Silence settled over the Induction Vault like an invisible weight.
Hundreds of eyes remained fixed upon the contract resting inside each wooden registration slot.
No one spoke.
No one dared.
The words Life-and-Death Contract seemed to echo louder than any voice within the vast chamber.
Then....
A chair scraped sharply against the stone floor.
Everyone turned.
A young man near the center of the hall had risen to his feet, his hands trembling as they clenched around the wooden slot.
"This is ridiculous!"
His voice rang through the chamber.
"I thought this was a Missionary examination!"
He pointed angrily toward the platform.
"So why the hell are you asking us to sign our lives away?!"
A ripple of unease swept across the hall.
Several participants lowered their heads.
Others silently nodded in agreement.
The question hung heavily in the air.
At the front of the chamber, Adaora Noboshi remained perfectly still.
Her lone eye settled upon the young man.
When she finally spoke, her voice was calm enough to silence the entire hall.
"The moment you enter the Dead Forest..."
"...your safety will no longer belong to us."
She folded her hands behind her back.
"Root-Veil's wilderness is not a controlled training ground."
"It is home to predators that have hunted long before mankind arrived."
She continued without raising her voice.
"Venomous beasts."
"Poisonous insects."
"Serpents concealed beneath fallen leaves."
"Plants capable of killing with a single touch."
"The forest shows mercy to no one."
Not a single sound came from the audience.
Adaora slowly turned her gaze across the recruits.
"Beyond surviving nature..."
"...you will also be competing against one another."
"You will claim territories."
"You will defend them."
"You may negotiate."
"You may form alliances."
"You may raid another territory."
"You may betray those who once stood beside you."
A chill seemed to pass through the chamber.
"Whatever choices you make..."
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"...will belong to you."
She paused.
"And whatever consequences follow..."
"...will not."
Her visible eye narrowed slightly.
"The Dead Forest is merely a reflection of human nature."
"It reveals who people truly become when survival is placed above comfort."
"If tragedy occurs..."
"...it will not be because we commanded it."
"It will be because someone made a choice."
The young man's anger slowly disappeared.
Fear quietly took its place.
He lowered himself back into his seat without another word.
The silence that followed felt even heavier than before.
Beside Kairo, Neyo let out a slow breath.
"...Well."
He scratched the back of his neck.
"This isn't looking so good."
He turned toward his friend.
"What do you think?"
There was no answer.
"...Kairo?"
Kairo continued staring at the contract resting inside his registration slot.
His thoughts seemed somewhere far away.
Only after several seconds did he slowly look up.
"...What?"
Neyo blinked.
"I asked what you think."
Kairo lowered his eyes to the contract once more but said nothing.
Before the conversation could continue, Adaora's voice echoed across the hall again.
"You have thirty minutes."
Her words immediately drew every eye back to the platform.
"Thirty minutes to decide."
"If, when that time expires, you remain within this hall..."
"...you will be considered willing participants in this year's Missionary Recruitment Examination."
She looked across the sea of silent faces.
"No further confirmation will be required."
Without another word, she turned.
The four Vanguard officers followed behind her as they disappeared through the stone doorway.
Only after they had gone did the hall finally erupt into quiet conversation.
Some participants remained seated, unable to take their eyes off the contract.
Others gathered into nervous groups, whispering among themselves.
A few simply stood in silence.
One after another...
People began walking toward the exits.
By the time fifteen minutes had passed, the once-crowded chamber had noticeably thinned.
Roughly seventy applicants had filled the hall that morning.
Now...
Barely forty-eight remained.
Near one of the limestone pillars, Rina stood with Kairo and Neyo.
She looked at the two boys quietly before smiling.
"I've already told you everything I can."
Her voice was gentle.
"Whatever decision you make..."
"...I'll support it."
Neyo answered almost immediately.
A familiar grin returned to his face.
"Heh... honestly?"
"This is starting to sound exciting."
He nudged Kairo lightly with his elbow.
"Right?"
Kairo remained thoughtful.
"...Yeah."
His answer came softly, almost absentmindedly.
Rina noticed.
She stepped closer before resting a gentle hand upon each of their shoulders.
"When this is over..."
"...I'll be waiting."
Neither boy spoke.
They simply nodded.
With one final smile, Rina turned and disappeared into the slowly dispersing crowd.
Silence settled between the two boys.
After a moment, Kairo finally spoke.
"...Have you decided?"
Neyo smiled.
"I decided a long time ago."
Before Kairo could respond—
"There you guys are!"
A familiar voice echoed across the hall.
The two boys turned.
Renjirō approached with his usual confidence, an arm thrown comfortably around the shoulders of two familiar faces.
"Look who I found!"
Bobo laughed.
"Took you long enough."
Beside him, Zuki offered a small smile.
"It's good to see you both again."
A quiet warmth spread between the group.
For a brief moment...
The enormous hall didn't feel quite so unfamiliar.
Renjirō folded his arms proudly.
"I've been walking around the whole place."
"You'd be surprised how many people from the certification programme are here."
Kairo tilted his head.
"...Really?"
Renjirō nodded.
"I saw Kina."
"The girl from that poison household."
He clicked his tongue.
"I can't stand her."
"She's way too rude."
Bobo let out a small laugh.
"She's been like that ever since we were kids."
Neyo tilted his head.
"...That bad?"
Renjirō folded his arms.
"Trust me."
"If you ever have a conversation with her, you'll understand."
Kairo gave a small nod.
"...Sounds difficult."
He snapped his fingers.
"And I ran into Morri too."
He looked toward Kairo.
"You remember him, right?"
Bobo smiled.
"You mean Morri Morri... He actually came?"
"Looks like he did," Renjirō replied.
Kairo gave a small nod.
"Of course I remember him."
His thoughts drifted back to the timid boy from the certification programme.
Morri's here too...?
What could he be doing at the Missionary Recruitment...?
Just then Bobo suddenly looked toward another corner of the hall.
"...Hey."
"I think that's..."
Everyone followed his gaze.
A lone boy stood quietly near one of the stone pillars; his hands tucked into his pockets as he silently observed the remaining participants.
Renjirō smiled.
"Yep."
"That's Toka."
Zuki nodded once.
"He came after all."
As though sensing their attention, Toka slowly turned his head.
His calm eyes met Kairo's across the crowded chamber.
Neither smiled.
Neither waved.
For several silent seconds...
They simply looked at one another.
Then...
A loud voice echoed from the front of the hall.
"Attention."
Every conversation stopped.
A man in his early forties stepped onto the platform.
Like Adaora, he wore the distinguished uniform of the Vanguard.
His posture was disciplined.
His expression unreadable.
He looked across the remaining applicants before speaking.
"Those who have signed the contract..."
"...step forward."
He raised one hand toward the four massive stone doors.
"Form four separate lines according to the territory engraved upon your registration slot."
"North."
"South."
"East."
"...and West."
"The examination is about to begin."