Phoenix Flight

Davi quietly stared out the window, watching the buildings rush by as the car rapidly drove past them all.

It wasn't his first time being in a car, but it was his first time sitting in one that was so fast.

After leaving the prison, Gray had taken Olivia and him to a street corner where a cherry-red sports car was waiting. The vehicle was slim and lean, and the sunlight constantly bounced off of it and was reflected outward. Most people would take trains or magitech airships to get to nearby cities, but Gray was an Arcane Knight, and as such, he had access to a special roadway that was exclusive to Knights that connected each city to one another.

The car they were in blitzed down the road at insane speeds. Davi was in the passenger seat, sitting up front with Gray, who was behind the wheel. That left Olivia in the back. The snow-haired girl was also transfixed by the view and had her eyes glued to the window.

It didn't take long before they eventually arrived at Rose City. It was as stunning as Davi had suspected it would be.

The city was gigantic, far bigger than any other in the kingdom, with a massive glass dome that was placed directly over it that was reinforced with so much magic that it might as well have been unbreakable. The buildings inside were also huge, reaching all the way up to the clouds, which the dome was also placed over. The city looked almost like a mix of the future and the past, with thousands of different roadways and neon skyscrapers, yet it was also filled to the brim with castles and walled-off areas.

Rose City was so massive that a person could spend a whole month just walking from one end to the next, and it was also tightly packed together. Blimps flew through the sky, just short of touching the dome, as well as other magitech airships, or brooms. On every building was a screen that showed off either a news broadcast of some of the most famous Knights in the world or an ad for a product. 

The streets were also full of hundreds of thousands of people. Rose supposedly had a population of over ten million, and it showed. Everywhere, there seemed to be something going on. It was a place that would be very, very easy to get lost in.

The grandest sight, and the one that stood out the most, was in the very center of the city, surrounded by the other castles or skyscrapers. It was a tree. One so thick it took up at least three or four city blocks and so tall that it brushed the top of the dome. The wood was sturdy and strong, and all along the branches, sections had been carved out, forming many different hallways. The tree was the castle in which the king of Estiria lived.

Olivia felt her heart nearly stop as she saw it, along with the rest of Rose. The car Gray was driving was on a massive stretch of highway that went across the ground and connected to the barrier around the city. Davi was also shocked by the sight of the city. It was almost too much, and he couldn't fully process everything that he was seeing.

One thing was clear to him, though.

The most important man in the world called this city his home.

Gray's car finally came to a stop once it reached the dome. The road was blocked off by a tollbooth that was connected to the massive glass wall, and several people stood outside, all looking bored. They weren't typical guards, though. Each one had as much mana as Gray did and was decked out in heavy-looking platemail armor, carrying either massive greatswords or guns.

One of them approached the car slowly. It was a woman with long red hair. Her silver armor hugged her body nicely, and a red cape flowed behind her. A claymore rested on her belt, and it was so long that its sheath touched the ground and was dragged along as she walked.

When she reached the window, Gray clicked a button and lowered it, flashing the woman his best, award-winning smile. "Hey. Gray Buster, looking to enter Rose City."

The woman's look was mostly stern, but her lips did curve slightly. "Gray? What are you doing here? Your guild usually takes an airship."

Gray pointed a thumb at Davi, who gave a lazy wave from the passenger seat. "Taking some people into Rose."

"More charity work?" The woman sighed.

Gray's grin just grew. "I can't help it. I like helping people."

'Help my ass.' Davi kept his thoughts to himself and peered out at the woman. His eyes roamed over her form before settling on something. 

The woman noticed his look and frowned. "Hey. Watch where you're staring-"

"I like your sword," Davi said, nodding his head.

"My sword?"

Davi hummed. He was currently out of weapons. That meant he'd need to refill his vault. He didn't have any guns, bombs, or swords and only had a lone fishing pole that he could call his own. "Can I have it?"

The woman's confused look just grew. "No? You can't just have my sword. It's mine."

"Try to ignore him." Gray held his hand up before Davi could say anything else. "Can we enter, Lin?"

Lin sighed but nodded her head. "Sure. Just keep an eye on that one; he's quite odd, Gray. I don't like the feel of his mana."

"I don't like your face," Davi responded.

"Excuse me!"

"Well, it was good seeing you, Lin. Bye!" Gray stepped on the gas, and the car surged forward. The dome glowed, and right before they hit it, a strange white light seemed to shine over the glass, and Gray's car went right through as if it wasn't even there. They appeared on the other side of the glass dome, where a large stretch of road went down, and they had finally officially arrived in Rose City.

Olivia's eyes sparkled as she stared at the many buildings and people. Women in cute witch outfits flew around on brooms, while men in heavy-looking golden armor stood on flying carpets. Cars and motorbikes filled the roadways, and on every corner, something was happening.

"Oh my Haru, I can't believe I'm actually in Rose! This is a dream come true." Olivia squealed.

"It kind of hurts my eyes." Davi rubbed at his eyes and suppressed a wince. The city was way too bright, with dozens of colorful lights radiating everywhere. It was also loud. Very, very loud. He had no idea how people were able to call this place home.

"When you're taking the actual test, try to be on your best behavior, okay?" Gray stated, shooting Davi a look. 

'Nah.' Davi didn't respond and slumped down in the chair, letting out a tired yawn. He was glad his body had fully healed and recovered. He was a lot more confident that he could defend himself and Olivia now that he was actually here.

Gray just let out a sigh when he saw that Davi didn't bother with a remark. The car continued down the road and soon pulled to a stop when they reached their destination. 

On the corner of a street near the middle part of the city was what appeared to be a massive colosseum. It was huge, made of white marble, and stretched out, occupying a lot of space. A mini wall had been built around it, and there were large sets of stairs that led up to it, where an entranceway resided, with several more guards, like the one at the dome entrance, waiting outside.

Many cars were parked all along the street, and dozens of groups of people were walking up the stairs and entering the colosseum. Davi winced slightly as his scar burned, and he could feel a massive amount of mana practically dripping off of the building. The tests were held inside and were what would determine which mages could go on to become Knights.

"Get out," Gray spoke and opened his car door. Davi and Olivia did as they were told, and when they were out, Gray walked around the car and reached into his pocket. "Here. You'll need to show the guards your grimoire to enter and sign a few waivers as well once you climb up those stairs." Gray pulled out two sleek, pitch-black phones.

Olivia let out a gasp as she took hers and stared down at it, her hands shaking a bit. This was the newest Sini-Phone model. It was costly and one of the fastest phones in the world. "You're just giving us this?" She asked in shock.

Gray just shrugged. "Yep. Have fun."

Olivia happily shook her head and turned hers on. Instantly, she felt a slight pain in her thumb as a tiny prick stabbed her, drawing a small portion of her blood. The phone buzzed for a moment, and then the screen lit up. It was the same screensaver her old phone had, that being a lewd picture of her favorite Arcane Knight, and it even had all her old apps already installed in the exact place she liked.

This was because of magic. The king's magic is what created the internet and all services on phones, and so when a person picked up an electronic device or something akin to that, it would connect to that person's mana and remember them. That was how Davi was able to access his grimoire on her phone the first time she showed it to him. When he was holding it, it was connected to his mana, not hers, and so the phone was his during that time.

It was also because of this process that when Davi opened his phone, it was pretty much blank. It had no screen saver and only had the basic search engine, the call app, and the grimoire app installed, as he had never used anything else.

Since each person could only access their own data on a device, it was impossible to take another person's phone and use any of their apps, as the phone would always connect to the mana of whoever was holding it and adapt itself to fit that person. People also used this method to determine someone's identity since they could only open the grimoire profile that belonged to them.

"The phone is cool and all, I guess, but could I have a sword, too?" Davi questioned, cocking his head to the side.

Gray just let out a low chuckle. "Sorry. That's all you're getting from me. If you want anything else, you'll have to get it yourself. We're done from this point on." Gray pointed toward the stadium that stood directly in front of them, and Davi and Olivia looked toward the stairs. "This is where we part ways. You two are on your own going forward."

Davi gave a nod and stared at the many guards who were looking over the people that were trying to enter. His gaze then turned to a statue that rested near a section at the halfway point of the stairs. The statue was of a woman, and she was crafted from the same white marble as everything else. She appeared to be in very light-looking armor, and her hair was tied back. One arm was at her side, clutching a helmet, while her other hand held a sword that stabbed downwards into a stone on which the blade rested. 

Olivia noticed him staring, and she also looked at the statue of the woman. "Davi." She said quietly. "You seem to never know what's going on, but you at least know who that is, right?"

Davi snorted. "Of course I do. That's her." The first Arcane Knight, the slayer of the elves, dragons, and demons, and the woman who was in charge of the kingdom nine hundred and ninety years ago. Haru Estiria. "She's the mother of that king guy, right?"

"Please don't call him 'that king guy,'" Gray said, letting out another sigh. "But yes. Haru was the strongest Knight in the world, and she was the mother of the current king."

"How does that work, though?" Davi made a face. "She died a long time ago, at least that's what I heard." Haru's rule ended nine hundred years ago, and she had only led her kingdom for ninety years. "If the current king is her son, he'd have to be older than an old geezer."

"Magic," Gray said flatly. "The current king has ruled our kingdom for over eight hundred years straight. Sini is the longest-living ruler in the world, and thanks to inheriting his mother's magic, his life has been vastly extended beyond anything anyone has seen before. Haru wasn't just a great knight. She was practically a goddess. It is hard to say if she was even really human. Some legends claim she was sunlight itself, forged into the image of a person. She would have ruled forever if not for being betrayed by the Ebony Knight, which brought about her eventual end. Her son took her place, and though he lacked the gift Haru herself had, he still possessed many of her talents, including a long lifespan. It is thanks to him and him alone our kingdom still stands and has been able to fight off the other three great nations."

"He's really that amazing, huh?" Davi asked, giving a soft frown. His father told him some tales of Haru. Even in their backwater village, news of the great knight's deeds reached them. The tales never mentioned anything about a son, though.

"The king still holds some of Haru's magic within himself," Gray said softly, and the Knight reached up and placed a hand over where his heart was. "Only King Sini can knight us and turn us into true Arcane Knights. When he does that, it gives a small fraction of Haru's mana to us and awakens new abilities inside of us. That's why Arcane Knights are so powerful, and it's also why only certain people can become them. We only have so much of Haru's mana to go around after all."

"I guess that makes sense." Davi gave a lazy shrug. "So if we pass this test, we get some of her mana?"

Gray let out a laugh. "Sorry, but no. You'll get some benefits for passing the tests, but Squires don't get the mana. You have to earn it."

Olivia took a calming breath, trying to steel her nerves. "We'll do it." She promised. "We'll pass not only this exam but all challenges thrown at us, and we'll make it to the top. Right, Davi!" Olivia began to walk up the steps but stopped when she realized Davi wasn't following her. She turned to look back at her friend. "Davi?"

Davi kept his eyes on the statue of Haru, and his hands were casually in his pockets. "Hey. What happens if I run?" He asked after a few moments and shot a look at Gray. "You turn your back and leave, and instead of taking the test, I just make an escape. Have you thought about that?"

Gray had been about to get back in his car but stopped at Davi's words. The Knight looked up slowly, and his eyes met Davi's. "If you wanted to run, you should have done so long before you stepped foot in this city," Gray said in a blunt tone. "I hate to break it to you, but your life is basically over unless you pass the exam. You won't be on the run for anywhere near as long as you were the first time."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." Gray nodded. "You got lucky last time. Lady Tori wanted you all to herself. She rigged the systems so that no one else could go after you. It was pure dumb luck that I found you first. The thing is, though, Lady Tori won't be doing that anymore since you didn't live up to the hype she set for you. You try anything like that ever again, and you'll have the full wrath of every Arcane Knight coming after you." Gray warned. "And let me tell you something. If you thought Lady Tori was strong, well, you haven't seen anything. She's not even in the top ten."

"B-but she's the Lance of Victory!" Olivia said in shock. "She has to be the best, right?"

Gray shook his head. "She's the most famous Knight, but fame doesn't equal power. Remember this. There is always a bigger fish. There are people hundreds of times stronger than Lady Tori who are half your age."

"Seriously?" Olivia said in shock.

Gray's serious look didn't fade as he stared at Davi. "Don't mess this up. I'm serious." The man finally got into his car, and after a few more moments, he started it up and began to drive off.

Davi remained where he was, looking calm and collected. After some time, he turned away and began to walk up the stairs where Olivia was. "Why did you bring that up?" She asked him, confused. "That ticked him off, and if you were planning on escaping, that basically blew any chance you had."

"Don't worry, I never planned to run away; I'm going to take the test one way or another," Davi said, and he casually stretched his arm out, getting muscles and joints ready for what was to come as they climbed the stairs. 

"So then why?" Olivia asked, even more baffled. Why was Davi always so weird?

Davi gave a slight grin. "I just wanted to get under his skin."

"Seriously…"

"Serious." 

He was not serious. In actuality, he wanted to know how Gray would react. Gray told him the information he wanted, which was a rough ranking of where he stood in the grand scheme of things. He knew he wasn't as strong as people like Gray, but the man made it clear that the other Knights could stop him as well if they wanted to. Not only that, but Gray even told him that Tori girl wasn't the strongest either. The guilds were all run by Captains, from what he had been told, and there were eight Captains in total. If Tori really wasn't in the top ten, then at least eight of those people were most likely the Captains, since they were likely the best of the best. Ranked just under the Captains was the position of power that both Tori and Gray held. That also meant there were at least two more people stronger than Tori who weren't Captains.

In other words, his list of people grew from just Tori and Gray to twelve people now. If he wanted to beat the Dragon, then he knew he would need to be the best.

Davi reached the top of the stairs and balled his hand into a fist. "Let's do it, Olivia." He said, turning to look back at the white-haired girl. "Let's become Knights."