“Should we go take a look?”

  “…Is it not a little too early for the Trial?”

  “…How early, exactly?

  “We are still a couple of hours away from the scheduled time.”

  “Two hours… is indeed a long time.”

  “Then what should we do?”

  “Go around the other counters?”

  “We already did that a week ago. Visiting them again would be a little embarrassing…”

  “Then glare at other Wanderers?”

  “…Though that idea sounds interesting, what if they start provoking us like the Wanderers we met earlier?”

  “…Beat them up?”

  “In the Blood Hall?”

  “…Right, that does not sound good.”

  “…Then, let’s go and have a look over there.”

  “It is not as if we have anything else to do anyway.”

  “What are going to do over there though?”

  “How about asking those two True Wanderers about the Final Trial?”

  “If they were of the kind to reveal such secrets, they would have done so a week ago.”

  “There is no harm in trying, right?”

  The Star Seekers glanced at each other, and quickly reached a consensus, before making their way to the counter of the Final Trial. And once they reached their destination, they reached another consensus, pushing their Captain to the front, while taking a step back themselves.

  “…Good morning, Wanderer Bains and Wanderer Maxel,” Alnea said, cursing his teammates in his mind, while bowing slightly to the two Wanderers, only to see them looking at him with confusion.

  “…Have we met before?”

  “Do you not recognise me?”

  “You do look a little familiar… But there are too many people we have seen in the past few days—

  “We met a week ago. You even congratulated me for making history on the first day the Final Trial was introduced.”

  “Alnea?” Bains said, staring with wide eyes. “You… What happened to you?”

  “…I just got a new look.”

  “You have transformed into a completely different person, and you call this a new look?” Bains mumbled, before letting out a laugh. “Though I must say, this new look does add a certain bold charm to you.”

  “…Thank you for your complement, Wanderer Bains.”

  “You deserve it,” Bains said. “Can you introduce me to the person who gave you your new look? I would not mind trusting my hair in such capable hands.”

  “…I am afraid not,” Alnea said, subduing the unrest that surged in his Heart ever so abruptly. Even though he knew that his response was inappropriate, and might offend a True Wanderer…

  “Those hands are reserved only for me.”

  “…You sure are an overprotective little Wanderer,” Wanderer Bains said with a chuckle, while glancing at the girls behind him, before turning towards him with a solemn look. “Since you are declaring your sovereignty, then you must protect those hands well, lest you regret your actions one day.”

  “…I will protect them with my life,” Alnea said, nodding solemnly, while sighing secretly.

  “Well then, tell me, what can I do for you today, Alnea?” Bains said, glancing at his teammates once again, with the edges of his lips curving upwards in a smile once again. “Or should I say Star Seekers?”

  “…We are here to complete our formalities of the Final Trial, Wanderer Bains.”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “Right now?”

  “…Is there any problem?”

  “There is no problem as such. It is just that there is still some time before your Trial begins. Are you sure that you want me to process your Blood Cards right now?”

  “The sooner we deal with all the formalities, the more relaxed we can be.”

  “That is a good mindset you have there,” Maxel said, nodding at his words. “Make sure to keep that mindset when you enter the Final World.”

  “…We will. Thank you for your guidance, Wanderer Maxel.”

  “It was not much of a guidance,” Maxel said, shaking his head, before turning towards Bains. “How about we let them into the Final World a little early?”

  “We can enter the Final World in advance?” Zain said, but was ignored by the two Wanderers manning the counter.

  “…That is against the rules…”

  “Are you still talking about rules at this point?” Maxel said, his voice growing a bit indifferent. “You know what they did. Such blatant manipulation of rules… Do they even have rules in their eyes?”

  “…But they are the council. And the city has also not said anything…”

  “…Technically, it is not exactly against the rules.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Is there any rule that bans Wanderers from entering the Final World in advance?”

  “…There should be.”

  “The rules only state that the Wanderers must enter the Final World before Final Trial starts. It says nothing about how long this ‘before’ should be.”

  “…You know what the rules mean.”

  “So? Only they can play with the rules, and we cannot?”

  “Why do you always have to be so stubborn?”

  “Why do you always have to be so stuck up?”

  “…Alright, you win,” Bains said, letting out a sigh, before turning towards the Star Seekers with a smile. “Since you are here early anyways, do you want to enter the Final World in advance?”

  “We do,” Alnea said hurriedly, with the rest of the Star Seekers nodding along with him.

  “Decisive enough. Alright, give me your Blood Cards.”

  Alnea collected everyone’s Blood Cards, and gave it to Wanderer Bains, before turning towards Wanderer Maxel.

  “Thank you for your help, Wanderer Maxel.”

  “I did not help much,” Maxel said, staring directly at Alnea. “Besides, do not thank me just yet. Going to the Final World in advance may not necessarily be a good thing for you.”

  “…Do you know some information about the Final World, Wanderer Maxel?”

  “Do you not know it too?”

  “That is different. The information that we have comes from the time the Final World was captured from the turbulent space in between the barriers of the world. That was ten years ago. Not to mention the upheaval it must have gone through in the process of being dragged back to the Lost City, just some natural changes alone might be enough to render most of the information that we have as useless.”

  “…Is that information not enough?”

  “…Are you implying that there has been changes in the environment of the Final World?”

  “I am implying nothing. What you have figured with your deduction is your credit. It has nothing to do with me… or Bains.”

  “…I understand,” Alnea said, giving a small nod. “Regardless, we thank you for allowing us to enter the Final World in advance. Even if it may not necessarily be a good thing for us, it can still allow us to better asses the world, and prepare our measures accordingly.”

  “…I wish I was as calm as you at your age,” Wanderer Maxel said, smiling ever so slightly, before resuming his stern face. “As I said before, what I—we did was not to help you, but just to finish our work early.”

  “…We understand,” Alnea said, flashing a smile, before nodding solemnly.

  “…You two are talking as if those people will not understand what we are doing,” Bains mumbled, as he handed the Blood Cards back to Alnea. “I have given your Blood Cards permission to access the Final World. But it is just a one time access. Once you exit the Final World, you will not get any more chances. That means, if you leave the Final World before the Final Trial begins, it will still be counted as giving up the Trial. Do you understand?”

  “No leaving the Final World. Understood.”

  “…It would best if you can understand. Once you get there, do not jump around too much. If you really want to explore the world, do it in moderation. Start with clearing out your surroundings, and setting up a base camp… In short, just follow common sense. But do not stick to it too much. Sometimes, you need to adapt to the situation…”

  “…Thank you for your concern, Wanderer Bains.”

  “Who is concerned about you? Forget it. I have already said everything I needed to. The only thing left is the Final Trial, but that is something that even the council cannot interfere with… probably. Regardless, you will be told what your Trial is when the time comes. Before that happens, just try to find a safe environment, and preserve your strength. As for the rest, it will be up to you to decide what to do.”

  “…Thank you, Wanderer Bains and Wanderer Maxel,” Alnea said, nodding with a slight smile, and bowed slightly, before tur—

  “About the Final World… How do we enter it?”

  “…Twelfth floor. You will find a pair of doors. They might look a little different from other doors, but they will work the same way. Just scan your Blood Cards, and enter the passage they open.”

  “…Thank you,” Alnea said, bowing slightly, before quickly rushing away, using his Aspects to not show his embarrassment on his face. At least not in front of his backstabbing teammates, snickering behind his back. As for the rest of the Wanderers whispering to each other, gossiping about him, he did not even bother caring about them. As long as they did not—

  “Alnea?”

  Alnea stopped in his steps, as the familiar yet unfamiliar voice made its way into his ears like a whisper from a distant past.

  “…Are you Alnea?”

  Turning towards his left, he found a familiar face that matched the familiar voice he had just heard. Yet, just like the unfamiliarity in the voice, the face had also gained a trace of unfamiliarity. Although it retained its cold appearance, it had grown sharper around the edges, with a hint of maturity that came only with the ravages of Time and Life.