Noah walked through the archway and felt the world come back to him. The stone and fog of the trial realm disappeared, showing the smooth walls of the trial hall instead.

    There were a bunch of people in the room, and mages in blue and white robes moved between floating crystal containers, returning the items people had back to them. Noah could see his things in a clear box.

    Various people looked in a bunch of mixed states, some clearly looking more worn out than others.

    One of the mages came up to him, going through what was clearly a recited speech. "Congratulations on your successful return. Please stay in the room until everyone comes back or is declared missing. The last ceremony will start soon."

    He nodded, walking around before he found a wall to lean against. As time passed, the others came through the portal in bursts of light. Almost all of them looked rattled and unsteady on their feet for the first few moments.

    His silent observation was interrupted when a familiar face walked up to him. “It seems we meet again.”

    Noah glanced to see Neal, who looked like he’d just come from a lovely stroll. "Good experience?" Noah asked.

    Neal opened one eye and smiled at him, but it didn''t reach his face. "That''s one way to put it. Though, I feel like you had a more interesting time than me?"

    Noah raised an eyebrow in question. “What makes you say that?”

    "Intuition," Neal remarked, tapping his nose. "I’ve always had a good sense for things,” the man said.

    A flash of light came, as another person walked through. The two of them glanced over to look at the newcomer.

    A tall person in travel clothing with a sharp face and pale skin. They had their blonde hair tied back into a bun.

    “That’s another interesting one,” Neal commented. “She’s quite famous in the north too. Likes going around tournaments like these to test her merits.”

    “She?” Noah asked, feeling a bit surprised.

    “Quite the handsome one, no? But yes, she’s a woman. Lyralei Frostborn, a D-grade adventurer, one of the up comers from the north. The Frost Fairy is one of her nicknames, one she admittedly hates.”

    Noah wondered if this was the person Aurelia had been talking about. But before he could ask, another round of light flashes showed that people he knew were back.

    Aurelia was the first to arrive. She looked fine, though Noah noticed her eyes were faintly red, as if she had been crying. Right after her, Valeria came out, looking rather worn and bruised.

    Noah walked up to the two of them, Aurelia noticing him as she gathered herself quickly, turning her expression cheerful again. “Oh good, you already made it.”

    He nodded, and asked. “How did it go? Do you wanna talk about it?”

    Aurelia shook her head. “Not really, no. I’m just glad it’s over.”

    Noah glanced at Valeria, who had finally settled from the transportation’s disorientation. “You look rather exhausted.”

    “I don’t want to even think about it,” Valeria replied, clenching her fist, before letting go, and the two of them gave understanding nods.

    As the three of them waited nearby, a few more flashed came before Erwest finally appeared back. Surprisingly, his face looked rather peaceful.

    "Erwest," Valeria remarked, walking up to him with a worried look on her face. "Are you okay?"

    "I''m fine," he replied curtly. Then, after a pause, he continued. "This trial taught me a lot. The goddess tests us in ways that show us things we may not want to see."

    “I guess that just leaves Seph,” Valeria said, glancing back at the door.

    “Do you think she may have failed her trial?” Aurelia asked.

    Valeria shook her head. “She may seem flippant, but she’s always had a powerful will.”

    “I wonder what happened to Vion” Noah muttered to himself.

    Two more flashes came from the door, two Drakonians stumbling out. One looking rather injured as well.

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    They all continued to watch the door, as the time seemed to pass ever so glacially. Until, a flash came and Seraphina walked out, dusting cobwebs from her hair.

    “Seph!” Valeria called, as the woman noticed their group and walked over. “Please don’t tell me I’m the last one,” she said, and then looked around the group before letting out a loud groan.

    The group chuckled as one at her words.

    “That trial was so stupid,” Seraphina complained.

    “It’s fine, you finished it and that’s what matters. Now, we can participate in the tournament, which is why we went to all this trouble in the first place,” Valeria said.

    As the group talked about random tangents, Noah’s eyes remained on the door. For a while nobody seemed to be appearing, and he wondered if Vion had truly not arrived.

    But right as it’d seem that they would close the trial, the gate flashed one last time.

    Vion strode through the portal, fire flickering all around her for a moment before they faded from existence. Her jaw was clenched, tightly pressed together even as she maintained a composed look.

    “Vion!” Seph exclaimed, rushing over to the girl. “I thought you hadn’t come!”

    Vion smiled at the woman’s excitement. “Sorry for scaring you guys. I had... some complications, so they teleported me in from somewhere else.”

    “It’s fine. We’re just glad to have you here,” Aurelia said with a smile

    “For sure, it’d not be fun to have just one of us be left out,” Valeria said.

    A few moments later, the gate flashed one last time, a brilliant white, before it disappeared altogether.

    Before anyone could say anything else, the invigilator''s voice filled the room again. "Trials are now over. There are sixteen participants who have passed the test and can continue on. All of you are here in this chamber. Take a good look at everybody around you. From today, you all have claimed the right to be called Dragon Warriors,” she said, a slight smile tugging on her lips. "By order of His Majesty, King Draxius of Drakonia, you are invited to the royal feast where you will receive your title. The invitation will now be presented to you. Make sure to not lose this.”

    With a flash of light, a beautifully embroidered gold and red envelope appeared in front of Noah. As he touched the letter, the seal on it lit up magically, opening up to reveal the content inside.

    “The Drakonias Kingdom congratulates all of you, who have completed their trials. We look forward to seeing you at the Royal Banquet, and further still at the upcoming tournament, as you further push your limits, and inspire those after you to push theirs.

    This may seem like the end of the road to some, but for others it is going to be just the beginning.

    One of you today is going to be the victor, and qualify to give The Trial of the Dragon''s Heart.

    May those who are worthy, be graced with victory.”

    Then, the letter sealed itself magically once more, as it rested in Noah’s arm. Noah carefully put it inside his inventory.

    “You may now take your leave,” the head invigilator said, as people began to make their way out.

    The group followed other people out of the room, passing by the attendants who returned their magical items back to them. Even though everything was still quiet, Noah felt better when he put his bracelet back on his wrist.

    As they walked out, Noah saw Kaelan waiting by the door, a confident smile lingering on his face. “Congrats on becoming Dragon Warriors, to all of you. Not that I ever doubted the results.”

    Seraphina punched his shoulder. “Liar,” she said.

    Kaelan laughed, before glancing over to Noah and his group. “I must say, you guys impressed me. To catch up at the rate you did and then win- truly, I am glad to have met you and feel both scared and excited to see what you will continue to do.”

    “We’re glad to have met you as well Kaelan,” Aurelia said. “Though I’m not sure how long I can keep up with this monster. I don’t think he knows the meaning of going slow,” she said, poking Noah with her elbow.

    Kaelan grinned. “Just how I like it. I can’t wait to spar with you once you have gone through your C-rank upgrade and picked your Path focuses, Noah.”

    “Not too long for that. I’m looking forward to it as well,” Noah replied.

    "Speaking of that," Valeria remarked, looking at the gathering, "there are some things we should talk about before the royal feast.”

    To Noah’s surprise, it was Vion who spoke up. “There’s a few things all of you need to know before that.”

    Vion’s bracelet lit up for a second, and the air in the room was heavy with magical energy. A moment later, Zax appeared next to her.

    Noah had never seen the old dragon seem tired before. But right now, he looked distinctly tired. There were faint creases around his eyes that hadn''t been there before, and his normally flawless posture looked a little tired.

    “Zax- we’ve been trying to get in touch with you for days. What-”

    Zax raised a hand. “We’re aware. We apologize for how things have happened. But we must move from here before we discuss things any further. Do not resist,” he said, snapping his fingers.

    Noah felt the tingling before Zax''s teleportation spell activated. There was a strange weight to it, and for a moment Noah felt like something from the outside was trying to pierce through, but the spell held as they appeared in a dark chamber lit with magical lighting instead.

    Everyone simply stared, surprised at the sudden transition and what was going on. But before anyone could ask, Seraphina stumbled back. The mage''s face went from inquisitive to bewildered to horrified and Noah saw that her face turned pale.

    “No way...” she said, staring at Zax.

    “Seph, what’s wrong?” Valeria asked, concerned as she glanced towards Zax’s, worry rising on her face. Kaelan looked confused as well, unsure of what was going on.

    Seraphina forced herself to settle down, staring at Zax in horror as she squeezed out the words rising in her throat.

    "Just who are you?"