Chapter 17 – The Friendly Tournament Begins
The academy gates, rarely opened for anyone but staff or students, now stood wide. Rows of armored knights and elegant beast-tamers in foreign regalia marched through, their banners fluttering high beneath the morning sun.
Royal observers, noble scions, and rival academy elites had arrived. And with them came the pressure of a continent watching.
At the front of the line strode a tall figure with ivory-white hair, clad in glimmering green robes. A sigil of a silver phoenix gleamed across his chest.
"Crown Prince Elenion Faerwyn of the Holy Elven Empire," the announcer's voice rang out across the courtyard.
Behind him came a cloaked man whose shadow moved like liquid, his eyes hidden beneath a bone-white mask. The beast beside him—a scaled lion with wings of smoke—growled low.
"Tian Clan Envoy, Huo-Yan, representative of the Eastern Isles' Forbidden Beast Sect."
And then, laughter—loud, bold, unapologetic.
A young man with messy crimson hair and a massive sword strapped to his back rode in atop a drake with golden claws.
"Prince Dravon of the Southern Dragon Isles!" boomed the voice.
Evan stood at the top balcony, watching silently.
Lilith appeared beside him, arms crossed. "They brought half the world to our school."
"Then let's show them why this school stands above all others," Evan said quietly.
Scene Two: Rules of Engagement
In the Grand Colosseum, filled with students, nobles, and foreign dignitaries, Professor Ardyn stepped forward, voice enhanced by magic.
"Welcome to the Inter-Academy Friendly Tournament. Despite its name, you know this is a clash of pride, power, and prestige."
He gestured to a magical crystal, which flared to life behind him—revealing a five-stage structure:
Stage One: Beast Synchronization Skirmishes (3v3)
Stage Two: Tactical Survival Maze (Team of 5)
Stage Three: Solo Duels – Uncaged (No-rules 1v1s)
Stage Four: Dominion Clash (Divine Beast Enabled – Strategic Field Control)
Stage Five: King's Trial – A final challenge set by a surprise guest (???).
Cheers erupted. Whispers swirled.
Reed muttered from the side, "This isn't a tournament. It's a war game dressed in celebration."
"And we're the frontliners," Iris added, adjusting her gloves.
Professor Ardyn's voice boomed again, "For the first time in two centuries, the final victor shall be granted an Imperial Beast Crest—and an audience with the Emperor himself."
Evan's expression hardened.
This tournament wasn't just about glory. It was about control. Of him. Of the future.
Scene Three: Clash of Gaze and Fate
After the ceremony, the academy gardens turned into a place of whispered tension.
Evan wandered near the training pavilions when a voice called to him.
"Rochel."
He turned.
Standing in front of him was Prince Elenion, his golden eyes calm, calculating.
"You carry the scent of divinity," Elenion said softly. "But also… something ancient. Forgotten."
Evan didn't answer immediately. "You're observant."
"I'm many things," the elf prince replied. "And I've come to offer a warning. The gods are stirring, Evan. They remember the one who bore the eyes of the Basilisk."
Evan's hand twitched slightly. "You mean me."
Elenion nodded. "If you're not careful, they'll deem you an echo of the Betrayer."
Before Evan could ask more, the prince stepped back.
"Good luck in the tournament, Lord Rochel. I'll be watching."
Scene Four: Flames of Provocation
Later that day, the tournament teams were assigned their first matchups. Aflety Academy's first trio—Evan, Lilith, and Kael—would face an elite group from the Tianxia Academy of the East.
Before the battle began, Evan was intercepted by Prince Dravon himself.
"Hey, Basilisk boy!" the Dragon Prince called out. "I heard you tamed a Divine Beast. Is it true, or just noble propaganda?"
Evan smirked. "Want to find out the hard way?"
Dravon grinned. "You're alright, Rochel. But just so you know—I will crush you before this ends. The throne's mine."
"Then you better start climbing," Evan said, walking past.
Behind them, Nex's eyes flashed once in silent agreement.
Scene Five: First Match – 3v3 Skirmish Begins
As the colosseum filled with cheers, Professor Ardyn's voice rang out:
"Let the first match of the Inter-Academy Tournament—Aflety Academy vs Tianxia Academy—BEGIN!"
Evan, Lilith, and Kael stepped onto the glowing arena platform. Across from them, their opponents released beasts cloaked in wind, fire, and strange eastern sigils.
Evan reached out.
Nex emerged from his shadow in a silent roar, its divine presence suppressed but undeniable.
Lilith cracked her knuckles. "Let's make a statement."
Kael's eyes glowed emerald. "No mercy."
The battle had begun.
And all the Feral Lands were watching.
____
Scene One: Arena of Thundering Hearts
The energy in the colosseum surged like a living force. Crystals floated above the stage, broadcasting the battle to every part of Aflety Academy—and beyond, to the scrying halls of nobles and kings.
The arena was a vast platform of changing terrain—stone ridges, molten crevices, patches of icy grass. Designed to shift mid-battle, it tested a team's adaptability as much as strength.
On one side stood Evan, Lilith, and Kael, radiating silent confidence.
Across from them, the Tianxia trio activated their beast glyphs, releasing powerful companions from coiling clouds of spiritual energy.
Chen Yu, a spear-wielding prodigy, summoned a Flame Wyrm Serpent.
Lan Mei, a strategist with wind affinity, called forth a Cyclone Fox.
And their leader, Master Wu Tian, unleashed a terrifying Spectral Tiger, its body flickering like smoke and silver steel.
A gong sounded.
The match had begun.
Scene Two: The Unfolding Storm
Kael moved first, whispering to the winds. His Legendary beast—Sylvanis, a Wind Spirit Elk—charged ahead, hooves leaving trails of glittering current in its wake.
At the same time, Lilith vanished in a blink, appearing behind the enemy Cyclone Fox. Her black lightning hissed through the air, crashing down like judgment.
"Your plan?" she shouted mid-leap.
"Overwhelm them. No mercy," Evan replied, voice sharp. "Nex—let's break the field!"
From his shadow, Nex emerged—its wings unfurling, its golden eyes glowing faintly. Even suppressed, its aura caused the crystal monitors to flicker.
Audience members gasped. Even among the foreign elites, whispers rippled.
"A Basilisk Divine Beast… He's really using it?!"
"He's not just a noble—he's a monster in disguise!"
Scene Three: The Spiral Dance of Beasts
Master Wu Tian smiled coldly, raising his hand. "You think strength alone wins wars?"
He made a motion—and the terrain shifted violently.
Ice shot up, splitting Lilith from Evan. Wind tunnels formed, disorienting Kael's Sylvanis. Fire pits exploded near Nex's path.
But Evan had planned for this.
"Formation Red Fang!" he called.
Lilith leapt back into the smoke, her lightning merging with Nex's tail as the Basilisk spun mid-air, releasing a spiraling energy wave of charged venom—a move they had barely perfected in training.
The venomous storm struck the Flame Wyrm Serpent head-on, nullifying its fire with explosive backlash. It screeched and fell.
"One down," Lilith said with a wild grin.
Meanwhile, Kael closed his eyes, his beast casting Tempest Cloak—a technique that wrapped them in a cyclone shield, neutralizing the Cyclone Fox's wind barrage.
Kael whispered, "Now, Evan."
Scene Four: Stare of the Basilisk
Evan held his hand up, palm forward. Nex roared and opened its eyes fully—unleashing a partial petrification gaze.
The Spectral Tiger froze mid-leap, trembling. Not fully turned to stone, but its limbs slowed, its reaction dulled.
That was enough.
Evan flashed forward, sword drawn.
"Judgment Fang."
His blade struck true, empowered by his beast's venomous mana and the exact timing of Kael's burst wind push.
The Spectral Tiger dissipated into smoke.
The audience erupted.
Scene Five: The Finishing Blow
Only one opponent remained—Lan Mei and her Cyclone Fox, both battered, eyes sharp with desperation.
"I won't lose to Western nobility!" she screamed, combining her beast's last reserve into a full-field twister.
But Lilith countered with Black Chain Spear, a move channeled from her own mutated Lightning Beast. She hurled the spear through the wind wall, disrupting the flow.
Kael's Sylvanis struck next with Flashstep Hoofstrike, appearing beside Lan Mei in an instant and knocking her unconscious with a clean hit to her pressure point.
Silence fell.
Then the announcement boomed:
"Victory! Team Aflety!"
Scene Six: Reactions and Reverberations
From the royal viewing box, Prince Elenion Faerwyn narrowed his eyes. "So that's the Basilisk. Not just a beast of death—but one of strategy."
Prince Dravon cracked his knuckles. "He's stronger than I expected. I want to fight him at full power."
From the shadows of the upper gallery, a figure in black feathers watched.
"Interesting," whispered the Black Nest spy. "Evan Rochel has begun to shine… all the better for when we crush him before the world's eyes."
Scene Seven: Backstage, Bonds, and Vows
After the match, Evan's team regrouped behind the arena.
"We're not just winning matches," Kael said softly. "We're sending messages."
"To the Emperor," Lilith added. "To the nobles. To whoever's watching."
Evan sat down and exhaled. Nex curled beside him, resting its massive head on his shoulder.
"I don't care who watches," Evan said. "This time, we fight for more than survival."
Lilith smiled. "What are we fighting for, then?"
He looked out at the horizon.
"For freedom. For truth. And for every beast… that the gods have forgotten."
____
Scene One: After the Roar, the Whisper
The arena slowly emptied, but the tremors of Evan's victory echoed through the academy halls.
In the Tower of Observation, where select professors and nobles watched through scrying mirrors, a figure in rust-colored robes stood quietly behind the others.
The new professor—Alaric Dorne, a recently assigned combat analyst—watched Evan's image flicker across the mirror.
He made no sound, but the runes on his gloves pulsed faintly.
"Promising," he muttered. "But not yet awakened. Still… his synchronization with a Divine Beast is far more stable than projected."
Behind him, Headmaster Greaves spoke. "We brought you in to observe, not interfere, Professor Dorne."
Alaric didn't look back. "And observe I shall."
But in his eyes was something ancient. Something watching back.
Scene Two: The Rankings Reveal
The Grand Hall buzzed with tension as magical projections filled the air, revealing the first round rankings.
Aflety Academy – Victory with perfect team coordination, 3 points.
Solar Crest Institute (Human Empire) – Victory with two team injuries, 2.5 points.
Glacial Crown Academy (Northern Beastlands) – Victory with one disqualification, 2 points.
Tianxia Academy (Eastern Isles) – Defeat, 0 points.
Lilith arched a brow. "We're ranked highest."
Kael smiled. "Good. Let them chase us."
Evan stared at the top of the board, heart quiet, resolve deeper than ever. "We're not here to be chased. We're here to reach the summit—then break it open."
Scene Three: New Challengers Emerge
That night, before rest could take them, a group from the Solar Crest Institute arrived at Aflety's training ground.
The leader of the group was a girl no older than Evan, with crimson eyes and a sapphire crown etched into her forehead—a sign of noble blood from the inner empire.
"I am Princess Virellia Solaine, first heir to the Sol Flame Throne," she said. "And I request… no, demand, an unofficial spar with Aflety's top team."
Lilith stepped forward, eyes narrowing. "You want to get beaten early?"
But Virellia's gaze was locked on Evan. "No. I want to confirm something."
"Confirm what?" Evan asked, arms crossed.
She smiled faintly. "That your beast is not the only one born from myth. That mine—the Phoenix of the Imperial Vault—can burn even a Basilisk's shadow."
From her palm, flames of golden-blue curled upward—and from them, a radiant, avian shape appeared, wings outstretched.
Even Nex stirred from within Evan's shadow.
"Interesting," Evan murmured. "A phoenix…"
Scene Four: Black Nest Stirs
In the hidden chambers beneath the academy, a masked figure reported to a shadowed council.
"Evan Rochel's bond has deepened. He has complete field command and a team growing too rapidly."
A deep voice from the dark replied, "Then it is time."
"Time for what?" the spy asked.
A second voice answered, female and cold: "To set the next match. A rigged one. Let them face the Blood Pact Trio—our hidden pawns."
"And if that fails?"
"Then we awaken the beast sealed beneath this land," the first voice growled. "Let him see what true divine wrath feels like."
Scene Five: Rest Before the Storm
That night, Evan sat atop the academy tower, Nex curled around the base like a living statue.
Lilith joined him, holding two mugs of steaming leafbrew.
"I thought you hated small talk," Evan said.
"I do. But I like you more," she replied bluntly, setting a mug down beside him.
They sat in silence for a while, watching stars flicker like ancient runes in the sky.
Evan spoke softly. "They're going to come at us harder now."
Lilith didn't flinch. "Let them."
He turned to her. "You still trust me?"
"I always did," she replied, gaze never wavering. "Even before you awakened the Basilisk."
Below, the wind howled—and in the darkness, somewhere far away, something began to stir.
____
Scene One: The Match No One Wanted
The morning sun cast a crimson hue over the arena. Something in the air felt off—like the calm before a storm.
Evan, Lilith, and Kael entered the arena, expecting another display match. Instead, what awaited them was unsettling.
Their opponents stood at the far end, silent, unnervingly still. Cloaked in dull maroon and silver, their eyes shimmered faintly red.
"They're not from any academy I recognize," Kael whispered.
A projection above identified them as Team Blood Pact—nominally from a minor desert institution. But the names were aliases. And their beasts… they hadn't summoned them.
"Something's wrong," Lilith muttered.
The referee hesitated—but the match had been approved. He raised his hand and shouted, "Begin!"
And chaos erupted.
Scene Two: Beastless and Brutal
Evan dashed forward, prepared for standard tactics—but the Blood Pact team didn't summon beasts.
Instead, they transformed.
Crimson glyphs burned across their skin. One grew claws and scales like a lizard. Another's bones cracked, lengthened, mutating into something between man and ogre. The third's body shimmered with shadow, vanishing and reappearing like smoke.
"Demonic augmentation!" Kael gasped.
"They've fused with their beasts… or sacrificed them," Evan growled. "This isn't a friendly match. It's a test."
Nex burst from the shadows, wings flaring, eyes glowing with restrained fury.
Evan barely dodged a blood-slicked claw strike. He parried and slashed, his sword infused with Nex's venom. One opponent blocked with a bare arm—his skin hardened into obsidian stone.
"These aren't students," Lilith snarled. "They're weapons."
Scene Three: Unveiling the Scheme
In the highest tower, Headmaster Greaves stood from his chair. "This match wasn't authorized through proper channels."
Professor Alaric Dorne folded his arms. "Blood Pact… They've been planted."
The headmaster's eyes darkened. "Find the source. If they harm my students—"
"They won't," Alaric interrupted. "But if Evan survives… he'll surpass even your expectations."
Scene Four: Awakening the Depths
Below the arena, ancient runes flickered.
Sealed in a forgotten chamber, something massive began to stir.
Chains rattled. A deep, inhuman growl rolled through the bedrock.
A beast long buried—once worshipped, then feared—was beginning to awaken. Drawn by the divine power clashing above.
Scene Five: Counterattack
Kael chanted rapidly, summoning a wall of wind between him and a mutated attacker. "They don't tire. They don't flinch!"
"Because they're not thinking like humans anymore," Evan replied. "Time to end this."
He raised his hand. Nex roared—and for the first time in public combat, spread its wings wide.
Divine energy poured into Evan's body, his veins glowing green-gold. He activated a hybrid technique: Serpent God's Spiral.
He dashed forward in a corkscrewing burst of venomous light, slicing through the stony hide of the Blood Pact leader.
Kael and Lilith moved in perfect sync—Lilith's black lightning binding the second enemy, Kael's storm strike neutralizing the third.
One by one, the possessed combatants fell unconscious.
No cheer. No applause.
Only the unsettling hum of blood magic fading from the air.
Scene Six: Behind the Veil
Later, in the academy infirmary, Evan sat quietly while Nex coiled protectively nearby.
The headmaster entered, followed by Professor Dorne.
"We've confirmed it," Greaves said. "Those weren't academy students. They were branded by an organization we've encountered before…"
Evan nodded grimly. "The Black Nest."
Dorne watched him silently. "You've drawn their eye."
"I'll pluck it out," Evan muttered.
The professor smiled faintly. "Good. You'll need that fire."
As he turned to leave, Dorne added, "There's something else beneath this academy. Something your Basilisk stirs when it fights. You may want to be ready… when it wakes."
Evan's blood chilled.
Scene Seven: The Beast Below
Far beneath Aflety, stone shattered.
From a cocoon of lightless obsidian, a monstrous beast opened a single, hateful eye.
It remembered pain. Chains. And betrayal.
And now… it had sensed him.
Here is Chapter 17 – The Friendly Tournament Begins, Part 5 of Awakening in the Beast World:
Chapter 17 – The Friendly Tournament Begins
Part 5 – Tremors in Stone, Whispers in the Halls
Scene One: A Victory Wrapped in Doubt
The crowd should've roared. But after the brutal match against the Blood Pact Trio, there was only a stunned silence.
Aflety's team had won, yes—but at what cost?
Evan walked out of the arena with Lilith and Kael beside him, sweat on their brows, silence between them. Nex slithered behind, tension visible in its shimmering scales.
"They're going to spin this against us," Kael muttered.
"They'll try," Lilith said. "But we have the truth. And the footage."
"They'll call us reckless," Evan replied calmly, "but we exposed a planted threat. Let them bark. We'll keep walking."
And sure enough, by the time they returned to the central tower, whispers had already begun. Rumors stirred—some laced with envy, others with fear.
"Did you hear? He fused with his beast. That's not normal."
"That Basilisk… it didn't even go all out."
"I heard the Blood Pact team was sent by the Black Nest."
"Who's protecting Evan Rochel? Why is the Emperor watching him?"
Evan said nothing. But Lilith grinned.
"Feels good, doesn't it? To scare them a little."
Scene Two: Council of the Cloaks
In a hidden room beneath Aflety's library, the Inner Council of Aflety met.
Headmaster Greaves stood at the center, flanked by professors, wardens, and arcane guardians.
"The Blood Nest is active again," Greaves said. "And they've breached Aflety. That cannot happen again."
One professor stepped forward. "We need to cancel the rest of the tournament."
Another, older and robed in navy, spoke coldly. "No. We need to use it. Whoever their target is… they'll come again."
Eyes turned to Greaves.
He spoke the truth plainly: "They want Evan Rochel."
Silence fell.
Then the historian spoke, hesitant. "There's… one thing. The ancient map chamber below the old dormitory. It's glowing again."
"What does that mean?" someone asked.
"It means," Greaves said grimly, "the Sealed Beast beneath Aflety is waking."
Scene Three: The Map of Wyrmglass
Later that evening, Professor Alaric summoned Evan.
They descended into a forgotten wing of the academy—dust-covered halls, silent relics of an older Aflety.
Evan walked cautiously, Nex coiled around his shoulders, alert.
Alaric stopped before a rusted iron door etched in wyrmglass.
"This," he said, "was once sealed by twelve archmages. A map, drawn with star-blood ink. Only awakened bloodlines and Divine Beasts can activate it."
The door pulsed faintly as Evan approached. Nex hissed, its eyes glowing softly.
The door opened.
Inside, a circular room shone with constellations made of floating crystal. They rearranged themselves as Evan entered.
In the center, a great serpent-shaped fissure glowed red and green—twisting deep beneath Aflety.
"A buried Divine Beast," Alaric murmured. "One no human has seen in centuries."
Evan's throat tightened. "Is it sealed?"
"For now."
Evan stepped closer to the map.
"And what happens if it wakes?"
"Then," Alaric said, "your Basilisk won't be the only godling to rise from the earth."
Scene Four: Political Tremors
At dawn, a letter arrived from the Imperial Capital.
Sealed in golden wax, stamped with the twin-beast crest of the Emperor himself.
Evan broke the seal alone, heart racing.
To Evan Rochel,
Son of House Rochel,
Bearer of Nex, the Basilisk Divine.
You have done well. Your actions in exposing Blood Pact have spared us a greater breach. The Black Nest's tendrils reach deeper than I feared.
As such, your promotion as Heir Candidate of the Imperial Beast Guard shall be accelerated. Preparations begin at once.
Prepare yourself. For what comes next is not a tournament. It is a declaration.
— Imperial Emperor Veylor Astarius
Evan stared at the letter for a long time.
Then, silently, he set it ablaze with a flicker of venomous green flame.
Lilith watched from the doorway. "More secrets?"
Evan turned to her, eyes steady. "More responsibilities."
Scene Five: The Rumbling Below
That night, all of Aflety trembled.
A minor quake—enough to rattle chandeliers and wake sleeping students.
But in the deep, sealed cavern beneath the academy… it was more.
The cocoon cracked.
And the Sealed Beast opened its second eye.
Its breath returned to it. And it remembered the one who bore its mark.
End of Chapter 17 – Part 5
Shall we continue with Chapter 17 – Part 6, where Evan's team is pushed into a high-stakes duel against the elite of the Elven Empire, secrets of the Sealed Beast are uncovered, and a betrayal begins to take root within Aflety itself?
______
Scene One: A Victory Wrapped in Doubt
The crowd should've roared. But after the brutal match against the Blood Pact Trio, there was only a stunned silence.
Aflety's team had won, yes—but at what cost?
Evan walked out of the arena with Lilith and Kael beside him, sweat on their brows, silence between them. Nex slithered behind, tension visible in its shimmering scales.
"They're going to spin this against us," Kael muttered.
"They'll try," Lilith said. "But we have the truth. And the footage."
"They'll call us reckless," Evan replied calmly, "but we exposed a planted threat. Let them bark. We'll keep walking."
And sure enough, by the time they returned to the central tower, whispers had already begun. Rumors stirred—some laced with envy, others with fear.
"Did you hear? He fused with his beast. That's not normal."
"That Basilisk… it didn't even go all out."
"I heard the Blood Pact team was sent by the Black Nest."
"Who's protecting Evan Rochel? Why is the Emperor watching him?"
Evan said nothing. But Lilith grinned.
"Feels good, doesn't it? To scare them a little."
Scene Two: Council of the Cloaks
In a hidden room beneath Aflety's library, the Inner Council of Aflety met.
Headmaster Greaves stood at the center, flanked by professors, wardens, and arcane guardians.
"The Blood Nest is active again," Greaves said. "And they've breached Aflety. That cannot happen again."
One professor stepped forward. "We need to cancel the rest of the tournament."
Another, older and robed in navy, spoke coldly. "No. We need to use it. Whoever their target is… they'll come again."
Eyes turned to Greaves.
He spoke the truth plainly: "They want Evan Rochel."
Silence fell.
Then the historian spoke, hesitant. "There's… one thing. The ancient map chamber below the old dormitory. It's glowing again."
"What does that mean?" someone asked.
"It means," Greaves said grimly, "the Sealed Beast beneath Aflety is waking."
Scene Three: The Map of Wyrmglass
Later that evening, Professor Alaric summoned Evan.
They descended into a forgotten wing of the academy—dust-covered halls, silent relics of an older Aflety.
Evan walked cautiously, Nex coiled around his shoulders, alert.
Alaric stopped before a rusted iron door etched in wyrmglass.
"This," he said, "was once sealed by twelve archmages. A map, drawn with star-blood ink. Only awakened bloodlines and Divine Beasts can activate it."
The door pulsed faintly as Evan approached. Nex hissed, its eyes glowing softly.
The door opened.
Inside, a circular room shone with constellations made of floating crystal. They rearranged themselves as Evan entered.
In the center, a great serpent-shaped fissure glowed red and green—twisting deep beneath Aflety.
"A buried Divine Beast," Alaric murmured. "One no human has seen in centuries."
Evan's throat tightened. "Is it sealed?"
"For now."
Evan stepped closer to the map.
"And what happens if it wakes?"
"Then," Alaric said, "your Basilisk won't be the only godling to rise from the earth."
Scene Four: Political Tremors
At dawn, a letter arrived from the Imperial Capital.
Sealed in golden wax, stamped with the twin-beast crest of the Emperor himself.
Evan broke the seal alone, heart racing.
To Evan Rochel,
Son of House Rochel,
Bearer of Nex, the Basilisk Divine.
You have done well. Your actions in exposing Blood Pact have spared us a greater breach. The Black Nest's tendrils reach deeper than I feared.
As such, your promotion as Heir Candidate of the Imperial Beast Guard shall be accelerated. Preparations begin at once.
Prepare yourself. For what comes next is not a tournament. It is a declaration.
— Imperial Emperor Veylor Astarius
Evan stared at the letter for a long time.
Then, silently, he set it ablaze with a flicker of venomous green flame.
Lilith watched from the doorway. "More secrets?"
Evan turned to her, eyes steady. "More responsibilities."
Scene Five: The Rumbling Below
That night, all of Aflety trembled.
A minor quake—enough to rattle chandeliers and wake sleeping students.
But in the deep, sealed cavern beneath the academy… it was more.
The cocoon cracked.
And the Sealed Beast opened its second eye.
Its breath returned to it. And it remembered the one who bore its mark.
[End of chapter]