Ryn exchanged contacts with Tobi, the cheery boy turned out to hail from a noble clan. Ryn didn't particularly mind as Tobi was friendly enough, not trying to flaunt his status in front of him. Though through his interactions with Tobi, Ryn realized just how numerous in quantity the noble clans were; Clan Darrivar was a name Ryn hadn't even heard of until today, though he only really knew of the Great Clans such as Eternal Sword so it made sense he didn't know. Finishing up his dinner and saying bye to Tobi, Ryn quickly left the cafeteria, he had one more stop before returning to his dormitories.

Walking in the direction of the silver pyramid, Ryn didn't even need the floodlights to tell where he was walking, his eyes being enough. The feeling of being able to see in the dark was surreal to say the least. The dark was feared for many reasons, but perhaps the most prevalent of them being the fear of not knowing what was in the dark with you, unable to plan for any surprises. However, that feeling had utterly disappeared from Ryn, being able to see almost as well as he could during the day, he felt a strange solidarity with the dark as if he belonged here.

Ryn summoned his status once more, reading Dreamwalker's description.

'The night is the Moon's domain. A Steward of the Moon must have a degree of authority over its partner's domain. Huh, I guess this probably plays a role in me being able to see at night, though it does make me wonder where else my authority extends to… I'll find out eventually I guess.'

A few minutes later, Ryn had arrived at the silver pyramid, there were a few students of the Centre still about, but it was definitely not as crowded as it had been earlier. Heading inside, Ryn wasted no time and walked straight to the board Fledgling Marco had spoken about in today's assembly. It was attached to the back wall of the hall, its appearance was holographic, similar to the consoles he'd used to enter the Centre earlier on in the day. It was framed in silver, carved into wavelike designs, making it look like a beautiful piece of art as compared to a board which ranked students.

Ryn's eyes scanned the board's frame lightly before moving to the actual board itself. On the board there were two separate tables, one for the Steeled and one for the Fledglings who'd chosen to remain at the Centre. Naturally there was none for Aspirants as they typically went off on their own ventures, most preferring to spend time in the conquered regions of Anvil rather than hang about on Earth. As for the Arisen, there were only twenty or so in the world, they would have no need for the Centre or any of its resources.

His eyes fell upon the Fledgling rankings first, to his surprise, Fledgling Marco wasn't first place.

[#1: Ceasar of The Eternal Sword]

[Sword : Envy's Heir]

[#2: Marco Naryx]

[Sword : Stone's Fracture]

'Another Eternal Sword member? They really seem to enjoy being at the top of whatever they do. Just what is it that makes them so different?'

The Fledgling leaderboard was much shorter than the board for the Steeled. It was only natural, most Fledglings would leave after returning from Anvil.

Turning his gaze towards the Steeled ranking, his eyes immediately fell onto the name occupying first place.

[#1: Dahlia of the Eternal Sword]

[Sword : Song of Stars]

Ryn stared at it for a few seconds, his mind processing the fact that besides him, there truly was only one other who had their own sword. Every name under Dahlia of the Eternal Sword wasn't accompanied by a sword, only hers.

'Song of Stars huh? Well, I'm sure my Lunar Whisper wouldn't fall short in any aspect.'

His eyes wandered through the list until he saw a familiar name sitting comfortably at the seventh spot.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

[#7: Tobi Darrivar]

'It seems I befriended quite the able student, seventh out of five-hundred and sixty-eight is no easy feat.'

Then, his eyes fell to the bottom of the leaderboard, in five-hundred and sixty-eighth place read:

[#568: Ryn Sylzar]

Ryn almost half expected to see Lunar Whisper written next to his name, but there was nothing besides empty space. Being last on the leaderboard was only natural, he'd just joined but… It was still irritating. He had a sword of his own, he'd have been at least top ten due to that alone yet Aspirant Claudia couldn't see his sword.

'Wait… I have no real reason to believe Aspirant Claudia, she may well have seen my sword but favoured her daughter's position as the number one… Never mind, that's just me being bitter at being last, her reaction was evidence enough that she couldn't see it.'

Ryn with a slight bitter taste left in his mouth, exited the silver pyramid, deciding to resign himself to his room for the night, hopefully exploring more of his abilities and what he was capable of.

On the walk back to his accommodation, Ryn strolled by an open roofed colosseum esc building, made of the same steel as every other structure. He could make out the sound of swords striking against one another, nothing more, nothing less. If Ryn had a fatal flaw, it would have been his curiosity, which may have been the reason why before Ryn had realised himself, his feet had changed direction, carrying him towards the colosseum.

Walking through one of the many entrances and up a few flights of stairs, Ryn looked around. Before him was the entrance to the stands, where one could watch whoever was in the centre of the colosseum. Right now, he seemed to be in some sort of, lounge? There were comfortable looking sofas and a bar table, with stools lining it.

'Aren't most of the Centre's inhabitants sixteen, we can't even drink that legally. Probably for the staff and Fledglings when they feel like indulging themselves.'

The thought of a drunken Fledgling Marco filled his head, not wanting to entertain the thought any longer, Ryn lightly slapped his cheeks before slowly walking into the stands as quietly as possible. He didn't want to disturb whoever was in there or fall into any deeper problems than he should find himself in. Though, the colosseum was for all Steeled so him being here was a valid excuse, except for the fact that almost all Steeled right now had retired to their dorms, were hanging around with one another or already preparing to sleep.

'Who cares? I overthink stuff like this too much, the world doesn't revolve around me, nobody cares. It's okay. I'm high up anyways, I doubt it'd make a difference to whoever's there.'

Walking into the stands as gently as possible, he stared at the scene unfurling in the centre of the steel colosseum.

Aspirant Claudia was stood opposite a girl of remarkable beauty. The girl's long white hair fluttered behind her in the chilly autumn winds. Ryn's ability to see in the dark only emphasised how white her hair was, standing out completely against everything else. Though he didn't necessarily need his night vision right now, floodlights were planted across the circumference of the colosseum shining down on the centre of it, the moon's glow adding its own natural light. The girl's milky white skin, tall physique and white hair made it evident just who she was.

'Dahlia of the Eternal Sword, Aspirant Claudia and Arisen Vira's daughter. She's certainly inherited a great deal of her father's characteristics. What are they doing sparri-'

Ryn froze, his attempts at remaining hidden all but disappeared as his pupils dilated whilst staring at what was in the girl' hands. His mind spun as he looked at the sword Dahlia grasped. A white blade which looked as if it had been cut straight from the purest marble available, its circular guard of the same material. The swords grip was wrapped in pure white bandages, with some hanging off of the hilt. A beautiful golden glow enshrouded the blade, a sense of regal prestige emanating from it.

'What the hell… it's the exact same as Lunar Whisper, just… white.'

Ryn felt an overwhelming sensation from his Sword Heart, almost as if Lunar Whisper was desperate to be manifested, an itching sensation permeating throughout his being.

Ryn was snapped back to reality as he heard the gentle voice of Aspirant Claudia who'd presumably noticed him. How her voice projected all the way to where Ryn was, he had no idea.

"Ah, Ryn, how kind of you to join us. Though don't you think you should head to bed, it's getting rather late and you'll have lessons starting tomorrow. Or you could stay if you'd like, I'm sure Dahlia here would love a spectator."

Her daughter's face remained deadpan, no signs of embarrassment or annoyance on her face.

"I'll pass sadly, I was just passing by and heard swords clashing, figured I'd check it out. Good night."

Ryn politely bowed his head before turning around, leaving quickly.

After Ryn had left, Dahlia remained stood in place, watching the spot where he'd been. Song of Stars had suddenly started acting strange, an odd sensation coursing throughout her body. Aspirant Claudia began speaking,

"Dahlia, to think your sensitivity had gotten that strong, you stopped fighting because you felt his presence, usually you would dismiss that nagging feeling. I'm truly proud of you."

Dahlia remained motionless, her expressionless face not betraying a hint of whatever she was feeling.

'I only stopped because Song of Stars began behaving strangely'

"Mother… his presence… I couldn't sense it."