The stars above shimmered like a velvet canopy of silver dust as Leon and Elizabeth returned to his quarters. The air still held the warmth of their evening out.
As they stepped through the door, Elizabeth turned and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his chest.
"Thank you for tonight," she whispered, her voice soft.
Leon smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Anything for you."
A mischievous glint sparkled in Elizabeth's eyes as she looked up. "But... I'm still hungry."
Leon arched a brow, already sensing where this was going. "And what might you be craving?"
She leaned in closer, her fingers dancing lightly over his shirt. "Meat," she said playfully, voice low.
Leon chuckled, lips curling into a grin. "Well then... let the feast begin."
What followed wasn't spoken—it didn't need to be.
Time slipped away like sand through open fingers.
One hour and thirty minutes later...
Elizabeth was adjusting her bra while Leon lay slouched on the couch, shirtless and half-asleep, looking like someone who'd just returned from paradise.
"I will be taking a shower," Elizabeth said, stretching her arms above her head. "You should come in after. You look like you've been through a war."
Leon offered only a nod, eyes distant. He was still trying to mentally process the experience.
Steam began to drift from the bathroom as Elizabeth disappeared inside.
An alarm blared to life.
He sat up so fast his hair stood on end.
"What happened?" Elizabeth's voice called from the shower.
"I just saw something weird—don't worry!" Leon replied quickly, heart pounding.
He glanced at the time.
'No. No, no, no! I was too distracted... I almost missed my stat distribution!'
Each day, his talent allowed him to store stat points from attacks—but if he didn't distribute them by midnight, the system rolled over and capped the next day's limit.
Wasting those points was basically burning strength.
'Curse whoever made me this horny...'
Leon shot off the couch like a rocket, pulling up the glowing interface in front of him. With the urgency of a man defusing a bomb, he rapidly allocated stat points—Speed, Strength, stamina—his mind calculating how to properly distribute the points.
By 11:55 PM, it was done.
Leon slumped back, sighing in relief. "That was too close... I need to be more careful."
Just then, the bathroom door opened with a whoosh of hot air. Elizabeth stepped out, wrapped in a white towel, her hair damp and clinging to her neck as she dried it with another.
She paused, looking at him.
"...What happened to you? You look like someone that nearly lost a million credits."
Leon met her eyes, deadpan. "You have no idea."
She tilted her head, confused.
Before she could ask more, he stood up and headed toward the bathroom, patting her head lightly as he passed, the door locking behind him.
Elizabeth blinked. "Weird... I thought he'd drag me in with him." She gave a small shrug. He's probably tired from pushing his talent all day.
Still, her smile lingered as she walked over to the bed.
Golden rays crept through the slits of the drawn curtains, painting faint lines of light across the wooden floor.
Leon stretched, blinking off the last traces of sleep. Elizabeth was already tying her hair up, the soft rustle of fabric and footsteps echoing through the house.
Their first return to the real world.
Leon and Elizabeth moved efficiently, packing away the remnants of their life in this temporary space. The furniture was draped in white cloths to guard against dust.
Dishes were cleaned and stored. Floors swept. It was unlikely they'd return before thirty days elapsed—unless they managed to find a stabilizing crystal during their deployment—but neither of them wanted to come back to a mess.
Finally, they stood by the door, gazing once more at the now-quiet home. Their inventories carried what little they were allowed to take since it had limited space so they only took the essentials and necessities.
Leon locked the door behind them with a soft click.
At the Teleporter Platform...
The plaza outside the transmission tower buzzed with quiet anticipation. Dozens of trial takers stood together, most dressed in combat gear, others in lighter outfits more suited to mobility.
Familiar faces from the elite training class were scattered across the crowd—those who had survived their first trial.
Because not everyone had made it back.
It was a sobering truth.
Leon scanned the area as he and Elizabeth approached the raised teleportation platform. His eyes caught a familiar silhouette—Adrian Peer, walking alone.
No sign of the three boys who usually shadowed him.
Leon offered a casual. "Yo—"
But Adrian didn't respond.
He walked right past Leon without a word, shoulders tense and expression unreadable.
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "What was that about?"
Leon shrugged. "I just asked for his name and he has been since."
Elizabeth gave him a deadpan look. "How do you not know the name of your own classmate?"
"I was preoccupied with other things," Leon said, straight-faced.
Elizabeth crossed her arms. "Like what?"
Leon looked at her and smirked. "Training... and you."
She blinked, caught off guard—then looked away with a small smile tugging at her lips. "Fair enough."
They reached the platform and stepped into the glowing ring. A Federation operator stood nearby, holding a crystal slate.
"All surviving trial takers, prepare for transmission."
A low hum began to build under their feet. The platform's veins lit up in brilliant blue, pulsing with arcane energy.
Leon glanced at Elizabeth.
As She met his gaze and nodded.
In the next instant, light engulfed them—their bodies dissolving into shimmering particles as they vanished from the trial world returning to the real world.
A low hum reverberated through the teleportation platform, its circular glyphs glowing with a soft, otherworldly light.
Particles of energy danced like falling ash in reverse—rising into the air, then collapsing inward. One by one, figures began to emerge from the light. Their boots touched down on polished steel.
Their eyes, sharper than before. Their presence, heavier.
No longer new. No longer untested.
Leon blinked against the real world's brighter skies, the air here was cleaner and more stable. The lingering scent of the trial world was gone—but the memories weren't.
Leon Kael's current stats
Talent: {Attack} — EX Rank
Strength:532>552 (+20)
Vitality:485>500 (+15)
Stamina:486>496 (+10)
[Phantom Edge – Form 1: Flicker Fang]
A/N: Please send power stones and leave reviews.