Chapter 24: Registration

The next morning, Kaelira Voss noticed them before she even reached her stall. Aerin and Mira were already there, moving in a way that could generously be called training. Aerin was repeating strikes in the air with too much force and not enough control, his footing uneven, his breathing loud and inconsistent. Mira, a few steps away, was trying to imitate him, her smaller frame struggling to keep up as she alternated between awkward stretches and sudden bursts of movement that had no structure. Neither of them knew what they were doing, but both of them looked… happy. That alone was enough to draw attention.
Dain and Lera stood nearby, watching with expressions that carried more concern than amusement this time. It didn’t take them long to understand what that kind of energy meant. Something had changed, and it didn’t take much guessing to figure out what.
Kael arrived without reacting at first. She stepped into her space, set her things down, and let the moment linger just long enough for both Aerin and Mira to notice her presence and immediately straighten. They looked at her expectantly, as if waiting for approval, instruction, or acknowledgment. What they got instead was something else entirely.
“Stop,” Kael said flatly.
They froze.
“What you’re doing is useless,” she continued, her tone calm but sharp. “If you’re going to waste energy, at least do it properly.”
Aerin opened his mouth to respond, but Kael didn’t give him the chance.
“Lift those,” she said, pointing toward a stack of bundled materials near the side of the stall. “All of them. Move them, sort them, and stack them again. If you can’t handle that, don’t bother thinking about the Tower.”
There was no argument. No hesitation. They moved immediately.
Kael sat down once they started, watching them work without offering further instruction. Aerin struggled at first, his earlier injuries slowing him down, but he pushed through it. Mira tried to keep up, her smaller hands barely managing the weight, but she refused to stop. It wasn’t efficient, but it was effort. And that was enough for now.
Dain approached after a few minutes, his usual casual demeanor replaced with something more measured. “You’re serious,” he said.
Kael didn’t look at him. “Yes.”
Lera stepped closer, her expression softer but her concern clear. “About the Tower?”
“Yes.”
There was no hesitation in her answer this time.
That alone was enough to silence both of them for a moment.
“You know what that means,” Dain said after a pause.
“I do.”
“And you’re still going.”
Kael finally glanced at him. “I already decided.”
Lera exhaled quietly, her gaze shifting briefly toward Aerin and Mira before returning to Kael. “Then at least don’t rush it.”
Kael didn’t respond to that. Instead, she stood, walked over to the two struggling figures, and gave them their next instruction.
“Five laps around the block,” she said to Aerin.
Then, after a brief glance at Mira, “Two for you.”
Neither of them questioned it. They nodded and immediately left to run, their exhaustion obvious but ignored.
The stall grew quieter again.
By midday, a regular supplier arrived, carrying a set of materials Kael had been expecting. The transaction went smoothly, as it always did. Prices were negotiated, goods inspected, and information exchanged in small, efficient fragments. Once the deal was done, Kael paused just briefly before speaking again.
“I need a favor,” she said.
The supplier raised an eyebrow. “That depends.”
“I need a proper trainer,” Kael continued. “For beginners.”
He studied her for a moment, then glanced toward the direction Aerin and Mira had run earlier. Understanding came quickly.
“That’ll cost you,” he said.
Kael nodded slightly. “Discount on your next supply.”
He considered it.
Then smirked.
“Deal.”
By the time Aerin and Mira returned—breathing heavily, clearly exhausted but still standing—Kael had already arranged everything. She didn’t waste time explaining.
“You’re not coming back here today,” she told them. “You’re going with him.”
Aerin blinked. “What?”
“Training,” Kael said simply. “Properly this time.”
Mira straightened despite her fatigue, her eyes lighting up again.
They didn’t argue. They didn’t question. They followed.
And just like that, the stall was empty again.
The rest of the day passed in silence.
Kael worked alone, finishing her trades, closing her stall with the same precision as always. But this time, when she stepped away, her destination wasn’t just routine.
It was deliberate.
The guild stood ahead of her, unchanged as ever, but this time, she didn’t hesitate when she entered. She didn’t go to the information desk first. She didn’t ask about Riven.
Instead, she walked straight to the registration counter.
The clerk looked up, recognition flickering briefly before settling into something more attentive.
“You’re registering?” he asked.
Kael nodded once.
He didn’t question it. Instead, he began explaining, his tone formal and practiced. “You’ll have three days to prepare for the license exam. If you pass, your license will be issued within the next three days. Your rank will be determined based on your physical and mental evaluation.”
Kael listened without interruption.
“Ranks start from F,” he continued, “and go up to SSS. Most beginners start at F.”
Kael signed where she needed to, her movements steady.
No hesitation.
No second thoughts.
By the time she stepped away from the counter, it was done.
She was registered.
A climber.
Not yet licensed.
But no longer outside.
And somewhere in the process, Aerin had done the same.
Mira too.
Three names, now tied to the same path.
Three days to prepare.
And then—
The Tower.
End of Chapter 24