"Caelir Strix"
The same cold voice echoed through the void.
The ringing in my ears faded into something else.
The voice greeted me apparently due to...
"You are sleeping in your class again?"
My violet eyes opened as they fell on my homeroom teacher.
Pushing my messy silver hair back behind my ears, I replied,
"Stop shouting. For god's sake, I can hear you just fine."
The bald teacher froze, mouth hanging open in shock.
Maybe due to a mere 12-year-old brat talking back to him.
I let out a long sigh.
I wasn't planning to waste another four years sitting through this so-called Awakener Academy, a place that teaches the basics of every department.
In simpler terms, like a middle school on earth.
Gasps echoed in the entire classroom, not that I blame these brats.
"You-you?"
Looks like he was out of his words.
"Come to my office, right now."
Yawning, I stood up as I followed him.
I can hear students gossiping behind my back, but I let them be.
I had resolved myself to not care about others.
In my past life, I always tried to keep personal relationships open and tried to maintain my reputation in case I saved the world.
But what's the use if I can't save it?
...
Inside the teacher's office.
I sat opposite to teacher, beside him was the headmaster of this academy.
"Ahem"
Old Headmaster cleared his voice as he asked,
"Mr. Caelir, y-you should not-"
I let his words linger in the background; it seems he was misunderstanding that I was misusing my family's authority.
In case you're wondering, I was born into one of the Great Six families, the Owls. A house of bigshots.
"Wait"
I stopped the headmaster's lecture.
"Y-yes"
Damn, poor old guy will die at this rate.
I looked towards my homeroom teacher and said,
"I want to take all the advancement tests."
Their eyes widen. Once again, I don't blame them; the academy only started one month ago.
I'd finally found a clue to stop the world's end. I'm done playing the prodigy this time.
...
"On that day, Caelir Strix officially requested all the advancement tests."
No one had ever done that before, not in the first month, not at twelve years old.
The list he demanded read like madness.
1. Study of Monsters
2. Study of Corrupt Zones
3. History
4. Study of the Unknown
5. Rifts & Dungeons
6. Science
7. Mathematics
In the Awakener Academy, everything was theoretical: lectures, notes, and memorized answers.
To Cael, these were just silly questions. Child's play.
He skipped Science and Mathematics; a student only needs to pass five subjects to graduate from the Academy.
For the next ten hours, the entire academy buzzed. One boy took twenty exams without any breaks.
By evening, the faculty's nerves were already fraying. Five teachers from five departments worked late, cross-checking his papers in disbelief.
Night fell. The halls were empty.
Once again, Cael sat in front of the headmaster. The same desk, the same room, the same trembling old man.
This time, however, something in the air had changed.
...
I stared at the old man.
I wonder what's running through his mind? Just how long does he plan to keep staring at me like that?
"Enough staring. Start talking."
Startled by my tone, the headmaster fumbled with his papers.
"C-Caelir Strix, you… passed all five subjects. Y-you can now-ah-stay and enjoy your t-time here."
I see. He was worried I'd cause trouble.
Maybe he thought I rushed the tests just so no teacher would bother me.
A grin crept onto my face.
"Finally, I can sleep to my heart's content. Enter and leave class whenever I want."
Beads of sweat rolled down his temple. His face went pale.
Shaking my head, I added,
"Relax. I'm kidding."
Then, calmly, "I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Send my certificate to my house under my name."
'So that my parents won't find out about the sudden graduation.'
I leaned back slightly.
"And, Headmaster… if you send any report or details to my parents, they'll drag me back here. You don't want that, do you?"
The old man's lips trembled as he quickly nodded.
"I-I will do as you say, Mr. Caelir."
"Good."
Just like that, I graduated from the Awakener Academy.
Walking out of the office, I stretched my body in the corridor.
The night air outside was cool.
I had no appetite. So I decided to skip my dinner.
Crossing the empty courtyard, I spoke without turning my head.
"Come out, Layla."
From behind a tree, the shadows stirred.
A shadow figure emerged in the dark. As the shadows peeled away, they revealed a woman in her early twenties.
Long black hair, eyes like deep ink, dressed in a fitted black suit that reflected no light.
"You called, young master." Her voice was calm, carrying perfectly through the night air.
I kept walking, letting my words trail behind me.
"We're leaving tomorrow. Don't inform my parents. We are going on a vacation."
"Understood," she replied. Even from a distance, her voice carried perfectly.
The academy lights dimmed behind me as I reached my dorm.
I glanced at the moon through the window, that same shattered moon from just a few hours ago.
"I think…"
I murmured, pulling off my coat and staring at my hands, faintly glowing with reddish-purple aura.
"…I might as well break through tonight."