The mission board was packed with students, their voices blending into a restless murmur. The week of competition had tested them, but Mission Week was different. There were no guaranteed battles, no structured duels—only challenges that tested both skill and wit in unpredictable ways.
Dawn stood at the edge of the gathering, arms crossed as he observed. Some students crowded around the combat missions, eager to prove their strength. Others eyed the escort and patrol missions, which offered consistent rewards without excessive risk.
And then there were the exploration missions—a separate section of the board, overlooked by most. Those who understood the dangers of the academy's wilderness knew that these missions held risks beyond the academy walls. The forest was alive, shifting, watching.
Dawn approached.
His fingers traced over the parchment sheets until he found it:
Exploration: Celestial Fruit Retrieval
Objective: Retrieve a rare celestial fruit from the Towering Sentinel, a massive tree deep within the academy's forest. The fruit lookks like a transparent Apple which shines like gold in the presence of Sun and silver in the presence of Moon.
Difficulty: Moderate to High
Reward: 1000 contribution points every fruit. No limit! Additional artifact reward as bonus.
A simple task in writing. Far from simple in reality.
Without hesitation, Dawn pressed his name onto the parchment, finalizing his choice.
"That place again, huh?"
A familiar voice. Gary.
Dawn turned to see him standing nearby, arms crossed, expression unreadable. Not surprised. Not concerned. Just curious.
"Didn't think you'd want to go back so soon," Gary added.
Dawn smirked. "That's exactly why I'm choosing it."
Their last visit to the forest had been anything but simple. Dawn had led the way, guiding Gary and others through shifting terrain, evading dangers that moved unseen. The trees, the land itself—it had all been alive, shifting like a puzzle meant to trap those who didn't understand its rules.
"You remember how the trees moved?" Gary asked.
Dawn nodded. "And how the ground wasn't always where we left it."
"It was a damn maze." Gary exhaled. "And now you're going alone."
Dawn shrugged. "I need to go alone.Besides, I can navigate the forests far better. Have a load of experience doing just that."
Gary was silent for a moment, eyes scanning Dawn's face. Then he nodded. "Then don't lose your way."
Not a warning. A trust.
---
Later that night, long after most students had retired to their quarters, Dawn received an unexpected summons.
A folded slip of parchment, tucked beneath his door. No signature. No seal. Just a single line:
"Come to the eastern corridor before curfew."
Dawn read it twice, then pocketed it.
---
The eastern corridor was quiet, lanterns flickering with dim golden light. No passing students. No idle chatter. Just silence.
And at the far end, a shadowy figure in black robes.
Instructor Solene.
Dawn approached, footsteps quiet against the stone floor. He was expected.
Solene's dark eyes studied him for a moment before he spoke. "Your exploration mission—retrieve the fruit, yes?"
Dawn nodded. "Yes."
A pause. Then—
"There is something else an elder wants you to do. A special Assignment, to be precise."
The instructor reached into his robe, producing a small parchment.
Dawn took it, unfolding the paper. His eyes flickered over the details.
A book. A location. A task.
Solene spoke in a measured tone. "Hidden deep within the forest lies a certain book, placed there by an elder long ago when he was fleeing from pursuers."
Dawn glanced up. "And?"
"The academy cannot interfere directly, due to a pact. You, however, can."
Dawn's fingers tightened around the parchment. "Why me?"
Solene studied him, then said simply, "Because you might succeed."
The unspoken truth lingered.
Dawn was an anomaly within the academy, belonging to neither the Radiant Sun Academy nor the Luminous Moon Academy. He was free in ways that the others were not.
And that freedom made him useful.
Dawn folded the parchment and slipped it into his sleeve. "Understood."
No more words were exchanged.
As he stepped into the night, the forest waiting beyond the horizon, Dawn exhaled.
Tomorrow, he would enter the unknown.
---
Deep within the academy, past corridors rarely tread by students, a dimly lit chamber held a gathering. Instructors from both academies, along with a few elders whose presence commanded respect, sat in quiet deliberation.
At the head of the chamber, Instructor Valeris stood with his arms crossed. Beside him, Instructor Eleanor listened attentively, her sharp eyes betraying nothing. Instructor Solene, clad in his ever-present black robes, leaned against the wall, as if he cared little for the proceedings but still chose to be here.
At the center of the discussion lay a single name.
Dawn.
"So," an elder finally broke the silence, voice rough with age, "the boy has been selected for that task, huh?"
Instructor Solene nodded. "Yes."
Another instructor, one from Luminous Moon Academy, frowned. "A dangerous choice. The forest has tested many before him."
"And failed them," an elder added.
Valeris exhaled through his nose, his tone unreadable. "He led the group last time. It was his guidance that got them through the shifting terrain."
Eleanor spoke next, her voice carrying a note of curiosity. "But this time, he goes alone."
The room fell into silence once more. The difference was not a small one.
Solene tilted his head. "If we fear that he will fail, then we should not have given him the assignment."
"No," one of the elders replied. "We fear what happens if he succeeds."
A heavy pause.
Instructor Eleanor's lips curled slightly. "Then perhaps that is exactly why we should be watching."
Valeris frowned. "The Vast Sky Pattern is... unstable. Unpredictable. He lacks a fixed resonance. He is not bound by Solar or Lunar Affinity."
"And that makes him valuable," Solene murmured.
A different elder, one who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. His voice was deep, carrying the weight of age and wisdom. "The book he is to retrieve is not ordinary. It is tied to the elder who hid it long ago. He survived the Darkness. That book was his journal. We might find what we have been desperately searching for in there."
The meaning behind his words was clear.
They wanted the knowledge, or rather the experience left in that book, they needed it now more than ever.
And now, for the first time in decades, there was a potential candidate who could retrieve it.
Eleanor's fingers tapped against the wooden table. "We will not interfere?"
Solene shook his head. "We cannot. The pact remains. The forest is its own realm, beyond our authority."
"Then we observe," an elder concluded. "We see if the boy finds what we could not."
The meeting ended with no further words.
But as they dispersed, the air carried an unspoken agreement.
Dawn's journey into the forest was no longer just a mission.
It was a test.