Discussions quickly ensured for the second and final day events, as students debated who would join what and what their roles were for each competitive activity.
The festival’s initial aim—to have fun and help the students recover from their recent traumas—had been largely sidelined.
The competitive spirit, fueled by the promise of the Driftia trip, had taken over, and they were treating it far more seriously than was perhaps needed.
"So, everything seems settled," Mor announced, clapping his hands together. "The script for the final drama will be ready soon, and each of you involved will get a copy so as to memorize the dialogues."
"The practice will start tomorrow at the communal hall C-21," Anni added, her rabbit ears twitching excitedly.
"Make sure you all arrive on time!" She finished the discussions with a bright smile, and instantly, a new wave of excited murmurs erupted as intense discussions started among the students regarding their assigned roles.
On the other hand, the four friends were engaged in their own silent, highly charged conversation.
Aeron, Blaze, Lenore, and even Zenon were giving intense, skeptical looks at Grey, making him visibly uncomfortable as he instinctively tried to shrink back in his seat.
"What?" Grey asked, defensively.
Lenore leaned in, her voice cold and furious, her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Is there someone you like here? You want to get close to her? If there is, then tell me right now so that I can kill her myself."
"What the fuck! NO!" Grey denied vehemently, genuinely alarmed by her intensity.
"Then how come you, an unsocial freak participated in four fucking events?" Aeron demanded, his voice raised in genuine shock and confusion.
Blaze and Zenon simply nodded, their expressions mirroring Aeron’s confusion at Grey’s completely uncharacteristic social behavior.
"It’s nothing. Just that..." Grey hesitated, scrambling to invent a plausible reason, but just then Anni’s voice, ringing out from the front of the room, saved him at the nick of time.
"I’m sorry guys, I completely forgot," Anni said, tapping her parchment. "There is one more crucial event: a Weapon Making event on the second day. So, is there a blacksmith among us?"
The question was met with immediate, crushing silence. No one answered.
"The A Class has one, and he’s bound to win, so what’s the use," a student from the crowd commented bitterly, clicking his tongue.
Anni and Mor had no rebuttal; the weight of the C Class’s perceived weakness caused the collective hope to fall even further down.
"We should participate at least for face," Anni pleaded, her voice becoming earnest. "So anyone who has even a bit of basic knowledge or experience in blacksmithing, please join this event."
DING!
An unwelcome notification flared in Grey’s vision, shining against the backdrop of the gloomy classroom.
[Associated Mission: Participate in the weapon making event]
[You cannot deny this mission]
"What! This fucker system!" Grey cursed inside his mind, his frustration boiling over.
The System would always throw surprises at him at the most unfavorable circumstances. He had never held a hammer in his life, knew not a single thing about metallurgy or blacksmithing, and had no idea how the hell he was supposed to forge a weapon.
But the system had left him no choice. He had to participate in a fifth event anyway to fulfill the mission requirements.
He exhaled a deep sigh of resignation and, with a helpless air, slowly raised his hand.
"I’ll do it."
Just as the words left him, Aeron, Blaze, Lenore, and even Zenon’s heads turned in a flash, their eyes spitting rays of shock and disbelief.
This was now the fifth festival activity for the unsociable, training-obsessed Grey.
"Great! Thank you, Grey!" Anni exclaimed, relieved and beaming.
"Everything settled, then! We’ll begin preparations from tomorrow. Let’s have a great experience, guys!" she said with a bright smile, dismissing the class.
"We need fucking answers now," Aeron demanded, standing up and pointing a finger at Grey.
"Is that rabbit girl the one you like?" Lenore asked, her eyes burning with pure, unadulterated jealousy.
"It’s weird," Zenon finally offered, his face still perfectly blank.
"I-I forgot Professor Thorgar wanted to see me!" Grey smoothly lied, scrambling to his feet. "I’ll be off then!" He didn’t wait for a response, escaping the room and the barrage of questions just as the class erupted into post-meeting chatter.
******
The following morning dawned clear and crisp over the border city. Harlon, Erowen, and Alvaro were led to the city’s central command structure, deep within the City Lord’s Quarters.
The destination was the Teleportation Node—a chamber of immense magical focus and power.
They entered a vast, circular room with soaring ceilings. The entire floor was composed of a complex, glowing mosaic of inscribed runes—a dizzying circuit of Elven magic.
At the very center of the room, a large, crystalline plinth housed a single, humming gemstone, radiating quiet energy.
The City Lord stood waiting beside the plinth, attended by two senior mages clad in silver and deep blue robes.
"Good morning, Sir Harlon, Princess Erowen," the City Lord greeted them.
"The Node is charged and ready. The coordinates for Veridian City are keyed."
Erowen looked slightly nervous, despite her attempts to hide it. She had traveled via Nodes before, but the sensation of being disassembled and reassembled across miles was always disconcerting.
"Will the journey be stable?" Harlon asked the attendant mages, ever cautious.
"Perfectly stable, Sir Harlon," the lead mage assured him. "The short distance to Alabasma ensures minimal spatial distortion. We’ve maximized the mana flow this morning."
Harlon nodded, then turned to Erowen. "Remember the rules, Princess. Focus on the destination, and resist the urge to panic during transit."
"I know, I know," Erowen muttered, though she straightened her spine.
Alvaro, looking much recovered but still solemn, merely nodded his readiness.
The City Lord motioned them forward. "Please, step onto the Node platform, near the central plinth. The three of you must stand within the primary circuit for stability."
Harlon stepped onto the glowing runes first, his heavy boots carefully avoiding disrupting the intricate patterns.
Erowen followed, placing herself between Harlon and Alvaro.
As the last person entered the primary circuit, the runes beneath their feet intensified, pulsing with a deep, resonant azure light.
The air around them began to vibrate with a low, growing hum, and the great central gemstone shone blindingly bright.
The mages began chanting the transit activation sequence, their voices echoing in the chamber.
As the energy peaked, a swirling, vertical funnel of pure, radiant blue light erupted around the three travelers, obscuring the room entirely.
The sensation was immediate and intense: a powerful, stomach-lurching pull, followed by a moment of utter non-existence, where sight and sound dissolved into a high-pitched whine and the dizzying sensation of falling through pure space.
Then, just as abruptly, the sensation ceased.
The blue light dissolved.
The humming died away. Harlon staggered slightly, his hand immediately reaching out to steady Erowen, who was swaying.
They were in a different circular room. This Node chamber was larger, more ornate, and filled with a constant stream of officials and guards—the characteristic bustle of a central urban hub.
"Welcome to Veridian City," a new voice greeted them.
Before them stood a carriage, polished and ready, waiting just outside the Node chamber exit.