As Vale and Yuki hurried toward Evelyn and Callum, the massive metallic doors began to open. Instead of another sterile chamber, they revealed a vast stretch of green grass and tall, flourishing trees beyond. Sunlight spilled through the opening, illuminating the space with natural warmth.
The sight didn't stop Vale outright, but it did make him slow his pace. He understood now, they had reached their destination.
Just before he could step outside, Callum extended an arm, stopping him.
Vale took a step back and looked up at the knight.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
Callum turned to him and met his gaze directly. His usual easy smile was gone, replaced by a cold, serious expression Vale had never seen before.
"Listen carefully, kid," Callum said, his voice low and sharp. "Whatever happens during this test, do not attempt to sense our energies. We don't want to walk away with nothing but memories of you once this is over, understood?"
The words weren't spoken loudly, but they carried weight, like a blade pressed against Vale's throat.
Vale swallowed and nodded slowly.
"…Understood."
Callum exhaled deeply and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the warmth had returned to his expression, his familiar smile settling back into place as if the moment had never happened.
Evelyn and Yuki had already stepped outside.
"Well then," Callum said brightly, as though nothing had happened, "shall we go?"
Vale let out a small chuckle and followed him out.
Outside, the space was far larger than Vale had expected. Despite the scale of the area, there weren't many people present, only a handful of warriors and researchers positioned at a safe distance. As Vale glanced back, however, he noticed something else.
Behind the glass walls of the facility, dozens of soldiers and staff had gathered, watching intently. Their eyes were fixed on the clearing, anticipation thick in the air.
Vale turned to Callum as they walked.
"Why aren't those soldiers out here too?" he asked.
"Safety reasons," Callum replied without looking back. After a brief pause, he added, "Speaking of which, you should stand behind Eve. Otherwise, you might get hurt."
Vale hesitated, then nodded. He moved a few meters forward to where Evelyn was standing.
"Hey, kid," she said, glancing at him with a faintly mocking smile. "Nervous?"
Vale scratched the back of his neck.
"…Yeah. Kinda."
Evelyn grinned.
"That's understandable. Yuki, ice him."
Vale's eyes widened.
"Wait, what-"
Before he could finish, cold surged across his body. Ice rapidly formed around him, encasing him in a protective layer. It was the same strange ice Yuki had used to heal him earlier, cold to the touch, yet not painful.
Vale looked down at himself, then back up at Evelyn.
"Why-"
"Safety purposes," Yuki cut in casually. She glanced toward Vale's shoulder.
"Speaking of which, you might want to tell your little friend to put some distance between himself and what's about to happen."
Vale followed her gaze to Ember, perched calmly on his shoulder.
Yuki tilted her head upward and grinned.
"You're lucky. Looks like your mystery man showed up too."
Confused, Vale turned his eyes skyward.
The top of the prison structure loomed high above, almost blinding as it aligned perfectly with the sun. Standing against that blazing backdrop was a solitary figure, a man with deep onyx-black skin. His long hair flowed in the faint wind, his silhouette stark and imposing.
He looked like an angel of death watching over the field.
"…Hydra," Vale murmured.
He stared for several seconds, unable to look away, until a sharp whistle snapped his attention back.
"Go on," Evelyn said. "Watch. This part's going to be spectacular."
Vale turned toward Callum, and froze.
He didn't know how he had missed it before.
Before them, embedded deep into the hardened earth, was a sword.
Not just any sword.
It was as tall as a skyscraper.
Its surface was scarred and dirty, yet completely unharmed, as though time itself had failed to wear it down. The sheer scale of it made Vale's breath catch.
Callum approached the blade, stopping roughly ten meters away from it, still at least fifty meters from where Vale and the others stood.
Vale frowned.
"…Is he supposed to lift that?" he asked doubtfully.
Evelyn chuckled.
"No, no. Nothing like that."
She watched Callum closely, her smile widening.
"He's supposed to damage it."
Vale turned to her, confused.
"Why?"
"That blade is absurdly durable," Evelyn explained. "And Callum excels at destruction. His goal is simple, leave a scratch."
A long, eager smile spread across her face.
Vale still didn't quite understand. But as he turned his gaze back to Callum, he noticed the change.
The knight had gone completely still.
An intense focus radiated from him. The wind brushed past softly, lifting his blond hair as the air itself seemed to hold its breath.
Vale glanced down at Ember. He gently petted the small wyvern's head once.
"Go," he said quietly.
Ember chirped softly in understanding before taking off, wings beating powerfully as he flew high toward the prison's upper structure. The wyvern landed atop Hydra's shoulder, settling there like a ruler claiming his throne.
Vale swallowed.
Whatever was about to happen, he knew one thing for certain,
This test would not be ordinary.
Vale kept his gaze fixed on Callum.
Seconds passed. Those seconds stretched into long, uneasy minutes, and still, nothing seemed to happen.
Callum stood motionless before the colossal blade, unmoving, silent. Vale felt the pressure build inside his chest with every passing moment. Instinct screamed at him to reach out, to sense Callum's energy, to confirm that something was happening at all.
Each time the urge rose, Vale stopped himself.
Don't, he reminded himself, recalling Callum's warning.
'Don't sense it.'
Vale lowered his gaze, closed his eyes, and let out a slow breath.
Then Evelyn spoke.
"…Incredible."
Vale looked up sharply.
Evelyn was staring at Callum with wide, unblinking eyes. Cold sweat traced a path down her cheek, her usually composed expression fractured by disbelief.
"To think," she said quietly, her voice trembling, "that he already has this level of control…"
Vale turned to Yuki, confusion twisting in his chest. She too was staring ahead, her usual confidence gone, her expression tense and stunned.
Vale opened his mouth to ask what they were seeing,
And then the wind hit.
It came without warning, slamming into them like a living force. The air howled violently, then vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, only to return again moments later.
The wind surged and faded, fluctuating wildly in strength and direction.
Vale raised his arms to shield his face, struggling to keep his footing as the ground trembled beneath him. Each gust threatened to lift him from the earth entirely.
Through the chaos, he looked toward Callum.
The knight slowly raised one hand before him.
The motion was deliberate, Controlled and Purposeful.
As his hand reached its full height, the wind stopped.
Then, all at once, it changed direction.
Every current, every lingering trace of air rushed toward Callum's open palm. The pull was immense. Vale dug his heels into the ground, barely managing to stay in place as the wind screamed past him.
Within Callum's grasp, the compressed wind began to glow.
Brilliant golden light erupted from his hand, condensing and shaping itself. The energy solidified, lengthening and broadening until it formed a radiant broadsword, gleaming, majestic, unmistakably the weapon of a knight.
Vale's breath caught in his throat.
Callum wrapped both hands around the hilt and drew the blade to his side. He lowered his stance slightly and exhaled a single, deep breath.
The world seemed to hold still.
Then, in an instant, Callum swung.
The golden blade cleaved through the air, releasing a massive arc of radiant energy. The beam slammed into the colossal sword embedded in the ground with devastating force.
The earth tore apart beneath the impact. Shockwaves rippled outward, cracking the ground and bending the surrounding trees as though a hurricane had struck. The wind roared, violent and unrelenting.
Yet the giant blade did not move.
Not even an inch.
After several long seconds, the light faded. Callum lowered his sword and sighed softly, as though mildly disappointed.
Then he turned his head.
Vale followed his gaze.
Far in the distance stood a towering mountain, its peak lost among the clouds.
Callum stared at it thoughtfully.
An idea seemed to take shape.
Without shifting his footing, without tension or preparation, he casually raised his sword again. His stance was loose, almost lazy.
Vale frowned.
'What is he trying to do like that?'
The answer came immediately.
A second arc of golden energy burst from the blade. It traveled outward, growing wider and brighter as it crossed the distance toward the mountain.
When it made contact,
The mountain vanished.
There was no explosion. No collapse. No resistance.
One moment it existed.
The next, it did not.
Vale stood frozen, his eyes wide, his body refusing to move. He hadn't blinked. He hadn't imagined it.
The mountain had been erased.
Cold sweat streamed down Vale's face as the reality of what he had just witnessed crashed over him.
"…No way," he whispered.