Wielder Of The Dragon Flame

Chapter 15

Very few hands went up. Asta certainly didn't,he'd never been outside the academy grounds except for that one disastrous encounter with the shadow beast, and that had been a pure accident, not a planned mission.

"Exactly." 

Kael said. 

"This guild system will give you that experience. It'll test you in ways that training never can. And more than that…" 

His voice grew more animated.

 "...it'll give you freedom. You won't be waiting for some higher-up to assign you tasks. You'll choose your own missions from the guild board, work at your own pace, build your own reputation. You'll have control over your own progress in a way you never have before."

Asta found himself nodding slowly. Put that way, it actually did sound appealing. The idea of choosing his own path, of proving himself through actions rather than just endless training sessions... yeah, that had potential.

"Now."

 Kael continued.

"There are some requirements. You need to form a four-person party to register as a guild. Not three, not five,exactly four. This is non-negotiable. The reasoning is that four people provides enough redundancy for safety while keeping the group small enough to remain coordinated and efficient.”

He nodded to the higher officials standing along the sides of the platform.

 "We'll be handing out registration forms shortly. Fill them out completely,include all four members' names, your proposed guild name, and your designated guild leader. Once you've completed the forms, bring them back here by the end of the day. Tomorrow morning, we'll process all registrations and assign initial guild ranks based on your group's combined abilities and training records."

The higher official stepped forward again. 

"One more thing." 

He said. 

"Choose your party members carefully. Once registered, changing guild members requires a formal dissolution process and reformation, which takes time and paperwork. You'll be working with these people constantly, often in dangerous situations.”

“Trust and compatibility matter more than raw power. A weak team that works well together will outperform a strong team that can't coordinate."

Kael raised his hand one more time. 

"Does everyone understand? Any questions?"

A few hands went up, and Kael patiently answered questions about mission types, guild facilities, how often they'd be required to take missions, and various other details. Asta listened with half his attention, the other half already racing ahead to the obvious problem: he needed to find three other people willing to form a guild with him.

That... might be challenging.

Finally, Kael seemed satisfied that everyone understood the basic concept. He gestured, and the higher officials stationed around the room began moving through the crowd, carrying stacks of paper,the guild registration forms.

"Everyone, start finding your four-person groups!" 

The higher official called out in a commanding voice. 

"Forms are being distributed now. Get organized!"

The neat assembly immediately dissolved into chaos. People started moving, calling out to friends, forming small clusters of conversation. Voices rose, overlapping:

"Hey, you want to team up?"

"I already have three, we're full!"

"Does anyone need a flame archer?"

"Looking for a healer type,anyone?"

Asta found himself swept up in the general movement, bodies pressing around him as people formed their groups. He needed to move, needed to start looking for potential partners before all the good options were taken.

"I need to find partners too." 

He muttered to himself, starting to navigate through the crowd. His eyes scanned faces, looking for anyone who might…

He collided with something solid, his momentum carrying him forward even as the other person stumbled backward. Asta's hands shot out instinctively, catching the person's arm before they could fall.

"I'm so sorry!" 

Asta said quickly, helping to steady them.

 "I wasn't watching where I was…"

"Oh!"

Asta looked up and found himself face to face with Flora. Her red hair was pulled back in a practical braid, a few loose strands framing her face. Her eyes,a warm Emerald green, were wide with surprise, but she was smiling.

"Asta!" 

Flora said, her voice carrying genuine pleasure at the unexpected meeting. 

"Nice bumping into you again."

Asta felt heat creeping up his neck as he quickly released her arm and stepped back, giving her space. He rubbed the back of his head,a nervous habit he'd never quite broken and let out an awkward little laugh.

 "Yeah, sorry about that. I really wasn't paying attention. Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"I'm fine." 

Flora assured him, brushing off her sleeve where he'd grabbed her.

 "Really, it's okay. No harm done."

An awkward silence stretched between them for a moment. Asta was very aware of the noise and movement all around them,people forming groups, having excited conversations, but it all seemed distant somehow, muted.

Flora broke the silence, her tone shifting to something more hesitant, almost shy.

 "Would you... would you mind being in my squad? For the guild registration, I mean."

Asta blinked, caught off guard.

 "Oh!"

 He felt a genuine smile spreading across his face. 

"Yeah, I'd really like to be in your squad. But..." 

The smile faltered slightly.

 "Are you sure? You know, I'm the flameless Asta."

He'd meant it as a joke,sort of,but it came out more bitter than he'd intended, the sarcasm in his tone more obvious than he'd wanted. The label had been following him around for months now, whispering behind hands, sometimes saying to his face. Flameless Asta. The boy who couldn't awaken his power. 

The failure from the labor section.

But Flora didn't flinch, didn't look away. Instead, she let out a soft chuckle, her eyes warm. 

"Yeah, I'm sure. Powers aren't everything, Asta. I've seen you fight with a sword. You're good,really good. And you're reliable. That matters more to me than whether or not you can shoot flames from your hands."

Asta felt something warm bloom in his chest at her words. It was strange how much it meant, hearing someone say they wanted him on their team not despite his lack of flame, but because of who he was beyond that.

"So, how many members do you have left?"

 Asta asked, trying to move past the emotional moment before it got too heavy.

 "To fill out the four-person requirement, I mean."

Flora glanced down at the form in her hands,Asta hadn't even noticed she was already holding one. Her finger traced down the paper where two names were already written in neat handwriting. 

"Just one more. We need one more person to complete the party."

"Oh, okay. That's…"

Asta's response was cut off as the crowd shifted suddenly, people moving aside to create a path. Asta turned to see what was causing the commotion.

Jabber was walking into the gathering quarters.

He moved with the same quiet presence he always had, like he was trying to take up as little space as possible. His dark hair was still messy from sleep, his clothes rumpled. But there was something in his eyes,a distance, a disconnection that made him seem like he was walking through a dream rather than reality.

Three laborers stood in a small cluster to Asta's right, and he heard one of them whisper to his companions, not quite quietly enough:

 "Hey, what about him? He's still looking for a group, right?"

The guy in the middle of the trio glanced at Jabber, his expression twisting into something dismissive. 

"Hell no. He might be muscular, but he's not strong at all. You saw him in training,he's got power but can't use it worth a damn. We need people who can actually fight, not just look like they can."

Jabber's path took him close enough to the trio that he must have heard, but his expression didn't change. He just kept walking, his gaze fixed on some point in the distance, like their words meant nothing to him. Or maybe he'd just heard variations of the same sentiment so many times that they'd lost their power to hurt.

But then the higher official from earlier,the one who'd burst into their room that morning,spotted Jabber. His face immediately darkened, and he began pushing through the crowd toward the quiet boy.

"Jabber!" 

The official bellowed, his voice cutting through the general noise and causing heads to turn.

 "Why are you just arriving at the gathering now?"

Jabber stopped walking, his body going still. Slowly, he turned to face the official, his expression completely blank and unreadable.

The official reached him, stepping directly into his personal space in a clear power move. He was several inches taller than Jabber and used that height advantage, looming over him.

 "I asked you a question! You think you can just waltz in here whenever you feel like it? Everyone else managed to get here on time!"

Jabber looked at him,not up at him, despite the height difference, but at him, meeting his eyes with that same unfazed expression. When he spoke, his voice was soft, almost monotone.

 "I'm sorry. I overslept."

"Don't tell me that crap!"

 The official's face was flushing red now, anger building in his voice. He jabbed a finger toward Jabber's chest, not quite touching but close enough to be threatening.

 "You weren't sleeping! You were lying there pretending to be asleep! You thought I wouldn't know? You thought I'm stupid?"

Asta watched the confrontation unfolding, his muscles tensing. He knew that tone, that body language. He'd seen this scenario play out before with other officials and other laborers. It never ended well.

Jabber's gaze didn't waver. H

e looked at the official with that same distant, detached expression, then deliberately shifted his eyes away, staring at the wall behind the man instead.

That was the wrong move.

"Don't you dare look away from me!" the official snarled. His hand shot out…