01.31 - Yellow, Special Electra Edition

“Wait,” said Vega, as the camera that had focused on Imbrius, Sarpedon, and Glaucus slowly panned to the entrance and focused on the new arrival.

“Isn’t that?” asked Kass, with barely contained surprise.

“Yes, I think it is,” confirmed Merope with a soft sigh.

Aqua, as well as Cuddles and the other Cuddle-Fish, could not quite follow the reason for their bewilderment.

“I think you’ve got some explaining to do,” said Kass sternly.

Back at the exam venue, all eyes were focused on a beautiful young woman with short blonde hair and dark eyes, wearing black and grey battle armor.

She did seem out of place compared to the ruffians and supposed former soldiers. Maybe between nineteen and twenty one, certainly not older. Neither skinny nor fat, with a well-trained physique, but with a style and class absent in the other attendees.

She took one long look at one of the translucent screens in the entrance hall that displayed the current point ranking next to the names and faces of the corresponding participants. Right now, the points were only based on the measured Core Tiers.

Imbrius, Sarpedon, and Glaucus returned confident smiles as her gaze shifted towards them.

She just shook her head and let out a disappointed sigh.

“The three of you might have a little potential,” she said in a dismissive tone. “But you have a long way to go until you pass.”

“Huh?” Imbrius' voice betrayed his animosity toward her attitude. “If you want to pick a fight, be my guest.”

Glaucus' right arm reached out to Imbrius’ shoulder, as he shook his head.

Ignoring the three men altogether, and without paying any attention to the receptionist nor any of the other clerks, the woman made her way to one of the transparent spheres.

“I am sorry,” said one of the clerks. “But we require prior registration and…”

The woman ignored the clerk as she walked right past him and channeled her Auro into the sphere. It began to shine even brighter than it had before, emitting an Orange hue. The received Aura throughput to the device was confirmed to equal that of an Exotic Orange Core.

The people in the crowd began to murmur, as the receptionist and clerks went into a low panic mode. Two left the room to inform the guild master of the unregistered troublemaker and inquire about the next steps in their reaction.

The woman meanwhile looked back at Imbrius with a grin. “If you want to pick a fight, be my guest.”

Back at the annex, all attention was focused on Merope.

“That…” she began. “Might have been my big sister.”

“Might?” asked Kass.

“That clearly is Electra!” said Vega. “But what is she doing there?”

“Our parents were always against any of us getting into trouble,” said Merope. “No frontline duty, officers' school, and rear guard position at worst. But Electra is the second oldest. She is her own woman now, so I guess she has finally decided to follow her passions.”

“But why would she just show up at the hunter exam?” asked Vega. “Judging by the commentators, she didn’t even register beforehand.”

The screen displaying the wired stream showed Electra being approached by two clerks, then following them into a corridor.

She reappeared about fifteen minutes later, and the translucent screen listed her Exotic Orange Core as the highest of all current participants, leaving Imbrius in a far-off second place, with his two comrades close behind.

The excited anchorman used her absence and the one-hour delay to give a short summary of her background, detailing all publicly disclosed information they could gather about her since her unannounced appearance and the forty-five minutes following her questioning.

Electra Pleiades. Second daughter of House Pleiades. Just turned nineteen years old on the seventh day of the seventh month. One of seven sisters. No prior registration with the authorities overseeing the hunter exam. No official connections to the guild master or any of the higher-ups.

“She has always been a bit eccentric,” said Merope. “I swear, I had no idea she would show up to the exam.”

“But,” said Cuddles. “Isn’t she really strong?”

“Going by her Core Tier alone,” said Aqua. “She is certainly a cut above the rest. But compared to…”

Aqua paused.

Vega looked at Aqua, then back at the screen.

Silence.

“Compared to what?” asked Merope.

“But, dear viewers at home,” said one of the Anchormen. “If you thought a daughter of House Pleiades joining the exam was today’s highlight on Arcana Maiora, you are in for a surprise. Keep to your seats. What you are about to witness, though known to the hunters guild beforehand, is sure to make history.”

Just as he spoke those words, the camera focused on the entrance of the venue once again.

The first to step into view was Mary Limner, mother of Hannah and Lucian, dressed in a black mantle that mirrored her void-colored hair and cat ears. Her crimson eyes looked confidently into the camera.

“'Shadow Legion',” said one anchorman. “One of the few Mythic rank hunters, now retired and a retainer to House Stellaris. It seems she has decided to add a whole new meaning to her name.”

Behind her trailed nine ghost-like dark specters with shining white fox masks, their bodies covered in a mist-like black miasma that seemed to ooze out into the room. Whispers, originating from the other participants and filled with a mixture of fear, awe, and bewilderment, echoed through the room as the specters followed Mary, who slowly stepped toward the receptionist.

“It certainly isn’t the first time that someone registers in disguise using an alias,” said one of the anchors. “But it is a first for a group of this size.”

“Well, not everyone is as forward as young Electra,” said another anchorman. “And House Stellaris isn’t exactly known for its transparency.”

“Be it as it may,” said the first. “The hunter’s guild was informed of this appearance in advance, and the guild master gave it his blessing.”