The best place to wait for Reece was in the most dangerous, too. As for the most dangerous in the Forest of Traps: it is where the traps existed in bulks. Arthur found a meadow beside a river, where the trees surrounded a low clearing of dirt.
It wasn't the best place to hide, as it was in the open, but it was the safest place to wait for Reece without hiding himself. Arthur sat down and leaned on a tree, runes surrounding him from everywhere. He faced the stream that had a few rocks for crossing as he waited for Reece. As he did, Arthur's thoughts went back to Tyrin.
Feeling the hardwood touch his back and the dirt underneath him, Arthur allowed himself a moment of peace. The running water added to that effect as a chilly breeze fluttered his robe.
His anxiety was sickening, whirls of uncomfortableness twisting in his stomach. Awakeners were those who evolved from the human species, yet anxiety wasn't something they could escape from, Arthur chuckled. It was in their survival instincts.
After some thoughts, he realized he did what he could to stop Tyrin. He still has other chances to stop him, since it seems the weapon wasn't in the first region.
"Arthur," A high-pitched voice sounded next to him, this time he didn't flinch. He looked around and saw a mosquito standing on his shoulder. "Don't talk to me," Reece said before Arthur could say anything. "It seems your earlier actions grabbed a bit of attention. They shouldn't see anything suspicious."
Arthur remained quiet, now aware that if others knew of Reece's existence, he would be disqualified. Even though he had already proved his ability by evading the traps, it was Reece who told him about the location of the box. He could find one himself, as he just did earlier without Reece's help, but it was to stop Tyrin from easily passing.
"I've found Roy and Emma, the other two have probably been eliminated. Roy is still near the beginning of the forest, cautiously wandering about, a snail-like pace." The high-pitch voice of Reece explained. It sounded like something Roy would do, a caution guy he was.
"As for Emma, I saw her grab a box and get teleported." Arthur sighed in relief at these words. "What happened with Tyrin?" Reece asked.
"His group got eliminated but he passed because the princess intervened." Arthur hid his mouth behind his hand and whispered. He has already raised enough suspicion by sitting around doing nothing.
"It's okay, junior. We'll get him the next time." Reece consoled him, and Arthur involuntary smiled. For some reason, it was the first time he felt a team spirit from Reece. "What are you going to do now?" Reece asked.
"At first, I thought about helping Roy and Emma. Now, I don't know about that." Arthur sighed.
"Why?" The high-pitch voice was comical, but the puzzlement was genuine.
"I don't want to help others without being asked to," Arthur shared his thoughts. "I thought helping was always the right thing, but now I'm not sure. Some people don't deserve to be helped and others don't want to receive help."
The silence was only disturbed by the hissing of trees as the winds traveled by. Reece didn't say anything and Arthur sought advice.
"Do you think Roy would want to be helped? Or even Emma? Do you think they wouldn't want to rely on themselves? To prove themselves?" It was late to realize, but he felt that he was too arrogant. "I would, at least." Another silence followed.
"I'm not the best to answer this," Reece said, a hint of sadness in his voice. "Regret isn't something you can run away from, Arthur." Despite being a mosquito, his words sank into the air. "It's always a choice of what would make you regret less. As for the best way to deal with regret, it's to give yourself the excuse of doing what you felt was right."
The words, high-pitched and in a whisper, made Arthur sigh and stand up. For the first time in a while, he felt refreshed as if a weight has been lifted off his chest. He lacked answer, that didn't change. However, living is about finding answers.
"Thanks, senior." Arthur grinned as he took out the cube from his bag. It was still covered in hard rock and he had to use his skill to soften it until the surface was revealed.
"Hehe, anytime, dear junior." Even with the respect he felt, Arthur was still creeped out by his tone and laugh.
Without saying anything else, Arthur touched the cube. His ring was activated as the teleportation runes came to life and started pulling him into the same nauseating feeling. The world changed as the cube disappeared from his hand.
Emma has passed the first region, making her heart dance with joy. Even if her family expected no less from her, she still proved herself by this. To put it into perspective, every nation sent around a thousand contestants. These were weeded out by preliminary rounds that only allowed the best to participate.
Her workshop, among several others, earned several spots for their research in runes, not having to deal with the preliminary rounds. This was the case for every nation, as different institutes existed around the world.
Among thousands of apprentices, she emerged among the top thousand. Days of hard work have paid off, and she would be able to lift her head high when she meets her parents and grandfather.
When the world reappeared in front of her, she was standing in a great hall. A noisy one, to boot. It was filled with furniture, refreshments, and huddled crowds of people watching giant screens.
They cheered, booed, and cursed. As she stood there dazed, she realized it was the place she had to wait until the first region's test would end. She ambled toward one of the screens, grabbing some refreshments as she listened to the crowd and looked for Arthur and the rest. However, there were no signs of them.
"He's insane!" Someone shouted as he looked at one of the screens, making her turn her attention to its content.
"But he's a genius! How can he move like that with so many runes?" Another rebuked as Emma saw a golden hood running through a forest. He moved like a fish in water, running leisurely while hopping from one place to the other. It was as if the infinite traps she struggled to navigate around didn't even exist for him.
Her mouth, like those of the rest of the crowd, turned into a circle as she watched, stunned speechless. It was then that another figure appeared on the screen.
The next series of events turned the hall chaotic. The person, who everyone referred to as Ghost, attacked another golden hood before someone intervened and saved him. He then allowed that person to teleport away, and they appeared in the hall.
The person who teleported just now turned out to be the fourth princess of the Yalen Kingdom, and she sought refuge in the only person she recognized.
"You can call me by my name,"
"… Miss Nera, I'm glad you're safe." Emma corrected as she bowed slightly. Nera nodded as she held her left arm with the other.
"Yeah, same to you." She was disquieted, probably by the earlier incident if Emma had to guess. Her childish voice and stature made Emma want to hug her and tell her it's alright, but she dared not to.
"He allowed the Halinian to use the box! This doesn't make sense!" Another round of chaos erupted and Nera and Emma inched toward the screens.
Emma knew that despite being royalty, Nera was a shut-in who only studies and never got into actual fights. That's why she seemed shaken by the earlier events. Now, she stood next to Emma as they watched the person referred to as Ghost allow a Halinian use the box Nera just used.
"Was it a personal feud?" Nera mumbled but Emma pretended not to hear her say anything because she lacked an answer herself. This man was persistent in taking a group down, as told by the crowd, but now he allowed people to teleport easily.
Ghost, now referred to as such by everyone, wandered until he sat beside a meadow, no longer moving. His actions brought more puzzlement as he just sat there for a while. After that, he took out the box he had stolen and disappeared from the screen, making it switch to another contestant.
The screens showed an aerial view, so Emma didn't see the person's clothing. However, when she turned around and stared at the middle as everyone did, she found his attire to be familiar.
Not just familiar, it was the same as the one she wore. His height and the way he looked around made it hard not to recognize him.
"Miss Emma," The princess's voice trailed. "Can you explain your team member's actions?" Nera seemed to have also recognized him earlier.