The road south stretched quiet at first, the heavy presence of the envoys pressing on the land like a ward.

Small beasts fled before they came close, and even the larger ones kept their distance. Arden had almost grown bored of the silence, when the first real ambush came.

From the treeline, shapes darted, quick and lean, their hides bristling with coarse fur. Wolf-like beasts, but their veins pulsed faintly with elemental glow. Ten of them broke through the brush with a low rumble that shook the earth, fangs flashing.

Arden's hand rested on his blade, but the envoys didn't wait.

One of them, a tall battle mage clad in dark steel, swung his halberd and released a wave of flame that swept across the first line.

Another stepped in at the same moment, cloaked like a shadow, twin daggers slicing so fast the beasts didn't even cry out before collapsing.

The others followed, each moving in perfect rhythm.

Earth rose to shield the line where needed, bolts of lightning lanced through gaps, and a final wind-burst cleaved the air, scattering the stragglers. Within moments the field was silent again, steam rising from the burned ground.

Rael let out a low whistle. "Remind me never to get on their bad side."

Arden smirked faintly. "Noted."

The party had hardly raised a hand. They had stayed ready, but the envoys left no chance.

It was only a taste of what Lord Kaelus had told them, that guild fighters relied on group coordination like a second skin. To see it in motion was something else entirely.

The same pattern repeated as they traveled further.

Packs came, stronger than before, sometimes even lone creatures with brute force that shook the trees, yet they fell the same way, swiftly, cleanly, almost like a drill.

Arden noticed how each envoy moved as if sensing the others' intent, their domains brushing together without clashing.

When at last they called for rest, the land had changed. Arden couldn't name it, but he felt it, the air seemed heavy, the soil darker, the sounds of beasts more distant yet restless.

His chest carried an unease, like the quiet before a storm. He looked around and saw the same feeling etched faintly on Nyra's face, on Rael's twitching hands, and even Zephyra's low growl.

It was no surprise, then, when he felt the tug in his life sense.

A ripple against the flow, sharp and undeniable. Arden rose at once, his tone quiet but firm. "We're not alone."

His party snapped into readiness without hesitation. Nyra's staff was already in her hand, Rael's gauntlets shimmered faintly as frost gathered, and Zephyra bared her claws with a flare of heat licking between her scales.

The envoys didn't move, only watched, and one of them nodded with a faint smile.

Their leader's voice came calm. "Good. You sense it. That is the mark of readiness." He paused, then added, "Your trial begins now."

Arden's grip tightened around his blade. "As expected," he muttered, then to his team, "Let's keep it clean."

The brush ahead tore apart with a roar as three beasts lunged forward. Their bodies were broad, their fangs longer than swords, their veins glowing red with some corrupted force.

"Spread," Arden ordered, and his life energy pulsed outward.

The air around his party shifted, faint but steady, like the beat of a drum only they could hear.

Rael felt it first, his movements sharper, his dodge perfectly timed as a beast's claws raked where he had been. Nyra flowed into place beside him, her staff glowing with ice, her swing leaving a trail that froze the beast's hind leg.

Zephyra charged low, fire licking her claws as she raked across a second beast's chest. The flames didn't kill it, but wind followed, her wings sending a slicing gust that staggered it backward.

Arden stepped in to meet the third. His blades flashed once, cutting shallow but leaving a ripple inside the creature. It howled, the delayed echo tearing through its body a moment later.

"Stay in rhythm!" Arden called, his tone both steady and sharp.

And they did. Each movement flowed into the next, not just from long practice alone but also from the resonance pulsing through them from Arden's life signature skill.

When Rael struck with a gauntlet of ice, Nyra was already there, wind spiraling with his frost to sharpen the blow.

When Zephyra leapt forward, Arden shifted beside her, their strikes landing in unison, and the convergence released a sudden pulse that staggered both enemies at once.

The beasts roared, snapping and clawing, but the fight was already tilting.

Their targets blurred with afterimages, shadow echoes left behind with each rapid step, their eyes chasing false trails while real blades and claws cut into them.

"Left!" Arden barked, and Rael spun without thinking, his fist slamming into the beast Nyra had slowed. The crack of bone and the burst of frost ended its charge, dropping it cold.

"Push together," Arden urged. Zephyra and Nyra obeyed, striking the second beast as one. The pulse rippled again, breaking its stance long enough for Arden to finish it with a downward slash.

The last one, already bleeding from echoing wounds, faltered. Arden gave Rael a quick nod, letting him step forward and land the final blow.

Silence returned, broken only by their breathing.

The fight had lasted minutes, yet it felt smooth, almost effortless. Arden lowered his blades and exhaled slowly. "Not bad."

Rael grinned, still catching his breath. "Not bad? That was—"

"—practice," Arden cut in with a small smile. "Save the excitement for when it gets hard."

The envoys had been watching, and for once their composed faces carried open approval.

One of them, the assassin with twin daggers, let out a quiet chuckle. "They move as if they've been doing this for years."

The battle mage, arms crossed, gave a nod. "The resonance. That's not something you fake. It takes trust."

Their leader said nothing at first, only studied Arden, who stood calmly while his companions eased down from the fight. Then he finally spoke. "Yes. This is what I hoped to see. Not just power, but harmony."

Arden caught his words and shrugged lightly. "We're not perfect. But we know when to trust each other. That's enough for now."

The leader's lips curved faintly. "Enough, and more. Remember this moment. Trials are not won by strength alone."

The group settled again, though now the air was different.

The envoys had seen what they needed, and Arden knew it. He sat back on the ground, blades across his lap, and let out a quiet chuckle.

"First wave done," he said. "Let's see what else this land throws at us."

Zephyra rumbled low, tail curling around her, and for once Arden couldn't help but agree with her mood.

Something deeper waited ahead, and this was only the beginning.

A/N:

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