"Liam! Over here!" I flinched. The small book in my hands tumbled to the ground with a loud thud, ringing through the quiet halls of Liyal Hall. I turn my attention over to the asshole who scared the crap out of me. Grinning and giggling like a hyena, stood a man with an overly nice uniform on with golden symbols patched onto his left collar. His hair was short, blonde in color, contrasting with his dark brown eyes. I sigh, picking up my beat-up-looking journal from the ground, dusting it off as he approaches.
"Aren't you supposed to be in class right now, Arin?" I ask, questioning why he is here in the first place. All first-years aiming to become part of the Heroes Court must attend every class within the first few months. He should know better than anyone, considering how skilled I know he is.
"Those classes are so boring. Besides, you're more fun to hang out with."
"You call watching me work fun?" Arin is the top candidate for the Divine Court entrance exams. It confuses me why he wouldn't take this seriously.
"Hanging out with my best buddy is fun. No matter how boring a job you have."
"Arin, you should be more focused on school. You're the first person in your year to get nominated for the Divine Court. Why waste it ditching class?"
"It doesn't feel right if you're not competing with me."
Of course, he would say that. I glance down at my journal, the words still fresh in my mind.
"You know why I can't," I respond, trying not to think too much about the truth. Our footsteps echo through the quiet halls, my memory of the day fresh in my mind. I won't ever forget what they said to me.
'Liam has no magic. Not only that, but he doesn't have long to live in his condition. I suggest taking a simpler line of work. It's possible that his condition could change, given the right atmosphere.'
I know all too well what they were trying to tell me. In a world where magic is all around, I am the only person who has none. My hope of becoming part of the Heroes Court was buried the day I learned this. I turn my attention to Arin, his eyes reflected the same worries my parents had when they found out. I place my hand on his shoulder.
"I'm going to be just fine, Arin. You don't have to give up this opportunity just because I can't go with you. Who knows, maybe we'll wind up in the same place." Erin sighs. He knows this is killing me that he has this chance.
"I'm not doing it, Liam. Call me stupid for all I care. I'm not leaving you in the dust."
"Come on, you and I both know the Court won't allow that to happen." One thing I've learned about this place since I started working as an Archive, never let your guard down.
"Pish posh. You can't change my mind, Liam. I go where you go." He flashes his unnaturally bright grin, I roll my eyes. Arin is so fucking stubborn. The world could be burning, and he wouldn't bat an eye. For what it's worth, at least he treats me like a person. Amid my thoughts, I hear the gongs go off, signaling the end of the first course of the day. I already feel exhausted, and it's only 8 in the morning. What I wouldn't give for an extra few hours of sleep right about now. The hallways filled up pretty quickly with students wearing a similar fancy uniform to the one Arin is wearing. The only visible difference between them was the number of pins on their collars, symbolizing the ranking between them. Some had green pins, others had purple, and even a few golden ones passed by us. I definitely stand out in this crowd as the only person here who isn't wearing a fancy uniform. It's not much of a surprise considering other archives wear the same as what I am wearing. A long-sleeved white tunic, with a brown vest, dark pants, and dark brown boots. Not the fanciest thing in the slightest. A few higher-up students eye me with crinkled noses or visible signs of anger. I sigh, running my fingers through my messy brown hair. Arin gives a few of them a nasty glare as we walk by. The heaping pile of books I had to pick up from the office near the study hall weighed heavily in my grasp. I'm used to carrying heavy books, but it doesn't make it any easier. Unlike other Archives, the people around had gotten word around that I was given special tasks of assisting one of the members of the Heroes Court. Guess some people aren't too happy about it.
"Geez! You think people would stop giving you a hard time when you walk into a room. Talk about jealousy." His tone is intense, seemingly protective, with the number of eyes staring in my direction.
"It's fine. Nothing unusual."
"Anyways, where are you heading?" he replies, eager to know what I'm up to.
"I'm heading to the Heroes Meeting today. Master Soren asked me to take notes."
"Sounds boring. Need any help carrying all of those?" I glance at my stack of books, they were only 50lbs, lighter than the usual weight I'd carry daily.
"I'm good. Today's briefs are lighter than they usually are." I reply, walking towards the hall leading to the main entrance of the heart of the Divine Academy. Arin follows close behind, giving me a dumbfounded expression. "You know, I'm shocked that the Heroes Court doesn't recognize how strong you are. You could be an actual high-ranking Court member if you applied yourself a bit more."
"Again with this? Arin, I'm not cut out for that kind of position. I'm lucky to even have this spot." He stops in front of me, blocking not only my view, which was already partially obstructed, but also towering above me to his natural 6ft 2inched.
"Come on, Liam, you know I have a point. Why is it that I'm the one who can see your potential, but you can't?" He answers proudly, like he'd won a contest of some kind.
"People have made it very clear that this is where I should be. They don't want me rising to higher levels. Trust me. It's better this way." I managed to push past Arin only to stop by the blocked-off portion that used to be the original conference room where the Heroes Court met. Arin and I stare at the destruction, the silhouettes of ash sprayed onto the once shiny floor, now cracked and broken from the bits of stone, charred, shattered pieces of skeleton pasted onto the floor. We had heard that something had happened to the original court 7 years ago, but never questioned or asked about it. When people walk by, they are reminded of the Horde of Villains, how their cruel deeds led to the destruction of a great dynasty. At least, that's what most believe. When I walk past this part of the Academy, I sense anger, a sense of betrayal, I couldn't describe it, but something deep inside told me that the main culprit of this disaster was led by jealousy. I shake off these senses, focusing on the task at hand. I look back to see Arin staring at the destruction before him. One of the many things we could agree on was that this incident was caused by something else. Not a group of power-hungry people, a single emotion. He does a double-take, noticing me waiting for him to catch up. He sprints up to me, catching up from the common distraction that gives a majority of people in this city sorrow. Once we were a good distance from the destruction, Arin spoke up.
"It's always bothered me that no one would talk about what happened. It's not like we can do anything about it."
"Ya. I don't think that has crossed people's minds before, honestly." From what I could gather, the Horde of Villains sent a spy into the academy to gain an edge on us. Look for weaknesses. I don't know if it was the way that room looked or the way the court handled the situation, but something told me that this wasn't a tactical plan. It feels wrong to wonder, it even felt wrong to be here in the academy to begin with. Maybe there is another side to this incident that people are willing to tell us.