The hour of departure was upon them, and each student clung to possessions imbued with the echoes of home.
«Greetings, friends. I am William, your escort to the academy. The other masters await your arrival.»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQpPKYKTxo
William's gaze swept across each face, offering every top-ranked candidate a measured smile.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPgtXWBhbM
«First, you must hand over your belongings—they'll travel separately. Your journey now enters a new phase.»
«For a heartbeat, time seemed to freeze for these students. Another trial so soon after the exam?»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡStiLMoxcwc
William’s voice cut through the tension:296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTAoqe78FUj
«Set your worries aside. The academy lies deep within the western woods—follow this path from the capital, and you’ll find it.»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFYLlZyuuB
He gave a curt nod. «I take my leave now, and wish you all success.»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6oLlXIHUO
A pause, then a blade-sharp warning:296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrfO5IE2xT
«Stay focused. Lose focus, and your odds of survival dwindle.»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6CExhm7PY
His cloak swirled as he turned.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfSeJxYz9y
«Farewell.»
William’s smiling face vanished in an instant—along with all their belongings—vanishing from sight. They stood alone in the hushed clearing.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdq0DVRCXii
From among the students, a burly lad stepped forward, positioning himself before the group.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjcEyPfQ3tF
«Well met, friends,» he announced. «I am Drekarön. Honored to make your acquaintance.»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsX1j6YvQXG
His gaze swept across them.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLHmr0S3DVA
«We’d do well to exchange names first…»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJmIICkCJv
A deliberate pause.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPbKbHu5ye
«…then set out for the academy.»
The others exchanged bewildered glances, eyes wide, until the ice between them thawed. One by one, they began introducing themselves.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyNkO240LlV
A towering bloodsucker with jet-black hair strode toward Arian—then froze mid-step. A creature blacker than night itself stared back at him.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6IlzcYkyz
«Shadwolf, step aside.» Arian’s clear voice pulled the wolf back as he approached the figure. «Greetings. You must be Maru, correct?»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5QCVSotqF
Maru’s grin split his face. «Oh, I’m thrilled you remember me, History’s Prodigy.»
«Y'know,» Arian remarked, eyeing Maru’s fangs, «those razor-sharp teeth don’t quite match the forced smile. But what can you do? Pleasure’s mine—call me Arian.»
Maru recoiled as if struck. «My apologies for the... instinctive display.» He took a deliberate step back, putting respectful distance between them. «No insult intended. When I encounter true power—» His hand extended in formal truce. «—it excites the blood.»
A cold smirk touched Arian’s lips. «And I for my harsh reaction.» His grip met Maru’s—296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4oYGvhGEQ
Icy. Unyielding.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxIvdmMRdX
The chill of their races’ ancient divide.
Meanwhile, Drekarön approached them with measured steps.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwNbtqpxjt
«Well now,» he boomed, throwing his arms over both Arian and Maru’s shoulders, wedging himself between them. «Seems two powers grew acquainted without me.»
Arian’s eyes narrowed. «Mind explaining why you’re so power-obsessed?» His voice sharpened, demanding answers.
«What kind of question is that?» Drekarön’s pupils dilated. «Isn’t power everything in this world?»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbk4DAIMfO5
He turned to Maru, «What say you? Don’t we all crave strength?»
Arian kept his eyes fixed on the emerald grass.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsAGxsPi734
«Here’s what’s strange: Yes, we pursue power…»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxyaqorFeG
His voice softened. «…but without weakness, how would we grow?»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTecgDBa1eC
A beat of silence.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5zcp5HzxvI
«Know this, Drekarön:296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlmavDgnUZ
It isn’t strength that reveals our greatness.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw505yKuhM7
It’s vulnerability.»
A glacial silence descended between the three—296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKa0w9HDQ5
Words frozen in throats.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccrWmWl6Ng
Understanding suspended.
«Ha!» Maru’s laugh cut through the tension. «Fascinating perspectives. Strange how you’re both right—yet truth bends to the eye of the beholder.»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakXxAtuunV
His gaze lingered on the boys before turning to the gathered students. «Move out. The academy awaits.»
Drekarön’s voice softened—a post-storm calm.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZEdGUsKBr
«I’ll admit, Arian… I like you.»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdULzwl7yM6
A contemplative pause. «Power crowned you at birth. That magnificent beast chose you.»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0m0Wcu4kAK
His eyes narrowed, not in challenge, but revelation.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9thQMPPDb
«Yet you hunt frailty, not strength.»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWJTeYM40I
He gestured toward the path, the dragonkin’s final words heavy as anvils:296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJuDUMY9aF
«Come. Dawn won’t wait.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRFurM6aUj
But remember:296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHbzzL1lJdZ
Strength still holds the final word.»
Minutes later, they stood at the forest's edge—where ancient trees clawed at the sky with gnarled branches, their moss-bearded trunks whispering of forgotten centuries.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi0GrmV6Nyt
Drekarön, now self-appointed leader of the first-years, addressed the thirty-strong group:296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhWh6FiIBWB
«Friends! With our numbers, there's no call for concern. We've strength to spare for this trial's challenges.»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfJsA6DcsP
As one, they surged forward—296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHlUftPjh7y
Sprinting into the dusky woods,296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpukr8nBIPd
hearts set on warm beds awaiting.
Hours bled away, yet the academy’s spires remained nowhere in sight. The wind’s whistle snaked through the trees, feeding their unease.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGS0R8MEaUh
«Hey, Drekarön!» A short-statured boy called out, the worn sword at his hip seeming less a weapon than an extension of his limbs. His chestnut hair danced in the breeze as he met the dragonkin’s weary eyes. «Why can’t we find the academy?»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEw5N8aBIg
Drekarön’s gaze tightened. «We should be west—as William said. But there’s nothing!» Frustration etched his face as he scanned the boy—Leo, whose blade moved like his own claws.»
«Back, Shadwolf?» Arian stroked his companion’s fur, fingers tracing the dense pelt.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJymLIBtcxT
«Yeah, Papa. Nothing.» The wolf’s ears flattened. «This forest… feels like the Amarona Wastes.»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOv9u9zba4F
«No. This is different.» Arian’s eyes lifted to the canopy—where branches wove a cage, denying the sky. «It’s a labyrinth.»
Then—296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfCi3bfXBd
Arian lunged at Drekarön.
The dragonkin recoiled. «What’s gotten into you?!» His voice sharpened. «Why accost me thus?»
«Aren’t you a dragon?» Arian’s eyes blazed with hope. «You’ve got mana—surely you can fly?»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYaMwUGmloW
His eagerness shattered as Drekarön mumbled, shoulders drooping:296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4aEer94lm2
«Well... I—I can’t. My wings never unfurled.» The dragonkin stared at the mud clinging to his boots. «Being our group’s sole dragonkin... means the flight plan failed. Sorry.»
Then—296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTcQ5NgP4W
Shadwolf’s voice pierced Arian’s weary mind like an alarm bell:296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBNqKbbTTy
«Papa! Leo’s gone!»
«What do you mean ‘gone’?!» Arian’s gaze darted frantically across the group. He began counting—once, twice—296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnypxWZ8eQc
Leo’s absence screamed back at him.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFy9AwuIxKC
«Everyone! Sound off—now! We’ve got a missing student!»
A deathly silence swallowed the forest.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVfRLjrfI7c
Not a rustle. Not a chirp.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzewh4W79L
As if every living thing held its breath.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTETrPxQl9h
Only the ragged gasps of his companions reached Arian’s ears—296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnW1Lfz8Cr
—until296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsuYlboUgaC
An ear-splitting shriek tore through the trees.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtY4gembHcX
Terror seized them all.
Maru’s eyes bulged, near-leaping from their sockets. «That scream—Laina’s! We move. Now.»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNbortTQnp
Flames roared to life in Drekarön’s fists—296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8eVzQGJNRx
Infernos hungry enough to devour the forest itself.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8xgc4q82n
«Fall in behind me! All of you!»
Arian’s boots dug into the trembling earth. «Shadwolf—ready!»296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWHYUX0yAIk
His fury roused the forest like a slumbering beast.296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZz0Weamb4D
And through the trees, William’s final warning echoed—296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzYHyL2Nm1
A ghostly taunt:296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmnd1aryIiQ
«Survive…296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzGt1kejOWg
…or perish.»
296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvWNZe09Ta
296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCKanxuNfQ
296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhhVc1BzYv
296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxOtKYM2n1
296Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6ci9oUNit
and then Add to home screen.