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.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSEyOpMPcR
William's gaze swept across each face, offering every top-ranked candidate a measured smile.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WvXfnjcoS
«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?»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKr8RwnGkw
William’s voice cut through the tension:298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GHynXRvQX
«Set your worries aside. The academy lies deep within the western woods—follow this path from the capital, and you’ll find it.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfui0V17Oxi
He gave a curt nod. «I take my leave now, and wish you all success.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZFZGfFxjf
A pause, then a blade-sharp warning:298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwEGbgqhYb
«Stay focused. Lose focus, and your odds of survival dwindle.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGRuYA75e4
His cloak swirled as he turned.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq083eudKgd
«Farewell.»
William’s smiling face vanished in an instant—along with all their belongings—vanishing from sight. They stood alone in the hushed clearing.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1rBrMcJ21r
From among the students, a burly lad stepped forward, positioning himself before the group.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlYPdlxLEE
«Well met, friends,» he announced. «I am Drekarön. Honored to make your acquaintance.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV943hoRNca
His gaze swept across them.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rh7TvwfbY
«We’d do well to exchange names first…»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWVYT40wuH
A deliberate pause.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMsGws6Cpvj
«…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.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡce8bh40WeO
A towering bloodsucker with jet-black hair strode toward Arian—then froze mid-step. A creature blacker than night itself stared back at him.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4URJRC0Y1d
«Shadwolf, step aside.» Arian’s clear voice pulled the wolf back as he approached the figure. «Greetings. You must be Maru, correct?»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wW1ThJwei
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—298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgJzKS5bYq
Icy. Unyielding.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPEgWFwlmF5
The chill of their races’ ancient divide.
Meanwhile, Drekarön approached them with measured steps.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡozLdB2hfhZ
«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?»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHM1aWVHKag
He turned to Maru, «What say you? Don’t we all crave strength?»
Arian kept his eyes fixed on the emerald grass.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs97FMqNUhH
«Here’s what’s strange: Yes, we pursue power…»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4FxjcrovX
His voice softened. «…but without weakness, how would we grow?»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMqZYy52IQ
A beat of silence.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgTJ4f77jH
«Know this, Drekarön:298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjBEquASvi
It isn’t strength that reveals our greatness.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHNbMQxdSf
It’s vulnerability.»
A glacial silence descended between the three—298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRC2zsXrVL
Words frozen in throats.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMq3eI35FV7
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.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa4CBZZRiJZ
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.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5NzwcH6ob
«I’ll admit, Arian… I like you.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDd2YD85K1q
A contemplative pause. «Power crowned you at birth. That magnificent beast chose you.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0PH6GTOvX2
His eyes narrowed, not in challenge, but revelation.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaX6PxxZGmS
«Yet you hunt frailty, not strength.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcutZOxtAIn
He gestured toward the path, the dragonkin’s final words heavy as anvils:298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCB0aiOFAF
«Come. Dawn won’t wait.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ47Q0aFM8e
But remember:298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnyCrdrQDDZ
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.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wYiGotFeW
Drekarön, now self-appointed leader of the first-years, addressed the thirty-strong group:298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAx51eDBZYM
«Friends! With our numbers, there's no call for concern. We've strength to spare for this trial's challenges.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTHi30C4g0
As one, they surged forward—298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OsHUi9iLY
Sprinting into the dusky woods,298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWMGWBcHE8
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.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5eJBemMM5C
«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?»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwW6ozQURd9
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.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHU9X8RoPVk
«Yeah, Papa. Nothing.» The wolf’s ears flattened. «This forest… feels like the Amarona Wastes.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDbHMe8Ye3
«No. This is different.» Arian’s eyes lifted to the canopy—where branches wove a cage, denying the sky. «It’s a labyrinth.»
Then—298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFD6mn4xWEC
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?»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ1AHCadlT9
His eagerness shattered as Drekarön mumbled, shoulders drooping:298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGeBemAazXq
«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—298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6P4Xd2y5qe
Shadwolf’s voice pierced Arian’s weary mind like an alarm bell:298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNRd44XYN27
«Papa! Leo’s gone!»
«What do you mean ‘gone’?!» Arian’s gaze darted frantically across the group. He began counting—once, twice—298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqzEMlxxrJ
Leo’s absence screamed back at him.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWOoTKoehyD
«Everyone! Sound off—now! We’ve got a missing student!»
A deathly silence swallowed the forest.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJ6ujrQLiz
Not a rustle. Not a chirp.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4tFWVIdfV
As if every living thing held its breath.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlnaX4UIrJ
Only the ragged gasps of his companions reached Arian’s ears—298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ZBsYIvJuu
—until298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPiX2gS2Ct
An ear-splitting shriek tore through the trees.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4dOuRZJcZ
Terror seized them all.
Maru’s eyes bulged, near-leaping from their sockets. «That scream—Laina’s! We move. Now.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFsGy8yuICF
Flames roared to life in Drekarön’s fists—298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVe8D5MNtLi
Infernos hungry enough to devour the forest itself.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLHsIDqCAhs
«Fall in behind me! All of you!»
Arian’s boots dug into the trembling earth. «Shadwolf—ready!»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Bi7CHAr5k
His fury roused the forest like a slumbering beast.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡru20z4sVr9
And through the trees, William’s final warning echoed—298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVRalZTzw6z
A ghostly taunt:298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCmtjrj4sn
«Survive…298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWPWEBx4uy
…or perish.»
298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzS1RT0i4S
298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXw9ouMOKjF
298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XfxLdQ7HO
298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj90t2aGJii
298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnwqMhg6Zl
and then Add to home screen.