"So, any recruits catch your eye?" Snow, of the Pantheon guild, asked as he nursed a can of beer. He had his icy armor on still but was lacking his helmet, revealing a young boyish face with curvy red hair and thick glasses that covered his eyes.

"Nah." Frank took a puff on his cigar and let out a loud and meaty burp. "None of them little bastards did anything to impress me." He took a swing from his own glass of beer. "Got a lot of foreigners this year, though. Think any of them are gonna pass the final exam, or do we have a few spies running around?"

Frank looked nothing like an Arcane Knight. Snow, while not having the face for it, was at least tall, buff, and decked out in armor forged out of thick ice. Frank, on the other hand, was downright bizarre.

He was small, barely standing over four feet in terms of height, and he was extremely fat, with stubby little legs and meaty arms. He was mostly bald as well, with clumps of hair clinging to his skull, and he had a crooked nose and a mouth filled with missing teeth from years of smoking and whatever other drugs he could get his hands on. What was odd about him, though, was his choice of clothing. He was dressed in a gown forged from stitched-together feathers that was struggling to keep itself held around him.

Snow let out a hum and downed the last of his beer before tossing it behind him into an open garbage can. He then reached down, fished out another glass from the pack he brought, and muttered a spell, freezing part of it and making it ice cold in an instant.

He had been in the stadium earlier watching a few of the matches but decided to go hang out in an alleyway behind the stadium to get a quick buzz. Knights were meant to look professional and collected at all times, so being seen slacking off or drinking like he was currently doing was always against the rules, but he and Frank still made time for it whenever they could.

"You might not have seen any diamonds in the dirt, but I sure did." Snow grinned. "Maybe we'll get another breakout star like Cinder. I have a feeling she was one in a million, though."

"Eh, don't remind me of that bitch." Frank sighed and shook his head. "I still owe you a ton of Bells for being wrong about her. Thought for sure she'd sign up for my guild."

"The Shining Sentinels might be one of the best guilds, but you'd be shocked how popular Myth is." Snow's eyes twinkled. His look soon changed, though. "Oh yeah, are you holding up well? Your enchantment was up for a long time these past two days."

"I've kept the enchantment up for far longer." Frank's lips curled slightly into a grin. "Four days is my best record. That was how long it took me to screw my way through a Gallenth church as well. Those scholarly bastards never saw the betrayal coming when I slaughtered their teacher." Frank let out a chuckle and lifted his leg, letting one rip. "I'm just cool like that."

Snow took another swig of his beer. "You definitely hit the jackpot when it comes to your spell. It's one of the best ones for sure. One of a kind. I don't think I've ever seen another mage have a transformation-based spell quite like you do."

Frank went to say more but was cut off by a loud yell. "Pretty Face!" Someone cried out, running into the alleyway. It was one of the guides from the previous test. His face was pale, and he was breathing heavily. "There's an emergency! It's Battery! He's gone wild! He might seriously kill someone!"

Frank let out a sigh and dropped his cigar, stomping it out. He dropped his can of beer as well and adjusted his dress. "Always some shit. Oy, Snow, you're coming with me. Battery's from your guild after all."

"Right." Snow nodded and used another spell, creating a helmet of ice, which he donned. "Let's go."

"Not yet." Frank lifted his finger, and he twirled it. "Ril Wind Spirit." A wave of intense mana exploded out, rapidly filling the alleyway as the short man used a spell of the third level. The air rapidly twisted and began to form various symbols. "Gift of beauty."

The symbols flowed out and began to circle around the man, and then, in a bright white flash, a powerful enchantment was cast. Where Frank once stood, an extremely beautiful woman now took his place. The feathery dress hugged her body nicely, and she flipped her long silver hair and gave a wink, twirling her microphone between her fingers, which had suddenly appeared. Long white wings jutted out of her back, and she lifted into the air.

An Arcane Knight was a monster slayer, a dungeon explorer, a proper Knight, a superhero, a protector of the kingdom, and, most importantly, a celebrity. They existed to be swooned after and worshipped, as if they were gods. Because of this, appearance and personality were everything.

It was why someone like Snow kept his full suit on and refused to remove his helmet. If the world were to see his ugly face, some of the magic would be lost, and so he built a persona up as a tall, buff, and handsome knight. This was his alter ego. His persona.

Of course, the Knight who had the best persona was Frank, better known to the rest of the kingdom as the one and only Pretty Face.

"Alright." Pretty Face giggled. "Let's go."

***

None of the Knights that were in the stadium were able to shatter the barrier, yet it broke in an instant the moment Davi slammed his fist into Jack's attack. To everyone on the outside, it looked as if the force of Davi's strike had shoved Jack straight through his own barrier, and he had done what no one else could in one blow, but that wasn't actually what happened.

The reason the other Knights couldn't break the barrier was because they were forced to hold back so as not to unleash an attack that would harm the recruits that were scattered around the arena. On top of that, they were attacking the shield itself, whereas Davi caught Jack off guard and hit him with his strongest punch. This strike caused Jack's concentration, which had already been low after the arrival of the intense mana source, to fully slip, leading to his shield dropping and running out of power.

Logically speaking, Davi Hawker was not strong enough to actually break through an Arcane Knight's strongest barrier with his bare hands. Unfortunately for him, though, no one was thinking logically in the moment. To them, a figure wearing ebony armor just slammed a mighty Arcane Knight through his own spell.

Screams filled the arena as several people in the crowd stumbled back, trying to get away from the shadowy figure. Several of the guides went on guard but thankfully didn't openly attack Davi, since they were able to figure out he wasn't the one who started the attack. They still looked uncomfortable and tense around him, though.

Davi quietly looked around, finding the crowd staring at him, some in shock, some in horror, and some in rage. He glanced down at his gauntlet-covered hands and squeezed them into a fist, feeling the metal creak.

The smart thing to do would have been not to bust the armor out. He had gone to a lot of trouble hiding its existence after all, but to be honest, Davi didn't really care about being smart anymore. He was, to put it mildly, very pissed.

Ever since the exams started, it felt like one BS thing after another. He was getting tired of it all, and his rational mind had shattered after seeing the dragon and learning that it was all a simulation. His own trauma had been used against him, and he wasn't very happy with that fact. He had tried being nice and offered Jack several chances to stop, yet as always, he was denied and deemed a horrible person because of how his mana felt, how his armor looked, and how he himself looked.

If they wanted something to hate, he'd give it to them all. He'd like to say their looks and remarks meant nothing, but that wasn't true. It was because he himself was a human who also felt that he was affected by the way people reacted to him.

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Like all humans, he was also selfish and bitter, and instead of doing the right thing, Davi Hawker also lashed out and snapped.

His Shadow Armor was a spell that not only boosted his defense but also greatly powered up his striking power, allowing him to punch above his pay grade or swing a sword far harder than he should have been able to. Of course, when faced with the power of someone like Gray or Tori, who were so out of his depth it wasn't even funny, being able to hit a lot harder did very little. Luckily for Davi, though, while Jack was leagues stronger than him, the man wasn't as monstrous as a vice captain.

"That armor he's wearing… Is he insane for putting something like that on? Is he trying to mock us?"

"Did he knock a Knight out in one blow? Why aren't the guides doing anything? Kill him!"

"H-He's so scary. What's a terrorist doing here?"

Davi let out a tight breath that he had been holding. Everyone was still looking at him, and mutters were going through the crowd. No one was approaching, and no one was looking away from him.

Finally, though, the silence was broken. "Davi!" Davi's head jerked to the side, and his scar ached, and his brain felt like it had been stabbed. There was a pressure that was going through his body as well. It was beneath his armor but still affecting him, wrapping around him tightly. "Are you okay?"

Standing before the ebony warrior was Olivia Lot. The white-haired girl looked up at him with wide eyes. Davi's fiery blue gaze burned out of his slits, and slowly his shoulders slumped. The armor he wore twitched and then slid off his body, as if it were a liquid, getting dragged back into his shadow. Davi gave a hesitant nod. "I'm fine." He said quietly.

"Good." Olivia let out a sigh of relief and smiled. She placed her hands on her hips and got a slightly smug look on her face. "That guy was your guide, right? What did you do to piss him off? I passed mine with flying colors, I'm sure, so something must have gone wrong for you? I bet it was Ken who caused problems, right?"

"Hey!" Ken's voice came out of somewhere in the crowd, the red-haired woman sounding a bit offended.

Olivia giggled, and she lightly elbowed Davi in the stomach. "Seriously, spit it out. How did your test go?" The crowd watched in confusion as the scary Knight seemed to fade away, and he even shrank down a bit now that he was in front of the girl who was teasing him.

"He attacked me first," Davi said after a moment. He then gave a flat look, which he shot at the rest of the crowd who were eavesdropping. "You all understand that, right? It was self-defense; I was protecting myself, so this better not come back to bite me in the ass, got that?"

"I can vouch for him!" Olivia turned back to the crowd and waved slightly. "He's a big softie, trust me!"

The crowd hadn't calmed down, but the screaming had finally stopped. The guides still hadn't done anything, and Davi hadn't struck at anyone besides the guy who started the fight. That said, the looks of fear or disgust didn't fade, and some were even directed at Olivia now. When she noticed, her smile twitched and nearly faded.

Davi finally stopped paying attention to the crowd and kept his eyes focused on Olivia. 'She's changed. I wasn't sure before, but I'm dead certain now. She's like Evelyn. Damn it…'

Olivia noticed him looking and turned back, her smile fully fading. "Is everything okay? Do I look bad or something? You're kind of giving me an intense look."

Davi never got a chance to reply, as a second later, a wave of blue light exploded from the back. Mana rapidly began to fill the air, and Davi looked back at where he had sent Jack flying to. The man was back on his feet now and was mostly fine save for a fist-sized hole in his shirt. One of his hands was on the handle of the two swords that hung off his belt, and he drew it, pointing the blade at Davi.

"Playtime's over." Jack drew his sword and blasted forward. "You're done—" Before Jack could even get close to Davi, Sune appeared in front of him and blocked his path.

"Stop," was all she said.

"Out of my way, Sune!"

"No," Sune said flatly.

"You don't understand!"

"I do." The woman rolled her eyes. "For Haru's sake, why is everyone such a baby? It's just armor. He's clearly not the Ebony Knight or anywhere close to his level of strength. If he were, you wouldn't be alive right now; his punch would have torn you in two."

"The feel of his mana is—"

"So what?" Sune made a face and drew her rapier. "Let me get this straight. He has armor that might be what the Ebony Knight looked like, and his mana might be how the Ebony Knight's felt?" She lifted her sword. "Even if all that is true, why does that change anything? Because the Ebony Knight is dangerous? So is this sword that I'm holding. A sword can kill people. It can pierce through them, chop them into little bits, and end lives. A sword is a weapon of war, used by soldiers to slaughter other soldiers and innocent people alike. Do you want to destroy my sword because it is evil? What about the two swords you have? Didn't one of them belong to a warrior called the Butcher? You slaughtered him and took his weapon. That sword at your belt has seen more blood than any other blade in this kingdom, I bet. Shouldn't it be judged by you? You won't, though, because a sword isn't a person. A sword is an object, a thing to be used by people, just as armor and magic too exist to be used. It isn't how a person's mana looks, it isn't how it feels, and it isn't their spells that determine who they are. It's what they do with it. So how about you stop embarrassing the Arcane Knights, you pull up your pants, and you quit bitching like a baby?"

Jack's glare didn't fade, but the arm that was holding his sword slowly lowered to the ground. As he did so, the flapping of wings could be heard, and everyone looked up just in time to see Pretty Face flying down.

"Oh my, I seem to have missed quite a lot." The beautiful woman giggled as her feet touched down. "Whoops! Sorry about that; I was redoing my makeup. Got to look good for TV!" She winked at one of the many cameras that were set up in the arena. "Speaking of TV…" Her voice dropped as she stood next to Jack, and her pretty look suddenly darkened into a scowl. "What the fuck are you doing? This stuff is recorded, you dick! These exams are shown to the public to get ratings up. You better hope they cut the broadcast before you pulled your shit, or so help me! If a single point of my overall rating drops, it's your ass on the line." She growled out through clenched teeth. "Understand."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Whatever—"

Pretty Face's hand came down, and she grabbed the front of Jack's pants and gave a harsh squeeze, causing the man to let out a squeak. "I said, understand?" Her grip grew tighter, about to pop something…

"Y-Yes." Jack gasped out.

"Yes, what?"

"Y-Yes, sir."

"Good boy." Pretty Face let go and then kissed him on the cheek, her innocent look back. She let out a giggle. "Why don't you go cool off, Battery! Your pal Snow will escort you to the back! I'm sure your captain wants to see you!"

Jack felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned, finding Snow standing behind him. "Alright, big guy, let's get out of here." Snow tugged on Jack's arm, and slowly the red-haired man turned and began to leave.

As the man was dragged away, Pretty Face twirled and spun until she was in front of Davi. "Now, let's get you fixed up. Vil Wind Spirit. Breath of life."

"Breath of what—" Davi was silenced as Pretty Face casually kissed him. Olivia's mouth dropped open, and several people gasped. Some even pulled out a phone and tried to snap a quick picture.

The kiss thankfully didn't last long, and Pretty Face pulled away and wiped at her lips. Davi's body glowed with a faint silver light, and his wounds faded and mended, leaving him fully healed.

The woman then lifted into the air and placed her hands on her hips, looking down at everyone. "Okay, okay, show's over! I know things got out of hand, but hey! The test is finally over! As many of you likely figured out, surprise, it was a simulation! I feel like Dark Star could have done with giving you all a heads up, but hey, I'm not someone in charge of that! Why don't you all take a quick break? It'll be another hour or so before the final test begins, and in the meantime, to make it all up to you for what happened, I'll put on a concert!" Pretty Face winked down at the crowd and twirled her microphone, causing nearly everyone to let out loud booming cheers as music kicked in from out of nowhere and fog began to roll in.

The atmosphere that had been built up shattered as the pretty woman began to sing some catchy pop song.

Olivia nudged Davi in the side. "I'm kind of jealous you got to kiss the legendary Pretty Face. Maybe I should get beaten up and see if she'll heal me?"

Davi gave a lazy shrug. "Honestly, the kiss wasn't that good; she kissed like a drunk man."

"How do you know what a drunk man kisses like?"

"I'm a man, and I've been drunk."

"I guess that makes sense." Olivia also shrugged. She looked back at Davi. His look seemed distant and off. Like he was deep in thought. "Everything okay?"

Davi shook his head. "Nope."

"Anything I can do to help?"

"Nope."

"Sorry."

"It's alright."

"Really?"

"Nope." Davi turned and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm going to go take a walk."

"Want me to come with you? You're going to say nope again, aren't you?"

Davi looked back at her and lightly elbowed her in the side. "I'll see you later."

Olivia gave a hesitant nod. "Yeah. See you later." She watched as Davi walked away, pushing through the crowd of people. She hoped the reason he was leaving was just because he didn't like loud noises and not because of something she did.

Davi made his way to one of the doorways and stepped into the halls of the stadium. Like last time, he walked down a winding path, letting fate take him where it needed. He didn't pay attention to where he was going, and he didn't care either. He knew what was about to happen after all. If he had sensed it, then she did too.

Soon enough, he turned the corner and came face-to-face with her once again. She was just as beautiful as he remembered. She stood in the hallway and was waiting for him, a sly grin on her lips.

"Hey, little Davi."

Davi sighed and closed his eyes. "Hey, Evelyn. It's good to see you again."

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