Men and women, unknown and influential, poor and rich; today, young people of every status under the sky put their disparities aside and stood shoulder to shoulder with a singular goal - to prove themselves worthy of becoming true Stone Cauldron warriors.
Such a drive to join the frontlines was unheard of in more peaceful regions of the world, but in a war torn country like Stone Cauldron, no greater glory existed.
The young masters glanced around nervously, with some fidgeting their fingers and others looking forward with stern faces full of determination.
A few seconds passed and the line moved forward. A fully armored man, seated behind a table full of stacks upon stacks of documents, mumbled something out and another person was permitted to go inside.
Naturally, everyone in line was a participant with an invitation letter and personal documentation; they were queueing up to finally enter the stage.
The building was a grandiose arena - circular in shape - with numerous rows of seats all filled to the brim.
Above them, atop a stone plinth, were the big shots. The ones who would observe the up and coming stars, perhaps eventually even recruiting the most promising of upstarts, as was tradition.
Despite this building's location, being somewhat removed from the main city, the concentration of essence leaking from behind the walls was overwhelmingly dense.
Excitement. That was the emotion most felt in this moment.
Most, but not all; one particularly sensitive girl was losing her mind.
Or, would it be more accurate to say that 'he' was losing 'his' mind?
Truthfully, it didn't matter what appearance he took on, as he could change his body to whatever he desired at will.
That person, of course, was none other than Ori.
***
Two friends from the same sect, named Lemm and Lark, loitered in queue to enter the grand gates, but their attention was elsewhere.
Namely, they were both ogling at one particular girl who stood our even amongst the crowd of trained combatants.
She wore a vibrant red dress with little adornments, only accented with the occasional line of orange colored metallic embroidery.
A pair of earrings hung from her ears, reflecting the bright daylight with the same copper sheen.
And as for her face… She was incredibly beautiful. Almost inhumanly so.
With an aloof expression and barely any mimicry, she remained still. Her eyes, all along, stayed closed.
Lark opened his mouth:
"Hey, Lemm..."
He nudged Lemm's side with a light tap of an elbow.
"Mm?"
Without diverting his gaze from the stunning girl, Lemm let out a short sound, indicating that he was listening.
And to be fair, you wouldn't guess as much from how absent his expression appeared. No, enamored would be a more accurate description here.
"don't you think that girl over there is super cute..?"
At Lark's blatant probing, Lemm finally allowed his eyes to shift towards his friend.
"You don't say~ What, wanna ask her out?"
Lemm responded with a mocking smirk, at which Lark puffed his cheeks.
"Oh come on now, surely that's not too much? I mean, what's the worst case scenario anyways..? I've been rejected before, you know? Took it like a champ the last time, if you recall."
"Haha, go right ahead then. I'll be rooting for you.
She's completely out of your league, though…"
That last part Lemm added in a small voice, knowing full well that Lark would easily pick up on the jab due to his high level.
Still, Lark didn't let that bother him:
Just you wait, Lemm. I'll show you the power of a true pickup master at work.
Having gathered his courage with the help of some self assurance, he flashed Lemm a cocky smile and strode toward the enchanting girl with confident steps.
Okay, I can do this.
Now only standing a few steps away from her, Lark suddenly got cold feet but pushed his worries aside with a rough shake of his head; unclenching his fingers which he unintentionally furled into a fist out of pure nervousness, he spoke up:
"H-Hi!"
"…"
She didn't respond, probably absorbed in her own thoughts.
Considering that her eyes are closed, she must be meditating - how admirable!
Seeing her up close, apparently training even now when most would be too preoccupied with worries about the upcoming tournament, Lark's eyes lit up.
Not only is she ridiculously beautiful, but also hardworking and diligent..! Alright, I can't mess this up.
And so, after taking a final deep breath, he spoke again; this time in a less subdued voice to ensure she's hear him:
"Hey there, young lady. Would you be so kind as to share your name?"
"…"
Yet again, not a sound escaped from her lips in response.
Playing hard to get? Fine then, I'll be more direct.
Deciding that he wouldn't get anywhere at this rate, Lark reached out his hand and tapped the girl's shoulder.
"Allow me to introduce myself first, if that is alright with you. I'm Lar-"
Out of nowhere, the girl jerked her head upwards and cut his off mid sentence.
"Oh for fuck's sake, just shut up the hell up already!!!"
*Flinch*
Although her voice might've been angelic, the contents of what she said were anything but.
Taken aback by her sudden outburst, Lark's confident demeanor shattered into a million desperate pieces.
"O-oh… I understand. Sorry to bother you with my ugly mug…"
Like a wet puppy and with an expression to match, he limply hung his head and began turning away.
"Huh? What? Wait, who are you?"
Suddenly feigning confusion, the girl made a dumbfounded face and barraged Lark with a bunch of questions, but by this point he was too far gone.
"No need to be apologetic. It's only fair that someone of my looks would receive such treatment… I-I understand."
Covering his eyes, which threatened to turn red with tears any second now, Lark swiftly retreated back towards his friends.
You were right, Lemm; she's way too far out of my league.
*Sniff*
With a runny nose and the most heartbroken expression a human could possibly display, he was gone.
At the same time, that very girl stared - if scanning a person's presence with essence sense even counted as staring - at the distraught kid with a dozen proverbial question marks hovering above her head.
"What on earth..? Why is that kid crying? Haah, shit. I don't have the brain capacity to deal with that right now."
That was all the girl quietly muttered under her breath before returning to her inner world, giving the poor boy no further thought.
That was how, on this innocuous day and entirely unbeknownst to Ori, Lark's heart was torn to shreds.