(Ring 3 — Butters Estate)
Rain misted the moat surrounding the Butters Estate, turning the water into silver glass.
Inside, light filtered through tall windows carved with wave patterns. The scent of salt and jasmine drifted through the halls — calm, steady, everything about the place radiating her mother's energy.
Lila had been home for a few nights now. The walls felt both strange and familiar — like she'd stepped back into a memory she'd outgrown.
She sat at the breakfast table near the open veranda, her hair damp from her morning wash, her robe loosely draped at her shoulders. Beyond the terrace, koi swam in faint aura currents that glowed a soft blue. She sipped her tea and stared into the steam.
The sound of soft footsteps came before the voice.
"Morning, sweetheart."
Laila Butters — the Water Demon of Royal Aqua — entered the room in a loose silk jacket, her hair braided high. Even without armor, she carried the same quiet weight that the world bowed to. Her aura shimmered faintly — not overwhelming, but steady, like a tide that could drown cities if it wanted.
Lila smiled faintly. "Morning, Mom."
Laila crossed to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're still up early. I thought you'd be asleep another hour."
"I couldn't," Lila said. "Too quiet. I got used to people snoring on ships."
Her mother laughed softly, the sound like a ripple across calm water. "That's the Seeker life. Even silence feels loud when you stop moving."
Lila looked down at her cup. "It's... weird being back."
Laila tilted her head. "Weird how?"
"I don't know. I thought when I came home, I'd feel safe. But I feel...The ."
Her mother sat across from her, eyes gentle. "Small isn't bad. Small means there's room to grow."
Lila nodded, hesitated, then said, "I wanted to tell you about my squad."
"Ah," Laila said with a smile. "The ones William Lockhart handpicked."
Lila's tone brightened a little. "Yeah. He's... different. Polite, calm, but you can tell he's always watching. He doesn't talk like most captains — he teaches between words. Aria's loud and confident, like lightning that laughs at you. Rin's quiet but sharp; he fights like he already knows the ending. And Kai..."
She paused, smiling a little wider. "He's strange. Pure, but not naive. You can feel how serious he is when he fights. It's like he carries peace on his back."
Laila listened quietly, chin resting on her knuckles. "You sound proud of them."
"I am," Lila said softly. "But I'm scared, too. The Trial by Mercy is in two days. I want to be ready. Really ready. Not just as the healer who hides behind them."
Laila's expression softened even more — the Water Demon turned mother again. "Lila Butters, you've never hidden a day in your life. You step where others hesitate, that's what I taught you."
Lila laughed, wiping at her eyes. "You taught me to swim by throwing me into a river."
"You floated," her mother teased. "Eventually."
They both laughed. The sound echoed lightly through the quiet hall.
When it faded, Lila brushed her bangs aside and sighed. "Can you cut my hair? It keeps falling in my eyes when I fight."
Her mother raised a brow. "Your hair? You love your hair."
"I know," Lila said with a grin, touching the damp ends. "But I think I'm ready to stop hiding behind it."
Laila smiled slowly, like the tide coming in. "All right. Sit."
Lila obeyed, turning her chair toward the light. Her mother drew a small blade from her sleeve — not a weapon, but a sharp alchemic trimmer, its edge shimmering with Water Muti refinement.
Each snip was clean and deliberate. Locks fell silently, catching the sunlight before landing on the marble floor.
When she was done, Laila brushed a hand along her daughter's cheek. "There. Strong and sharp. You look like someone who can command a storm."
Lila looked at her reflection in the window — hair shorter, face clearer, eyes steady. "I look like me."
Her mother smiled. "Exactly."
They sat in the quiet for a moment, the rain easing outside.
Then Lila said quietly, "I know I was supposed to go to the guild today, but... Mom, can you train me? Just for today. I want to prepare for the Trial by Mercy with you."
Laila's expression softened instantly—no hesitation, no calculation — just love.
"Of course I will, baby." She rose, taking her daughter's hand. "Come on. The pool's clear, and the water's listening."
They walked toward the inner courtyard where the training hall opened over a vast circular pool — its surface glowing with faint blue glyphs that rippled like heartbeat lines.
Laila's aura began to rise, calm but heavy, as the rain outside picked up again. "Show me what the world's been teaching you," she said. "Then I'll show you true power."
Lila smiled, pulling her sleeves tight, feet bare against the wet stone. "Deal."
The first ripples moved as they stepped onto the water.
Mother and daughter faced each other — one calm as the ocean, one ready to become the storm.
Two days to the Trial by Mercy.
The tide was rising.
(Order of the Crescent Halo — Evening Briefing)
The Talking Boar was loud again by fifteen hundred — all clang, laughter, and the faint hum of aura-drunk seekers. The rookies filtered in one by one through the front door, boots tapping across the oak floor.
Kai arrived first, hair tied back, sleeves rolled—the smell of forge-spice stew and ale mixed in the air. Hanami sat at the dispatch desk, one leg bouncing, scribbling notes into her tablet.
"Ah, the early monk returns," she said, not looking up. "I was starting to think you found enlightenment and forgot to come back."
Kai smiled. "Almost. But enlightenment didn't have lunch."
Hanami snorted. "Figures. Sit tight. The others are en route."
The door swung again — Aria came in like a spark, short hair damp from the rain, wearing her old lightning-sigil jacket and sword slung casually over her back. She spotted Kai and grinned.
"Hey. Guess who talked a merchant down from triple price?"
Kai tilted his head. "You, or the thundercloud behind you?"
"Both," she said proudly.
Then the door opened one last time. Rin stepped in. Quiet. Hood down. His eyes found Aria immediately, but she looked away first.
Hanami glanced up from her notes, sensing the storm. "Oh boy. Weather's changing."
The silence between them was tight but not sharp — more like a wire stretched between memory and guilt.
Finally, Rin walked over, slow and deliberate, and stopped in front of her.
Aria blinked, surprised. "What?"
He exhaled. "About earlier." His voice was steady but low. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."
Her mouth opened, but he kept going. "You didn't deserve that. You were trying to understand something I didn't want to talk about. That's not your fault. That's mine."
The room went quiet — even the guild noise outside seemed to fade.
Hanami paused mid-note.
Aria's throat tightened, eyes softening. "Rin..."
He didn't look up. "You don't have to say anything. —don't worry about it."
A small beat passed. Then she reached out, tapping his shoulder once, firm but gentle. "Apology accepted, grump."
That tiny word cracked the air just enough for Kai to chime in.
He leaned in, a grin sneaking out. "Wow. So the Ice Prince can apologize. Guess he's got a heart under there after all."
Rin turned his head slowly — murder in his eyes, silence louder than thunder.
Kai coughed into his hand. "I mean—uh, an honorable one. Very professional apology."
Hanami bit her lip, trying not to laugh. "Oh, he's gonna die."
Aria couldn't help it — she laughed. The tension broke, like someone had finally opened a window. Even Rin's glare melted into something half-exasperated, half-tolerant.
William's voice came from the staircase above.
"Glad to see no one's stabbed each other yet."
The Captain descended, calm as always — coat immaculate, gaze sweeping the table. The guild's hum dimmed when he spoke.
"Good. You're all here."
He looked at each of them in turn — Aria, Rin, Kai, and Hanami with her tablet half-raised like a badge.
"Tomorrow morning," he began, "I'll be drilling you personally." His voice wasn't loud, but it filled the room. "Because the Trial by Mercy isn't just another test. It's a declaration."
Aria straightened automatically. Rin's focus sharpened. Kai stopped fidgeting.
William continued, pacing slowly between them.
"This trial will be broadcast across every major nation. The crowd in the arena won't just be Seekers. They'll be soldiers, nobles, children, world leaders, and more sponsors than sense. Every nation will be watching its own. Guilds will be putting their reputations and their wallets on the line. Some will cheer for glory. Some will watch, hoping you fail."
He stopped, meeting their eyes one by one.
"You're not just representing yourselves—you're representing this guild, the Order of the Crescent Halo. And I expect you to do it with discipline and pride."
Hanami's fingers paused on her tablet. Even she went quiet.
William folded his arms. "Here's how it works: The winning person earns automatic promotion to Silver Seeker rank. Second place earns Bronze immediately. The Council will evaluate the rest based on performance—skill, technique, multi versatility, power, teamwork, heart, and the one thing most rookies forget—common sense."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Common sense? That's a ranking metric?"
William smiled faintly. "You'd be amazed how many geniuses trip over their own egos."
Hanami whispered to her tablet, "Common sense: low probability among this group."
William's tone turned serious again. "Each team will also learn their squad leader before the Trial begins. Whoever I choose for this team will hold that position permanently."
He looked toward the three of them. "That person will be my lieutenant."
Aria blinked. "You're naming your lieutenant through this trial?"
William nodded once. "Exactly. I won't say who until I see what you do on that field. Leadership isn't given. It's proven."
The silence that followed hummed with heat. Even Rin looked up from his usual stoicism.
William continued, his expression softening. "The rules are simple: no killing, and you fight until surrender or incapacitation. The rest is up to you—your decisions, your heart, your multi. How you work as one will decide if you rise or fall."
Kai crossed his arms thoughtfully. "So the world watches us bleed for glory?"
William's eyes glinted. "For meaning, Kai. For proof that you belong in the ranks of Seekers. For every person out there who still believes in what the Association stands for."
He turned slightly, looking at the guild's crest above the bar — the crescent halo shining dimly under lamplight.
"This will be good for us," he said quietly, smiling. "The Order of the Crescent Halo has never had a full team enter since I founded this branch. The world will remember our name after this."
Hanami scribbled that line word for word. "Ooh, that's going on a banner."
William turned back to them, composure returning. "Get used to the idea that you're being seen. You're not fighting in the shadows anymore. You're standing before the world."
He started walking toward the doors. "Now. We've talked enough. I intend to teach you something before the day's done."