POV: Elior
It was a completely normal afternoon at Fairy Tail.
At least, it had started that way.
I was sitting at one of the tables with Laxus, arguing about the results of our latest mission.
"I defeated more enemies."
I looked at him.
"You destroyed more enemies."
"Exactly."
"That's not the same thing."
"It is."
"No, it isn't."
Laxus crossed his arms.
"You always have to argue."
"Because you're usually wrong."
His eyebrow twitched.
"Say that again."
"You're usually—"
"EVERYONE!"
Makarov's voice suddenly thundered through the guild hall.
Everyone stopped.
Makarov was standing on the raised platform at the front of the guild.
He had his hands behind his back and a serious expression on his face.
That immediately caught everyone's attention.
Makarov rarely needed to raise his voice to get the guild's attention.
But whenever he did, it usually meant something important was coming.
"Gather around!"
The guild members slowly began moving toward the center of the hall.
Macao put down his drink.
Wakaba sighed as he stood up.
Cornelia stepped out from behind the bar.
Gildarts leaned against the counter, already looking curious.
Erza and Cana came running over.
Laxus and I joined the gathering crowd.
Within a minute, almost everyone was standing in front of Makarov.
He looked around the hall.
"I have an important announcement."
The chatter stopped.
"The annual S-Class Mage Examination will be held soon."
The reaction was immediate.
"Already?"
"Who's participating?"
"I wonder who'll be chosen this year."
A few of the older members started discussing possible candidates.
Makarov raised one hand.
"This year, there will be two candidates."
The guild quieted.
"Only two?"
Makarov nodded.
"The candidates have been selected based on their magical abilities, combat experience, mission records, judgment, and overall development."
My attention sharpened.
I already had a pretty good idea where this was going.
Makarov looked toward me.
"The first candidate is…"
He paused.
"Elior."
The guild erupted.
"YES!"
"Saint Elior!"
"About time!"
"Of course!"
Cana jumped up and down.
"El-Ni san!"
Erza smiled proudly.
"I knew it!"
I grinned.
Makarov waited for the noise to settle before continuing.
"The second candidate…"
He turned toward Laxus.
"Laxus Dreyar."
The guild exploded again.
"WHAT?!"
"The Twin Stars!"
"I knew those two would be chosen!"
"Lightning Prince!"
Laxus remained surprisingly calm.
Although I noticed the small smile on his face.
I leaned toward him.
"Looks like we're doing this together."
"Obviously."
Makarov raised his hand.
"Quiet!"
The guild slowly settled down.
"Normally, the S-Class Examination consists of several candidates competing through a series of challenges."
He paused.
"But this year is different."
Everyone listened.
"With only two candidates, I see little reason to hold the examination in its traditional format."
A few people exchanged looks.
Makarov continued.
"Instead, this year's examination will be conducted differently."
Laxus straightened.
I crossed my arms.
Makarov's eyes moved between us.
"You two will be sent on an actual S-Class mission."
The guild fell completely silent.
Even Gildarts raised an eyebrow.
I smiled.
Now that sounded interesting.
Laxus' expression became serious.
"An actual S-Class mission?"
"Yes."
Makarov nodded.
"You will receive a mission that would normally be considered suitable only for an S-Class mage."
A murmur spread through the guild.
Cana looked worried for a moment.
"Isn't that dangerous?"
Makarov looked at her.
"It can be."
Gildarts chuckled.
"That's kind of the point."
Cana frowned at him.
"That's not funny."
Gildarts immediately raised his hands.
"Alright, alright."
He looked at her seriously.
"Don't worry. Master must have thought of everything."
Cana's expression relaxed.
Makarov continued.
"The examination will not simply be about defeating powerful enemies."
His voice became more serious.
"You will be judged on your decisions throughout the mission."
I listened carefully.
"How you deal with unexpected situations."
"How you protect civilians."
"How you manage your resources."
"How you respond when things don't go according to plan."
He looked directly at us.
"And whether you can carry the responsibility expected of an S-Class mage."
Laxus nodded.
"So it's a real mission with an examiner."
"Exactly."
I raised my hand slightly.
"Who's the examiner?"
Makarov smiled.
"Gildarts."
Everyone looked toward him.
Gildarts blinked.
"Me?"
Makarov nodded.
"You'll accompany them."
Gildarts scratched his cheek.
"And what exactly am I supposed to do?"
"Observe."
Makarov's answer was immediate.
"Judge their performance."
Gildarts nodded slowly.
"Anything else?"
Makarov's expression became serious.
"Protect them if necessary."
The guild became quiet again.
Gildarts looked at me and Laxus.
"So I'm basically there to make sure you two don't get yourselves killed."
Laxus frowned.
"We won't."
Gildarts laughed.
"That's exactly what people say before things go wrong."
I shrugged.
"He's got a point."
Laxus looked at me.
"Whose side are you on?"
"My own."
Gildarts laughed.
Makarov continued explaining the arrangement.
Gildarts would not interfere unless the situation became too dangerous.
He would not solve the mission for us.
He would not fight our battles.
His primary role would be observation.
If we made a poor decision, he'd remember it.
If we handled a difficult situation correctly, he'd remember that too.
And if we encountered something genuinely beyond our capabilities, he would step in.
The goal wasn't to see whether we could survive because Gildarts was there.
The goal was to see whether we could operate like S-Class mages while knowing that someone experienced was watching over us.
It made sense.
I'd spent years becoming stronger.
Laxus had done the same.
We had completed countless missions together.
We had fought dangerous enemies.
We had protected civilians.
We had learned how to work as a team.
But this was different.
This was Fairy Tail officially asking whether we were ready for the next step.
Cana suddenly tugged on my sleeve.
"El-Ni san."
I looked down.
"Yeah?"
"You're going to pass, right?"
I smiled.
"Of course."
She nodded confidently.
"And Laxus too."
Laxus looked at her.
"Yeah."
Erza crossed her arms.
"You both better pass."
I looked at her.
"Planning on taking the test yourself someday?"
"Of course."
She answered without hesitation.
"I'm going to become S-Class too."
Gildarts laughed.
"That's the spirit."
Erza looked at him.
"And I'll surpass El-Ni san before then."
I sighed.
"Still with that?"
"Always."
I smiled.
"Then keep training."
"I will."
Gildarts looked between us.
"You really have no idea how competitive you've all become."
Macao laughed from behind him.
"You're the one who trained them."
Gildarts paused.
"Fair point."
The guild gradually returned to its normal activity.
But the atmosphere had changed.
Everyone was talking about the upcoming examination.
Some were discussing the mission.
Others were already placing bets on which of us would finish first.
I heard Wakaba say something about Laxus winning.
Macao immediately argued that Elior would.
I looked toward them.
"Are you two seriously betting on us?"
Wakaba shrugged.
"It's tradition."
I shook my head.
Fairy Tail.
Never change.
Laxus walked beside me toward the exit.
"You nervous?"
I looked at him.
"No."
"Good."
He smiled.
"Neither am I."
We continued walking.
Then I noticed him glance toward me.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You were definitely thinking something."
He sighed.
"I was thinking that this is probably going to be fun."
I grinned.
"Now you're talking."
Behind us, Gildarts called out.
"Don't get too excited!"
We turned.
He pointed at us.
"An S-Class mission isn't something you can treat like one of your races."
Laxus looked offended.
"We don't race during missions."
I stared at him.
"We absolutely race during missions."
"Only sometimes."
"Yesterday?"
"That doesn't count."
"You literally challenged me halfway through the mission."
"Because you were showing off."
"You were losing."
"Shut up."
Gildarts started laughing.
Makarov shook his head from the platform.
"Those two…"
He smiled.
"They're ready for something like this."
I looked around the guild.
My guild.
My family.
Three years ago, I had still been a seven-year-old kid training with Laxus.
Now, at ten, I was standing on the edge of becoming an S-Class mage.
And Laxus was standing beside me.
The Lightning Prince.
My rival.
My partner.
My friend.
The Twin Stars of Magnolia.
Our journey had brought us here.
Now all that remained was to prove that we belonged there.
The S-Class Examination was coming.
And this time…
It was going to be real.