With each second of silence that passed after her remark, the tension grew with both boys feeling an unspoken urge to run.
The staredown between Marshal Camilla Buckley and the young pink-haired girl was fierce, with neither willing to back down.
Each of them said nothing, nor did they do anything; however, with the slightest movement of the brown-haired woman's hand, a piece of parchment appeared in their laps.
As the two boys began to reach for the paper, the proctor's voice echoed out, stopping them as she glared at the pink-haired girl.
"Akari Ayaka. Born on the island of Strava and recommended by Commodore Xeon Maxus, who is currently unavailable due to the investigation into his dealings with Svall."
She turned her gaze to the white-haired boy to the right of Aaron, speaking in a lighter tone yet no less intimidating.
"Raphael von Steinfeste. Born in the Land of Deities as the second son of the Steinfeste Dynasty. Recommended by Admiral Marven Matthews, who holds significant authority in the Oceanic Association."
As her voice faded, both of the two who had just had their lives revealed turned to face each other in confusion before looking at the last of the group.
For a second, all eyes were trained on Aaron, who swallowed loudly as he had become the center of attention once again.
"Aaron Grimstall. Born on the island of Strava. Medically ill with a severe case of amnesia and excessive brain damage."
And then, without another word, she stopped herself, leaning backwards in her chair, obviously relaxed.
Both Akari and Raphael furrowed their brows as they digested that, firstly, he was mentally ill and second, there was no mention of who had recommended him.
Such a fact irritated the white-haired noble boy, who immediately lashed back at Cam, who watched idly with a small yawn stretching across her lips.
"Who recommended him!? Why must we have our privacy revealed while he hides behind the mask of illness!?"
His angry words only bounced uselessly off the woman's ears as she sighed heavily, sitting up with a stern look across her face.
"According to law twelve of the Hunters' Guild handbook, anyone recommended by a Marshal of above has the right to reserve their sponsor. Such information has been requested to be withheld, leaving us in this predicament."
Finishing her speech, she slammed her hands down on the table, pointing her finger towards Akari, who blinked in confusion.
"Miss Ayaka. Please could you elaborate on your connection to Mr. Grimstall? As stated in law thirteen of the handbook, if you wish to participate in the exam, you must reveal any information that your proctor requests."
Her words were accompanied by a smile as she leaned on her hands, which propped her head up atop the desk.
The long strands of brown-hair nearly covered her eyes; however, with one breath, they were blown aside, leaving the two ladies to stare at each other.
Akari seemed to have no intention to speak initially, yet after the clear threat of expulsion from the test, she had to obey.
Glancing between Aaron and the woman, she exhaled and began to speak to the group softly as her pink hair danced in the lamplight.
"We were born on the same island, on the same day, and at the same time. There was a time when our mothers were friends and brought us to play together occasionally at various locations."
She paused for a second with her eyes staring into Aaron's turquoise-streaked hair that had once been wheat-colored blond.
"As the years passed, we grew closer and closer, even attending the same schools and taking the same classes. It was a calm life and a happy one for both of us."
With each word she spoke, tiny fragments of memories drifted through his fractured mind, connecting like a puzzle.
Some sentences snapped together easily, while others bounced off oddly, leaving gaps in the picture it was forming.
"Eight months ago, on his birthday, we celebrated together as we took a day off from work, instead deciding to adventure around the island."
Swallowing hard, she stopped for a moment, staring blankly at the ground before resuming her story.
"We decided to search for a village treasure that the town elders said was hidden on the farthest edges of the island. It was a calm day over the sea, so we thought it would be safe to head down the rocks."
Aaron's heartbeat exploded into a burst of pulses and tingles that sent shivers throughout his entire body.
Everything within his body warned him, for at least this one moment, not to search into his memories.
Muscles screamed, and the taste of iron throbbed through his mouth as he swallowed hard, clenching his hands tightly.
He knew, if he attempted to look inside his mind at this very moment, something within the darkness would look back, and its presence would not merely kill him.
It would erase his very existence.
So as his body tensed and groaned in pain, the pink-haired girl flinched, looking at him with a worried expression.
"A-Aaron? Are you alright—"
She was cut off by Cam, who spoke firmly without a hint of care for the blond boy.
"Continue your story."
Her words were harsh and callous, with even the white-haired Raphael left sitting awkwardly as he listened to the exchange.
Weighing the decision between the boy and the exam, Akari continued her story, yet not for a moment did she take her eyes off of Aaron, whose hands turned red with tension.
"W-When we reached the bottom, we were faced with a cave. It was dimly lit and partially flooded with water. I wanted to explore the inside; however, he urged me to stop and think about what could be lurking in the waters."
Aaron's lip began to quiver as the noble boy looked between the blond boy and the Marshal, carefully examining the scene.
"I didn't listen to him and dove into the waves without another word, swimming through the cavern alone."
She froze with a sudden thought crossing her mind as she stared off into space, reminiscing on the events of the past.
"As I reached the end of the tunnel, I found a hollow space with nothing inside. I felt disappointed, leading me to leave and meet back with Aaron, who waited outside."
As she finished her sentence, the feeling of absolute despair that was crushing the boy inwardly instantly vanished with the roar of the Apex terror returning at once to chide him with the usual banter.
"When I got outside, we walked together back home, where we parted ways. It was the last time I saw him until now…"
Finally finishing her story, there was a silent nod from the brown-haired woman who squinted carefully at the girl.
Raphael, who had been forgotten about by the rest of the people in the room, cleared his throat, speaking impatiently.
"Are we finished now? This blond fool was on the verge of putting a hole in his hand, and while that would be quite the show, I'd prefer to hurry up with the exam."
All eyes in the room turned to him, causing him to shift a little in his seat before facing them firmly.
Cam blinked before snapping her fingers, startling all three teenagers who sat before her.
"Your parchments should now contain descriptions of your respective missions. I would recommend you do not share them for privacy reasons; however, do please keep in mind that these are specifically chosen to match their undertaker's estimated evaluation of strength."
Unrolling the large pieces of paper, each of the challengers quietly read the task internally, with various facial expressions appearing across their faces.
Akari's face dimmed as she released a sigh of boredom, reading the words slowly.
The challenger known as Akari Ayaka shall head west and bring back the head and core of a magnitude four point five terror that is terrorizing Crescent Moon's End. Failure will result in immediate termination from the exam.
Across the room, a groan resounded from Raphael's mouth as he shook his head in disbelief at what he was reading.
The challenger known as Raphael von Steinfeste shall head north, towards the Abyss, where, close to the edge, there is a small island. A group of ten missionaries from the Church of True Earth attempted to colonize the land, yet failed after being attacked by a pack of wild Dormyrrs in a Dream Patch. Retrieve their corpses and bring back the core of at least one regular Dormyrr. Failure will result in immediate termination from the exam.
His annoyed grumbles were overtaken by the sound of Aaron standing up in confusion and staring at Cam in absolute shock at what he was reading.
The challenger, known as Aaron Grimstall, shall head in any direction. He will attempt to complete the task of retrieving a piece of a living or deceased magnitude seven or above sea terror while escaping with his life. Failure will result in a harsh warning and a demerit. No expulsion from the exam is required due to the nature of such a task.