Selene walked with Yara by her side. The two of them moved through the crowd, weaving between groups of chattering spectators and clusters of Evolvers comparing badge numbers with happy smiles.

Selene approached the registration desk. A middle-aged man behind the counter looked up at her with a soft smile.

"What’s your name, young lady?"

"Selene."

The middle aged man wasn’t surprised. Not everybody wanted their family name out there, and it wasn’t a requirement. The awakener badge number they provided was enough to confirm their identity.

"Your badge, please."

Selene placed the badge in the palm of his hands.

The middle aged man typed, checked his screen, and nodded. "Confirmed. Here is your badge."

He handed her a small metal plate engraved with her name and a number.

Candidate #1604.

"Continue through the corridor on your left toward the testing area. Instructions will be provided upon arrival."

Selene pinned the badge to her chest and turned away. Yara walked beside her without issue. As a non-human companion, she was classified as a bonded beast, which allowed her through the participant gates without a separate registration as a normal spectator.

As they walked down the corridor toward the testing area, Selene’s pace slowed. She glanced at her phone one more time. But there was no new messages.

"Moon still hasn’t shown up." She said, the worry plain in her voice. "What if he forgot about it?"

Yara looked at her, then at the crowds still streaming through the entrance gates behind them.

"Perhaps he’s caught up with something." Yara said calmly. "He still has a few hours left before sign-up closes. I’m sure he won’t forget about it."

She paused.

"This is Moon we’re talking about. He doesn’t forget things that matter."

Selene exhaled slowly and nodded. Yara was right. Moon was many things, but careless wasn’t one of them.

She turned back toward the testing area and kept walking. Badge #1604 glinting on her chest.

Soon enough, Selene arrived at the first testing station. A long queue stretched ahead of her, dozens of Evolvers standing in line, some chatting nervously, others silent and focused.

Selene could only sigh and take her place like everyone else.

The line moved faster than she expected. Every few minutes, someone at the front would step forward, undergo a brief evaluation, and either proceed through the gate or be turned away. Most of those rejected walked back with their heads down, their badges remaining at the desk.

They were too weak.

Selene hadn’t seen a single person rejected for being too strong. That made sense. Evolvers who had reached beyond the Five Star stage wouldn’t waste their time standing in a queue when they already knew the tournament’s upper limit would exclude them. And there weren’t many of them to begin with. The truly powerful had better things to do than compete in a bracket designed for those still climbing.

The rejected ones were the hopefuls. People who knew they were borderline but wanted to try their luck anyway. One by one, they were measured and found lacking.

After twenty minutes, Selene reached the front.

A woman in Association uniform stood behind a sensing device, a flat crystal panel mounted on a pedestal. She looked up at Selene with a professional expression.

"Please release your aura. We will evaluate your eligibility from that. If you do not meet the minimum threshold, you will need to return this badge." The woman pointed at the badge on Selene’s chest.

Selene nodded, took a breath and let her aura unfurl.

The pressure rolled outward from her body in a steady wave. The crystal panel lit up, numbers climbing rapidly across its surface. The evaluator watched the readout, her eyebrows rising slightly as the number settled.

"Second Star at your age." The woman looked up from the panel, a small smile crossing her face. "Not bad at all. You will be a fearsome competitor in the tournaments to come. You may proceed."

Selene nodded her head gently. "Thank you."

She walked through the gate, Yara padding quietly at her side.

"That test was quite easy. Are all the tests like this?" Yara couldn’t help but ask.

Selene shook her head. "No. That was just the second qualifying round. It’s only there to set a minimum threshold of strength so the tournament doesn’t get flooded with people who have no chance. But at the same time, there also needs to be a variation in strength and age, for entertainment purposes mostly."

She glanced back at the gate behind them where another hopeful was being turned away.

"Soon, everyone who passed will be placed in a large arena together. Only the top percentile will make it through to tomorrow’s testing. The rest are eliminated."

Yara’s ears perked up.

"Tomorrow will have additional challenges, and by the end of it, the field will be narrowed down to two thousand." Selene continued.

Yara nodded slowly, absorbing the structure as they walked.

"Look, it’s Selene!" A soft feminine voice sounded from her right.

Selene’s ears grasped the voice before she saw its owner.

She turned to find Emma rushing toward her through, her arms spread wide, a bright smile on her face that could have lit up the entire tournament grounds.

Selene smiled and opened her arms. Emma crashed into her with a hug that was more enthusiasm than grace, squeezing tight before pulling back with that same beaming expression.

Behind her, Alaric approached.

Selene stepped forward and hugged her older brother too who returned it warmly.

"It’s good to see you both." Selene said, before tilting her head. "But what are you doing here? You’re both well above the strength threshold for the tournament."

Emma chuckled, placing her hand over her mouth. "You’re right. We’re not here to participate. We’re actually here for something else."

"Oh?"

Emma shot Alaric a sneaky side glance. He didn’t react, his expression unchanged, though the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

"Let’s just say your brother will surprise many people soon." Emma said, her eyes sparkling with barely contained excitement.

Selene blinked. Once. Twice. Three times.

Then she smiled.

"When did he not?"

"Hehe." Emma chuckled, nodding her head. "True."

Alaric said nothing, but his faint smile widened by a fraction.

Just a few meters away, a young man walking alongside a young woman glanced in Selene’s direction. A small smile formed on his face.

"Isn’t that the Light Sword Saint?" Marcus muttered, gently nudging Sarah with his elbow.

Sarah turned her gaze toward where Marcus was looking. Her expression remained flat as she studied the group. The tall man stood with a straight back, his aura sharp like a sword.

"It appears so." Sarah confirmed before her eyes landed on the woman beside him with the bright smile, and another woman with a humanoid beast at her side.

"Let’s go say hi. We’re technically working under his faction now. It would be a good opportunity to introduce ourselves."

Sarah considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Sure."

The two of them adjusted their course and began walking toward Alaric’s group.