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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQPxFEUv8b
William's gaze swept across each face, offering every top-ranked candidate a measured smile.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkGxzE69Oq
«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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡayFSB7WKTT
William’s voice cut through the tension:298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDHLMndYXud
«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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OP6hidbxy
He gave a curt nod. «I take my leave now, and wish you all success.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTQ4lXUTbt
A pause, then a blade-sharp warning:298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5qENIySuS
«Stay focused. Lose focus, and your odds of survival dwindle.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdv9ZQPlgxR
His cloak swirled as he turned.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mNWGe78wE
«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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJ9ojVHOuR
From among the students, a burly lad stepped forward, positioning himself before the group.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Emgxx1xSI
«Well met, friends,» he announced. «I am Drekarön. Honored to make your acquaintance.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe188bzCGKa
His gaze swept across them.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0THgWE5Zp
«We’d do well to exchange names first…»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jLksd0IZd
A deliberate pause.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFsXQfph6cv
«…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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98BVTvxJPo
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3BoQco9M9i
«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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7OkaPQmib
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGePt38rSRW
Icy. Unyielding.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFklVnsTu3m
The chill of their races’ ancient divide.
Meanwhile, Drekarön approached them with measured steps.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVcnayHuOJc
«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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnuf7N6YVCi
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqo7XlM7ecj
«Here’s what’s strange: Yes, we pursue power…»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUAdIFfpID
His voice softened. «…but without weakness, how would we grow?»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQpmMW3Y3ed
A beat of silence.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFxdq3vkT8G
«Know this, Drekarön:298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjst53qIHh
It isn’t strength that reveals our greatness.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFnmTTikSx
It’s vulnerability.»
A glacial silence descended between the three—298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDE2emotdH
Words frozen in throats.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFsLAz3Cs4
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4w8Y2He6P
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZo18ODDOfB
«I’ll admit, Arian… I like you.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1STQmArTep
A contemplative pause. «Power crowned you at birth. That magnificent beast chose you.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhNkxDFVZY
His eyes narrowed, not in challenge, but revelation.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9K1z8rkpGJ
«Yet you hunt frailty, not strength.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqcPJc9ZlZ
He gestured toward the path, the dragonkin’s final words heavy as anvils:298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxIG69otyg
«Come. Dawn won’t wait.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IFbSmIrFS
But remember:298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9tA9zxSrYz
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTqtcogE9R
Drekarön, now self-appointed leader of the first-years, addressed the thirty-strong group:298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvIgkF1BWp
«Friends! With our numbers, there's no call for concern. We've strength to spare for this trial's challenges.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ICKpiKupP
As one, they surged forward—298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmYpqN0VDCo
Sprinting into the dusky woods,298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMsTfm3GxT
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1Qs2pMBWT
«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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNV2jNVaAMt
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhh4KsR6a1Y
«Yeah, Papa. Nothing.» The wolf’s ears flattened. «This forest… feels like the Amarona Wastes.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4mlCpCOov
«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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ99KFjFmktO
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8lLofJPNhL
His eagerness shattered as Drekarön mumbled, shoulders drooping:298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPAIK8TjSq
«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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJqRPXkJ70
Shadwolf’s voice pierced Arian’s weary mind like an alarm bell:298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQW8mnUK16q
«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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wINlQe1TR
Leo’s absence screamed back at him.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2k8FRGtizy
«Everyone! Sound off—now! We’ve got a missing student!»
A deathly silence swallowed the forest.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAbV316xTQ
Not a rustle. Not a chirp.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGaur05l5cK
As if every living thing held its breath.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLmwyYlQvI
Only the ragged gasps of his companions reached Arian’s ears—298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSFsDXf9qO
—until298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtYySIbpHTm
An ear-splitting shriek tore through the trees.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17Fm3imKCk
Terror seized them all.
Maru’s eyes bulged, near-leaping from their sockets. «That scream—Laina’s! We move. Now.»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjkuZYyYrMm
Flames roared to life in Drekarön’s fists—298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ilOCtLCSt
Infernos hungry enough to devour the forest itself.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSs4f88dI0
«Fall in behind me! All of you!»
Arian’s boots dug into the trembling earth. «Shadwolf—ready!»298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPFncbus2c
His fury roused the forest like a slumbering beast.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWMvYBB9Sz
And through the trees, William’s final warning echoed—298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaU9Hh2duGo
A ghostly taunt:298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNrD8XqzAZ
«Survive…298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDt05ZgVSlk
…or perish.»
298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnGdgR9r8q
298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOY7eEsTqtE
298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQeJWoIn7G
298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMxSNy7vyX
298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdeX5IeJc6
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