Chapter 14 – The Awakening of Companions
The night following the tournament was unnervingly quiet.
Clouds drifted slowly across the sky above the city, moonlight seeping faintly through the windows of the rented house. Kurogane Arin was still awake. He sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his palm, where he could still feel a subtle, pulsing magical resonance.
Something had changed.
And not just within him.
Elina Frostveil – The Ice Saint
Elina stood alone in the inner courtyard.
She slowly closed her eyes, and in an instant, the air around her grew cold. A thin layer of frost spread silently beneath her feet, forming flawless patterns across the stone. There was no violence in it—no loss of control. Only purity. Order.
The blue crystal embedded in her chestplate flared with blinding light.
"This… isn't ordinary ice magic," Elina whispered.
Ancient runes appeared in the air—pale, glowing symbols of frost, radiating sacred power. The cold did not destroy.
It protected.It healed.It halted time for a single breath.
Elina sank to one knee as realization washed over her.
Ice Saint.
A legendary class spoken of only in myths. Not a power of devastation, but of absolute control. Sacred ice magic—both shield and judgment.
"Arin…" she murmured. "It seems… you weren't the only one who awakened."
Leon Valen – The Great Sage
Inside the house, Leon leaned over an open book.
The letters were moving.
Not the ink—but their meaning. The structure of magic unraveled before his eyes. Elements, laws, spell frameworks, hidden formulas—everything aligned, as if the world itself had decided to explain its logic to him.
Leon straightened as his eyes flashed gold.
"So that's it…" he chuckled softly. "No wonder everything always felt too easy."
The knowledge hadn't come from outside.
It had awakened.
Dai Kenja (大賢者) — The Great Sage.
A class far beyond conventional mages. Not merely a spellcaster, but an interpreter of the world's laws. Analysis. Prediction. Strategy.
Leon took a deep breath.
"A hero, a saint… and now a sage," he said with a crooked smile. "This is starting to get ridiculous, tesó."
Arin Realizes the Truth
Arin stepped into the courtyard—and stopped.
He didn't need to ask.
He could feel it.
The sacred frost aura surrounding Elina.The pure resonance of knowledge flowing from Leon.
Both reacted to his presence.
As if his power had been the catalyst.As if his awakening had triggered a chain reaction.
"So…" Arin said slowly, "I'm not the only one."
Elina rose to her feet, her gaze calm—but deeper than ever before.
"Arin, what's coming…" she said quietly, "it's not just the tournament."
Leon nodded.
"When multiple awakened heroes appear… it means only one thing."
The air tightened.
"The Demon Lord," Arin said. "Either has already been reborn… or is about to awaken."
Silence fell.
Not a silence of fear.
But of resolve.
"Then there's no turning back," Elina said.
"Then we prepare," Leon added.
Arin slowly clenched his fist.
"Then we'll show this world…" he said, voice steady,"what it means when the exiled awaken."
Moonlight fell upon them.
Three figures stood together.
Not legends yet.
But no longer mere adventurers.