The Essence Flow

Chapter 134: Finally

The last crimson streaks of sunset bled into twilight as Towan strode through the quieting forest. His boots crunched over fallen leaves, the only sound in the hush that had settled after the trial's end. Eleven flags swayed at his belt—two original, nine claimed—their fabric fluttering like captured battle standards in the evening breeze.

(It was quite the fun experience...) His fingers brushed over the collection, counting them again with quiet satisfaction. (Guess I’m not just some village brute anymore.) A self-satisfied smirk tugged at his lips.

Movement ahead broke his reverie. Through the gathering dusk, he spotted Rellie's familiar silhouette—and beside her, Alira. An unexpected pairing. As far as he recalled, they never talked

"Hey!" Towan's voice cut through the tranquil air as he bounded toward them, flags clinking with each step. "It's pretty much over, right?"

Rellie turned, her usual teacup absent, her expression softening at his enthusiasm. "That's right," she confirmed, the words carrying a hint of amusement at his energy. Alira leaned back against a mossy trunk, her posture lazy, but her eyes gleaming with fox-like sharpness. An unlikely pair

"Yeah!" Alira chimed in, her grin flashing white in the fading light. She shook her belt playfully, making her eight flags dance. "It was really fun!"

Towan's eyebrows rose appreciatively. "Oh... you did really good." His gaze swept the forest behind her. "A pity we didn't encounter."

Alira's laughter rang clear as wind chimes. "I think I'm better this way, haha!" The unspoken truth hung between them—her survival instinct had wisely steered her clear of the academy's most relentless brawler. She patted her flags with mock relief. "Eight's plenty for me."

Towan's gaze softened as he turned to Rellie, his usual boisterous energy mellowing into something almost protective. "Did you encounter any problems?" The question carried the warmth of an older brother checking on his sibling after a schoolyard scuffle.

Rellie's fingers brushed against her two flags—one pristine, the other slightly singed at the edges. "Yeah," she admitted, her voice quiet but steady. "But lucky for me, someone gave me a flag." The memory of silver eyes and an unexpected kindness played behind her own crimson gaze (That smile didn’t feel like a lie.)

"Is that so?" Towan leaned in, curiosity piqued.

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"Who?" Alira interjected, her head tilting with the sharp interest of a hound catching an intriguing scent.

"Sera Vellmont." The name hung in the cooling evening air like a puzzle piece that didn't quite fit. "Though I don't know why. She helped me."

Alira's eyes narrowed slightly, her mind whirring with noble-born calculations. Though she lacked Rellie's Intent Essentia, years of countryside politicking had honed her instincts to razor sharpness. People were equations to be solved—alliances and threats balanced like ledgers. Yet Sera's motives defied her usual arithmetic.

"Hm..." The sound was more vibration than word, her gloved fingers tapping against her thigh. "I can't figure her out yet." The admission came reluctantly—a strategist confronted with an unpredictable variable.

Towan's shoulder bumped against Rellie's in a playful nudge. "Well...that's good anyways, right?"

A small, real smile softened Rellie’s expression as she nodded. “Yeah. I can pass now.” The forest seemed to exhale with her. Fireflies began to glow like whispered stars around their feet, and for just a moment—everything stilled.

The simple statement carried the weight of quiet gratitude, her fingers subconsciously tracing the gifted flag's edge as fireflies began to wink into existence around them.

The gathering twilight painted the distant figures in hues of violet and gold as Towan's gaze swept across the clearing. Sylra's silver hair caught the dying light like a beacon as she emerged from the treeline, Ryn's shadowed form moving with silent precision beside him. Further back, Deyar's broad shoulders pushed through the underbrush, followed by a scattering of other students—all converging on the designated meeting point where the professors stood waiting, their silhouettes stark against the firelight.

Towan's fingers stilled on his collection of flags. A sudden coldness crept up his spine despite the evening's warmth. His head snapped left, then right, scanning the tree line with growing urgency.

"Wait..." The word came out sharper than intended, cutting through the post-exam chatter. His throat tightened as the realization hit. "Where's Elliot?"

The forest, moments ago alive with the sounds of returning students, seemed to hold its breath.

Jyn's fist connected with a nearby tree, sending a shower of bark fragments raining to the forest floor. His teeth ground together hard enough to taste iron. "Damn it..." The words slithered out between clenched jaws. "I haven't found a single worthy opponent."

His gaze burned holes into the collection of flags at his belt - too many, too easily won. Each one represented another disappointment, another weakling who couldn't push him to his limits. "I wanted to fight Sylra or Towan," he muttered, the names like exotic spices on his tongue. "Maybe even that boy from the slums..." His knuckles cracked as his hands flexed. "Not these pathetic—"

The crunch of leaves underfoot sliced through his monologue. Jyn's head snapped up just as Elliot materialized from the gathering dusk, his silhouette backlit by the last bloody streaks of sunset.

The forest air suddenly hummed with potential.

"Finally..." Jyn's breath hitched, a slow grin splitting his face as arcs of lightning crackled up his forearms like living tattoos. "Let’s see if this pretender can survive the real thing."