"I used it today," Ren continued. "A little. It felt... different... not like before."

Bahamut turned his head slightly toward him. "Different how?"

Ren frowned.

"Like I wasn’t just breaking things. I was... deciding how they broke."

That made Bahamut’s gaze sharpen slightly.

Ren exhaled.

"It’s not just destruction and not just twisting space either." His ears twitched faintly.

"It’s like..." He hesitated. "Reality doesn’t argue with me when I use it."

That was not normal. Bahamut went quiet for a while.

"Then stop thinking of it as an element."

Ren blinked.

"What?"

"Elements follow rules." Bahamut’s voice was calm.

"Fire burns, water flows, wind moves, earth endures... They behave." He shifted slightly, eyes returning to the sky. "Chaos doesn’t."

Ren’s frown deepened as he pondered. "Then what is it?"

Bahamut smirked faintly. "I don’t know... Discover it yourself."

"That doesn’t help."

"It’s not supposed to."

"You’re useless."

"Yet you asked me."

Ren clicked his tongue, but he didn’t argue.

"You know," Ren said suddenly, "normal people don’t talk like this."

"Normal people also don’t turn into six-foot rabbits."

"Fair."

Bahamut chuckled. A few moments passed in silence as they enjoyed each other’s company, when...

"You think we’ll run into trouble tomorrow?" Ren asked, more casually this time.

Bahamut didn’t even pause.

"Definitely."

"Good trouble or bad trouble?"

Bahamut’s smile widened slightly.

"The kind that bleeds."

Ren stared at him and groaned.

"I regret bonding with you."

"Too late."

"Yeah..."

...

A new day had arrived, and just like the other day, all disciples streamed towards the courtyard for the final briefing. Teams had been formed, weapons, armors, and utilities had been prepared. It was just left with the mission objectives, and they would be starting.

Elder Hakar waited for them on the platform and began the moment everyone was present.

"The mission objectives would be given now. A member of each team would be required to come up here and take the mission directly to prevent spying from other teams. And don’t worry. We already know your teams."

His statement made everyone look at him in surprise, but he didn’t wait for them.

"Team Zaheer."

From the front, a young lady with short black hair walked up the platform. She was in a black shirt, black shorts, and boots. Two pairs of daggers hang by her waist, one on the left and the other on the right. Tattoos ran down her arms and seemed to glow faintly, and on her back, poking out of her shorts, was a long, thin tail with a pointed tip.

Elder Hakar handed her a small scroll, and she went back down.

"Team Bahamut."

Bahamut nodded at Sel. Sel went up the platform dressed in a long-sleeved white shirt, black trousers, and black shoes. Elder Hakar handed him a scroll, and he came back down.

"Team Apollonia."

Bahamut and Sel looked at Apollonia in confusion. Rakia had gone up to take the mission, so she had to explain it to them.

"Core disciples cannot form teams with lesser disciple groups. Most of the time, we even work alone. My team consists of only Rakia and me."

"That is new. Don’t you have any friends?" Bahamut asked in confusion.

"I have, but they all like to work alone."

"Too bad for them."

Rakia returned with the mission scroll and handed it to Apollonia. Sel also opened their own, and because they were huddled together, no one could spy on them.

The mission scroll contained the team members’ names, mission, location, time limit, and a map they had to find first. It read: 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

[Team Bahamut:

- Members:

1. Bahamut

2. Sel

3. Exildra Esteria

4. Lily Kurama

5. Alana Nyx

6. Gabi Jormu

7. Ren

- Mission: Save a town from a beast horde led by a Tier 2, Circle of Comprehension beast.

- Other objectives: Find the map of the region to locate the town.

- Location: The Solar Dunes of Ra-Senkeht

- Time Limit: One Week

- Additional Information:

1. The type of beasts in the horde is unknown. Move with vigilance.

2. The Point Orbs (PO) are hidden all across the mission area, and even in some of the beasts.

3. All kills within the mission objective count as points.

4. There are hidden tasks, too. Think.

5. Good luck!]

The team sucked in a cold breath, and even Apollonia and Rakia couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. What made it even funnier was that, everyone was staring at Bahamut and Sel as if they had given the mission, not Elder Hakar.

"What?" Bahamut asked.

"It is very clear that the mission was given based on records of the strength of the team..." Ren stated with a grudgy tone.

"So?"

"Certain individuals here are the cause of this," Ren added in a sarcastic tone.

"Who?" Bahamut asked in confusion, causing Ren’s eyes to flare.

"Is this guy for real?"

"Both of us," Sel answered with a chuckle, making Bahamut choke on his next words.

"I... cough! How would I know?!"

"No one asked you to know," Ren retorted.

"How does that make us the culprits?" Bahamut interjected in an offended tone.

"Why would they give you a mission to pick up flowers if you have the strength to kill a Tier 2 beast when you were a Tier 1?" Ren replied with a question.

"..."

"We are doomed. And remember, you jinxed it!"

"You forget that you are basically the most powerful among us, Chaos Bunny?" Bahamut shot back.

Sel and the others just stared at the two as they bantered, drawing attention to themselves by the second.

"Silence!"

Elder Hakar’s voice rang out, causing everyone to stop talking and focus on him. A lot of teams have been called up by him that most lost track of the number of teams.

"You will be teleported to your locations. But know this.

This isn’t a simulation like the Trials. Whatever mission you have is an actual, real life mission. Death is possible. If you take it as just a test to evaluate you, then you might not live to see another day. Take it very seriously. There will be no instructors or elders to oversee you and save you in dire circumstances. You will be all on your own."

The newer disciples sucked in cold breaths after Elder Hakar finished speaking. They understood once again why sects were more dreaded than academies. Sects were all about survival. Even death inside the protective walls of the sect was possible.

A sect was basically survive, grow stronger, and endure to see another day.