that should not function as cleanly as it does in this realm, it becomes exceptional."
Eskar stared at him for a moment, then tilted his head slightly. "That's it?"
Maximus shrugged. "Describing fighting styles is easy."
Eskar let out a quiet sigh, clearly unimpressed, then shrugged as well. "Alright. If that's all, I'm heading out."
He turned without ceremony.
Vale blinked, then quickly called out after him, "Hey! I'm heading to the Royal Guard later, want to come?"
Eskar stopped as he heard vale.
He glanced back, his blue eyes narrowing slightly as he considered the offer. A brief silence followed before he gave a small nod. "Yeah, sure. But the Bloodscale I've been taking care of hatched yesterday. I'm bringing it if thats ok."
Vale straightened, surprise flashing across his face. "Damn, already? Yeah, bring it. You should get back to it soon too, it'll need constant care right now."
Eskar smiled faintly at that, then turned and walked off, lifting a hand in a lazy wave without looking back.
Vale watched him go for a moment before turning back.
Silfur had moved closer in that time, now standing beside Maximus, idly poking his side like a child trying to provoke a reaction. Maximus ignored her completely.
His attention returned to Vale.
"As for you…"
His eyes narrowed.
"I have to say, I'm disappointed to say the least."
The words landed harder than expected.
"Your style is horrendous," Maximus continued without hesitation. "Disorganized and inefficient. Full of unnecessary motion. You rely too heavily on instinct without understanding how to structure it."
Vale instinctively took a step back.
"But your technique…"
Maximus' gaze sharpened further.
"…is exceptional."
And then Vale felt it.
It wasn't visible. There was no light, no distortion in the air.
But something pressed against him.
It felt as if he had suddenly stepped into the presence of something vast, immeasurable. Not one being, but many. Countless unseen figures surrounding him, silent and waiting. As though behind Maximus stood an entire army, hidden just beyond perception, ready to move at a single command.
It wasn't just strength.
It was authority.
Complete domination.
As if Maximus himself were a king, one whose empire did not exist, yet somehow manifested wherever he stood.
Vale swallowed.
Then,
A second presence emerged.
Sharper.
Closer.
He glanced downward slightly.
Silfur.
Her playful demeanor had vanished. Her eyes were locked onto Maximus, her expression tight, focused and dangerous. The pressure around her was different. Not overwhelming like his, but precise. Refined.
It felt like blades.
Countless invisible edges hovering around him, each one poised to cut the moment he made the wrong move. Where Maximus felt like an army, Silfur felt like a blade.
The two elites locked eyes.
Neither moved at first.
But the space between them tightened, thick with their intent.
A silent clash showed itself.
And Vale stood directly between them.
"…Hey," he said carefully, forcing his voice through the pressure, "is this… aura I'm feeling… what separates the second-highest rank from the highest?"
The tension broke.
Both of them looked at him.
The pressure vanished instantly, as though it had never been there at all.
For a brief moment, silence lingered.
Then Silfur grinned.
"Kinda, yeah," she said, her tone light again, but edged with something sharper beneath it.
She stepped closer and tapped Vale on the shoulder.
"What you're feeling? That's killing intent made tangible," she explained. "Like a predator sizing up its prey."
Her grin widened slightly.
"In simple terms, we're strong enough to kill you without much resistance. And your body?" she added, tapping his chest again, "it's reacting to that gap."
Vale let out a small, awkward smile, though tension still lingered in his posture.
Behind her, Maximus watched him for a moment longer, his expression unreadable. Then his attention shifted.
Shade had moved.
The shadow construct drifted slightly forward, its presence subtle but deliberate. Maximus his gaze locked onto it, curiosity flickering faintly in his eyes.
Vale noticed, but before he could speak, Silfur cut in again, her tone returning fully to its earlier casualness.
"Oh, by the way," she said, hooking an arm loosely around his shoulder, "if you're heading to the Royal Guard…"
She leaned in slightly, her grin returning, playful, but intentional.
"…let me give you a ride."
She glanced ahead, as if already imagining it.
"I've been looking for an excuse to see that place from the inside."
Vale blinked once, momentarily caught off guard as Silfur stood directly before him, her expression expectant, almost amused. A grin slowly spread across his face under her gaze, and after a brief pause, he gave a small shrug.
"Well… since you're offering, who am I to decline?"
Silfur's grin widened instantly, sharp and satisfied. Without hesitation, she stepped forward and slapped his shoulder with a firm, almost jarring force. "That's the spirit," she said, her tone bright with approval. There was an ease to her now, a casual confidence that made her seem far less guarded than before, though Vale suspected that was only surface-deep.
She didn't linger. Turning on her heel, she began walking toward the arena's exit, her pace brisk and purposeful. "Come on," she called over her shoulder. "No point standing around. Let's get going."
Vale exhaled softly and followed, but not before glancing back. His eyes drifted toward Shade, who had not moved.
The shadow stood still, its crimson eyes locked onto Maximus.
The contrast between them was almost surreal. Shade was a being of living darkness, its form shifting subtly like smoke given shape, its gaze unnatural and piercing. Maximus, in stark opposition, looked almost sculpted, broad-shouldered, golden-haired, his presence regal in a way that bordered on myth. If Shade was something born from the abyss, then Maximus looked as though he had stepped out of a painting depicting kings and conquerors.
Vale's smile softened at the sight. "Shade," he called, his voice calm but firm. "Are you coming?"
For a long moment, the shadow didn't respond. Its eyes narrowed slightly, as if studying Maximus, no, not studying, judging. There was something in that gaze, something deeper than simple curiosity. Recognition, perhaps. Or suspicion.
Maximus, for his part, returned the stare. But where Shade's gaze was sharp and probing, Maximus his expression seemed… strained. Not hostile, nor aggressive, just faintly frustrated, like a man trying to recall something just out of reach.
Then, without a word, Shade turned.
The tension broke as abruptly as it had formed. The shadow glided back toward Vale, its form collapsing inward before reforming at his side as it followed him out of the arena.
Vale cast one last glance over his shoulder at Maximus. The man was still watching him, though now his expression had settled into something unreadable. Whatever had passed between him and Shade, it lingered, unspoken, unresolved.
But there was no time to dwell on it.
Silfur was already halfway up the stone staircase leading out of the underground arena, muttering something under her breath as she climbed. Vale quickened his pace to catch up, the echoes of the arena fading behind them as they ascended.
Step by step, the air changed, cool stone giving way to warmth, dim torchlight replaced by something brighter. And then,
They emerged.
Blinding sunlight poured over them.
Vale instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes, squinting as the sudden brightness pierced through his vision. After so long beneath stone and shadow, the daylight felt almost overwhelming.
"Not used to sunlight?" Silfur's voice came, laced with mild amusement.
Vale lowered his hand slightly, blinking as his eyes adjusted. "Something like that," he muttered, though his attention quickly shifted.
Silfur stood before a massive stone doorway set into the outer structure of the library. It was easily several times his height, carved from thick slabs of dark stone reinforced with metal. Without hesitation, she stepped forward and knocked, twice.
The sound echoed, deep and heavy.
Vale frowned slightly. 'What exactly is she doing?' he wondered, his curiosity piqued.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the doors moved.
A low, grinding rumble filled the air as the massive stone slabs slowly began to part. Light spilled inward, cutting through the darkness beyond as the gap widened. Dust shifted. Air stirred.
And something moved inside it.
Vale's eyes sharpened.
At first, it was just a glimmer, something reflective catching the sunlight. Then more of it emerged. Azure scales, polished and gleaming, each one catching the light like fragments of sky. A massive form shifted within the shadow, its outline growing clearer with every inch the doors opened.
A pair of slit, reptilian eyes blinked into the light.
Smoke curled from flared nostrils, drifting lazily into the open air.
Vale's lips curved into a knowing smile.
'Of course,' he thought. 'What else would it be?'
The creature stepped forward, its presence immense even before it fully revealed itself. Wings folded tight against its body, muscles coiling beneath scaled hide, the wyvern rose to its full height as it emerged from the chamber.
It towered over them.
The azure wyvern exhaled slowly, a thin stream of smoke escaping its jaws as it regarded them with quiet, predatory intelligence.
Silfur didn't even flinch.
Instead, she placed a hand on her hip and glanced back at Vale with a grin that bordered on mischievous. "Well?" she said. "This is our ride."