5. Academy

  The first day at the Sentinels Academy had arrived.

  Blake walked through the crowd of students with his head down. He had dressed so no one would recognize him.

  He was wearing the academy uniform. But over it, an extra hooded vest that covered nearly his entire face. And gloves. To hide the fingers with no nails.

  He approached a large board on the wall that displayed classroom information.

  'My classroom is 5-A.'

  He ran his eyes down the list.

  'Roxanne is in 3-A...'

  'We're separated. That's a good thing.'

  He stepped away and began moving through the hallways.

  Students were everywhere. Chatting. Laughing. Socializing.

  He checked the time on his phone.

  07:55

  Classes started in five minutes.

  'Looks like for most people socializing matters more than showing up early... Well. I guess there's nothing wrong with that. After all, it's the first day.'

  He finally reached classroom 5-A.

  He opened the door and looked inside.

  There were only a few students. Most of the seats were empty.

  'This is the perfect chance to grab a spot in the back.'

  He stepped in.

  Nobody paid him any attention. He was practically invisible.

  'It's working.'

  He sat down in the last row.

  He checked his phone one last time.

  08:00

  And then, minutes later, more students began to arrive. A group of girls took the seats right in front of him. Blake pulled his hood down a little further, covering his face as much as he could.

  Almost immediately, the teacher walked in.

  Everyone went silent instantly.

  The man strode to the front with firm, deliberate steps. Tall. Long-haired. With a severe expression. He smoothed his hair back and looked over the entire room.

  "Good morning, everyone. My name is Magnus Holloway," he said in an authoritative voice. "I will be your assigned tutor for magical spells throughout your entire first year at the academy."

  He paused deliberately, letting his words sink into every corner of the room.

  "I have no interest in learning your names. That is something I want to make clear from the very beginning." His tone was cutting. "If I'm going to bother memorizing names, I want them to belong to people who are worth it. Is that understood...?"

  An uncomfortable silence stretched across the room. No one dared to respond.

  "I despise mediocrity. My job is to sharpen those who stand out — not to lift the mediocre to a passing level." He crossed his arms. "And I suspect there's far too much of the latter in this room."

  A student raised her hand timidly.

  "Yes?" The professor pointed at her.

  "I find it rather inconsiderate to make such a hasty judgment..." she said, her voice trembling. "You should consider that there may be many people here who are fragile and could feel hurt by comments like that."

  Magnus stared at her.

  "Fragility?"

  He walked over to the chalkboard and slammed it with force.

  Bang.

  "It's that kind of nonsense that keeps making each generation of sentinels weaker than the last!" His voice thundered through the room. "You came here to become protectors of humanity — not to go through psychological therapy!"

  He smoothed his hair back again.

  "But what can I expect from this academy anymore... Think about it. Any idiot can pass that wretched exam! It has absolutely no difficulty! Why do they specifically send students into gray-level fissures? That's not even one percent of how truly lethal the underworld actually is!"

  He took a deep breath.

  "But anyway... Let's not get sidetracked." He walked back to the front. "Since it's the first day, I think it's a fitting way to start — by seeing just how disappointing this year's 5-A students really are."

  He looked over the room again.

  "So... any volunteers?"

  No one raised their hand.

  And then the door swung open.

  "Excuse me. I'm late."

  A boy walked into the classroom with hurried but composed steps.

  Everyone turned to look at him.

  Murmurs erupted instantly — a collective wave of startled recognition.

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  Blake watched everyone's reaction with growing confusion.

  'I have absolutely no idea who he is, but everyone seems to know him...'

  "Stop right there."

  The professor halted him, making the boy turn around.

  "Late on the first day?" Magnus pointed at him. "If it happens again, I won't let you in. Responsibility is a fundamental quality every sentinel must have."

  "Yes... I apologize. I promise it won't happen again."

  "Go sit down."

  The boy began climbing the stairs, looking for an available seat.

  "Hey, Taria..." One of the girls in front of Blake whispered to her friend. "Who is that guy? Why can't anyone stop staring at him?"

  "What?! Seriously?! How do you not know who he is?!"

  "Hey... Don't talk to me like that just because I don't know..."

  Taria leaned in to whisper lower. "That's Noah Hartgrave. Vincent Hartgrave's son."

  Her friend's eyes went wide immediately. "No way! Is that really him?!"

  Taria just nodded.

  Blake clenched his fists the moment that conversation ended.

  'Vincent Hartgrave...?'

  The name echoed through his mind.

  'I remember him. He was ranked among the ten strongest using arcane magic alone. That made him an icon. He was deeply respected. And on top of that, he founded the guild Iron Saints — one of the five most important guilds in Eldralid...'

  'Just like Eternal Blades, the guild my father leads.'

  'But one day... they were all mysteriously killed. The news shook all of Eldralid to its core. It destroyed the guild completely. Nothing was left but ashes of what it had once been.'

  'Leaving only one member behind...'

  He watched the boy still making his way up.

  'I never imagined he was his son. In fact, I thought he'd never had one...'

  A girl stepped into Noah's path, smiling up at him.

  "Hey! Do you want to sit with us?"

  Noah looked at her and smiled politely — a courteous but distant smile. "Thanks, but I'm fine."

  And he kept walking.

  He passed a group of boys.

  "I don't get what everyone sees in him..." one of them muttered, just loud enough to be heard. "He's just a weakling. Nothing special."

  "That's not true..." another replied. "He's the idol of the weak. That alone makes him special."

  "If he's the idol of the weak, then he must be doubly weak himself... right?"

  Both of them started laughing — mockery barely held in check.

  Noah turned his head slightly to look at them, his eyes meeting theirs for just a moment.

  But he said nothing. He simply kept walking, his expression unchanged.

  "Hey!" The professor's voice sliced through the laughter. "If you're making comments like that, you must be remarkably strong — right?"

  One of the boys stood up with exaggerated confidence. "Of course! I'm none other than—"

  "I don't care." Magnus cut him off without the slightest courtesy. "Just come down here and show me what you've got."

  The boy looked visibly offended. But he descended to the front with quick steps, trying to hold on to whatever dignity he had left.

  Meanwhile, Noah was apparently heading for a seat in the last row.

  Blake felt a wave of panic.

  The only thing he hoped for was that he wouldn't sit anywhere near him.

  And as luck would have it — he did.

  Noah sat down just two seats away.

  There was direct eye contact between the two of them.

  From beneath the hood, Noah could see his face.

  'Damn...'

  Blake waited for some kind of reaction.

  But Noah didn't seem to care in the slightest. He simply settled into his seat.

  'Is he ignoring me...? I guess that works in my favor...'

  At the front of the room, the boy approached the professor.

  Magnus extended his hand with his fingers spread open.

  "Spiritus Ignis."

  A flame erupted from his palm. Everyone shielded their eyes against the blinding brightness that flooded the room.

  And when they looked again...

  He had created what appeared to be an enormous creature made entirely of fire. Still. With a humanoid form, but distorted.

  'This is the first time I've ever seen a spirit.'

  "I want you to throw your best spell at my fire spirit." Magnus pointed at the creature. "Now."

  The boy stared at the spirit.

  It was intimidating. Even motionless, its very presence radiated raw power.

  "Sure..." The boy swallowed. "Although maybe my attack won't be that powerful since I don't have my weapon with me..."

  "I cannot believe what I just heard." Magnus looked at him with absolute contempt. "A sentinel who depends on his weapon to fight is the single greatest example of mediocrity that exists. Are you going to tell a monster that attacks you to hold on while you go find your weapon?"

  A pause loaded with judgment.

  "What a fool. Sit down."

  The boy's anger flared.

  "Don't talk to me like that! You have no idea who you're dealing with!"

  "And I don't care." Magnus snapped his fingers and the spirit vanished. "Sit down before I throw you out of my classroom."

  "What?!" The boy clenched his fists. "I carry the Zharun rune! I'm possibly the most powerful person in this room compared to all the garbage here that only uses arcane magic! And you treat me like this?! That is completely unacceptable!"

  The professor took a step toward him.

  "Do you want to see me angry?" His voice dropped dangerously low. "I said sit down."

  The boy hesitated.

  And finally obeyed, returning to his seat without another word.

  On his way back up, his eyes landed on something.

  On Blake.

  Blake felt the stare.

  "Hey, you!" The professor pointed directly at him. "Take that hood off right now! That is not allowed in my classroom!"

  Blake froze.

  "Didn't you hear me?! I said take it off!"

  Everyone turned to look at him.

  With trembling hands, he slowly pulled the hood down.

  His face was exposed.

  Murmurs exploded instantly.

  "I told you he was in this class... I saw his name on the list and you didn't believe me."

  The professor narrowed his eyes with genuine interest.

  "You... You're Victor's son... aren't you?"

  Blake looked down. "Yes... That's me."

  Magnus studied him in silence for a moment.

  "Blake... That's your name, isn't it?"

  "That's right."

  "I memorized it because everyone wouldn't stop talking about what happened in that anomalous fissure." He crossed his arms. "Undoubtedly an incredible feat... I can't deny that. Being the only survivor of something like that says a great deal about you."

  A pause.

  "You know... Under any other circumstances, I'd be furious about a student wearing a hood in my class. But seeing as it's you, I can understand it. You want to avoid being stared at and all that." He gave a slight nod. "However, don't let it happen again from this point forward. Understood?"

  Blake swallowed. "Yes, Professor."

  "Excellent." Magnus smiled faintly. "Now come down here and show us what you're capable of. I want to see how strong you are. Though I already think quite highly of you after surviving that."

  His heart stopped.

  "I..." He started to sweat. "I don't... I don't feel confident enough..."

  "That's alright, I understand." The professor kept his tone gentle. "I know it's the first day and it can be a little nerve-racking. But I'm sure everyone here is eager to see your power."

  "No, really, I—"

  "Blake." The tone shifted. "Come down here. I said so."

  An absolute silence fell over the room.

  "I've already been very kind to you. And I won't go easy on you just because of who you are."

  The murmurs grew louder.

  "What's wrong with him...?"

  "Why doesn't he want to do it?"

  "Maybe he's shy. Remember what happened at the ceremony..."

  'I have to find a way to buy some time and get myself out of this situation by whatever means necessary...'

  "Can I... can I go to the bathroom first?"

  "What?!" Magnus stared at him in disbelief. "Are you serious?! Right now?! You can't hold it?!"

  "Please... It's urgent."

  The professor exhaled sharply with frustration.

  "Fine. But no more than five minutes. And you better come back."

  Blake stood up immediately and descended the stairs with quick steps.

  Every pair of eyes followed him until he disappeared through the door.

  ***

  He reached the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

  He leaned against the sink, breathing hard.

  "What do I do now?! How do I get out of this?! At this rate they're going to find out everything!"

  His reflection in the mirror stared back at him. Pale. Sweating. Terrified.

  "I can't think of anything..."

  Ding. Ding

  A sharp ringing sound detonated inside his head.

  "AGH!"

  The pain was instant. Like something was drilling straight through his brain.

  'That same sound... It's the same one I heard when that message appeared...'

  He slowly raised his gaze.

  And there it was.

  Floating before him.

  The red window.

  [Hello, Servant! You have a new quota!]

  "No..." He stumbled backward. "This has to be some kind of sick joke..."

  His back slammed against one of the bathroom stall doors.

  "Why again?!"

  His scream echoed through the empty bathroom.