The noise from me getting up was heard by the two men walking towards the reception desk, and they turned around.

By the time they did, I already engraved my fist into the chef’s face, sending him, with a broken nose, crashing into the reception desk. The waiter, bewildered at my sudden aggression, panicked and shivered from fear. 

With the chef knocked unconscious and bleeding from his head from the impact, he slid into the floor. I grabbed the waiter by the collar and slammed him to the ground, and put my foot on his neck.

”You dare do this to me and my mother? I'll make sure you regret ever crossing me."

I lifted my foot high in the air, ready to strike it down onto his face.

"N-no, wait! Please, wait! I didn't want to do it, someone told us to! You have to believe me, please, don't hurt me!"

The waiter cowered and formed himself into a ball, frantically spouting about everything he could tell me in order to save him from pain.

"What are you talking about? Who told you to do this to me?"

I was surprised. There wasn't anyone I could remember that would hold a grudge even to hire people in order to infuriate me, humiliating my mother and I. They would have to be nearby as well, in order to tell the waiter and chef to do what they did.. Wait a minute..

"It was a prosperous man, he had many tall, muscular men around him! H-he.. he was shorter, stout, and spoke sharply and with anger regarding you two e-esteemed guests and offered a hefty sum in order to humiliate you in front of your guests."

He quickly spoke everything he knew about this 'prosperous man', and I instantly knew who it was. It seems whenever cowards are in danger, they are quick to do anything in order to save themselves. I slowly lowered my leg from above his face, and he relaxed. Then I kicked him across the room, and he too fell unconscious as he crashed near the chef into the reception desk. 

The people eating were watching, but it seemed things like this were a rather normal occurence, so they wanted to enjoy the show. I apologized to the receptionist, who only gave me a light smile, and assured me the two would be handled with. It seems things such as bribery and interfering with a guest's food and/or plate was not tolerated. They were dragged into the kitchen, and I went up to warn my mom about the threat that damn merchant Ewell gave us.

I opened the door to our room, then walked in and entered my mother's. 

"Finally done? Took you longer than I thought! Did your stomache grow even bigger? Where does that stuff even go?"

"Mom, we have to leave this place."

"Why? We just got here, what happened?"

"That perv bastard, Ewell, he bribed the staff to mess with our food. I think we should head out, before something worse happens in the future."

"What about your examinations tomorrow?"

"Don't worry about it, after I complete the examination, if I pass, then I'll tell the order about him, and we can deal with him. But if I fail, we can just leave. We shouldn't get ourselves into too much trouble."

"Alright, let's just stay for this last night, then we'll leave in the morning. I'll get everything packed, and after your done with the examinations, meet me in the outside district near the east gate, I'll be waiting."

With that, I nodded, and went back to my room. I fell onto my bed, contemplating the recent occurences that we had with this man Ewell.

It seemed he was a bigshot in this city, a well-named trader and merchant who owned many properties throughout the inner district. He was an arrogant, stuck-up man who was in his own little world, where everything needed to go his way. It seemed he held a grudge, just because he got what he deserved for insulting my mother. I would have beat him even harder, he deserved as much.

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I woke up out of my bed, and opened the door to my mother's room. Of course, she was no where to be found. My mother wakes up surprisingly early, right when the sun starts to rise. Like clockwork, no matter when she sleeps, she wakes up right at that time. I always wondered how she did it, for I am a very late waker. I need my sleep, and more.

Today was the day of the examination. It was going to be held in the center of the inner district, held by representatives of the Paladin Order of the Holy Temple. Not many of the big shots were there, but it was an annual thing held every year by the Holy Temple in order to seek out jades that they could polish and shine with the light of Helios. Many talented geniuses that trained in their own combat, seeked out to pass the examinations. 

It was examined by various 1st-tier paladins (1st being the lowest and 10th the best). One of them could take on 50 to a 200 normal infantry, so even though they were ranked the lowest, none dared to disrespect them.

It consisted of a test of affinity with Helios, in order to see who was more destined to be a paladin. The examined were also tested with willpower, essential wisdom and tactics in battle, and there was a competition at the end between the remaining in order to see who was stronger than who in terms of combat. It was a tournament, first place was said to gain a apprenticeship under a 3-star paladin, which is basically almost priceless to people, as they would be ahead of their peers and also would gain advanced knowledge and skill of the ways of the paladin.

The tiers were arranged by power and how close they were to achieving Perfect Purification. All living things had their own aura, and the purer a paladin's aura, the more strength their body wielded, and the more stronger was their affinity was with Helios. High ranked paladins, such as 8 and 9, were said to be able to speak with the God, and request his power in order to smite their foes.

There wasn't even a ranked 7 paladin for the last 5 centuries, for many were vanquished and sacrificed themselves during the first Great War, between all of the races, which in turn split apart the world that was once one giant piece of land.

There are many gods, Helios, god of Light, Gaia, goddess of nature, Tartarus, god of hell, Eloh, god of darkness, and many others.

They were split into two factions, which believed that the world should be how they wanted it to be. So, the two waged war against each other, and sought out to destroy one another.

One was led by Helios, and the other by Eloh.

The world was destroyed many times, and seeing that they were getting nowhere with senseless battles, they came up with another idea. They would split the world, where each god got to make their own species they wanted and how they wanted. Helios created man, Tartarus created the demons and devils, Gaia created the Elves, faeries, and fae, and Eloh created the different beasts and dragons.

The different races waged war against each other instead of the gods, and whoever won would represent their god and that god would be the victor and their hand over the world would be strengthened. They would pick people to harness their power, in order to ensure their victory. The war was waged, and many fell.

In the climax of the war the ones left were, the human Elijah, the Chosen Paladin who was the herald of Helios, the devil Asmodan, the herald of Tartarus, the elf Vilven, herald of Gaia, and the dragon Yjh'ar, herald of Eloh. Due to their final battle, with the powers of the gods within them, the earth split, and different continents were form from the heavy quakes that threatened to shatter the world apart.

In the end, all perished, and with one victor, the remaining gods were the ones with the most power over the world, and had a bigger influence over the other weak and small gods, who's heralds and races were wiped out without a trace, in the unforgiving war. They were removed of their titles of gods, and are now known to this day as the fallen, for they had fallen from their previous might and power. The gods have not waged war on each other since then. Now, the only wars are between the different races and their own quarrels.

 I walked down the steps and into the lobby, and left.

Passing through the busy streets of the inner district, I finally arrived at the entrance to the Hall of Order, the place where the examination would be held. There were many people walking in after being checked by a guard for weapons and the like. Unless you were participating, weapons weren't allowed. I got in line, and finally, after waiting for a while, handed the guard my sheathed dagger at my side, and told him I would be participating.

"What is your name?"

"I am Selius, Selius Prax."

"So it's you. huh.."

"What do you mean?"

"I have been told there was a man who beat up staff at an exclusive 4-star inn that dared to try and infect the Order with his crimes against the innocent! Your kind are not allowed here, vermin! Our Order will not be corrupted by criminals like you, and we will not stand by and let one such as your self remain free. To have the audaciity to come here, boy.."

More guards came out from inside the entrance, and surrounded Selius.

"You will have your judgement, here and now!"