ã€ŠLost in Acleireaã€‹


 Prologue: A Heros Transition

    Prologue

    It all started on the day of my thirteenth half birthday.

    It was the end of July and I had was staying up all night finishing the new hit show featuring a shut-in teenage boy sent to a fantasy world. There he found many love interests and gained many overpowered abilities. I had only recently gotten into anime, was always more of a comic book guy, but when my younger sister recommends a show, I knew it was good. She was more of your typical shut-in anime fan who was hypercritical of every show. It ended with a very cheesy speech by the main character and the power of friendship overcoming everything.

    I sighed and thought about how predictable of an ending it was and how my sister was wrong about the amazing ending. Then a thought occurred,¡± What would my adventure be like in a fantasy land like that?¡±

    Then my imagination went wild and slowly a world of magic and mystery started forming in my head. The world was filled with many magical creatures and I was there fighting monster after monster. I stood heroically in a full suit of shiny knight armor as a pretty girl cowered behind me. Right after delivering the final blow to the mighty dragon, I embrace and kiss the girl with whom I protected.

    I don¡¯t usually stay up all night, actually this might be the first time I stayed up past 12am. I¡¯m a thirteen year old waiting to enter into the eighth grade and currently going through the middle school syndrome of fantasizing. I always like to see myself as the characters in the stories. I wanted to be heroic and go on adventures full of hardships and close allies. I find myself slowly drifting off into sleep where I dreamt of my adventures as a main character.

    Before I continue a brief history of me. I am in three sports currently, football, swimming, and baseball, and put my grades in front of everything, except comic books and recently, anime. I am one of the smarter kids in my class and definitely athletic. My appearance is very unique as well. My blond hair isn¡¯t just blonde, it¡¯s almost white. I get bullied a bit because of its differentness,but that¡¯s not all, my eyes are dichromatic. One was red and the other was green. Yeah you can already tell how others treat me, I may be a good looking guy, but my appearance is always bizarre for others. I was an outcast until people found out how good I was at sports, but I didn¡¯t have to worry about that anymore. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Finally you¡¯ve arrived!¡± a very booming, excited voice says. ¡°You must have so many question for me. Well first you can call me Genie and second I will grant you three wishes. But these wishes have rules for each. The first one has to be an ability that only benefits you, the second one is a trait change, and the third one can be either of the two before.¡±

    I blink a couple times, then punch myself in the face to test if I¡¯m dreaming. Nope! That really hurt. Then I start to think about why I have a genie here and what my wishes should be. A question arises in my head.

    ¡°For when you go to the world of Terra¡± Genie says. ¡°I can read minds and already know what your wishes are.¡± He waves his hand and a mirror pops up.

    In the mirror I see myself. My bleach blond hair, which I was famous for, slowly turns into a jet black. My eyes, which are dichromatic and another thing I¡¯m known for, start to glow more than they usually would. Then my head starts to hurt and I hear everything in my body, my heartbeat, breathing and other functions. Everything clears and I seem to be able to filter it. All seems normal until I open my right eye, an array of thermal colors pop up all over my mirrored self. My once red, right eye now shows a thermal mapping of my surrounding.

    I blink again and everything in the room is gone. What replaced it was a thick forest where I found myself alone.

    I know what you¡¯re thinking, a teenage boy being sent to a fantasy world filled with magic, wonder, and a harem of girls. Haven¡¯t heard that one before. I thought the same thing when I was first sucked out of my normal life and thrown into this one. But reality has a way of crushing the happiness right out of you.

 Chapter 1: The Contract

    I feel the sun¡¯s rays beaming down on me and I open my eyes. I can¡¯t hear any immediate threats nearby, so I get up off my cloak and sling it back over my shoulder. I was no longer a thirteen year old boy who was scared of being in this new world. I was now a seventeen year old mercenary with a chinese styled broadsword at my hip.I stretch and look around my hidden campsite. Just a fire and the bones and skin of the rabbit I shot last night for dinner.

    I sigh and say to myself,¡± Things were a lot happier when I was with the King¡¯s Shadow. A lot less lonely too.¡±

    I take in my surroundings with my enhanced senses and can feel the breeze as it hits my face. I breath in through my nose and the very familiar smell of leaves, dirt and animals fill my nose. I look at the oak tree I slept under and took in the beauty of its green branches.

    I stand there remembering my days apart of the disbanded group. I¡¯ve went through so much since first coming here and found myself waking up in the middle of the night with night terrors. I was no longer that innocent preteen anymore, I was now a battle scarred man with all the happiness sucked out of him.

    I hear that familiar, annoying buzzing sound that was drilled into my head for the last four years. A magic message, strangely similar to emails, appears before me.

    It reads:¡± Kyle, I apologize about calling upon you when we left on such bad terms, but I am afraid I need your assistance with regards to my daughter. It seems a mysterious group has their eyes set on her and she needs a trustworthy protector. I have watched you ever since my wife, Susan, kicked you out of our house and marveled at how strong you¡¯ve become. Please accept this contract. Sincerely, Arthur.¡±

    I sigh again and think back to my first year here, I was alone and afraid when Claire found me. It was two weeks after being dumped on Terra when I came down with a very high fever. I wandered onto her property and she found me while playing with her father, Arthur. They took me in and nursed me back to health and I owe those two my life. Susan, however, hated the sight of me and was the one who cast me out. A feeling of nostalgia hits me in the chest and I lift my hand and sign my name.

    The text glows and leaves. I whistle and my current companion runs out of the bushes with a rabbit in his mouth.

    ¡°Good boy¡± I say petting Smokey¡¯s head. He drops breakfast and I prepare the fire. I sit next to an old oak tree and eat the rabbit right off the bone. Smokey watches with his big puppy eyes and i give the rest to him. For being a fantasy world, Terra is a lot like Earth. Human society is a lot like the medieval era kings and dukes. Wars being fought over land or over women. What makes this place more magical and unique are the other races.

    I pull out my map from my back pocket and study the continent Aclierea and its countries. Thankfully the most common language is that of english so I didn¡¯t have to learn a whole new language, and most of the names weren¡¯t complex fantasy names. The countries¡¯ names were all simple ones, Banrir, Humanity, and Dragonic. The continent is a lot like a very enlarged Australia and is split into four sections, one for Humanity, one for Dragonic, and two for the biggest country of Banrir. Right now I am on the western border of North Banrir and Humanity.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    I stuff that map back into my pocket and find the more local one. I am very close to where I first set foot in this world and it gives me the feeling of uneasiness. This brings back the days of being a street rat and a slave. I get up and make my way to the border. Unlike on Earth, Terra has open borders without any checkpoints or guards. This is due to peace between countries and a many years of past bloodshed put into that pact.

    I arrive at the first town I ever lived in and remember all of it, all of the stealing, hunger and enjoyment of playing Knight and Princess with Claire. I pass the by my old hiding hole and notice a new residence occupies it. I kneel down and whistle down the hole at whoever took my old home. A Banrir boy pops his head out and I get a good look at the boy and his canine features. Banrir look mostly human with very distinct animal features, like for instance a brown tail and dog ears on this boy. Their full form is magically taxing on them so they choose to be in this mostly human state.

    I smile at the boy who cowers in fear thinking that I am a guard wanting to kick him out of his den. I throw him a piece of dried meat I carried incase of emergencies. He picks up the slab of meat and devours it. I stand up and walk away from the poor boy and Smokey gives him a big kiss then follows suit.

    I go to the fountain where Arthur took me all those years ago and remember falling into the fountain playing with Claire. The memories with those two are some of my most happy memories in the past four years. Even though Claire bossed me around and would often tease me, she always did so in a joking matter, never the seriousness of people back on Earth. Arthur was the closest thing to my old father that I had came across. A kind man who devotes himself to the betterment of his child and her friends, the only problem was with his wife.

    I shake my head and keep moving on. I pass the many stores I stole from and make my way to the edge of town and see a very familiar sight of the Winston mansion. Out front is Arthur, a plump and balding man, who rushes to me and even though the distance is small, is out of breath by the time he gets to me.

    ¡°I see the high class life has spoiled you¡± I say

    He gets out a mild snort and I let him catch his breath. ¡°I need you to watch my daughter for reasons I have to keep secret.¡±

    I had heard this speech many times,¡± kill this person for secret reasons¡± or ¡°escort these two siblings with secret identities.¡± I no longer cared for reasoning or who the contract involved. I was in it to survive, nothing more.

    ¡°I already signed the contract Arthur.¡± I say impatiently.¡± Just give me the details of what I need to do.¡±

    ¡°I kept my private eye on you over the years. I hope you learned a lot on your travels about how this world works, because I¡¯m sending you to Claire¡¯s school in two weeks.¡± He says with great joy.

    ¡°School?¡± I say confused and he nods. I haven¡¯t been to school in a very long time and had forgotten what being a student was like. I sigh and say,¡± At least now it may be like that anime I used to watch.¡±

 Chapter 2: School Prep

    I feel it again, that deep feeling of constriction in my chest, as if a snake were wrapped around my heart. Images of a burning inn, bodies piled over tables, and blood on the floor. Then I see her, the one who still haunts my dreams. With that I wake up, my body covered in sweat and my heart rate and breath racing. Smokey snuggles into my arms and likes my hands.

    ¡°Good boy¡± I whisper while scratching his ear.¡± I¡¯m glad I found you back when I was with the King¡¯s Shadow.¡± He whimpers and lays his head down. I lay back and think about that dream. It has plagued me for close to a year now. Most people would seek help or talk about it, but I for some reason choose not to even think about it while conscious.

    I sit next to the window, crack it open, and look at the night sky. It¡¯s close to one in the morning, both my instinctive clock and the position of the two moons show that. I stare up at the bigger moon, its blue hue always soothed me. I remember back to my first night on this world. The idea of having two moons, one blue and the other grey, made me think that this world was full of beauty and peace. Reality quickly set in after that when I realized, though the world may seem different on the surface, below that magical surface was very similar to Earth.

    I wake up the next morning to the sun¡¯s rising rays and wonder when I dozed off. Smokey¡¯s head lay on my lap and I flick his ear to wake him up. He opens his eyes and lifts his head so I can move. I walk towards the door and catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

    ¡°Oh shit, I look pretty ragged don¡¯t I?¡± I say and Smokey¡¯s ears perk up at the word of omen I spoke. ¡°I really never learn not to swear, you¡¯d think after countless times of misfortune I¡¯d at least learn to censor myself.¡± Back on Earth if you swore, you might get punished with a slap or bar of soap in the mouth. Here, however, it¡¯s even worse. When you swear you get a literal curse of misfortune put on you. It was never major, maybe a pot fall on your head or getting hit by a rogue ball, but there are the special occasions when a monster attacks.

    I admire the beard I¡¯ve grown over my year of traveling in solitude, then exit the guest room. There waiting for me was the Winston family butler, Alfred, and let me tell you he and his name scream generic.

    ¡°Master Fletcher, I prepared breakfast for you and the Master of the house. Would you like me to escort you or do you think you remember where the dining room is?¡± He said in his apathetic butler voice.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°No Alfred, I believe I know my way¡± I say and walk past him.

    Waiting for me at the massive twelve person table was a school uniform and a stack of books. The uniform had a white button up, black pants, and an overcoat, the only thing missing was tie. I pick it up and try the shirt on, it fitting me would have surprised me long ago, but I learned magic is used for trivial things like measuring people in their sleep. I hear the doors swing open and Arthur enters in his one piece nightgown.

    ¡°I assume the clothes fit you¡± he says while yawning. He gets a nod from me as an answer and continues.¡± study those books and learn everything you can, you¡¯ll be at a disadvantage due to you only being able to use very basic spells.¡±

    I wince, he doesn¡¯t have to remind me at how bad I am with magic. I tried my hardest in the past but the best thing I could do was light hair on fire. Illusion magic seemed to be the only thing I can do past basic, but even that is only one step above basic.

    ¡°Why would you send one of the worst mages you¡¯ve ever met to a prestigious school like Atwood?¡± I ask

    ¡°I have my own personal reasons for doing so, but I also can¡¯t help but have the objective backing of your clean background as a protector.¡± He says with confidence.

    It¡¯s true that I haven¡¯t failed a contract that involves protecting other, but my other contracts are far less perfect. My assassinations are sketchy and so is my espionage, but somehow I still make it out unscathed. Well mostly I should say.

    ¡°I have a feeling it will be a lot like when I went to school in my old world.¡± I say with a sigh. I remember how my hair and eyes would make me the butt of many jokes. Now it¡¯ll be my skill as a mage.

    ¡°I thought you were over that nonsense tale of being from a different world. Besides they accept those who use magical weapons like that sword of yours.¡± He says with annoyance now.

    I sigh and remember how very few people believed me when I said I was from another world, Arthur was obviously not one of them. I pick up the book on magic weapons and start it while eating breakfast. One thing I found very interesting about magic weapons were their interactions with mages of high skill. I hope this book gives me a better explanation than ¡±they just don¡¯t mix.¡±

    After finishing my food, I close the book and grab the rest of the pile. There were seven books in my hand. I made my way to the guest room wondering how I¡¯m supposed to read all this.

    Then the curse from before came back to haunt me, waiting in my room were eight more books. Each book equally thick.

    ¡°God Dammit¡±

 Chapter 3: First day of School

    I look up at the ceiling as concepts of offensive, defensive, illusion, alteration, and other forms of magic spun in my head. One thing I found interesting was the type of magic a mage excels at depends on their personality and the fact that I excel at illusion magic did make a bit of sense. Well, I wouldn¡¯t say excel since all I can really do is disguise the sword I carry to look plain.

    I experience another night terror that night, but this time I couldn''t find myself going back to sleep. It may be the dream I had, or the familiar feeling of the anxiety felt before the first day of school. I went over spells that I had memorized already, but haven¡¯t tried yet. I learned the basic spell for lightning strike and was going over it in my head. Fulmen. I kept repeating until I found myself asleep.

    I hear a knock on the door and it¡¯s Alfred,¡± Sir, the pegasus cart is here to take you and Arthur.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m coming,¡± I say as I put on my uniform and yell to Alfred. ¡°Does Arthur really insist on flying? Because I¡¯m fine with horseback.¡±

    ¡°Yes he does, in fact it is his favorite way to travel.¡± He says.

    I sigh and feel my stomach fills with butterflies. ¡°I hate flying¡± I say to myself.

    The ride to the school would have been a very enjoyable ride on horseback. The scenery was very green and full of wildlife, also there was many small towns that I could sleep in. Sadly, I was flying on a cart going very fast with a man who wouldn¡¯t stop giggling to himself every time we hit a gust of wind. Then we landed and I sprinted out of the carriage to lay on the ground.

    ¡°I will never fly again with you Arthur.¡± I say with a very childish giggle as a response from Arthur. ¡°I mean it, next time I¡¯ll buy a horse or hike my way here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but you¡¯ll miss the excitement of being in the air.¡± He says with glee.

    ¡°Not on your life,¡± I say and grab my luggage from the carriage. I pull my cloak out of my clothes bag and put it on.¡±Much better¡± I say.

    ¡°You look terrible, did you stay up for the past few nights reading those books?¡± He asks.

    I nod and say,¡± An old habit of mine was reading textbooks before school started.¡±

    Arthur shakes his head and walks me into the school¡¯s gates. We walk past many groups of students from varying ages. The youngest looked to be 13 and the oldest was around 18, kinda reminds me of a book I read when I was younger about a magical school. We walk past all of them and I finally ask,¡± Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°To the headmaster¡¯s office,¡± he says in between breaths.

    I follow him and then we find a set of stairs with a sign saying ¡°Headmaster¡¯s office.¡± The door opens by itself and an old woman appears from behind a bookshelf. She looked to be 70, but my instincts told me she was probably triple that.

    ¡°Oh, what a unique guest you''ve brought to me, Arthur,¡¯¡± she says with glee. She studies me, starting from my feet, then up and then stops at my eyes."Very unique. What beautiful eyes you have, my child. Blue and pink suit you. And that power resonating from them is unlike anything I''ve seen."If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Thank you, not many people compliment me on my eyes.¡± I say. ¡°Most people give me weird looks or avoid eye contact all together.¡±

    ¡°What a shame, you could get lost in those eyes.¡± She says with a certain sadness.

    ¡°Um, okay,¡± I say becoming more and more weirded out. ¡°Can I get my schedule and room key?¡±

    She nods and runs back to her desk. She mutters to herself unable to find them.

    ¡°Is she always this weird?¡± I ask Arthur.

    He nods and then we hear her yell,¡± Found it.¡± Then she returns to us and hands me papers and a key.¡± This is your schedule and here is a map of the school. You¡¯re room is marked down for you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you¡± I say then Arthur and I leave her office.¡± Oh yeah I forgot to ask what her name was.¡±

    ¡°Her name is Professor Mariana Rivers and she¡¯s been here since my grandparents went here.¡± He says." When I told her about you she requested to meet you instead of taking you to your dorm manager."

    "Even about what happened with the King''s Shadow?" I ask

    He nods and says," She found your story very intriguing, but I left out the part where you claim to be from another world."

    I start to wonder why she chose to me meet me when Arthur described me. Was it because of my past? My eyes? Or was it something else? Do I remind her of a past student she likes? Once again I''ve got more questions than answers.

    We walk to my room and then I part with Arthur. I open my door to see the rest of my luggage already in my room. I start to unpack and then realize I¡¯m not alone in the room. I turn to see a blue wyvern, in human form, is sleeping in the other bed. This would have surprised me if thirteen year old self were here, but for me it was nothing.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Huh, woah when did you get here?¡± he asks in a sleepy voice. ¡°Nevermind I remember you were that new student everyone was told about. I would have greeted you at the door, but I stayed up all night last night studying all my books for the year.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Kyle, and I¡¯ve been assigned to the school of magical artifacts.¡± I say.

    ¡°I¡¯m Ryan and I am in the school of defensive magic.¡± He says

    ¡°Ryan? That¡¯s a human name. I thought names to the dragonic people were sacred, why would one have a name with no meaning?¡± I ask very confused.

    ¡°My mother is human and my father didn¡¯t stick around long enough to name me so she did so herself. Now I¡¯ll go over your schedule.¡± He says,

    I can already tell I¡¯ll get along with him, he doesn¡¯t seem to care for personal things or reasoning, all he cares about is school. I let him explain the schedule and then he gets up to meet with someone. I follow because I have nothing else to do.

    He gives me a tour on the way to where he was headed. He explains every statue in great detail, one was made before the mad king and another by the first headmaster. History was never my thing so I started to zone out and I guess he noticed since he stopped explaining everything.

    ¡°Watch where you¡¯re going!!¡± I hear a male voice yell. It was coming from the courtyard.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I fell and didn¡¯t mean to run into you.¡± A shy female voice says.

    ¡°Maybe I should punish your peasant ass how to walk straight.¡± He yells and hear I hear gasps at the curse word.

    I slip away from Ryan and go to confront the man yelling at the girl. I see a group of obviously noble kids standing in front of a girl on the ground. She is close to tears and I feel my anger boil.

    ¡°Hey!¡± I yell.¡± Yell at someone who can fight back you pompous ass.¡± We stare at each other and everyone around us shift nervously due to the tension. Ryan is at my side and I hear a thank you whispered from him.

    ¡°Kyle?¡± I hear a familiar voice from behind the bully and Claire appears from behind him.

 Chapter 4: First Fight

    ¡°It is you!¡± she says very excitedly and then says,¡± You¡¯re eyes changed color, ones blue and the other a violet. What happened to the old red and green.¡±

    I can¡¯t believe that she would stand by and let this ass bully a girl. I feel anger build up and I snap at her,¡± Obviously a lot has changed in four years.¡±

    She slumps a bit, she wasn¡¯t expecting a rude welcome, then glances at the guy bullying the girl. She then straightens up and says,¡± How can you interfere with Edward teaching this girl a lesson.¡±

    I stare deep into her soul and can see that she¡¯s uncomfortable.¡± You¡¯re defending his actions? What happened to the girl who said she¡¯d stand up for anyone?¡±

    She tries to speak but Edward cuts her of,¡± How dare a peasant speak to a noble the way you are now, I should teach you a lesson too.¡±

    I turn and stare at him,¡± Try me.¡±

    A crowd starts to form and I hear words like "delinquent" and "duel" swirling around the crowd. Edward and I enter a staredown and after what seems like an eternity he sighs and says,¡± You¡¯re not worth my time girl, but this bastard seems to be needing a lesson in manners.¡±

    ¡°I respect a man who uses curses even at the cost of misfortune, but you lose it all when you treat a defenseless girl like that.¡± I say then stare back at Claire.¡± I can¡¯t believe you, didn¡¯t you hate bullies?¡±

    ¡°I-I-I don¡¯t like bullies, it¡¯s just that she was at fault and that-¡± she says then Edward interrupts again.

    ¡°Your fight is with me, not my betrothed.¡± He says.

    I turn to him and say,¡± Good luck living with this bitch, she obviously listened to her mother more than her father." Everyone gasps at the curse and Claire looks like she¡¯s going to cry.

    Edward furiously grabs for his wand and says,¡± How dare you call her a bitch.¡±

    I grab his hand before he can even touch his wand and start to squeeze his wrist.¡± I can call her whatever I want, she deserved being called a bitch if she¡¯s so weak that you have to talk for her.¡± I say coldly

    Claire runs off and Edward tries to pull his hand out of the grip of mine. I don¡¯t let up until I see the panic fill up his face as he realizes I might break his wrist. Then a voice calls out saying,¡± Gentlemen settle it with a duel and not with violence.¡± I turn and see a professor staring at us boredly.

    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea,¡± I say and everyone including Ryan gasps. Not knowing why I ask,¡± What? Did I do something wrong?¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I am the second strongest offensive magic user in this school and-¡± He says but I interrupt.

    ¡°That¡¯s great, do you agree or would you like to back down?¡± I say squeezing his wrist even tighter.

    He winces and shouts,¡± I agree, one hour preparation time and meet back here.¡±

    I smile and let go of his wrist,¡± See you in an hour.¡± We part and Ryan leads me to a spot to discuss what just happened.

    ¡°What have you done? Ryan asks in a panic.¡± He will trample you with his powerful offensive magic.¡±

    I shrug and say,¡± I¡¯ve probably faced stronger opponents, but what I want to know is what offensive magic he uses.¡±

    ¡°No you haven¡¯t, his family is very powerful and have very potent magical endurance. He will win this if you keep that cocky show-off attitude.¡± He says.

    I shrug and say,¡± if you won¡¯t answer that question then how about, why is this girl following us?¡± I point back at the girl I saved.

    ¡°She is my girlfriend,¡± Ryan says and I hear her swoon at the word of girlfriend.

    I look back at her, she¡¯s a Banrir cat with grey hair and then she freezes when she realizes I am staring at her. She looks to be very passive and frightened easily. I slap Ryan on the back and say,¡± Nice, what a cute girlfriend you have.¡± They both proceed to blush, obviously they were sheltered when it came to dating. It seems like every noble here is too.

    ¡°He uses lightning as his main form of offensive attacks¡± she says very quietly,¡± and my name is Bethany.¡±

    I scratch my non existent beard and then realize I had to shave it before coming here. I sigh and say,¡± This might be harder than I expected.¡±

    An hour passes and my preparations are complete. I walk into the courtyard and he and Claire are there. She hides behind him when she spots me, I feel a little part of me die. She was there for me when I was in need and now I repay her with this treatment? Then I figure she probably bullies people of lower class like Edward does.

    We get in place, roughly twenty feet apart and then Edward starts to talk.¡± You¡¯ve probably heard that I like to use offensive magic and lightning as my main spell, but I noticed you have that sword at your side and decided to fight you with my own swordsmanship.¡± Claire looks completely shocked at this turn of events and I know she knows how good I am at fighting.

    I smile and say,¡± Fine, then if you¡¯re using a sword I won¡¯t be needing this.¡± I unbuckle my belt and my sword drops to the ground. ¡°If you¡¯re going to show off then I will to¡± I think to myself.

    I can hear Claire pleading with him,¡± Don¡¯t do this, rely on your magic he¡¯s too-¡±

    He cuts her off again and says,¡± I was trained by the king¡¯s guard, I think I can take an unarmed man.¡±

    ¡°Please-¡± She tries to speak.

    ¡°Enough let¡¯s do this.¡± He says.

    I can¡¯t believe that Claire could even be around a guy like this, I remember a girl who hated this type of guy. Obviously I¡¯m not the only one that changed. I take a deep breath and say,¡± I bet your father would be proud of you Claire.¡±

    That might have been too far as I see an angered face start to form on her face.¡± You know nothing about what my father thinks of me and you don¡¯t have any say in the matter of how I act.¡±

    I sigh,¡± I guess the girl that made me promise to sweep her off her feet when we were older is gone then.¡±

 Chapter 5: The aftermath

    A little lesson on sword fighting, never over extend and never, ever put all your weight into one swing. Doing so shows how little discipline you have as a swordsman. Edward kept up a pretty good show, but soon got frustrated when he realized he couldn¡¯t hit me. His swings were slow and his whole center of gravity shifted with the swing. Even without my ability to see a person¡¯s weak and strong spots coming from my right eye, I could tell he favors his right side. After dodging his first twenty swings I could see the frustration in his eyes. Then he did it, he over extended.

    I grabbed the blade of his rapier using my palm and fingers as a vice on the flat of the blade, then yanked it towards me throwing Edward off balance. This was my shot and I took it. I threw a quick right jab and hit him square in the nose, breaking it and causing it to bleed. He falls to the ground and starts to roll in pain.

    ¡°I said no violence, gentlemen, and what do I see you doing? Swordfighting.¡± The apathetic professor says,¡± I should expel you for that punch.¡±

    I sigh,¡± I¡¯m sorry I shouldn¡¯t have done that, but I was under the assumption he would use magic until right before the duel.¡±

    He looks me up and down and says,¡± I¡¯ll let you off the hook this time since it¡¯s only your first day, but next time I catch you beating one of my students, I¡¯ll expel you myself.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir, it won¡¯t happen again.¡± I bow to show sincerity, but he scoffs at the bow and walks away. I think to myself,¡± Okay Snape¡± but don¡¯t dare say it outloud.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to hit him so hard!¡± Claire screams at me. ¡°You could have just disarmed him or pinned him, but no you had to show off didn¡¯t you?¡±

    I stare at her and then turn to Edward and say,¡± Word of advice, never extend like that, it¡¯ll get you killed.¡± I turn and see the crowd of people staring at me in horror. This feels very familiar for me, but at least this time it isn¡¯t because of my appearance.

    I try to walk away, but Claire walks in front of me.¡± Apologize to him¡± she says.

    ¡°Why? He knew what he was getting into.¡± I say coldly.

    ¡°He thought you would fight with a sword, not show off for everyone how much better you are at close-combat.¡± She says.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t showing off,¡± I say but she doesn¡¯t look convinced. I sigh and say,¡± You really chose this wimp of a man to be your betrothed?¡±

    She gets flustered and says,¡± Ye-es he treats me like a real woman.¡±

    ¡°You mean like talking for you or cutting you off so he can talk?¡± I retort.¡± That doesn¡¯t seem like very good treatment.¡±

    She slaps me across the face, I could have done something about it, but thought I deserved this because of how I¡¯m treating her. I rub the red spot on my face and turn around to leave. She cries out an apology, but I keep moving.

    ¡°Thank you¡± Beth says in her quiet voice.¡± They always do these things to people they deem below them.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    ¡°Not a problem¡± I say and then I see the apathetic professor and Arthur talking.

    ¡°Your first day and you already got into a fight, and with Claire¡¯s betrothed? You¡¯re supposed to protect her, not fight with her boyfriend.¡± Arthur says with the professor nodding. The professor leaves then leaves us to talk and then Arthur turns to me.¡± DId it feel good hitting him?¡±

    I¡¯m taken aback by his question,¡± Um yeah, it felt really good punching him, I thought I was in trouble.¡±

    ¡°In front of professor Yew and the others, yes, but really I hate Edward. The way he treats Claire just isn¡¯t right.¡± He says with a depressed tone.

    ¡°Why is he her fiance than?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Susan said it was his family¡¯s status and that it doesn¡¯t matter how I feel.¡± He says

    ¡°I assume it doesn¡¯t matter what Claire says either,¡± I say with a shake from Arthur.¡± I¡¯ll make up with her and try to help her with Edward, but it¡¯s probably best to let her cool off.¡±

    I walk back to my room with Ryan in silence and when we enter our room a familiar face rushes to the door. Looks like Smokey was allowed to stay with me and I embraced him in a bear hug. He licks my face then whines at Ryan.

    ¡°He wants you to pet him¡± I say.

    ¡°Um okay, but how do you know?¡± He asks.

    ¡° Magic¡± I say with a smile.

    He gives me a confused look, then pets Smokey. I lay down on my bed and Smokey jumps on my bed. He lays next to me and I look at him.¡± That girl I told you about turned into the lady that kicked me out when I was thirteen.¡±

    He turns his head and replies with a,¡± I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    I look up at Ryan who has a look of shock and say,¡± I can talk to animals, but I don¡¯t suggest it, they aren¡¯t very smart.¡±

    ¡°But how?¡± He says,¡± and don¡¯t say magic.¡±

    I point to my blue eye and say,¡± This one allows me to listen to animals telepathically and the violet eye lets me see a person¡¯s weak points, like past injuries.¡±

    ¡°Hm, never heard of anything like that.¡± He says rubbing his chin in thought.¡± What about the colors Claire said you used to have? What did the green and red ones do?¡±

    I change my eye colors with a blink and say,¡± The green iris enhances my senses and the red one lets me see thermal patterns. I can also change the colors between the four and can have them off while retaining the color.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still confused.¡± He says.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not the best at explaining, but think o the colors as spells and by changing the color, I change the spell that¡¯s in effect.¡± I say.

    ¡°It makes a bit more sense, but how come I¡¯ve never heard of any such power?¡± He asks.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe me even if I told you where I got this power.¡± I say,¡± Only one person of many I¡¯ve told seems to believe me.¡±

    We sit in silence as he tries to take in what he¡¯s heard. A couple hours pass and night falls. He asks one last thing,¡± What did you say about sweeping Claire off her feet before the fight?¡±

    ¡°Oh that? Before when I was living with them, we would always play knight saves the princess, even though we were thirteen at the time. Claire started developing feelings for me and told me she might love me and her mother found out that she confessed to a peasant and freaked out. She made me pack my things and leave the house, but before I left Claire told me,¡¯Return to me when I¡¯m older as my knight in shining armor. I don¡¯t want to be married off.¡¯ and that was it.¡±

    ¡°I wonder why she is defending her betrothed like that then.¡± And with that he falls asleep.

    I lay there wondering the same thing, was that why I went so far? Was I mad that she was taken or did I really hate Edward being a bully? When the thought of stealing Claire away from Edward crossed my mind, the image of Jessica¡¯s face appeared and I get a sharp feeling in my chest.

 Chapter 6: An Attempt at an Apology

    The first week passes by with many introduction from teachers, my favorite is my main teacher, Professor Finch. He is a retired knight with a sword given to him by the previous king. They apparently were childhood friends too. He singled me out due to my fight with Edward and how I stressed not overextending. He also liked how I caught the blade, which no one would ever expect in a fight due to how dangerous it is. In reality, if you can stop the blade from moving, you can grip the sharpest part of the blade, but the vice grip is much safer.

    Every day after the fight I see Edward shadow fighting, and admit his swordsmanship is elegant and flashy, but a good show won¡¯t win a fight. I notice how he took my advice to heart and see a more balanced stance. I smile, maybe I can teach him a couple things. He focuses too much on swings, when it¡¯s better to stab with a rapier. Claire watches him and encourages him to try his best, I often wonder why she lets him treat her like an item. I think of how I¡¯d treat her, but I get that sharp pain and realize I I guess I still can¡¯t get over Jessica.

    On the second week of school I decide to make amends with Edward and try to find common ground with him. On my daily walk from lunch break I see him practicing, so today I decide to approach him.

    ¡°You look much better with your extensions and looks like you don¡¯t shift your weight as much.¡± I say to him.

    He recoils in fear that I¡¯m here for another fight and says,¡± Don¡¯t come any closer, I don¡¯t want any trouble.¡±

    Claire gets up from her usual spot and I say,¡± Don¡¯t worry I¡¯m here to apologize for breaking your nose, and to fix your style.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want or need your help.¡± He says in defiance.

    ¡°Yet you listened to me about over extending.¡± I say with a smile.¡± Another thing you should work on are quick jabs. Rapiers are meant for stabbing, not long arcing swings.¡±

    ¡°I-I know that, it¡¯s just¡­.¡± He tries to come up with something but is flustered.

    ¡°Here, loosen your wrist too.¡± I say and he flinches when I grab his wrist.¡± Use your wrist¡¯s range of motion to manipulate the blade, don¡¯t keep it locked.¡±

    Claire is watching as I instruct, her wand ready in case I hurt Edward. I smile at her and then adjust Edwards stance to a more dynamic one. One where is legs are bent more and easier to adjust in a fight. His old stance had him almost straight with no chance to adapt, however it looked cooler to him.

    ¡°In a fight, no one cares about how fancy you look, you should focus more on the fight, rather than your appearance.¡± I say.

    He tries another round of shadow boxing and he adds more stabs than swings. I give my nod of approval and he smugly turns his head, obviously his pride doesn¡¯t allow him to like me.

    I sigh,¡± Like it or not, it¡¯s my job to keep Claire safe, and I need all the help I can get. If you can¡¯t beat an unarmed man, then you have no luck against an unknown assailant.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just use my magic, I am the second most powerful mage in our class.¡± He says.

    I pull a knife out from its hidden sheath and ask,¡± How long does it take to cast a spell? Two seconds? In two seconds you could be dead. That¡¯s why you need to know how to fight without magic.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    He gulps and Claire points her wand at me,¡± Do anything like that again and I will stun your ass.¡±

    I gasp sarcastically,¡± How very unlady-like of you to swear.¡± Then I get a book thrown at me which I dodge.¡± I guess I¡¯ll go then.¡±

    I walk past Ryan and Beth holding hands and laugh at how embarrassed they are about it. They remind me of middle school couples and I chuckle at the thought of them. It reminds me of of my awkwardness with Jessica and how I acted with her. I feel the sadness come over me and wonder if I¡¯ll ever move on.

    I make it back to my room and Smokey runs to me,¡± Play?¡± he asks me. I shake my head and lay down to study what I learned to do. One answer I learned today was that magic is controlled by the frontal lobe, which is where a mage gets pain if they push themselves too far. It makes sense since I remember learning that the frontal lobe controls a lot of your personality.

    I also found one part of the history of Acleirea very interesting since it was the last mult-race war so far. The mad king rallied monsters and humans to try and conquer the other races, which he succeeded in and unified the language. That¡¯s why English is spoken all over the continent, just an old habit I guess. The most interesting part of the story was an unknown hero rising up and rallying the Dragonic and Banrir to rebel against the mad king after a twenty year long tyrannical reign. I¡¯m mostly curious about the unknown hero and wonder why he is the only important figure in history no one knows about.

    I found myself with more questions than answers, even asking Professor Fisk, our history teacher, about the hero got me nowhere. I decided to focus more on my ability as a mage, and my failing grade in magic practice. Even for a magic item user I sucked at any type of magic, no idea why, but it made me so frustrated. No matter how much I studied, practiced, or asked questions, I got no where. If it hadn¡¯t been for the fight with Edward, I would probably be the butt of many jokes around here, but I was branded a delinquent and no one messes with me, but that means no one tries to be my friend either.

    Smokey whines at the door, which snaps me out of my deep thought and I hear a knock with an accompanying,¡± Can I come in?¡± by a female voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s unlocked¡± I say.

    The door opens and Claire comes in, I shield myself expecting a book to fly at me. With no projectile being thrown, I lower my arms. She sighs and say,¡± You idiot, I didn¡¯t come to hurt you. I came to thank you, Edward started treating me better ever since the fight."

    I feel relief, and then say," So he learned to let you speak? Good for him."

    After an awkward silence she speaks up, ¡°You realize you don''t have the best rep here, right? You got into a fight on your first day and you hang around Ryan and Beth who are kinda the weirdos of the school. I remember what you said about wishing more people talked to you at your old school."

    ¡°Yeah I can see why the fight was bad, but they really aren¡¯t that weird.¡± I say.

    ¡°Are you kidding? When they are together they can barely function! If they touch hands they fumble and apologize, if anyone says anything related to dating they turn red instantly.¡± she says," they don''t talk to any other people and are always sitting in silence during class."

    ¡°Yeah I guess they are kinda awkward, but they are the only ones who talk to me, and I¡¯m thankful for that at least.¡± I say,¡± Plus I don¡¯t see anything wrong with the way they act, they know nothing about dating or love.¡±

    ¡°Oh please, love is a made up emotion the lower class made up so they could enjoy their lives.¡± She says with disdain.

    ¡°What did you just say?¡± I ask feeling anger build up.

    ¡°Love is just made up to inspire children to reproduce, it doesn¡¯t exist.¡± She says confidently.

    I move without thinking and corner her. I throw a punch at the wall creating a hole in the wall.¡± How dare you talk about love that way!¡± I yell,¡± You have no idea what losing someone you love feels like!¡±

    She looks up at me towering over her, frightened, and I realise what I just did. Thankfully I had enough control to aim at the wall.¡±Leave, NOW!¡± I yell.

    She hurriedly leaves with tears welling up in her eyes and I try to calm down.¡± How could she say that?" I think to myself. My breath is rapid and my blood boiling. I try to calm myself but can¡¯t seem to get over how pissed I was at what she just said.

 Chapter 7: A Well Needed Talk

    That night I lay restless in my bed, thoughts of how I acted and what she said spun in my head. I think back to my time with Jessica and can¡¯t imagine any of that to be fake. It was the happiest part of my time on this world, and she claims that the love I have for Jessica is made up? Before I know it the sun is already up and Ryan stirs.

    ¡°Another nightmare kept you up?¡± He asks then yawns.

    ¡°I would¡¯ve had to gone to sleep to have a nightmare.¡± I say. I didn¡¯t realise I woke Ryan up every night when I woke up.¡± Does it bother you?¡±

    ¡°No, what bothers me is how you don¡¯t talk about it.¡± He says.

    I look down at the floor and then get off my bed.¡± I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready to talk about it.¡±

    He studies me, then gets up and gets ready. We say nothing while we change and as we walk to breakfast. I pass the courtyard where Edward and Claire are, but avoid looking in their direction. I¡¯m still pissed at what happened last night. Beth is waiting for us at our usual table with a book in hand.

    ¡°Morning,¡± She says without looking up.

    Neither of us say anything and we sit down in silence. I eat my food in silence and listen in on their conversation about healing runes and remedies for their classes. Nothing peaks my interest so I don¡¯t join in.

    ¡°Did you get into another fight?¡± Beth says with her soft voice.

    I look at her and say,¡± It¡¯s nothing, just an argument.¡±

    She looks at me and says,¡± Was it with Claire?¡±

    I nod and she continues,¡± I saw her on my way home from the library, Edward was trying to calm her down. I saw she was crying, now I know why.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her, she just really pissed me off last night.¡± I say. With that I finish and get up to go to my first class. In the hall I see Edward and Claire and they both avert their eyes as we pass. I sigh and think,¡± How am I supposed to protect someone who fights with me constantly?¡±

    My first class passes and I realized that I payed attention to none of it. I was too deep in thoughts, lost in whether or not I should apologize for scaring her and memories from before. I ask a girl who was sitting next to me for the notes she took, she yelps when I approach her and rips the page out of her notebook.

    ¡°Should have seen that one coming, rumors about me seem to travel fast here.¡± I say. I pick the paper up and put it in my notebook. I walk out of the class and make my way to the courtyard to apologize.

    ¡°Claire, this is the third wand you¡¯ve broken since school started, and this one lasted the least amount of time.¡± An older voice says.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t help breaking them.¡± Claire says.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Learn some self control, young lady.¡± The other voice says. I hear their footsteps leave and then make my move towards Claire.

    ¡°What was that about?¡± I ask

    She doesn¡¯t look up at me, but says,¡± I broke another wand this morning.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± I ask,¡± I¡¯ve never heard of a mage breaking a wand before.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very rare for wands to break, but I¡¯m told I have too much raw magical energy to be funneled through one wand.¡± She says still looking at the ground.¡± They say I need to learn how to control how much magical energy I put into my spells.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve never heard of a mage having to limit the magic put into a spell either.¡± I ask and she nods. There¡¯s a moment of awkward silence and then I break it by saying,¡± I¡¯m sorry for scaring you last night. I have some issues.¡±

    She looks up at me,¡± It¡¯s my fault, I never should have brought that up. I heard about what happened and didn¡¯t think about what I was saying.¡±

    ¡°So you heard about the King¡¯s Shadow and its downfall?¡± I ask

    She nods,¡± I also learned about Jessica from my father.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah she was the reason I kept getting up when I was knocked down, she was my everything for a long time.¡± I feel that sharp pain I get when I remember that night.

    ¡°If you need someone to talk to, I¡¯ll listen.¡± She says,¡± I won¡¯t be much help¡­¡±

    I look at her and I remember what¡¯s been bugging me since I met Edward.¡± Why did you give in to the whole arranged marriage? You used to talk about finding the right one.¡±

    With this she looks at the ground and takes a deep breath.¡± My mother threatened to pull me out of this school and force me to marry a man of her choice.¡± She shifting when she speaks and averts her eyes, which means she¡¯s hiding something.

    ¡°So you chose Edward to be your betrothed?¡± I asked.

    She nods and pulls me by the arm to a more private place.¡± Sorry I can¡¯t say this with anyone around us. Is there anyone near us?¡±

    I switch my eye colors to my old red and green, focus on what I hear and smell.¡± Nobody within fifty meters¡± I say.

    ¡°I prefer those eyes¡± She says.¡± Edward and I made an agreement when we first met. We would be betrothed and then married in the eyes of our parents, but in private we would have someone we actually cared for.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s a fake marriage type of thing? And I assume there¡¯s people watching you two¡± I ask and she nods.

    ¡°Why did Edward treat you like that in the first week?¡± I ask.

    ¡°He told me he doesn¡¯t know how to treat people like you do, he learned from his parents who are worse than mine.¡± She says

    ¡± And why did you say that love was made up for children?¡± I ask

    She slumps,¡± Awhile ago I found out the one I loved found someone else¡­.¡±

    It was very obvious that it was me, but I decide not to say anything about that.¡± We both have love problems too I guess, maybe a nice chat about our problems would do us both some good.¡±

    ¡°Maybe we should¡­¡± She says. She looks deep into my eyes and I can see her body heat with my thermal vision. Her face was hotter than the rest of her body, her heart was beating, her eyes dilated, and she keeps fixing her appearance. All of these point to her attraction to me, but I can¡¯t yet. My lingering feelings are holding me back. I hear footsteps and feel the relief of being able to escape come over me.

    She moves in closer to me, and I start to panic internally. I can feel guilt in even considering kissing her right now. Then as I¡¯m about to give in I hear footsteps that seem to appear out of nowhere.

    ¡°Some one¡¯s coming¡± I say, relieved that we weren¡¯t able to continue. If we did continue, I know I would have kissed her there, but for some reason I¡¯m holding back on this feeling. I¡¯m just glad I don¡¯t have to face that reason yet. So I guess I was relieved when headmaster turned the corner.

    ¡°Ah it¡¯s just the two I wanted to see.¡± The headmaster says to us.

 Chapter 8: An Old Womans Nonsense

    ¡°Oh no, did I interrupt a crucial moment in your relationship?¡± She ask in shock.¡± i am so sorry, but this is urgent.¡±

    We turn to her in shock, and I¡¯m still weirded out by her. She never takes her eyes off me when I¡¯m in the room.¡± No we were just talking about my contract with her father.¡±

    She looks at me with a look of disbelief then says,¡± Your eyes look better with blue and violet.¡±

    ¡°I-I prefer the green and red eyes.¡± Claire says looking at the ground.

    She turns to her and says,¡± That explains why he has them green and red right now.¡±

    Claire looks up and says,¡± No! He was making sure we weren¡¯t being heard! Tell her.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I-I was making sure we weren¡¯t being heard.¡± I say.

    She chuckles and says,¡± Whatever you two say, but from what I heard you were talking about love.¡±

    Claire¡¯s body temperature is rising and I know I must act to help her.¡± What did you want from us?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, well I was going to tell you a secret about that sword of yours.¡± she points at my sword and I tilt my head in confusion.

    ¡°Okay, then what is it you want to say?¡± I ask.

    ¡°That its form is incomplete, you¡¯re missing that gem on the hilt!¡± She says with a child¡¯s glee.

    I¡¯m even more confused, can she see through my disguise spell? It wasn¡¯t even just me who put a disguise spell on this sword.¡± How did you know?¡¯

    She smiles and says,¡± If you want to find the gem it¡¯s hidden in this school. And no, I don¡¯t know where to find it.¡±

    The fact she knows about the incomplete hilt baffles me. Arthur put the second disguise spell on this, and despite his appearance, he¡¯s an excellent mage. Claire si confused and trying to understand what the headmaster is saying.¡±Okaaay, well what can you tell me about the gem than?¡±

    ¡°I can tell you I have searched for it ever since I started here, it¡¯s supposed to be a valuable magical item.¡± She says.¡± When the gem is in the sword it¡¯ll fix your problem with using that sword.¡±

    ¡°So there is a reason you refuse to draw it!¡± Claire says.

    ¡°Yeah, it tends to drain my stamina without me realizing.¡± I confess.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°That is because of its magic absorbing ability.¡± Rivers says.

    ¡°Can you tell us anything about how to find the gem?¡± I ask

    ¡°All I know is that looking into the history of the school and its founder will guide you.¡± She says.

    Why does she know all this? Why is she being so cryptic? ANd why can¡¯t anyone answer my questions without raising new one? I try to speak,¡± And-¡±

    ¡°Miss Winston I wanted to give you this piece of advice, don¡¯t let this one slip out of your hands.¡± She says.¡± Also try to get your feelings straight, that''ll help with your overflow problem.¡±

    She walks away and leaves us in silence and shock. ¡°What even is this lady?¡± I think to myself,¡± And why does she have to be so cryptic?¡±

    ¡°What the hell was that all about?¡± I ask in total confusion.

    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Claire says,¡± but I want to know more about that sword of yours.¡±

    I sigh and say,¡± I got it as payment for a contract of mine awhile back. I was tasked with escorting siblings banrir nobles from hostile territory. I was on my way back from that contract with my partner when the Inn we operated out of was attacked.¡±

    She studies me and then sighs,¡± She really knows how to kill a mood.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to talk about Ryan and Beth about the school¡¯s history, they spend all their time in the library.¡± I say trying to get out of this small space with her.

    ¡°I have to meet up with Edward, I¡¯ll try and find you later.¡± She says and we part.

    My chest is filled with a mix between that warm, cozy feeling you get during an intimate moment, but also that feeling of emptiness in my stomach full of guilt. I guess I need to deal with getting over Jessica before anything can happen between Claire and I. I shake my head and think,¡± I was told about a mysterious gem that unlocks the power of this sword and I¡¯m thinking about girls? The fuck is wrong with me? I should focus on the main issue right now.¡± I think to myself.

    I bump into someone and they fall to the ground.¡± I am so sorry¡± I say

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I was reading this book and¡­ Oh it¡¯s you Kyle.¡± Beth says while getting up from the ground.

    ¡°Oh Beth, what a coincidence I wanted to speak with you.¡± I say.

    ¡°I know, the headmaster passed me and told me you¡¯d come to me with questions.¡± She says.

    ¡°Seriously what is up with that woman?¡± I ask

    ¡°I think she gets bored and likes to meddle with her students and their lives.¡± She says.¡± I was going to the library, I assume you¡¯ll join me.¡±

    I nod and we walk down to the library, we pass the statue Ryan told me about on the first day. A question arises in my mind and I ask,¡± Who founded this academy?¡±

    ¡°Um, well it was supposedly founded by a powerful mage during the time of the Mad King¡­¡± She says

    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that nobody knows.¡± I say becoming annoyed at all these unanswered questions.

    She nods and says,¡± The Mad King destroyed many records about our history and even destroyed many technological advances we had at the time.¡±

    ¡°Of course the answers to my questions are hidden behind many mysteries.¡± I say. I wonder if I¡¯ll ever go back to the simple task of protecting a noble, or spy on this noble, or even kill this noble. I wonder if this is the adventure my thirteen year old self looked forward to, because my current self is just getting annoyed. I find myself at the library and I walk in with Beth. That¡¯s when I hear a scream coming from the opposite direction, and I bet you can guess who¡¯s scream it was.

 Chapter 9: An Intruder

    I turn and run faster than I have ever ran in my life. My adrenaline was pushing me to run, my drive to protect Claire pushed me even harder. I made it to where the scream came from and I see Edward unconscious and his rapier¡¯s blade broken. No sign of the other part, maybe it was in the thing that took Claire. I lay him down and leave him knowing a professor will take care of him. The person I was worried about was Claire. I quickly find a trail of footsteps and start to follow the assailant¡¯s trail. I realise what creature made these tracks and my heart sinks, Claire was taken by goblins.

    How did the goblins get past our security? I thought the academy was safe from monsters and that I was here for human assailants. I start up sprinting, hoping they haven¡¯t done any horrific things to Claire. That¡¯s when I hear their demonic snarls as they speak to one-another in their language of grunts. I switch to my blue eye and can understand what some of what they say. ¡°Payment¡± and ¡°Hostage¡± are the ones I can make out the clearest. I¡¯m just thankful they aren¡¯t taking her to their underground caves, you can already assume what happens to women when Goblins take them. I turn the corner and they spot me.

    I can¡¯t trust my sword so I duck under a swing from one of their axes and slam my fist into the goblin¡¯s face. I pick the ax up and use its iron handle to block another¡¯s sword. I kick the goblin¡¯s knee and he stumbles. I bring the ax down on him and kill him on impact. I pick up his sword and cut off the arm of the second to last goblin. I stab him in the chest and turn to face the last and biggest Goblin who is setting down Claire.

    ¡°I see a worthy challenge.¡± it says in a deep, demonic voice.

    ¡°Well this is unexpected, a goblin who can actually speak.¡± I say

    ¡°I am superior to my kin in intelligence and strength, think you can defeat me?¡± He says.

    I ready the goblin sword and he pulls out a sword about the size of me. This might be harder than I expected. He charges at me with incredible speed, but I manage to dodge his bumrush and I spin to confront him. He hits the wall, cracking the stone, and turn to face me. He swings the sword in an overhead strike and I move, he follows it up with a quick horizontal swing that I barely block. I hear a cracking sound and the sword I was using has a massive crack in it. I throw it to the ground and it breaks.

    ¡°Useless piece of shit.¡± I say ¡°Just like the rest of your kind.¡±

    He didn¡¯t like that last part and he gets enraged, luckily this is what I wanted. A raging bull is easier to predict than a smart one. He charges and I dodge creating distance between us. I use the time he takes to recover to think of what I should do, while his back is turned I see the other end of Edward¡¯s sword and smile. ¡°He actually did something.¡± I think to myself.

    ¡°I should have known you would try to enrage me, but my pride made me charge you there.¡± He says rubbing the spot where his head hit the wall.¡± This time I think I¡¯ll take my time approaching you.¡±

    I¡¯ve run out of options, no sword or weapon is within my reach. Except the Dao sword at my hip, it¡¯s my last choice and I don¡¯t want to use it. He¡¯s halfway to me and I start to feel the panic set in, maybe I should run. I shake that thought out of my head and know I have to stay and save her. I take a deep breath and pull the sword out of its sheath. The tiredness I felt from running and fighting leaves me and I gain a second wind. This is what I was afraid of, I lose sense of my limit when I use this.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°So you finally use that sword at your hip. I thought it for decoration.¡± He says

    ¡°I guess your employer didn¡¯t tell you about me and the sword I wield.¡± I say coldly.

    ¡°He said something about a merc-¡± He tries to say, but I cut him down before he can say anything else. I was too fast for him to even comprehend while he was talking. I sigh and put the sword back in its sheath, then the fatigue hits me and my legs buckle. I black out with the last image I see was Claire stirring.

    I wake up in a hospital bed and try to get up, but fall back due to a massive headache.¡± It¡¯ll pass in a while.¡± the nurse says.

    I sigh and can feel the tension and soreness in my legs and arms. That sword allowed to me move with incredible speed, but its cost was never worth using. If there were any more goblins in the school I would be dead. I look to the left and see Claire and Edward in beds next to me. They are talking and I can hear Edward apologizing for being useless. I feel sorry for him, awhile ago he was on top of the world, but now reality hit him.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright¡± Claire says to him.¡± It¡¯s not like I did anything useful either.¡±

    ¡°How did the goblins even get in?¡± I ask.

    They turn and both of their faces change from sorrow to joy. I guess they are happy to see me.¡± The headmaster is looking into it right now.¡± Edward says.

    I sigh,¡± Even if she figures it out, I doubt she¡¯ll give me a straight answer.¡±

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Claire says with worry in her voice.

    ¡°Pretty damn sore,¡± I say.

    ¡°So that sword of yours steals your stamina when used?¡± Edward asks/

    I nod and say,¡± I was told a great hero forged it and used it in battle, but when I first used it, I passed out for three days.¡± I remember when it was given to me by the older sibling, Amus, when we were ambushed. He told me to use it without telling me about the downsides. If my buddy, Thu¡¯ane, wasn¡¯t with me, we would¡¯ve been caught.

    ¡°Kyle? Are you even listening?¡± Claire says and I nap out of my thoughts.

    ¡°Sorry, was remembering when I first used this sword.¡± I apologize.

    ¡°The spell you and my father put on it is gone now. I can see why you would hide it.¡± She say.¡± The hilt has many intricate details that looks impossible to recreate and it¡¯s unlike any I¡¯ve seen.¡±

    I smile and say,¡± It¡¯s a legendary blade according to those who gave it to me. I should probably tell you about them, they are pretty rare people.¡± I then explain the job I did about a year and a half ago. I was tasked with smuggling two siblings through the North Banrir country. They were a rare breed of Bird Banrir, they were white swans and were being hunted by an unknown organization. The end goal was to put them on a ship and send them to the Isles of the Elves, which was home to elves and fairies who promised to protect them. We ran into a pack of Minotaurs right before reaching the port and that¡¯s when I first used this sword. Thu¡¯ane was also a rare individual, a white Dragonic. He was exiled because of his father¡¯s attempt at a coup.

    ¡°That¡¯s a very interesting story, those siblings, Amus and Adela, what were they like?¡± Edward ask.

    ¡°About ninety percent of the time they acted more like lovers than siblings. They weirded us out a bit so we kept talking to a minimum. Besides that Adela was a very good healer and Amus helped restore magicka and stamina. Apparently he was the reason I didn¡¯t die the first time I used the sword.¡± I say

    ¡°And Thu¡¯ane?¡± Edward asks.

    ¡°He¡¯s the closest thing I have to a best friend, and he¡¯s a really fun drinking partner. He¡¯s back in his country investigating the downfall of the King¡¯s Shadow. I was told I was becoming obsessing over the investigation and made me leave it. So that¡¯s why I was wandering for the past year.¡±

    The doors fly open and the Headmaster walks through.¡± Hello children, want to know how they got through our defense?¡± she says with that childish glee I¡¯ve gotten used to.

 Chapter 10: Recovery

    ¡°Was I interrupting another crucial moment in your relationship?¡± The headmaster asks.I can still feel the emotional tension from our very cramped meeting from last night. I did not want to bring any of that up now, but I felt like the tension was tightened by having the headmaster show up again. Edward on the other hand is clueless to this whole thing. He doesn¡¯t realise the gravity of this whole situation between Claire and I.

    ¡°No, we were just talking.¡± I say before letting the silence linger any longer.

    ¡°Hm, from what I heard, I was sure you were talking about some deep stuff.¡± She says glaring at me.

    ¡°If you knew we were in the middle of some deep shit, then why didn¡¯t you wait until after we were done talking?¡± I annoyingly ask.

    ¡°It¡¯s no fun to let you finish what you¡¯re saying, and besides you won¡¯t progress without being pushed.¡± She says.

    ¡°Um, headmaster, what was it you wanted?¡± Edward interrupts with a very confused look.

    ¡°Oh yes, the goblins. I found out how they were able to get through our defenses.¡± She says.¡± The thing is we never had any defenses in the first place.¡±

    I stare her and try to comprehend what she was saying. How could someone so incompetent be in charge of the most prestigious school? Surprisingly, I was the only one so shocked by this revelation. The other two seemed like it was normal to not have guards around. I guess this life is completely different to my wanderer ways.

    ¡°Okay, but why?¡± I ask becoming more and more annoyed at this situation.

    ¡°Because there hasn¡¯t been an attack like this before.¡± Claire says.¡± Ever since cities and schools were built like this, monster were too scared to even try to attack our numbers. So they stuck to the villages and the roads.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s right, no monster would dare set foot in a place full of mages.¡± Edward pitches in.

    ¡°And I¡¯m the only concerned with being attacked by monsters?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Out of all the students, you¡¯ve lived a life more open to monster attacks like when you¡¯re on a job. We, on the other hand, have always had protection and confidence in our abilities, so the thought of guards roaming the perimeter never seemed like a necessity.¡± He retorts.

    I find myself asking more and more questions, but knowing my luck if I ask them, more questions will flood in. One simple question pops up and I decide to ask it. ¡± So we don¡¯t have any defenses?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Technically, no we do not, but if you count the students and their abilities, then yes.¡± The headmaster says with a smile.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    I sigh,¡±Well that¡¯s going to have to change.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing, I¡¯ll go start on that.¡± Rivers says then leaves. I doubt anything will change, when it comes to her, I¡¯m starting to learn not to trust her. She may have good intentions, but her constant butting in and her mischievous makes me doubt what she says.

    The silence lingers and I can feel Claire¡¯s stare. She hasn¡¯t looked away from me ever since I woke up. The tension and emotions from before haven¡¯t left either of us, but I was the only one who didn¡¯t want to talk about that. I thank god that Edward was there to break the silence.

    ¡°Why was the headmaster acting so weird?¡± Edward asks.

    ¡°She doesn''t act that way around everybody?¡± I ask with genuine curiosity.

    He shakes his head and says,¡± She usually speaks very little and never has she smiled like that.¡±

    With that the silence and tension arise again. I sit there in awkwardness, trying not to meet Claire¡¯s gaze. Edward, who is clueless to all this, is looking from me to her in confusion. I feel sorry for him having to sit here in silence. Then he decides to get up and grab his notebook. I knew right there I¡¯d make him pay for this.

    ¡°Right, I¡¯ll be taking my leave then.¡± He says walking towards the door and I swear he winks at me before he closes the door.

    ¡°Wait¡± I try to call out but he doesn¡¯t answer. I sit there and slump back into my bed. I know exactly what¡¯s coming next.

    ¡°So¡­.?¡± Claire asks. Her single, ambiguous word could mean anything, the conversation we had before, what we do now, or the whole mystery of the school. But something tells me it¡¯s anything but the latter. The strict composer I had learned to hate was gone, now she was anything but. I could hear her heartbeat and its rapid beat became louder and louder until I broke the silence.

    ¡°We should probably figure out what the headmaster was talking about from before, you know with the gem.¡± I say trying to act as calm and collected as I can.

    She sighs and fixes her appearance. Her hair, which was messy because of sleep, was being straightened. Her slightly unbuttoned shirt, which was very revealing, now was being buttoned. Little by little, the Claire I was more used to returned.¡± I suppose we should.¡± She answers in a melancholic tone.

    ¡°She said something about the founder being a clue. We should start there.¡± I say with more confidence.

    ¡°Yeah, you were doing that before this whole thing happened right?¡± She says.

    I nod,¡± Beth and Ryan are probably very confused right now. We should go talk to them.¡± I try to get up but my legs feel very restricted. I forgot that I had used the sword and pushed my body too far.

    Claire sighs again and gets up,¡± I¡¯ll talk to your friends, you stay here.¡±

    She leaves me in silence, and in that silence, I think about what has been going on. The mystery behind the sword that lies next to me, the attack by the goblins, the headmaster¡¯s behavior, and most of all my own behavior. Claire was here desperately needing her knight in shining armor, and what do I do? I push her away, when I could have opened up to her. I feel a deep regret and emptiness feeling in my stomach. Why am I like this?

    As if on queue that annoying buzzing sound went off in my head. It snapped me out of my deep thought and almost made me piss my pants.¡±Goddamn, what now?¡± i annoyingly ask.

    It was a letter from Thu¡¯ane, my friend. ¡°Dear Kyle, I¡¯ve pretty much wrapped up my investigation here, I¡¯ll be headed your way so we can discuss what¡¯s going on.¡±

    ¡°Just great, more shit I have to deal with,¡± I say laying back.

 Chapter 11: Thuane Arrives Early

    I was out of the hospital after a day of rest and treatment. My homework had built up from all my classes, but my teachers agreed to give me time to finish because of the circumstances. I tried my hardest to focus on the finding this gem that¡¯s so important, but I can¡¯t help but think about how much I screwed up. Claire had tried to get me to talk, but I shot her down completely.

    ¡°Kyle, are you going to focus on the task at hand?¡± an annoyed Ryan asks.

    ¡°Sorry, I have a lot to think about.¡± I say

    ¡°That¡¯s no excuse, Beth and I have been in this library since yesterday, and right now you seem more like a distraction than help.¡± He says coldly.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t know how to sugar coat things do you?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I¡¯m only saying this because the problem you¡¯re more focused on has a simple solution.¡± He says.

    ¡°Ryan, don¡¯t be so harsh. We don¡¯t know Kyle¡¯s reasoning for being this way about his past.¡± Beth says.

    I smile, at least Beth gets human emotions for Ryan.¡± I¡¯ve had some very traumatic experiences in the past, but you know that.¡± I pause, wondering what to say next. ¡°If I were to talk about it, I¡¯d have to relive those memories, and I don¡¯t think I can bear doing that.¡±

    Ryan shakes his head and says,¡± That is not how you solve a problem, now if you don¡¯t mind, you should leave and work on other homework.¡±

    I get up and do as he say. I know he cares about me, even if he doesn¡¯t show it. He wants my problems to be fixed, but doesn¡¯t know the complexity of these emotions. I wish I could adopt his simple minded approach to emotions and such.

    I pass Claire and Edward on the way back from the library. I should¡¯ve been paying attention, because I could have avoided them, but it was too late. They spotted me. Edward waves at me and I smile and wave back, but Claire gives me the cold shoulder. I don¡¯t blame her, I made it clear I didn¡¯t want to talk about anything from before.

    So begins a two week period of avoiding Claire as much as possible, while still trying to keep an eye on her. There were many times where I¡¯d hide behind a group of people, or behind a wall when she approached. It may have been childish, but I really didn¡¯t want to even talk to her right now. I was way too confused on what to do. In a way, it reminded me of a younger me trying to work up the courage to talk to Jessica. On the Friday of the second week, Claire was fed up with me avoiding her. That¡¯s when she got smart and unleashed Smokey from my room. He led her right to me.

    I was laying in a bush after hearing the footsteps and heartbeat I remembered was hers. I was so focused on her¡¯s, that I didn¡¯t even hear the one of my own dog. He jumped into the bush and started liking my face asking to play.

    ¡°Smokey, what the hell are you doing out?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Ryan let me take him, he said he was annoyed at your lack of courage.¡± She says coldly.¡± I am also very annoyed at how childish you¡¯re being.¡±

    I get up and sigh,¡± Look, I¡¯m sorry, but so many things are happening and I don¡¯t want to deal with this right now.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°Too bad, you¡¯re coming with me.¡± She grabs my arm and forcibly pulls me along. She leads me to an open room that¡¯s filled with all my friends here. Edward was reading his textbook, Beth and Ryan were talking, and someone I didn¡¯t expect was messing with Beth¡¯s tale. Thu¡¯ane was here, but why? He wasn¡¯t supposed to come until tomorrow.

    ¡°Thu¡¯ane? What are you doing here so early?¡± I ask

    ¡°Kyle! I arrived early and was going to surprise you! I ran into your roommate after finding out your room number and he explained the situation. I can¡¯t believe you still have a hard time talking to people, I thought you got past this.¡± He says embracing me in a hug.

    I felt anger and joy about what he did, I didn¡¯t know which one was stronger though.¡± So what did you tell them?¡±

    ¡°I told them about how you blame yourself for Jessica¡¯s death, about how we could¡¯ve been there quicker without our detour, and some of your more gruesome events in your past.¡± He says.

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know if I should be mad or happy that you did, but for now, I¡¯ll let it slide.¡± I say.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, if it weren¡¯t for me, you would¡¯ve never got together with Jessica either.¡± He says.

    It¡¯s true, I¡¯m a mess when it comes to these types of things. I prefer not to talk about anything, but Thu¡¯ane will do anything to make me talk. Here, he gave my friends all the info they needed to probe me, and that made me very pissed. I was pissed that he did so without my permission, pissed that he did so nonchalantly, and pissed that he brought up Jessica again. But also, I was happy, a burden was lifted from my shoulders.

    ¡°Then I guess I have to apologize to everyone about how I¡¯ve been acting.¡± I say defeated.

    Edward shakes his head,¡± You have only one person to apologize to.¡± He points to Claire and my heart drops. One day Edward, I will get you back for all this.

    With that everyone leaves and I¡¯m left trying to find words to say. Claire breaks the silence.¡± I know I shouldn¡¯t have been so forward with you, but seeing you again made me so happy. I wanted that happiness from when we were kids.¡±

    I felt the same thing when I first saw her, all those happy memories flooded back to me when I heard her voice.¡± I¡¯m sorry for being such an ass about all this, I wish I wasn¡¯t such a mess when it comes to my own problems. I wish I could talk about all my thoughts, but they¡¯re so hard to even think about.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be there for you, when you finally decide to talk about it, please come to me.¡± She pleads.¡± I¡¯ve wanted to help you so badly, ever since you lost Jessica, I wanted to be next to you. I want you to lean on me for support.¡±

    I look into her eyes and see tears start to form. I can¡¯t believe how I acted, this girl wanted nothing more than me to feel better. I run my hands through my hair in an attempt to cool my nerves, then take a deep breath.¡± I accept you plead.¡± I finally say.

    She lights up, wipes the tears from her eyes, and says,¡± For now, just please talk more about the traumatic events like monster attacks. I¡¯ll let you off the hook about Jessica for now.¡±

    WIth that I told her all about the three events that haunted me. My first event was during my first mission apart of the King¡¯s Shadow. I was hunting a Hydra and I finally caught up to it, only to find a mother looking for her son. After killing the Hydra, I noticed the lump in its body and I ended up throwing up. The other was at a goblin¡¯s hideout, a group of us raided their cave. At the end of the cave, I saw many things, naked women, carved up men, and children¡¯s bones. The last one, was during one of my espionage missions. I was sneaking through a building and was way too careless, I didn¡¯t notice that someone was coming and was spotted by them. I was forced to kill an innocent man for the sake of a mission. All of these gave me night terrors even before the fall of the King¡¯s Shadow, but now I had moved past them a bit.

    After explaining all this, Claire just gives me a hug.¡± You¡¯re an idiot, you shouldn¡¯t carry all these burdens on your own.¡± She says.

    I wrap my arms around her and whisper,¡± I know, I¡¯m just too stupid to realise I have people who will help me.¡±

    The door opens and Thu¡¯ane enters with a sandwich in hands.¡± Whoops, I thought y¡¯all were done.¡±

 Chapter 12: A Connection

    ¡°At least you weren¡¯t the headmaster¡± I say under my breath. Claire hears it and giggles.

    ¡°Claire, it was nice meeting you, but can I have your boyfriend for a bit?¡± Thu¡¯ane asks with a smile.

    I give him a death glare which only makes him laugh. Claire let¡¯s go and walks past him. Before closing the door she gives me one last look, and I feel something I haven¡¯t felt in a long time, a warm, fuzzy feeling in my chest.

    Thu¡¯ane slaps me on the back and says,¡± I leave you alone to go investigate, and come back to you relaxing with a cute girl?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s complicated¡­.¡± I say.

    He loses his smile and gets serious.¡± Still hurting from her?¡±

    I nod and say,¡± I¡¯m trying not to get Claire¡¯s hopes up about me, I don¡¯t know if I can be the man she wants me to be.¡±

    He sighs and scratches his neck.¡± Well you should be happy to know I¡¯ve acquired the name of the group who did it.¡±

    I perk up and say,¡± Really! That¡¯s excellent news. What is their name?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to like it. It¡¯s a pretty messed up group.¡± He says then pauses.¡± Their name is The Mad King¡¯s Shadow.¡±

    ¡°Are you serious?¡± I ask

    He nods and keeps going.¡± The original purpose for the King¡¯s Shadow was to protect stability in favor of the king and to protect the king Himself. Which we do by taking up contracts against His enemies. We were targeted for a reason, it wasn¡¯t just some bandits or goblins.¡±

    I scratch my chin and notice my facial hair is slightly coming back.¡± I kind of figured it wasn¡¯t bandits, they could¡¯ve handled bandits.¡± I start to think and I realize something, maybe this is all connected.

    As if reading my mind Thu¡¯ane says.¡± You being here has gotta be some kind of coincidence because my investigation brought me here. I followed a trail that lead me to believe they¡¯ll attack this school.¡±

    It makes sense now, this must be the group Arthur was afraid about. If that¡¯s true what does Claire have to do with this?,¡± I was contracted to protect that girl just now, do you think this is why?¡±

    He nods,¡± I talked to Arthur and he says he believes this is the group that is targeting her.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Wait, you know Arthur?¡± I ask.

    He smiles and says,¡± Why do you think I found you in the first place? My first assignment with my master was to find you.¡±

    I think back to right after leaving the Winston family. It was a really dark time, I was a thief in a neighboring city. I did all I could to survive and met many other street rats who helped me. Then one day a man came and rounded us up saying he¡¯d help us. In reality, we were forced into slavery and were branded. Luckily for me, Thu¡¯ane and his master showed up after a month to set the slaves free.

    I touch the brand on my left shoulder and can still feel the scar.¡± I¡¯m glad Arthur cared about me so much, I would¡¯ve died a slave. I¡¯m also thankful you helped the other slaves and not just me.¡±

    He smiles again and says,¡± When my master saw the treatment, he went into a berserker''s rage and slaughtered the slave traders. He himself was a slave too when he was young.¡± His smile fades and I know he¡¯s thinking back to old memories.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got to find this group, for the sake of our comrades.¡± I say

    He nods and then says,¡± Your friend Ryan, why is his name so¡­.Human?¡±

    ¡°He says his father was never around to name him, so his mother named him. I was shocked when I first heard his name too.¡± I say

    ¡°I wish my name was more human¡­.¡± He says.

    ¡°We all have our problems I guess¡­.¡± I say

    He shakes his head and keeps going,¡± Well he was talking about the investigation you¡¯ve barely been participating in. He seemed to only be focused on that and nothing else. That cat girl Beth though, she was more concerned with your behavior.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re dating.¡± I say and see his fantasy crumble.¡± They don¡¯t seem like it but they are.¡±

    He sighs and says,¡± I figured, he got all defensive when I started playing with her tail.¡±

    ¡°Can we get back to the topic at hand?¡± I ask

    ¡°Oh yeah, well I think I can help a bit. When I was talking to the headmaster earlier, she gave me a tour and told me about a certain statue.¡± he says.¡± She said it was made by the founder of the school.¡±

    ¡°I know which one you¡¯re talking about, and I¡¯ve checked it up and down with nothing being found.¡± I say

    ¡°Well yeah, but the school¡¯s opening anniversary coincides with a certain date.¡± He says trying to lead me on.

    ¡°Did Rivers tell you to be so cryptic about this?¡± I ask coldly.

    ¡°No, but it¡¯s more fun to lead you on and let you figure it out.¡± He says almost pouting.

    I sigh and say,¡± Let me guess, the anniversary coincides with the Mad King¡¯s Fall, right?¡±

    ¡°Correct! How did you figure?¡± He asks

    I shrug and say,¡± It was only logical since you were talking about the Mad King¡¯s Shadow. Also let me guess, they¡¯re planning on making their move on the eve of the holiday celebration.¡±

    ¡°Correct again, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re smarter than my colleagues.¡± He says.

    ¡°So we should be expecting an attack on the night of the annual ball?¡± I ask,

    He nods and says,¡± But that¡¯s also when I believe the statue will reveal something to us.¡±

    ¡°Of course it will.¡± I say.¡± We¡¯ve got one month to prepare. Hopefully that¡¯s enough time to come up with a plan.¡±

 Chapter 13: A Drunken Night and A Hungover Talk

    The preparations started by finding an inn close enough to the school for to sleep at for a month or so. After his attempts to flirt with the door woman, we found a room and helped him settle. Edward and I lay his stuff in his room and then he requests to celebrate, which I knew was coming.

    ¡°To the bar!¡± He says with excitement.

    ¡°Now is not the time to be drinking¡± I say coldly

    ¡°Nonsense, there¡¯s always time to drink.¡± He retorts

    We turn to Edward who is the deciding vote for this. He shrugs and says,¡± I have never drank before so I¡¯m up for it.¡±

    My shoulders sag,¡± You don¡¯t understand, you¡¯ll kill your liver with this one.¡±

    Thu¡¯ane is already dragging him out the door and I know it¡¯s a lost cause. I follow and we go to the local tavern, we show our identifications to prove we are legal age, 16. In most places they don¡¯t care about these, but in bigger cities they do. My id was forged long ago when I was found without one. We start small with a pint of local ale and then it escalates.

    ¡°Another round!¡± Thu¡¯ane exclaims while slamming his mug down.

    Edward is weary, but wants to keep going,¡± I¡¯m in!¡±

    I sigh,¡± I¡¯ll pass on the beer, you got any whiskey?¡±

    We do a cheers and then Thu¡¯ane downs it while Edward tries to keep up. I sip my whiskey and watch as Edward starts to show signs of drunkenness.

    ¡°Another¡± He slurs.

    This repeats for another three times and now Edward is full out wasted. I figure I might as well follow suit since it¡¯ll be a hard month. I ask for more whiskey and drink it fast so I can keep up.

    ¡°Hey, there pretty kitty.¡± I hear Thu¡¯ane say to a cat girl. He really likes banrir cats for some reason and will try to hit on them with all he¡¯s got. Lucky for him a boyfriend shows up and I make my way over to stand next to him.

    ¡°Bar FIght!¡± I say barely controlling myself. Then I get hit with a chair and a full brawl happens. Thu¡¯ane, Edward and I get kicked out.

    ¡°Damn, to the next one I guess.¡± Thu¡¯ane says.

    We try to make our way to the next bar, but stumble and barely reach it. We enter and start the rounds. After that I blacked out so I don¡¯t remember what happened next. All I remember is waking up at the school with a massive headache. Thu¡¯ane and I were sleeping next a stairway and were supporting each other, sleeping upright.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Hey, Thu¡¯ane wake up.¡± I say shaking him up.

    ¡°What? Who? Oh it¡¯s you Kyle.¡± He says yawning. As usual he doesn¡¯t get hung over. I stare at him and can¡¯t help but think we are forgetting someone.

    My eyes widen and I say,¡± Where¡¯s Edward?!?!¡±

    He sits up and looks around,¡± I have no idea, I just blacked out and can¡¯t remember anything.¡±

    I panic and run up to where his dorm is, I try to ignore the headache, but can¡¯t and almost throw up. I keep going and make it to his room.¡± Please be in here.¡± I say to myself.

    I open it and it reveals a mess of an after party, apparently Edward kept going even after Thu¡¯ane and I left. I pull back the covers to wake up a sleeping Edward, but find two girls asleep and still no Edward. I wake them up and ask them,¡± Where¡¯d the blond go?¡±

    They look around confused and one responds with,¡± I don¡¯t remember where he went, but I think he left a little while ago.¡±

    I sigh,¡± You two should probably get out of here, if you¡¯re found out he¡¯s going to be in a lot of trouble for bringing girls into his room.¡±

    I walk out defeated and the headache spikes and I fall to the ground, hopefully Thu¡¯ane finds him. I sit there with my eyes closed and every sound makes me want to shove a pin through my eyes. Someone grabs my shoulder and I open my eyes. It¡¯s Ryan.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot of explaining to do¡± He says.

    ¡°What, why?¡± I ask

    ¡°When you were drunk, you went on a rant about being from another world to Beth and I, we thought you were joking, but we asked Claire and she said you told her about that stuff when you were younger.¡± He says.

    I groan, this is what I was afraid of. I can¡¯t control myself when I¡¯m drunk and I do stuff like this.¡± So? Do you believe me? Or do you think I¡¯m full of shit?¡±

    ¡°If you were sober, no, but when you were drunk you talked so easily about it,and i figured that you weren¡¯t lying.¡±

    I was shocked, out of all the people who I thought to tell, Ryan was the last one I thought would believe me.¡± I can¡¯t believe my ears, but can you get rid of this hangover? Then I will talk.¡±

    He sighs and changes his right hand into its dragonic form, this is what they use instead of wands, and chants a healing spell. Surprisingly it works and I don¡¯t really feel like I should ask why he knows a spell to heal hangovers.¡± Thanks, should we meet up with Beth?¡±

    He nods and says,¡± She¡¯s with Claire right now¡±

    I follow him and he leads me to the two girls. They are in mid discussion and upon seeing me they both straighten up and turn to me.¡± I guess I¡¯ve got some explaining to do.¡± I say rubbing the back of my head.

    I explain my situation. I tell them about my life on earth, my meeting with Genie, and other things about earth. They listen and when I¡¯m done I ask.¡± So do you believe me?¡±

    Beth nods and says,¡± It¡¯s way too much for you to make up.¡±

    Sorry Beth, but I really care if Claire believes me now. She hasn¡¯t for the longest time and I look at her. She¡¯s looking down and says very softly,¡± I always did believe you.¡±

    I smile,¡± Let me guess, both your parents told you I was lying?¡± I get a nod as a response and continue.¡± They can¡¯t control what you think.¡±

    She looks up and say,¡± I¡¯m sorry for acting like I didn¡¯t believe you, I¡¯m also sorry for all the things I¡¯ve done to you, Beth.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I forgive you.¡± She says with a smile. I feel like Claire and Edward¡¯s bullying couldn¡¯t be forgiven with one apology, but the way Beth said made my heart melt.

    Ryan keeps going,¡± What about how you went back?¡±

    Both Beth and Claire snap out of their happiness and stare at me.¡± Goddammit, did I really tell them I about that?¡± I think to myself.

 Chapter 14: Edward Found

    I sigh and say,¡± I guess I should tell you since you all believed me.¡± I pause and look at all three of them.¡± When Thu¡¯ane and I were coming back from delivering Amus and Adela this sword started glowing and heating up. It freaked my horse out and it ended up knocking me off. Thu¡¯ane stopped and got off to check me and as soon as he touched me, we both were transported to my world. I don¡¯t know why, I don¡¯t know if this sword is really connected or if it was a coincidence, but I got to see my family again and that made me happy.¡±

    I pause and look at Ryan, his face unchanged, then to Beth, she was wiping a tear, and finally to Claire. She had a smile on her face.¡± You got to see your family, I¡¯m so happy for you. I remember how much you talked about them and all the talks we had about you missing them.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it was actually kind of funny. Thu¡¯ane and I were thrown right into my room, which was unchanged, and then we went downstairs. We ended up scaring my mom and almost had the police called on us.¡±

    ¡°The what?¡± Ryan asks.

    ¡°Police. Like the guards here.¡± I say then keep going.¡± My mother cried when I told her it was me, she was also freaked out by Thu¡¯ane¡¯s tail, wings and horns. Once my father and sister came home, I told them what had happened to me. About halfway through my story, a watch appeared on my wrist. It was counting down from half an hour, so I wrapped up my story and started saying bye. My sister and mother wouldn¡¯t let go and my father told me he was proud of me for surviving. We had Thu¡¯ane take a picture for us, I¡¯ll explain that some other time, and then he and I found ourselves back here.¡±

    Beth and Claire had tears in their eyes and were wiping them away. I could see a faint tear on Ryan¡¯s face, but eh quickly wiped that too.¡± I¡¯m so sorry you had to be ripped from your family.¡± Beth says in her soft way.

    ¡°I¡¯m just glad I got to see them again, I don¡¯t know how long until I see them again, if I ever even do¡­..¡± I say spacing out a bit.

    Beth hugs me and says,¡± It¡¯s selfish of me, but I don¡¯t want you to leave.¡±

    I embrace her and say,¡± I don¡¯t think I will for awhile.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a sad story, one that is too complex to be made up.¡± Ryan says, which I take as his way of saying his condolences.

    I smile at him and ask,¡± Is it too much to ask for an emotional response from you?¡±

    He smiles and says,¡± I believe it is.¡±

    Beth let¡¯s go, but whispers in my ear one last thing,¡± He¡¯s been nonstop searching for that gem ever since he saw you in the nurse¡¯s office.¡±

    I smile and let go of her. I turn to Claire and remember what I was out looking for,¡± Have you seen Edward?¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    She shakes her head,¡± I haven¡¯t seen him since you three disappeared.¡±

    ¡°Well it¡¯s my job to find that son of a bitch.¡± I say and then move past them.

    It felt good to talk about being from another world, it felt good that they believed me, and it felt even better to know Claire believed me this entire time. I was so lost in thought, I didn¡¯t realise I walked straight to the Headmaster¡¯s office. I snap out and take a deep breath,¡± Please don¡¯t be here.¡¯

    I open the door and guess who was there, Edward. He was talking with the Headmaster and I interrupted them. The headmaster¡¯s face lights up and she greets me,¡± Speak of the Devil and he shall appear. Goodmorning Kyle, we were just talking about you.¡±

    That first part confused me since it was the first time I heard it said here, but i decide to look past it and ask,¡± About what?¡±

    ¡°I was just asking about your background, I heard some unusual things last night.: Edward says

    ¡°You remember last night? How? I barely remember my first drink.¡± I ask

    ¡°Edward has what you¡¯d call an eidetic memory.¡± The Headmaster says proudly.

    He nods and then says,¡± I was curious about the whole other world thing, and I came here. Surprisingly she said you were right.¡±

    I look at them shocked, Arthur didn¡¯t tell her that. He would¡¯ve made sure to never speak of that in front of anyone. This old lady really is something.¡± How would she know that?¡± I ask.

    ¡°You should know by now, I know more than that.¡± She says smiling.¡± And do you really expect a straight answer.¡±

    My annoyance for this woman peaked and I snap.¡± Why can¡¯t you give me an explanation? I¡¯ve been playing your game for a month now!¡±

    She sets a file down, I assume it¡¯s mine, and says very calmly,¡± That would be no fun.¡±

    I turn to Edward and say,¡± I¡¯m glad I found you, but I can¡¯t stand this woman so I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    I turn around and storm out. My blood boiling at how the Headmaster treats me. Why can¡¯t she tell me anything? Why does she seem like she¡¯s playing with me? And why could she be taking this situation so lightly?

    I punch the wall next to me,¡± Goddammit, I have way too many question?!¡±

    I ended scaring some of the younger students and apologize. I walk past them to try and meet up with Thu¡¯ane again. Luckily, he¡¯s in my room so I don¡¯t have to go far.¡± Are you done celebrating? Can we prepare now?¡±

    He nods and says,¡± I already checked the perimeter, the staff here put up an impressive barrier.¡±

    I think back to when Rivers said she would put protection up and am genuinely surprised she did.¡± That explains why Claire hasn¡¯t been attacked yet.¡±

    ¡°About Claire¡± He says and I think he¡¯s going to say why she¡¯s being targeted, but instead says this,¡± Are you dating or something?¡±

    I look at him and sigh,¡± No, it¡¯s complicated¡­.¡±

    He looks at me and I know he knows what I mean.¡± She¡¯d want you to move on¡±

    I look down and say,¡± If it were only that, maybe she¡¯d be in my arms, but there¡¯s other things.¡±

    ¡°Let me guess, you¡¯re scared you might be ripped out of this world again? You''re scared she¡¯ll end like Jessica? You''re scared you don¡¯t live up to her image of her saviour?¡± He asks,¡± I could go on, but we both know it¡¯s all of those.¡±

    ¡°I hate how easily you can read me.¡± I say.

 Chapter 15: The Calm

    After a full day of catching up, I decided to go back to my room and lay down for the rest of my day off. I layed down and immediately Smokey jumped up onto the bed to cuddle. I pet his ear and think about the day I had. Way too much explaining, questions, and feelings for me to handle. As usual I fall asleep while deep in thought.

    This time when I woke up, Ryan wasn¡¯t here, he must still be at the library. I doubt him and Beth are doing anything. I feel sorry for those two, they¡¯ve put so much effort into this, and I fell asleep. I get up and head down to the library, to my surprise everyone is still up in the library. I guess Thu¡¯ane was in the middle of a funny story, because they were laughing.

    ¡°And then I found him in the bathroom freaking out about his hair¡­¡± He says and then sees me. I know the exact story he was talking about, and I was pissed. The story of my first date was the most embarrassing story of my life. With that they all turn to see me.

    ¡°Kyle! Thu¡¯ane was just telling us a story about you.¡± Claire says giggling and I see Thu¡¯ane signal her to stop.

    ¡°The one where I was freaking out about my first date? He likes to tell that one to everyone. Remember the last time you told that one? Remember what I did?¡± I ask smiling like a psychopath.

    ¡°Uh, I can explain. They wanted to hear some stories and Beth asked about a funny one-¡± I cut him off by squeezing his shoulder.

    ¡°What about the one where you were swallowed by a wyrm and made your way out its ass?¡± I say still smiling.

    He forces a laugh and then I let go of his shoulder.¡± What¡¯d you think? Funny right?¡±

    They look at us with a lot of confusion and then Thu¡¯ane signals to laugh and they all laugh. Edward, however, decides to go back to the story.¡± So how¡¯d the date go?¡±

    Oh you mother fucker, I take a deep breath and count how many times I have to punish Edward.¡± Pretty damn poorly, but in the end she laughed at me and gave me a kiss.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you gotta love the awkward ones.¡± Thu¡¯ane says trying to lift his punishments.

    ¡°Yeaaaah¡­..¡± Claire says in a daze.

    :¡±Um, okay then.¡± I say looking at Claire, I imagine she¡¯s thinking of me taking her on a date or something.¡± So any other questions?¡±

    They all shake their heads and I smile. Thu¡¯ane tries to escape by claiming to use the restroom, but I know better. So, I decide to come with.¡± I want to be mad at you, but I can¡¯t. You made me talk, and I should thank you.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°I don¡¯t trust you, you¡¯re lying. The Kyle I know would punch my face in if I ever said that in front of someone.¡± He says.

    ¡°Yeah, and I probably should, but to be honest I think I¡¯ve changed a bit since I got here.¡± I say.

    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed, you smile more and it¡¯s not that fake one you had.¡± He says staring at me.

    ¡°Well I found people I want to protect again, it makes me feel like I have a purpose again¡­.¡± I say leaving it at that.

    He sighs and heads back into the library and I just stand there. I get lost in my thoughts and then a voice calls my name. It was a sweet, warm voice that snapped me into reality. It was Claire, this wasn¡¯t the firm, noble Claire, but the one with her hair messy and clothes slightly unbuttoned.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± She asks walking closer to me.

    ¡°Yeah, I-I¡¯m fine.¡± I say with my nervous stutter.

    She giggles, obviously Thu¡¯ane told her about my nervous habits. I take a deep breath and repeat myself.¡± I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°I heard you the first time, I like the way you are right now. You¡¯re not uptight or tense, you¡¯re more like how I remember you.¡± She says inching her way closer to me.

    ¡°I could say the same about you, you always had such amazing bedhead.¡± I say

    She pouts a bit and tries to fix her hair, then decides to put it back in a ponytail.¡±How much did Thu¡¯ane tell her? Did he tell her my thing about ponytails?¡± I think to myself. I start to feel myself melt under the pressure and she doesn¡¯t seem to notice.

    ¡°Can you tell me more stories? I enjoyed the ones Thu¡¯ane told us. Especially the one about the Scylla and the one about the one legged man.¡± She says now less than six inches away from me.

    ¡°Um, well another good one was when we were tracking down Satyrs-¡± I say but now she¡¯s on her tip-toes. Her eyes now in line with mine. I froze like a deer in headlights and she knew she got me.

    She kisses me and to my surprise, I don¡¯t pull back. I don¡¯t act like I don¡¯t want this and I don¡¯t think of Jessica for once. I have finally realised my feelings for this girl, and I feel a warm, cozy feeling in my chest. It would have been perfect if someone didn¡¯t decide to interrupt.

    ¡°Hey I was wondering-¡± Edward starts and then he notices what¡¯s going on.¡± Alright well, have fun.¡± Then he closes the door to the library and I sigh.

    ¡°Can I ever catch a break?¡± I ask in a whisper.

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be fun if you could.¡± She says. She offers her hand and I take it,¡± Now what was that about Satyrs.¡±

    ¡°Oh right, well we finally caught up to them and¡­.¡± I start my story and we walk down the halls of the school. I tell her about the massive party we crashed to capture a rowdy Satyr, the one time we had to act like a traveling musical duo and how I used songs I remembered from my world.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to hear you two sometime.¡± She says with a smile that melts my confidence.

    ¡°Uh, no, we disbanded after that. I don¡¯t think I was the best singer.¡± I say

    ¡°From what Thu¡¯ane said, you were better than that.¡± She says and it makes me happy.

    If only there wasn¡¯t the threat on her life or the threat of an attack, then maybe I could be entirely happy. But like I said before, I can¡¯t catch a break. Luckily, that night was filled with two lovers catching up on all the good times, and for once, while sleeping next to her, I didn¡¯t have a night terror.

 Chapter 16: A Trip into Town

    The next couple of weeks went pretty well given how on edge we all were. I did daily training with Edward and Claire for close combat. Claire, was almost a lost cause, but Edward was coming along very well. He¡¯s even bulked up since my punch, I¡¯m glad he learned something.

    Thu¡¯ane on the other hand always showed up late and would always be hitting on a student or even a teacher. They all rejected him of course, but that didn¡¯t stop him. Every night, he¡¯d also drink and show up at my dorm to talk to me. It was never about anything serious, mostly about how Catgirls were the best girls and how I should become public with Claire.

    WIth all that in mind, I was freaking out. I may have kept my calm appearance, but on the inside I was trying not to die of anxiety. I jumped at every quick motion and anybody who got too close to Claire. I was completely on edge with no one else seeming to notice or be on edge like me. So when Claire said she wanted to go to the city to pick out a dress, I was sure I was packing some heat.

    ¡°Come on, you know you¡¯ll enjoy yourself.¡± She says. Like I¡¯d enjoy a massive crowd or even shopping for a suit.¡± It¡¯ll get your mind off of stuff too.¡±

    I sigh,¡± You say that, but I can¡¯t help but think a crowded place is a horrible place for you.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m bringing you?¡± She asks with a bright smile.¡± You are my protector.¡±

    I take a deep breath and then extend my arm,¡± If you¡¯re going to be in a public place, you better stay within arm¡¯s reach.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do that, Edward and I are still being watched.¡± She whispers.¡± So Edward is coming too.¡±

    As if on cue he rounds the corner and waves,¡± I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m late, I couldn¡¯t find my tie.¡±

    He really has some weird timing, shows up when spoken about or when it¡¯s the most inopportune time. I was glad he was coming, another fighter ready to protect Claire. It put me more at ease having him around, even if I had to bear the two of them acting like a couple in front of me.

    Once we arrived in town, a really bizarre occurrence happened. The local kids came racing towards Edward like a flock of geese, and he opened his arms to greet them all.¡± Hey everybody, how¡¯s the house coming along?¡±

    One little boy says,¡± Even better since you started helping.¡±

    I am in complete shock and amazement and Claire seemed to have the same reaction.¡± Did my punch really set him straight or something?¡± I whisper to herFind this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    He looks up at us and sees our shocked expressions.¡± Oh right, I should explain what this is. I started helping these kids and their orphanage when I was passing through here a month and a half ago. I just thought that it¡¯d help with my humility.¡±

    ¡°Um, okay, sorry this is a huge shock.¡± I say and Claire nods in agreement.

    ¡°Yeah, I honestly did this to make myself better. I realized that I was an asshole after our fight and I apologized to many of those I bullied. Then I started helping them with stuff around the school and that made me feel better. Then one day I saw this building and decided to personally fund the repair.¡± He says pointing at the halfway finished building.

    ¡°That explains why you¡¯ve bulked up so much, but manual labor was the last thing I thought you were doing.¡± I say

    ¡°No big deal¡± He says with a smile.¡± Shall we go to the shop?¡±

    ¡°He shrugs it off, but I can¡¯t help but think about Edward doing manual labor. Especially since it¡¯s the complete opposite of how he used to act.¡± Claire whispers.

    I think about the punch and what I said to him. Neither of those factors would lead a man to these lengths, but then why is Edward doing this? Did he think this will make him look better? Was this for Claire or something? Or maybe he realized how he was acting and decided to change?

    Before I knew it we were at the dress shop and I had already lost those two in the store. They both do like their fancy clothes. I sit down and wait for them, but get lost in thought again. Should I be worried that Edward really does have a thing for Claire? Or am I just overreacting and jealous? I hope it¡¯s that last one, should I ask him?

    Edward is the first one to appear and it shocks me since he taps me on my shoulder.¡± How do I look?¡± He asks with a smile.

    I study his suit and think to myself.¡± If I was a girl, I¡¯d definitely choose him over me. Then why does Claire choose me?¡± I then shake my head at that question and say,¡± That suit definitely suits you.¡±

    ¡°Was that a pun?¡± He asks with a laugh.

    ¡°I guess it was.¡± I say and then the moment I had waited for arrived. Claire walked out of her changing room in a red dress. Edward could tell this is what I was waiting for and smiled at me.

    ¡°Go compliment her.¡± He whispers.¡± The real reason you came with was for your approval of the dress.¡±

    I scratch my head and say,¡± It¡¯s stunning and very distracting¡±

    She pouts and says,¡± I¡¯ll forgive that last part, but I also picked out your suit too.¡±

    I give a disgusted look and then say,¡± Fine, but I¡¯m only trying on the one.¡± I then grab it and take it into the dressing room. I think about what¡¯s happened and decode I¡¯m overreacting, if Edward was really after Claire, she¡¯d probably be charmed by him.

    I walk out and immediately get a quick laugh from both of them.¡±Obviously this is the first suit you¡¯ve worn.¡± Claire says.¡± But even when put on wrong, it goes amazingly well with that black hair of yours.¡±

    I look down, it was, I never really was a fancy person, but that compliment by Claire made my heart race. Edward gave his nod of approval and so we purchased them. I thought I was overreacting about this whole day, with Edward¡¯s motives and Claire¡¯s endangerment. Well, I was only half right, since there was a Hydra loose in the middle of the town when we exited.

 Chapter 17: A Stupid Plan of Attack

    When faced with a hydra the best thing a person should do is to cut off its heads and burn the stumps. Want to know what I did? I got one look at the beast and saw a lump that was towards the back of its body and got so filled with rage, I forgot to even draw my sword. I literally ran at it barehanded. I don¡¯t suggest anyone doing this because facing a snake with your fists is never a good idea.

    Luckily for me, I was very fast and good with my fists. I blocked, dodged and punched every head that was close by. I couldn¡¯t tell if the cracking I heard was from its bones or my own. The pure rage from past experience just took over and I went ballistic. I was only snapped out of this rage when one of the smaller of the five heads bit my forearm. I snapped out of it and pulled a knife from my sleeve to stab it.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Edward says, who should be more worried about himself since the hydra was focusing him now. This hydra wasn¡¯t poisonous, only the nine-headed ones are, so I should be fine.

    I take a deep breath and tear my sleeve so I can wrap my left forearm. Once that¡¯s done I draw my sword, not the dao since this hydra isn¡¯t worth me passing out. This was a shorter sword, but it was razor sharp and could cut the Hydra¡¯s hide.¡± I should be fine. You think you can sear the stumps when we cut the heads off?¡±

    She¡¯s visibly shaken and I grab her to snap her out of it.¡± Listen, I need you to do this. If not there will be more casualties like the one it already ate.¡± She nods and pulls her wand out.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go right you go left?¡± Edward asks and I agree. He¡¯s smart enough to know I favor my right side and would prefer to keep that side away from the monster. We start our assault on it at the same time to confuse it. Which was a bad idea. It rushed towards Claire and I could feel my rage come back.

    I stabbed its body with the sword so hard it anchored it to the ground. I then proceeded to drag the snake back towards me. I didn¡¯t know where this strength came from, but I didn¡¯t want to ask now. Thankfully, Claire wasn¡¯t helpless since she hit the biggest head with a freezing spell.

    ¡°I¡¯ll focus its head, you two keep it confused.¡± Edward commands us, but I don¡¯t really listen since I start to beat its heads in with my fists.

    ¡°Kyle stop!¡± Claire shouts and I realize it¡¯s long since dead. My rage slowly leaves me and the pain I should have felt from before hits me. My hands are definitely broken and snake bite is bleeding heavily. I collapse on my knees and they both try their best to heal my wounds.

    ¡°Claire, focus, we need you to be focused. We don¡¯t want you to break another wand.¡± Edward says. He¡¯s doing his best, but he is an offensive mage and his healing skills aren¡¯t that great.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°I know, I¡¯m trying, but I can¡¯t control-¡± She tries to say.

    I lifted my one good arm up to touch her face. It¡¯s all I could do to calm her down. She looked me deep in the eyes and I swear I felt better as soon as I made contact with her. Her magic funneled out much smoother and she was able to close my wounds. Edward worked on the fractures and the fatigue, but could only reduce the pain.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ve lived through worse things.¡± I say trying to ignore the pain.¡± This thing was obviously sent for Claire, no other reason to why it would rush her like that.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± Claire asks while supporting me.

    ¡°Yeah I am, but I¡¯m more worried about this thing.¡± I say.

    ¡°This lump doesn¡¯t look to be human sized, I believe it is livestock.¡± Edward says.

    ¡°I think you¡¯re right, but that¡¯s not what I¡¯m worried about either.¡± I say and then move it¡¯s middle head.¡± This symbol is what I¡¯m worried about¡±

    It was a three pronged crown with black instead of gold coloring. An almost exact replica of the King¡¯s Shadow¡¯s symbol, but one big difference, a crack down the middle of it. I noticed it when Claire called my name and can only assume it¡¯s the symbol of the Mad King¡¯s Shadow.

    ¡°We should head back to the school, Professor Angela can tend to your wounds better than either of us.¡± Edward says with worry in his voice.

    ¡°I agree, but I¡¯m coming back with Thu¡¯ane to investigate this thing.¡± I say.

    ¡°Thu¡¯ane and Edward can take care of that, for now you should rest.¡± Claire pleads.

    ¡°I should-¡± I try to say, but stop, Claire¡¯s expression makes me rethink my priorities.¡± Fine, I¡¯ll get myself healed up and then I¡¯ll join them.¡±

    ¡°Good, I was going to knock you out if you didn¡¯t¡± Claire says.

    ¡°Really now? You were going to knock me out?¡± I ask

    She nods,¡± I¡¯m willing to do anything to keep you from getting hurt again.¡±

    That warm feeling I get around her explodes in my chest and I can¡¯t help but blush a bit. I¡¯m grateful for someone who cares enough to say something like that. Edward does his thing and ruins the moment again.

    ¡°Sorry to interrupt, but the school¡¯s coming up and I think it¡¯d be weird if Kyle was being supported by Claire instead of me.¡± He says.

    I sigh,¡± You always have to ruin the moment don¡¯t you?¡¯

    He cocks his head and asks,¡± Do I really?¡±

    I nod,¡± You and that headmaster have some excellent timing when it comes to these things.

    He smiles and says,¡± it¡¯s more interesting when you¡¯re moments get interrupted than them just ending.¡±

    I put my arm on his shoulders and whisper in his ear,¡± I will pay you back for all these moments you¡¯ve killed.¡±

    He gives me that golden smile and then we cross the barrier. Immediately I was rushed to Angela¡¯s office and she put me through an intensive healing session. The one downside to healing magic was that you feel the pain of the wounds intensify as the close or repair themselves. I somehow managed not to cry out as I was healed and afterwards Claire came to visit. She stayed by my side for the rest of the night and her presence made it feel like there was no pain. Overall, I enjoyed our day together.

 Chapter 18: The Day Of Preparation

    It was the week of the Fall and everyone was busy ether preparing for the festival and ball. There was decorations being made by and hung up, many prayer cards for those lost. It all reminded me of Halloween and Day of the Dead, without the dressing up. I couldn¡¯t really enjoy it due to the fact that an attack was supposed to occur the either on the Eve of the Fall or the day of the Fall.

    This did not stop the other¡¯s excitement for the holiday however, Beth and Claire were busy making decorations, Thu¡¯ane was hitting on girls hanging decorations, and Edward and Ryan were putting up prayer cards for those smaller than them. I was the only worried about the attack I guess.

    ¡°Kyle, you should relax.¡± Claire says after noticing my cold attitude.¡± Worrying so much even after all the defenses we established won¡¯t help our situation.¡±

    ¡°And acting like nothing is going to happen is any better?¡± I ask.

    She shakes her head,¡± I want to enjoy this festival, we don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be our last one.¡±

    I look at her and her saddened expression,¡± I never thought of it that way, I thought you guys were just not worried.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re all on edge, but this is something to take our minds off things.¡± She says.¡± Plus it¡¯ll be the first festival we¡¯ve gone to together.¡±

    I rub the back of my neck, though her words did help me, I still can¡¯t help but be worried. I spent the rest of the preparation day checking the perimeter of the school and all of the barriers. I really shouldn¡¯t have been surprised when the Headmaster showed up.

    ¡°Oh my, a worrywart are we?¡± She says.

    I jump, no one has caught me by surprise like she just did in a very long time.¡± Yeah, I think I¡¯m the only one too.¡±

    She shakes her head,¡± All the students are on edge, they may not know what¡¯s coming, but the can feel something.¡±

    ¡°Wait, how did you sneak up on me?¡± I ask.

    ¡°That¡¯s my secret,¡± She says smiling.

    ¡°Of course it is.¡± I say coldly

    Her face becomes serious and then she says,¡± No one shall enter my school. No monster, assassin, or Mad King. I will protect this place with everything I¡¯ve got.¡±

    I stop and stare at her. This was the first time she was serious and I could tell she was dead serious. For some reason there was no more doubt in my mind about her, she would protect this school.¡± I think I owe you an apology. I¡¯ve been rude to you. I thought you were just a senile old woman, but that expression and tone is very familiar to me.¡±

    There was a pause and I felt like for once I understood this woman. She wasn¡¯t just some teacher who is in charge of this school, she¡¯s seen terrible things in her life. She must¡¯ve had experiences like my own, I recognized that expression as one I¡¯ve also worn. Her facade had finally cracked and the real Rivers was shown through.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Her face went from weathered veteran to smiling old woman real fast.¡± It is no concern of yours, I promised you Claire would be safe at this school after the last incident.¡±

    Just like that the moment of understanding was gone and the Rivers I got used to was back.¡± Even though you annoy me, I feel like I can trust you with this one.¡±

    I turn and walk away from her, many questions in my head. What atrocities has she encountered? Why did she act like a weird old lady? I knew I wouldn¡¯t get answers so I didn¡¯t ask. Then I encountered my reflection and I realized I subconsciously changed my eyes to the blue and violet, the ones that Rivers preferred.

    I was lost in thought and I bumped into a ladder that a girl was standing on. Luckily I caught her so she didn¡¯t hurt herself. I guess I still scare people since she was very shy and tried to get away from me fast. The story of how I beat a hydra to death spread pretty fast I guess.

    ¡°Kyle, you are so clumsy when lost in thought.¡± Thu¡¯ane says patting me on the back.¡± I would have at least requested a kiss as repayment from her.¡±

    ¡°Has any of that stuff ever worked for you?¡± I ask him coldly.

    His smile fades and he says,¡± Thanks for killing my confidence, and not many times.¡±

    ¡°Then why do it?¡± I ask

    He shrugs and says,¡± I don¡¯t really know. Maybe to keep my mind occupied so I don¡¯t get lost in thought.¡±

    I glare at him, I know he was taking shots at me, but there was some truth to his words. He was there for most of my experiences, yet he doesn¡¯t seem affected like I do. I guess since he talked about it with somebody it helped.¡± I¡¯ve got to go meet someone.¡± I say

    ¡°Don¡¯t act like I¡¯m oblivious. I know you¡¯re meeting up with Claire.¡± He says.

    ¡°Sorry bad habit.¡± I say and quickly leave. I rush my way down towards the girl¡¯s dorm, hopefully to catch her before she enters. It was almost curfew so I knew I¡¯d have to sneak around. I switched to my green eye and listened for her vitals.Maybe it was creepy to memorize them, but I did. I heard them, and she was alone.

    I took a deep breath and dropped from the tree I was in scaring her.¡± What the Hell, Kyle?!¡± She yells.

    ¡°Sorry I thought it would be creepy if I waited for you by the door.¡± I say then realize I was literally just in a tree.

    ¡°But you waited in a tree?¡± She asks.

    ¡°That¡¯s besides the point, I want to talk to you about the festival.¡± I say and her expression lights up.¡± I think it¡¯d be a good idea to take my mind off this stuff.¡±

    Obviously this wasn¡¯t what she wanted to hear because her smile slowly faded. I could tell I messed up but didn¡¯t know what I did wrong, I¡¯ll have to ask Edward or Thu¡¯ane about that.¡± So what changed your mind?¡± she asks more seriously.

    ¡°I talked with the Headmaster and she assured me that nothing would get past her.¡± I say

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say she was incompetent? What changed your mind about her?¡± She ask.

    ¡°She got serious for once and she reminded me of myself. Some one who¡¯s seen some horrible things and for once I understood her.¡± I say. Then hear a groundskeeper coming so I say,¡± Gotta go, just know I¡¯ll try my best to enjoy myself.¡±

    I run back towards my dorm but I hear something I didn¡¯t expect. Ryan and Beth talking and I could just feel the dense atmosphere. My leg gets grabbed and I realise that Thu¡¯ane and Edward are hiding behind bushes.¡±Shhh, they don¡¯t know we are here.¡± Thu¡¯ane says.

    ¡°What are you two doing?¡¯ I ask quietly.

    ¡°I was dragged into this by him.¡± Edward whispers.

    ¡°I wanted to hear this.¡± Thu¡¯ane says.

    ¡°Beth, wou-would you like to go to the ball with me.¡± Ryan says. I thought I was bad with my feelings, but Ryan really is hopeless.

    ¡°Of course I will.¡± She says in her faint voice.

    I turn to Thu¡¯ane and ask,¡± You''re using the espionage skills you¡¯ve been learning since you were five to spy on a boy asking a girl to a dance?¡±

    He nods and say,¡± I needed to know if Beth was open to be my date.¡±

    Something clicked in my head and I realized how I screwed up.

 Chapter 19: The Night of the Ball

    The following days went by much faster now that my mind was more at ease. I didn¡¯t jump at anything or didn¡¯t scare anybody by the way I was acting, it all felt very normal. I even helped set up tables for the ballroom and made sure that the light reflectors were working. It was funny how they had things that were so similar to technology of Earth, like amplifiers and lighting for bands.

    The day of the ball had finally arrived and I mustered my courage to ask Claire to go with me, what I did not expect was to see her parents on my way to her dorm.¡± Goddammit,¡± I say to myself, then louder I say¡± Hello, it¡¯s been awhile Susan.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I did not expect someone of your¡­ Caliber to be here.¡± She says in her noble bitch voice.

    ¡°What she means is that you don¡¯t seem like the school type.¡± Arthur says.

    ¡°Oh I completely understand,¡± I say and realise Susan doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m protecting Claire.¡± If you¡¯re looking for Claire I can walk you to her dorm.¡±

    I get a look of disgust from Susan, obviously she isn¡¯t happy I¡¯ve interacted with Claire at all. Arthur speaks up before she can,¡± Of course, that would be helpful.¡± Then we walked to her dorm with an awkward and dense atmosphere around us. Then I immediately left to finish my preparations for tonight.

    Three hours passed and I had hid as many swords, knives, and spears as I could until the ball was about to begin. I then changed into the suit that had been picked out and Edward helped me straighten up and even went over the dances he had taught me throughout the week. He taught me proper manners, how to ask for a dance, and even some formal speech.

    ¡°You remember our plan, right?¡± Edward asks.

    ¡°Yup, you and Claire are going to talk to your parents, then you will distract them by showing them the decor and such of the school, then I take Claire, and then we get to dance.¡± I say

    He nods,¡± But remember as soon as you get out of sight to ask the way I taught you. It will show her how much you care.¡±

    I smile and say,¡± I can¡¯t thank you enough for all your help. You¡¯ve become a very reliable guy.¡±

    ¡°All thanks to you.¡± He says then leaves to go meet up with Claire.

    I take a deep breath and look at myself in the mirror one last time. The last time I wore a suit like this, it was with Jessica. A mix of nostalgia and sorrow hits me in the chest and I stand there for a bit. Then Ryan calls my name and I exit our room.

    ¡°Oh my,¡± Beth says,¡± You look clean and¡­. And weird.¡±

    ¡°Um, thanks?¡± I say a bit confused.

    ¡°I agree, it¡¯s weird seeing you with straightened hair and a good shave.¡± Ryan adds,¡± And without you cloak.¡±

    ¡°Um. Okay then.¡± I say.¡± Shall we go?¡±

    We walk to the ballroom and I notice that the two of them aren¡¯t their awkward selves. They are linked by the arms and aren¡¯t acting nervous around each other, maybe they had finally grown out of their childish habits. We enter the ballroom and a wide ocean of students and parents greets us. A band is playing, not like an orchestra type, more like something I¡¯d hear on Earth, which shocked me.

    I spot Claire immediately, she¡¯s dancing with Edward, her red dress would catch anyone¡¯s eye. I watch the two of them dance, they way they moved was so fluid and natural. I¡¯m glad Edward isn¡¯t my rival for Claire¡¯s love, because I would stand no chance. Then Edward catches my eye and he nods, the signal to start our plan.

    The song stops and he walks Claire to their parents, he then lets go of her arm and points at the decorations. WIth his other hand he waves for me to approach. I walk up behind Claire and tap her on the shoulder. She turns and I put my finger over my mouth, then lead her away towards a group of students.

    I take a deep breath then bow my head with my hand,¡± May I have this dance?¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    A laugh was not the reaction I was expecting.¡± I¡¯m sorry, watching you do that seemed so¡­. Weird.¡±

    I straighten up and sigh,¡± I wanted to do it properly, I guess that was a bad idea.¡±

    ¡°No, it was just¡­ unexpected.¡± She says and then puts her hand in mine.¡± SO did Edward teach you that?¡±

    I nod,¡± He taught me some dances and even how to speak at these formal things.¡±

    She smiles and says,¡± This isn¡¯t that formal of an event, especially since the band is playing more modern music.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, back in my world, dances like this counts as formal. The band however sounds very similar to songs from my world too. It¡¯s even weirder to be dancing like this to this type of music.¡± I say

    She smiles and says,¡± That¡¯s just how this world works. What type of dancing would you normally do?¡±

    I think back and remember some the one dance I went to in middle school. It was a lot of jumping, cheesy dances, and even some grinding. I did not want to tell her any of that so I told her this,¡± When the music slows down I can show you slow dancing.¡±

    She smiles and says,¡± I¡¯d like that.¡±

    We finish the song and just like that the music slows to a more soothing melody.¡± Okay, put both your hands around my neck.¡± I say and she listens.¡± Now I¡¯ll put my hands on your waist and we sway back and forth.¡±

    ¡°Like this?¡± She asks and I nod.¡± Anything else?¡±

    ¡°No this is pretty much it.¡± I say.

    ¡°I was expecting more, but this is much more intimate.¡± She says.

    I smile then realise everyone is looking at us. What made things worse was the fact that I heard Susan¡¯s insults and curses when she saw us. She stormed to us and grabbed Claire.¡± What do you think you are doing?!¡± She yells.

    The band stops and now the whole room is looking at us, Edward runs up but I hold my hand out to stop him. This is for Claire to explain and I turn to her. Her expression was filled with fear and I knew I had to do something. So I grabbed her hand and stopped her from being pulled away.¡± Let her decide who she dances with.¡± I say

    ¡°What did you just say?!¡± Susan asks.¡± You think you have any right to speak to me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I actually do.¡± I say calmly.¡± I think you should even consider listening to me.¡±

    ¡°And risk making myself look like a fool? Not a chance.¡± She says.¡± I thought I was done with your nonsense years ago.¡±

    My anger fueled what I said next,¡± So you¡¯d rather throw a helpless kid out than look bad in front of the nobles? That¡¯s just cruel!¡±

    Her face turns from annoyance to anger and she yells back,¡± I forbid you or Claire from ever speaking again!!¡±

    ¡°Susan you can¡¯t do tha-¡± Arthur tries to say, but is cut off.

    ¡°Silence fool! If I ever see you two together again I will take Claire away.¡± She says.¡± Now run along peasant boy and find some other family to bother.¡±

    ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± Claire screams.¡± I¡¯ve had it with you! You and your tyrannical rule over my every move! I want to be with Kyle! Can¡¯t you accept that?!¡±

    She slaps Claire with the back of her hand.¡± Don¡¯t you dare tell me to shut up or swear ever again young lady. I should-¡±

    ¡°Susan, the wedding is off.¡± Edward says calmly.¡± Not because of how Claire is acting, but because of how you¡¯re acting.¡±

    Her face turns from anger to a destroyed expression,¡± But, but you can¡¯t do that.¡±

    Edward doesn¡¯t let her continue after that.¡± Yes I can, and I can tell you that Kyle would make a better husband for her anyways.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t agree with it, then we¡¯ll elope.¡± I say building off of Edward¡¯s words.¡± So you decide. Accept me or never see Claire again.¡±

    ¡°Never would I accept such a boy like you, Kyle.¡± She says coldly.

    I pull Claire away from her and say,¡± Fine then, good luck ever seeing your grandchildren.¡± Then I turn and walk out. I catch a glimpse of Arthur¡¯s expression and see a bit of happiness in his eyes. I walk Claire far enough away and then turn to face her.

    ¡°I-I hope this wasn¡¯t too much. I kinda spoke without thinking.¡± I say. She doesn¡¯t respond so I keep going.¡± I couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, the way she treats you, it¡¯s like an item. I just want her to let you think for yourself and let you control what you do.¡±

    I get nothing from her again and let the silence linger. A minute passes and she takes a deep breath.¡± I can¡¯t thank you enough. I¡¯ve wanted to tell her off ever since she kicked you out, but never had the courage. I wanted to run away to find you, but I was locked in my room. I wanted to be with you so badly and hearing your adventures made me so sad. I wanted to experience all those wonderful things with you, but she was there.¡±

    She¡¯s crying now and I grab ahold of her,¡± You don¡¯t have to worry anymore. I may not be the knight I said I would be, but I¡¯m here to sweep you off your feet.¡± I know it was cheesy as hell, but it made her smile. She got on her tiptoes and I knew what was coming, a kiss to seal this whole night.

    Then I hear a clicking noise coming from the statue next to us. I turn and realise it was the one of the unknown hero created by the founder of this school. I touch the gem on his shield and the wall behind it slides back revealing a room. My perfect night ruined not by monsters, but by the mystery of the hero.

 Chapter 20: The Heros Secret

    We enter the room behind the statue and it¡¯s filled with many things. An elegant staff and robes that looked very old, a mural, many books, and a set of armor matching that of the statue¡¯s.I move to the armor naturally and sigh. It¡¯s too bulky for me, I prefer lighter, leather armor not this heavy steel suit. Claire was drawn to the robe and staff naturally.¡± That robe looks like it¡¯ll fit you.¡± I say

    ¡°Yeah, but it doesn¡¯t look like you like that armor very much.¡± She say.

    I shake my head,¡± Too heavy for me.¡±

    She moves from the robe to the mural and I follow her. It looks like it tells a story throughout the painting. The Mad King takes over, the hero rises like the sun, rallies the Banrir and the Dragonic armies, and finally finds his shield and sword. All while being accompanied by two offensive mages, two paladins, two defensive mages, and a winged warrior. The mural ends the story at that and I turn to Claire.

    ¡°This was not how I expected this night to go at all.¡± I say,¡± I was expecting to be attacked many more times before finding this.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but what I wasn¡¯t expecting was the hero¡¯s eyes.¡± She says and then points to a close up of him. His eyes were blue and violet.¡± This confirms you two are connected.¡±

    We stand in silence as that fact sinks in.¡± I had a feeling we might have been, but I also didn¡¯t expect the hero to look so similar to my dad.¡± I say after a solid minute.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She ask.

    ¡°Well in the statute outside he was covered by his helm, but at the war meeting right there, he looks almost exactly like my dad. The only difference is his eyes. My father was blond and had green eyes, but he has the two colors.¡± I say.

    ¡°That¡¯s unexpected.¡± She says, which was a complete understatement.¡± It can¡¯t be your father because it is a known fact that the hero died while defeating the Mad King.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, my dad was the farthest thing from a knight so I know that¡¯s not him.¡± I say.¡± In my world it¡¯s customary to put the name of the painter either on the canvas or behind it. Is that true here?¡± I ask.

    She nods so we take the mural down and lay it on its back. There was no signature or printed name, so we flipped it. On the back was another painting. It was much smaller, but was of a castle and the coordinates on a map.¡± Not what I was expecting, but maybe that castle has the answers.¡± Claire says.

    ¡°Goddammit, why can¡¯t I just get a straight answer? I always end up with more questions.¡± I say in disgust.

    ¡°If Rivers was here she would say,¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t be as interesting if you found out everything right away¡¯¡± She says with a smile.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°That was scarily close to how she would say it.¡± I say.¡± She probably was the one to make that statue¡¯s button click to interrupt us earlier.¡±

    ¡°I thought that was because of me swearing.¡± She says.

    ¡°That makes more sense, but why did we stop in front of the statue?¡± I ask.

    ¡°You stopped me. I would''ve followed you anywhere after that.¡± She says.

    ¡°Well I just kind of stopped, I didn¡¯t really think about where.¡± I say

    ¡°Maybe this was fate?¡± She says.

    ¡°That¡¯s the best answer I¡¯ll ever get.¡± I say.¡± I wonder what the headmaster is doing right now anyways. I didn¡¯t see her at all today.¡±

    ¡°Yeah neither have I.¡± She say. We let the silence stay, and I expected Rivers to just pop up, but she didn¡¯t.¡± I¡¯m going to look at these books.¡± Caire says breaking the silence.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll look over the suit of armor. I¡¯ll see if I can scavenge anything that won¡¯t drag me down.¡± I say and inspect the armor. If I take the gauntlet and gloves I could use them to block some attacks. They look sturdy and strong enough to do so. I touch the gauntlets and the whole suit changes. Standing before me was a different set of armor, one that was more my style. Mostly leather with steel padding on the forearms, shoulders and chest. The only thing missing was a cloak, but that didn¡¯t matter to me.¡± Woah! Look what just happened.¡±

    I turn and see her engrossed in a journal. She looks up and says,¡± Well then put it on.¡± I take my suit of and keep the under shirt then put on the suit, which unsurprisingly fits perfectly.¡± Looks good on you.¡± Claire says without even looking up.

    I walk over and ask,¡± What¡¯s that saying?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the diary of one of the offensive mages on the mural. Her name isn¡¯t anywhere on the book, but neither are the other¡¯s names.¡± She says.¡± She was in love with the Hero, but she couldn¡¯t accept those feelings. It¡¯s actually kind of sad. I skimmed over most of it, but read the last entry. She went on and on about regretting never admitting her feelings to the Hero and how she¡¯ll never get over his death.¡±

    ¡°Wow, that is very sad.¡± I say and then something falls out of the book. I pick it up and almost drop it again once I recognize it. It was a photo from an instant print camera. It had all eight heros in the shot and they were all smiling.¡± This shouldn¡¯t be here.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? It looks like a well drawn painting of them.¡± Claire says.

    ¡°No, this is from my world. It¡¯s a photo from a camera. It isn¡¯t a painting.¡± I say.

    ¡°Then how did it end up here?¡± She asks.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I can only assume I wasn¡¯t the first person dragged from Earth to this world.¡± I say.

    ¡°It has to be the Hero, there are no other known cases of people with two different colored eyes.¡± She says.¡± I know because I researched your eyes.¡±

    ¡°This confirms that we are connected, but why?¡± I ask.¡± The Mad King was only a tyrannical ruler. Why would his rise bring another hero from Earth?¡±

    Just before she could speak I hear a huge explosion go off and I say.¡± Something just exploded. You stay here and research more. I¡¯ll go check it out.¡±

    She nods and I sprint to where the explosion came from. The armor was light enough for me to almost hit max speed. Before long I wa confronted by a hulking, albino Minotaur. One I had encountered before. One with a missing horn from when I cut it off.

    ¡°So you got through the Headmaster¡¯s defenses? Maybe she was too incompetent to trust.¡± I say.¡± Miss me?¡±

    My blue eye switches on and I hear many curse come from his mouth. His anger matches mine and I pull a spear from behind a statue. I remember watching a bullfight when I was younger so naturally I say,¡± Toro, Toro.¡±

 Chapter 21: Fighting the Bull

    I didn¡¯t dare draw the sword at my side, this bull wasn¡¯t the cause of the explosion. I was going to have to kill this beast with the weapons I hid everywhere. Thankfully this bull was outraged because of what I did to it in the past, so it was easy to predict its attack.

    I dodged to one side and then immediately turned so I could throw the spear. I launched it straight into its back as it recovered from its charge. Its cry in pain was loud enough for everyone in the school to hear. I run to another hidden weapon and pull out a rapier.¡± I admit you¡¯re stronger than the rest of your kind, but you obviously aren¡¯t smarter than them.¡± I say

    The minotaur gets of its front legs to stand on its hind legs.¡± I was enraged to find that my opponent was you. The only thing I¡¯ve ever lost to.¡± It says.¡± I have come for revenge.¡±

    ¡°You think you can defeat me? If that were true, I would¡¯ve been the one to take the tumble off the cliff, not you.¡± I say trying to provoke him.

    ¡°I will enjoy crushing you.¡± It says and then it starts its approach.

    I was hoping to make it mad again, but it obviously learned from last time we fought. Last time I was able to keep it provoked and made it charge me while a cliff was behind me. Now, I was in a school with only the rapier in my hand and the sword at my side. I take a deep breath and charge for the bull.

    I feinted a frontal assault, which made the bull lunge for me, but I was able to dodge its attempt to grab me. I stab the sword straight into its rib cage and immediately fall back. If I had stayed it would have crushed me with its massive right arm. I know I hit one of its lung, I just had to survive until it bled out.

    ¡°It¡¯s over, I doubt you have more than a minute before you drown in your own blood.¡± I say trying to stall.

    ¡°This is nothing, my anger will keep me going even after I die.¡± It says

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you get how dying works.¡± I say and it gets on all four legs again. It charges and I move again, but this time it was able to move its arm out at the last second to hit me. It knocked me into the wall and I could feel a rib or two break.¡± Okay I should have seen that one coming.¡±

    It charges at me while I¡¯m getting up and I know I have to draw the sword now. I grab for my sword and just before I pull on it, I hear a spell being launched towards the minotaur. Its charge was knocked ten feet to the left of me and I use its confusion to my advantage. I stab it in the heart and leave the rapier in it.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad we got here in time.¡± A familiar voice says. I turn and see an out of breath Arthur with his wand up.¡± I just wish I was in better shape so I could have gotten here sooner.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°I would¡¯ve left you behind but you insisted on coming.¡± Edward says.¡± I would¡¯ve stepped in too, but the minotaur had something that caught my eye.¡±

    I back away from the bull and check my rib cage, no bones out of place, maybe just hairline fractures.¡± What was so important that it would stop you from helping me?¡± I ask with a very annoyed tone.

    ¡°That rune on right arm, it negates any offensive magic. Had I shot it with my magic, it would¡¯ve bounced off.¡± Edward says.

    ¡°Those are for weaker spells though, why hesitate still?¡± I ask.

    He shakes his head continues,¡± Yes most runes like that could never block a spell from me, but this one is different. It¡¯s unlike any you¡¯ve seen before. Only very high class magicians even know about that type of rune. It could block any offensive magic produced by anyone at this school.¡±

    ¡°Just my luck. I¡¯m glad Claire didn¡¯t follow me, she probably would¡¯ve casted a spell and it would definitely have hit me.¡± I say.¡± This isn¡¯t the only intruder, I heard an explosion earlier coming from the main courtyard.¡±

    We race to the courtyard and I start to hear spells being casted and the sound they make as they pass through the air. We make it to the open and I see the Headmaster facing off against a cloaked mage. Around them were hundreds of dead monsters. Either Rivers took care of them all or they were collateral.

    The cloaked mage stops and runs when they see us approaching. I give chase, but they disappear in a cloud of smoke. I run back to the Headmaster who is being supported by Edward.¡± What the hell happened?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Monsters stormed the front entrance at midnight and I was able to kill almost all of them. That mage appeared as I was trying to deal with that white bull and it got away. That mage was powerful, they were able to match me in offensive capability.¡± She says.¡± I can assume you took care of the bull right?¡±

    I nod and say,¡± Dead in the hallway just over there.¡±

    ¡°Good, and I assume you found the hidden room?¡± She asks and I¡¯m shocked.

    ¡°How did you know?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping that armor in there safe for a very long time. Just because it changed form doesn¡¯t mean I wouldn¡¯t recognize it.¡± She says.¡± Your injuries should recover very soon, that¡¯s the enchantment on the armor.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, I have to go back and find Claire.¡± I say and sprint off.

    I make it back to the room and find Claire still reading. She changed into the faded red suit that was hanging opposite of the armor and she looks up at me.¡± How¡¯d it go?¡±

    ¡°I almost died fighting a minotaur, but your father saved me. The Headmaster, turns out, was fighting off monsters. We found her facing a mage who disappeared before I could pursue.¡± I say.¡± FInd anything?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I found half of this key inside the coat pocket of this robe. I also found out more about the castle on the back of the painting.¡± She says.

    ¡°What about it?¡± I ask.

    ¡°That¡¯s where the Mad King is sealed as well as the gem that we need for your sword. I also found a ritual for bringing back the Mad King and I know now why I¡¯m being targeted.¡± She says.¡± I am needed for the ritual. I¡¯m a mage with more mana than ten master level mages. They want me to be used as an energy source for the ritual.¡±

 Chapter 22: Setting our Resolve

    ¡°I will make sure that never happens, Claire. Until my dying breath I will make sure no man touches you.¡± I say.¡± Not as your protector any more, but as your fiance.¡±

    ¡°You were serious about that? I had thought you said that to get mom furious and-¡± She tries to say, but I grab her hand.

    ¡°I meant every word. Why would I lie?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I just¡­. Had my doubts.¡± She says and turns her head.

    ¡°That¡¯s alright, but I¡¯m sure this is what your father had planned from the beginning.¡± I say and lift her chin up.¡± He wanted me to save you from that life and from those coming to get you.¡± I could hear her heartbeat and knew what I said was the right thing. It was what she wanted to hear from the beginning.

    We both expected it to be interrupted, but the soft moment we shared and the kiss after went on without anyone¡¯s interference.

    After the wild night we had, Claire and I decided we should set out for the castle. As her protector I would usually have said no to her request to leave so no else would get hurt, but as her fiance I knew there was no stopping her. I decided to help her instead of even trying to get in her way. I should have expected an ambush as we tried to leave though.

    ¡°Where do you two love birds think you¡¯re going?¡± Thu¡¯ane asks while leaning against a tree.

    ¡°Away from here, you might as well come with.¡± I say.

    He nods and says,¡± I would have followed you anyways. It¡¯s been awhile since we traveled together, think you can handle me for months on end?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s always more fun having you around to be honest.¡± I say and we embrace in a handshake.

    ¡°Are you two done?¡± Claire asks.¡± Because we need to leave before-¡±

    ¡°Before someone else finds you?¡± Edward says walking from where we came.

    ¡°Yeah, that.¡± She says.

    ¡°Like Hell I¡¯d let you go without me, or them.¡± He says pointing back.

    ¡°I have a feeling that the attack from before was more of a diversion. I don¡¯t think we know the whole story.¡± Ryan says.

    ¡°I agree, we figured wherever you were going, the answers are probably there too.¡± Beth says.¡± Plus, we¡¯re both worried about you two. You don¡¯t have any mages to heal you.¡±

    ¡°And I am here to give you my sword, though it may not be much, I would like to keep learning from you, Kyle. Ever since I met you, I¡¯ve become a better man just by being around you.¡± Edward says,¡± So I will follow you to the ends of the world until I can rightfully stand by your side.¡±

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°That was deep.¡± Thu¡¯ane says.¡± That makes my reasoning sound so stupid now.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about this, it¡¯d be easier to sneak a Claire and I through. Six of us is a bit too much.¡± I say.

    ¡°It¡¯s futile to try and reason with us, we¡¯re coming with.¡± Ryan says.

    ¡°I assume you all are packed and ready right?¡± I ask and they all nod.¡± Fine let¡¯s get going.¡±

    In front of us stood the Headmaster and I knew our party was going to be bumped up to seven. I sigh and offer my hand to the old lady. She embraces my hand and we shake. No words were needed because we understood our resolves.

    ¡°Can we get going before any other distractions pop up?¡± Claire asks.

    From there we set out from the school that had protected us. We walked in silence and I realized that there was one last distraction ahead of us. One who I knew was waiting for this the entire time. Arthur was standing at the end of the road.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad I caught you before you left. You think I¡¯d let you leave empty handed?¡± He asks me.¡± I wanted to give you as much as possible to protect my one and only daughter. Here, take this.¡± He hands me a large sum of money and the seal of his house. One for the trip and the other as a seal of approval for me.

    ¡°I take it you finally stood up to Susan and decided to help me?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I owe you, for everything that had happened since I let her cast you out. I feel responsible for your suffering and this is the only thing I could do.¡± He says with sorrow.

    I hug him and tell him,¡± I don¡¯t blame you for any of my past. I¡¯m just happy to have someone like you to help me.¡±

    Claire hugs him too and says,¡± Thank you, Father. I¡¯ll make sure we make it back.¡±

    ¡°When you come back, I¡¯ll walk you down the aisle with my full approval.¡± He says and then we let go of eachother.¡± I¡¯d better go try and soothe your mother now.¡±

    He leaves and I look back at my party. It was people I had grown to trust in this unknown world. People who had stood next to me at my worst and those who are willing to die along side me. I feel like I could defeat him, the one that made us set out. I felt like I could defeat the Mad King right then and there.

 Chapter 23: Setting Out

    As soon as we hit the edge of town we decided to keep going and find horses in the next town. We set out at around one and mostly walked in silence until Thu¡¯ane had the idea to start singing. Then the headmaster started humming and then I guess all the others decided to chime in. I decided to not sing since I prefer to travel in silence.

    ¡°Come on, Kyle, you¡¯ve got a voice that won over that one noble.¡± Thu¡¯ane says.¡± She was ready to give you everything after you sang for her.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t bring that up. I don¡¯t want to remember that time, there was too much drinks and that noble would not get off me.¡± I say remembering her and the headache afterwards.¡± I¡¯m just glad you were able to get what we came for before she took me to her room.¡±

    ¡°Oh come on, you would''ve had an excellent night with her!¡± He says.

    ¡°Yeah but I had just started out with Jess and¡­. Yeah.¡± I say stopping myself before I said too much.

    ¡°Oh yeah, you had just summoned the courage to ask her before we set out. Oh good times.¡± Thu¡¯ane says keeping it going.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t remind me of all my awkwardness and not in front of Claire. I don¡¯t want her to know how hopeless I was.¡± I say covering her ears.

    ¡°Yeah you were pretty bad back then.¡± He says.¡± I felt like your older brother pushing you onto girls and helping you summon courage.¡±

    ¡°Funny thing was, my awkward charm worked more than your charm.¡± I say.

    He slaps his hands to his face and says,¡± Don¡¯t remind me. I was pissed when I realized that. My whole world fell apart when I found out that noble lady was all over you instead of me!¡±

    I start laughing and say.¡± You were way too forward back then, girls didn¡¯t like that very much.¡±

    ¡°I know, but I mean there were a few who fell for it.¡± He says.

    ¡°Yeah, surprisingly the uptight ones were the ones to fall for that. I was not expecting the maid to fall for that.¡± I say.

    ¡°You guys have a lot of stories together don¡¯t you?¡± Rivers says.¡± Reminds me of my old journeys.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Yeah, I bet with your wild personality now I bet you were the exact same when you were younger.¡± I say.

    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised, I wasn¡¯t always like this.¡± She says.¡± But I¡¯d rather leave my past behind me, not too proud of myself when I was younger.¡±

    ¡°Oh come on that just makes me want to hear more about it.¡± Thu¡¯ane says.

    ¡°In time I might tell you, but for now I wanna hear more from you two.¡± She says.

    ¡°I would also like to hear more about your adventures.¡± Claire says.¡± Especially about your awkward charm and that noble.¡±

    I could hear the intensity in her voice and I give a death glare at Thu¡¯ane, now he¡¯s done it.¡± Really? Because I¡¯d rather go back to singing.¡±

    ¡°No I think if I heard about this amazing charm of yours, I¡¯d feel much better.¡± She says grabbing my by the collar.

    I start to laugh nervously and then I hear a rustle in the bushes and I push her behind me.¡± What was that?¡± I say and we all look at the bush. Out pops a black dog that whines at me.¡± How could I forget Smokey?¡±

    I embrace him and apologize to him. I told him my mind was on other things and he was just happy to see me.¡± I don¡¯t deserve your everlasting love Smokey. Thank you for saving me though.¡± I whisper in his ear. He turns his head in confusion and I just pat his head.

    ¡°Is the kitty here?¡± He asks me. I nod and point to Beth who is in a conversation with Ryan. Smokey sprints over to her and barks at her. I found out she plays with him when I was too busy so now she¡¯s his favorite. He licks her hand and goes off to find a stick.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re off the hook just yet.¡± Claire says.

    ¡°I figured. I¡¯m going to kill you Thu¡¯ane.¡± I say to him.¡± I just want to know why you¡¯re so mad about it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± She says.

    I hear the headmaster laugh and I know somewhere she lost me.¡±This really takes me back.¡± She says.

    Edward sighs and says,¡± You may be an excellent fighter but you will never understand women will you?¡±

    I turn to him and say,¡± Please teach me. I need to know what I did and why she¡¯s upset.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that really can¡¯t be taught, but only through experience can it be learned.¡± He says.

    I stop and let the party keep going for a bit. Even now I can¡¯t find the answers I need, just more questions. Ryan taps my shoulder and I come back to reality.¡± I believe she might be jealous due to the fact that you¡¯ve never used that awkward charm on her.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t say anything, I was just blown away by two things. He was listening to the conversation enough to know what was the issue and that him, of all people, would know what I did wrong. There¡¯s more to him than I originally thought.

    Smokey returns with a stick and drops it my feet. He turns his head to the side and I pick it up.¡± I really have my work cut out for me. At least it¡¯ll be interesting.¡± I say to him. I throw the stick and run to join up with the party. They decided to sing again and this time I whistled the melody.

 Chapter 24: The Dangers of Traveling

    We made it to the next town without any monster appearance so we decided to find a place to stay and plan. We found an inn near the edge of town and then we rented rooms. I was finally able to get some alone time with Claire that lasted at most an hour before we were interrupted. We had a nice talk about our plans for after this, where she wanted to settle down and even how many kids she wanted. I let her talk since I really never thought about those kind of things. Then right as she was starting to talk about where to have the wedding, Edward knocked on the door and asked if we could come out.

    ¡°Sorry Claire, but we should probably join them. We can pick this up when we come back alright?¡± I say as I let go of her. She stretches and the heads for the door. I grab my sword and follow her.

    ¡°Ah here comes the happy couple! We were just talking about you two.¡± Thu¡¯ane says causing everyone to look up from the map.

    ¡°No we weren¡¯t, we were talking about our route.¡± Ryan says.

    ¡°Shh, they don¡¯t know that.¡± Thu¡¯ane says and Ryan just gives him an apathetic look.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think Ryan likes you very much.¡± I say to him.

    ¡°Nah, he just needs to warm up to me.¡± He says.

    I stare at Ryan for a bit then turn to Thu¡¯ane.¡± Nah, he just doesn¡¯t like you.¡±

    ¡°Can we get back to business?¡± Ryan asks and we both sigh and nod.

    ¡°The shortest route would be this one, but we¡¯d have to cut through the mountains. If we went around it would add about three days. SInce we don¡¯t know if we have a time limit to make it, I suggest we act like we do and take the shortest route.¡± I say.

    ¡°But we run the risk of running into monsters in the mountains.¡± Thu¡¯ane says.

    ¡°Yeah, but we can take care of them easily. Besides, it¡¯s not like we¡¯ll run into anything massive like Ogres or Trolls. They live in the northern part of the mountain range.¡± I say with a nod in agreement from Thu¡¯ane.

    ¡°And even if there were Trolls I know a spell that replicates the sun¡¯s effect on them. Ogres are naturally weak against magic so they won¡¯t be that big of a problem for me either.¡± Mariana says.

    ¡°See that solves that problem, but I remember hearing that Kelpies roam the river near this side of the mountain.¡± Thu¡¯ane says and I remember back to my time meeting a Kelpie. It was dragging a young boy to the river and I shot it with my bow. It wasn¡¯t fatal but it let go of the boy. I hunted it to the river and was almost overrun by Kelpies, but my teacher was there to help me.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    ¡°I remember our teacher saying that they were weak against lightning magic since of their reliance on water. So Edward¡¯s magic should negate those.¡± I say and look up at Edward who is in amazement. I realise that Claire and Ryan are also in amazement. I guess when we got serious, we really got serious because we had almost every angle of our roughest part of the trip already figured out.

    ¡°Wow, you guys really think of everything, don¡¯t you?¡± Edward says.¡± I never thought your skills were this thorough. Especially given you were trained for maybe two and a half years.¡±

    I shrug,¡± When it comes to fighting and this kind of thing I guess I¡¯m just a natural.¡±

    Thu¡¯ane nods and says,¡± He was the fastest trained unit of the King¡¯s Shadow since the boss was trained as a kid. I just thought it was to make up for his horrible magical ability.¡±

    ¡°I also studied nightly of everything I learned and would often pull all nighters studying and practicing. I thought it was my hard work, but maybe it was more.¡± I say.

    Beth comes in from shopping for supplies with Smokey who has a bone in his mouth. She sets down the bags full of food and cloth.¡± Have I missed anything?¡± She asks.

    I fill her in on our current plan and she gives me a grave look.¡± Is something wrong?¡±

    She nods and says,¡± When I was younger my family were nomads and I remember passing through the Nars Mountain range.There¡¯s unique monsters there that not many people know about.¡±

    Ryan grabs her hand and whispers something in her ear. Obviously this was a bad memory for her.¡± We need to know what they are so we can prepare for them.¡± Claire says in a soothing voice that makes my heart skip.

    She shakes her head and says,¡± They are nameless. When I describe them it won¡¯t sound like any other monster. I could draw them. Maybe that will help.¡± She then pulls out a pencil and starts to draw. Her finished picture gave me a tugging feeling from the back of my mind. It looked familiar and I tried to think what it was called.

    ¡°I have never encountered something like that. Did you figure out its weakness?¡± Thu¡¯ane asks in a serious tone not heard often.

    She nods and says,¡± My mother had a torch that when it was moved towards the beast it jumped back. No other weapon made it react like that.¡±

    That feeling is much stronger now. I remember back when I was younger and all the books I read about monsters and ghosts. There was one that I was thinking of and couldn¡¯t remember its name. I asked one question.¡± Did it eat people?¡±

    She nods and then I remember a story from a book. A Native American legend of a beast that ate humans and was afraid of fire. I racked my brain trying to remember its name. I shake my head and say,¡± We had a legend like this back on Earth. I don¡¯t know how but I think they are the same thing. On Earth their weakness was fire and they were once men who turned into cannibalistic spirits.¡±

    ¡°So you need fire to kill them?¡± Claire asks.¡± Good thing my fire burns brighter than any others.¡±

    ¡°Soooo, now that we learned that do we still want to pass through the mountains?¡± Thu¡¯ane asks.

    I nod and say,¡± We need to get to the castle as fast as possible. We don¡¯t know what that group has planned.

    With that we decided to split off and get some sleep before we head out. I grab Claire¡¯s hand and say,¡± Let¡¯s go for a walk. I want to stay awake and talk with you a bit more.¡± We walk around the small town and I realise that living in a small town like this won¡¯t be so bad. But like every other time there¡¯s monsters waiting for us as we reach the edge of town. It was a pack of Gremlins armed with spears and knives. It¡¯s a good thing I brought a regular sword instead of the Dao.

 Chapter 25: Last Day in Town

    The three foot gremlins aren¡¯t very scary when they are in small numbers but when there¡¯s like thirty of them it¡¯s very overwhelming.¡± Stay behind me Claire.¡± I draw the straight sword and ready for their attack. The first three gremlin I take care of with one swipe of the sword and then punt the fourth one straight into a tree. I hear Claire chant spells and then duck as she unleashes a wave of fire on ten of them. With half their numbers, their moral drops and some start to flee. As I turn to look at Claire one bites my leg and I yell.¡± You little shit!¡± and skewer it with my sword.

    ¡°We can¡¯t chase, if we do then we¡¯ll be ambushed by more of them.¡± I say to Claire as she tries to chase.

    ¡°But they¡¯ll just come back with more numbers.¡± She says.

    I nod and slice through another gremlin.¡± They will but if we warn the town they will definitely be ready for an attack.¡± I say to her. We finish off the remaining gremlins and then I make sure there¡¯s no more with my senses.¡± Gotta love complacent humans who don¡¯t post guards. It¡¯s a wonder how these towns and cities don¡¯t get attacked more often.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I can see now how arrogant we as humans have become. Thinking since we halved the numbers of monsters in the last millennia that monsters won¡¯t attack us.¡± She says.¡± If the Mad King is really returning, he¡¯ll bring an influx of monsters with him. Or that¡¯s what the story says.¡±

    I extend my hand and she grabs it,¡± So I was thinking¡± I pause just because I can and then keep going.¡± Maybe a town like this wouldn¡¯t be so bad to live in.¡±

    Her face brightens up and she excitedly says,¡± I agree, the small town atmosphere is so much cozier than the city of Atwood. When I walk around there, it¡¯s all unknown faces, but this town seems like they¡¯re very close to one-another.¡±

    I laugh and say,¡± Then it¡¯s settled, we¡¯ll live in a town very similar, if not, this one.¡±

    She kisses my cheek and says,¡± We have to survive for that to happen.¡± Then she helps me back to the inn and to our room. I pause at the door and look at the lock. Should I lock it just in case? I decide not to since we might need to leave quickly and then I follow her in. She helps clean the bite and then bandages it. Had I been in my armor I would have been fine, but I assumed we¡¯d be fine on our walk since we would stay in the town.

    We fall asleep in eachothers arms and I sleep quietly. I never get night terrors when I¡¯m sleep next to Claire. I also sleep like a log that cannot be woken up very lightly. I did however wake up when Claire kissed me in the morning. It reminded me of Sleeping Beauty and was a nice moment for the two of us.

    ¡°Oh my, I so sorry!¡± Beth says and I realise she was standing in the door.¡± I should have knocked.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I was trying to wake him up, but nothing besides this worked.¡± She says.

    I realise I¡¯m on the floor and wonder how I got there. I lay my head back and think to myself,¡± I should have known to lock the door last night. I should have known this would happen to me.¡±

    ¡°Come on Kyle, our party is waiting for us at breakfast.¡± She says.

    ¡°But how did I end up on the floor?¡± I ask getting up.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t wake up to me shouting your name so I pushed you off the bed. When you still didn¡¯t wake up I tried the kiss and that seemed to work.¡± She says.

    We make our way to the table and Thu¡¯ane snorts and his coffee comes out his nose.¡± I completely forgot about your horrible bedhead.¡± He says laughing and wiping his nose.

    I furiously straighten my hair and say to a chuckling Claire,¡± Why didn¡¯t you tell me my hair was bad?¡±

    ¡°I thought it was cute.¡± She says still chuckling.

    Mariana sighs and says under her breath,¡± Good times.¡± I look at her with confusion but decide not to pry. I was the only to hear her as the others were invested in their food. I grab a coffee and bread that was laid out by the innkeeper.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Edward?¡± I ask.

    ¡°He decided to visit the local blacksmith and pick up a better rapier.¡± Ryan says.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go help him. I never thought the rapier was a good fit for him anyways.¡± I say.

    I find him checking out the straight one handed swords and swinging them a bit. He sets them down and shakes his head. I grab a curved cutlass and check its craftsmanship. I tap his shoulder and offer it to him,¡±Try this one, it¡¯s made for naval combat, but I feel like it¡¯ll fit your style as it¡¯s kind of similar to a rapier.¡±

    He swings it around and then sheaths it.¡± I should have thought to bring you in the first place. How do you know all this stuff?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen many types of fighting style when traveling with the King¡¯s Shadow. I figured out when a style and sword doesn¡¯t match a swordsmen.¡± I say.¡± It helps that my perception is much better than any others. I can see smaller details most teachers don¡¯t see in students.¡±

    ¡°You really are amazing. I could learn a great deal from you.¡± He says as he hands over the money to the Blacksmith.¡± You can have this Rapier as well, I won¡¯t need it.¡±

    I rub the back of my head, I really didn¡¯t think of myself as a teacher.¡± Well, I never was that great at explaining things. I don¡¯t know how much I¡¯ll actually teach you.¡±

    He puts his hand on my shoulder and says.¡± Just being around you opened my eyes to many things I was to ignorant to see.¡±

    ¡°Um, your welcome, I guess.¡± I say as I move out of his reach.¡± We should head back and pack. We have a long day¡¯s ride ahead of us.¡±

    He nods and we go back to the inn, the coffee and food were put away, and Thu¡¯ane was chatting with the young innkeeper. I grab him and drag him away with his complaints being shouted in my ear. We didn¡¯t have time for him to screw around. We grabbed our things and went to the stable to purchase horses and a carriage. Ryan, Mariana, Claire, Beth, and Smokey rode in the carriage, while Edward steered the horse. Thu¡¯ane and I were on horseback, we acted as the carriage¡¯s guard. My bow readied in my right hand and he had his guitar in hand ready to play us a melody.

 Chapter 26: A Song and Theories

    You know how kids are when they travel? Always asking are we there yet and getting on your nerves. Well gets like that when we travel and I remember why I dread the first half of our journeys together. Normally, when I travel with other members we discuss plans or just travel in silence, but with Thu¡¯ane it¡¯s anything but serious. He always wants to play games or sing, and I just want to focus on what lies ahead. This time around he wants me to sing like from before.

    ¡°Just one song! Please!¡± He begs me after about two hours of riding.¡± It could be one of the songs from your world!¡±

    I sigh and say,¡± If I sing one, you will bug me to do another. So I refuse.¡± I say sternly.

    ¡°Come on, I¡¯m sure our party would love to hear your voice.¡± He says and Claire pops her head out the window.¡± See, your fiance would like to hear it!¡±

    ¡°I would like to hear this famed voice of yours.¡± She says.¡± The others are napping so they won¡¯t hear you.¡±

    I sigh and say,¡± I can¡¯t say no to her.¡± I pause and say,¡± Fine but only the chorus of one of the songs. Your choice Thu¡¯ane. Choose wisely.¡±

    ¡°Hm, I wonder which one¡­.¡± He says obviously building up anticipation. He was reenacting his old crowd pleasing tricks to build anticipation even though both of us know which one he¡¯s going to pick.¡± The Windmill one should do nicely.¡±

    I sigh again and laugh after because I knew he¡¯d pick that song. It was both our favorite song, to play and hear.¡± Alight, do you remember how to play the second chorus and its build up?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Of course I do. My fondest memory was playing it in front of that festival after one of our missions.¡± He says and he readies his guitar.¡± Now I remember you saying it the original version sounded different since of your technology. You called this the acoustic version right?¡±

    I nod and start patting my thigh to give him the beat. It was my favorite song when I was on Earth. Though the name of the song escaped me, the melody and words would never. I¡¯m just glad my mother taught me to play a couple instruments and how to read music sheets or else I wouldn¡¯t be able to hear it. He starts playing and the melody sends chills down my spine and memories flood back to me. I start the chorus and I see Claire start to sway with it.

    I finish and ask,¡± So how was my singing voice?¡±

    ¡°It was fantastic! I would have never guessed you possed such a singing voice!¡± Claire says with glee.

    ¡°You can thank my mom, she taught me how to sing properly and how to play a couple of instruments.¡± I say remembering my childhood.¡± Didn¡¯t I teach you to play the piano when we were younger?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but you never sang because it made you sad.¡± She says and I remember the lessons I gave her. I felt very homesick when doing so but also happy I could share my mother¡¯s knowledge with her.

    ¡°Yeah that was a younger me. One who missed home more than anything. Now, this place has grown on me and I did get to visit my parents.¡± I say trying to cheer her up.¡± I wish you could hear my mother. Even though she only plays music for fun, her voice could soothe a pack of raging minotaurs.¡±

    ¡°That would be nice.¡± She says and we sit in silence for a bit. Our eyes never leave each others and I swore that moment lasted for longer than a minute. Then Edward spoke up.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ¡°I see you got your singing ability from your mother, but where did your fighting ability come from? Your Father?¡± He says snapping us out of our gazes.

    I shake my head and say,¡± I got my stubbornness and study habits from him. I just assumed the final wish from Genie was what made physical combat easy for me.¡±

    ¡°I had my theory about that.¡± Ryan¡¯s voice chimes in and we all jump.¡± I think that third mysterious wish is something else.¡±

    ¡°What the hell?!¡± I say reacting to his sudden response.¡± How long were you listening?¡±

    ¡°Since you started singing, but that¡¯s not the point. I think it isn¡¯t your ability to fight so easily. That seems like something more natural, while your eyes seem like something you got used to. It¡¯s hard to explain, but it¡¯s like you¡¯ve fought your entire life and make little mistakes. While with your eyes you still use the wrong color for each situation.¡±

    I laugh and say,¡± I should have known you¡¯d catch when I use the wrong color. I do tend to use my blue eye rather than my violet eye when facing monsters.¡±

    ¡°When looking at your combat, you don¡¯t make such errors. Every hit is calculated and every move is efficient. I¡¯d say your ability to fight is natural ability rather than a gifted ability.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so lost right now.¡± Thu¡¯ane says.

    ¡°Of course you are.¡± He says.¡± I¡¯m saying that his ability to learn fighting styles and his combat is his own talent. Not given to him by another. I came up with this when I noticed him using his blue eye instead of his violet eye when we met up with him after he fought the minotaur and that led me to the that theory¡±

    ¡°I follow.¡± Edward says and Claire nods in agreement.¡± Let me ask you this Thu¡¯ane, When did Kyle¡¯s fighting style ever seem¡­. Unnatural to you?¡±

    He thinks for a bit and it dawns on him.¡± Never. Outside of combat his actions and words come off a bit awkward sometimes, but while fighting he seems so fluid and composed.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that ability to fight wasn¡¯t my third wish?¡± I say.¡± It¡¯s the only thing I have that even sounds like it could be the third wish. Do you have a theory as to what my third wish is?¡±

    I see him scratch his chin and say,¡± Not a conclusive one, but I think there it is something to do with another oddity I found.¡±

    ¡°Go on, the suspense is killing me.¡± Thu¡¯ane says.

    ¡°Okay, but remember this is only an oddity, not a real theory.¡± He pause and rubs his chin some more.¡± When you first drew that sword, it broke the illusion spells you and Mr. Winston put on it right?¡±

    I nod and say,¡± Yeah, the sword was disguised because apparently it¡¯s famous. But no one has came up to me asking about it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s famous for the Dragonic kind, not Human.¡± He says.

    I turn to Thu¡¯ane and he shrugs,¡± I was raised by my teacher, Cain, who was human. So don¡¯t look at me.¡±

    ¡°That sword was very famous among the Dragonic people. It was lost long ago, but I know for a fact that it is indeed the sword I¡¯m thinking of.¡± He says.¡± My father left me one thing before leaving me. A book filled with legends from his people and that sword was one of them. It was used back in the Mad King¡¯s war by one of the heros of the Dragonic. It¡¯s name is in ancient Dragonic is Caex, or amplifier in english.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that this sword¡¯s power isn¡¯t breaking spells and making me faster and stronger?¡± I ask.¡± And that it only amplifies my abilities?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only my theory, but it is remarkably similar to the one of legend.¡± He says.

    I switch to my green eye in order to confirm something. Mariana, who was previously thought to be sleeping, was breathing like she would if she were awake. I rode up to the window and looked at her, she was lying still and I knew she was listening.¡± Should I even ask if Ryan is right? Or should I just assume that he is based of the fact that she is listening but trying to act asleep?¡±

    I hear a screech come from above and it makes my skin crawl. The screech was one that pissed me off more than scared me. When dealing with Harpies, just keep you food hidden and aim for their wings.

 Chapter 27: The Concussion

    Harpies aren¡¯t complicated creatures, they just want your food. They were born with an eternal hunger and are almost always in a crazed state because of it. The only thing that snaps them out of it is pain. So I shoot for non-vital spots on harpies like their wings or legs. If I were to kill one, then we¡¯d never see the end of it.

    I managed to nail a Harpy in the talon as it swooped and try to grab at Claire. That harpy landed on the ground and plucked the arrow off. I nocked another arrow and aimed for another harpy. Thu¡¯ane was using his wings to fly and disrupt the swarm of harpies.¡± Edward speed up!¡± I yell to him. He whips the reins and the horses go from a fast walk to running.

    ¡°Kyle, try and get their attention. I¡¯m going to cast a blinding spell.¡± Thu¡¯ane yells from above.

    ¡°How am I supposed to do that?¡± I ask. I remember my dried meat in my bag. I pull it out of my pocket and yell,¡± Hey! Come get some!¡± They all look at me and I feel my stomach drop. Forty harpies start to dive for the meat and my horse gets spooked. It starts running off the road and I try to settle it. Before long I¡¯m bucked off the horse right after it runs too close to a tree and stops.

    ¡°Luce!¡± I hear from nearby and i start to get up. I see the harpies grabbing at their eyes and the giant white wingspan of Thu¡¯ane in front of me.¡± That was hilarious, Kyle. You went flying after that horse threw you off!¡± He says turning around while offering me a hand.

    I his hand and say,¡± My head hurts.¡± I obviously stood up too fast since my vision started to darken and I felt light headed.¡± Get me to the carriage.¡± I then fall into his arms.

    I wake up much later to the dead of night. I feel a bandage on my head and I feel the pain rush back to me. I grab my head with my hands and close my eyes.¡± Kyle? Kyle? Are you alright?¡± Every word feels like a knife being stabbed into my head.

    ¡°Calm down Claire, he¡¯s got a concussion probably. Sounds probably hurt.¡± A soothing, calm voice says.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing my best to heal him, but he¡¯s built up some resistance to healing potions. I need to make them more potent.¡± Ryan¡¯s voice says.

    ¡°Can you guys quiet down?¡± I ask and then I open my eyes. They weren¡¯t right next to me, they were actually almost twenty feet away huddled around a fire.¡± Oh right, my eye.¡± I switch it and all the background noise fades.

    I hear footsteps and look to Ryan.¡± Here, this is much more potent and should help with your head.¡± He says.

    ¡°Yeah, I probably should have told you about my potion tolerance. It¡¯s pretty high since I get hurt a lot.¡± I say and then drink it. It taste like grape cough syrup with the same consistency. I sit there in a daze for a bit then I feel hands wrap around me.

    ¡°Lay back, I¡¯ve got you.¡± Claire¡¯s voice whispers in my ear. I do as she says and fall asleep again. I dream of flying and end up over the Winston House. I see old memories in a bird¡¯s eye view, Things like chasing Claire in tag or climbing trees with her. I wake up still in her arms, but she¡¯s currently sleeping. I move her arms and make sure not to wake her up when I get up.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°So. How do you feel?¡± Thu¡¯ane asks. He was sitting on top of the carriage and drops down.¡± We¡¯re lucky Ryan and Beth are here. They are really good at healing. Even better than Jessica I¡¯d say.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, usually I¡¯d be out for days, but I doubt it was that long.¡± I say.

    Thu¡¯ane nods his head,¡± It¡¯s been maybe twelve hours and you seem to have no signs of a concussion anymore.¡±

    ¡°Kyle? Why¡¯d you leave?¡± Claire says. I turn expecting her to be awake, but she¡¯s still asleep. I didn¡¯t know she talked in her sleep. I turn to Thu¡¯ane and he signals me with his hand to go to her.

    ¡°I¡¯m right here.¡± I say to her and sit next to her. Her hand grabs on to my shirt and I swear she started to smile. I watch her sleep for a bit then resume my conversation with Thu¡¯ane.¡± Have we lost that much time do you think?¡±

    ¡°Maybe only four hours of sunlight, so not too much.¡± He says.¡± I was just going to wake Edward up. He offered to take both the last watch.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I can take over for him. Now you should get some sleep.¡± I say.

    He nods and lays back on the carriage. I hear his heartbeat and breath start to calm down and I know he fell asleep. I know he was worried about me, I doubt he fell asleep since I passed out. I know we usually split the watches into three parts, so he must have been up this entire time.

    I hear someone¡¯s breathing rate start to change and look over at Mariana. She was stirring in her sleep and I hear her whisper a name, ¡°Able.¡± Her tone was worried and I assume that it was a past lover or someone close to her. Her breathing rate steadies and she falls back to sleep. The rest of the night passed by really slowly and nothing stirred until dawn.

    ¡°Wake up Claire.¡± I say and shake her shoulder. She starts to get up and tries to speak but then interrupts herself with a yawn. I get up from her side and wake the others. All the others got up and Thu¡¯ane started a fire to get breakfast ready.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me?¡± Edward asks him and Thu¡¯ane just shrugs. Edward looked hurt for some reason so I decided to pull him to the side.

    ¡°I told him not to. I wanted you guys to sleep. You also are very new to this kind of thing. I¡¯ll teach you how we do our watch on the road so you can help tonight, okay?¡± I tell him.

    ¡°Okay, I just didn¡¯t want you or him to push yourselves too much. You two are pretty much carrying us through this journey and I feel like you¡¯ll wear yourselves out.¡± He says.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us, this used to be our lives.¡± I say. We go back and eat the food Thu¡¯ane cooked up for us. We eat in silence and then I get asked about how I feel.¡± I feel like nothing happened. I¡¯ll be ready to travel as soon as you guys are.¡±

    Beth grabs my arm,¡± Don¡¯t push yourself!¡± This was a tone I¡¯ve never heard from her, it wasn¡¯t her calm voice. It was like a stern mother scolding her son.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m serious. That potion that Ryan gave me really did fix my head.¡± I say.

    Ryan sets his plate down and says,¡± It negates the side effects and pain, but if you push yourself it will come back in full force.¡± He says.¡± I didn¡¯t have the supplies necessary to make a potion for a concussion.¡±

    I slouch and sit back.¡± So what you¡¯re saying is that I have to ride in the carriage until the next town?¡± Everybody nods and I feel defeated.¡± Fine, Edward you¡¯ll be riding my horse.¡±

    ¡°We already decided that.¡± Edward says.

    ¡°I already gave him the rundown of what his job is.¡± Thu¡¯ane says.¡± By the end of this journey he¡¯ll be able to keep up with us, Kyle.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡± I say.¡± When this job is over, Thu¡¯ane and I are going to rebuild the King¡¯s Shadow. Would you want to join?.¡±

    He straightens up and says,¡± So you would teach me?¡±

    I nod and say,¡± I¡¯ll teach you as much as I can. That goes for all of you too. We kind of need a lot of people.¡±

 Chapter 28: Teaching and Religion

    When we set out, I guided Edward from the carriage. I told him where he should be information and what to look for. The others listened and occasionally we¡¯d get input from Thu¡¯ane, but he left most of the teaching to me. After setting Edward up as a replacement for me, I got a lot of questions from the others.

    ¡°Why set the guards toward the back? What if there¡¯s a frontal assault?¡± Ryan asks.

    ¡°It¡¯s faster to run forward than to turn a horse around. Also you¡¯re technically our third guard, but your only job is forward so it¡¯s easier.¡± I say.

    ¡°Why not have guards on top too?¡± Claire asks.

    ¡°Usually there¡¯s only two to three on a team so we don¡¯t have that many people to use.¡± I say.¡± If needed I could set up on top, but for right now this works fine.¡±

    ¡°What about if there was a third on horseback?¡± Edward asks.

    ¡°Then he¡¯d be very far back. We do that to make sure we aren¡¯t being followed and to get a larger view of our party. I¡¯m usually back there since my eyes allow me to see much better.¡± I say.

    ¡°Yeah, he also uses long range bows when on horseback.¡± Thu¡¯ane says.¡± Even I can¡¯t draw that bow very well.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I chose to focus entirely on physical combat. You could have too, but you wanted to use magic.¡± I say.¡± Besides I would trade my strength for your magic.¡±

    He nods and says.¡±My magic is very useful and all, but sometimes strength is just better.¡±

    ¡°You say that, but I¡¯m always the one who gets hurt. At Least you can use barriers or something to evade the attack.¡± I say.¡± And I¡¯m always the one who has to carry shit.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, maybe I¡¯ll just stick with my magic.¡± He says laughing.

    ¡°I never asked this before, but what magic do you use when you fight?¡± Edward asks.

    ¡°I use illusion magic.¡± He says.¡± But I focus on perception magic to throw off my opponent.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s was set up to be the best one on one fighter in our group,¡± I say.¡± But then¡­¡±

    ¡°The only one who could beat me was this bastard.¡± Thu¡¯ane says after a moment.¡± I would blind his eyes, but he could still hear me. I would produce a loud noise and I swear he could even smell where my sword was coming from.¡±

    ¡°No, I just guessed what you would do. I studied how you fought for a very long time, and I notice you prefered overhead swings after stunning someone.¡± I say defending myself.

    ¡°What was it like?¡± Edward asks.

    ¡°It was like a family to us.¡± I say

    ¡°Which was funny because most of us never knew our parents or were kicked out.¡± Thu¡¯ane says.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°Yeah, but I mean all of us were close and we all relied on each other.¡± I say. I start to remember how fast the accepted me and how many times I got out of trouble because of their help.¡± It wasn¡¯t entirely mercenary work either.¡±

    ¡°There were times where we were sent to help rebuild things or to move things. We did those type of work for free, since the city we lived in needed it.¡± Thu¡¯ane says and I remember how Arcity was a lot like Detroit. Filled with innocent people forced into crime, we did all we could to help combat it nonviolently.¡± We used a lot of noncombat users for civil disputes and rebuilding.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but that kind of thing wasn¡¯t what we were always like.¡± I say¡± Before the last Father came to control, it was a mercenary group filled with ruthless killers. They only took up jobs of assassination or occupation so we had to recover from a very bad reputation.¡±

    ¡°But you guys still did that right?¡± Edward asks.

    ¡°Yeah we did, but only for tyrants or bad people. You could hire them to kill the King and they would have for the right price.¡± I say.¡± We tried to be more for good, but I guess we had a lot of old enemies.¡±

    ¡°I remember Ralph, the last Father, told me the original purpose of the group was to do what the King¡¯s forces couldn¡¯t. I never understood what he meant when he said that, but now I¡¯m starting to.¡± Thu¡¯ane says.

    ¡°I just assumed we were the King¡¯s special forces. We were people who were more stronger than a regular knight and could be sent on suicide missions for the King.¡± I say.¡± And most of our actual missions came from the King himself so that was my theory.¡±

    ¡°Wait, What? They did? How come I never knew that?¡± Thu¡¯ane asks.

    ¡°I was told to keep that a secret, but now that they are gone I doubt it¡¯s that big of a secret now.¡± I say.

    Thu¡¯ane¡¯s mind looks like it was just blown, so I let him contemplate his existence in silence. The whole party was silent until Beth spoke up,¡± I remember my first encounter with the King¡¯s Shadow. It was when I was really young, but I remember seeing a group with the same cloaks as you two. They were covered in blood and had a girl tied up on one of their horses. We got to the closest town and there were bodies everywhere¡­.¡±

    ¡°That sounds familiar. It sounds like the massacre that Father had to be apart of. The town was it Cromer?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I believe so.¡± Beth replies.

    ¡°He told me about that massacre, it was what made him determined to overthrow the old Father. He eventually did, but the damage was already done.¡± I say.

    ¡°I was scared when I first saw you with that cloak of yours. But when I met you, you didn¡¯t seem like a cold blooded killer.¡± Beth says.

    I nod and thank her, but I¡¯ve done my fair share of bad things in the past. Like killing an innocent man or taking a target by force. My face must have gone grim since Claire¡¯s hand grabs mine.¡± Are you alright?¡± She whispers.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m just remembering some of the worse things.¡± I say.¡± Just know Beth, that the old Shadow was gone, but their influence never left. We still had some bad mishaps.¡±

    Beth grabs both our hands and say,¡± I don¡¯t blame a man with good intentions finding himself in a bad situation. As long as the man seeks forgiveness or knows what he did was wrong and tries to prevent it again, then that is sign of a good person.¡±

    ¡°Spoken like a true priest.¡± Mariana finally chimes in.¡± You travelled with a religious group didn¡¯t you? I surprised you kept all the preaching in during school.¡±

    ¡°I believe school is about learning magic, not the word of gods. We discussed this when I first visited the school. You told me it was wise not to preach any word at school.¡± Beth says.

    ¡°That paints a target on you. Not many of the higher classed nobles like religious figures.¡± Edward says.¡± I remember my father cursing priests for interfering in his business and spouting nonsense.¡±

    This was something I never heard of. I thought that all people of Acleirea were apart of the Congregation of the Stars. I haven¡¯t met anyone who would have cursed the priests either. Their symbols were worn by many people openly, I just assumed that everyone believed them.¡± But there¡¯s actual interaction between the gods and followers, how could they have people not believe them?¡±