The Knight-Election

Dawn broke unceremoniously as a resounding thud jolted Ariet from his slumber. Blinking away sleep, he peered over the edge of his bed to find Sine sprawled face-down on the floor, somehow contorted into a perfect scorpion position—his feet nearly touching the back of his head.

"How is he still asleep..." Ariet muttered, marveling at his friend's ability to sleep through his own graceless descent.

A swift kick and some groggy preparations later, the two found themselves confronting their most pressing issue.

"Dude, we need some money. Like, for clothes that aren't blood-crusted battlefield souvenirs," Ariet pointed out, gesturing to their tattered attire.

Sine's face scrunched in thought before brightening. "Yeah, uh... Let's ask the big receptionist!"

Ryse, the mountain of a man who ran the inn, proved to be a fountain of useful information. His massive forearms crossed over his chest as he spoke in that unexpectedly gentle voice, "Well, judging by you boys' clothes, I recommend taking a job as a royal guard or a knight. There's plenty of money in that. Are you two fighters?"

When they confirmed they were, his face lit up. "Head up to the castle and take a right on the big path. You should see a large swarm of people since today is a knight-election day."

As they made their way along the ancient stone-cut path, excitement bubbled between them. The street was alive with others heading in the same direction, the air electric with anticipation.

"I can't believe we might become knights!" Ariet's voice cracked with excitement.

Sine's eyes sparkled with dreams of grandeur. "I know! Maybe I can become the strongest knight ever!"

"Dude, you have a tier one trilogy, keep your mouth shut."

"How dare you, Mr. I-have-a-tier-10-trilogy-and-I-burn-things-and-stuff!"

Their friendly bickering carried them all the way to their destination, where the sight that greeted them quickly silenced their playful jabs.

A colossal colosseum loomed before them, its ancient stones weathered by countless battles. The line of applicants stretched nearly as long as the structure itself, but it wasn't the length that gave them pause—it was the applicants themselves.

Towering warriors clad in gleaming armor that seemed to bend light itself stood alongside women of ethereal beauty wearing carapaces that looked more like living art than protection. Most intimidating of all was a hooded figure wreathed in holy armor, three eyes burning with eternal fire visible beneath the shadowed cowl.

Ariet swallowed hard. "Okay, maybe we aren't gonna become knights."

"Yeah, we should just give up," Sine agreed.

Yet they remained in line, shuffling forward as the sun climbed higher in the sky. After what felt like an eternity, they found themselves face-to-face with the desk attendant—and what a sight she was.

Her hair seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it, writhing like living shadows. Eyes devoid of life were sunken into dark circles so profound they looked painted on. When she spoke, her voice grated like rusted hinges, and her teeth were jagged triangles that seemed better suited for a shark than a human.

"Name, weapon, and do you possess a trilogy," she droned, though a flicker of surprise crossed her features as she looked up at them.

They provided their information, and a disturbing grin spread across her face. "Alright, Ariet you go through the left hallway and Sine you go through the right hallway. See you boys in the arena." Her wave was accompanied by an unsettlingly perverted smile.

As they prepared to separate, Sine's curiosity got the better of him. "Hey Ariet, is your weapon separate from your flames?"

"Yup. I got this Jian when I... oh, I probably shouldn't say. It's a tier five though."

Sine's frustration bubbled over. "Why is my weapon a tier one! And what does the mask even do!"

Ariet's explanation about checking ability descriptions sent Sine on an introspective journey as he waited in line. The hallway trembled with the roars of the crowd outside, ancient dust raining down with each thunderous cheer.

Peering into his soul, Sine examined his supposedly "weak" trilogy:

[Tier One Trilogy: The Pole]

[A pole that started to exist one day. Has no creator.]

Will never break. Can be controlled by the user's mind in a telekinetic manner. Slight life absorption when you hit an enemy.

[Tier One Trilogy: A Mask]

[Once used to see everything. The mask was then broken.]

Heightens the user's senses. An unknown fear crawls into all who see him. Allows the user to see.

'What the hell? This isn't a tier one trilogy at all!' Sine's mind raced with the implications.

His thoughts were interrupted by a spectacular display in the arena. Through a viewing window, he watched as the hooded three-eyed figure, now sporting massive ethereal wings, dove at his opponent—a woman with silver hair and armor who wielded a rapier with casual grace.

The winged attacker moved faster than the eye could follow, yet the woman remained unperturbed. With a simple circular motion of her rapier, she summoned a pillar of light that reduced the holy warrior to ash.

As the crowd erupted in cheers, Sine's stomach churned with anticipation. Soon, it would be his turn.

"Now, both trilogy users enter the stadium, Sine vs. Ariet!"

Sine's heart stopped. 'What?'

From the opposite entrance emerged a familiar figure, hands raised to tie back his striking white hair with the blue streaks of hair almost flaring up like a sapphire flame. 

'Hot damn'

Sine thinks as he emerges from the shadows. His mask covering his face and his pole wrapped around his fingertips indifferently. The cheers stop, replaced with the quiet echoing of each others footsteps. The air seemed to hang low and dust swirled.

The crowd fell silent as they emerged, an unusual tension filling the air. The commentator's voice wavered nervously, "You both pass, head down the hallway."

'What?'

The masked figure wielding the pole glares at the commentator for a moment before nodding and escaping back into the shadows. Ariet bows and heads back his way.

The two meet up at another reception desk, the black haired lady, is here again?

"I didn't expect you two to be so strong that you didn't even have to fight!" She laughs, all the tiredness she expressed before almost gone. "You both are now common knights!" 

She laughs manically as she hands the boys a strange trinket.

When the two boys touched the trinkets handed to them, they shined a vibrant orange color before disappearing.

[...You have received a Trilogy]

'Wait... huh?'

Sine quickly peered into his soul to find the trinket previously given to them emanating a orange color.

**[Tier One Trilogy: A Knights Rank]**

**[A system used across the world to determine a knights standing]**

**[Current Standing: Common]**

**[Quests: 

'Okay so we're... the lowest rank?'

"Uhm, excuse me, how do we get higher ranks?" Ariet asks.

"It's mainly based on the essence you absorb from creatures," the black-haired woman explained, her smile now almost cheerful.

Sine turned to Ariet. "I guess it doesn't count the ones we killed before..."

"And how exactly are we supposed to earn money?" Ariet pressed.

"Check the quests description! Completing them automatically rewards you with the bounty set by the quest-giver. You can also submit quests, but you need materials for the trilogy to absorb," she detailed.

"Got it. Thanks," Sine said, turning to Ariet and whispering, "What a yap sesh, am I right?"

"I can hear you..." the girl interjected.

"Oh, sorry! By the way, what's your name?" Sine asked, turning back to her.

"It's Raya."

"Bye, Raya!" the boys chimed in unison as they walked away from the colosseum.

"Dude, by the way, apparently I can control my pole with my mind!" Sine exclaimed, excitement bubbling over as he summoned his pole, jumped on it, and began to hover.

"Whoa—AHHH!" Sine nearly toppled off, catching himself just in time. "This is gonna take some getting used to."

But Ariet wasn't watching Sine play with his new ability, or well, just figuring out ability. No he was deep in thought. 

Ariet had learned that the commentator had the power to see into the future so he could prevent any fatal injuries or deaths from happening. Like that one three-eyed angel simply had a first degree burn all over his body, knocking him out. What had the commentator seen when the two walked out of the ?

"Oh well... hey lets do one of those quest thingies so we can buy some clothes." Ariet turns to Sine, finally realizing that he's flying around... and straight at him?

A crash echoes throughout the kingdom.