In the world of Kieran there were many small independent cities and many nations, divided by oceans and vast jungles.

Despite the existence of these many countries, there only stood two great empires. 

One was called Qeo, the other one was called Xal.

They were by far the only countries deserving of the name ‘empire.’ 

Their lands stretched from one ocean to the other and their population was in the millions.

The two empires directly bordered each other and had always been in stark contrast.

Qeo was considered the motherland of freedom, visited by travelers and migrants from anywhere, along with people of any social class, from nobles to commoners, who appreciated its exceptional economy and most people living there were well off.

Other than that, their ruler at the time, Agar IV, had been intent on building universities and industries. The system offered the possibility to work and study to anyone who was willing to. 

The most remembered features of the Empire, though, were their swordsmen and horsemen. 

They were considered to be able to fight against any magic and not be inferior to it.

On the other hand, Xal was the motherland of virtue and duty.

Under the command of a strong Empress, Anastasia I, its power was based on its military force, magic schools and the hard work of every single citizen.

There were just a few visitors and new arrivals but riches and industries of any kind prospered, other than the development of unique and fundamental arts.

From a political point of view, though, there had always been great control over public opinion, from nobles to commoners.

Specifically, though, the Empire of Xal was remembered for its magic.

 

All the best mages came from there, with great fame all over the globe.

But the two Empires both had a thorn in their side: war with each other.

It was normal that two countries of this size, successful and bordering each other, would have to fight one another. 

In reality, war between the two empires was nothing new. It had been two hundred years since the beginning of the armed conflict between Qeo and Xal, which had gone on with different luck, until the two sides reached a stall position which was meant to last.

That, at least, was before the peace treaty. Based on the joint decisions of the reignants of Qeo and Xal, for the first time in over twenty decades it was finally agreed to look for peace.

It was the Emperor Agar IV to ask first, without even telling his people about it. After all, everyone would’ve been happy.

Empress Anastasia was content. This was not a war with huge numbers of soldiers at the borders anymore, one that could’ve guaranteed gains for her glorious country.

It had shifted into a position where a sustainable number of archers and mages were watching over the enemy border, without any real battle, for the past thirty years or so.

To guarantee that peace was kept in the future, it was sealed by the construction of something innovative.

Agar IV didn’t want his siblings or grandsons to lose their mind and their people in an useless war.

The goal was to create an Academy.

A school that was never heard of, which stood at the border between Qeo and Xal, perfectly divided between the two nations. 

Its goal would have been to teach a way that could unite the nobles and the entirety of high society.

If future political officials became friends at a young age, that would guarantee a future collaboration between them, even if they came from opposing countries, even if they came from the two enemy Empires.

When Anastasia accepted the proposal, the Emperor wasn’t the only person who was happy about it; the entire population of Qeo cried out in approval for the newfound stability Agar’s reign had brought. 

There was only one issue.

Agar had a son, a very loved son, that would become the Emperor after his death.

His name as Emperor would’ve been Kaios II, but as a prince he was remembered as Kaios. 

He was a young man with faded blonde and bobbed long hair, a gentle and distant face, other than a brilliant intelligence and a tendency to think rationally and logically.

But how could his sweet son be protected from assassins in a school where half of the students come from Xal, with all the bad blood running between the two empires? How could he know if his son was safe?

Agar knew that Anastasia had a daughter as well. She was the same age as the prince, her name was Sofia. 

Nobody from the Qeo Empire had ever seen her, but she had become a matter of frequent chatter and rumors since the decision to build the Academy.

She would have become Empress after the death of her mother. But what kind of person was she? It was hard to say with how little everyone knew.

Some people from the commoners believed she was a terrifying monster, a person with human characteristics who hid inside herself the power of a demon, while some other commoners believed she was an angel due to her beauty. 

Agar thought those were both inferences, good or evil, caused by the lack of knowledge.

It was clear to Agar that Empress Anastasia was protecting her daughter from the outside world. 

Doing so was common for the foreigners of Xal. So, as Agar thought, what was wrong with applying the same theory?

Since he assumed there were going to be secret agents from the enemy Empire to protect the Princess, he wanted secret agents for the Prince too.

If both of the heirs were going to attend the Academy, which was confirmed by that point, it shouldn’t have been a problem.

So, he was not afraid or didn’t feel guilty calling by the most important secret agent of his nation, a boy that was even younger than the prince, but that the Emperor thought could definitely be trusted.

This boy was only sixteen, but had shown to be a prodigy in both magic and fighting.

He didn’t have any interest in politics and he was thought to be an orphan, as no one was there with him when he was found.

There was no plausible reason for him to betray the crown; after all, he had joined them when he was only eight. There was no sort of sympathy towards any political faction from his side.

Agent 1 — that was how they called him — was for this reason a perfect choice for the mission.

Agar was over sixty years old by then, but he still believed to have a good enough memory to describe the Agent’s personality in great detail, based on their previous experiences.

Agent 1 was a trustable person with a creative mind that could solve problems, but that didn’t ask questions despite his curiosity. He wouldn’t criticize anything, even if he clearly disliked it and he always listened.

He was also a person that could have a secret identity between the students due to his young age, without being as recognizable as a professor who’s also a secret agent.

He had only one flaw in Agar’s mind: what he would not ask, he would look for. The same boy who had never visited the Empire’s biggest library listened intently to all that a random mage on the street had to say.

This was something that the Emperor never really understood: he thought the boy was just disinterested, but that didn’t reason with his behavior sometimes.

This often made the Emperor himself believe that the Agent didn’t trust the crown at all for answers, but the Agent could surely be trusted. In just eight years, he had proven that.

 

So, while no one from Xal or Qeo had any knowledge of it, the young man was called to the royal court by the Emperor.

Soon somebody entered the room. He was wearing simple clothes and a hood of his liking, but Agar still recognized him without any issue. His face was still extremely similar to that of a puppy.

 

“Have I been called, my majesty?” He asked with a low tone of voice and a calm voice, almost ironic, as if he didn’t believe it. He had by then walked to the piramidal throne of the Qeo Emperor, who was in the secret room of his own private building in the capital of the country.

 

“Yes, I needed you.” Simply answered with honesty the man that had a long white beard and sat where the red drapes which decorated the floor of the room converged, creating concentric circles. 

 

“I need you to infiltrate the most prestigious school ever built by man. It will soon be completed, and your duty will be to make sure that my preferred son doesn’t even break a nail.” The Emperor explained clearly, saying only what was sufficient.

 

“It will be done, sir. Is there anything more I need to know?” Agent 1 asked.

 

In reality, Agent 1, whose name was Alas, had never really seen the prince’s face in person. He still knew how the man looked, just like any commoner, along with the words they said about him, but he couldn’t help but wonder if those rumors were true.

 

But the king didn’t seem to understand his question, or maybe he didn’t want to answer.

 

“Try not to kill anyone, if possible. Even enemies, they should survive. Keeping them alive will cause way less scandal in any sense. I’m sure there’ll also be secret agents from Xal.” 

 

Alas nodded.

 

“Also, you should be careful about the populist movements. Remember that you’re going there with the identity of a noble, so you should try to empathize the least you can. At maximum, if you want, you’ll be able to attend their secret meetings.” Agar said, knowing that his Agent would probably go despite his clear disinterest towards politics.

 

“Still, you should let me know by all means if anything of note is said by them. If it’s just an insult to me, I’d rather you don’t let me know, though…” The Emperor tried to crack a joke at the end and just caught a faint smile from his youngest agent, which was probably just forced.

 

Of course, Agar thought his words had amused Alas greatly.

 

The Agent’s face, as one may realize on sight, was very precious, similar to that of a small animal; along with his short height, that was his main characteristic. His big green eyes didn’t represent at all his efficiency at killing in any situation, nor did his small physique and his timid behavior. 

 

He didn’t have the personality, nor the look to be something so dark.

 

Still, the Emperor never say that Agent 1 was a good person. 

 

Rather than being evil for the sake of it and finding pleasure in killing and torturing, something he was now very accustomed to because of the odd nature of most of his secret agents, Alas seemed to be just neutral.

 

Just as if he didn’t treasure anything.

 

Qeo was also the land of ideals.

 

The Emperor, just like the Prince, just like anyone, treasured progress, freedom, good.

 

Even Xal had its ideals, even if Agar clearly found them repellent: power, strength, willpower, the idea of a Great God in the sky.

 

But Agar believed that there was no idea of progress in the kid’s mind when he worked, just as there was no idea of God, no idea of good and evil. 

 

He had met those ideas — that was for sure — but he seemed not to be influenced. His only defining personality trait was sarcasm. Nothing was taken seriously.

 

The king, a firm believer of strong morality and a compassionate man by heart, never harbored good feelings towards Alas, he never tried to be anything like a father to him for this reason. But he couldn’t deny that he was useful.

 

That same face which had moved before to smile now showed a completely expressionless gaze as Agent 1 answered calmly: “On duty.”

 

But that was enough.