[Scene: Ashen's Room – Right After the Call]
Ashen blinked, still chewing on the last bite of apple.
> "What's next month?"
Katrina clipped the caller shell back onto her belt with a click.
> "An exam."
> "For Adventurers."
Ashen tilted his head.
> "What for?"
Katrina leaned against the bed, arms folded.
> "Whoever passes gets a license. Recognized by the World Government."
> "A guild needs at least 60% of its members licensed if they want to go to the Veilstream."
Ashen's eyes widened a bit.
> "So… if you all pass, we can go there?"
Katrina scoffed, half-smiling.
> "I wish it was that simple. No."
> "You still need to apply through the Annual Guild Tournament."
> "Even then, most appeals get rejected."
Ashen lay back, hands behind his head.
> "What if we just… go anyway? Skip the paperwork."
Smack.
Katrina flicked his forehead—clean.
> "Ouch!" he flinched, rubbing it.
> "You could, sure," Katrina said. "But then you're labeled a rogue guild. Or worse—a pirate crew."
She smirked.
> "And guess where the Navy keeps most of its firepower?"
> "Right on the Veilstream."
Ashen let out a slow whistle.
> "So basically… bad idea."
Katrina gave a mock shrug.
> "Depends. You feel like being hunted by marines?"
Ashen chuckled nervously.
> "I'll pass."
Katrina's smile faded slightly.
She looked out the window, toward the stars barely visible through the misted glass.
> "The power struggle out there… it's been going on for decades."
> "Rogue guilds. Pirate fleets. The Government."
> "They say whoever controls the Veilstream…"
She looked back at him.
> "Will rule the world."
> Internal – Ashen:
"Are the Seven Holy Crystals… the Veilstream… and this whole power struggle somehow connected?"
He sat up straighter, eyes thoughtful now.
> "Where do guilds like us—who protect people, who uphold the law—fit into all this?"
Katrina blinked, just once.
Then smiled.
> "You're smart for your age."
Ashen gave a faint, fake grin.
> Internal – Ashen:
"If only I could tell her… about the reincarnation. About everything."
Katrina's expression grew more serious.
She sat beside Ashen.
> "As darkness started to grow in the Veilstream…"
> "The government had no choice."
> "They moved their strongest fleets, generals, and researchers into the Veilstream zone."
She looked down.
Her tone dropped just a little.
> "But that left the Four Seas… unprotected."
> "And in that gap—chaos grew."
Ashen listened silently.
> "That's when guilds like ours started rising. People wanted order again. And we—"
She pointed a thumb at herself.
> "We stepped in."
> "Not perfect. Not official. But we get the job done."