Adam and the devil suddenly found themselves inside a hidden command center, tucked away in a strange twist of space, on a massive airship.
Adam looked through the windows and the large screens to see the destruction on Ceylon Island. It was a place he didn't recognize, marked by chaos and ruin. There were giant holes from railgun shots, and the screens showed ruined cities, lifeless forests, and empty fields.
Ceylon Island looked as though a terrible natural disaster had struck, wiping out everything. The apprentices had taken everything, leaving the island in ruin.
Adam remembered that all the level-three antimages weren't dead yet, but had been locked up. He wondered how they would feel seeing their homeland like this.
One by one, portals opened on the airship, and apprentices, or newly-promoted mages, came out. Their torn and bloody clothing told of the fierce battles they'd fought. Even though they had been promoted and were full of energy, they looked defeated.
Some stood alone, marked by friendships or conflicts from the fights they had been through. They noticed Adam but kept their distance.
"One, two, three... All thirty-six have been promoted, Master! And you are still an apprentice!" The devil said, feeling uncomfortable around the new mages. He was in Garfield's huge body and hid behind Adam, which looked quite funny.
Adam noticed the twins, Hailey and Shirley. Hailey wanted to talk to him, but Shirley stopped her. Adam shrugged it off, thinking about his own lack of promotion, holding the living seal crystal and worrying about the consequences of his failure.
"Why are you stopping me? Adam's over there!" Hailey said, confused.
Shirley felt frustrated. She had protected her sister so well that Hailey had become naive. Everyone blamed Adam for the fact that the trial had gone so horribly wrong. Out of the original thousand participants, only a few dozen had succeeded. Many had failed and died, mostly because of Adam. He was now an outcast, and any kindness toward him would make them outcasts too.
"Don't move. Now is not the time," Shirley warned Hailey in her mind.
Adam's reputation was bad among the War Alliance. Lilith looked at him with mixed feelings, while the others stared at him with anger. Their once smooth mission had turned into a disaster, with less than twenty survivors out of thirty-two top warriors. They should have all succeeded and gained support, but Adam's actions had ruined everything, including their reputation.
"Forget it, the trial has already ended, and there's nothing we can do about him," Lilith whispered.
"He's just an apprentice. I can duel him and beat him in a fair fight!" someone said, not ready to let go.
"That's right, just a coward hiding behind tricks."
Lilith sighed quietly, feeling let down by her companions. They'd been played with like toys, yet they still felt so proud of themselves.
Lilith felt tired. "See that active seal crystal he's wearing? You know what it means," she paused, then added, "If he wants, he can become a mage anytime. Are you sure you can beat him?"
They looked at each other, their desire to fight fading, but their annoyance growing.
The devil, more in tune with emotions than Adam, glanced at them and said in its mind to Adam, "Master, they look like they want to cause trouble for you."
Before Adam could answer, a strong force filled the airship, calming everyone's scattered energy, and several mages appeared.
"Only thirty-seven passed the trial? This is the lowest number in a thousand years." The words from one mage set off a wave of anger in the group. A few stepped forward, pointing at Adam, ready to blame him, but the mage waved them back, silencing them.
"Enough, no accusations. We watched you in the trial, and nobody broke the rules set by the Tower. Your Points are fair," the mage said, his voice almost mocking. "You need to think like mages, not blame others. Becoming a mage means you've grown up. Complaining only makes you look childish and weak."
They couldn't say anything, but their faces showed they were unhappy.
"Points can be traded. The Tower allows it, but you didn't think of that," the mage said, pointing to his head, making everyone's faces turn pale. "Being smart and talented lets you learn and gain power faster, but having power doesn't mean you can be arrogant. Don't get drunk with power; think wisely."
"What you need to know now is what true wisdom is."
With that, the mage lifted the spell, and the new mages left quietly. Adam didn't react. The accusations and hostility didn't matter to him.
The mage didn't expect his casual words to really teach wisdom. They were just a standard speech after each trial, but they seemed to fit this time.
"Now, control your energy fields. We're going into the Tower," the mage said, starting the airship.
After a brief speed-up, the space in front of the airship stabilized, and a portal opened. Everything went black for Adam, and when it brightened again, he was surrounded by elemental energy. The airship was docked in the Tower's enormous spaceport."
