Chaos Carrier With A Broken Talent

"K-Klaus..." Aime approached him with a trembling voice. "Could Ethan be the first one to fail the trial?"

Klaus frowned.

It was strange. He had heard a lot about the Lost Knight, as had every Carrier from the Hail of Swords. Before leaving for the Desolate Meadow, he had prepared and gathered information.

The end was always the hardest part, but not in this case.

If a participant made it to the end, that was the easiest part. Now, Klaus not only hoped for that, but also understood it, as he had gone through it himself.

The Lost Knight never killed anyone, at least not in normal circumstances. If a participant was not worthy of the reward, that was the end of it; there was no bloody massacre or cruel torture.

But... What they saw before them did not fit any of the stories Klaus had heard.

"I don't know, but he'll be fine." Klaus bit his thumb despite his words. "I'm sure of it. The Lost Knight... He's not some mindless monster, he's a great warrior. He, it must all be part of the plan."

It didn't sound very convincing, either to Aime or to Klaus himself.

This only made the irony even more apparent because he was right.

Not willing to give up, Ethan clenched his fist tightly and attacked the Lost Knight again and again.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

His fist slammed into the hard armor, too strong for his pathetic attempts to leave even a scratch. His other arm was useless due to a dislocated shoulder, but still, the Lost Knight could not see a hint of doubt in Ethan's eyes.

"I don't know if it's this young man's fighting spirit or if I should thank whoever raised him, but... impressive work has been done here."

The Lost Knight pondered as Ethan's fist smashed into his chestplate. The skin was torn from Ethan's fingers as drops of blood covered his face.

'What's more, it is a Carrier like him, a man with such spirit... Hah, it seems that after decades, luck is finally on my side, isn't it?'

Perhaps if Ethan had continued to attack, he would have broken his arm.

"That's enough."

The Lost Knight stopped Ethan and smoothly put his dislocated shoulder back into place.

"Agh!"

A slight pain and a rush of relief washed over Ethan when he realized it was over, leaving only a slight sore on his hand.

"Alright, Ethan."

The Lost Knight helped him up and proclaimed with a wave of his hand.

"You did not pass."

Klaus, Aime, Sera, and Kael's eyes widened in disbelief. They wanted to challenge the decision; they had seen that Ethan had done more than any of them to earn the reward, but... they were in no position to influence it in any way.

Naturally, Ethan was the most shocked of all.

He understood that his fight had been much more difficult than the others, but he was still confident that he had proven himself worthy.

"But!" Klaus stepped forward, unable to remain silent. "This is unfair! I lost by a second and still passed! How is it possible that Ethan is not worthy of the reward?!"

However, the Lost Knight had no intention of responding.

He merely waved his hand as the Twilight Reapers moved toward the participants, silent guardians who would escort them outside.

"Leave. The trial is over. My decision will not change."

Step.

The Lost Knight stepped forward, passing close enough to Ethan to whisper a few words.

At the same moment, Ethan's eyes widened, but he quickly regained his composure and followed the other participants, accompanied by the Twilight Reapers.

Before they could comprehend what had happened, the Thunder of Four Howls ended, and the only six surviving participants found themselves outside the Desolate Meadow, alone with the cold night wind.

Aime turned to look at the Twilight Reapers, who disappeared under the moonlight, turning into white shreds.

The Lost Knight went to his chambers as well, leaving only tall dark grass, yellow flowers, and four pillars that would wait for the next thunder strikes.

"What the hell was that?!" Sera exclaimed furiously, but there was no one to answer her discontent.

Kael shook his head silently. He agreed with his sister.

"Ethan..." Aime approached him. "Don't be upset, the main thing is that we're still alive and you gained some useful experience, right?"

"Bullshit!" Sera pointed to the center. "After how long Ethan held out, he should have received two, no, three awards!"

Klaus, who was holding Loena on his shoulder, nodded deeply.

"I agree. The Lost Knight... I'm disappointed in him. I still consider him a great swordsman, but there was nothing honorable in his decision. It wasn't fair."

Ethan just sighed heavily, sharing their emotions.

The silence stretched on for several minutes, but it couldn't last forever.

Regardless of the outcome, they had to move on. Each and every one of them.

Thump.

Sera slapped Ethan on the shoulder with a broad grin.

"Either way, good job. If you ever make it to the top." She nodded toward the Upper Expanse. "Then find someone to take you to the Solar Reign. I wouldn't mind having a drink with you, poor boy!"

Sera loved to tease others, but there was no malice in her invitation, though Ethan didn't know what she was talking about. He had never been to the Upper Expanse.

Kael followed his sister and nodded slightly.

"Good luck."

Those were his only words during their brief encounter. That was enough.

Aime was next.

"Me too... I enjoyed working with you. I hope we meet again! And..." She shook the cross pendant. "Thank you for that."

In the end, only Ethan and Klaus remained. Well, Loena too, but she was still asleep.

"Sorry to leave so early, but I'm afraid I have to go." Klaus pointed to Loena. "She needs help, just like me. Remember, I owe you for the second chance, and... if you ever get the chance, you should visit the Crownhold."

In response, Ethan smiled and shook his head.

"I will. I can't promise anything, but I'll come to the tournament to cheer you on. Now that's guaranteed, right?"

Klaus's eyes turned to the seal.

"Yeah, that's for sure. Then I'll be waiting!"

One.

Ethan was left alone.

He was supposed to return to Orsire and think about his next steps, but he knew what he had to do right now.

Step. Step. Step.

With a calm stride, Ethan moved forward, walking across the empty Desolate Meadow, where only the corpses of the fallen participants remained.

Only six of the many had made it to the end, and five of them had received their reward.

However, they didn't know that something better than a reward awaited the sixth.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The ground shook as the Lost Knight emerged from the streams of light, holding back his power so that no one would notice him.

The Lost Knight did not hold a sword, as they had no intention of fighting.

"So, Ethan, are you ready to hear my offer?"

Ethan stared at him, sensing the opportunity and danger permeating the Lost Knight's words.

"Do I have a choice?"

The Lost Knight shook his head.

"No. But I promise you, you won't be disappointed. The chaos and darkness, as well as your will, are what led to this moment."

Then he held out his hand to him.

"Only you can help me—the Chaos Carrier."