To excel above all others.

This was what it meant to be best.

Caius was the best.

He knew he was the best.

He....

Had to be the best.

Веер...! Вееер...!

The dark world shattered, giving way to the same white void. It crept into every corner, consuming all in its path.

....It felt empty.

A soft, relentless 'beeping' sound began to echo through the emptiness

Caius stood in silence, looking around.

'....I don't want to break you.'

Julien's words rang powerful in his mind. They were like whispers, trying to shatter his composure, but he remained calm.

He had absolute confidence in himself.

This was all a mind game.

Just like the soft white world that enveloped him.

Веер...! Вееер...!

The beeps continued, but no image appeared. They rang loudly in Caius's mind, prompting his brows to knit together into a frown.

'Is he hesitating...?'

Clap-

Caius clapped his hands once, and the beeping stopped.

Then, with a deep frown, he shouted,

"Haa...!"

Once more, the world rumbled.

"Roooooar-!"

A roar pierced through the world as the creature from before emerged from behind him, its figure twisted and creepy.

Julien's figure reappeared on the opposite end, his face stained with tears.

"Ha."

Caius clenched his teeth, feeling a powerful pain invade his chest.

It felt suffocating, taking his breath away.

"Go."

Holding the pain back, he nudged the creature behind him as it roared and charged toward Julien who stood with his back straight.

"Roooar-!"

With a ferocious roar, the creature shot in Julien's direction.

Its speed was blinding, and its bloodthirst was evident. Caius's yellow eyes reflected the figure's form as it charged toward Julien.

Caius blinked once.

For a brief moment, the world around him turned red.

He saw the all-too-familiar figures lying on the ground with their body dismembered.

His mother... His sister...

'Remember.'

A voice transmitted in his mind,

'.....To be the best, you need to make sacrifices. Get rid of the burdens chaining you down, and absorb the pain, and make it your power.'

"H-hu."

Caius's chest trembled.

He recalled all the sensations he felt back then. The fear, the anger, the sadness... He took it all in.

Blinking his eyes, the creature reappeared in his vision.

It lunged at Julien just like it had lunged at his mother and sister.

Drip...!

He too... started to cry.

Ripple~

"Rooooar-!"

A terrifying roar followed his tears as a ripple formed beneath him. Raising its hand, the creature prepared to claw in Julien's direction. Its actions were fast and ruthless, and yet, even in such circumstances Julien's expression remained the same.

Lifting his head slightly to display his pale face, Julien's lips trembled.

Rustle~

A hoodie materialized out of nowhere, covering his body. It fluttered gently under the creatures's attack.

Standing there, a massive creature began to emerge beside him.

"This...!"

Its appearance shook Caius who was suddenly gripped with an overwhelming sense of dread

and fear.

Caius took a step back as his pupils constricted.

'A Rock Dragon!'

Flip!

Its eyelids flipped, revealing its yellow-tinged eyes. The sense of dread and terror that took over the white world became even more overwhelming, gripping Caius by the throat as he

struggled to breathe.

One by one, hooded figures emerged around Julien who wore a hood.

....It was as if an army had risen beside him.

Caius's mind screamed with fear. He had to get out...! He needed to run away! Terrifying! How

could anyone withstand such a situation!?

But amidst the fear, he felt something else.

Drip...!

"W-why?"

Caius touched his face, feeling the hot streaks falling down his cheeks.

"W-why am I crying...?"

Rustle~

With a gentle rustling, the hoods slipped from the hundreds of figures, revealing pale, lifeless

faces and closed eyes. Dead... they were all dead.

What stood out in particular was the young girl that stood at its center where Julien was

meant to be.

Her eyes were closed, and her pale face was marked by thin purple veins, branching like a

delicate web across her skin.

She stood at the center of it all, her pale lips pulled into a thin smile.

From the outside, she looked happy. Joyful almost. And yet...

Drip! Drip...!

All Caius felt was an overwhelming sense of sadness as it gripped his chest tightly. It made it

impossible for him to breathe.

Why...!? Why!?

Caius clenched his teeth, and his eye turned bloodshot.

He looked at the creature which had stopped and shouted in his mind.

'Attack...!'

Clank!

The creature's attack shot down, but it was easily deflected by the young girl who swiped her

hand, forming a purple shield.

"Uukeh...!"

Caius felt his mind throb intensely as he staggered back.

Caius raised his head to look at the young girl and the dragon. Even now, she was smiling, and

yet the pain he felt was overwhelming.

Staggering back, a few words entered Caius's mind.

'One's experiences fuel our emotions. What you see within the mind of another, is what they've

experienced. Don't let yourself be overwhelmed.'

They belonged to one of his Emotive lecturers.

....Back then, Caius hadn't paid much attention to the words, but like clockwork, the words

came raining down on his mind right when he was put into such a situation.

Clench.

'You're saying he experienced this...?!!

Caius bit his lips, his expression twisting as he closed his eyes and memories that he once

buried resurfaced in his mind.

Clank-!

Sparks flew in the air.

"Ahhhh!"

A scream followed right after.

Pftt!

And blood mixed with the rain.

Step.

A foot stepped on a puddle, forming gentle ripples around it.

Looking down, Caius saw his own reflection within the puddle beneath him. He stared at his

features which seemed to be devoid of any purpose and life.

No, there was a purpose.

It was faint. But there was certainly a purpose.

Drip. Drip.

The rain continued to drizzle down from the sky.

More fiercely than ever before. Marring his indifferent features were the streaks of blood that ran down his face, gently

mixing with the rain droplets.

"You've done good."

A soft voice echoed in the air.

The voice was soft, almost like a whisper.

And yet, it carried a powerful force behind it.

"But..."

The puddles rippled.

"...Not good enough."

The rain drizzled even more fiercely. Almost to the point where one couldn't hear anything

besides the rain.

Caius stood before the man.

He was now taller and bigger than him.

And yet...

Caius remained silent.

There were no words exchanged between the two. As if he could understand what the man in

robes implied with his gaze, he lowered his head.

Only for the man in robes to inch closer to him.

"Why?"

One word and a question.

"Why?"

One he chose to repeat.

Finally, Caius opened his mouth.

"I'm sorry." "Why?" But that wasn't a good enough answer.

"...The rain made it hard to hear."

"Why...?" "I can't see, and I can't hear."

"I'll do better."

"I mean that."

"Do you?"

"Yes."

"You're not fit for this."

"Give up. You don't have what it takes. Quit. You're not suited for this. Do you want to be the

best Emotive Mage? Then why did you shut down your emotions?"

"Not saying anything? Speak. Say it."

"Say it."

"Repeat after me, I'm a talentless shit with no emotions. I got rid of my emotions because I

am afraid of pain."

Caius clenched his teeth, his body shaking as he found himself unable to defy the orders.

"Say i-"

"I'm a talentless shit with no emotions. I got rid of my emotions because I am afraid of

pain."

"Say it."

"...I'm a talentless shit with no emotions. I got rid of my emotions because I am afraid of pain."

"Why did you hesitate? Say it again."

""

Slap-!

"Say it again."

"...I'm a talentless shit with no emotions."

Slap-!

"You skipped the last part. Repeat it."

"I'm a tal-"

Slap-!

"...I'm a talentless shit with no emotions. I got rid of my emotions because I am afraid of

pain."

"Good, now say it again. On repeat. Over and over again."

"I'm a talentless shit with no emotions. I got rid of my emotions because I am afraid of pain."

"Again."

"I'm a talentless shit with no emotions. I got rid of my emotions because I am afraid of pain."

"Again."

"I'm a talentless shit with no emotions. I got rid of my emotions because I am afraid of pain."

"Again."

Drip! Drip...!

Opening his eyes, the white world was replaced with a world of gloom.

A figure stood before Caius.

With its back facing him, Caius's mind shuddered.

"I'm a talent-!"

Caius hastily covered his mouth.

"H-hu."

His entire body shuddered as he stared at the lonesome figure standing before him. His back

hardly covered him, and yet, it felt so overwhelming and terrifying that Caius couldn't find it

within himself to even breathe.

On the opposite end, Julien wasn't faring any better.

Staring at the figure that stood before Caius, Julien felt his entire body freeze.

His mind screamed, and his body tensed.

In silence, the figure reached out for his waist, unsheathing a massive sword. A terrifying

glow enveloped the entire world, shattering the bleakness that came forth from the sky, and

Julien's expression cracked.

His breathing became rougher.

His face turned white.

His eyes shook.

At this moment, he was overwhelmed with fear.

Julien's mind shook.

Squelch! Squelch!

A familiar sound echoed as roots began to appear beneath him. They 'squelched' and climbed

up from the ground, revealing a terrifying tree.

'Help...!'

'Get me out of here'

Desperate cries echoed through the air as the tree revealed its full form. Faces twisted in

agony appeared on its bark, their hands outstretched, molded into the wood itself. They wept

and begged for help, their voices filled with hopeless sorrow.

Its appearance clashed directly with the hooded figure standing before Caius.

Its robes fluttered, and so did the robes of the dead bodies standing before the dragon.

Rumble! Rumble!

With a rumble, the dragon similarly stood up, its body shaking and twisting as its yellow eyes

locked onto the robed figure.

"Roooooar-"

With a terrifying roar, the Dragon revealed its might.

Rumble!

The world shook, both sides standing on opposite end.

Caius stood with a pale face, his face growing paler by the second while Julien was the same.

As if their minds were synchronized, they both raised their heads at the same time, locking

eyes with one another.

That seemed to mark the start of it all.

"Roooar!"

With a terrifying roar, the dragon lifted in the air, its heavy wings pressing down on the

ground as it slowly started to float. At the same time, the dead started to move and roots

began to shoot in Caius's direction.

It was an overwhelming sight that shook Caius's mind for a brief moment, but as he stared at

the figure that stood before him, Caius swallowed hard and calmed himself down.

Ripple-

A ripple formed beneath the robed person as he took a step forward. Holding onto the sword, a faint glow manifested over its body as its brightness engulfed the

entire world.

"G-go..."

Caius mumbled quietly, his eyes turning bloodshot.

Staring at the approaching army, Caius fixed his attention on the robed figure that stood

before him.

"What does it mean to be the best?"

Caius mumbled, repeating the same words that the man had once told him.

"...To be above others."

His heart pressed, the rage that was deeply condensed within his body transmitting toward

the robed man as the glow on his sword intensified, his presence doubling.

Squelch! Squelch!

A squelching sound soon reached Caius's ears.

Lifting his head, his heart gripped tightly as terrifying roots reached out for him, surrounding

him from all sides.

Dread filled his heart.

But most terrifying of all was...

"Roooar-"

The Rock Dragon that loomed behind, its roar shaking the very foundations of the world the

two were in.

It was a terrifying sight, and yet...

Ripple~

Caius didn't despair.

With bloodshot eyes, he stared at the robed man who stood before him.

The army grew closer, and so did the dragon.

They were now an arm's length away.

Caius's heart shook as he looked at the robed man before him, his pupils shaking wildly as he

mumbled,

"Do it."

"The man finally moved.

SHILING!

A light flashed.

The world grew quiet.

Everything froze on the spot.

The robed man froze, the dragon froze, the tree froze, and the dead froze.

It all stopped with the single pulse of light that flashed from the man's sword.

Caius and Julien similarly froze, their eyes locked onto one another as they stood frozen on

the spot.

In the silence, neither party moved.

Not until...

"Ukeh...!"

Julien's face paled and blood spurted out of his mouth.

Splash-

His figure staggered a couple of steps back before falling down completely, his face growing

even paler than before.

Cra Crack-

Shortly after, cracks began to form on the figures that stood to protect Julien.

Be it the Dragon, tree, and the dead. They all cracked until...

Crash!

They all shattered into nothingness.

Caius stared at the scene for a brief moment, his eyes blinking slowly before turning

bloodshot.

"Hehe."

His shoulders started to tremble.

"Hehehehe."

Blood leaked from his lips as the shaking became more prominent, and before long, he found

himself unable to hold it in any longer as he burst out laughing.

"Hahahahahahaha."

His laugh echoed loudly within the white world, echoing across the entire space as he found

himself unable to hide his joy.

"I... did it! Hahah."

Caius laughed, his expression twisted.

"I fucking did it...! I am the best. Did you say that you bastard!? I-I... I am the "

Вееер. Вееер-

Caius felt his voice be stripped from his mouth.

'H-huh?'

Caius slowly turned his head toward the distance where a figure lay on the ground with his

arm covering his eyes.

"I-I didn't want to do this..."

Tears streamed down from the corner of his eyes as his body started to wither.

Caius took a step back, his back suddenly drenching with sweat.

'W-what's going on...? No, no...'

Вееер. Вееер. Вееер -

"....I told you that I didn't."

Wires sprouted from the ground, digging into his body as his clothes changed, and his body

lifted as a strangely framed bed appeared from beneath.

'W-what...?'

Caius's eyes shook, unable to understand what was happening. However, if there was one thing that he understood, it was the fact that something within his

body was slowly starting to disappear.

'No, no...'

Вееер. Вееер. Вееер. Вееер -

"I..."

Julien lowered his arm from his eyes, revealing a withered, sunken face with hollow eyes and

only sparse strands of hair clinging to his scalp.

Blinking slowly, Julien looked at Caius. "....w-want to win."

Caius shook his head.

But it was too late.

"I'm sorry."

Beeeeeeeeep!

Caius's mind grew dark, and the match ended.

The Winner; Julien Dacre Evenus.

That match marked Julien's rise to the finals.

But at the same time, it marked the day when Caius lost his emotions.

He...

Failed to become the best.

What does it mean to be the best?

...To win.

--Julien Dacre Evenus.