"Kill the bald one first."
"No... Sir, please... I just want to afford my mother's treatment!"
"Sir."
"Kill him."
Splurt.
With just one sweep of his sword, the bald man's head was decapitated. Those men in cloaks, surrounding the lifeless body, did not show any remorse. They elegantly wiped away the filthy blood that splattered on their cloak before picking the dead man up and throwing him to the side.
Their eyes then shifted towards an old lady shivering beside piles of trash. She held her head low, afraid even to pull her gaze up. It was as if she thought staying still and quiet would make her presence unnoticed. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
Splurt.
"Hm?"
Just as they were about to leave, one of them stopped on his path. He gazed to his side, where a pair of eyes had been silently watching them. Drawing his weapon once again, he alerted his other squad members.
"How goes there! Come out and show your face!"
Those men in cloaks were cautious. They stared at the silhouette that managed to bypass their senses. They did not know how long the figure had been standing there and watching them. Seeing the figure did not move, one of the men held a fist close to his chest. He softly muttered an ancient incantation, and light began to burst out from his palm.
Gradually, the owner of those eyes became visible. It was a young boy around the age of eleven. He wore a fancy uniform of blue and white, with a shining badge attached to his chest. In his hands was a pair of white gloves embedded with the royal family crest. Seeing that familiar uniform, those men's hearts began to ease up.
"What, it's just a student from Royal Academy...," the one who cast the light spoke.
"Kid, go and return to the academy. It's dangerous here," chimed the one who struck the bald man.
"What were their sins, great sirs?" The student spoke with a calm voice.
"Those two bastards? Hah, they were responsible for distributing the Dragon's Drug."
"I see. What despicable human beings... I thank you for your service, great sirs."
Listening to the praise of the student, some of them returned it with a warm smile. Sheathing their swords, those men shooed the student away one more time, though their tone was far more gentle this time.
"I will head back now. But, if you don't mind me asking, may I know the date today?"
"12th of the 3rd month. 1203 Dragon Year."
"Thank you."
The student walked away after finding what he truly wanted to know. He gazed at the dark sky above, where smoky clouds rolled to every corner of his vision. Familiar, distant cries and mourns brushed his ears, reminding him of his duty there.
It took him decades of struggle for the sky above the Royal City to finally return to its rightful, bright blue. He thought he could at least bask under the sun's warmth that he had only heard in tales for a little bit longer. What wishful thinking that was.
'I am really back.'
He glanced back at the three men who were scurrying away quietly. On top of their heads were glowing letters in pale green.
[Mariq Brokenshield]
Importance : None
[Killan Guardsand]
Importance : None
[Harith Blackblood]
Importance: Low
'O' Esmeheldi, why must you put this burden on me?'
Standing before the corpse-filled street of the Royal City, witnessed by the sky of ink, falling ashes, and the crumbled city, Hauyne Brokenshards swore to gaze upon the sun once again.
***
Hauyne, as spirited and frustrated as he was, knew that he needed to take things step by step. And in the Royal City, one of the few standing cities in the world, the first step for him was in the Academy.
Passing through the destroyed districts and the scorched carcasses along the way, Hauyne eventually arrived at the Academy. It was not hard for him to find his way there, as even in the future, he had not taken another home other than the Royal City. In other words, he knew the city as well as the back of his hand.
Well, he was sure it would be a little bit easier if more buildings were standing. Looking at the scale of destruction in the city, he was baffled how he survived the attack. It was far more severe than he remembered.
No, he did not recall such an attack happening while he was that young.
'Was the Academy always this towering?'
Before him, stacks of shiny white stones stood proudly before the destruction. Engraving with gold lines and patterns, spires punctured the dark sky, one taller than the previous.
A faint dome of blue covered the entire compound of the academy, even to the entrance gate before him. Compared to most parts of the city that had been flattened, the Academy remained unscathed.
"Excuse me, sir. Would you please do me a favor and open the gate?"
"No."
Not even an hour after he came back to the past, he encountered the first blockage in his life. It was a tightly shut gate.
"May I know why?" Hauyne asked politely.
"It's past the curfew... and students of your grade are never allowed out in the first place."
"...Is that so?"
[Silver Fasthand]
Importance: None
At the other side of the gate of white and gold was an old man. He stood as straight as a spear, and his arms were folded on top of one another. His face was full of scars, and in place of his left eyeball, a blue crystal sat.
Hauyne did not look troubled in any way, just curious. He just remembered that there was that kind of rule. It was a rule that prevented students of lower grades from leaving the Academy, regardless of the circumstances, even in the event of a relative's death.
He pondered for a bit, trying to remember why he was out in the first place. If he remembered correctly, the first time he went out of the Academy after enrolling was at the age of 18, which was his graduation year.
"Sir, I promise this will be the last time... So, may you please let me in?" Hauyne spoke in an unconcerned tone.
"Tsk. How many times do I have to turn a blind eye to you?"
With an agitated face, Silver flicked his hand lightly. Immediately, the gate trembled before sliding open just enough for the tiny Hauyne to squeeze in. He let out a long sigh as he shook his head.
"Thank you, sir."
"Sigh, learn to stand on your own if you are truly thankful."
Before Hauyne could digest what Silver was trying to say, a blue light engulfed his body. His vision completely blurred, and his limbs were slowly frozen in space. Through the fading view, he saw the guard was waving at him in a resigned manner.
Vhoom.
Being sucked by the blue light, he felt as if he had been thrown into a cyclone. His body was dragged, pushed, compressed, and expanded at every moment, but all he could do was stay unmoved. It lasted for what felt like a few minutes, and as the light dispersed, he felt his legs land on a surface.
Tap.
His legs wobbled as he stumbled and fell into a wall to his side. Through his spinning vision, he saw that the scenery around him had changed. Suddenly, he appeared before a beautiful hallway.
Leaning on the wall, Hauyne closed his eyes, trying to stabilize his condition. If he had remembered how volatile Arcane was at that time, he would not have readily accepted the guard's kind gesture.
"Julian, are you not going in?"
A gentle voice suddenly called out from behind. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and turned around to face the owner of the voice. It was a skinny boy with the same uniform and badge as him. He had brown hair and eyes.
Naturally, he did not recognize who that was. He did not put too much thought into it, as he also never had any expectation of remembering the faces of his classmates from decades ago.
[Millian Stoneboar]
Importance: None
"Millian, it's good to see you again... You go in first, I am feeling a little dizzy," Hauyne said after a prolonged pause.
"Are you all right? You look pale." Millian said softly as he stepped closer.
"I am fine, it's nothing serious."
"...Is it those guys again?"
"Those guys...? What are you talking about?" Hauyne spoke in clear confusion.
"Why are you playing dumb? Everyone knows about it!" Millian yelled. With a pained expression, he continued, "Julian, you know the teachers are always there to help you, right?"
'What's wrong with this kid?'
Being suddenly yelled at, and by a child no less, greatly surprised him. Hauyne had no idea if he had said anything wrong, but looking at the pained expression of the child, he felt it was something light.
"I apologize if I have upset you... But, why do you keep calling me by that name?"
Although Hauyne was curious about what the malnourished child before him was getting riled about, he was far more curious about the way he was being referred to. He felt the name Julian was too different to be his nickname.
"Huh, are you sure you are fine...?"
Hauyne stared at Millian. The child's concerned expression baffled him more than he wished.
At the side of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of the window, and two children stood in the reflection. He recognized one of them as Millian. But it was not the case for the other one. It was a boy with black hair and eyes.
He slowly turned his gaze to his side.
There, a stranger was staring back at him.
[Julian Swordshards]
Importance: None.
"What...?"
He felt something dropped in his chest. His head immediately grew light.
"J-Julian!"