1 Exordium

After a dreary night ruled by the solemn Moon, the energetic Sun peeped from behind the low hills of Yamato's historical landscapes. So brilliant was this sliver of the Sun that a tapestry of stars seemingly wove itself over the grassy fields, formed by light dancing on the morning dew as it slowly made its way to the ends of the land. At last, the remnants of navy skies slowly dissolved from view, being replaced by the brilliant, fiery orange that the dawn always did bring.

Young warriors from across the country had made finally made their way to the site with their mentors as guides, each one eager to test their mettle against the challenges that awaited them. The fire of youth burned inside of them and their hearts remained full of hope, though may did falter for a moment upon witnessing their welcoming scene.

First to the location had apparently been a Master and student pair that immediately garnered attention from their peers due to their proficiency with blades and intense combat techniques. Though they were not expecting others to appear, the two were soon surrounded by a crowd that felt slight intimidation from the raw prowess of the young student who seemed to be holding off her own teacher quite well. The image of the dark-haired blade-maiden was burnt into the minds of those that had decided to come early.

Sparks flew as lightning furiously met with metal, and the gusts that burst from the clashes were powerful enough to break wood. The dawn had a rival in the flashes that the two created with every stroke of their blades, but the expressions on their faces were hardened and grim, antagonistic to the Sun's own cheer. People steer cleared of them, but were equally enamoured by the display—after all, to a warrior of any caliber, such swordplay would easily be considered art.

When the number of people reached an unsettling number, the two ceased their sparring session to join the crowd's travels towards the Guardian Monument, a little further up the hills and detached from major footpaths. Cloaked by a mysterious field that was designed to affect any line of vision, the Monument was invisible or unrecognisable when viewed from a distance. However, as the horde of participants closed in, registering the location and appearance of the gigantic structure became increasingly easier, and the antique complex's majesty eventually became fully visible.

"So this is the Monument," one of the faces in the crowd blurted out. "I didn't expect it to be this big!"

"It's even more beautiful than I had imagined!"

"It does take your breath away..."

The Masters simply chuckled at their students' childlike gawking, and when the golden gates parted, they all made their way into the labyrinthine halls that laid inside the Monument. Had they not been part of a crowd, they would have been hopelessly lost. By the end of the hour, everyone had gathered by the main area of the Monument—a vast field with a view of the sky, bordered by statues bearing the likenesses of well-known warriors. In the centre, an area of marble tiles to serve as both a sparring area and the location for the help desk was present.

The next hour was filled with joyous chatter as old friends caught up with one another and Masters introduced their students and bragged about feats and achievements; their pupils were their pride and joy as mentors.

A member of the help desk got onto his feet, and a deep, resounding voice echoed.

"Calling all Masters. Please proceed to the Main Guardian Altar in order to finalise your students' participation in the Ceremony."

At once, the Masters began to bid their students a temporary good bye, as the preparations for the Ceremony were daunting tasks that the Masters themselves found unnecessarily tedious.

"Masters," the help desk member repeated. "Please proceed—"

The announcements were cut off by the choral gasping of the crowd. The members of the help desk were first perplexed, but were enticed soon to follow them. It was not long before all eyes, even those of the guards', were aimed at the sky.

A blemish in the clouds was visible, an entire herd of Tenma that created a large, v-shaped formation that decorated the view of the firmament. Even from the ground, the roar-like neighing and grunts of those powerful equines could be heard—characteristic of the Northern Breed Tenma. Those powerful creatures that roamed the skies alongside dragons are known to be amongst the hardest of creatures to tame, and their wild nature would persist even when one has taken control of them.

Some of the children in the crowd were intimidated by the lowering herd, as a single Tenma of that breed would require at least two trained fighters to restrain. Some of the newer Masters seemed to be surprised—though to a lesser degree—while others seemed to be not very impressed with the display.

"Interruptions are not welcomed," the loud announcer warned the herd. "Leave at once if you have no business concerning the Ceremony."

At once, a number of figures hopped off the winged horses. Five of them were adults, while there were four children about the same age as the students in the Monument. The Tenma then rocketed into the skies, and disappeared before another word could be said against them.

"Very sorry, Old Man Announcer! We didn't want to be late for the Ceremony!" yelled one of the adults, making the rest of the adults sigh in exasperation. The man's voice was loud, amplified beyond the volume of the announcer's already thundering voice.

"Yeah! We're very sorry!" one of the children said, copying the deafening voice-raising technique that the first yeller had used. "We're participants for the Ceremony too!"

"Actions that are an impediment to the Ceremony and its processes are cause for penalties on your name. That may disqualify you from participating in the Ceremony," the old man answered.

"We were just taking the fastest way to get here from a completely different Prefecture! And when we did get here, you lot were already starting. So we decided to just come from the sky, since it would be an inconvenience to try to get through the labyrinth."

"Yeah! Master's genius plan was to save time! If he didn't think of doing it, we wouldn't be here right now!"

The ruckus that the students and Masters were making due to the sudden appearance of the latecomers was chaotic enough for some of the Elders to come from the Altar and out to the field. Out of respect, all bowed down, including the noisy pair that had caused an uproar.

"What do we have here?" an Elder clad in white said. As his robe was more elaborate than the others behind him, he was one of the more powerful Elders in the Council.

"Fubuki-sama, these rowdy individuals came riding Tenma, and panicked a number of the participants. They then continued by using a voice amplification technique, instead of coming closer to resolve the problem." This time, the announcer's voice was toned down, as he stopped using the technique to increase the volume of his voice.

"Tenma, you say? Of what breed were the Tenma that were encountered?"

"Definitely Northern Breed, sire. They all had coats of pure white, so I think they are not from Ryugasaki."

The old man's lips curved into a smile, baffling the announcer. He soon burst into a chuckle, laughing loud enough for nearly everyone to hear. The lesser Elders whispered amongst themselves, equally confused as to why Elder Fubuki had laughed so loud.

"Akihiro-jī!"

"Little one!"

Out of the crowd, the young boy who had been yelling after his Master jumped at the Elder. Though Elder Fubuki was old, he was able-bodied enough to handle the weight of the child. The two shared a tight embrace, with a grin on both faces. After a hearty chuckle, the three other intruder children ran up to the Elder, and they had what seemed to be a reunion of sorts.

"Elder?"

"Ah, pardon me. I had forgotten to tell you that four of my grandchildren would be coming today. I was supposed to be out here in time to greet them in the sky, but alas, I am already old and forgetful."

The announcer then called for the Masters once more. This time, all the Masters did leave to get the finishing requirements finished. The other Elders, who had been talking to themselves while the old man amused himself with the young ones, immediately left the scene as well.

"I am sorry kids, but I have some duties to get back to. We'll talk next time, when we get the chance. Do your best, alright? All of you. Our clan is known for our strength, and I'd hate to see four fine warriors such as yourselves not make the cut." The Elder's words were solemn, almost one of warning.

"Not like anybody comes close," stated a red-haired child. "There's not a chance they'll push is out of the positions. Might as well save four spots for us, Jī."

"Definitely! We're going to hit the top spots for sure!" was the loud child's own response.

"We'll do our best," one of the children said. His sister did not give a word, but she did smile while watching the three males get fired up.

The old man chuckled at their confidence, but did not say another word. Instead, he headed back indoors, to finish the tasks that he had been doing. Soon after, the pupils mingled with one another. They were not sure who would encounter whom, but it was a good way to establish relationships. After all, everyone there was a face they would be seeing again, regardless of winning status.

And after two hours, the sound of horns blared. An Elder walked up to a tile that soon elevated above the crowd, and he spoke with a voice that resonated through the whole area.

"After going through the names of the candidates and managing to tag all of you with our state-of-the-art bracelets, it is now time to discover who your teammates are. By this point, you may have talked to your future teammates, though you also might find yourself against your friends. Regardless, this is both a competition and a chance for mutual growth—manage alliances well, but remember that you might be helping others gain an edge over you. Furthermore, first competition grades you by your Team. However, you will still be graded individually, so you have no reason to slack off. I wish you the best, Candidates. Now, let the Ceremony begin!"