《Cave of the Fallen》 Chapter 1: First Contact It was the seventh month of the year 894. Remlin Empire''s most prestigious school, The Xalvador Academy for Knights and Magic, started its first day of school today. In the first year students'' building, a young man was walking through the hallway. His jet black hair was sticking out all over the place, evident of the bed hair he didn''t bother fixing that morning. His gray eyes maintained a sharp gaze ahead, ignoring all the students staring at him. "Is that him? "Shhh. Not too loud or he''ll hear us, but yeah, that''s definitely him." I can still hear you, you know. "I heard he got perfect scores on all written tests in the entrance exam." "Even arithmetic? Damn. Is he some kind of genius?" Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. "Apparently, he''s been here since summer." "Doesn''t he have a life? He was probably doing some shady business in the school." Now that I think about it, what I was doing could be considered shady. "Shit! Why is he going to Class C?! I don''t want to be in the same class as him!" "Yeah, I thought he aced all the tests." Trust me, I don''t want to be in the same class as you, either. The young man, Nicolas Wymark, entered Class C and sat on the seat next to the window at the back row. Soon, students began entering the classroom. From their animated conversations, it was obvious that everyone was excited about the school year. Suddenly, a hush fell in the classroom. Everyone quickly rushed to their seats and straightened their things. A man in his 40s limped in, holding a folder in his left hand and leaning on his cane with his right. He was 6''11" with blond hair and blue eyes. His formal attire couldn''t hide the muscles developed from decades of fighting in the battlefield. "Ahem," the giant cleared his throat, "I am Arnold Caddell, former general of the Belin Corps. I will be your homeroom teacher this year. You, young''uns, may call me Sir Caddell." A girl from the middle row boldly asked, "why not Sir Arnold?" "You''re not worthy yet," Arnold snorted. Yet? That''s interesting. The girl sat back down, clearly confused by the answer. "Now then," Arnold began as he waved the blue folder he was holding, "here are your class schedules this year. As you know, you can only take predetermined classes this first year." The students grumbled at the reminder. It was expected since most if those classes were theory-based. "Quiet." Arnold didn''t shout, but everyone felt the intensity of the word. The class fell silent. "This system," Arnold continued, "is to help you figure out which skills you have the aptitude or talent for. If you wanted to be a wizard, for example, but couldn''t even feel the mana around you, then why bother? You can choose your classes next year based on the occupation you want in the future and of course, the classes you got the highest grades in this year. And remember, your scores for this semester''s final exam could get you to move up to either Class A or B so study hard." Everyone immediately looked at him. A chance to be in Class A? This was what they''ve been hoping for. Class C was not the worst class per se, however, it was average. No one wants to be just average. In a world where knights could slay dragons and sorcerers could summon beings from another world, being average means sitting in the sidelines and watching someone else be the hero. And for children who have been dreaming of making a name for themselves, being in Class C is not enough. As if their enthusiasm was ignited anew, the class shouted, "YEEESSSS!!!!" Several students pumped their fists in the air. Some looked at the blue folder with determined faces while others were already daydreaming of the day they become a student of Class A. There was one student, however, who only looked at his classmates with bored eyes. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! If getting in Class A was that easy, everyone would be there. The school only assigns the best of the best there. The top 1%. Normal people wouldn''t even be considered. Why did that guy raise everyone''s hopes pointlessly like that? "Okay, enough. Get your schedules and go straight to your first class." Everyone took their schedules with suppressed excitement, eager to start the day. Even Nicolas seemed excited beneath his aura of boredom and cynicism. Let''s see. What are my classes this year? Classes: ? History ? Arithmetic ? Language ? Basic Fighting ? Basic Weaponry ? Magic Theory ? Elementary Magic Application ? Introduction to Herbalism and Alchemy Eight classes, huh. It doesn''t look too bad. Although I only care about herbalism and alchemy. With that thought in mind, Nicolas proceeded to his first class of the day, History. ____________________________________________________________________________ Or at least, he meant to go to History, but after turning left at the end of the corridor, going up two flights of stairs and following a teacher who looked like she would be teaching History, he found himself in front of the library. "Shit!" he whispered harshly. The teacher he was following turned sharply at him. Damn. It wasn''t a whisper after all. He apologized to the teacher and went out of the library. However, this time he wasn''t heading for the History classroom. In confident strides, he got out of the building, walked to the fountain at the back and turned left towards the garden. From there, it was just a straight path to the greenhouse. I''ll just skip History for now. I already know everything, anyway. The Morin plants I planted last week need my attention now. I just hope nothing was stolen this time. The stealing began a month before school started. In the beginning, random plants were taken all over the greenhouse. The thief left broken pots, beakers, and flasks. Everything was a disaster. The thief even had the audacity to leave a note saying: Thank you for the plants. I''ll pay you back. Some day. :) After reading the note, Nicolas decided to add Chokid vines to see if the thief will know what they are. He obviously didn''t because he took those too. Nicolas felt good about achieving his little revenge on the thief, but he didn''t stop there. He started adding unusual plants in the greenhouse to see what the thief would do. However, after eleven days, the thief started stealing only Morin plants. So he''s started studying up on what he steals. Morin plants were normally grown for their tiny, berry-like fruits. The juice extracted from these fruits was the main ingredient for Healing Potions. They need highly specific conditions to grow, but only need two weeks to fully mature so alchemists and mages pay a hefty price for them. In fact, Nicolas has a couple of clients for his Morin plants already. Anyway, I have to catch that thief soon or my supplies will run out. With those thoughts, Nicolas opened the door to the greenhouse and saw a hooded figure kneeling in front of the Morin plants. It was grabbing the fruits rapidly and stuffing them in its mouth. It''s that bastard! Chapter 2: Gift Hello, everyone. I am really really really sorry about the late update. Real life got in the way. Also, please tell me your opinions about the style I''m using. Are the italic thoughts working out? Is it too confusing? Annoying? Distracting? Please let me know... ___________________________________________________________ It was the sixth month of the year 894. In the courtyard of the Remlin household, two people stood facing each other. The woman wore her plated armor, complete with her best sword, Dragon Slayer, and the red cape that identified her as a knight. The young man across from her wore a plated armor as well, although one could tell that its quality was inferior to the woman¡¯s. He held two identical swords in both hands and had a big smile plastered across his face. I can do this. I practiced a million times for this. One¡­ Two¡­ Thr¡ª The young man launched himself forward. When he was less than a meter away, he jumped up and pointed the swords downwards. It would have been a fatal hit, but the woman simply blocked with her sword. The sound of the swords clashing shook the entire courtyard. ¡°Not good enough,¡± the woman remarked. Ok. I expected that. Next is kick-push-attack. I can still do this. He braced himself and kicked the woman¡¯s stomach. With both hands on her sword, she could do nothing, but take it. She regained composure, however, and brought her sword down on him. He used her stomach as leverage and pushed off, gaining distance from her. Her great sword landed on the ground, a small crevasse forming on the soil. Then he ran towards her and attacked with both swords. She continued to dodge and deflect his attacks. I still have one more trick. He feinted by lunging forward, but instead of attacking, he grabbed a handful of soil and threw it at her. She knew it was a trick, yet she couldn''t stop from blocking with her hands. Taking advantage of her defenselessness, he kicked her legs. She landed on her back, her sword far from reach. He didn''t waste time and placed his sword at her neck. Suddenly, she saw an opening and struck his wrist. Shit! He had to let go of the sword. It¡¯s okay. I can still beat her. He continued to fight with his left hand while enduring the pain on his right. He bombarded her with a series of attacks. The two dueled for a long time. He slashed, while she dodged, and kicked. They kept trying to outsmart, or at least outlast the other. Gradually, the outcome became more obvious. The young man recklessly slashed at the woman. She naturally brushed it off and punched him in the stomach. He threw up blood and fell to his side, grasping his stomach and writhing in pain. Damn it! In the end, I couldn¡¯t win. Not even once. She sheathed her sword, ¡°I told you to train using your left hand more. Why use dual blades when you could not use both properly? I know you have practiced a lot; I can see it in your movements, but this is not enough to beat me." The young man answered in between wheezing and coughing, "Practice? Ha! I''m Zen, remember? I only go play in town or relax in the garden. "This is our last session since school is starting," she still continued, "but make sure to train every day even when you start attending school.¡± "I won''t practice." "Drop the act, Zen. Everyone else may believe those lies, but you can''t fool me." He slowly stood up and saluted, ¡°You''re right! Thank you for everything, teacher.¡± She rubbed his hair affectionately and said, ¡°Rest up and good luck. I¡¯ll see you soon.¡± He waited for his teacher to leave before lying in the grass. He closed his eyes and rested. The wind feels good today. It¡¯s quiet too. The quiet didn¡¯t last, however. An icicle came hurling towards him. The young man simply rolled to the side, as if he was expecting it. ¡°NOO!!! That¡¯s not fair, Zen! You were supposed to get hit!¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.A young girl ran shrieking at Zen. She had light blonde hair and expressive blue eyes, very much like him. She was only six years old and the youngest of the Remlin children. Zen laughed while patting her sister¡¯s head, ¡°Sorry, Minnie. I¡¯ll make sure to get hit next time.¡± Minnie folded her arms and pouted, ¡°That¡¯s what you said last time!¡± ¡°Why are you here? Don¡¯t you have lessons at this time?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to lessons! They are so boring! Ms. Anita is not fun at all,¡± Minnie continuously stomped her feet on the grass. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t complain. You were the one who wanted to learn more magic.¡± ¡°I want to do magic. I don¡¯t want to sit and listen to her all day! Besides, I can already do most of the stuff she¡¯s teaching.¡± Zen rubbed Minnie¡¯s head, ¡°That¡¯s my genius little sister.¡± Minnie smiled at the compliment, ¡°What about you, Zen? How was sword practice?¡± ¡°You know, the usual. I attacked first. Teacher Sandra beat me.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll do better next time. I¡¯m sure of it!¡± Zen did a fist bump, ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Hey, Zen,¡± Minnie started, ¡°do you want to play with me?¡± Suddenly, their head butler, Walter, called, ¡°Young master Zen. The Master wishes to see you immediately.¡± Zen rubbed Minnie¡¯s head before leaving, ¡°Sorry, Minnie. We can play next time, okay?¡± Minnie put her head down and muttered, ¡°That¡¯s what you said last time.¡± ___________________________________________________________ Zen stared at the ornate doors in front of him. His father has always liked power, and these doors were another symbol of his absolute power as king. What could this be about? Did he find out about my loss today? Damn, I hope not. He took a deep breath and knocked. ¡°Come in,¡± a muffled voice bid him enter. The cluttered desk, the opened windows and the smell of jasmine, his mother¡¯s favorite flowers, greeted him. Zen took in the familiar sight of his father. King Edmund Remlin had brown hair and eyes, and a thick beard that complemented his large physique. ¡°Good morning, Zen. How are you?¡± the man behind the desk welcomed him with a warm smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you.¡± ¡°Why are you so stiff? Did you do something?¡± ¡°What?!¡± Zen¡¯s voice cracked, ¡°I¡¯m fine, honestly.¡± ¡°Good. I have news for you this morning, Zen.¡± Zen gulped. His father was too happy for this to be ¡°good¡± news. ¡°As you know,¡± King Edmund began, ¡°being the third son means you have responsibilities to fulfill. Of course, you will never become king. Leon is already perfect for that role. However, it is a tradition that I give you a small territory to rule. ¡± Wow. ¡®You will never become king.¡¯ Thanks for believing in me, father. ¡°After much consideration, I¡¯ve decided to give you The Scorched Frontier. Don¡¯t worry about it for now, though. You will officially become the ruler after finishing school. And even then, the staff there will do most of the work. You don¡¯t have to do anything.¡± You don¡¯t have to do anything. ¡­ don¡¯t have to do anything. ¡­ to do anything. ¡­ anything ¡­ thing ¡­ nothing ¡­ you''re nothing ¡­ nothing at all I have to smile. Smile and laugh it off. It has always been like this. It¡¯s not like I expected him to treat me differently after all this time. So smile, Zen. That¡¯s who you are, The Radiant Prince. Zen smiled his usual hundred-watt smile, ¡°Thank you very much, father!¡± Chapter 3: Plan Hello. I made a little change: the phrase "Unless you had a 100 or higher in at least one of your stats..." was removed from Chapter 1. I was planning to add game elements to the novel, but decided against it now.
The Scorched Frontier, previously known as the Evergreen Lands, was once a prosperous territory. With the River of Florc flowing across and the Baluhm Woods bordering the west, there was plenty of food and water. However, the Greeners, as they called themselves, didn¡¯t settle for a life of hunting and fishing. They made use of the fresh water from the river and the fertile soil from the forest to create farming lands and grow their crops. Over time, more and more families reverted to agriculture and soon, the Lands became the best exporter of produce in the empire. More people started moving to the Lands, hoping to have a bit of the promised riches there. As the population grew, so did the demand on the environment: more land to use for farms, more timber for houses, more water for the crops, just more and more of everything. Finally, after providing abundant crops for more than a century, the soil had finally given up almost a hundred years ago. There are no more minerals or nutrients in the ground that is closer to sand now. The Baluhm Woods is long gone. Even the River of Florc is close to completely drying up. The Evergreen Lands became the Scorched Frontier, a hot savannah of only a few thousand people. The farming families that once populated the area have left for bigger cities, hoping for a new life. However, not everyone left. The ones who chose to stay had survived through hunting and trading of animal skins and bones. Despite its weak economic growth, the Scorched Frontier has been stabilizing in recent years. It is all due to the efforts of Duke Reinsmann who took charge of the unstable region five years prior. ______________________________________________________ Zen closed the book and pondered for a minute. I assumed the worst about the situation there, but apparently not. He looked at the last sentence again, ¡°due to the efforts of Duke Reinsmann.¡± Never mind. I shouldn¡¯t trust a book with such blatant propaganda. I need to get the first-hand information myself, then. Should I go to the Frontier? No, school is starting next month, and a round trip is four weeks at least. I can¡¯t afford to miss even a day of school. It¡¯s my only chance at improving my skills quickly. What should I do now? ... If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Zen looked left and right then called out to the empty library, ¡°Walter.¡± The butler promptly entered, ¡°Yes, young master Zen?¡± Zen smiled to himself. Of course, he was going to be around. Zen stood up and started walking out of the library, ¡°Since I can¡¯t go to the Frontier, I might as well go to the school dormitories now. Please make the arrangements.¡± ¡°With pleasure,¡± Walter followed his departing young master, ¡°However, are you not being too hasty, young master?¡± ¡°Too hasty?¡± ¡°His Majesty announced your inheritance mere hours ago. Perhaps, it will be a good idea to stop and think for some time to--¡± ¡°Walter,¡± Zen suddenly stopped walking, ¡°what am I good at?¡± ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± ¡°My swordsmanship is average at best. I don¡¯t have a large mana pool, so the most I can do is elementary magic. I am not very good at arithmetic or history, either. In fact, I hate studying. When you think about it, all I have is my status as a prince and my family¡¯s money. Oh, yeah, and this face women seem to fawn over.¡± ¡°Young master, Zen¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any ¡®best¡¯ qualities right now. However, I can work hard to achieve them. Now I know what my inheritance is and it doesn¡¯t matter that it is probably the worst place in the empire. I don¡¯t have the time to sit here and brood about that. I have already thought about the next steps I should take, and I have to start acting immediately. Zen turned to Walter, ¡°School is only the first step. The skills I will learn and the connections I will establish there are vital for my future reign in the Scorched Frontier.¡± Walter looked at his young master with new understanding. He has always known that Prince Zen is more than just the charming and indifferent person everyone else thinks he is. However, he has never seen him like this. Zen smiled before walking away, ¡°This little exchange is a secret, okay? Tell everyone the Radiant Prince decided to leave for school early to play in the town.¡± ______________________________________________________ ¡°We have arrived, young master,¡± the coachman announced from outside the carriage. Zen stepped out of the carriage and marveled at the building before him. Built during King Xalvador¡¯s reign, the Xalvador Academy for Knights and Magic was designed for the training and of potential knights and magicians who would one day serve the empire. It has produced the great heroes of legends such as Magnus the Valiant and Sacradh of the Red Skull. Zen took a deep breath, "Well, this is it."