With her eyes closed, Leo awaited the weight of approval to fall upon her.
She imagined the happiness of her friends and the dissatisfaction of some classmates who truly expected her to fail.
But then… nothing came.
No sound. No reaction.
Only a thick, almost cruel silence — as if the very air around her had been sucked away.
She frowned, thinking she had misunderstood something or that the wind had whispered conflicting words to ruin her day.
But no.
No one was looking at her directly.
And after the words spoken by Silas, before the Archduke and the superiors, everything in her mind unraveled.
Slowly turning to the left, she saw in the row of familiar faces only one gaze fixed on her: Mariano.
That miserable bastard from the other night.
And there were his eyes, dripping with cruel satisfaction.
A kind of pleasure he would never openly show to a comrade-in-arms.
Unless things didn't go as planned, in this case, as she planned.
— Jana Almadeira, candidate 401, offer your blade and swear your Creed. — the brown-haired girl from her row, much shorter than her, cast a quick glance before moving to the other side.
Because of the cloth mask, it was impossible to see her full face, but her expression, along with others nearby, was enough for the truth to begin sinking in for Leo.
This was a mistake, right? They… they had said, or rather, confused her name?
Maybe it was another candidate's name, and they had mixed up the position.
Yes, that's it, better wait, it must have been a misunderstanding.
And she waited. One, two, five minutes.
Other candidates were called and took their new places, but Leonia remained there.
An irritating voice echoed in her mind, replaying every detail of the training.
Everything was right. Nothing seemed missing.
Leonia Bellius did everything perfectly.
But what if she really had failed some test?
She looked at her palm again.
No. Impossible, it couldn't be because of that, right? Better wait.
To her right, Baron, the tall candidate with curly blond hair, kept watching her from the corner of his eye, waiting to be called.
He seemed anxious to help and at the same time unsure what to do with her still standing there.
None of the candidates or superiors spoke up. No explanation. No objection. Just silence.
It was as if everyone had decided to ignore the elephant in the room.
The eager approval that once lit the face of the 20-year-old Leonia was fading more and more as the list of candidates approached the end.
Agony and anxiety took hold of her, and with a gesture considered rude, Leo raised her hand, drawing attention to herself as she addressed Simone Samarone:
— Announcer, with your permission, I would like to interrupt.
The man did not immediately respond. He recorded two more names before closing the scroll and facing her.
— Candidate, any problem? — Silas taunted, as if already expecting this…
— Yes. It seems an incorrect piece of information about me was announced.
— Incorrect? Nothing slips past me. Should I consider that you're contesting my position?
Leo fought the urge to roll her eyes.
Silas was admired by others. To her, just an unbearable man in an expensive ceremonial suit.
She took a deep breath, trying to keep her composure.
— On the contrary, sir, due to my position in the rows, I believe I didn't hear my name called, I'm only asking for it to be repeated.
— That? — he wrinkled his nose slightly before reopening the scroll, searching through the long list for her name — Let me see… Leora… Levinia, ah yes, here! Leonia Bellius? — he raised his eyes to her.
— That's right. — Her heart beat slowly, her hands trembled.
It was just a mistake, she knew that.
— I didn't forget to call you; you were failed, candidate 399, quite a feat if I may point out. — he said with no surprise.
— What? Failed?! How?!
— Yes, you were failed. Surprised? I don't care. Work on acceptance, now next! — he dismissed her without even leaving the podium.
The silence around was absolute.
Everyone present was trained to maintain neutrality.
But this was unacceptable.
In over 60 years of history, the Monteiro Archduchy had never had a candidate fail after passing the Awakening, much less during the Graduation Ceremony.
And Leonia, God only knows how, had just achieved this historic feat.
She didn't know whether to applaud herself for such failure or pat herself on the shoulder for consolation.
Not that she was managing to think about it.
The number of candidates kept thinning out, and she didn't move. No one even thought to intervene.
She wasn't allowed to cross to the other side.
Her breathing quickened, her fist trembled, and an overwhelming feeling began to consume her body, giving her chills.
What had she done wrong?
This was so unfair.
— Candidate Bellius, accept your result and leave the formation, you are disrupting the Ceremony. — Silas ordered impatiently.
— No. This result makes no sense. And I won't leave without an explanation… or the truth. — she planted her feet firmly, totally ignoring the other 4 candidates waiting for their names to be called.
Unfortunately, they would have to wait.
— What truth, miss? — he continued with his disdainful tone, not changing his posture before the others, but Leo felt the sting in every word. And she didn't like it one bit, much less that he was the one responsible for telling her what her 'destiny' would be.
— This is a joke, the scroll is wrong. — she stepped forward, and no one around her moved or left their place.
They would never do something so reckless, not when they had come so close to their goal.
It was her, by her.
— Wrong? Are you contesting your superiors' decision, candidate? — there was an exaggerated tone in his words, as if what she was doing was insanity worthy of commotion.
But not as insane as all this.
— I am. I passed all the tests. I'm as capable as all the others you called before me. And I see no clear or concrete reasons to be subjected to such a humiliating scene.
— Humiliating?! First, you disrespected me and now suggest fraud among the Council?
— Corruption has always been present in the human soul, and I see no reason why it wouldn't be in someone who abhors me so much.
— And what does that have to do with this?
— Take my words as you will, Silas Samarone, I don't care about your opinion, I just want the true result. — she spat.
— Enough. — Alphonse's firm voice interrupted. — Bellius, you're disrupting the ceremony. If you're dissatisfied, leave. We can settle this later.
Leo was so focused on pouring out her anger and confusion at the Announcer that she ignored the true decision-makers.
Later? What was she supposed to do, leave like a dog with its tail between its legs?
This wasn't right.
Her expression, once displeased, turned to disgust and repulsion. She looked at the members present on the stage. All seemed to agree with the result.
As if they knew, and there was no objection.
I did not die at the Awakening, I am alive, this victory is mine!
She let out a short, disbelieving laugh before turning her feet toward the snow-covered exit, "ready to leave."
Head down, she passed silently by the remaining candidates.
She had not failed.
She did not deserve this.
On the contrary.
She was the most deserving there.
And if that was what they wanted, she would have to prove her point.
The next name was announced, as if her interruption had been forgotten.
The ceremony went on as if nothing had happened.
A weak, cursed being, victory will never be yours.
No, that would never happen.
As she raised her head toward the exit gates of the great arena, Leonia Bellius whispered to herself, resolute:
— If they won't declare my glory, then I will tear it out with my own hands.
She turned back to the stage, her hands went to her hips where she pulled her two daggers, one on each side.
She took the same path the candidates had taken.
— What are you doing, candidate 399?! — Silas shouted from the pulpit.
She ignored the question.
— I will not leave here until I have what is rightfully mine. — she twirled one of the blades she would offer at her ceremony between her fingers; a bitter taste came to her lips. Raising her head had not been easy.
And who said it would be?
— Not even if I have to take it by force — with unmatched precision, she threw the first blade. It was a considerable distance, but due to her skill with targets, she hit the aura shield around the Archduke dead center, causing a slight crack and clattering to the ground.
Carmelius Monteiro, a tall man with graying black hair, looked toward the inflicted shield, as if he even cared about the threat.
Then returned his gaze to her with pure disinterest, raising an eyebrow. Curious, he seemed unshaken by the act.
— That was a warning; next time I won't miss. — he threatened, spinning the second blade in his hand.
Causing evident alarm among the candidates and Heralds.
Now, no one could ignore her.
Apparently, the gods must hate her enough to want to keep making her miserable. But not this time.
The gods could go to Edris with their destinies.
She would make her own.
One phrase should represent the end of her troubles.
But it was only the beginning.