The crowd roared and the arena erupted, as Lirayn circled inside the large transparent dome atop a massive Seakin.
"It's only been FOUR years, folks! Four years since Lirayn formed her Link, and yet she's here — ready to fight for the title of a Professional Bonded! Along with her
Seakiiiinnn—!"
The announcer suddenly stopped
commentating, his earlier words echoing through the arena.
The crowd's cheering faltered and then stopped, confused expressions spreading across their faces as they stared at the Reverics from which the announcer's voice had come moments earlier.
After a brief pause, the announcer's voice returned.
"Wait… WAITWAITWAITWAIT! Folks! What Seakin is that?!" His voice cracked, and he swallowed audibly.
The confusion deepened, and the crowd instinctively leaned forward, their attention collectively snapping from Lirayn to the mysterious Seakin.
The Seakin had a long, streamlined, dark-grey body. Its form appeared almost translucent, with vibrant colours glowing faintly from beneath its outer skin, constantly shifting and flowing.
Two dark-blue, ribbon-like fins extended from either side of its body, fluttering gently as it moved within the dome.
Its tail was long, thin, and jet black, swaying slowly as the Seakin glided through the water.
It had grey eyes, a smooth, light-grey face, and a small mouth.
Dark markings originated above its eyes and ran along its body towards the tail, gradually blending into its darker tone.
Though the Seakin was massive, it bore no visible protective scales, its appearance almost fragile.
Yet the announcer stared at it in utter disbelief.
"Is… IS that a Selisyun?!" his astonished voice echoed through the arena.
The moment the words left his mouth, the crowd froze, their eyes locked onto the grey Seakin moving gracefully inside the dome.
Instructor Averin wore a similar expression as he studied the dark Seakin, slowly taking in its features.
Then the announcer spoke again.
"Are my eyes deceiving me, or is Lirayn REALLY riding atop The Warped Gazer of Eclipse?!"
A tense silence followed.
Then murmurs of surprise and disbelief rippled through the arena, slowly growing as time passed.
"There's no way it's a Selisyun, right?"
"Yeah, even if she's The Scarlet Saviour's daughter, she's only fourteen. There's no way she successfully formed a Link with a Selisyun."
Some faces showed confusion as people whispered among themselves.
"What's a Selisyun?"
...
"Huh? You don't know what a Selisyun is—"
The murmurs grew even louder with every passing second.
Then the announcer's voice rang out again, cutting them off.
"Wait, folks — rather than arguing amongst ourselves, how about we just ask Lirayn herself?"
A brief silence followed, then voices of agreement erupted, excitement lighting up the crowd as wide smiles spread on many faces.
A spherical Reveric slowly floated towards Lirayn, stopping a short distance away from her.
Lirayn stared at it, a small smile forming on her face as she tilted her head.
The announcer's voice emerged from the Reveric.
"Hey, Lirayn! Congratulations on passing all the procedures required to become a Professional Bonded!" he said, his voice warm and supportive.
Cheers and applause immediately followed, excitement still buzzing through the stands.
Lirayn slowly glanced around the arena, an awkward smile appearing on her face.
"Uhh… thank you, everyone," she said, her voice hesitant but cheerful.
The announcer chuckled.
"Hmmm… not as used to crowds as your mother, huh? Interesting," he said in an intrigued voice.
"Oh, no offense to the Scarlet Saviour, of course! Even though my life isn't nearly as important as hers, I still value it quite a bit!" he added.
Small bursts of laughter echoed through the arena as the atmosphere eased a little.
Lirayn scratched the back of her head, smiling awkwardly.
Then the announcer continued.
"Well, jokes aside, there's a very important question everyone here wants answered! and it just so happens that you're the only one who can answer it!"
Lirayn gently blinked, a confused expression forming on her face.
"Oh? What's the question?"
Silence fell again.
Then, announcer's voice echoed through the arena.
"Well! It just so happens that my eyes appear to be deceiving me! — making it look like you're currently riding a Selisyun!" he spoke in an astonished voice.
"And since I'd very much like to retain whatever respect people still have for me, I'd like to confirm whether you're REALLY riding a Selisyun… or if I just made a fool of myself by shouting its name at the top of my lungs." he added in a sarcastic tone.
Lirayn stared at the Reveric for a moment, giggled softly and turned towards the crowd.
"Well, I'm glad to say your eyes aren't deceiving you, Miralyth really is a Selisyun."
The arena exploded.
Gasps rippled through the crowd, eyes widening as shock spread like wildfire.
Whispers of disbelief echoed everywhere, everyone's eyes glued to Miralyth.
"Do you hear that, folks?! She — YES, SHE truly is an Elite-Grade Seakin! One of the most feared Lurers of the entire Eclipsed Reach! Behold —The Warped Gazer of Eclipse! A SELISYUN!!!"
Cheers erupted louder than ever, faces flushing red with excitement and shock.
"Okaaaay! NOW that we're absolutely certain of Miralyth's true species, let's not wait any longer and start the teeeeesssst!"
Several voices of agreement echoed through the arena.
"Now, Lirayn, for what RANK of Bondeds do you wish to test for?!" the announcer asked.
Everyone's gaze turned back to Lirayn from Miralyth, their expressions bursting with excitement.
Lirayn slowly swept her gaze across the arena, taking in the excited and expectant faces surrounding her, then took a deep breath.
"I… would like to test for Depth-Stage Twilight-Bonded Rank," Lirayn spoke in a low but steady voice.
The moment she finished speaking, expressions of disbelief washed over the crowd as the arena became completely silent.
Then murmurs and whispers began to spread, the initial excitement slowly fading from their faces.
"She wants to test for the same rank as Instructor Averin? At the mere age of fourteen?"
"Even if she's Solayn's daughter, why would she take such a risk?"
"Well, her mother achieved that rank around the same age, so she probably thinks she can too… tsk."
The murmurs continued, slowly growing louder.
Lirayn lowered her gaze to the ground, her expression gradually darkening as she tightly clenched her fingers into fists.
'I knew this would happen…'
Instructor Averin glanced around the arena before turning to Lirayn, his smile slowly fading.
"Lirayn… I definitely admire your confidence. Even mustering the courage to attempt for such a high rank is no easy task," the announcer spoke in a low voice for the first time.
"But I'd like it if you reconsidered. Even with a Selisyun, attempting the Depth-Stage Twilight-Bonded Rank at such a young age—"
"I will allow it," Averin spoke, cutting him off.
Every gaze snapped towards Averin, whose expression had turned cold.
"I see no problem with her attempting the test for the same rank as me," he said firmly.
The arena fell silent once more, tension hanging in the air as confused expressions spread across many faces.
Then, the announcer's voice reverberated through the arena.
"Instructor Averin, I understand that you dislike discouraging others once they've made up their minds," the announcer began carefully, "but Lirayn is still only fourte—"
"So?" Averin interrupted again.
The announcer fell silent. So did the crowd. Everyone staring at Averin's cold face.
Lirayn slowly lifted her gaze towards Averin, an unexplainable expression forming on her face.
Averin scanned the arena for a brief moment before speaking again.
"What's wrong with her attempting the test for the same rank as me?"
Everyone listened intently, eyebrows furrowing as restrained sighs rippled through parts of the arena.
"And even if she wishes to attempt the test, what makes you think you're qualified to judge her actions?" Averin asked coldly.
"Do you truly believe she wouldn't have discussed this with her mother? Or do you think yourselves more qualified than Solayn, the Scarlet Saviour, to judge her capabilities before the test even begins?"
He spoke without hesitation, his voice firm as he criticized the crowd.
Lirayn stared at him, her expression shifting to quiet shock.
Averin turned his gaze around the arena, then continued.
"Everything else aside, taming a Selisyun at the age of fourteen is more than enough justification for her to take the test, don't you think?"
The silence lingered.
Slowly, most of the crowd lowered its gaze, but faint scoffs and mocking remarks about Averin could still be heard from some stands.
Averin glanced towards the faint sounds drifting from the stands and sighed, then blinked gently and turned back to the crowd.
"Well? It seems most of you have realized your mistake, but some of you..." Averin sighed again. "Forget it, let's just forget this interaction."
Confusion flickered across the crowd's faces.
A small smile appeared on Averin's face.
"First, let me apologize for speaking so harshly. As you all know, I'm like that sometimes — words slip out," he said lightly. "So… sorry."
He folded his hands calmly.
"Still, judging Lirayn solely by her age was wrong. Many exceptionally talented individuals achieved my rank at her age, right here in this arena."
Guilt crept through parts of the crowd, but most still wore tense expressions, many staring at Averin with unforgiving eyes.
Averin glanced at the stands.
He lowered his gaze to the ground and took a short breath, his smile slowly fading, then turned back to the people.
"Well, I understand if you don't agree with me. Judging someone's capabilities by age isn't right, but being skeptical because they're young is understandable. It's human nature." Averin spoke, his voice calm.
He continued gently.
"But even then, Lirayn tamed a Selisyun. Even if Mrs. Solayn helped her, though I'm certain she didn't, Lirayn still had to form the Link herself. That alone should be enough to show what she's capable of, don't you think?" Averin spoke in a gentle but questioning voice.
A few nods appeared among the crowd.
"Well… let's forget even that. Most of you probably don't know how difficult it truly is to form a Link, especially at such a young age. And I don't blame you for it. It isn't your work, so why should you care?"
The tension in the arena eased a little.
"But if you didn't know about all that Bonded stuff, why did you raise your voice to criticize her? That's not right, is it?" Averin questioned.
Some of the crowd slowly lowered their gazes again.
...
Averin sighed again, deeply this time.
"Though I agree with you, even I don't think she'll be able to get the Depth-Stage Twilight-Bonded Rank in the test. She simply hasn't had enough time to work on her Link... she couldn't have," Averin said in a low voice.
Lirayn gasped, then slowly turned her gaze from Averin to the ground, letting out a soft sigh.
Averin looked at her for a moment and gently smiled.
"But that's just an assumption — it doesn't mean it's completely certain that she won't be able to pass the test," he said, his voice encouraging.
Lirayn hastily lifted her gaze to him in disbelief.
"Besides, I've been her teacher for quite some time now, and I've seen all the hard work she's poured into everything she does. So, even if it seems unlikely, I want to believe in her," Averin added softly.
He then turned back to the crowd.
"Though very unlikely, I truly believe she has what it takes to achieve the Depth-Stage Twilight-Bonded Rank, and I wouldn't be surprised if she surpasses me here, in the Arena." Averin's voice was confident
He scanned the crowd, his expression expectant.
"I have complete faith that she'll do well in the test," he said, slightly turning his head.
"So, I request all of you to please have some faith too."
For a moment, the crowd remained silent.
Then, a few cheers and words of encouragement, mixed with quiet apologies, drifted towards Lirayn.
She slowly turned her gaze towards them, astonished.
"See that, folks? Those words were DEFINITELY more valuable than my entire EXISTENCE!!" The announcer's voice echoed through the arena.
A few chuckled, but most remained quiet, staring at Averin.
A spherical Reveric slowly moved towards Lirayn.
She turned to face it.
"Lirayn… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you. I didn't realize you must've thought about it so thoroughly before taking such a risk, and I completely demotivated you…" the announcer said.
Lirayn stared at the Reveric for a moment, then smiled softly.
"It's fine… I'm sure I would've done the same if I were in your place," she said.
A moment of silence passed, then the announcer's voice returned.
"Thank you… truly."
Another pause followed before he spoke again.
"Okay, folks! Now that I've lost all my non-existent respect and, thankfully, been forgiven by my MOST favorite Drifter, let's start the teeeesssst!"
Low, hesitant cheers slowly rose from the stands.
The announcer's voice rang out once more.
"But before we start! I shamelessly must ask our beautiful and talented Drifter, Lirayn, if she still truly wants to take the test for the Depth-Stage Twilight-Bonded Rank!!!"
Lirayn lowered her gaze, then slowly looked at Averin.
His pleasant smile met her gaze, and he gave her a slow nod.
A small smile appeared on Lirayn's face as she turned to the spherical Reveric.
"Of course! I still truly want to take that test."