The kid of the group

The chaos had ended, but the tension still lingered in the air. The villagers remained on edge, casting nervous glances at Hugo, as if afraid he might lose control again.

Nathan still stood before him, Arc-Hammer in hand, his breathing still uneven from the battle.

Then, the blacksmith chief stepped forward.

"Enough," the chief's deep voice boomed across the village. "The trial has been completed."

The crowd slowly settled, their whispers dying down.

The chief turned to Nathan, his sharp gaze scanning the boy carefully. Then, he nodded.

"You have proven yourself, Nathan. Not just in strength, but in will. You held your ground in the face of something beyond any of us."

Nathan straightened, gripping the Arc-Hammer tightly.

The chief's expression remained stern, but there was pride in his voice.

"From this day forward, you are the successor of Stormbarrier's legacy. The Arc-Hammer is yours to wield, and this village stands behind you."

A wave of applause rippled through the crowd, villagers cheering Nathan's name. Some still looked hesitant after witnessing the battle, but their respect for him outweighed their fear.

Nathan stood frozen for a moment, as if the words hadn't quite sunk in yet. Then, he looked down at the Arc-Hammer, realization finally hitting him.

"...I did it," he muttered.

A small, genuine smile crept onto his face.

"I actually did it."

Hugo, now fully recovered, stepped forward, his expression calm but firm.

"This ceremony is over," he said, his voice cutting through the noise.

The villagers turned to him, falling silent.

Hugo glanced at Eclipse Zero.

"We've already stayed longer than we planned," he continued. "It's time we leave for Lunaris Sanctum."

Lena, arms crossed, exhaled. "Finally."

Darius stretched, rolling his shoulder. "No more blacksmith trials? Good. My back still hurts."

Ethan nodded. "The sooner we move, the better. The Dominion won't wait for us to figure things out."

Iris remained silent, watching Hugo carefully.

Stella looked around. "So, when do we head out?"

Hugo looked at the sky. "Tomorrow at sunrise."

The decision was made.

Eclipse Zero would leave Stormbarrier.

But then—

Nathan stepped forward.

"I'm coming with you."

The words caught everyone off guard.

Hugo raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Nathan stood firm, his eyes unwavering. "I said—I'm coming with you. To Lunaris Sanctum. And beyond."

Lena groaned instantly. "Oh, no. No, no, no."

Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is a bad idea."

Darius snorted. "Kid, you just got named the successor. What's next? You wanna challenge Hugo for Cosmos?"

Immediately, everyone in Eclipse Zero—except for Iris—turned to look at Darius.

Lena raised an eyebrow.Stella crossed her arms.Ethan gave him a flat stare.

Even Hugo just blinked at him.

Darius frowned. "What?"

Lena's voice was deadpan. "You literally did that exact thing back in Ironfang Village."

Darius opened his mouth, then closed it.

"...Okay, fair."

Nathan, watching the exchange, smirked. "So what happened? Did you lose?"

Darius clicked his tongue. "Hmph. Don't get cocky, kid. You haven't even seen me at full power."

Nathan grinned. "Yeah, yeah. That's what all losers say."

Darius glared. "Alright, now I really don't like you."

Lena sighed. "Enough. Back to the real issue—Nathan, you're not coming."

Nathan ignored her.

Instead, he looked straight at Hugo.

"You said it yourself," Nathan said. "Strength alone isn't enough. If I want to be worthy of this hammer—if I want to become the blacksmith Cedric was—I need to learn from the greatest warrior in the world."

Silence.

Hugo's expression remained unreadable.

Lena leaned forward, her golden eyes narrowing. "Nathan, you are not a warrior. You just got your title. You have no experience outside of this village. If you come with us, you're going to get killed."

Nathan glared at her. "Then I'll just have to survive."

Eclipse Zero exchanged looks.

Nathan's words were reckless. Naive.

But his determination was real.

Hugo studied him carefully.

The kid was still young, still untested beyond his home. But there was something in his eyes—something Hugo had seen before.

In himself.

In Xander.

In Mina.

It was the look of someone who refused to be left behind.

After a long pause, Hugo exhaled.

"...Alright."

Lena's eyes widened. "Wait—what?!"

Ethan stared at him. "Are you serious?"

Nathan grinned, triumphant.

Hugo crossed his arms. "Nathan's right. If he stays here, he'll never grow. Cedric didn't become who he was by staying in one place. If Nathan wants to learn what it really means to carry his legacy, then he has to see the world beyond Stormbarrier."

Lena ran a hand through her hair, groaning. "This is a mistake."

Darius shrugged. "Hey, kid's got guts. Might be fun watching him figure things out the hard way."

Nathan smirked at him. "You're just afraid I'll surpass you."

Darius laughed. "Oh, you're gonna be fun to mess with."

Stella sighed. "If we're doing this, we better make sure the kid doesn't die on the first day."

Iris, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke.

"You'd better keep up," she told Nathan. "Because if you slow us down, we won't wait for you."

Nathan nodded, his grip on the Arc-Hammer tightening. "I won't slow you down."

Hugo smirked.

"Good," he said. "Because we leave at sunrise."

And with that, Nathan's journey began.