Faithless woke up violently shaking on his bed, as if an earthquake was rocking him. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at Jolin, speaking in a tired tone:
"What is it, Jolin? Can't you see I'm sleeping?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Your Highness, but Master Isaac wants all of us in the courtyard for training. He sent me to wake you up. Meow~"
Jolin smiled sweetly with her eyes closed.
Faithless sat up halfway, wiping his face with his hand, and looked at her with a sarcastic gaze.
"Did he really ask you? Or did you just want to come?"
She scratched her chin with a finger while looking toward another corner of the room.
"Umm, I… I don't know. Anyway, get up. Master Isaac wants you in the courtyard. Meow~"
She rushed out of the room.
Faithless smiled faintly, but it carried deep sorrow.
"What a lovely group… but I fear I'll get attached to them and lose them like I lost my family."
He then moved two fingers to his lips, remembering last night's moment, and muttered softly to himself:
"What a strange apology. She's mysterious, sure, but I didn't expect that kind of move from her."
He looked at his chest and noticed the small scratch was still there, despite having suffered deep cuts and injuries that all healed.
"When I fought Braith… and Kradel… all my wounds healed, except hers? Could this be related to the Entrois?"
His eyes glowed gold so brightly that the whole room lit up. Faithless gave a sarcastic smile as he understood the meaning of that strange glow.
He removed the black bandage from his abdomen; the wound was still there, deep and unhealed—but he didn't care.
He wore a black shirt with a red coat and black pants.
But something was missing…
"Where's my sword?"
Faithless scratched the back of his head, not remembering where it was in the first place.
He closed his eyes, placing a finger on his chin, trying to recall.
"It was on the bed with me when I passed out… Could someone have taken it?"
He sat on the couch, hands on his head, until a memory struck him.
"When I was fighting King Kradel, I said a strange word… but it made the sword fly into my hand."
"But what was that word? I said it randomly… It must've been the Entrois speaking through me."
He clenched his temples, trying to recall the word, until it flashed before him like faint lightning before thunder.
"Rebliwam. That's the word I said."
Faithless stood up, opened his palm, and spoke the word: "Rebliwam."
The sword didn't appear in his hand. Instead, a part of the room shattered like broken glass, and from it emerged the sword—its blade was gray, and its hilt was shaped like a grave with a skull atop it.
He slowly reached out and grabbed the sword, examining it closely as he spoke with awe:
"What a terrifying yet beautiful design. But it looked different when I fought Kradel… probably because I was in my Entrois form."
He placed the sword on his back. It didn't attach to the coat like usual; instead, it floated, as if ghostlike.
"Seems like this sword has a mind of its own."
Faithless left the room and headed straight for the courtyard.
Upon arrival, he saw Isaac and Melina already there. Of the six, only five were present.
Kaidos was missing from the group.
Faithless stood in front of Isaac, their eyes full of contrasting emotion—Isaac's filled with sarcasm, Faithless's with restrained fury.
"You've become a different man. That's the kind of evolution you needed," Isaac said, smirking in his deep tone.
"It's still early to call it evolution. We've got a long way to go, Saint," Faithless replied, matching his smirk.
Melina lowered her head and looked at him with one eye slightly open. She spoke in a mysterious tone:
"Such beautiful eyes… somewhere between gold and not-gold."
Then added with the same tone:
"As the Saint Isaac said, you are a special boy."
Faithless couldn't sense any aura or pressure from her. It was like she was something beyond perception.
"She has a majestic presence… but I sense no power from her. Especially her clothes, nothing about them suggests strength."
"Oh, right—I haven't introduced you two. Melina, this is Prince Faithless, the one I told you about. Faithless, this is my dear Melina," Isaac said in a low voice only those nearby could hear.
"It's an honor to meet you, my lady," Faithless said calmly, giving a slight bow.
"And you as well, young prince," she answered sweetly.
"Now, go to your group. I'll explain today's training. It's going to be… a bit of an odd team exercise," Isaac said with a strange grin in his deep voice.
Faithless walked toward his group with a genuine smile.
Jolin waved at him enthusiastically.
Eric, who was reading a small book, gave a brief smile and returned to his reading.
Marceline was training with a Royal Guard stance.
Faithless leaned against a tree and looked toward Towakizra, who stood off to the side.
Towakizra raised two fingers in greeting. Faithless returned the gesture.
Jolin approached and spoke softly:
"You seem happier than usual today."
Faithless patted her hair gently, smiling.
"I don't know… maybe it's the nice weather, or the people here."
Lady Marian suddenly jumped down from the tree Faithless leaned on.
She looked at him with enchanting eyes and leaned beside him, hiding her face with her hat.
Faithless glanced at her face and noticed his blood still on her lips.
Isaac clapped and spoke in a loud, deep voice:
"Everyone's here—except Kaidos, who's on a mission."
"Today's training will be special. It's traditional, sure, but it carries hidden meanings you must be cautious of."
"All your trainings are special, Master," Eric said sarcastically, scratching his mask.
"Try not to be charming, Mr. Eric, or I'll toss you into the Labyrinth Prison," Isaac grinned darkly.
"No, no—don't you like jokes, Saint?" Eric waved his hands quickly.
Marceline punched Eric's shoulder, mocking:
"These books made you dumb. Stop reading them, hahaha!"
"Haha, that's funny, Marcy."
Faithless was enjoying these warm, vibrant moments… a joy he never experienced in the palace of emperors.
"In battle, you're a beast… but in peace, you enjoy it deeply," Marian said in a deep tone.
"Every moment has its time. And I'm a man who respects time," he replied with a soft smile.
She returned the smile, leaning her shoulder closer to his—and he did the same.
Isaac snapped his fingers, opening a black portal sparking with lightning.
Everyone could feel a strange pressure emanating from it.
"What a heavy, gloomy pressure," Jolin twitched her ears.
"You'll be divided into two teams, three members each. You'll enter the Clown Forest to retrieve a metal shard. The team that gets it wins," Isaac explained, pointing to the portal.
"You'll use wooden weapons. Anyone who gets hit ten times will be eliminated and imprisoned near the shard. Your powers will be disabled inside the Clown Forest. Is everything clear?"
No one spoke.
Isaac stepped closer to them with a faint, profound smile on his face.
"The first group will be: Tawakizura, Marceline, Juline… The second group: Faithless, Marian, and Eric."
"Man, you put me with two monsters," Eric said with a sarcastic tone.
"I wanted to be with Faithless," Juline said sweetly.
Isaac gently patted her head, smiling warmly.
"Next time, dear."
He turned around and walked toward the portal, speaking in a mysterious tone:
"It seems there are no objections to the division. That's a good thing."
"Now, all of you—step into the Jester's Core."