Aegis, God of Justice and Protection.

Seraphina, Goddess of Wisdom and Strategy.

Solara, Goddess of the Sun and Healing.

Selene, Goddess of the Moon and Dreams.

Haldor, God of War and Valo.r

Freya, Goddess of Love and Beauty.

Eirath, God of Life and Vitality.

Moros, God of Death and Endings.

Isolde, Goddess of Fertility and Harvest.

Lysara, Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity.

He counted each name from his memory of his theology lessons, remembering what the statues looked like the one time he had visited the High Temple in Sylpharena, where all the gods and goddesses have been enshrined together to be worshipped, wondering which one he angered so much. It was certainly a much better exercise than trying to speak to the three people standing next to him.

They were all at a distance from each other, refusing to initiate any conversation. That was completely fine with him. They did not need to speak with each other. They just needed to go into the forest, get a flag through whatever tests the Professor had put up for them and get out of the forest while also avoiding other teams … without speaking to each other.

Yes, of course, they could do this.

The Professor was now handing out maps to each group. “Get the maps. I have marked the starting place for each team. Remember to work together or you will never be able to pass today.”

Great.

When it was their turn to take the map, it was the Princess of Zahir who moved forward without a word, taking the map from the Professor before anyone could say anything. She seemed perfectly at home taking charge. Considering that she was one of the potential heirs to the Zahirian throne… well, it was natural.

She nodded at the Professor before walking back to her place and opening the map. Almost on a silent agreement, Emilio moved tandem with the other two, going closer to the map.

It was a map of the forest. There were twelve points marked at the very edges of tbe map - each with a number - and six more points scattered across the forest. Those must be the flags.

There was an awkward pause, every single one of them refusing to talk first.

Emilio was the one to break the silence. “So what should we do?”

“Obviously we should go to the place marked with our team number.” Clara jabbed at the point marked three. “Idiot.”

Emilio rolled his eyes. He'd been working with her in Alchemy the past few weeks, enough to know that her snappy rudeness was usually a mask for when she felt awkward.

“Yes. But what do we do once we get there?”

“We find the nearest flag,” Evan said, putting his own finger on the map. “Here and here. These are the closest to our entrance points.”

One of those was past a creek and the other was on a plateau that Emilio was sure was formed quite abruptly, given its position in the forest. The creek was quite a bit closer than the plateau. It would make sense to fo there.

“So we are taking the creek,” Evan said, echoing his thoughts.

Immediately, the Princess of Zahir - Umrao, Emilio believed her name was - closed the map and tucked it in her robes.

“Hey!” Evan called indignantly. “We need to see that!”

“Not here,” she finally spoke, Zahirian accent heavy on her tongue. She looked around at the other students. “Unless you want all the others to hear our plans, making us an easy target for them.”

There was a fair bit uf suspicion in her voice. Usually, he would have thought it a bit dsicourteous to suspect people over a simple test. But the way some of the students shifted away from them made him think there was some truth to her words.

“She’s right,” Clara said. “Six flags means that those who do not get any will target those who do. We have to be careful.”

“Alright.” Emilio looked at them. “Let us go to the entrance and then we can decide what to do.”

Everyone seemed to be in agreement. But when they made to move, they heard a familiar voice behind them.

“One moment, Mr. Florian.”

Emilio turned around to face the man looking down at him with ruby red eyes. Even now, when he had talked with the man several times, he still could not understand what was going through the man’s head. He was unreadable. Usually, he would be unsettled around a man like that. But in this case… he felt quite at ease at the quiet air around the man. He did not feel unsafe, that was for sure.

“Yes, Professor?” He asked.

“You have to leave your pet Leviathan here.”

Emilio blinked and then looked down at his sleeve, beneath which the familiar weight of Sal was settled around his arm. Sal had been so still on his arm the entire day that he had almost forgotten that he was there. The thought of separating from him made him uneasy.

“But…” he frowned,”why?”

The man raised an eyebrow. “He gives you an unnatural advantage amongst your peers. And while I would usually allow it since you need the advantage, today you are going into a place where you already have an advantage. Therefore, I cannot allow you to have a Leviathan with you.”

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“But, Professor,” he started but then paused, looking around. He then walked closer to the man. Once he reached close enough, he stood on the tip of his toes. The man seemed to get the gesture and leaned down.

Ignoring how close the man was and how he could see every smooth, fine strand of the man’s midnight black hair, Emilio whispered softly. “You know I cannot use that advantage yet.”

The man’s lips curved in the corner with a soft smirk. “Then learn,” he said, as if it was that simple. Emilio opened his mouth to protest but the man spoke again before he could say anything. “And where you fall short, your teammates will pick you up.”

Emilio looked back at the three, once again standing awkwardly without a thing to say to each other. He quite doubted it.

“Now.” Emilio turned around to see the man extending his arm. “Hand him over.”

“Can I refuse?” He asked, trying one last time.

“You can.” The man nodded. But before Emilio could feel any semblance of relief or happiness, he said, “but you will immediately be given a fail in this test and train till sunset today and tomorrow.”

“What?! Why tomorrow?!”

“Punishment for defying me in my own class, Mr. Florian.”

There was no room for argument in the man’s voice.

Emilio slumped. “Fine.”

He looked down at his arm. “Sal?”

The Leviathan stirred and slowly slithered out of his sleeve. The Leviatahn raised its head and turned around to look at him.

“Will you be alright?” He asked, clearly having heard everything and understood what was going on.

Emilio allowed himself a soft smile. “I’ll be fine.”

Of this, he was sure. He had been alright all these years. He would be okay a few hours without Sal. It wasn’t like Sal would always be with him. As much as he dislikedthat line of thought, it was true.

“I’ll be fine. You stay with the Professor. Don’t cause any trouble, okay?”

“Tch. When do I ever cause trouble, brat?”

Emilio chuckled softly and then looked up at the Professor, who still had his arm out, now with an eyebrow raised. Emilio flushed and cleared his throat.

“Here.” He extended his own arm, his fingertips touching the man’s. The Duke’s hand was surprisingly warm, Emilio could’t help but think that as Sal slithered over to the man’s palm.

Once he was settled on the man’s palm, the Leviatahn turned around to look at him. “Be careful.”

“Always.”

He stroked the Leviathan’s head one more time with a soft smile before he looked up at the Professor, who was still staring down at him, still as unreadable as ever. “Please take care of him.”

“Hey! I do not need to be taken care of!” The Leviathan hissed at him.

The man did not even flinch at the angry movement of one of the most dangerous creatures on the earth sitting on his palm - albeit a young one - and nodded firmly.

Emilio nodded back before he threw a quick “Be good!” at Sal - much to his indignant hissing - and walked back to his group.

“Are you done?” Clara asked impatiently. “Let’s go!”

“Take your place at the entrance corresponding to your team number everybody! I will send up an alarm and that is when the time will start.”

“What’s the alarm?” One of the students asked.

“You will know when you see it. Now go!”

Emilio and his teammates glanced at each other once before setting off. It did not take them long to come to their entrance. It even had a temporary post with a sign on it marked “three”.

“This is it.”

Another awkward pause as they waited for the alarm.

“So we are taking the creek,” Evan repeated.

“No.” Umrao immediately shook her head. “We are taking the plateau.”

“What? Why?!” Evan asked, bodily turning around to face the Princess. “The creek is much closer to us!”

“And it is also closer to Team 6.”

“So?”

The Princess paused and shook her head with a long suffering sigh, as if she was dealing with disobedient children.

“Do you not pay attention to your surroundings, commoner? Honestly, there should be a limit to stupidity.”

Okay, now Emilio felt a bit offended. Even he could not understand why that was a big deal. Every flag was close to at least two teams. It was probably the only way to even the plying field with half as many flags as the number of teams.

“Excuse me?!” Evan walked to Umrao, looming over her. It was quite a sight, watching a commoner trying to intimidate Royalty. Well… he could do that here without much consequence … at least until he got out of the Academy. “What did you just say?!”

The Princess did not seem to be one to back off. “You’re stupid. Did you not see Team 6? They have a water core and a lightning core! The water one has consistently ranked at the top in Combat. And those two have paired up multiple times in class.”

“So?”

“So?!” She snapped. “So, he says! So, you idiotic peasant, the creek, a natural source of water, which is also a brilliant conductor for lightning will become their damned playground! You are a fire core and I am a wind core! We are at a disadvantage against those two! I don’t know about this girl,” she poointed at Clara before pointing at Emilio, “and this brat here is a Laik! Whatever powers he has, he has no control over them. Do I need to tell you how disastrous this could be if we go up against them, especially where two of them are already used to working with each other?!”

Clara let out a low whistle. “Damn, this is the longest I have heard you speak. Anyway, I have earth core. And I agree with you. I don’t want to deal with that team where they have a natural advantage. Derek - the lightning core - doesn’t put effort in class but can be quite a monster when he wants to be, especially when he’s with Lina.”

“We could take them,” Evan said hotly.

Umrao rolled his eyes. “Not in enough time to get back within two hours.” She shook her head. “Commoners, honestly.” Her voice was filled with disdain.

“Hey!” Evan seemed like he wanted to say something but then they heard a loud boom overhead.

All of them looked up to see a single firework blooming in the sky, forming the word “START”

That must be the alarm.

“It’s time,” he said softly.

Umrao nodded, “Let’s go.”

She naturally stepped ahead, clearly expecting them to follow her.

Emilio sighed and stepped forward first, knowing that Evan was too prideful to do it and Clara was to prideful to do it before a commoner.

He just hoped that these arguments wouldn't result in them failing the test.