During the time Waite talked to the sailor, Arc had already arrived at the initiation building for those who come to the Fool Island.

The Fool Island is the birthplace and the resting place of the Fool. It is shaped like a crescent and even though it is looked down upon by all the other Arcana Chain, it still carries a hefty influence within the forces of the Rage Continent.

The influence they carry is not because of any supreme strength they posses themselves, but because of a skill that the top members of the Fool Island possess. They are able to see the potential of those who had not yet begun their path towards strength.

For those who were coming to study The Fool, the service was freely given when they first arrive at the island. But for those who do not stay at The Fool, the price is fairly steep.

Arc stands in the initiation building hall, where several other people of varying sizes, physiques and ages surrounded him. He wasn’t sure if they were here to only have their potentials checked or join the Fool Island but he did not care either way. He silently thought to himself as he looked around him.

“The people here all have varying dreams and ambitions, but to me those aren’t even a stone on my path. My goal is to leave this island and even this continent and ascend to something greater.”

A young female attendant walks out into the hall, her presence drawing all eyes of the people gathered. She has a permanent smile plastered across her face, and her voice carries a soothing tone.

“Thank you for your patience, everyone. We will now make our way to the potential examination.”

Leading the way, the attendant beckons everyone to follow her to where they would begin the potential examination. Arc’s eyes narrow for a moment, but he too follows her. As he follows her Arc remarks silently to himself about the examination.

“The potential examination, what a joke.”

Words that his mother once told him echo in his mind.

“Arc, Honey. In the future, when you take the potential examination don’t bother caring about the results, all you need to do is pass. It’s just a joke, these old idiots don’t know anything about what really makes someone a shining star. You’re destined for greatness as long as you put all your effort in, no matter what they tell you. I assure you, you’ll be amazing as long as you remember my words.”

Arc smiles to himself remembering the words his mother told him, but then that smile turns to a frown as he thinks about the past two years without her.

The group Arc was walking with enters the examination hall, a small old man sits in the middle of an altar at the end of the hall. Candles line the floor, leaving only a small path towards the old man.

The attendant that was leading the group calls out a name, and a burly man about the age of 30 answers her. She tells him to head to to the elder through the path between the candles and he complies.

He walks slowly through the candles, and as he does they spontaneously light themselves with a weak flame. The man looks around in confusion, but he continues walking forwards without stopping. He eventually arrives in front of the old man sitting cross legged on the altar, and the old man looks him up and down. He begins to speak with a disgusted tone.

“Lighting all the candles is the requirement for permission to become a member of the fool island. But the flame that lit them was so meager. You are permitted to join if you wish, but your position will be at the very bottom.”

Gulping, the burly man barely manages to choke out a reply.

“I would like to join.”

The old man sighs and tells the man in front of him to head back through the path and wait outside the hall for the examinations to end.

Members of the crowd murmur as the man passes back by them, but his ears had already gone deaf to the world around him. Tears run down his face in joy as he softly murmurs to himself.

“I made it… I actually made it…”

Surprise fills Arc’s mind as he watches the man walk past.

“The Fool Island is the bottom of the bottom, and yet he’s still so happy to be apart of it. Is this how short sighted people can be, or is this just the last hope for a man whose destiny was already written?”

The attendant calls the next couple men up, all who illicit around the same response from the candles as the first. Not a single one refuses the request to join, and they all join the man outside.

She calls the next person up, one who is a young man only at the age of 17. As she calls him forwards, a laugh bellows out.

“HaHaHa! You’re done with the prologue already? It seems that it’s time for the main character to take the stage. With this first step, the world will change!””

The attendant almost loses her cool for the first time, her face nearly changing from the normal smile to a look of shock. She manages to keep it cool, and just beckons the young man forwards.

Arc is also taken aback, but unlike the attendant he can’t hide the shock on his face.

Arc was confident of himself, he carried himself proudly and did not consider himself to be below any other man. But he would never say so outloud and so brazenly. To see someone who did was a shock to his system. It had taken him by complete surprise.

“Being so brazen like that, maybe I should try it sometime.”.

Taking his first steps out into the path between the candles, the young man carries a wide smile filled with anticipation. His destiny would be decided today.

Life was not easy for him, he had gone through many trials just to get to the Fool island. His family was poor, he would go many days without eating and those around him would look down on him. To combat this, he adapted the confident personality he has today.

He did not know what awaited him as he moved forwards, but in the depths of his mind he had no doubts that he would succeed in lighting the candles. He had to! He would not go back to the life of starving on the street.

“I’ll shock the whole world! I’ll go from a bug on the ground to a dragon in the skies!”

And so, the world responded to his desire. On his first step, the candles flared with flames that threatened to consume the path he was walking on from both sides. But he would not stop his path forwards, sensing his resolve to move forwards the flames parted and allowed him through.

Every person gathered in the room had a look of shock on their face as they saw the spectacle in front of them, even the attendants smile broke as her mouth gaped open. The old man at the other end of the room had a look of ecstacy across his face as he watched on.

The flames died down as the boy got closer and closer to the old man, and finally they completely burn out as he arrives directly in front of him. Changing his tone from the previous encounters, the old man addresses the boy gently with a polite voice.

“What’s your name boy?”

The boy answers straightforwardly with a happy shout.

“My name is Arthur sir!”

“I see. Arthur, please take a seat behind me. After the potential examination is finished, we’ll talk about your place in the Fool Island. That is… if you want to stay here. If you would, I Savvas promise to personally teach you.”

A sigh flows out of Savvas’s mouth as he finishes talking and he remarks something silently to himself.

“If he wants to leave and go to somewhere with better prospects, there’s nothing we can do. We can only watch as he leaves.”

Savvas’s thoughts are quickly interrupted as Arthur responds to his previous statement.

“Of course I’ll stay at the Fool Island! You were kind enough to let me get my potential checked, so staying here will be my repayment!”

In response to this he can only let out a hearty laugh. His fear of Arthur leaving being dissuaded puts him into an extremely good mood, and he begins to continue the potential examination as Arthur sits behind him.

Many people go before Arc, all managing to illicit some sort of reaction to the candles and being accepted into the Fool Island, none of them ever began to approach the state Arthur managed to coax out of the candles however.

Finally, the attendant calls out Arc’s name. As she does, Savvas’s attention is drawn away from Arthur sitting behind him towards Arc.

“So this is her boy. If he’s anything like her I’m sure he’ll cause humongous waves in the entire Arcana chain. But why would he come to the Fool Island of all places? He must have had offers from every other island. Hmm… oh! He must be here to show off his potential, so that the other islands offer him greater rewards for joining them. Hmph. Such a domineering idea, like mother like son I suppose.”

Reaching a point that was entirely not true, Savvas’s opinion of Arc slowly fell before the examination even began. He shot Arc a nasty look that the attendant and Arc both noticed. The attendant was confused, knowing that the old man was normally quite a mellow person. Arc immediately assumed that his mother must have offended the man at some point, which was also not true.

Brushing off the nasty look, Arc stands in front of the examination path and takes a deep breath before stepping forwards.

“Potential has no meaning, my mother told me that. And yet, after seeing the response from before, those exploding flames were so enthralling. Even if it’s meaningless, how can I not put weight upon what I saw with my own eyes. But, my mother was no liar. If she said this examination was meaningless then it’s meaningless. No matter how meager the flame I light, I will not let it affect my mind!”

Preparing to take the first step, Arc’s mind hardened and prepared for the worst result he had in his mind. The size of the flame did not matter, the result of the test did not matter. All that mattered was that starting today he would join the Fool Island.

Taking the first step, Arc sets off onto the examination path. And for the first time during the potential examination, the rows of candles that surrounded the path that would decide one’s destiny did not light with a flame. Arc’s iron resolve and steadfast personality was met with nothing. Not a ember, or even an attempted spark.