Despite the Academy's massive exam field, a keen ear could pick out the sounds of destruction echoing across the forest—twisted trees, shattered earth, and the guttural roars of mana beasts.
Yet among the chaos, one area stood out: twice as loud, twice as violent.
The dense trees here were splintered and scattered, forcing a clearing in the thick vegetation.
There, thirteen massive Gorbacks—each over fifteen feet tall and weighing more than a thousand pounds—had been reduced to five by just two young mages.
A bleeding Gorback stumbled to its knees, its eyes locked on Dae, who walked toward it with calm precision, leaving another lifeless beast behind with bleeding cuts.
The creature's sudden growl shook the ground, raising its massive hand high, casting a large shadow over the young man.
But Dae was already ready. Electricity crackled along his body as he assumed a low stance, crossing his twin blades before his sparking eyes.
"Dual Sword Style. Form 4: Static Shear," He whispered.
In an instant, his body flickered as he zipped right past the beast, slicing the Gorback's upper torso into pieces with impossibly speed, the severed ends splattering blood over the thick grass.
Dae skidded to a stop gracefully behind the beast, flicking his blades clean before calmly sheathing them.
"Dope…" Dom muttered, watching Dae's move from his inverted view with his body hanging by his feet like a monkey before turning his gaze to an approaching Gorback.
With a grunt, he swung upwards, leaving just above the beast's destructive swing. He then twisted and swung his fist, obliterating the Gorback's skull with a single punch, flesh and blood coating the surrounding forest.
A massive hand suddenly grabbed Dom midair, the hairy fingers tightening with bone-crushing force, but Dom grinned as he suddenly shoved through the grip. The Gorback howled in agony as the force snapped its fingers while Dom landed on a nearby tree.
"Ora!" Dom shouted as he bounced off the tree, grabbed the beast by the arm, and spun the beast like a sack of potatoes, flinging it into theGorback watching from below.
The two beasts growled as the collision rattled the ground beneath them.
Dom's next move was pure destruction: he quickly bounced around the tree, then paused underneath a branch before suddenly pushing off with enough force to snap it in half.
His body whistled as it rocketed through the air and landed feet-first into the two Gorbacks. The force of his dive tore through their hairy bodies like paper, creating an explosion of debris, splintered wood, and blood that splattered outwards, bathing the once green scenery completely red.
A few seconds later, Dae emerged from behind a tree that shielded him from the red splash and stared at the sheer destruction of his partner.
"See?" Dom said as he emerged from the center of the flesh-filled crater with a confident grin on his face. "Five minutes, tops." He added, pointing at his white uniform, which was still surprisingly clean… except for a stain at his side when he was grabbed. "Oh, man." He muttered, wiping at it in frustration.
Dae simply rolled his eyes and focused on getting their getting back on track to the goal.
Ten minutes later, they continued their sprint, their trained, monstrous stamina allowing them to maintain high speeds without still breaking a sweat.
This time, Dom was on the ground too, with Dae right behind him.
As they approached a clearing, Dae glanced at Dom's back, silently observing his speed and remembering the sheer raw strength he displayed minutes ago.
As he navigated through the clearing filled with defeated beasts, most likely by other recruits, Dae finally spoke, "I'm impressed."
"What?" Dom asked as he leapt over a massive boar without slowing down.
"I said I'm impressed," Dae responded as they met on the other side, diving back into the forest. "Even after all these years, your raw power continues to surprise me."
Dom smirked at the genuine compliment. "Thanks." He said, then glanced at him. "It goes the same for you, too."
Dae raised a brow.
"Every time I think I can catch up," Dom explained, dodging a tree on their path. "… you always seem to get faster. Not to mention, your sword attack names are cool as hell. All I ever do is punch and kick."
Dae's eyes narrowed. "They're not just names…" He said, irritation creeping into his voice.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. They're disciplines passed down by your master. They mean focus and honor and all that jazz." Dom dismissed playfully.
Dae clicked his tongue in annoyance, which made Dom's grin widen even more.
A few minutes later, Dae spoke again, "Why are you doing this?"
Dom turned to him, curious.
"The Academy, doing those excessive training, becoming a knight," Dae continued, eyeing Dom suspiciously. "What's your goal?"
Dom slowed down enough to match Dae's pace. "What's with you today?" He asked with a teasing smile. "You're way chattier than usual. Don't tell me you're already missing me before graduation?"
Dae scowled. "Never mind." He scoffed and pulled ahead, annoyed.
"Come on! Don't be like that!" Dom chuckled, easily catching up to his side. "My goal is to surpass the Emperor and become the greatest knight in history."
Dae turned to him, expecting a teasing smile, but for the first time, Dom's smile was genuine.
"You're serious?" Dae asked, raising a brow. "I thought you were just saying that like a joke."
"No joke," Dom confirmed as they arrived at a wide river.
They both leapt, their bodies whistling over the running water. Two monstrous fish lunged from the watery depths, their large maws threatening to swallow them whole.
But with a quick slash from Dae's blades and a thrust of Dom's foot, the beasts were reduced to statistics, their flesh and blood staining the water while their prey calmly moved forward.
"Any reason?" Dae asked, sheathing his blades.
"I don't know," Dom said as he looked up, watching as the trees above whistle past him. "At first… it was just a childhood dream, like any other Monarch fan. But when I was ten," His eyes darkened. "… a lunatic killed some boys I used to play with-- then tried to kill me too."
Dom skidded to a stop, then leapt, narrowly evading a sudden snake bite. Dae sliced its head off and sheathed his sword in a heartbeat before jumping to join Dom, now moving through the trees.
Despite the tragic, terrifying memory of Elon's attack, Dom smiled once he remembered the outcome.
"A knight saved me and took out the bad guy." He added, then faced forward, his smile widening as he recalled Anthony's grin. "I guess, after that, it wasn't just a dream anymore…"
Dae's gaze softened for the briefest moment, the image of an old man surfacing in his mind. "So… you're doing it for admiration, not ambition." He said as he dropped back to the floor.
Dom swung on a branch, his arms folded and his body inverted as he pondered on Dae's words. "Maybe," He muttered before straightening as he joined Dae on the ground.
"It's a respectable goal," Dae said as Dom caught up to him. "I wish you good luck."
Dom's eyes lit up at the tiny smirk on Dae's lips, one of the very few he'd seen despite being together for three years.
"What about you? What's your goal?" Dom asked.
Dae's smile quickly faded, his expression now hesitant. "My goal…" He muttered, leaving Dom in suspense--then shook his head with his signature frown. "It's none of your business," He said coldly, sprinting ahead.
Dom stiffened, first out of shock by the sudden change in tone, then trembled with frustration. "Oh, come on! That's not fair! I told you mine!" He shouted as he increased his pace, closing the distance between them. "This is why we're not really friends. You need to let me in, bro!"
Dae clicked his tongue in annoyance and sped up even more, widening the gap again as a way to ignore him.
What's his problem? Dom thought as he burst forward, frustration fueling his pace.
Four hours into the exam…
The audible chaos that once filled the forest had faded as the recruits clashed with several beasts.
Some triumphed, destroying the monsters that could topple towns single-handedly. Some retreated, choosing to accomplish the mission objective rather than waste time with the endless fights.
And the rest…didn't survive.
Dom and Dae prioritized running constantly without meals or breaks, but at this point, even their insane stamina began to dwindle.
"Seriously," Dom grumbled through the win,d beating his rapidly moving body, "… we've slept in the same room for three years, and I still barely know you."
Dae sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Just give up. I'm not here to make friends," He said.
Dom rolled his eyes. "None of us came for that. But it doesn't mean we can't be. What if we somehow end up in the same Knight division?"
Dae laughed sharply. "Very unlikely."
Dom glared at him. "You're a real grinch. You know that, right?" He asked.
Dae smirked teasingly. "And you're-"
He stopped, boots skidding to a sudden stop.
"Huh? I'm a what?" Dom said, skidding just after him.
Dom turned, ready for another retort, but frowned at Dae's now cautious gaze. That's when he noticed it too.
The forest had gone unnaturally silent.
Too silent.
Dom's instincts screamed déjà vu. Every hair on his body stood on end as he felt that familiar sense of an evil presence close by.
Without hesitation, he vaulted into the trees, landing with cat-like agility on a thick branch to gain a better vantage point.
Below, Dae searched the surroundings, his gaze darkened once he found a massive claw mark gouged deep into the bark of a nearby tree. He traced it with his fingers, analyzing its size and depth.
"Dae!"
Dae looked up as Dom leapt forward with fluid momentum through the branches, clearly moving towards something he saw from his elevated view.
Dae quickly followed, his movements sharp and precise.
Seconds later, they burst into a large clearing.
The scene instantly froze them in place.
Bodies littered the ground—beasts and humans alike. Their flesh and congealed blood painted the floor like a disgusting canvas. The once chaotic battlefield now resembled a silent graveyard.
"Fuck…" Dom whispered as they examined the scene closely, taking in the individual identities of the fallen recruits before stopping, his pupils widening at the sight of his feet.
Dae noticed Dom's behaviour and approached, his gaze following Dom's--where the severed head of a certain recruit sat.
"David," Dom muttered, his fists clenched as he recalled him, a good friend that trained alongside them all these years.
As Dom fumed over the death of his friend, Dae's gaze swept the clearing, noting more fallen recruits, their expressions forever frozen in terror. "Were they working together?" He asked cautiously, his voice low.
Dom suppressed his rage with a deep breath. "Probably." He said, his jaw tight as he turned back to the carnage. "…with this many mana beasts, I can't blame them,"
Despite his words, he felt something was off. As his gaze swept over the bodies, he noticed the beast's claw marks, a pattern that repeated in most of the corpses-- almost as if they were all killed by the same creature.
"David was our third strongest team, right?" Dae asked as he turned, his eyes noticing the same pattern. "With him and this many teams together, it's hard to believe they'd all lose this poorly."
Dom nodded, but before he could respond, a faint, uneven movement on the forest floor caught his eye. A figure crawled, dragging itself painfully through the debris and torn flesh.
Dom's eyes widened in recognition. "Sam!" He shouted, sprinting forward.
Once Dae approached, Dom had placed the injured recruit on his lap, quickly recognizing him to be David's partner, Sam.
Sam's eyes fluttered open, recognition sparking through the haze of pain as he focused his blurry gaze on the young man holding him. "D-Dom…" He muttered weakly.
Dom glanced at his bleeding side with a frown. As he ripped off part of his pants to wrap around Sam's wounds, he spoke, "What happened, Sam?"
Sam's gaze drifted to the sky, memories surfacing through his tired mind. "Dave found a group…they were surrounded… so we tried to help… then—"
His voice broke, his eyes suddenly widening once he finally remembered. With a sudden, sharp breath, he grabbed Dom's arm.
Dom frowned at the tight grip. "Wha-"
"You need to go. Now." Sam warned, cutting Dom off. "It… it might still be here. It'll kill you!"
Dae raised a brow as Sam began to hyperventilate, his memories threatening to consume him.
"Hey. Hey." Dom said calmly, patting his tightened hand. "Just take a deep breath and tell us what happened."
Sam opened his mouth to elaborate--but froze. His pupils dilated at the shadow now standing behind Dom and Dae.
The two mages pivoted instantly—and froze. Their stunned gaze locked onto the two glowing red eyes staring silently at them from just a few feet away, a low, wet clicking hiss echoing through the once silent clearing.