The continent moved.
Not fast. Not violently.
But it moved.
Cid felt it beneath his feet the moment he stepped down—a slow, rhythmic shift, like standing on something alive that refused to acknowledge him.
The air was heavier here.
Watching.
Ava didn't slow down. "Keep moving."
Cid followed, eyes scanning everything.
The ground wasn't natural. Plates of stone layered over something darker. Veins of faint light pulsed between cracks, like the land itself had a heartbeat.
"…This place," Cid muttered.
"It's not a place," Ava said. "It's a test."
Ahead, structures rose—fortified, practical, built for survival rather than comfort. People moved with purpose. No wasted motion. No idle chatter.
Everyone here felt… sharpened.
Dangerous.
"You said there were guilds," Cid said.
"There are," Ava replied. "Eight major ones. They control most of what matters here."
"And yours?"
A brief pause.
"…We're not one of them."
That told him enough.
They stopped in front of a worn structure—reinforced, but aging. A faded banner hung above it, its symbol barely visible.
"This is us."
Cid raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't look like much."
"No," Ava said quietly. "But we're still alive."
Inside—
Cid felt it immediately.
Pressure.
Not physical.
Presence.
At the center of the room stood a man.
Tall. Broad. Still.
His presence filled the space without effort.
"…So this is him," the man said.
Ava stepped forward. "Cid."
The man's eyes locked onto him—then shifted slightly.
To his throat.
The mark.
Something flickered.
Interest.
"Come here," he said.
Cid hesitated.
Then stepped forward anyway.
Because something in the air made it clear—
Refusing wasn't an option.
"I'm Darius."
His voice was calm. Controlled.
But beneath it—
Power.
A spear rested in his hand. Simple at first glance.
Wrong, on second.
"You've already been noticed," Darius said.
Cid frowned. "Noticed by what?"
Darius smiled faintly.
"You'll understand."
He lifted the spear slightly—
For a moment—
Lightning flickered along its edge.
Not wild.
Controlled.
Precise.
Cid's mark reacted instantly.
A sharp pulse.
Darius saw it.
"…Interesting."
The lightning vanished.
"You'll be trained here," Darius continued. "Weapons. Movement. Survival."
"And in return?" Cid asked.
A small smile.
"You live long enough to matter."
Not an answer.
Cid noted that.
Later, outside—
"What aren't you telling me?" Cid asked.
Ava didn't stop walking.
"A lot," she said.
Cid exhaled.
"Figures."
That night—
He saw her.
A girl sitting near the edge of the camp.
Pink hair. Messy. Unkempt.
A staff rested beside her.
She looked… tired.
Not physically.
Something deeper.
Cid approached. "You're part of the guild?"
She startled slightly.
"…Yeah."
"Name?"
"…Ria."
"Cid."
A small nod.
Silence followed.
"I'm a mage," she added quickly. "Support type."
Like she had to justify existing.
Cid tilted his head. "That useful here?"
She hesitated.
"…Not really."
He didn't respond right away.
Then—
"Guess I'll find out."
She blinked.
Like she wasn't used to that answer.
The next morning—
Training began.