Benedict’s life had never been easy, but over his year at Gilfle Academy, he’d found happiness. That happiness mostly came from the two women he’d found love with, Atropos and Sadie, though it also extended to his new, true friends: Victor, Hanz, Franz, Rebba, Dalia, and Hilda. His past was behind him, and the future awaited him, but first, they opted to enter the Rank 5 tournament.

The tournament turned out to be a Trial Raid Pocket, and worse yet, it changed the moment they were inside it. None of them were easy to defeat, but they made their way through the challenges, first alone, and then together. They even downed a chimera that had left them all wounded, but that wasn’t the hardest obstacle they’d face.

After the chimera was something never seen before at Rank 5: a chaos slime. Far from their best at the start, they fought for their lives, many of them becoming injured to the point of being knocked out of the conflict. Wanting to end it, Benedict caught the slime’s core long enough for Sadie to slice it in half… along with Ben’s hand. They survived— if gravely wounded in some cases— but the rewards? Those were greater than they’d ever thought they would be.

Having bonded in battle and blood, the ties of their friendship grew deeper for the three groups. It became deep enough for them to share secrets and spend time together before graduation. They shared their time being hosted by Viscount Terita, and even planned their departure from Gilfle together.

They all ended up going to Draxus together. They would delve separate Pockets at the beginning, but planned to come together for their last few delves to reach Rank 7. With a new world before them, family left behind, and new names, Benedict, Sadie, and Atropos were ready to start their climb to the Heavens… and deepen their relationships, too.