PART 1:-
GOODBYE TO JOYFUL
Two years have passed since Bright and Bond met. Now both of them are fourteen years old. The bullying Bright faced in the past never happened again after that Annunaki incident, but the hatred still lingers in the air.
[ In the classroom of Joyful.]
MC perspective :-
Today is our last day at our school in Joyful. From now on, we have to live on our own. Shaman began to speak:
"Today we are here because from now on, you all are not a kid anymore, but teenagers. From now on you have to follow your dreams."
"And now, I request the Lord of Joyful to say a few words for our students."
The Lord began his speech,
"I believe you all know why you are here today. From now on, you must live on your own. If you make any mistakes, you must correct them yourselves, because all of you are independent now."
"Choose any profession you like, and I will make a recommendation for you. You don't have to worry about your clan or religion. If anyone sees a recommendation from Joyful, they will admit you.
And never forget one thing—Joyful was, is, and will always be your first home. I also hope that if Joyful ever needs your help, you will come to help us."
"Go and live your future, and become role models for the next generation of our Asylum."
After finishing his speech, he gave a batch of pass-outs to each one of us. Everyone began leaving the classroom. At that moment, Mr. Kal called Bond and me and said,
"The Master wants to see you. Go to the Master's office immediately."
[ At Lord's office. ]
After reaching there, the Lord began speaking—
"I heard that you both want to go to the academy. Is that true?"
"Yes. Do you have any problem with that?" I asked.
"Why do you both want to go to the academy??? Without knowing your reasons, I'm not going to give a recommendation."
"I want to become a protector. Different from a warrior or a Faris, I want to become someone who protects anyone, regardless of their background."
"No one has ever achieved something like that before. It's a foolish desire."
"Then I will prove everyone wrong."
"Hmm… and you?"
"I want to become a warrior. I will find them and destroy them, so no one has to suffer like I did," Bond replied.
"So you choose revenge… ha. That's good."
"Here take your recommendation and get lost. I don't think I need to hear any more from you two."
I know that… but maybe at this last moment…
"Hey, do you really know about my parents?"
"Yes, I know about them. That is the only reason I took care of you."
"Then tell me about them. I want to know who they were and what they did in the past."
"Do you have any memories of them?"
"No."
"Then tell me one thing—what will you do after learning about people you cannot even remember? People who are no longer in this world. The past is something you cannot change.
You know I hate you more than anyone… yet I still gave you this recommendation because your words…"
"There you are. I finally found you guys."
"Juha[*], where have you been!???"
"Hey, I am your master. How many times do I have to tell you that? Show some respect to your teacher—and call me Shisho."
"As if you ever taught me anything memorable. All you did was appear for a moment, give some advice, and then vanish for months."
I yelled at him.
"Shut up, both of you. You guys always argue like children," Bond said, making both of us quiet.
"Finally, I'm going to be free from all of you. Take your ingredients and leave, so my head can finally rest."
"So this is our final goodbye… ha. Thank you for everything you did for us, Lord. I hope we meet again someday."
"Aren't you going to come with us, Chiron?" Bond ask him.
"Nah. I have some business to take care of. Now get lost."
We both left the office and headed toward our destination.
...…..
Lord perspective:-
"Why did you stop me from telling him???"
"This is not the right time for that."
"Tell me one thing—did you become his master because you know he is in danger, or for some other reason???"
"His soul is important, as you already know. I want to protect him until he is truly ready. In fact, I have placed a bet on him—something I have never done before. That is the only reason I agreed to become his Shisho."
"I see…" So he wants him to inherit something important.
"Now, can we continue our conversation???"
...….
[* Juha :- The wise fool/prankster of Middle Eastern folklore. It's mainly used for addressing a master who loves joking or tricks. ]
...
PART 2 :-
A NEW JOURNEY
Bond perspective :-
"Ooh… finally we are here at the academy."
"What will we do now??? This place is huge inside."
The academy stands in the middle of Memphis. It is truly a landmark of the city. Not only students from this land, but many also come from smaller lands to become fine warriors.
"Can you tell us where the admission process is?" Bright asked a man.
"It's in Block A," the man replied.
After hearing that, we both headed toward Block A.
There was a huge line for admission.
"What!? We have to wait that long?" Bright complained.
"Your patience level is really low, you know."
After waiting for about an hour, our turn finally came. Just as the Lord had said, we didn't face any problems because of his recommendation.
"Do you want hostel facilities???" the man handling the admission asked us. "You both came from Joyful, so I guess you don't have a home right now."
"That would be a great help," I replied.
"Then it will be 30 Debens each."
"What!?? Aren't hostels free for students like us??"
"You are not kids anymore," he said with an evil smile on his face.
We realized there was no use arguing, so we agreed.
Finally, we were admitted to the academy. They told us there would be an opening ceremony for the new students after the admission process was finished. For now, we had to wait because the admission schedule would continue for two more days.
We finally arrived at our hostel room. Our room number was 27.
"Aaah… finally, I can relax," Bright said as he jumped onto the bed.
The first time Bright told me he wanted to go to the academy, I wondered why. He said he wanted to become a protector.
I never had any dream before. All I ever thought about was that organization and how to escape from it. But during the last two years, I had plenty of time to think about my future.
Yet I could not let go of my past. And then I realized something—I had to become stronger. I had to take revenge on them, so they would never be able to harm other children again.
...…
[ After two days, at the ceremony hall. ]
MC perspective :-
We were standing in the hallway where our opening ceremony was going to take place. Many new students had joined the academy, all hoping for a great future.
A man stepped onto the stage and began his speech.
"Hello everyone. My name is Paradox, and I am the head of this academy. We have produced many great warriors for our Land of Aaru, warriors who fight for our beliefs. And I believe that all of you will also become powerful fighters and support our land."
"You are not children anymore. Starting today, you have stepped onto a new path. I hope that all of you will survive here. Your class teachers will provide all the information you need for your future."
"Now, everyone go to your classes and wait for your teacher's arrival."
We all left the hall and moved toward our classrooms.
From this moment on, I was about to begin a new journey.
...…..
PART 3 :-
THE ACADEMY
MC perspective :-
Bond and I took our seats in the class. We quickly noticed that every student already had their own friend circle. It was difficult for us to communicate with others because…
"Hey, isn't that the cursed guy everyone's talking about?"
"People say he's a disaster."
"Why do I have to be in the same class as him?"
"I heard that if he touches anyone, they will also become cursed."
People were talking about me. Well, it wasn't anything new. I was already quite popular in this city for that reason, so I expected this much.
Wait… what!? What is he doing here?
"Why are you here?" Bond asked Dex. We were both surprised to see him.
"What kind of question is that? Do only you guys have the right to be here? I have my own choices."
Dex had stopped bullying me after that incident. I also heard that his friend circle had collapsed. I didn't know what had happened to him.
At that moment, the teacher entered the classroom and began speaking—
"Hello everyone. Nice to meet you all. I am your homeroom teacher, Sasaki. As you all know, from now on I will teach you how to become proper warriors. I will explain everything later, but first, all of you must introduce yourselves."
"My name is Dex. I came from the Joyful orphanage. I want to become a Faris and travel the whole world."
So Dex had a dream like that… that's cool.
"My name is Nekh. I am the first prince and the next head of the Nekhbet clan. My goal is to become a warrior and make my religion superior to any other."
So he is the next head of the Nekhbet clan. I never expected that someone like him would come here.
"My name is Dilsan. I want to become a great leader and dedicate my life to the Nekhbet clan."
"My name is Bond. I also came from Joyful. I want to become a warrior and stop an organization that does evil things to people."
I already knew what Bond wanted, but it felt like he still hadn't been able to recover from his past.
"Umm… My name is Minidra. I am the princess of the Scribes[*]. I feel embarrassed and shy when talking to others, but I want to become a warrior and earn people's respect."
She spoke with a timid, soft voice.
She was very cute. She had long dark hair and beautiful eyes. But why did it feel like I had met her somewhere before?
"Doesn't your clan represent wealth?" the teacher asked her. "You are the princess, so why not inherit your family business?"
"I'm not suited for that. I want to do something on my own."
And now it was my turn.
"My name is Bright. I also came from Joyful. I want to become a protector. My desire is to erase the hatred from society."
Most of the class suddenly started laughing.
"Ha… ha!! What's that supposed to mean?" Nekh laughed. "I've never heard something like that before."
"A cursed boy talking about erasing hate?? You are the symbol of a curse. You are the hate."
Someone said that from behind me.
"All right, everyone stop," the teacher said. "Can you explain what you mean by a protector? I have never heard of that before."
"I want to save innocent people who cannot protect themselves."
"We train warriors and Faris so they can fight for our religion," the teacher replied. "Warriors are meant for war, not for protecting others. They only know how to kill."
"A religion that spreads hate and doesn't care about helpless people is not worth following."
The whole class fell silent. The teacher looked shocked.
"What did he just say!?"
"Is he out of his mind?"
The teacher looked at me carefully.
"Either you are a foolish boy… or a very brave one. Either you do not understand what happens when you disrespect your religion, or you are brave enough to say such words."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"I am willing to forget what you said because it is your first day. But let me tell you something—you will never be able to achieve such a fantasy."
"Next."
After that, he asked the next student to introduce themselves.
I know my goal sounds like a fantasy. But I am willing to give everything to achieve it.
I have to become stronger—strong enough to protect anyone I want, without conditions.
And that is how my days at the academy began.
...
*[ Scribes :- it's believe in the Sacred Ibis. They represent piece, welth and wisdom. So the people from this clan basically do businesses or teaching. ]
...