Eleven months have passed since the crew bid farewell to their residence in the town of Hortensia, as they began their journey to Elmaris. Currently, they've stopped in the town of Shasta to spend the night as their travels continue.

A primal roar echoes through the air. Thump thump, the ground shook with intense vibration as a behemoth of a beast took its steps. Battered green skin, exaggerated facial features, accompanied by long, sharp teeth. A common terror in these parts is an ogre. Civilians scatter like ants, the beast casting a shadow amongst the town square, nearly blotting out the sun. The sounds of screams fill the air, along with crackling fire bellowing through the debris of homes and establishments. The monster wields an uprooted tree, swinging carelessly as if intentionally missing its area of focus.

In the distance, footsteps patter. Atlas runs along the rooftops, hand hovering over his sheathed sword. His movements are swift and cautious. Each jump, turn, and twist is performed with much precision. His eyes study the beast, calculating the moment for a perfect strike. His chest burns with anticipation of making the first cut, bringing the beast down in its entirety. You see, Atlas has fallen short in these past couple of months. Although he has long surpassed the state he had left Hortensia in, he remains stunted, unable to hone his skills in their entirety. But today is different; today is the day he gets a score on the board. He steadies himself, preparing to un-sheath his sword.

But instead, he digs his heels into the rooftop, halting himself to an uneventful stop. Within less than a second, a cut from the beast's neck to its stomach is revealed, exposing its discolored organs. Blood erupts from the incision, drenching the streets in a horrifying black mess. For a moment, there was only silence, but cheers and the occasional disgruntled groan quickly replaced it. From under the beast emerged a figure completely soaked in its blood. Atlas jumps down from a rooftop, his finger still lingering over his sheathed weapon. A vexed sigh followed behind him. Soleil crossed his arms in front of his chest. "She crossed the line this time." He spoke irritably. Atlas tilted his head, a slight smirk appearing on his lips. "I don't expect anything less from her. But this time, do I have to help with the cleanup? I didn't even get a single swing in." Atlas turned horrified at the sudden realization. Soleil rolled his eyes before walking towards the drenched figure. Citizens surrounded her, cheering and offering goods like trinkets, rare books, and the spare piece of bread that survived the attack. She accepted it all, a wide, prideful grin on her face.

"Thank you, everyone, but we won't be accepting any handouts." Soleil takes the varying gifts in Elidi's hand and begins to hand them back. "I worked hard for that!" She whined as she clung to her items. "She deserves it, the poor thing has just saved us from such a massive beast!" A shopkeeper pitches in. Elidi nods, clutching the wares. She didn't even realize they had begun to soil from the blood dripping on them. Soleil glared at her, knowing her trickster nature. Atlas smiled in the background, his hand finally relaxing off his weapon. A twinge of jealousy began to build in his chest, but he pushed it down. "Don't even worry about cleaning up this mess. The rest of the townsfolk and I got it." A strong-armed individual spoke. Atlas breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you sure y'all can't stay an extra night?" A voice chimed in the distance, and a woman with slightly flushed cheeks ran down the street, her short heels clacking with every step. She tried to wrap herself around Soleil, but he held her at arm's length. His brow furrowed in annoyance.  "As I've said before, we must leave in the morning," he turned, crossing his arms in frustration. Elidi could be heard snickering in the background. "It seems like wherever we go, people really end up liking you, Soleil." Atlas chimes in. "Yeah, and I wish it would stop," Soleil grumbled. "Anyways, let's head back, we have an early start in the morning."

As they walked back to the local inn, Atlas stopped next to the ogre's dead body, a disgusting scent lingering in the air. "What'cha staring at it for?" Elidi waltzed over to the boy's side. He shrugged. "I don't really know, I've just been thinking a bit. Have you ever wondered why they're so aggressive to everyone?  Why do they do what they do?" Atlas asked. Elidi rolled her eyes and continued walking. "No, and I don't really care; they're evil beasts, they do evil things." 

"Evil, huh?" Atlas repeated to himself.

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The next morning, the three of them were out on the road before the sun had even fully risen. They received a few thank yous and attempts to give them gifts before they finally set foot into the forest. Elidi trudged along, occasionally tugging at her unkempt hair. "Why must we leave so early?" She whined, barely keeping her eyes open. "We must arrive on time if you guys want to have any chance of getting into Aurelia. There are tryouts and whatnot. Plus, the amount of paperwork I have to get done for the two of you." Soleil squeezed the bridge of his nose at the mere thought of it.

"Damn brats, why did I even agree to this?" he grumbled, trudging forward. "My feet hurt," Elidi cried out. "We just started walking!" Soleil yelled, growing increasingly impatient. "I know, but they hurt! I don't understand why we don't just take a carriage, or horses instead of walking," She responded.

"I can carry you." Atlas finally spoke up, a part of him getting a little tired of the constant bickering. He bent down, positioning himself for Elidi to climb onto his back. "Yay!" She cheered as she basically threw herself onto him. Atlas stood easily, continuing the trek forward. Soleil watched, taking note of Atlas's progress. "This is good training for your stamina; you should be able to last a lot longer in a fight now compared to when we first left," Soleil explained. 

"What is it that you mean by tryouts? I know it's not easy to get into Aurelia... but what exactly will we be doing?" Atlas asked. Soleil ran a hand through his hair and exhaled. "You'll be fighting other potential students. Aurelia is extremely selective in who they choose to attend. It's mostly nobles who've trained their entire childhoods for this one moment. Based on your skill performance, you'll be ranked, and that will determine what type of classes you'll be placed in, which further defines what kind of mage you'll become." Soleil yawns, seemingly uninterested in the conversation. Atlas's face runs pale as he realizes he is going to be against foes much stronger and more experienced than he is.   

Elidi breathes quietly as she has fallen asleep on Atlas's back.