Everyone’s Here

The noise of the capital could be heard from far away.

People flowed endlessly through the streets. Some hurried toward the stadium, others stopped in front of shops, and some were already arguing about who would make it through the next stage of the selection.

After a week-long break, the selection trials were finally resuming.

Because of that, the capital felt even livelier than usual.

Autumn had only just begun. The leaves were barely starting to turn yellow, but the air was already growing cooler, especially in the shadows between buildings.

Tesi walked with the crowd without the slightest hurry.

I’ll pick up Noksi first. He’s staying pretty close to here anyway.

Near the stadium stood a large stone building connected to the castle wall.

During the selection, it served as a dormitory for participants who had come to the capital from other towns and villages. They ate there, slept there, and spent their free time between the trials.

Noksi was staying there too.

Tesi left the main street and stepped inside.

People started looking at him the moment he entered the first corridor.

Today, Tesi looked as though he had traveled through several different countries on his way to the capital and bought one piece of clothing in each of them.

His loose, light-gray trousers ended slightly above his ankles. Long white socks covered the rest of his legs, leaving almost no skin visible. On his feet were simple, soft slippers.

He wore a loose, light-colored short-sleeved top, with a knitted sweater draped over his shoulders. He wasn’t actually wearing it—the body of the sweater hung down his back while its long sleeves were brought around the front and loosely tied across his chest.

To put it mildly, it was an unusual look for the capital.

The participants passing him first stared out of simple curiosity. But once they noticed that he was heading deeper into the dormitory, their expressions gradually became more cautious.

Tesi couldn’t have cared less.

He had almost reached the stairs when flames suddenly appeared in front of him.

One of the mages stretched out his hand.

The fire gathered in his palm and, within moments, formed into a long spear.

Its burning tip stopped directly in front of Tesi.

“Stop.”

Tesi stopped.

The dormitory was guarded by mages belonging to the squads of different Astras.

There were four of them here, and each belonged to a different squad. Their cloaks made that obvious—they were different colors and bore different insignias.

One of the men wore a purple cloak.

Tesi had seen Falimon wearing the same color before, which meant this mage belonged to his squad.

The other three hadn’t drawn any weapons.

Yet.

The mage holding the flaming spear looked Tesi up and down.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?”

“Me?”

Tesi glanced at the burning spearhead.

“I came to pick up one of the participants. I’ll wait for him and leave.”

The guard frowned.

“You stand out quite a bit for someone who’s just waiting for somebody. No cloak, no squad insignia. Who exactly are you?”

Tesi thought for a moment.

“I’m waiting for my brother.”

“Your brother?”

“Yeah. I’m a merchant myself. I carry goods from different countries. Picked up clothes here and there too.”

Tesi lightly tugged at one of the sweater sleeves tied across his chest.

“If you ever need anything, let me know. You’re mages, after all. You protect people. I give discounts to good people.”

The guard stared at him silently for several seconds.

“Don’t need anything.”

“You never know.”

“Just get outside. If you’re waiting for your brother, wait there.”

“Fine.”

Tesi was already about to turn around when the mage suddenly asked,

“What’s your brother’s name?”

Tesi stopped.

“Noksi.”

A short silence followed.

“…Noksi?”

“Yeah. Noksi.”

The mage’s expression changed.

“What brother?”

Tesi slowly turned back.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean exactly what I said. Noksi is an orphan. He has no father, no mother, no brothers. No family at all.”

The other three guards immediately stopped looking around and focused on Tesi.

The mage in the purple cloak narrowed his eyes.

“He lived at the academy for several years. I remember him myself. He was just younger back then.”

Tesi said nothing.

“You’re hiding something, merchant.”

Just a moment ago, everything had been going rather smoothly.

Now all four mages were looking at him completely differently.

The one holding the flaming spear pulled it back slightly, preparing to strike. The mage in the purple cloak stepped to the side, blocking the path to the stairs. The other two spread out.

They hadn’t summoned weapons, but Tesi could feel mana beginning to gather around them.

The corridor gradually fell silent.

Several participants stopped along the walls.

Some peeked out from their rooms.

Others hurried to put more distance between themselves and what was happening.

The four mages from four different Astra squads no longer looked at Tesi like some strange merchant.

Now they looked at him like an intruder who had entered the dormitory for some unknown reason.

Tesi still hadn’t even taken his hands out of his pockets.

They really take security seriously around here.

He slowly looked from one mage to the next.

Taking care of four mages wouldn’t be difficult.

A pause.

But I really don’t want the trouble.

Another pause.

And it doesn’t look like they’re planning on letting me leave anymore.

Tesi thought for a moment.

What do normal people even do in situations like this?

The mage with the flaming spear moved first.

He stepped forward and began to thrust.

But before he could, a hand grabbed his wrist from the side.

“It’s fine.”

Everyone turned.

Noksi stood on the stairs.

He walked down several steps and released the mage’s arm.

“He really is my brother.”

Tesi slowly turned his head toward Noksi.

The guard looked at him as though things had somehow become even more suspicious.

“Noksi…”

“I only found out a few days ago myself,” Noksi continued with a completely serious expression. “He only managed to find me recently too. That’s why none of you knew.”

“…That still sounds strange.”

“I know. But it’s fine.”

Noksi pointed at Tesi.

“This is Tesi. My older brother.”

Tesi’s eyebrow rose slightly.

The mage looked between Noksi and Tesi for a while.

At last, the flaming spear disappeared.

“…Fine. Go.”

As Tesi passed Noksi, he gave him a light pat on the shoulder.

The two left the dormitory and blended into the stream of people heading toward the stadium.

Tesi stayed silent for several dozen meters.

Then he looked at Noksi.

“You really came out at the perfect time.”

“What?”

Noksi smiled.

“You could’ve beaten those four, couldn’t you?”

“And then what? Spend the rest of the day hiding from everyone in the capital?”

“You can change your appearance.”

Tesi looked at him.

“You think walking around in someone else’s body all the time is pleasant?”

“Don’t know. Never tried it.”

“Exactly.”

Noksi walked beside him in silence for a while.

Tesi shoved his hands deeper into his pockets.

“Well, since you’re part of Mariyard now, congratulations again, by the way…”

“Thanks.”

“…I’ll teach you one thing.”

Noksi turned toward him.

“If you can avoid a fight, avoid it.”

Noksi clearly hadn’t expected that.

“Why?”

“That’s too broad a question.”

Tesi kept walking.

“Just remember this. Sometimes running away is better than fighting.”

Crowds were still moving toward the stadium around them.

“All those stories about how a true mage has to stand his ground until the end, about honorable opponents and beautiful deaths—leave them at the academy. Or wherever they teach that kind of thing.”

Noksi frowned.

“What if someone else is depending on you?”

“That’s different.”

Tesi glanced at him.

“I’m not telling you to abandon people and save yourself. I’m talking about pointless pride.”

They left the crowded street and turned into a quieter alley.

“One day, you might meet something you simply can’t defeat.”

Tesi spoke calmly.

“And when that happens, it’s smarter to run and find someone who can deal with it than to die just because you thought retreating was shameful.”

He shrugged.

“Dead honor isn’t much use to anyone.”

Noksi looked at him from the side.

That’s a strange thing to hear from someone who was calmly standing in front of four mages from different Astra squads just a few minutes ago.

Then he remembered that the same man belonged to Mariyard.

That only made Tesi’s words sound even stranger.

“Consider that your first lesson,” Tesi added.

“First?”

“Yeah. You’re in the squad now. I should probably say something intelligent every once in a while.”

Noksi snorted.

“So where are we going?”

“To get the others.”

“The others?”

“I invited two more.”

Noksi stopped.

“There’ll be three of us?”

“For now.”

Noksi glanced toward the stadium.

“…Wait. What about the selection?”

“Your selection is already over.”

“That easily?”

Tesi looked at him.

“You chose Mariyard yourself. Unless you’ve already changed your mind?”

“No.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Noksi thought about it for a moment and didn’t say anything else.

“So who are the other two?”

Instead of answering, Tesi placed a hand on his shoulder.

The world shifted.

One second earlier, the noise of the capital surrounded them.

The next, a forest path lay beneath their feet.

Noksi blinked.

The area around them looked strangely empty.

No.

There had once been a forest here.

Now both sides of the road were covered with broken trunks, uprooted trees, and scorched earth. It looked as though something had exploded right in the middle of the forest and erased everything around it.

Noksi slowly looked around.

“What happened here?”

“Where?”

“Tesi.”

“Hmm?”

“There’s almost no forest left.”

“Oh.”

Tesi looked around as if he had only just remembered.

“Well… let’s just say it was a test.”

“What kind of test?”

“To prove that I really was from Mariyard.”

Noksi looked at the destroyed forest again.

Then at Tesi.

“So someone didn’t believe you?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought I was the only one.”

Tesi smiled slightly.

“Do you believe me?”

“Yeah.”

Tesi suddenly laughed.

“What?”

“Nothing. You’re funny, Noksi.”

“Why?”

“Because you believed me.”

He started walking down the path.

“Come on. There’s a small village beyond the forest. The next one lives there.”

Noksi gave the ruined forest one last look and followed him.

After some time, rooftops appeared between the trees.

The village was small and quiet.

A few streets.

Low houses.

Vegetable gardens.

Sheds.

Wooden fences.

After coming straight from the capital, the silence almost felt unnatural.

The two walked along the main street until Tesi stopped.

Behind one of the houses, a familiar boy was working in a garden.

Chisato was helping his mother.

“Found him,” Tesi said.

Noksi looked in the same direction.

Tesi walked up to the fence.

“Hey, Chisato.”

Chisato raised his head.

When he saw Tesi, he froze for a moment before straightening.

“Tesi.”

His gaze shifted to Noksi.

“Who’s that?”

“Noksi. He joined Mariyard too.”

“I see.”

Chisato put down what he was holding and looked at Tesi.

“So I’m guessing you came to get me?”

“Exactly.”

Chisato looked toward the house.

“Do I at least have time to say goodbye to my family?”

“Why wou—”

Tesi stopped himself.

“…Yeah. Of course.”

“Okay.”

Chisato headed toward the house.

At that moment, his mother came out through the door carrying two buckets.

She noticed her son and asked him something.

Chisato walked over to her.

Tesi stayed by the fence.

He leaned against it and looked up at the sky.

Noksi, meanwhile, found himself listening.

“Mom, I joined a squad,” Chisato said. “So I have to leave for a while.”

His mother stopped moving.

“Now?”

“Yeah.”

“For how long?”

Chisato stayed silent for a moment.

“I don’t know yet.”

Then he smiled.

“But I’ll write. And I’ll come back whenever I can.”

His mother placed the buckets on the ground.

For several seconds, she simply looked at him.

Then she stepped forward and hugged him.

“Come home whenever you can, Chisato. And take care of yourself.”

“I will.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Mom.”

Noksi looked away.

Something suddenly felt heavy in his chest.

He didn’t understand why.

Chisato was simply saying goodbye to his mother.

That was all.

Noksi had probably seen scenes like this dozens of times before.

And yet, for some reason, watching it now was difficult.

He wished there were someone waiting for him to come home.

Someone who worried about him.

Someone who would scold him for not writing for too long.

Someone who would ask whether he had eaten.

Someone who would tell him to be careful.

Noksi clenched his fingers.

Not long ago, back at the dormitory, something strange had stirred inside him when Tesi called himself his brother.

He hadn’t thought much about it then.

And afterward, he had walked out and said:

This is Tesi. My older brother.

Noksi had never called anyone that before.

And no one had ever called him their brother either.

Even now, he didn’t fully understand what he had felt in that moment.

Or why trusting Tesi came so naturally to him.

He knew only one thing.

He liked the feeling.

“I’m ready.”

Noksi raised his head.

Chisato was already standing beside them again.

Tesi pushed away from the fence.

“Said your goodbyes?”

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s go.”

“Where now?”

Tesi walked over and placed one hand on each of their shoulders.

“To get the last one.”

The world vanished again.

The village.

The houses.

The gardens.

All of it disappeared in an instant.

When their surroundings returned, a large estate stood before them.

They were on a road about fifty meters away from the house.

The estate itself stood on top of a high cape.

Behind it, the land dropped sharply about thirty meters down, and beyond that stretched an enormous lake all the way to the horizon.

Noksi looked up at the estate.

Chisato looked first at the house, then at the lake behind it.

Tesi removed his hands from their shoulders.

“Here we are.”

He started walking.

“One left.”

They approached the house.

Tesi didn’t even have time to raise his hand to knock before the door opened.

Vasi stood in the doorway.

He looked first at Tesi, then at Chisato and Noksi.

“You two are the ones this weirdo invited?”

“Yeah,” Chisato answered.

“I see.”

Vasi stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

“Well, I’m ready. Do I need to swear some kind of oath or something?”

“Don’t rush.”

“What?”

“Did you tell your parents you joined a squad and might be gone for who knows how long?”

“I told them the day I decided to join.”

Tesi nodded.

“Got it. Then come over here.”

Vasi took several steps.

Then stopped.

He turned around.

The house stood at the edge of the high cape.

From there, the lake and the forests surrounding it stretched wide below.

The sun was already leaning toward the horizon, its rays piercing through the branches and laying long strips of gold across the ground.

A gentle wind moved through the leaves.

Small ripples spread across the surface of the lake.

Vasi watched the view in silence for several seconds.

The house.

The lake.

The place where he had spent most of his life.

As though he wanted to remember it exactly like this.

“Vasi. Come on already,” Tesi called.

“I’m coming.”

Vasi turned away from the house.

He didn’t look back again.

Now all three stood in front of Tesi.

Chisato.

Noksi.

Vasi.

Tesi watched them for several seconds.

Not long ago, they had been just three people among nearly a hundred participants in the selection.

Now they stood together.

The future of his squad.

Each of them had their own fears.

Their own doubts.

Their own problems.

Tesi had no intention of solving those things for them.

But he hoped that one day, each of them would overcome whatever was holding them back and choose what they truly wanted.

Tesi extended his hands.

“Well then. Let’s go.”

He touched all three of them.

The world disappeared.

A moment later, they were standing in the middle of an enormous field.

Yellow grass rose to just below their knees and stretched all the way to the horizon.

A narrow path cut through it, vanishing somewhere far ahead.

The sun was already setting.

The sky shifted between gold, orange, and pale red.

A pleasant wind moved across the field.

A strange wind.

It didn’t feel cold.

It didn’t feel warm either.

As though temperature itself had stopped mattering in this place.

Tesi walked several steps along the path and stopped.

He turned toward them.

This time, there was no familiar smile on his face.

“Before we go any farther, I want to make one thing clear.”

The three looked at him.

“I’ve already told each of you this. You don’t leave Mariyard.”

Tesi looked at them one by one.

“And every one of you chose to join on your own. As of now, you’re already members of Mariyard.”

The wind swept across the field, bending the yellow grass.

“Normally, that would be the end of it.”

Tesi paused.

“But before you go any farther, I’m making an exception.”

Noksi frowned slightly.

“The first and the last.”

Tesi looked straight at the three of them.

“If, now that you’re here, you realize this isn’t the path you chose…”

“If you only followed me because you saw my strength…”

“If you were simply drawn in by the name Mariyard…”

“Or if you’re here because your parents, your country, your academy, or anyone else wanted you to be…”

He paused.

“Say it now.”

Only the wind could be heard across the field.

“I’ll let you go now.”

Tesi looked at each of them.

“But there won’t be another chance.”

No one spoke.

Not Chisato.

Not Noksi.

Not Vasi.

None of them said they wanted to leave.

Tesi hadn’t expected any of them to turn back.

Even so.

He had to ask.

“Good.”

A faint smile returned to his face.

“Then get ready.”

“For what?” Noksi asked.

And in the next instant, all three disappeared.

Noksi didn’t understand when the ground beneath his feet had vanished.

A moment earlier, he had been standing on the path.

Now there was nothing beneath him.

He was falling.

Or perhaps it only felt like he was falling.

Around him stretched a space that looked like endless outer space.

Thousands of stars burned in every direction.

Far away, enormous planets drifted slowly past, some seeming so close that he felt he could reach out and touch their surfaces.

And yet he could breathe.

There was no cold.

No heat.

No pressure.

But the strangest thing was something else.

Noksi wasn’t afraid.

He should have been.

At the very least, he should have been desperately trying to understand what was happening.

Instead, it felt as though this place itself was quietly taking his anxiety away.

Somewhere within the same space, Chisato and Vasi were falling as well.

But none of them could see the others.

Each of them was completely alone.

Only stars.

Planets.

And endless darkness.

Then it all ended.

Noksi suddenly felt solid ground beneath his feet and nearly lost his balance.

Chisato and Vasi appeared beside him almost at the same time.

“What the…”

Vasi stopped mid-sentence.

Someone was standing in front of them.

A tall man.

He was dressed almost entirely in black.

He wore a loose shirt cut in a style reminiscent of a kimono.

Over it hung a heavy black fur coat with a wide collar.

The thick fur around his neck made his already broad shoulders look even larger.

Below that were loose, wide black trousers.

Complex gold and dark-blue patterns ran across the fabric.

They looked like waves.

Flowers.

Or ancient ornaments from some forgotten age.

On his feet were woven zori sandals.

A sheathed sword hung at his waist.

And in one hand, he held a katana.

Dark cloth was wrapped tightly around the handle, while the metal fittings reflected the light faintly.

But the most striking thing was his face.

Or rather—

What covered it.

A demon mask.

Its base was made up of deep blue and black, covered in golden patterns.

Two small horns protruded from its forehead.

Its eyes were wide open.

Its mouth was stretched into a terrifying grin, baring sharp fangs.

And between those fangs—

A cigarette.

A thin stream of smoke drifted upward and curled around the mask.

The man stood completely relaxed.

As if three strangers suddenly appearing out of nowhere was nothing unusual.

For several seconds, he simply looked at them.

Then the cigarette shifted slightly between the mask’s fangs.

“Oh. You’re here.”

Noksi and Chisato looked at each other.

Vasi frowned.

Then the man suddenly turned toward the deeper part of the building.

He took a deep breath.

And shouted loudly enough to make all three of them flinch.

“EVERYONE, GET OVER HERE!”

His voice echoed throughout the entire building.

And that was how their real first encounter with Mariyard began.