Finley was a breathtaking kingdom, surrounded by rolling hills and lush valleys. From above, the kingdom unfolded like a vibrant vas, where casg waterfalls, winding rivers, and tranquil kes painted a picture of serey. As they drew closer to the ter, the vegetation grew denser, f a rich tapestry of greenery. Along the way, they passed herds of single-horned mountain goats led by shepherds, white-armored mammoths bathing and drinking by the river, and graceful four-horned kudus bounding across the valleys. Diamond-ed pigeons glided alongside their fleet, their feathers shimmering in the sunlight.

  The children were more excited than ever. Julian gazed down in awe, his wide eyes taking in every detail. Ayden couldn’t sit still, darting bad forth to get a better view of the sery. And Athena—well, acc to her father, her calm and expressionless gaze out the window was her unique way of showiement.

  As they traveled, Ayden bombarded Alexander and Frederick with a flurry of questions, his curiosity endless. The lively chatter brought a sense of relief to everyone on board. It was f to see that the earlier events hadn’t dampeheir spirits, and the anticipation of this neter in their lives shone brightly in their eyes.

  They were the st to arrive at the venue, which was already packed with students and parents gathered at the base of the mountain. In front of them y numerous steps leading up to the portal. At the foot of the steps stood a young, striking man in a bd red cloak, adorned with a golden mohe monocle’s dangled elegantly, tucked behind his ear, while a snow owl perched majestically on his shoulder.

  This man carefully collected admissioers from the children in line, examining them with precision before sing each with a glowing verification stone. Once he firmed the authenticity of the letter and its rightful owner, he presehe child with a token, granting them permission to asd the steps.

  Despite the tinuous stream of children climbing the stairs, not all succeeded in reag the portal. Some returned shortly after starting, uo advance, while others failed to even step onto the first stair.

  As the three children and their ente waited he back, they noticed the arrival of the Northern Prince’s group. They had reached only moments earlier and were already attempting to cut the long line of parents and children. One of their guards spoke loudly and mogly, his voice cutting through the crowd:

  “It seems the First Prince of Are has nothier to do in his empire. Our Prince is so busy that he ’t spare a moment to escort the young highness himself.”

  Julian ughed audibly, his voice carrying through the crowd. “Is he an idiot? Was he mog His Highness for sending off his daughter personally, or admitting their little prince is so pathetic his father couldn’t even bother to see him off?”

  The surrounding crowd snickered, and Frederick looked at his son with pride. Embarrassed, the Northern Prince’s guard captain scolded the foolish guard for his reckless ent. However, as a citizen of the Northern Empire, the captain couldn’t let Are have the upper hand in the exge.

  “Well, well, who do we have here?” the captain sneered. “The First Prince of Are himself! Hiding behind his family, too scared to faon trash like us.” His fellow guards burst into ughter.

  Athena, uo tolerate her father being insulted, stepped forward. Her voice was firm and unwavering as she replied, “A true ruler protects their empire, values their family, treats all with fairness, and never robs their subjects of their rights. That is true strength.”

  The crowd began murmuring among themselves, casting curious and disapproving g the guard captain.

  The guard captain’s face reddened with anger, and he opened his mouth to retaliate, but before he could speak, the young man at the base of the steps amplified his voice with a spell. His tone was crisp and anding as he addressed the crowd:

  “This is her the time nor the pce for a battle between the Northern Empire and Are. Refrain from unnecessary disputes.”

  Relutly, the guard captain turned back to his group. Frustrated but powerless to retaliate, he shoved through the crowd, f his way to the front of the line in a desperate attempt to salvage his pride.

  The young prin the group turned his attention to the three children beside Alexander. He directed what he thought was a charming, flirtatious smile at Athena, fident it would captivate anyone of the opposite geo his surprise, the girl met his attempt with a look of pure disdain. Uerred and unwilling to admit defeat, he shifted his focus to anirl standing two rows ahead. When he fshed her the same practiced smile, she turned beet red and quickly covered her fa embarrassment. Reassured that his charm was still intact, he vinced himself it was Athena’s eyesight that had failed her.

  Determined, he tried again to win Athena’s attention, but she didn’t even spare him a gnce. Instead, the ones who did were Julian and Ayden. With their bien years of mischievous wit, the boys mimicked the northern prince’s flirty look and smile, exaggerating it to a ical degree. The northern prihhly offended and disgusted, avoided their gaze entirely and hastily marched off with his guards ae.

  Meanwhile, Julian and Ayden stifled their ughter, their eyes gleaming with amusement. Athena, having observed the entire exge, couldn't help but smirk at their antics, clearly eained by how effortlessly they had outmaneuvered the northern prince.

  Ohe northern prince reached the young man at the base of the steps, he handed over his admissioer with an air ance. After receiving his tokeurned back to g Athena and the rest of her group. Raising his voice for everyoo hear, he sneered, "Hunters Academy is not a pce for the weak but for brave men. All the lowly ants should leave before they embarrass themselves." With a smug grin, he began asding the steps.

  He climbed swiftly at first, his fidence apparent. However, as he reached the middle of the staircase, the pressure suddenly intensified, and each step became more borious. His pace slowed visibly, and the strain was evident on his face. Behind him, others took their turns—some faltered and failed, while others persevered, pushing forward with sheer determination.

  When it was finally their group’s turn, the young man at the base of the steps approached Alexander’s group. He looked at Alexander with thinly veiled disdain, but when his gaze shifted to Athena, it softened into what he assumed was affe. Resting his palm lightly on her head, he remarked, "You are so beautiful, just like your mother."

  Athena froze, feeling a strange current flow through her body. It wasn’t painful, but it was unfamiliar and discerting. The young man, Alfred Leyni, had attempted to gauge her potential by eling his mana into her. His eyes widened in shock as he realized the tent power within her. Without hesitation, he asked, "Will you be my disciple?"

  Before Athena could respond, Alexaepped forward, his expression darkening. He firmly removed Alfred’s hand from his daughter’s head. "Alfred Leyni, who do you think you are to touch my daughter so casually?"

  Alfred, unfazed, met Alexander’s intense gaze and replied with a calm yet fident tone, "My future disciple."

  Athena narrowed her eyes, pting Alfred's words. Her voice was calm but carried a hint of skepticism. "Mister Vice-Principal, you’re the sed person to cim I’m your future disciple. I didn’t like the first one, but judging by the mana you used on me, I tell you’re a strong person."

  Alfred smiled warmly and bowed slightly. "Yhness, I’ll do my best to earn the honor of being your master iure."

  Alexander, who had been quietly , chuckled. "Says the man who couldn’t impress her mother."

  Alfred shot Alexander a look of mild exasperation, as though he were dealing with a particurly troublesome student. "Oh, for heaven’s sake, you never ge."

  Turning back to the children, Alfred adjusted his demeanor and addressed them. "You three are the st group to climb the steps. May I see your letters?"

  Frederick, alrepared, retrieved the three letters from his coat pocket and hahem to Alfred. After carefully sing them with a glowing sing stone, Alfred produced three tokens. The tokens were shaped like shields, with each child’s name engraved at the ter. At the top of each tokehe words "Cirvoyant Hunters Academy," above which was a delicate floral pattern embedded with a translut gem.

  Ayden examined his token curiously. "Sir, may I ask why this gem looks different?"

  Alfred raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Why do you think it’s different?"

  Before Ayden could answer, Julian interjected. "Because it’s trying to read our minds."

  Alfred’s expression shifted to one of genuine surprise. He took both boys’ hands in his, his tone filled with admiration. "May I have the honor of being your master?"

  Ayde his gaze steadily. "Only if my sister agrees to be your disciple too."

  Alfred g Athena, whose eyes were now pleading softly. Before he could reply, Frederick cleared his throat, stepping forward with a calm yet firm voice. "Yhness, Alfred may not be the biggest fan of your father, but he is one of the most brilliant mages in the history of Are. There’s no oer suited to guide you."

  Athena shifted her gaze to her father, who gave her a pyful wink. Smiling faintly, she turned back to Alfred. "Alright, I’ll agree—because someone oold me her childhood friend was a great mage and would be the perfect master for me."

  Alfred’s expression softened, and a proud smile spread across his face as he looked at the young girl. Iemper and smile, he could see glimpses of her mother, a memory that filled him with both nostalgia aermination. "You won’t regret this, Yhness," he promised.

  After bidding their farewells, the three children began asding the steps with Alfred Leyni apanying them. As they climbed, Ayden’s sharp eyes noticed something peculiar: the color of the gems iokens was ging—not just his own, but also those of Athena and Julian. Tuggily at Alfred’s robe, he asked, “Why is it ging color?”

  Alfred, notig Ayden’s curiosity, felt a spark of excitement. Rarely did children notice this detail so early, let alone ask about it. It further reaffirmed why he had chosen these brilliant young minds as his disciples. “The color reflects your mental strength,” Alfred expined. “The higher you climb without succumbing to the pressure, the more advanced your mental strength is. The gem adjusts to represent that level.”

  This expnation ignited a newfound eagerness in the children, who immediately started rag upward to test themselves. As they asded, they passed many other children struggling uhe mounting pressure. Among them was the Northern prince, who had resorted to crawling up the steps, his face torted with effort. Julian, the se, couldn’t help but find the sight of a prin su undigate rather unsightly.

  As they climbed higher, Ayden and Julian began to feel the weight of the pressure. It wasn’t until they were three-quarters of the that their gems settled on purple, indig exceptional mental strength. Alfred, trailing behind them, was deeply impressed. It was extraordinarily rare for children to reach purple on their first climb. Even he, a renowned mage, hadn’t reached that level at their age.

  What astonished him even more was Athena. While Ayden and Julian were visibly tired as they he final steps, Athena remained eic, her movements fluid and unstrained. Alfred’s attention so her token, and his breath caught in his throat.

  The gem on Athena’s token was ging again.

  By the time they reached the top, Ayden and Julian were exhausted but triumphant. Alfred, however, was fixated on Athena’s token, where the gem had settled on a radiant gold.

  Alfred stood frozen, his mind reeling. Gold. The cnified an unparalleled level of mental strength, a level even he hadn’t achieved. In fact, there was only oher person in the kingdom known to possess such mental fortitude: Alexander Quinn Are.

  As the realization sank in, Alfred felt a rush of awe—and an undeniable sehat this little girl was destined freatness. “Golden,” he murmured under his breath, his voice filled with a mix of disbelief and pride. “Strohan even her father...”

  As they approached the root, Athena’s eyes widened i the enormous portal t before them. It was taller and broader than the royal training grounds and framed by a massive root adorned with vibrant green moss and delicate, colorful flowers. Oher side of the portal stood two colossal guardians, their forms seemingly crafted from an intricate blend of wood and shimmering gems. Each guardian held an immense woodeer ed with a glowing mana stone, radiating a soft, pulsating light.

  The guardians' presence was imposing, their unblinking eyes fixed on the group. But what truly startled Alfred was when the guardians suddenly spoke in unison, their voices resonating like a symphony of aimbres:

  “We wele the ruler.”

  Alfred froze, his heart pounding. The st time these a sentinels had spoken was to greet the saint—a memory etched in the annals of the academy. But now, they addressed someone as "ruler," a title that left Alfred puzzled. Who among these children could possibly warrant such a greeting?

  He watched with growing intrigue as the children walked past the guardians and through the portal. As Athena, Ayden, and Julian crossed the threshold, a faint, almost imperceptible shift seemed to ripple through the air.

  In that moment, Alfred felt a deep certainty settle in his chest. The world was on the brink of transformation, and the spark for that ge had just stepped through the portal. These children, with their extraordinary potential, would be the catalysts for a future no one could yet foresee.