A gentle knock against Adrien's door, and then a servant's voice.
"My lord, your escort to the Imperial Academy awaits."
Adrien did not respond immediately.
He stood on the little balcony, observing as the fog slowly rolled away from the grass below. The estate seemed… peaceful. Immovable. As if the world didn't know — or care—this was the last time he would ever look at it like this.
'Two lives. Two sets of memories. And this is the first step forward in both.'
He walked over and turned his back on her. His traveling case was packed — hardly anything more than a few changes of clothes, a notebook, and an envelope sealed by the Duke that he hadn't had the nerve to open.
All else was behind.
As he entered the hallway, a young servant stooped low. "Shall I take your case, Lord Adrien?"
Adrien hesitated.
He glanced at the servant — perhaps seventeen, eyes alert, movements cautious. Likely a year or two younger than the body he occupied.
'No different than me. Born in a different room of the house.'
"No," Adrien replied, taking the case himself. "I've got it.
The servant's eyes flashed with surprise, but he remained silent.
The walk from the manor to the entrance gate was longer than he recalled. Or perhaps it seemed so this time because he wasn't returning.
He walked by the east gardens, the training grounds, and the dining hall where family portraits once adorned the walls. Each step rang a little too loudly.
He half hoped that someone would stop him. His brother. His father. A final lecture, perhaps a few empty words of counsel.
But no one appeared.
Only the breeze, dry and cool. The Vale estate didn't do farewells.
And by the gates, the carriage waited.
It was sleek and quiet, marked with the silver sigil of the Empire. The horses were enchanted — their manes too smooth, their breathing too controlled. Soldiers in half-plate armor flanked the sides. A driver stood by, waiting patiently with a slight bow.
'This really is happening.'
[Observation: You're about to attend the most dangerous educational institution in the empire. Emotion detected: anxiety masked as sarcasm.]
'I was aiming for calm acceptance, in fact.'
[Adjustment failed. Anxiety persists.]
Adrien entered the carriage.
The door clicked close behind him.
The Vale estate's road out of it curved through a sequence of wooded ridges. Adrien rode with his back stiff, gaze fixed on the muzzy trees and flying stone sentinels. The ride was smoother than he had hoped — magic in the wheels and in the axles damped shock.
Yet, his thoughts wouldn't rest.
'The Academy.'
He'd learned about it in the few bits of memory that remained. The Imperial Academy was not a school — it was where the Empire's future was forged. Mages, knights, strategists, heirs… and beasts.
All of them trained there.
The Academy was not gentle. It didn't matter who your family was — unless you were one whose name could purchase the sky. The rest of them just struggled to find their footing.
'And me? I have no edge. No heritage. Just a name stolen from a bestsellermane, a mid-level core, and a lightning affinity I don't even understand half the time.'
He shut his eyes, letting the rocking of the carriage sync with his breath.
He wasn't going to be a hero. That was never the plan.
'I'm going to survive. Learn quickly. Grow silent. And when the time is right — I'll hit harder than anyone imagines.'
[That's the ticket. Low enough to trip over.]
'If I had a mute button for you…'
[You'd still have to listen to your own thoughts. I'm doing you a favor.]
They walked through three checkpoints and a single mana barrier before the scenery shifted. The trees grew fewer. The air grew heavy, filled with energy that stretched his skin taut.
And then…
The towers materialized.
Dozens of them — statues, tall, radiant, carved from white stone that glowed like glass in sunlight. Gossamer bridges arched between spires. Crystals floated atop spires, revolving in slow circles. Banners streamed in the breeze, gold and silver with the Empire's emblem: a sword above a sunburst.
More lovely than he had anticipated.
And considerably more frightening.
The carriage slowed to approach the great outer gate.
Steel and silver. Runes glowing dimly with changing hues. Students, nobles, and teachers were massed just beyond — some coming, some waiting.
Adrien emerged.
The wind here was chillier. Keener. It had the scent of ozone and possibility.
The guards did not halt him. The guards did not inquire.
They simply opened.
And Adrien Vale entered the Imperial Academy.