Kaelen's eyes narrowed slightly, the barest flicker of curiosity passing through his otherwise composed expression. Even he hadn't expected this entrance. The person walking the steps gradually made her way toward the center. I could hear the murmurs of curiosity around me. Everyone was stunned by how normal the approach was — casual, human-like.
"What a down-to-earth person," Favian muttered under his breath.
"I feel like I've seen that girl before... in the hostel," Siara said, squinting through a pair of binoculars.
Wait, how did she get binoculars?
Eron must have noticed the question written all over my face. He smirked and pointed toward her bag.
Oh... right. Wait — where did she get that bag from? I was pretty sure she only had her notebook when she walked up here. I glanced toward Favian, Kael, and Eron standing in a loose line. All three shrugged their shoulders in perfect sync.
"Never mind. That is not what's important right now," Eron said dryly.
"Huh? What?" Siara blinked, finally pulling her eyes away from the binoculars.
Eron gave her a pointed look. "The girl, Siara. Focus."
"Oh. Right. Her." She turned back toward the abyss. "I don't know her."
"You just said you've seen her in the hostel," Kael said, frowning.
"Yes, I've seen her. But I don't know her," Siara said, blinking like the difference was obvious.
Eron sighed and looked at me. "Arien, I think you should take the shot."
Siara handed me the binoculars without a word, and I raised them slowly, adjusting the lens. The moment I focused on the girl's face, a chill ran through me.
My heart skipped.
"...Zia?" I whispered.
"Zia as in Zia Riverbrook?" Favian said, incredulously. "The same one we met yesterday?"
I nodded slowly, not lowering the binoculars. "Yeah. That Zia."
I watched as she reached the center of the abyss — and stopped. Right beside her, just a meter off the ground, the twin orbs of dark and light hovered silently. And Zia, as always, handled the surreal moment like she was just ordering coffee.
"I'm sorry," she called out, glancing up with one hand shielding her eyes, "but is it possible for you to elevate me up there too, like you did with the redhead? It's kind of tiring to keep looking up. Strains the neck, you know... after years of looking down into phones."
She grinned as if she wasn't standing in the middle of something that had turned half the planet upside down. To be clear, the twin orbs were floating just above the ground, right next to her but the fraticle circle, Salva, Kaelen, and the rest of his team were far above, hovering seventy to a hundred meters up. And Zia? She stood calmly beneath it all, looking up, completely unfazed.
"It seems you really are the Garrior of the Dark Shadow," Kaelen said, gaze fixed down on her. "But I'm certain Herald cast the summoning field — it was meant to pull anyone with mana upwards."
He glanced sideways. "Unless..."
"...you don't have mana or any affinity to it," Herald finished with a grin, flipping into a horizontal float like he was lounging in mid-air. His eyes glittered with mischief and interest. "Yet you're the dark Garrior?"
He let out a soft whistle. "Now that's interesting."
"Why? Got a problem with your so-called dark Garrior not having magic?" Zia called out, indignant. "And sorry, but after this, I'm staying quiet. Yelling nonstop is a great way to lose your voice."
Kaelen tilted his head, but it was someone else who answered — the calm woman we'd earlier nicknamed Two, her voice smooth and easy. "No, the titles of Light and Dark Garrior are designation for host of the worlds. They're not based on your magic type. Each Light and Dark Garrior has their own affinity. It's entirely possible you don't have any magic type. That doesn't disqualify you."
Zia squinted upward, hands on hips. "You just said this role is for supreme hosts. And now you're telling me not having magic is totally fine?"
The woman smiled, patient. "Yes. It doesn't mean you don't exist."
"And who are you to decide that?"
"Oh, I'm Joren," she said simply.
"...Right. Of course, you are."
Herald chuckled from his midair recline. "Weren't you the one who said you were done yelling?"
Tt seems he was enjoying the situation. Honestly? Same. I was half a second away from asking for popcorn. Focus, Arien. Your sister is still up there.
"What are they doing?" Kael asked from beside me, blinking at the absurdity of the exchange.
Zia didn't miss a beat. "Yeah, well, turns out being forcibly drafted into world-saving nonsense gives me just enough adrenaline to override vocal fatigue."
She crossed her arms. "Besides, if you were the one without magic in a magic contest, you'd be yelling too."
Herald snorted. "Touché."
Herald, now completely horizontal midair with his chin in his palms, grinned down at her. "Honestly? You're taking this better than most."
Zia tilted her head. "So what? You—"
"I think we'd better stop here," Kaelen interrupted face-palming.
He straightened, voice shifting back to authority. "We must proceed with the induction. I have other responsibilities to attend to, and once the process is complete, the world will gradually return to normal."
That made the rooftop go quiet.
"This ceremony will mark the Garriors officially. From here, they will begin training under Saurus Headquarters. The rest of you—" his gaze swept across the people "—can prepare in your own ways to support or stand beside them. Training for the Garriors begins next week."
"Salva Snowwhite and Zia Riverbrook," Joren called. "Please step forward and place your hands on your respective orbs."
Salva, floating above, drifted closer to the white orb glowing with quiet energy.
Zia stood still for a moment. Then she sighed, muttered something about "biased transportation services," and walked to the black orb beside her.
The moment Salva and Zia's palms touched the orbs, something shifted. The white orb pulsed first. A radiant beam of light shot up from it, enveloping Salva and her figure blurred in the brightness, her auburn hair catching the light. At the same time, the black orb hissed. From it rose a thick, velvet-like smoke, curling around Zia. Unlike the light, it didn't shine. It absorbed everything. The space around her dimmed, and for a second, she looked like a silhouette. Neither of them moved. They didn't flinch. Didn't scream. Just stood completely still as the elements of their respective orbs engulfed them. We all stared, breath held. It felt like watching a door open to something we couldn't see. Even Herald stood silent now, arms folded behind his back, eyes locked on the scene with a hint of excitement.
Seconds passed. And then the circle they called fraticle circle started spinning.