Chapter 16:
The Heir of Truth
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.»
William's gaze swept across each face, offering every top-ranked candidate a measured smile.
«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?»
William’s voice cut through the tension:
«Set your worries aside. The academy lies deep within the western woods—follow this path from the capital, and you’ll find it.»
He gave a curt nod. «I take my leave now, and wish you all success.»
A pause, then a blade-sharp warning:
«Stay focused. Lose focus, and your odds of survival dwindle.»
His cloak swirled as he turned.
«Farewell.»
William’s smiling face vanished in an instant—along with all their belongings—vanishing from sight. They stood alone in the hushed clearing.
From among the students, a burly lad stepped forward, positioning himself before the group.
«Well met, friends,» he announced. «I am Drekarön. Honored to make your acquaintance.»
His gaze swept across them.
«We’d do well to exchange names first…»
A deliberate pause.
«…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.
A towering bloodsucker with jet-black hair strode toward Arian—then froze mid-step. A creature blacker than night itself stared back at him.
«Shadwolf, step aside.» Arian’s clear voice pulled the wolf back as he approached the figure. «Greetings. You must be Maru, correct?»
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—
Icy. Unyielding.
The chill of their races’ ancient divide.
Meanwhile, Drekarön approached them with measured steps.
«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?»
He turned to Maru, «What say you? Don’t we all crave strength?»
Arian kept his eyes fixed on the emerald grass.
«Here’s what’s strange: Yes, we pursue power…»
His voice softened. «…but without weakness, how would we grow?»
A beat of silence.
«Know this, Drekarön:
It isn’t strength that reveals our greatness.
It’s vulnerability.»
A glacial silence descended between the three—
Words frozen in throats.
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.»
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.
«I’ll admit, Arian… I like you.»
A contemplative pause. «Power crowned you at birth. That magnificent beast chose you.»
His eyes narrowed, not in challenge, but revelation.
«Yet you hunt frailty, not strength.»
He gestured toward the path, the dragonkin’s final words heavy as anvils:
«Come. Dawn won’t wait.
But remember:
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.
Drekarön, now self-appointed leader of the first-years, addressed the thirty-strong group:
«Friends! With our numbers, there's no call for concern. We've strength to spare for this trial's challenges.»
As one, they surged forward—
Sprinting into the dusky woods,
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.
«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?»
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.
«Yeah, Papa. Nothing.» The wolf’s ears flattened. «This forest… feels like the Amarona Wastes.»
«No. This is different.» Arian’s eyes lifted to the canopy—where branches wove a cage, denying the sky. «It’s a labyrinth.»
Then—
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?»
His eagerness shattered as Drekarön mumbled, shoulders drooping:
«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—
Shadwolf’s voice pierced Arian’s weary mind like an alarm bell:
«Papa! Leo’s gone!»
«What do you mean ‘gone’?!» Arian’s gaze darted frantically across the group. He began counting—once, twice—
Leo’s absence screamed back at him.
«Everyone! Sound off—now! We’ve got a missing student!»
A deathly silence swallowed the forest.
Not a rustle. Not a chirp.
As if every living thing held its breath.
Only the ragged gasps of his companions reached Arian’s ears—
—until
An ear-splitting shriek tore through the trees.
Terror seized them all.
Maru’s eyes bulged, near-leaping from their sockets. «That scream—Laina’s! We move. Now.»
Flames roared to life in Drekarön’s fists—
Infernos hungry enough to devour the forest itself.
«Fall in behind me! All of you!»
Arian’s boots dug into the trembling earth. «Shadwolf—ready!»
His fury roused the forest like a slumbering beast.
And through the trees, William’s final warning echoed—
A ghostly taunt:
«Survive…
…or perish.»
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