Klay's impromptu game of tag had come to an abrupt halt, although not by his own choice. He had climbed one of the towering trees, believing that the added height would grant him an edge over his pursuer; to his credit, his theory had been correct. Safely out of the ogre's reach, Klay watched as the angry creature refused to admit defeat. Instead, it relentlessly pummeled the tree trunk, hoping that, with enough force, it would either topple the giant tree or dislodge Klay. However, both the tree and Klay proved unyielding.

Looking down at the ogre's futile efforts, Klay's expression grew somber. Perhaps I pushed my little test too far. Yet he couldn't resist the temptation. Having triumphed over every monster in the woods surrounding Wailen, Klay had longed to test his prowess against the powerful creatures beyond his village. He had been curious about the extent of his growth over the years, and the outcome of this battle hadn't surprised him—while the ogre was formidable, more so than anything he had faced in Wailen, Klay was stronger. Klay had nearly abandoned his partly feigned anger when he saw the ogre cowering against the tree on the road, but he was grateful that he persevered if only to witness the ogre's priceless expression upon being tagged. The memory of that moment brought an impish grin to Klay's face.

"Hilarious," he said to himself.

The ogre continued its relentless assault on the tree, pounding and scratching with furious determination. Klay, trapped up in the branches, could only lean back against the sturdy trunk and wait. "Looks like we'll be here a while, Mr. Ogre," he called down, his voice tinged with resigned amusement. This seemed to further enrage the creature, making its efforts even more frenzied.

Amidst the ongoing rampage, a mysterious figure emerged in the clearing, clad in a dark hood that obscured his face. The ogre's attention instantly shifted, and it roared with a renewed intensity, its eyes locking onto the newcomer as it charged.

"Oh shit. Why are you here?" the hooded figure said. In a panic he unsheathed a strange, dark-bladed weapon. It whirled and pulsed with eerie, red energy emanating from a strange gem embedded in the weapon's hilt. The ogre lunged forward with a massive punch, but the figure countered with a swing of his weapon. The clash resonated with an unpleasant sound, like metal scraping against stone, and unfortunately for the ogre, the sword prevailed. The force of the blow sent the creature crashing backward into Klay's tree with a sickening crunch, and it slumped to the ground, moaning in pain before falling silent.

The hooded boy let out a gleeful laugh, satisfied with his swift victory. "I can't believe it worked against an ogre. The boss is going to be real happy about this," he said awestruck as he examined his weapon. Then he sheathed the blade and continued on his journey without a backward glance.

Up in the tree, Klay observed the entire exchange in stunned silence. He gazed in the direction the hooded figure had vanished, wondering if the hooded boy had overlooked him or simply deemed him unimportant. After a moment, curiosity got the better of him, and he leaped down to examine the fallen ogre. He cautiously approached the creature, tapping its twisted toes, half-expecting it to spring back to life.

"Hey, are you still alive, Mr. Ogre?" Klay asked, but there was no response. "I guess that guy did quite a number on you. I'm sorry. May you rest in peace," he said, offering a prayer.

Moments later, the petite boy and the girl Klay had encountered on the road arrived at the scene.

"He didn't die," the girl said, relieved.

"No, he didn't," the boy echoed, surprised. "Well, that's goo—Wait, Gayle. I think he killed it. He killed the ogre!" the petite boy yelped upon noticing the incapacitated monster. Quickly he hid behind the girl, positioning her between him and Klay. "He lured it here and killed it. And now we're here too. You led us straight into his trap, Gayle."

"Wait, I didn't lure anyone anywhere," Klay interjected, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "And this"—he nodded to the ogre's lifeless body—"wasn't me, I swear."

The girl, Gayle, scrutinized him warily. Thankfully, she chose to believe him and relaxed. "Are you okay? How did you—That was an Art you used earlier, right?" she asked in rapid succession.

"I think I'm okay," Klay responded, counting her questions with his fingers. "Yes, it was an Art. I'm a—"

"How about you just tell us who you are?" the short boy interrupted from behind the girl.

"Oh, right. My name is Klay. Nice to meet you," Klay said with a smile, extending his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Klay," Gayle replied, shaking his hand. "I'm Gayle. It's great to meet another Wind Art user. This is my little brother, Ayran. He's also a mage but a Frost Art user."

Klay noticed Ayran visibly cringe at the words "little brother."

"You're not older, Gayle," Ayran protested. "She's not older," he repeated to Klay. "Anyway, can we please leave before that thing wakes up?"

"Don't mind him. He's just a scaredy-cat," Gayle dismissed, shaking her head.

"I am not a scaredy-cat. I'm just a fan of self-preservation," Ayran calmly corrected. "And right now, my self doesn't feel very preserved, so let's go." He immediately turned and led the way. Klay chuckled as he and Gayle followed.

"You never told us how you beat the ogre," Gayle mentioned, gesturing back toward the creature.

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"Oh, right. Like I said, it wasn't me. A mysterious guy with a sword showed up and knocked it out with a single hit. It was amazing."

Ayran shook his head. "Amazing isn't the word I'd use. That monster was terrifying, so whoever defeated it must have been beyond terrifying."

"I could have done that. Maybe not killed it, but I could have at least sent it packing," Gayle said with conviction.

"Yes, yes. I know," Ayran said dismissively. "If only you hadn't exhausted your Aether."

In one swift motion, Gayle grabbed her brother, yanked him towards her, and twisted his arm behind his back. "What was that, little brother?" Her smile contradicted the sinister edge in her voice.

"Ouch! I meant, you're a force of fearsome strength," Ayran said, wincing. "You'll probably be Akademos' next S-Rank."

Gayle released him with a satisfied smirk. "Now don't you forget it."

"Akademos?" Klay interjected. "Are both of you heading to Akademos?"

"Yes, we are," Gayle confirmed. "We received invitations for this year's entrance exam."

"Same here," Klay chuckled.

"That's fantastic!" Gayle beamed.

"I know. I can't wait. I've heard Akademos is the place to be if you want to grow stronger." Klay said, his excitement bubbling up within him.

Gayle nodded. "Exactly! See, Ayran? You should be more excited."

"I'll be excited when I survive that place," Ayran grumbled.

As they returned to the forest road, a group of travelers greeted them with cheers and applause. Klay was taken aback by the hero's welcome.

A woman approached and handed Klay his bag. "This belongs to you, right? We gathered everything."

"Thank you," Klay said, gratefully accepting his bag.

"No, it's we who should thank the three of you," the woman insisted, bowing her head. "You saved my and my son's life."

Klay's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "It wasn't much," he dismissed sheepishly. Then, he noticed the young boy, still trembling from the ordeal, tears streaming down his face. Klay's heart ached, and his fingers brushed the black bracelet on his wrist. He reached into his bag and pulled out the last of Jun's cakes. Then crouching down to meet the tearful boy's gaze, he gently offered them to him. "Would you like a cake? It's delicious, I promise," he said.

The boy glanced at his mother, who nodded reassuringly before hesitantly accepting the sweet.

"Your name is Tuck, right? Earlier, I heard you say you want to be super strong. Do you still want that?" Klay asked.

Tuck considered Klay's words, and after a moment, he nodded in agreement.

"Alright, good," Klay said. "Say it again, just like you did earlier. Tell me what you want to be."

"I..." The boy's voice wavered, still uncertain.

"Go ahead, you can do it," Klay encouraged with a smile. "Say it as loudly as you can. Let everyone know"

Tuck wiped his tears, puffed out his chest, and shouted, "I want to be super strong! Strong enough to protect my mom and beat up monsters, just like you!"

"Actually, he wasn't the one who—" Ayran began, but Gayle silenced him with a swift jab to the side.

"Don't ruin the moment," she scolded him in a hushed tone.

"Listen up," Klay told Tuck, grinning widely. "I'll let you in on a secret. If you want something, chase it with everything you've got. Only you can decide your limits and how far you'll go. So why not be the strongest, right?"

"Yeah!" Tuck agreed, his eyes shining with newfound admiration rather than lingering fear. "Mister, you're super strong, aren't you?"

"You bet I am," Klay boasted, still grinning. "And someday, I'll be the strongest. I'll be the Dauntless. That's what I've decided."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Tuck exclaimed, his eyes wide with awe.

"I know, right?" Klay agreed, his grin widening. "The Dauntless is the coolest." He held out his right hand, offering the young boy a fist bump. Tuck returned the gesture with a beaming smile and a burst of laughter. "Take care, Tuck. Enjoy the cake and stay strong, okay?"

Klay stood and continued on his journey. After a few steps, he pulled out the map Finn had drawn for him. Instantly, he was confused again. Why does Finn always insist on making things so difficult? Rather than outlining the simplest route to Kneola, Finn's map was cluttered with various alternate paths and notes about interesting sights, potential dangers, and other details Klay didn't care to pay attention to.

"What an interesting guy," Klay heard Gayle say behind him as the grateful crowd began dispersing.

"Hey Gayle, let's keep our distance from that obviously crazy person, okay?" Ayran whispered. "He just declared he's going to become the Dauntless, and he seemed entirely sure of himself."

Gayle laughed. "Isn't it incredible? And he's right. Why not aim to become the strongest?"

Ayran sighed in resignation. "I forgot you're a little crazy, too."

After a short but valiant effort, Klay gave up trying to decipher the map. He turned to Gayle and Ayran. "Hey, since you two are also going to Akademos, how about we go together?"

"Thanks, but—" Ayran began, only to be interrupted by Gayle.

"Sure, why not? It sounds like fun," she said, bounding over to Klay, bags in tow.

"Great!" Klay replied, grinning as he crumpled the map and tossed it aside. They started walking towards the tower, leaving Ayran behind.

"Are you coming, little bro?" Gayle asked, glancing back at him.

"Stop calling me that! You're not older than me!" Ayran yelled, catching up to Gayle and Klay as the trio continued their journey toward Kneola and the Tower of Akademos.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Within the forest, a spark of electricity struck the downed ogre, shocking its heart into beating again. The battered creature stirred with a low growl, slowly struggling to its feet before stumbling back towards the road.

"Wrong way, big guy," a voice said, tinged with authority and a bit of amusement. The air came alive with the snaps and hisses of electric sparks as little shocks turned the creature around and drove it further into the deep woods.

A tall figure with shaggy black hair, piercing blue eyes, and round glasses descended gracefully from a nearby tree. Three years older and taller than Klay, he wore a simple blue shirt with dark-gray slacks. Wrapped around his left arm was a blue armband with a gleaming metal plate that had an image of twin bolts of lightning shaped like fangs.

He approached the tree Klay had climbed to evade the ogre and discovered an Akademos admissions letter on the ground. A knowing smile played on his lips as he picked it up.

"You'll never change, will you?" he remarked, his voice filled with fond exasperation. He slipped the letter into his pocket, shaking his head. "It seems you're still the same reckless, careless idiot."

As he returned to the road he was met with the astonished gazes of the travelers. Some recognized him, their eyes drawn to the distinct metal band around his arm. He greeted them with a friendly smile and a casual wave, his gaze sweeping the surrounding area. He soon found what he was searching for—a crumpled map lodged in a thicket. He retrieved it with a sigh.

"Honestly," he grumbled, straightening the map. "I go through the trouble of making this, and you just throw it away. How ungrateful."

Taking a controlled breath, sparks began to form around him, filling the air with a resonant hum. The electrical energy intensified, coalescing into a brilliant display before the figure vanished in a bolt of lightning, arcing across the clear blue sky toward the distant Tower of Akademos.