Zephyrion arrived at their destination after several minutes.
As he walked through the pathways leading to the entrance of the Calderalth Grand Coliseum, the intense rumbling of the crowd reached him.
The ground trembled faintly, as though the mountain itself was being struck repeatedly by invisible shockwaves.
The sheer magnitude of the crowd within the coliseum... Zephyrion could only imagine it.
Yet, his expression remained composed as he entered a vast chamber occupied solely by the candidates of the high houses.
The mont the Calderalth candidates saw him, their eyes lit up. They imdiately approached with visible relief.
"You’re late," Kaelion said with a slight frown.
Zephyrion cast him a glance. Kaelion was clad in light whitish armor that accentuated his toned physique. His hair was cut short, drawing attention to the intensity in his eyes.
Zephyrion looked away.
"I’m right on ti."
Kaelion’s frown deepened slightly, but he ultimately chose not to dwell on it. Shaking his head, he turned away.
"Z-Zephyrion... you’re finally here." Fiona smiled softly.
Even after weeks, she still failed to pronounce his na without stuttering. To Fiona, the na itself wasn’t the problem. It was the person attached to it.
Whenever she tried to say it, Zephyrion would always look at her with those gorgeous purple irises, leaving her mind blank for a brief mont.
"Fiona..." A faint smile appeared on Zephyrion’s face. "Are you ready?"
eting Zephyrion’s serious gaze, Fiona instinctively straightened before clenching her fists tightly.
"Yes!"
"...young lord."
Kaiden also approached, scratching the back of his neck with a conflicted look on his face.
Zephyrion silently raised a brow.
Ever since the night Zephyrion had given him that relic to aid his training, Kaiden had adopted this sa expression.
He would always approach him wearing that sa complicated look, as though he had sothing to say. Yet sohow, every single ti, he ended up saying nothing.
A mont passed, and as always, Kaiden simply nodded before stepping forward to stand beside him in silence.
Zephyrion didn’t linger on him. Instead, his gaze swept across the chamber.
As always, most eyes were fixed on him, especially those of the other candidate heads.
After the little incident yesterday, he had given them enough reason to be wary of him... but not enough to completely abandon the thought of defeating him.
That was perfect.
It ant they wouldn’t avoid him out of fear of humiliation. It ant they would genuinely fight him with everything they had. It ant their abilities would be pushed to their absolute limits.
Zephyrion suddenly felt the cool touch of the tal pin resting against his chest and inwardly nodded.
First, though, he needed to sneak the rod in without getting caught.
’Would he attend?’
Of everyone, Zephyrion was most wary of his father, Kastor.
Both Kastor and Garrick had seen him acquire the rod and most likely knew of its existence. Garrick, even if he noticed, probably wouldn’t care.
As long as Zephyrion didn’t blatantly rely on it to dominate the entire competition, Garrick would simply watch for entertainnt.
Kastor, however, was different.
Zephyrion had always struggled to read him. Predicting how his father would react was nearly impossible.
The best outco would be Kastor not attending the event at all, just as he had done for the past seven years.
Suddenly, Zephyrion felt an intense gaze land on him and turned slightly. From one corner of the chamber, Nedra Heno stared at him with undisguised hostility.
Unfazed, Zephyrion simply looked away, as though he had glanced at sothing entirely insignificant.
Seeing this, Nedra nearly exploded. She released a slow steaming breath through her nose before giving a sharp nod and turning forward once more.
The seconds passed after that, most of the candidates waiting in silence.
Tobias looked visibly nervous, swallowing repeatedly as his eyes flickered toward the other candidates, while Lumi remained completely unfazed.
Zephyrion used the mont to go over everything he knew about the Proving. Like always, the structure remained the sa every year.
The event was divided into two rounds.
The qualifier round, where every candidate would be thrown into the sa environnt, and only those who completed the objective would advance.
And the second round... continuous one-on-one battles until only a single person remained standing.
The Pri.
This waiting period was sothing the higher houses particularly enjoyed. A display of status and authority.
While the candidates from the lesser houses were already gathered within the coliseum, the great high houses preferred making an entrance.
Soon, a voice bood across the coliseum.
"Citizens of the South."
The sheer pride and regality in that voice caused Zephyrion’s eyes to narrow slightly.
Ingrid.
"It’s ti for the most anticipated event of the year. The Proving."
A deafening wave of roars erupted from the crowd. The sound was so overwhelming the ground and walls trembled violently beneath it.
Zephyrion glanced toward Nedra. Every trace of hostility had vanished from her face.
Instead, she held both hands tightly against her chest while staring toward the source of the voice with sparkling eyes filled with admiration.
Even her arms trembled faintly. At that mont, she looked less like a prodigy of a great high house and more like an infatuated fan girl.
Soon, as the cheers gradually subsided, Ingrid continued.
"Like always, the Proving is a tradition of the South. A stage where the youths who’ve bled, struggled, and trained themselves half to death gather to determine the true prodigy. The representative of the South. The Pri."
"So I bid you... scream your lungs out for the youths participating today."
Another violent wave of cheers swept through the coliseum as countless voices shouted the nas of the gathered youths.
"Also, as with every year, let us welco the candidates from the great high houses. Firstly... the Ocren House!"
The massive doors leading onto the coliseum stage swung open, and the Ocren candidates calmly stepped through.
Across the South, the mbers of the great high houses were revered, worshipped, and widely recognized.
They were practically celebrities. The mont the candidates appeared, a violent roar erupted from the crowd, shaking the entire mountain.
Across the South, countless voices began chanting the na Ocren, especially that of their primary-line descendant, Vaelor.
The other candidates within the arena instinctively parted for them as they calmly took their place at the center.
Soon, more nas followed.
The Heno House.
The Hartvain House.
The Korrath House.
The Donvaire House.
And finally, the most anticipated group.
"...I give you, the candidates of House Calderalth."
Zephyrion stepped through the pathway with the others following closely behind.
Blinding light flooded his vision before gradually dimming, revealing a colossal coliseum packed to the brim with roaring spectators cheering at the top of their lungs.
Zephyrion himself wore matte black light armor paired with fitted trousers. His black hair was tied back into a near-single ponytail. His eyes were indifferent, his gait calm, carrying the natural bearing of one born to rule above all others.
Whether it was his indifferent gaze, the way he walked, or simply the cold oppressive pressure radiating from him... the instant Zephyrion appeared upon the giant screens, the roaring crowds within the coliseum, and across the entire South, fell silent.
Only the sound of the candidates footsteps echoed through the arena. And even then, the people only seed capable of hearing the footsteps of the one leading the group.
Eventually, they reached the center of the coliseum and joined the others.
Seated upon their elevated thrones, the city lords narrowed their eyes sharply.
"This child..." City Lord Ociden Ocren spoke with a grave expression. "Why does his bearing resemble... him?"
Beside him, deep frowns ford on the faces of the other city lords.
From Zephyrion’s eyes, to his walk, to the sheer weight of his presence... every single one of them was reminded of the giant of the South.
The man who ruled all.
Kastor Calderalth.
The city lords shifted subtly in their seats. Every one of them had t Zephyrion before and knew what he was capable of. Still... this was no longer the child they once rembered.
"Bwahahaha!" Garrick burst into loud laughter before flashing Zephyrion a smug grin. The brat was insane. Even his entrance alone had already dominated the entire competition.
"Tch... what I wouldn’t give for a drink right now."
Garrick smacked his tongue irritably. It was unfortunate he had made that stupid deal to not drink for a year. He was already starting to regret it.
It took Ingrid a mont to regain her composure. Just as she opened her mouth to continue, a loud declaration suddenly echoed across the coliseum.
"THE HEAD OF HOUSE CALDERALTH HAS ARRIVED!"
The instant Kastor stepped onto the elevated platform above, every single person in the coliseum shot to their feet before imdiately dropping to one knee in deep reverence.
Kastor’s expression remained indifferent, his re presence pressing down upon the entire coliseum as he calmly took his seat.
A mont later, he gave a slight nod.
"Begin."
Ingrid’s mouth twitched faintly as she rose once more. As expected. Though he had missed hers years ago, he had chosen to attend this one.
Regardless, out of every event Kastor had ever attended, "Begin" was the only word he had ever bothered to say.
Ingrid wasn’t the only one going through turmoil.
The mont Kastor arrived, Zephyrion’s body had tensed instinctively. This was the mont that would determine whether his plan succeeded or failed.
As the seconds stretched on, Kastor suddenly turned toward him.
Instantly, Zephyrion felt a heavy gaze settle upon him.
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