The weight of Silence.

As Edward and Kiara walk off to the examination room she overhears Zhang talking to the cloaked man who was proctoring the duel on Friday.

"There appeared to be an influx of dead Elusives in the Crimson PineGlade last Friday and a powerful source of spiritual energy that rivals even the talisman," Alwin says slowly, handing over the report to Zhang who reads the papers meticulously. 

Talisman? Kiara's eyes widen. She remembers her constant dream for the past two days- a broken talisman in a forest area. She also remembers Edward's words: Ascendants. Sealed in separate talismans. 

Zhang notices Kiara listening in on his conversation and she immediately scurries off to her friends. He pauses to himself, his fingers rubbing on the report, "Could this be related to what's happening right now?"

"You got a lot to handle right now, especially with the humanoid Elusive," Alwin explains calmly, lowering his voice so that no one can hear them. 

Zhang raises his eyebrows, his tone weary and low, "How do you know about that? That's still classified from orders from the Arbiter." 

Zhang's shoulders drop, and his stance becomes weary under the weight of another crisis. 

"Rumors spread fast around here. Brutality like this stands out," Alwin explains calmly, his dead eye staring ominously at Zhang. 

"As if one crisis isn't enough," Zhang says, his tone filled with frustration and stress. He clutches tightly on the file before walking into the evaluation room, "Don't talk about this to anyone else." He points directly at Alwin who nods slightly before following Zhang inside.

As Kiara walks towards the center to be assessed, Adam's words about the evaluation echo in her head, It isn't anything special. She shakes her head in a wild motion trying to calm herself down. 

Yeah, Adam's right. It's not a big deal, Kiara quietly reassures herself, I'll do my best. No need to overthink things. 

Kiara turns her head to see the detailed stone doors open with powerful forces. Many royal guards walk in a perfect formation formally addressing the Arbiter.

The Arbiter walks in with a theatrical gesture, his gentle eyes looking on at a nervous Kiara. Edward looks anxiously at the middle-aged figure in his fancy black gold-plated uniform, his eyes narrowing at his presence. 

"You are so nervous for no reason," the Arbiter laughs to himself, a gentle smile tugging on his face. Kiara lets out a small chuckle at the Arbiter's observation. 

"Just relax and learn to maintain a cool attitude as what the kids are saying these days," the Arbiter jokes, making Kiara laugh to herself, successfully calming her down. Her stiff shoulders slowly drop down. 

Kiara looks up at Edward who does not seem as amused by the Arbiter's jokes. 

"Thank you for coming to the evaluation," Edward calmly says, gesturing for a handshake. 

The Arbiter gently shakes Edward's hand, "It's my pleasure." He slowly turns his gaze towards Kiara giving her one last piece of advice. 

"Remember why you're here, Kiara." the Arbiter explains softly, "Why do you want to fight? Use that reason to push you forward."

Kiara smiles to herself with a sense of happiness in her expression. She thinks to herself remembering Adam's words and she decides to take it to heart. 

"I want to fight because I want to protect the people I love so they don't feel the same feeling of helplessness I had when I was young," Kiara explains, her tone filled with a sense of worth and significance. 

Zhang's eyes widen when he hears Kiara's goal and he looks skeptical at Edward. Kiara's answer didn't exude that fiery spirit that all wardens had and it felt very incomplete. Edward pats Kiara's back proud of her answer. The Arbiter just smiles to himself and theatrically claps his hands. 

"That's a beautiful goal Kiara," the Arbiter says, his tone filled with admiration and respect, "I hope you achieve it in your bright future ahead." He slowly leaves with his royal guards to sit next to the High Council.

Edward gives out a deep exhale before gesturing for Kiara to quickly get down for her evaluation. He gives one last head pat, "Did the Arbiter's words help calm you down a bit, Kiara?"

"It did," Kiara says with a soft tone. Edward looks on with somber eyes but he quickly changes his expression, "Remember no matter what rank you get, don't let it define you. You could be put into the lowest rank but anyone can have the potential to grow stronger no matter their circumstances if they work hard enough."

Kiara hugs her grandfather before running over to the lower floor. 

Zhang walks forward with a skeptical look in his eyes, "That motivation is too idealistic Edward." 

Edward looks at Zhang with a gentle look on his face. Zhang leans forward on the guard railing looking down on the room below. 

"It is a noble goal. It is the basis of why the warden society began so long ago," Edward explains, "We harnessed spiritual energy to protect the people we love from the impending danger of the Elusive."

"That's not the problem," Zhang says, "The way she looked and acted when saying it….I did not see the mental strength required for a profession like this. It sounded like being a warden was like a game and not a life or death situation." 

Edward leans right next to Zhang with a somber look on his face, "Yes. Being a warden will always make you team on living and losing it at the same time."

"Why did you accept her answer like that?" Zhang inquires, "Have you ever asked her why she wanted to be a warden?"

"She just had that fiery spirit in her," Edward explains, "Every day she always pestered me to train her to be just like me, always annoyed she had to wait to become a bit older before I could train her."

Zhang lets out a small sigh before looking on at the High Council and the Arbiter. Edward's eyes flicker towards the Arbiter. 

The middle-aged figure slowly leans in and whispers something low into one of the council member's ears. The brief conversation afterward causes everyone at the table to chuckle together. 

Edward's eyes narrow at their expressions. What could the Arbiter say that would make the High Council laugh in such joyous glee?

Kiara opens the door to the evaluation room and she steps forward to see many high-ranking wardens looking over her. She spots Adam and Anby waving and giving her a thumbs up then she looks at her grandfather looking on with a proud look on his face. 

Kiara felt like she could do this and that she is capable of succeeding.

"Kiara Meitner. Am I correct?" one of the council members utters. 

"That is correct." Kiara calmly says with her back standing fully straight and her shoulders no longer stiff.

"You understand the reason why we are having an evaluation in the first place." another council member speaks. 

"Yes. Yes, I do," Kiara acknowledges. 

"We will now begin your first test. Please show us the main defense strikes of Sentinel Form." a middle-aged council member commands softly. 

Acting quickly, Kiara unsheathes her blade. She remembers her last-minute training with Adam and starts to properly relay the defense strikes in order. 

The council members write down their observations as Kiara relays her blocking positions- Shoulder, Knee, Side, Spine, and heel. 

After Kiara finishes repeating the same order of blocks after a while, the council gives out their rating. "Impressive. Very clear motions and posture. That gets an A+." one of the council members recites from his paper. 

Adam, Anby, and Seth give out a congratulatory gesture to each other from Kiara's score. The Arbiter claps his hands at Kiara's success. Edward glances over at Zhang who looks very much skeptical at Kiara's rating. 

Her blocks were way too slow and her positions weren't that clear Zhang thinks to himself, That was at least a mid C or low B rating at most.  

The Arbiter looks down at a triumphant Kiara happy over a high rating. Amusement flickers in his gentle eyes, "Why stop at one fighting form? A warden should at least know the basics of all 6," the Arbiter declares, "Please show us the rest."

The council members give slight glances at each other, smiling at the Arbiter's suggestion. 

Kiara, now confident in her skills, begins to show off each of the basics of the rest of the 6 fighting forms: Chaos, Crimson Fang, Lotus, Phantom, and Tempest. 

Each one gains a score from either a high C to a low A. Edward starts to notice something off the scoring, he locks his gaze directly at the Arbiter who looks amused at Kiara's success. 

Kiara looks on at her friends above looking happy for her success. All her fears and anxiety these couple of days past all seemed to disappear at this moment. 

Maybe just maybe she earned her place here. 

Enjoy the moment, Kiara, The Arbiter calmly thinks to himself, You've done well so far but be cautious because the next tests are going far from your comfort zone. 

"After tying up the score, you have received a high B+ for properly showing all 6 fighting forms in unison," the council member recites from his piece of paper, "Let's begin the next test: Shinigami creation." 

An upperclassman leans himself on a pillar next to his partner. "The council sure knows how to make failures look like victors. It's dangerous to make someone think they are ready for something they are not."

"It's only a matter of time before that little bubble bursts," the man's partner says in a low hoarse voice. 

The moment was fleeting yet the tension lingers in the air. Unnoticed by Kiara, she begins her next test. 

The next test was a problematic task for her. It was to try to summon a shinigami in its incomplete form using her spiritual energy. Sweat started to drop down her face. She looks awkwardly at Edward and then back at her friends. 

She tries to raise her arms out but nothing happens. Kiara tries to mimic Edward's hand movements during his duel with Zhang with her hands. Nothing. 

Kiara's breathing becomes shallow. No, I can do this. 

She repeated the motion in her mind, each step etched in her memory. She clenches her fist, gathering her spiritual energy, coursing like a blazing fire.

Nothing happened. 

Her eyes look sheepishly at the council members. Their gazes were unamused and discontent. Has she already disappointed them? Kiara's heart pounded with the sound beating and reverberating in her head. . 

"It's fine," the Arbiter explains, "No one gets it at first. You are a new recruit after all."

Yeah, He's right, Kiara thinks, I'm still new to this. I just gotta try harder next time.

"You will learn," the Arbiter says warmly, "Not today but in the time forward."

Adam leans next to a pillar trying to get a better view. He eyes the council members, his gaze shifting ever so slightly. 

"She is doing well so far," Anby leans close to Seth, her curly hair swaying between her rim glasses. 

"Yeah." Adam says, not even looking at Anby, his focus still on the council, "She is doing well but I hope she keeps this momentum up."

"What do you mean?" Anby questions, clutching hard on her sketchbook. Her eyes widened confused by Adam's statement. 

"We wouldn't want her to overstep and get humbled now," Adam chuckles, his smile brightly showing yet his words never reach his eyes. They remain sharp and watchful.

The nature of Adam's comment makes Anby frown. She turns to Seth for reassurance but the sleepy boy just shrugs his shoulders, not aware of the tension in the air.

"Kiara got this. She seems like she really wants to–" Seth yawns, stretching his arms back, "She seems to really want to help us. We just got to look out for her."

"Yeah you're right," Anby whispers with a grin, "She got us."

Zhang, feeling something off, slightly turns his head. He watches Adam closely, scrutinizing his every movement, especially the way he eyes the high council. 

Narrowing his eyes, Zhang turns his head in the other direction.

Kiara prepares herself for the next test. The Arbiter explains the description of this specific test, "You will need to protect a human being while not being distracted by an environment you are not used to." Kiara holds her blade tightly, breathing heavily for what awaits her. 

"As the contest continues. Non-lethal but fast-moving dummies symbolizing Elusives will attack. Expect loud noises and illusions to distract you," the Arbiter declares, "The checkpoint will move every 30 seconds- bring a child dummy into that checkpoint. Don't hesitate."

Kiara holds the hilt of her blade tightly, her locks locked on the surrounding dummies. The Arbiter watches closely, scrutinizing her every move. 

"The test begins when the dummy is revealed," The Arbiter declares. 

The child-size dummy rises from the ground and before Kiara can react, the dummies spring forward. Their movements were erratic and hard to predict. A high-pitched noise blasts throughout the room causing Kiara to stumble and nearly collapse.

Multiple dummies attack relentlessly, the speed and power of their attacks send Kiara crashing onto the floor. The council members continued writing down their observations, some looking sly while the rest were indifferent. 

Each strike sends Kiara further and harder down on the marble floor. The earlier feeling of success in performing her fighting forms was instantly shattered by each strike to the floor. 

Her vision starts to blur as the pain intensifies. She tried to reach for her katana but the blows and noise made it impossible. She slowly raises her head up but before she can blink, the dummy's metal arm shoots with frightening precision, smashing her head directly onto the ground and whipping her body up and down. 

A sharp pain exploded in her head, as the cold icy floor touched her face. The world spun around as a loud ring pulsed in her ear. 

"Those dummies are fast even for an evaluation, Zhang," Edward inquires, his eyes filled with concern. His hands curl into fists.

"They do seem faster than expected," Zhang reassures, "Yet maybe this should be a powerful lesson that not everything is going to go to plan"

Edward's concern is palpable, as Zhang's calm demeanor fuels his anxiety, as he grips harder on the guardrail. Her muscles tremble as she tries to maintain control of the situation. She had to somehow break through and grab her katana at this very moment.

The Arbiter looks intensively down at Kiara, his gentle smile too calm in the situation Kiara is in right now. He turns his head towards one of the council members, "Let's turn the intensity down a bit," 

The council member nods his head, turning the intensity of the high-pitched noise down by just a bit allowing Kiara to be able to grab her katana off the ground. Seizing the chance, she slices through the dummies. As Kiara tries to run away, she slowly gives out as the intensity of the noise quickly overwhelms her senses. 

A dummy leaps at her but it disintegrates as it touches Kiara's katana. It was an illusion. The real dummy appears right behind her, before Kiara can react, it strikes her from behind sending pain rippling throughout her body.

With shaky legs, Kiara swings her katana in erratic arcs, cutting through the dummies with a fiery resolve. As she picked up the dummy off the ground, pushing forward towards the checkpoint- it was another illusion. Kiara's frustration peaks.

With her breathing raggy and her body aching, Kiara finds the real checkpoint. She makes the final push, striking the remaining dummies. When she makes it to the checkpoint, she collapses onto the ground with her body stinging with pain.

She passed.

The sound echoes throughout the silent chamber.

From above the council and the Arbiter look intently at the tired girl. His expressions remain unreadable. 

Not bad, the Arbiter thinks to himself. He stares intensely at the tired Kiara, his disappointment clear on his face, Done so soon after only three tests? Don't give up now.

Kiara turns her head to see the actual checkpoint and she erratically swings her blade in powerful arcs breaking many of the dummies ahead. After a couple strikes, she manages to make it to the checkpoint successfully completing the second test and she instantly collapses onto the ground with her chest stinging in pain. 

"She did well," Zhang says, letting go of Edward's shoulder, "I know this is difficult.

Edward eye's narrows at Zhang then it slowly moves towards the Arbiter with a sickening gleeful grin on his face. He begins to clap his hands together in a theatrical manner. 

"Bravo. Bravo. That was wonderful Kiara," the Arbiter yells out loud, "You have proven yourself to be a resilient warden."

If I react out of anger or desperation to protect her, it could be seen as a challenge to the Arbiter's authority, Edward thinks to himself, I can't let my emotions run through or he could create a lie strong enough to ruin Kiara. 

Kiara turns her head to the floor. It felt like her lungs were on fire. She tries to reassure herself about her situation, but I was just caught off guard. The tests are meant to be hard. I just need to try harder next time. 

She slowly stands up straight, her legs nearly giving out due to the pain and the aftermath of the high-intense noise. She gives out a resilient look towards the council making the Arbiter smile to himself. His smile lingers in Kiara's head; it was a sharp contrast to the gentle warmth he showed to her a while ago. 

Zhang gives out a warning to Edward, "Don't interfere. She has to do this by herself."

Edward ignores Zhang's words and continues to look at Kiara. He grasps heavily on the guard rail and sees the royal guards placed everywhere in the area. Their heads were turned ever so slightly in their direction. They were all waiting ... waiting for him to act.."

They want him to challenge the council and the Arbiter. Edward gives out a deep sigh to himself.

"This is all a part of his sick game" Edward mutters to himself.

The Arbiter looks at the amount of guards placed at all corners of the evaluation center. Each one prepared to respond to the slightest provocation. 

Every piece that the Arbiter has placed is now fulfilling its very role. 

Why hesitate. The Arbiter looks down at a tired Kiara then back to a defiant Edward, Afraid to allow people to see who you really are? Afraid of how they will see you again? Edward the Crazy? How fitting for a man like you.

The next tests did not falter for Kiara as the intensity increased slowly. 

Steel discs spun in the air around her but as Kiara tried to defend herself, the discs changed direction mid-flight. 

"This is supposed to test precision and spatial awareness," one of the council members announces.

Kiara swung her blade, knocking a flying disc– only for another to fly directly at her. Quickly turning, she felt metal graze her shoulder.

Then the illusions started. 

A flying disc flies towards her. Kiara swings her blade to block it–nothing. The real ones cut her leg. Falling onto the ground, Kiara clutches her leg while using her free arm to block the flying discs. 

Kiara's shoulders raise up and down, trying to calm herself down. 

I can do this. I can– Before Kiara can finish her thought, the speed of the discs flying starts to overwhelm Kiara. She could feel her eyes start to tear up. The Arbiter notices this and scowls at the action.

Do you want to help people? The Arbiter thinks to himself, Is this the path you will take? He side-eyes Edward, showing off a sick glee to the old man. 

Do you really think he is going to shield you from reality?, the Arbiter scornfully thought to himself. 

Kiara looks up at Edward for reassurance but he just stays up gripping the guard rail–saying nothing. No response to end the evaluation earlier than expected. 

A selfish man at heart, the Arbiter grips the armrest, The world will not protect you. The world Edward can't shield you forever.

Adam sees the Arbiter smiling to himself, his smirk not escaping his attention. It is clear something is currently wrong with how things are unfolding. This has to end before anything gets too serious, he can't just let it continue like this. 

The cold air lingers in Adam's presence, and his finger taps rhythmically on his broad sword. Zhang notices one of the royal guards closest to Adam slightly twitch his leg. Turning his head, Zhang leans over next to Edward. 

"I believe that is Kiara's friend over there," Zhang points over to the area across from them, "It looks like he is about to cause some–" 

As Zhang is finishing his sentence, Adam takes a couple steps forward before a hand stops him in his tracks. Adam turns his head in a snappy motion, seeing the emotionless mask of the royal guard looming over him. 

So fast, Anby and Seth think to themselves, an overwhelming feeling sweeps over them causing them to back down. 

The air seems to thicken around Adam as he stands still, his eyes narrowing at the royal guard holding tightly on his left arm. His right-hand looms over the hilt of his broadsword, but there's a moment of hesitation. 

A deep silence falls. 

"I want to speak to the Arbiter," Adam explains calmly, "This whole evaluation has spiraled out of control." He remains outwardly calm, his voice cool. 

The room is silent. No one made a single whisper with only the faint buzz of insects cutting through the tension. The Arbiter's eyes dart toward Zhang in a predatory way, his fingers tapping in a slow rhythmic rhythm. 

"Don't make things worse," Zhang orders loudly, "Adam, I already talked with the Arbiter. The evaluation is cutting shorter than expected. Kiara needs to do one more task."

"It looks like she is done enough," Adam smirks sarcastically, his finger playfully teasing the hilt of his sword, "In just under 3 tests, you've already left her a bloody pulp on the ground." 

The guard's fists tighten around Adam's arm causing him to wince from pain. His jaw clenches as his body drops onto the ground. The royal guards loom over Adam holding up his left arm. 

Edward's arm presses tightly on the guard's shoulders, his face twisting with disgust. "Let go of him." He commands, his voice sharp as a razor. 

The palpable moment of a standoff, the tension so thick like it could crack any second now. The Arbiter turns his head, and a sly smile tugs on the corners of his lips. 

"Edward." the Arbiter surprisingly utters, his words containing enough weight to make everyone pause, "What are you trying to do?" 

"Adam is right," Edward explains, clenching his fists tighter on the guard's shoulder. "This game needs to stop," his voice filled with a quiet fury, his anger barely contained behind his calm demeanor. 

The words hang in the air, questioning the Arbiter's authority. The room seems to hold their breaths, the senior's eyes look intentionally on the scene, clutching their weapons. 

How funny, Edward is protecting someone that is not even related to him, the Arbiter jokes to himself, a small chuckle escapes his lips, He rather save a stranger than even his granddaughter. How selfish. 

The Arbiter's eyes flicker to Adam, who is still on the ground with his hand held high in the air. He lets a moment of silence linger, watching the people's reactions nearby. 

"You think Adam is right, but tell me this—" the Arbiter calmly explains, "Strength is nothing without endurance. A trial is meant to be a stepping stone. A catalyst for one's growth."

The Arbiter's eyes never leave Edward, staring coldly into his eyes. 

"You want to protect her yet you won't allow any adversity to happen to her. We can't help someone grow if we shield her just like what you do," the Arbiter says with a fiery passion, his voice stinging directly through Edward.

His gaze moves over towards Adam. The Arbiter's sly wide smile drops for a moment disappointed at Adam's actions. He stares coldly at Adam, Anby, and Seth, concern evident for Kiara shown on their face. 

The Arbiter steps forward, his voice smooth and measured. 

"Kiara's not some fragile flower to be shielded. The trial is for her alone. By wanting to protect her, you're stripping her chance of forging her own strength?" the Arbiter says, his voice becoming colder, "You all know the evaluation is hard and demanding- how else you got your ranks?"

"It just looks more intense than what any of us got beforehand," Anby sheepishly says, not even looking directly at the Arbiter, "Maybe she can try another day or…get a reevaluation when ready."

"Another day?" The Arbiter's voice felt quiet and docile but the weight of his words felt like a slap in the face. "Strength is earned not granted. Every step for all of you affects your future. Each of your tests was a trial to understand your strengths and weaknesses and see where you stood in the world. Kiara is just the same."

Adam tries to speak his thoughts but the Arbiter raises his hand, cutting him off.

"I understand you care for her but remember the path to strength isn't easy," the Arbiter calmly reassures putting his hands behind his back, "You've known Kiara for such little time–are you truly helping by holding her back? How do you know what's best when you haven't seen the full extent of her character."

Anby's eyes look back onto Seth. The young boy slowly walks forward but before he even speaks his mind, he gets cut off just like Adam.

"What does a child like you have to add to this conversation?" The Arbiter's eyes look down eerily on the young boy. Seth felt a cold chill down his spine and decided to slowly lower back down in fear of the Arbiter. 

"Why would you say that?" Edward questions, he lets go of the royal guard and walks over to the Arbiter, staring at him. 

"You might think it's cruel but what does a child know about the burdens of the world," the Arbiter says in a dismissive tone, "His innocence is his greatest flaw and so is Kiara's. The world doesn't coddle and I see things for what they are." 

Kiara's head raises, her blood dripping with blood with her ears ringing with a loud intensity. She thinks she heard someone call her name but it felt faint and muffled. Her grandfather and her friends are defending her yet a nagging feeling engulfs her insides. 

Kiara's teeth clench together. Her fingers claw deep into the floor below her. Her breathing falters as she slowly maintains herself. Her fingers tightened on her katana. 

I'm just standing here while they are fighting for me, Kiara's mind races with thoughts. Why can't I do more? 

Her stomach churns unnaturally. If she fails- Adam's defiance and her grandfather's would be pointless and she would end up as dead weight. 

"I won't lose," Kiara mutters to herself, raising her blade defiantly in the air.