The day of the trainee tournament had finally arrived.
Over the past few days, Levi had done little besides train. Every waking moment devoted to refining his swordsmanship and pushing his body past its limits. After encountering the beast in the hunting grounds, something had shifted in him — a quiet, burning urgency that hadn't left since.
'That thing wasn't normal.'
He stood outside his small wooden home, eyes fixed on nothing in particular.
'If creatures like that exist beyond the forests... I'm still far too weak.'
He took one last look at the secluded clearing that had been his world for the past four years.
He had first moved here at twelve. Hidden deep within the forests beyond Fraire, the modest house had given him exactly what he needed—solitude, silence, and space to grow. Apart from the annual trainee tournaments, he had barely left.
Now it was time to return.
Resting across his back was the long black katana his parents had left behind. Forged from a dark metal unlike anything common smiths produced, its blade carried an obsidian sheen that seemed to drink in the surrounding light. Years of use had left no blemish on its surface. Not a single scratch.
It was one of the few things they had left him.
Levi rested a hand on the hilt.
'I'll keep getting stronger.'
He took one final look at the house, then turned and walked toward the capital.
The journey did not take long.
His body had changed considerably over the years. Distances that once demanded hours could now be crossed in a fraction of the time. The trees blurred past him as he moved, the familiar forest thinning gradually until the towering walls of Fraire rose into view.
Levi slowed as he entered the city.
The capital had changed.
Roads wider and cleaner than he remembered. New buildings standing where old ones had crumbled. Markets overflowing with merchants, adventurers, craftsmen, and nobles. Countless voices weaving together into a lively hum that pressed against him from every direction.
He stood there for a moment and simply observed.
Then someone noticed him.
"Levi!"
A young boy pointed from across the street. Within seconds, heads were turning.
"That's him!"
"The Swift Sword of Fraire!"
"Levi's back!"
A wave of excitement rippled through the crowd with an ease that still baffled him. Children broke away from their parents and rushed toward him before anyone could stop them.
"Levi! Are you going to win this year?"
"Can I see your sword?"
"My brother says you're stronger than real Solborn warriors!"
Lies.
"Is it true?" one of them pressed, eyes wide. "Are you really stronger than Solborn warriors?"
Levi scratched the back of his head. "Not even close. But that's the kind of gap that training exists to close."
The children exchanged glances, then nodded in unison—grave and serious, as though he had just handed them a sacred truth.
A nearby merchant laughed.
"Still modest as ever, I see."
Levi recognized the man immediately. "Mr. Harlan."
"Good to see you back, kid." The merchant crossed his arms with a grin. "Whole city's been buzzing about today. You'd think it was a national holiday."
"I didn't realize people paid that much attention."
The merchant nearly choked. "Didn't realize? Levi, you're the most well-known trainee in Fraire. Have been for a while now."
Several nearby citizens murmured in agreement.
"He's right, you know."
"My son wants to be just like you."
"You've carried Fraire's name for years."
"We're all rooting for you."
Levi felt the heat rise to the back of his neck.
'I just train and fight. Why does everyone treat it like something more?'
Still—hearing it warmed him more than he expected.
"Thanks," he said. And he meant it.
He continued deeper into the city after that, but the attention didn't let up.
Shopkeepers waved from their stalls. Children jogged alongside him in short bursts before peeling away. Even seasoned adventurers offered brief, respectful nods as he passed.
Every major city in Caelum sends a representative to the tournament each year. The top ten trainees earned entry into the floating academy of Shearer—and Levi was Fraire's representative. He had no intention of leaving without a top placement.
As the streets widened into the central districts, his gaze shifted toward a massive fortified complex rising above the rooftops.
Fraire's Official Solborn Residence.
Headquarters of the city's Solborn warriors.
Solborns were rare. Even a city as prosperous as Fraire maintained only a small number of active ones. Most were stationed within that compound—the elite among them serving as both the city's greatest defenders and its most visible symbols of strength.
Levi's eyes lingered on the distant structure.
One day.
Then his gaze drifted upward—and his steps stopped entirely.
For years, the dense forest canopy had swallowed the sky around his training grounds. He had heard about it, of course. Stories passed around during tournaments, descriptions traded like rumors. But hearing and seeing were entirely different things.
High above Fraire hung the artificial sun.
A colossal sphere of radiant light, suspended impossibly in the heavens—the work of the Seven Supreme Solborns. The legendary figures who had mastered the very essence of Aether itself. Golden light poured from it in every direction, flooding the capital with a brilliance that rivaled the real thing.
Levi stared at it for a long moment.
No story had prepared him for this.
'The power to create something like that…'
For the first time in a long while, he felt genuinely small. The artificial sun illuminated an entire nation. Against something like that, his current strength was a candle held up to a bonfire.
The thought should have discouraged him.
Instead, it made him want to move faster.
He eventually pulled his gaze away and continued toward the wealthy district.
Unlike the quiet cabin buried in the wilderness, his actual home stood among Fraire's grander residences. He rarely visited. The house had remained untouched through the years regardless, as though waiting patiently for him to remember it existed.
He went straight for the bathroom the moment he stepped inside.
A slow smile spread across his face.
For the first time in months—a proper shower. Not a rushed rinse beside a river with cold water and no privacy. An actual shower.
He stood under it far longer than necessary.
'This alone makes coming back worth it.'
By the time he stepped out, he felt like a different person. He dried off, crossed to an old wooden chest in the corner, and lifted the lid.
His father's armor.
He had tried it on once, years ago. It had swallowed him whole. He had been embarrassed by how far he had to go.
Now it fits perfectly.
Levi ran his fingers slowly across the metal, quiet for a moment.
"Finally grew into it."
His father would have laughed. Probably would have made a comment about how long it took.
He fastened the final strap, secured the black katana at his side, and turned to face his reflection.
The armor sat comfortably. The blade rested naturally. For the first time, he looked less like a trainee preparing for an exam and more like someone who had earned the right to stand on that stage.
A small grin appeared on his face.
Let's see how much I've actually improved.
He stepped outside into the afternoon light and started toward Fraire Arena.
The crowds grew denser the closer he got. Spectators lined the streets, voices rising as they recognized him.
"Levi!"
"Good luck out there!"
"Bring it home for Fraire!"
He raised a hand as he walked.
The cheers followed him all the way to the arena gates.
The tournament awaited.