When I leave the ATC, I spot Drew and the rest of his team waiting outside for me. The moment I get to where they are, smiles appear on their faces and they erupt in cheers as they begin congratulating me for passing my exams. All, except for the twins. They give me the feeling that they don’t particularly care whether I pass or not, still, they at least try not to make it too obvious.

To celebrate, Drew takes all of us to the B.L.D, a restaurant we used to visit semi-regularly when we had classes. The restaurant is emptier than usual, but that is most likely because school isn’t until next year. While we eat, we talk about what comes next.

“The Teacher said that the rankings start in a few hours,” I tell them, “He said that normally the Rankings happen a few days after the exams, but for some reason the Masters want it to happen earlier this year.”

“That’s true, ours happened two days after our exam,” Lathia says. “I wonder why they decided to rush things?”

“Well,” says Daniel, “I heard that the Eldest finally left not too long ago. Maybe that’s why?”

I perk up. “The Eldest left? To where?”

Drew answers, “The Eldest hardly ever stays with us. After he established the Laen and made sure nothing could really threaten us, he started leaving. He usually disappears for like fifty years then he returns and stays with us for four or five years before leaving again. We’ve become used to it. As for where he goes, no one knows. Maybe, except the Masters.”

“Aren’t you guys curious?” I ask. “I mean, why does he have to leave every time?”

“Of course we’re curious, but how are we supposed to find out where he’s going?” Lathia asks. “It’s not like we can follow him. But, there are some interesting theories about it. For instance, some people believe that wherever he goes contains the secret to his long life and power.”

“That sounds like a conspiracy theory. Is there any proof?”

“No. But you can’t deny that it is plausible. I mean, the Eldest is the only magician to have lived thousands of years, and he’s also the only one to be so powerful. For all we know, he could be leaving to refresh his power and long life. Maybe where he goes has whatever it was in that meteorite that crashed when he first appeared.”

To be honest, her train of thought does make a bit of sense, but I am still not buying it without proof.

“Actually,” Drew interjects, “there’s this book in the library whose author claims that the Eldest actually goes to the bottom of the In-between.”

“The bottom? Didn’t you say something like it stretches onward forever? Or something like that?’

“I did. But the book says what it says.”

Lathia shakes her head. “He’s talking about Lauren’s Diary. Take whatever comes out of that book with a grain of salt. The book was written by an Elder who got depressed for some reason and tried to kill himself by jumping off the bridge in the In-between. Somehow, he managed to get back out, and he’s the only one who has ever gotten out of there. He claimed in his book that after descending for some weeks he was transported to another world and he lived there for a few years before he managed to find his way back out. According to him, the Eldest visits that world anytime he disappears.”

“Wait, this Lauren guy, is he a real Laen?”

“Yes. But he dies during the last war.”

“Did he actually jump off the bridge?”

Lathia gives me a look that seems to ask if I am daft. “I just told you he did.”

I ignore her tone as some excitement begins to well up within me. The fact that there could be another world at the bottom of the In-between lights up a strange feeling within me. “What if he’s right?” I ask.

This time, Drew joins Lathia in giving me that strange look. “Ian,” he says. “I want you to know three things. First, Lauren is the only person who managed to come back alive after jumping off the bridge in the In-between, so don’t go getting any ideas. Second, Lauren spent years lost down there, how he even managed to survive is a mystery. Lastly, he was already depressed before he jumped off the edge, combine that with my second statement and what you get is a certified mental patient. And I’m not even joking. After he came back, they found out that he had gone mad while he was down there. Listen to me Ian, he was a mad man. They had to treat him for years before he could even recover a little.”

“Hold on,” says David, “you didn’t believe Lathia when she suggested that wherever the Eldest goes is the source of his power, but now, you’re willing to believe a certified mad-man when he says there’s another world at the bottom of the In-between?”

“Okay, okay,” I say, suddenly feeling attacked. “Let’s forget about that for now. Do you guys have any tips for me for the Rankings?”

Drew waves, unconcernedly, “Don’t worry about it, just do your best. But, know that most of your fights will either be much easier or much harder than your fight with the Azzures.”

“Yeah,” Lathia adds, “Actually, try and make an impression with your first fight. Do your best to defeat your first opponent in as little time, and with as much pomp as possible. Do that, and everyone weaker than that person will feel intimidated, trust me when I say it makes things easier to a certain extent.”

We spend the next few hours talking like that, even after we leave the B.L.D. As we move around talking, I begin to notice that the Metorium is slowly becoming filled with more and more people. Drew explains that a lot of people try to attend the yearly Rankings to get a feel for how strong the new generation is, especially the Scouts for the various Trump courts.

The Scouts have one job, try and entice the most promising Pre-protector into becoming a member of their court. If they manage to do that, then they focus on getting as many Pre-protectors as they can to join their court. However, they usually wait until after the Rankings are over to do so. Because of that, the Rankings somehow evolved to have two parts: the first part is where we Pre-protectors fight against each other to achieve a high ranking, and the second part is where we finally choose which Trump we want to study in.

All in all, it’s something that is going to take at least a whole day, which is why the Rankings are usually held in the Lands of Time.

Soon, it is time. As one, everyone begins to move toward the Arch at the center of the Metorium. When we get there, Drew activates it with a noer that is different from the one we usually use to get to the In-between. We walk in and find ourselves in the Lands, but this time, instead of pure, untamed wilderness, there are man-made structures. At the center is what looks like a large Colosseum, surrounded by numerous smaller buildings. All around us, are numerous people moving around, from Apprentices to Teachers, Laen of all ranks are present here and busy with one thing or another.