Chapter 593: Sophia’s Speech

Silence followed her words.

Sophia let the silence sit for a moment, her gaze sweeping slowly across the trainees standing before her—the ones who had passed, the ones who stood taller now, even if they didn’t fully realize it yet.

Then she spoke again.

"Becoming a trainee..." she began, her voice steady, "...doesn’t end when you get into the ranks."

A few brows furrowed.

Some exchanged glances.

Sophia tilted her head slightly.

"You just stop being called one," she continued. "That’s all."

A faint ripple of quiet amusement passed through the lines.

"But the learning?" she added. "That doesn’t stop."

Her gaze shifted briefly—toward the line behind her.

Toward the examiners.

"Ethan told us something," she said. "During training."

A few heads turned instinctively toward him.

"He said that after he passed..." Sophia continued, "...he almost died on his first mission into the forest."

There was a shift in the air.

"And he still carries scars from it because of that."

No one laughed now.

No one moved.

Sophia nodded faintly to herself.

"As for me..." she continued, "while I was in Nirvana, I encountered beasts I had never seen before."

Her fingers curled slightly at her sides.

"Creatures that didn’t match anything we had learned from books. Creatures that didn’t behave the way they were supposed to."

Her voice remained calm.

"And some of those beasts..." she added, glancing briefly toward Orion, Ronan, and Gregory, "...even they had never seen before."

"But that didn’t stop them," Sophia said.

Her gaze sharpened slightly.

"Because they adapted. They observed. And they did everything they could to take those beasts down."

The wind shifted again, brushing lightly across the gathered crowd.

"That," she said quietly, "is what it takes to be a warrior."

Her voice grew just a fraction stronger.

"A guard."

"And a hunter."

She let the words settle.

"They fought even when things were unclear," she continued. "Even when their vision blurred. Even when they didn’t fully understand what they were up against."

Her expression didn’t change.

"Giving up wasn’t an option."

"And they didn’t fight alone," she added. "They helped each other."

Her gaze moved across the trainees again.

"They assisted. They adapted to each other’s fighting styles."

A faint smile touched her lips.

"Joren fought alongside Sam and Bianca. So did Sam," she added. "Even though neither of them had fought together before."

"Dren and Uther," she continued, "assisted each other. They learned from each other. They adjusted. They learned in the middle of battle."

A few of the trainees shifted slightly.

Some nodded.

"They worked together to take those beasts down," Sophia said. "And if they had let pride get in the way..."

She shook her head lightly.

"...they probably wouldn’t be standing where they are today."

Silence followed again.

But this time, it felt heavier.

More personal.

Sophia drew in a small breath.

Her voice softened.

"And above all..." she said, "they had each other’s backs."

Sophia let out a small breath.

Then, unexpectedly—

She chuckled.

It broke the tension just enough.

"I think this is my first time giving a speech," she admitted.

A few quiet laughs followed.

"So... have some pity on me if this gets too long."

That earned a few more.

Even Ronan huffed softly behind her.

Sophia smiled faintly.

Then shook her head once.

"But truly," she said, her voice settling again, "from what I’ve seen..."

Her gaze lifted slightly.

"...being a guard... being a hunter..."

She paused.

"It’s more than just a title."

Her hand lifted slightly, gesturing faintly.

"It’s more than just the jewelry you’re about to receive."

Her voice deepened—not in volume, but in weight.

"It’s a pact. A promise to care for this pack. To look after the people who stand behind you. To protect. To watch. To ensure the safety of those who cannot protect themselves."

"It’s about being selfless," Sophia continued. "About putting others first—even when it’s difficult."

Her eyes swept across them again.

"It’s not just pride from the title. It can’t be just pride from being accepted into the ranks. Because pride alone won’t save anyone."

"And I hope," she said quietly, "that the group standing before me..."

Her lips curved slightly.

"...the people I trained with will show that example."

She let that sit for a while.

"The same example others before you have shown."

Her gaze shifted briefly again.

"To the point that generations after them wanted to stand where you are now."

She tilted her head slightly.

"The example Brynhild shows."

Brynhild’s lips curved faintly.

"The example Orion shows."

Orion said nothing.

But his gaze didn’t leave her.

"And the many others who stood where you stand now," she added.

She paused for a while, then her gaze shifted from those standing in line and moved to those who didn’t pass, those with tears in their eyes, family holding them.

"For those who didn’t pass..." she said softly. "This isn’t the end. You trained here, you took the test, you went into the forest, you didn’t run until you gave it your all, and just because you didn’t get to pass doesn’t mean it’s the end."

A few heads lowered as a few shoulders straightened at her words.

"I’m certain your time will come too," she said. "And when it does... you’ll rejoice like how I rejoiced with my friends."

She let the silence hold again.

Then exhaled softly.

"I should probably stop now," she admitted.

A small ripple of laughter followed.

"Because it feels like I could keep going. Maybe being around Orion has influenced me."

That earned a louder reaction.

Even Gregory’s shoulders shifted faintly.

Ronan outright snorted.

Sophia let the moment pass.

Then her expression settled again.

"But..." she said softly, "I have one more thing to say."

She stepped back slightly.

And then she bowed.

"I appreciate being able to train with all of you," she said.

Her voice carried clearly despite the angle.

"And I’m grateful for everything I learned from you."

Silence followed... again. Everyone stood still without moving; shock was the only expression on their faces.

But then a familiar voice spoke out, one that normally wouldn’t speak loudly in situations like this.

"It was an honor to train with you too," he said, his voice carrying across the grounds as he bowed.

Everyone turned to Micah, and that was all it took.

One by one, then all at once, the trainees bowed.

Those who passed.

Those who didn’t.

Every single one of them.

Sophia’s breath caught when she lifted her head to see all the trainees bowed.

"It was our honour training with you too!" they said.