Night walked through the remains of his town. The healers had let him go an hour ago, and he was left to make his way to the only teleportation circle in the town. If it's still intact.

The damage was worse than he thought. People, mostly family members of those who used to live there, were scattered everywhere, wandering aimlessly, shouting the names of their loved ones. Night felt like he was impaled. Am I seriously going to leave them? Like this? He shook his head. I probably can't do much, but... He knew, if everything went according to plan, that he was going to do more than he ever could by staying and helping.

He took a quick detour... Before turning back. He stopped. No, I have to.

It would have been flat heresy not to.

Grabbing a single rose from one of the remaining stores, Night headed down the side alley he ran down so many times. It felt strange, not being chased by his brother. Though he had hoped a day would come when he could walk down in peace, he severely regretted wishing for such a thing. Hell, he even missed the brawls he and his brother had when the brute caught up to him.

Stepping over a fallen tree, he looked at his home.

The broken house had already been cleared away by the other townspeople; all that was left was the foundation stone.

It's quiet. The silence is unnerving - usually there was a chorus of chatter or a choir of talk - but now there's nothing. Like a passing storm without the sound.

Walking over, Night noticed the swirling dust by his feet... And the faint but noticeable breeze dragging his hood to the side. The empty air flowing through. The hollow sound of the wind as it slowly moved and churned around him.

He knew he shouldn't be there. Unstable buildings, hidden dangers, all that. But he had to come anyway.

Summoning the strength to go closer, he looked down. He had hoped they went peacefully, but the scene suggested otherwise. Old blood stained the ground. Lines and gashes were buried in the stone.

Night knew what to expect. It was the same for everyone else in the town. It was just that... Maybe... I wish I could see them one more time. Talk to them.

...Too late for that though.

Placing the rose upright in a small patch of dirt, he watched as a solitary tear joined it on the ground. For once, he had trouble thinking about anything. The silence really echoed his own mind. Just... Nothing.

Getting up, he looked back for the last time. The blood's still there. He couldn't do anything about it.

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But he could do something for everyone else.

He walked away, his shoes dragging against the dirt. He thought he heard a child-like voice behind him. But it's probably just my imagination.

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"Hey! Night?"

Heading towards the teleportation circle, Night saw a familiar man. "Barry?"

Laughing, the short but round shopkeeper walked up to him. "Ah, I knew you'd be alright! How are you, anyways?" Barry swept some dust off his own clothes, which seemed much to small for the plump man. "My store's been, well, y'know. But I'm sure rebuilding will be no problem!"

Some distance behind them stood a building, slightly larger than the others.

It wasn't a pretty sight.

The windows were shattered, with splintered wood sprayed everywhere across the floor. On the front, the words 'BARRY'S' was left barely hanging on to the sign, clinging like fresh blood on a wounded man. People were already helping to clean up the mess with buckets and brooms, clearing away the debris, and at the sight of it, Night felt like he had been impaled.

"I'm sure. And yeah, I'm fine. I'm just... Dropped something off at my place." Night looked at the circle. They would start the spell soon.

Barry's jovial face seemed to melt away. "Yeah. I heard. I'm... Sorry, kid." He looked up. "Is it true? You're goin' to Valour?" He asked, in a feeble attempt to change the subject.

"Yep." Night glanced at him. The Magicians wanted to start the teleportation spell, and they couldn't when someone who didn't pay was in range. "I'm going today, actually." He said, ignoring the glares.

"...I see." He took a step forward. "Welp, I shouldn't hold y'all up. I wish ya luck, wherever you end up." He pat Night on the shoulder. "And don't fall for any of their mind-games. You're a good kid, Night."

"Thanks. I'll see you again sometime."

As soon as he steeped away, the circle began to glow. Night's eyes traced the markings etched into the raised plateau, his skin prickling with the palpable sense of magic in the air. He had only been on a circle once, and he barely remembered that experience. It felt strange going alone.

He looked back at his town; and looked away.

With a final goodbye, Night disappeared with a flash.

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"Hello! Yes, I personally made sure that you have nothing else going on at this time."

"Calm down, calm down. Just because you're getting an assignment from the 'big man' doesn't mean that you're one, too. Well, not yet."

"Let's get to the point. This assignment I'm about to give you is not like the others. You can't talk about it or tell anyone. No, not even your friends. No teachers, either. Except those I say you can talk to."

"Hm? Sounds shady? Well, you're the one who signed up to this. Want to get a few Credit Points? You're going to have to do the dirty work. Anyway, as I was saying, you can't tell anyone. This one's more of a... Recon assignment."

"This year we have more new Hero candidates than ever. Around a hundred, I think? But that's besides the point."

"Out of all of them, almost all of them come from a clan or house or whatever they call those things these days. Those families are getting ruder by the day. Those that don't come from one of those are usually eliminated, whether by teacher or student. Usually that process is easy."

"But there's going to be a new kid."

"His name's... I forgot. Something like 'darkness' or something. Anyway, your job will be to... Monitor him. From a distance. You can try to get close if you wish, but either way's fine. All you have to do is report back to me. I'll give you his info in a moment, though we don't have much on him."

"Got it? Good. Now go, before anyone starts asking questions."

"...Yeah? Why do this?"

"That's none of your business."