Exam Registration

The walk to the Registration Center was an interesting one.

Theo and Liyah spent the entire time conversing, though the latter did most of the talking as was her habit whenever her sister was brought up. After speaking to her for some time, Theo was quickly able to note two things about the girl.

Firstly, Liyah really loved and admired her sister Fae… and secondly, the two were almost nothing alike.

'It goes to show how wrong my first impression of her was…' He mused. 'I thought she could be on bad terms with her sister, which is why she wants to move, and I also thought they were very alike in many ways… but both of those are wrong.'

Liyah's admiration for Fae was almost to the point of being frightening, and the reason she wanted to move seemed totally disconnected from their relationship as siblings. According to Liyah:

"I'm an adult now, so I think it's time I got my own place. I can't keep mooching off my sister forever."

In essence, she wanted to be independent.

'I reckon she still has a long way to go if this is how things turn out when she's all alone outside…' He thought with a smile. 'And unlike how calm, composed, and very lady-like Fae is, well… this one seems a bit rough around the edges.'

If there was one virtue the two of them shared, however, it was their kindness.

Theo could see it very plainly.

'She isn't proud, and while she can be a bit bratty… I can tell she means well.' He nodded quietly, listening to another long speech Liyah gave about how amazing Fae is while reminding Theo how lucky he was to have encountered such a prominent pillar of the Ak'ashi Guild.

Thankfully, they arrived at the Registration Center not too long after, so he didn't have to bleed in the ears. 

"This is the place, huh?" Theo mumbled, raising his head so he could see the roof of the tall building. It was a colossal structure, wide too, and hinged on the very top was a board that had "Guild Registration Center" written on it.

"It's huge, isn't it? That's because—"

"I know. It's used for all manner of things—from business registrations to vehicles approval, obtaining licenses, school enrollment, product submission, and so on." Theo concluded Liyah's sentence, quickly noticing she wasn't very pleased with it so he apologized.

"Sorry…"

The two entered the huge building, instantly noticing the display board: "Evaluation Exam Registration Open!!! Come and register to become an active part of the Ak'ashi family, play a major role and make a positive impact on our Guild. Limited slots available!"

Theo thought the board was a bit much, but considering how only ten percent of the population contributed to the Guild's workforce, he could understand their aggressive advertisement. There was even a separate poster highlighting the Combat Division and its many perks—such as a free Standard Grade Armament upon passing the exam.

'That's quite a compelling incentive…' Theo smiled. 'Even the cheapest Armament is worth a lot of money, so it's sure to attract a lot of people."

The two of them followed the directions and finally reached the registration office.

There weren't a lot of people there since it was still over a month before registration closed, and most interested parties liked to take their time doing research, even asking around, before making their decision to pick a specific division, or even become Active members at all.

It didn't take long before they were both handed forms to fill, and for the first time ever… the question of what the other person was going for appeared in their minds.

"Combat Division." They said simultaneously, instantly shocked by the surprising decision of the other person.

"Aren't you an Arcane Vessel? I thought you'd go for the Armament Research and Repair Division." Liyah remarked, a hand covering her wide open mouth.

"I thought you'd want to work in the Guild… maybe somewhere in the Middle Court." Theo responded, though after a little bit of thought, he realized this was a wrong assessment to make concerning Liyah.

'She admires her sister and also craves independence… why didn't I see it earlier?'

 "Hmph! I'm tougher than I look!"

"I see…" He responded with obvious skepticism, reminded of what transpired in their very first minute of meeting and also the S'ub incident. It wouldn't be an unfair estimation to label Liyah a frail young girl, naive about the brutality of the world.

'Even her hands are soft… and her face is devoid of any ounce of toughness.'

At least, with Fae, one could make the excuse of Armaments, plus she did have a mature vibe about her and she belonged to the Zenith, so her penchant for violence didn't come off too surprising. But Liyah was too much of a child, so Theo could not view her as anything but innocent.

"You don't believe me, huh?"

"Just fill your form." Theo told her. "I'm almost done with mine."

"I'm being serious here!"

"I won't wait for you if I submit mine first." He continued to focus on his form, not bothering to look in her direction. He could picture her face turning red like a tomato again, and the thought was pleasantly hilarious.

"Hey… why don't I prove it?"

"What are you—?"

"Let's spar."

Upon noticing the change in her tone, Theo turned to Liyah only to see a serious demeanor etched on her pretty face. Her eyes were cold and her features were stern—absolutely devoid of any playfulness or flippancy.

"Hey… are you being for real right now?" He asked, also turning serious.

"Yes."

"Okay then." He nodded. "By the way… I'm done with my form."

"W-what? Already?!"

Theo walked away, heading to the desk to submit his form while Liyah became flustered, alternating stares between him and her form. "You'll wait for me, right?"

He didn't respond.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"

"…."

"Theooooooooo!!!"

*********

Two young people walked side by side, the boy clutching his side after being jerked by his female counterpart more times than he desired to count. He didn't hold his side because her jabs hurt, but because he wanted to prevent any further attacks.

Prevention is often better than cure.

The two walked in silence, now in a completely different structure not too far away from the registration center. It was a Sparring Arena owned by a private company who also owned a chain of businesses surrounding the building.

Upon entry, she was already recognized by the staff there, and she walked Theo through all the protocols. She was also a Premium member of the establishment, which meant she could bring her own sparring partner, or could choose anyone from among the establishment's staff to fight with. Just from seeing this, Theo could already tell that Liyah hadn't been bluffing about her credentials.

They were escorted upstairs, through a passageway, until they arrived at an unoccupied room that they could use for sparring. This was apparently 'her spot', though no such thing officially existed in a Sparring Arena.

"You must have known the location of the registration center since you come here a lot, huh?" Theo asked, finally breaking the silence as the two of them settled into the vast and empty room.

"I don't know what picture you have of me in your head, but it's wrong." Liyah responded with a mild frown, walking away from Theo. "I've lived in the Ak'ashi Guild my whole life and I know it like the back of my hand."

"Yet you didn't know you had to pay for public transportation."

"Shut up!"

"Okay… sheesh…" Theo chuckled, fairly certain that the topic had become something of a sore spot for the girl. He decided not to bring up the matter again, instead, creating more distance between the two of them as he observed his surroundings.

'It's a flat, plain-looking, and empty hall… with no advantages offered to either party. The lights aren't too bright or dim.' He thought, looking at the glowing crystals embedded on the ceiling, then changed his view to the four walls that surrounded the two of them. 'This is a perfect box… not a bad place to fight.'

As someone who had participated in his fair share of underground fighting centers, and also engaged in several street fights, Theo was not a stranger to the game of violence. He had lived his whole life familiar with the concept, and he had no aversion to it when matters called for the actions involved.

Still, he displayed mild hesitation as he stared at the girl in front of him.

"At the risk of sounding insulting, I have to ask you one last time before we start… are you sure you want to do this?" Theo asked calmly.

"I am." Liyah, still wearing her gown, took a fighting stance and smiled.

"Alright… let's begin."

WHOOSH!

In the blink of an eye, Liyah closed the gap he intentionally created, sending a powerful kick flying his way—enough to cause his arm to tremble as he blocked the strike to the side of his head.

BAM!

"Not bad…" Theo winced, feeling the weight of her leg on his arm.

Liyah saw this and smiled.

"Shut up…." Twisting her petite body in midair, she suddenly swirled like a whirlwind, attacking the other side of his head with twice the striking power within nearly the same moment—her crimson eyes wide open as her lips parted mercilessly.

"… And stay down."