A few days later…
The month of June drew to a close and with it, the arrival of the Academy's newest knight graduates.
Inside the Third Division's main training facility, a handful of knights relaxing after their morning drills turned toward the entrance as a newcomer stepped through the doors.
A young man named Robert Green…
"You're the new guy, right?" One of the knights asked, approaching him with a friendly smile. "Welcome to the club." He held up a hand, but Robert ignored it, his expression cold.
"You little brat," Another knight muttered, annoyed, but the first knight raised a hand to stop him. "Captain?"
The first knight shook his head, smirking. "You must think you're some hotshot, huh?" He chuckled.
Robert huffed, his stance exuding confidence. "For your information, I'm the first recruit Academy recruit to earn an A-class certification before graduating."
The Captain raised a brow. "Good for you, kid." He commented, and the knights around smiled, catching on to the Captain's playful teasing.
Robert's glare sharpened. "You're looking down on me."
"I didn't say anything," The Captain replied with an innocent shrug.
Robert scoffed, arms folded. "Well, I'll prove you all wrong when I challenge those guys."
"Who?" The Captain asked, noticing the sudden frustration in Robert's eyes.
"Even though I became the literal strongest recruit in the Academy's history," Robert said, his gaze darkening. "… the only ones people talked about were those two."
The Captain and the other knights then smiled knowingly.
"So you're basically an attention-seeking brat?" The Captain asked.
Robert's glare intensified.
The Captain shook his head. "If you're only in this for recognition, it's no wonder they didn't take you seriously," He added with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"What?" Robert growled, his fists clenched at his sides.
The Captain shrugged. "Even though they're new, they've proven to be trustworthy allies. Hell, even their recruit, who could barely hold a conversation months ago, has saved my guys' asses."
The knights in particular nodded in agreement behind him.
Robert clicked his tongue. "So you're just another one of their fans," He muttered.
"It's called respect, kid," The Captain said, his tone firm. "It's not something you get just by being stronger than everyone." He gave Robert's body one glance. "I don't know exactly why they joined the knights, but… I can tell they're serious. As a fellow knight, I respect that."
Robert scoffed. "We'll see if you still have that look once I beat them." He said as he brushed past the Captain, who grabbed his shoulder to stop him.
"Don't tell me that's the only reason you joined our division." The Captain said, his tone threatening.
Robert shrugged off the hold and shot a side glare. "It was the only way to get close to them. Once I'm done, I'll transfer to the First Division."
"Ugh… I hate those guys," One knight muttered, some others murmuring agreement.
"I heard they usually train here around this time," Robert said, narrowing his eyes. "So I'm going to challenge them now. Especially that Dominic everyone loves so much."
The Captain noticed the young mage's pride and let out a small laugh. "You know what? Go ahead. These drills were getting boring anyway." He said, amused.
Robert smirked as he walked through the gym, the knights following curiously.
"Are you sure you want to watch? It's going to be a brutal beat-down," Robert said confidently.
"Yeah. For you," A knight replied, earning laughter from the others.
"Look, kid," The Captain said, drawing Robert's attention. "One thing school doesn't teach you is that magic class isn't fixed value-it's a spectrum. I'm an A-class too, but…" He turned his gaze to Robert, green eyes glowing menacingly. "… do you think you can beat me?"
Robert stiffened as he felt the Captain's green aura. He knew instinctively he couldn't match it yet. "But…" He started, still confident, "Dominic and Dae just got assigned A-class recently. I've had more experience with it."
The Captain laughed. "I had the same idea months ago." He said, cracking his neck as he recalled. "I've been the second sub-division's captain for years and one of the strongest knights in the entire division."
His men nodded proudly behind him.
"When Dom started gaining attraction as a captain. I got pissed off too. I hated the idea of some nobody showing me up." He added, Robert's gaze darkened as his words seemed identical to what he aimed to do. "So I confronted him. The same way you're trying to. What do you think happened?"
Robert stared at the Captain for a moment, his keen eyes gauging his power from his radiating aura.
"You just thought I won, didn't you?" The Captain asked, noticing Robert's stare.
Robert nodded silently, a gesture that made the Captain grin.
"I lost."
Robert stiffened, those simple words carrying a powerful significance.
The Captain looked away, his eyes distant in memory. "It wasn't even a fight. Dom completely wiped the floor with me." He said, closing his eyes as he recalled his defeated form on the ground with a shadow standing over him, blue eyes locked onto him like a predator that had trapped its prey.
He flinched as he opened his eyes; his gaze darkened. "That kid's a monster."
Robert gulped subconsciously just as a knight drew his attention with a tap.
"I'm an A-class too. A swordswoman." She said, gesturing to the sword strapped to her hip. "So I challenged Dae to protect my pride just like Boss did… but I also lost."
"Just as terribly too." Another knight commented, earning laughs from the others, including the sword-woman herself.
The knights continued recounting stories of Dom and Dae's prowess, each tale chipping away at Robert's confidence.
Finally, the Captain grabbed Robert's shoulder, stopping him beside the weight section. "Listen." He said, his voice stern. "These kids have beaten high-class missions on their own. Something that would require multiple sub-divisions."
"They also survived and managed to injure a Monarch successor." The swords-woman added, the very concept sending a chill up Robert's spine.
"These guys are not normal. Don't underestimate them." The Captain warned.
At first, Robert frowned, his mind almost giving in… but pride took over, and he rudely pushed the Captain off his shoulder. "I'm tired of hearing that. I'll prove you all wrong," He grumbled, moving forward toward the rising sounds of cheering and gunfire.
The Captain sighed as he and the others followed.
Once they arrived at the open area, built for open mage combat, they found a small group of knights cheering at something. Robert pushed through, ignoring curses and side comments, until he reached the front—and froze.
One of his targets stood alone in the center of the large space, encircled by a circular stone wall. Behind the wall, spectators watched from safety, while a dozen knights loaded automatic rifles, aiming at Dae from every angle.
Dae wiped sweat from his face, surveying the muzzles aimed at him.
"You sure you still want to go? You've already eaten over 500 bullets," One shooter called.
Dae sighed, lowering into a stance, training swords at his sides. "It doesn't matter. I need to perfect this," He said. "Give it your all." His eyes gleamed with a bright intensity, earning cheers from the crowd.
Robert opened his mouth to speak: "What is he…" He stopped, stunned once his gaze dropped to Dae's feet.
Hundreds of bullets had already fallen, shredded into scraps around him.
"I'd stand back if I were you," The Captain warned.
Confused, Robert turned, only to see the knights open fire.
Instantly, Dae's eyes closed, swords raised, electricity sparking around his body. As the world slowed around him, he opened his eyes and struck.
His movements blurred, too fast even for experienced mages to follow.
Bullets rained from all directions, yet each was deflected or sliced apart, the shards scattering into the air and the floor.
Robert's jaw tightened. His eyes couldn't see Dae's arms move at all; even the traces of light were barely detectable. It occurred to him at that moment that if they were to fight--Dae's sword would cut him down before he even registered the slash.
A stray bullet suddenly bounced off Dae's blade, flying straight toward the frozen Robert—until a segment of the stone wall stretched out, intercepting it just in time.
Robert's breath caught once he finally realized what just happened. His startled aura flared as he turned to the Captain.
"I warned you," The Captain said, lowering his finger, his green mana fading while the cracked stone collapsed harmlessly, the bullet buried in the debris.
Robert turned back to Dae, eyes wide. He couldn't react to a single bullet, but Dae not only reacted to dozens--he also defended against all of them effortlessly.
As the shooters' magazines emptied and bullets clattered harmlessly to the floor, Robert's bitter conclusion solidified once Dae straightened, a calm breath escaping his mouth as he sheathed his blades.
I can't fight him.
A shout then drew his attention to the side.
Pushing through the crowd again, he saw knights looking up. He followed their gaze and gasped once he saw a young mage laughing in amusement while Dom carried him into the air.
The knight touched the ceiling—about thirty feet above the ground.
Robert's eyes widened at the sight. "He can fly?" He whispered.
"Not exactly," The Captain said, walking beside him.
Robert's confusion deepened as he watched Dom's trick.
Using rapid, precisely timed kicks that created tiny sonic bursts beneath him, Dom remained suspended in the air-- essentially bouncing off the atmosphere itself as he slowly descended.
"See? It's not that hard," Dom said with a smirk.
"There's no way. You're the only one with the leg strength for that," The flustered knight muttered as he adjusted his clothes.
Dom shrugged as others approached.
"Don't you get tired of all that kicking?" Someone asked.
"You'll get used to it," Dom replied.
"That's impossible for me," An older knight said, rubbing her lap. "I get cramps just by running around for too long."
Dom grimaced. "Don't remind me. One time I went too high and cramped both legs at the same time." He grumbled, rubbing his back as he recalled the pain. "My back still hurts."
The knights laughed fondly, and Dom smiled before spotting a familiar face.
"Captain Mustang," He called, waving as he walked over.
The Captain beside the still-shocked Robert smirked as he stepped forward. "Captain Dom," He said as they bumped fists. "How've you been?"
"Good. Hey, my birthday's next month. Planning a party at my place. You in?" Dom asked casually.
"Will there be booze?" Mustang asked.
Dom shrugged. "I don't drink… but I'll see what I can do."
"Then I'm in," Mustang said with a cheeky grin, then remembered something. "Oh yeah. Someone here is itching to meet you." He gestured toward Robert behind them.
Dom looked at Robert, then raised a brow in confusion at the intense glare directed at him. "Um… do I know you?" He asked, curious.
Meanwhile, Robert focused only on his trembling fists and sweat-soaked face. As he stared at Dom's face, his animal instincts, amplified by his beast lineage, screamed one thing:
Run.
First, it was Dae… and now Dom. His instincts had told him to flee. They had registered them as monsters that would devour him like prey. Angered by his inferiority, he stepped forward.
Dom's eyes narrowed as brown fur sprouted along Robert's arms, nails elongating into sharp claws.
"Dominic. My name is Robert Green, and I'm here to—" He froze, suddenly unable to finish his sentence.
Both Dom and Mustang stared, confused as Robert suppressed the transformation; his body was stiff like stone, his pupils wide and his face paled at the sudden presence of another approaching beast.
"Dom! Dom!" Lucy shouted, running up with a cylindrical beverage in hand. "You've got to try this!"
Dom finally looked away from Robert as she shoved the beverage in his face. Curious, he sipped, and his eyes widened at the sweet, milky flavor. "Damn. What is this?" He asked as he took another sip.
"It's called a smoothie. Big Sis gave me a whole bunch with different flavors," Lucy said as she took it back for a sip.
Dom smiled as he examined the brand. "These will be perfect for the party." He commented.
Lucy's eyes gleamed at Dom's smile--then she noticed Robert staring at her. "Who's that?" She asked.
Robert flinched, sweat dripping from his face. His instincts screamed at him, louder than ever-- even though Lucy wasn't hostile in any way, her body gave off a dangerous presence-- the mark of a predator, while his resembled that of a prey.
"He's… um… sorry, what was your name again?" Dom asked.
Robert's gaze darted between them, then at Dae wiping his face with a towel while some knights talked to him in the distance. Even without a fight, he knew the truth: these three mages were leagues beyond him.
"N-n-never mind. Sorry to… bother you," He said meekly, then retreated.
Mustang and his men laughed while Lucy and Dom frowned at them, confused.
"What was that about?" She asked.
"No idea," Dom said, shooting Mustang a sceptical glance before smiling as he tasted the drink lingering on his lips. "Hey, can you ask Zoe where I can get more of this?"
Lucy nodded, taking another sip, then spotted Dae taking a seat on a nearby bench. "Hey, Dae. You have to try this!" She shouted excitedly as she ran off to show Dae the drink.
Meanwhile, Robert trudged toward the gym exit, dark defeat in his eyes. "Even though we're the same class, the difference… is that much?" He muttered, disbelief filled his mind while he clenched his fists. "Impossible."
Absorbed in thought, he accidentally bumped into someone.
"Hey! Watch where you—"
The words died once he found himself staring at the shadow looming over him. He shivered as he instantly recognized that towering height, built muscles, and experienced war-trained red eyes looking down at him.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Dragon." He muttered, hoping the ground would swallow him whole for being rude to the last Great Monarch. "I didn't mean to—"
"It's alright," Anthony said, smiling kindly, a stark contrast to his monstrous form. "We all have bad days, right?" He paused to scan Robert's face closely. "I've never seen you before. New recruit?"
"Y-yes, sir," Robert stammered.
Anthony nodded. "Alright then. Good work." He offered a thumb-up and walked past.
Robert's jaw dropped at the thought of not only breathing the same air but also talking to a living legend. As Anthony walked past, Robert's shivered once he noticed the equally tall man beside Anthony-- his right-hand man and successor, Roy.
A single glance from Roy's white eyes made him cower like a shivering puppy.
Anthony greeted a few surrounding knights before smiling once he spotted a certain white-haired man. "Yo! Dom! Got a second?!" He called, waving.
Dom grinned and waved back.
Robert's mind nearly shattered. A living legend—the last Monarch—was speaking to Dom as if they were childhood friends. Even the cold-hearted Roy seemed to warm up as Dae greeted him while Lucy hugged Zoe, the Dragon's rumored woman.
"I warned you," Mustang said with a cocky smile. "I've been a Captain for years, but I've never met a team like theirs."
He watched as Dom and Dae conversed with Anthony, while Lucy happily ranted to Zoe.
"I don't know where Dom crawled out from," Mustang continued, folding his arms with pride at the sight, "… but if he keeps this up, he might make that team into this country's next big squad."
Robert's gaze burned with frustration and jealousy-- those were the same praises that lingered in the Academy when they were still recruits. But now that he had seen them for himself, he was powerless to deny the truth.