Shinji stood in the silence of his own thoughts, his eyes drifting over the clusters of candidates laughing and sharing stories. In the middle of all that noise and life, he felt like a ghost—small, invisible, and utterly out of place.
Suddenly, a boy scrambled through the crowd and skidded to a halt right in front of him. He wore a thick winter cap pulled low over his ears and was roughly the same height as Shinji. Without a word, the boy began waving his arms and gesturing wildly with a look of pure, manic excitement, as if trying to shout a message through a wall of glass.
Shinji blinked, watching the frantic movements for a moment before tilting his head.
"Um... what's your name?"
The boy didn't answer. Instead, his gestures became even more exaggerated, his hands blurred in the air until Shinji backed away, thoroughly confused.
Just then, a heavy hand landed on the boy's shoulder. A man stepped forward, clad in thick iron plate armor with a massive, reinforced metallic gauntlet on one hand. He stood like a mountain—steady and calm. This was Ragna.
"His name is Lio,"
Ragna said, speaking for the boy.
"But he can't talk."
Shinji flinched slightly.
"Oh... so he's mute?"
Ragna nodded. Realizing his question might have been insensitive, Shinji quickly bowed his head.
"Ah... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be rude."
Lio shook his head vigorously, waving his hands to show he didn't mind at all. Then, with a sudden burst of energy, Lio grabbed Shinji's hand and snatched Ragna's hand, forcing them together. He looked at them both with wide, shimmering eyes full of hope.
Ragna froze, looking down at their joined hands.
"What? Lio... you want me to team up with him?"
Lio nodded so hard his hat nearly fell off.
Ragna let out a soft, defeated sigh. He couldn't say no to his little friend. He turned to Shinji with a small, tired smile
. "Well, hello there. I'm Ragna. Nice to meet you."
Shinji smiled back, feeling a spark of warmth.
"I'm Shinji. I'd be honored to be on your team."
Ragna looked Shinji up and down, his gaze turning analytical.
"So, Shinji... what's your current Essence level?"
Shinji blinked.
"My... Essence?"
Ragna arched an eyebrow.
"Essence, Shinji. Don't tell me you don't even know what that is?"
Shinji looked at the ground, his voice dropping.
"To be honest... I don't remember anything about myself. Even the name 'Shinji' was given to me by someone else."
Ragna stared at him for a few seconds before suddenly bursting into a loud, genuine laugh.
"What a pair! A boy who can't speak and a boy who can't remember! What kind of mess have we stumbled into?"
His laughter wasn't mocking; it was the sound of someone finding humor in a dark world. Ragna then turned serious.
"Essence is something everyone has. It's born from your will and your fortitude. The question is whether or not you can tap into it."
Ragna glanced at Lio and gave a small nod. Instantly, Lio lunged forward and poked Shinji hard in the stomach.
"Agh!"
Shinji gasped, doubling over and nearly falling backward.
"Essence allows you to manifest power," Ragna explained, as if the poke had been a simple lecture.
"For humans, it's more limited than other races. Usually, we use it to reinforce our bodies or project shockwaves from our blades."
Shinji suddenly remembered what Ares had said.
"Oh... so the 'ability' Ares mentioned... that's Essence."
"Exactly," Ragna continued.
"Lio is Level 1. I'm Level 3. But you're a strange case. To pass the first round without any Essence at all... that's unheard of."
Shinji could only rub the back of his head with a sheepish grin.
"Shinji,"
Ragna asked,
"Do you know about the Grand Commanders?"
"Yeah! I met Ares."
"Beside Ares, there are two others,"
Ragna said, his voice dropping into a tone of deep respect.
"I've heard their Essence is above Level 10."
Shinji's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Level 10?! Are they even human?"
"They are the strongest warriors in Heavenfield," Ragna replied. "Meeting one is a rare honor. Being acknowledged by one... that's a miracle."
Suddenly, someone came sprinting toward them from across the dome. Ragna's instincts kicked in; he shifted his weight and moved into a defensive stance. But the newcomer showed no malice. He skidded to a stop and grabbed Shinji's hand with overwhelming enthusiasm.
"Hello, hello, hello! I'm Akidou! So great to meet you guys!"
Shinji was startled but managed a polite, "Uh... I'm Shinji."
Lio waved happily at Akidou. Behind Akidou, two more figures approached.
"And these are my friends, Alba and Omelet!"
Alba was a giant of a man, covered in jagged bone-like armor. Omelet was the complete opposite—a tiny elf floating in the air, her long golden hair shimmering, her pointed ears twitching as her translucent wings hummed.
Akidou grinned, still gripping Shinji's hand. "Let's all be a team, Shinji!"
Lio seemed perfectly fine with the idea, but Ragna's eyes narrowed. He remained guarded. Just as the conversation was heating up, Lio tapped Shinji on the shoulder and pointed toward a high balcony within the dome.
Everyone looked up.
A group of figures stepped out onto the ledge. One man stood at the center. Half of his face was encased in a layer of jagged, permafrost ice, and he wore thick ski goggles that hid his eyes. Even from a distance, the pressure he exerted was suffocating.
Ragna whispered, his voice trembling slightly.
"It's him... Commander Tachi Tsukigami."
Tachi's voice boomed across the dome, clear and cold.
"Ahem. Welcome, warriors. It is a pleasure to see so many of you still standing."
He paused, letting his gaze sweep over the crowd.
"The next phase will be significantly more challenging. To begin, all candidates must form groups. You are to be teams of three."
The moment they heard teams of three, Akidou turned to Alba and Omelet and nodded. They quickly said their goodbyes to Shinji's group and vanished into the crowd to register their trio.
As they walked away, Ragna watched them with a grim expression.
"That guy... Isn't simple. We'd best keep our eyes open."