“Those who are touched by the mountain never return the same. Some gain gifts. Others lose everything.”

The crowd of trainees began to disperse, buzzing with whispers and disbelief. Still, Ignis remained rooted in place, his mind cycling through the battle. Her technique was unpolished, her stance was raw—but the way she moved… it wasn’t just talent. It was dangerous. And she didn’t even realize it yet.

“Guildmaster?”

Seraphina’s voice broke his focus. She approached with her eyes reflecting curiosity. “I was supposed to begin her training tomorrow with the veterans.”

Ignis inhaled, grounding himself. “That was the plan,” he said. “But after what I saw… pairing her with the wrong people would be a mistake.”

He looked back toward Lia, who stood alone. “I’ll need to find someone who can actually match her. You’ll start her training in ten days.”

Seraphina blinked, caught a little off guard—but she nodded. She didn’t mind waiting.
After all, she’d just seen something none of them had expected.

Ignis then walked towards Lia and he calmly informed her, "Your training is being postponed. In the meantime, you can go to observe the veterans at the South Hall. Seraphina will escort you."

Ignis then orders Seraphina, “You already heard it, go escort Lia around and make her comfortable here.”

He smiles slightly, but Lia notices his eyes flicker—not just strategically, but with calculation. Lia silently agrees, but suspicion simmers beneath the surface.

The girls then went out to explore the guild areas. Walking through the Hallways, Seraphina jokes casually, trying to break Lia’s stoicism but Lia on the other hand was too engrossed to listen —grand stone hallways, open mana-lit courtyards.

Seraphina says, “You know, they say this place makes or breaks cookies. Oh… I meant rookies. Personally, I would say it either burns or brightens them. Just like a coal. You’ll meet a few brutes, a few ego tanks, and maybe one or two decent human beings. Well, about Me? I’m in all three.” -laughs awkwardly- “You still listening, ……Hello….?”

Lia mostly stays quiet, to her Seph’s voice grew fainter and fainter as if she weren’t there, Lia’s eyes flicking over the guild’s towering walls, observing. Her mind racing, “Why is Ignis so ready to recruit me?”; “How did he even know about me?”; “Why does this feel more like a pre-planned fate than a coincidence?”; “Even my brother's acceptance into the Academy... was that all a part of this?” ; “Anyway I still have to find out why they disappeared.”

Her thoughts interrupted, vanished, when a bright light pierced her eyes. It was the Veteran’s training ground. Sounds of swords clashing filled the atmosphere.

As they near the training ground, the mana grew heavy, as if gravity itself was thickening. Several veterans halted their sparring from the sudden pressure and glanced around only to find Seraphina with an unknown girl. They glared with confusion.

Some freezed and others flinched. “What’s with this pressure…?” ; “I know Seraphina is one of the generals but a healer can’t emit such overbearing pressure...” ; “Could it be that it’s from that girl?” ; “She feels like the Guild Master—or worse… Who is she??”.

Seph seems amused but also subtly surprised. Seph playfully whispers, “You sure you’re not any secretly reincarnated dragon?… … …Come on! Why so much of a cold shoulder?”.

As Lia walks around, near the training ground’s relic wall engraved with small mana crystals, several crystal fragments shimmered faintly in her presence.

Veterans continued their training. Some remained uneasy, others try to act casual. Lia observes their beautiful and refined movements as they swordplay—her sharp eye silently calculating, observing every strike, movement, breathing pattern.

From sideways a group of 4 veterans training, a buff swordsman said, “Her sharp eyes, Oh! … they hurt!. She’s watching like a predator.”

Then another archer replied, “She’s probably wondering how we all look so bad despite training here for years.”

Another commented, “Or maybe wondering if she’s meant to replace one of us.”.

“Don’t worry!” A gruff man replied. “She wont be replacing anyone, Not when I am here! Looks like a perfect foe to test my strength on!”

The archer fired back saying, “Now that’s got me excieted…. I wonder who’ll win..”

He then came forward bowing and said, “Greetings Mrs. Seraphina, If you would allow it I was thinking if we could have a friendly spar between the new person and me?”.

Lia confused looked towards Seraphina. Seraphina replied “Oh no you don’t have to ask me you should ask her! Ha ha ha! Anyways, she is not trained much on sword play so I can’t guarantee you will get what you are looking for in this spar”.

The man replied, “No worries General, I just want to have a friendly match to see what we got in the new recruits, sorry for overstepping my boundaries but this will provide me a better perspective!”

“Sure I will allow it I think even so she is not trained she can easily fend off normal sword play!” Seph replied. Lia used to be unsure about sparring but now she seemed confIdent.

As the words reached everyone the veterans soon started gathering alongside the ground. The guy then introduced himself as Garran followed by Lia introducing herself. She stepped forward, light on her feet, and drew the standard guild training sword she got before. The hilt felt foreign— somehow different from before she didn’t train with it for long, after all.

CLANG!

The first clash burst like a spray of sparks. Garran’s sword came from the left, but Lia twisted her hips and met it at a diagonal angle, the force twisting her arm. Her eyes narrowed. He stepped in—another vertical swing. Lia ducked under, narrowly brushing off the blade.

He is Precise and not rushing… That’s experience.

She didn’t counter. She waited for the pattern.

Then, Garran stepped in faster—a quick double slash, horizontal then vertical. Lia blocked the first, sidestepped the second, and pivoted low, her palm hitting the floor to balance herself. In one smooth motion, she rose and delivered a swift kick—not strong, but enough to push him two steps back .

His eyebrows twitched. He hadn’t expected that.

“Not bad,” he muttered.

They engaged again.

Garran increased his tempo. More angles. More footwork. Lia responded with reactive grace. Her body moved before she thought—dodging, parrying, stepping in, stepping out. She wasn’t relying on learned swordsmanship. It was intuition to reflex.

Her mind raced.

“Why… is he moving slower now?”

She read the twist of his shoulder, the subtle change in grip. His right leg favored. His left eye blinked more often.

There. There. There. Weak spots.

As they exchanged blows, Lia ducked under an overhead strike and let her palm slapped his wrist, destabilizing his hold. She followed with a sudden pivot, the back of her training blade snapping up under his chin with controlled force.

WHACK!

Garran stumbled back, stunned. The yard went silent.

He looked at her—not with resentment, but a kind of shaken respect.

“Where’d you learn that?” he asked, rubbing his chin.”

Lia straightened, sword lowered. “You had… open gaps. I could see them.”

He blinked. “See?”

She didn’t elaborate. Inside, her thoughts spun in chaos.

“Why did he look slower than the monsters? No. Not slower. I’m… faster. My eyes, my balance—everything moves before I tell it to. My reflexes are like never before! What is this speed?”

Seraphina clapped loudly, a wide grin on her face. “Lia! That was beautiful! You parried better than half the actual Vets know!”

The veterans there smile awkwardly listening to that.

Lia gave a faint smile, but distant.

Garran gave her a respectful bow. “Didn’t expect that from a rookie. You’ve got something special.”

Lia returned the bow, her voice low. “Thank you for the match.”

Other veterans started murmuring. Some praised her. Some looked unsettled. One or two wore envy behind their polite smiles.

Lia and Seph then went for their afternoon meals. A while later the veterans also left for their meal.

The group earlier went to a nearby restaurant, a female veteran, the 4th among that group leaned forward and said, “Do you know who she was?”

“WHO??” Garran interrupted. “That girl who came today with Seraphina, I heard she’s the newly appointed 8th general of our guild”, she continued.

The cheeky man who was mid-way to his tea, choked and almost spilled it, “ WHAT!! … No wonder she was that strong”, he said while cleaning his mouth with a tissue.

The girl continued, “Yes, I’ve also heard that she defeated Myra in a 10 move match where she only had to survive!” Others, gasped together, “That’s insane!!!”

“You all remember, before she walked in” ; “The atmosphere became so tense and when she walked past those relic walls… that faint glow on those crystals...I think she might’ve been chosen by the Crystal Mountain.” The archer girl replied

“The Crystal Mountain? What the hell is that?” Garran asked. “The one in that Flower village?”

The cheeky guy then said, “It’s strange for that village to be named the ‘Flower village’ though there aren’t any specific flower gardens there” ; “Yeah right”

Garren nods in oblivion. He then remembers the conversation, “….WAIT!” . And while hitting him, he says, “What do you have to do with the flowers! You Idiot!”

The girl further continues, “My father died on a detour there… trying to climb it, My grandmother said that he heard whispers… and saw light from the peak. Next time we saw him, he was wrapped in smoke—body half-charred, mana gone.”

“Sorry bout that but I think everyone already knows that it’s a Cursed Mountain. So why’d he go up there anyway?” said the cheeky man.

The girl replied, “Yeah, but my grandmother… she got her affinity there. Though she didn’t have any initial affinity …… Strange right??” ; “That mountain’s cursed. But it chooses people. Like it grants them something in return of something. My grandmother after getting her affinity wasn’t able to speak ever”

“You think she climbed it?” Garran asked.

“No. She might be brought to it- probably.” the girl replied.

Garren exclaimed, “Whaat!”

The girl added, “I don’t know if it was ……..” The table falls quiet. The men crossed their arms, unsure whether to feel fear or pity.

And then Garren said, “Oh, I remembered the mages were called there recently, that 'Flower Village', You were also one of’em, right?? What happened there?”

The girl casually replied, “Oo that … nothing much, just some weak monsters.”

On the other side, Seph and Lia were walking back towards the main guild hall. Seph while trying to strike a conversation with Lia said, “You’ve got more gravity than the guild tower. Anyways, let’s survive the next month, alright? We’ll make sure you get strong. STRONG as HELL!” she then added, “You’ll be in training with them soon.”

Lia unsure what to say just ignored her which made Seph sad. The day passed pleasantly despite the fights Lia fought she settles into a small room at a quiet inn. For once, she feels… still.

Before arriving, she’d stopped by the merchant group she'd been working with to say goodbye.

A 19-year-old boy attendant who had always looked up to her stood there, awkward and unsure. The boy who, usually was a chatterbox, was silent now.

“You… you’re really going?” he asked, his voice low. “I thought you'd stay until the next winter route detour…”

Lia didn’t react. Her face calm, almost distant, “I won’t be coming back,” she said flatly. “Make sure the crew double-checks the northern routes. The mana storms are shifting.” The boy looks like he wants to say more—but gives a nod instead. Lia walks away. Oddly, She felt nothing, “No memories… no weight. It’s like I was never here.” She said to herself.

The attendant looked her from the window going away and murmured,“She didn’t even look back… *sighs* I am hopeless!”

Days passed… Lia is called to the Guild Tower. In the meeting room, Ignis waited for her. Lia, ignored him and went straight to the next floor, stopped at the Balcony.

At the summit— the moonlight bleeding through the wide never-ending sky. Ignis went up there following her and then informs her, “Your training begins in two days. Are you ready?” Lia stays put, questions burning behind her eyes.

Finally she asks, “You never answered my question. Why me?”.

Ignis looks at her with a gaze that pierces straight through. His voice still, “Because you broke that mountain.”

He steps forward, voice calm and authoritative, “That mountain fried the strongest of the strongest. It was sacred and Cursed. But your potential alone shattered it. Don’t you see…. This is your destiny… your fate. You don’t have a choice anymore.” He looked up to her eyes with a dim and serious look, “You’re too important of an asset to leave as a footnote. And until we understand your fate, you're under my watch. Well then, hope you get along with Guild members” he said with a smile.

Ignis then left Lia alone on the Balcony. Lia, in deep thought walks up to the railing through stairs, Observing the capital from above, there are some wonders… some questions in her mind, unanswered. The Beautiful Dawn escalates itself ready for a new beginning.

Lia’s hair flows in the sharp wind. Lights flicker in the distance—people sleeping comfortably in the dark, living normal lives. Birds flying around the vast sky.

Lia thought for a while, “The power inside me… it’s part of me now, but it’s still foreign, Dangerous. And I think Ignis’s right—if I’m seen as a threat, I won’t last long. Guess I’ll just play along with it…

‘For now.’

Besides… if being their 'asset' gets me closer to the truth—then maybe this is the best lead I’ve had. Still... being useful is just another kind of leash"

Lia clutches her coat, “What’s my destiny and where will I end up?”

Chapter End