Chapter 3

         Lion, the teacher, Ms. Fox and the others former students were standing in front of a huge door. It was around 10 meters tall and gave off a sturdy yet magnificent feeling. Behind it stood a huge facility composed of a dozen buildings and a great castle at the center. It was the Royal Academy of Swordhold. Rumored the best academy of the whole Continent, it nurtured most of the most outstanding heroes and politicians of the last centuries. The Academy was renowned for its powerful and quick-witted teachers and their students carefully selected.

         Krone muttered with the same airheaded face she always had. “It’s been already 10 years since all of this began, huh…” The other otherworlders heard her and agreed.

         Farah added: “I hope those two lovebirds are doing well, we haven’t had the occasion to meet them.” Everyone nodded again while the door wings then opened and the little group took its first step toward the seven years of studying and training that awaited them.

*****

         A cell illuminated by a dim red light. A body hanging shackled to an odd looking pentagram. It is covered in scars, some ancient, and some fresh with blood. Red, black and white mana is flowing out of him, frantically absorbed by the magic circle. Unable to stay awake because of his lack of mana, his soul falls again in deep slumber, swallowing its anger.

*****

                   Two years had passed and today, Mr. Palareff, an outstanding archmage as well as an excellent magic theory teacher brought a new subject to their studies.

         “You all have now learned and experimented enough about magic to allow me to introduce to you this little friend.” With a smile, he showed a crystallized red stone, the size of a fist. The students opened their eyes wide with curiosity. “You all know that magic is scarce in this harsh world, except for some gifted beings, it is impossible to fire random powerful magic without considering their huge mana consumption.” He readjusted his glasses. “This, is a mana stone. Whether they are extracted from dead monsters of forming naturally over time in the wilderness, they are the most cherished friend of any battle mage. You can absorb the mana that fills them to the brim and thus cast more spells and support your colleagues fighters.” All students were leaning forward, paying all their attention to the explications.

         The face of the teacher grew darker. “Because of their usefulness and their price, a lot of not so honest merchants and of course the black market found more or less efficient ways to extract mana from living beings. So I warn you. If you don’t want to indirectly contribute to the woe of some poor illegally owned slave, don’t buy the cheap ones.” The classroom was assailed by a dead silence. Mr. Palareff continued with cough. “Anyway, today I’m here to give you your first stones and quickly show you how to absorb their power. Well, it’s probably the easiest thing you had to do ‘till now aside from writing your names in your exams copies.” He smiled wryly. “Ah! And one last thing. The red ones are from monsters while the blue are from the wilderness. The purity of the stone indicates its power and if you ever stumble upon a white or black one, it’s from one of the humanoid slaves that I mentioned earlier.”

         He then handed to each of the 35 top notch students a little bag filled with tiny but powerful mana stones.

         When Farah got her share, she opened the pouch without hesitation and used her gift Appraisal Lord on all of the translucent looking crystals inside. One of them caught her attention. Slightly bigger than the others, its appearance was a mix of different colors. Black, red and a filthy looking white intertwined each other, giving off an oppressive air and its surface was rougher, more aggressive than the others. But more importantly, its energy kind of reminded her, albeit way stronger, of the one she felt from the child at the appraisal ceremony. She felt oddly nostalgic and decided to conserve it even after it was emptied.

*****

         Farah and his group of friends as well as Yukina and Kyle were strolling in the city. It was a sunny Sunday and they were taking some good time during the summer break. Tall buildings were surrounding them.

         Suddenly reminded that the evening was coming with giant footsteps, they hurried back to the point where they agreed to meet with Lion, Lyann and Logan. They were late so they chose to increase their pace by taking some back-alley, being confident in the fact that a group of four girls and one guy wouldn’t be harassed by some old fashioned band of thugs.

         “Dat’s some pretty girls ya have there!” Well, they were wrong. Three guy, perfect clichés of your ol’ good city scum, addressed them. Without particularly minding them, the little group continued its route without slowing down its pace.

         “Oy brat, don’t ya dare ignore us! Ya can share with us ya know. Spoiled brats are really pissing me!” The group tensed up and Kyle stopped and looked behind his shoulder.

         “There is no need to insult my comrades you know?” “Bah, they are just bitches that you hired! Gimme dat one and my buddies and myself will not beat you to shit.” The thug spitted that and pointed in direction of Yukina, his fellows laughing.

         Kyle squinted his eyes but replied nothing and urged the others to leave now. He really wanted to beat them but he knew that these feelings that he had the rare times he fought were sweetly dangerous and he wanted to avoid them by taking a non-violent stance.

         One of the men grabbed the wrist of Yukina and started to drag her. “Let her go.” Kyle groaned, quickly losing his cool headedness. Her instinct told Farah that something big was happening and she backed a few steps away with Krone and Celes.

         “Let her fucking GO!” Finally losing his calm, Kyle ran back and punched in the stomach as hard as he could the guy that held Yukina. The poor guy fell on his butt, desperately struggling to catch his breath. Kyle never took martial arts lessons or anything else that prepares for combat but he somehow knew how to hit, and badly. The one that called them earlier and looked like the leader grabbed some knife before rushing at Kyle. The later launched a devastating kick in the nuts of the leader that collapsed with a disgusting wet sound. Kyle took the knife in a reverse grip and took a fighting stance, desperately trying to not shoving it in the innards of the man writhing in pain.

         Feeling that the tables were somehow turned against them, the bunch of thug fled how they could. They felt that they poked at a monster that shouldn’t have been awaken.

         Lost in his anger, his sight was blurred by a fictive blood, Kyle was frantically trying to control himself. Then he felt a soft hand that laid on his shoulder and calmed down. After looking at who it was, he saw Yukina. She smiled at him so brightly that it seemed that all the stars were in her face and said: “Thank you.”

*****

Teeth clenched tightly more by habit than real need to hold back the pain.

         ‘Do you want to go back to this blessed time?” A low rumbling voice echoed.

         “… I… can’t.”

         And slumber engulfed him back.