PART 1 :-
FEAR OF THE OUTCOME
paradox perspective :-
"This isn't what I really wanted. He knows too many dark things about me. If he opens his mouth, I'm finished."
"May I come in, sir?"
"Ah… Sasaki, what brings you here?"
"I'm sorry for what I did that day. I never thought he would find out so easily."
"You know about my power. I was born with the gift of time—the ability to create time loops. That gift appears only once in a thousand years. People treated me like a messenger of God. I was never defeated.
But then he came.
Five seconds. That's all he needed to destroy everything. I was thrown to the ground, and he emerged from the fire. I'll never forget that terrifying sight. It was never your fault… his power is beyond our imagination, beyond our limits."
"Did he know you for a long time?"
"I've lived three times longer than a normal person, but he has existed far longer than I can imagine. He alone knows my true identity and my past."
"Is that the only reason you're terrified now?"
"No, in the past he bet someone, and that person change after gaining power, his thoughts change; his morals, values everything changes and he became the monster. The revolutionary Usurper, the man who wants his own system."
He is shocked by my words—I can understand that. After all, a mere teacher wouldn't know the true events of the Outer Lands.
"And now you fear that Bright might become like him?"
"Exactly. The upper authorities didn't want me to bring him into the academy, but that man is protecting the boy."
"He doesn't possess only a curse—he has a boon as well."
"I know, Sasaki. It's no ordinary curse or boon, but something divine. And that's what I fear most. If he turns out like that Usurper, it will mean the end of everything."
"What is the bet that pushed Lord Chiron to take such a risk?"
"No one knows that, neither his past. Their is an old story where it's told that he have a friend from Doulia the Land of slaves, the first rebellion who opposed the system and eventually get killed by the rules. After that he promised that he will become stronger and erase the system. But nobody knows that it's actually true or not."
"So, Bright only lives because that man exists."
"Exactly. When he was a child, that damn moron from Joyful protected him—and even now, he still does."
"What should we do now, sir?"
"For now, just do as he says. It's the only way to survive."
I don't fear the high authorities—I fear him. If he makes my secrets or my actions public, I'm finished. My name must not come out, no matter what.
"There is one thing left, sir."
"What is it?"
"We have intel that a group of thugs wants Bright's soul."
"That's normal. After that incident, on that very day, his soul gained that power. He was just a child when it happened. Everyone working for the authorities or powerful figures knows about it. No one paid much attention because his soul isn't ready yet. But if thugs are after it, then they're not ordinary. They're something more. Keep gathering intel for now—don't interfere."
"I'll take my leave now." Sasaki left the room.
......…..
PART 2 :-
THE MOUNTING IN FURUSIYYA
MC perspective :-
[Three weeks have passed since the incident at the market.]
Today, the academy is going to test how skilled we are at mounting. I noticed many family members had shown up.
[At the Manageri training grounds, where Oris is taking his class.]
"Good job—most of you have mastered your aura. But that's not the end. Now I want to see how well you can handle mounting. Only after that will we proceed to the next stage: armed warfare."
"What do we need to do?" Dilsan asked.
"As you can see, there are several animals here. We've included more for today—except large dragons, since they're difficult to control. You must ride them without anyone's help. But there's a condition: only those accepted by an animal will be able to ride it. If an animal does not choose you, you won't be able to ride it, no matter how hard you try."
"So basically, we don't choose the animal—they choose us?"
"Exactly. I'll explain more later. For now, A-rankers first. You three—step forward, one by one."
Nekh go first, several animals shows up but he go to a Pegasus[*], it's look like he is talking with that Pegasus, after some time he claimed on it and start his riding.
"Woo… he's so cool—he can ride a Pegasus."
"I heard it always refuses others, but he managed to persuade it. That's amazing."
The girls started chanting his name. It wasn't surprising. Being able to communicate with animals is truly impressive.
Next was Athena. She mounted a war owl—it represents her clan as well. Although they prefer to move at night, when it saw Athena, it obeyed her without hesitation.
Now it was Mini's turn. She stood before a divine dove. First, she bowed and showed her respect. After that, the massive holy dove accepted her as its rider. It looked breathtaking as she flew across the blue sky.
"She's really shining right now."
I noticed Bond looking at me.
"What's with that look? Now it's your turn."
Now it was time for the B-rankers. Dilsan went first—he mounted a holy lion.
Bond go and a Griffin[*] showed up.
"That's impossible. They've never bowed to a commoner before," the shaman said. I could sense the others' jealousy as well.
"Can I ride you?" Bond asked. The creature sat before him, indicating its approval.
Now it was the C-rankers' turn. Many of them couldn't ride any animal, no matter how hard they tried. Now it was Erebus's turn.
"Hey, why is he still here? Didn't all the animals reject him before?"
"What do you expect from a cursed boy? It's obvious the animals don't want anything to do with him."
His group started mocking him.
"Ere, don't listen to them. You'll be alright."
"You should worry about yourself first."
"Come on, Bond. I already told you about his condition. You should help him."
He went in front of all the animals—and every one of them rejected him.
"See? I told you."
Everyone started laughing at him. Then, at that moment, a baby dragon appeared—though "baby" was misleading, as it was larger than any of us.
"How's that possible!!!?? Ryujin[*] never choose any one before. How can a dragon chose a kid??? Is this why any animal not shows up to him before??"
"He must be using some kind of trick. There's no way a dragon would choose someone cursed."
Now even his own teammates were jealous of him.
"Look who's talking. You should be thanking him—without him, all of you would've been disqualified. None of you managed to earn any animal's trust, and you didn't even show him any respect." After hearing Bond's words, they fell silent.
Now it was our turn. Dex went first, and a mammoth stepped forward. It reached out its trunk toward him, and using it, Dex climbed onto the giant creature.
Now it was my turn. When I stepped forward, all the animals bound in chains moved toward me. Their eyes were different from the animals I had seen in the forest. I could sense their pain—like they wanted me to free them.
"Are you using curse magic? This has never happened before—every animal coming forward to choose a single person."
I don't know why they come forward to me. Is they accept me or wants freedom?? I saw a Simurgh[*] it's feels like it wants to fly. I don't think much anymore and summons my Aura into my hand and I break everyone's chain. After that many animals fly away.
"What have you done, you moron?!" the shaman shouted at me.
"They were brought here against their will. That's why they didn't choose many of them—they want freedom."
"Are you able to talk to them? You don't even realize what kind of problem you've caused."
"I don't need to understand their language to feel their pain. If people needed language to understand others, then no deaf person would be able to live in this world."
"Are you saying our traditions are a joke to you?"
"If you call this a tradition, then yes—it's a joke. Just because we have power doesn't mean we have the right to harm others."
"What did you just say?!"
"Oris, I think you should stop."
I saw Bond's master arrive.
......…..
*[ Pegasus :- The hourse who have wings and can fly. It symbolises royalty.]
*[ Griffin :- A lion which have wings like a egal. It symbolises strength, wisdom with loyalty.]
*[ Ryujin :- A sea dragon which symbolises bravery and loyalty.]
*[ Simurgh :- A ancient bird which looks similar to a phoenix. Symbolises bravery and kindness. In this world it's have a relation with phoenix.]
......…..
PART 3 :-
TRUE IDENTITY
MC perspective :-
That man from the market arrived.
"Did you forget what he possesses? It's only natural that every animal would choose him—they consider it an honor."
"I'm sorry, sir. But what he did—"
"Judging him is none of your business. You're here only to teach."
I noticed the Simurgh was still there, watching me. Did it want me to ride it? I stepped in front of it.
"You don't have to. You're free now—go back to your family."
But it sat before me, as if asking me to claim it.
"Go ahead, boy. It's an honor for them." After hearing Sagurd's words, I climbed onto it. In an instant, I was in the sky. Everyone looked so small from here.
"Woohoo… this is amazing…"
Before it left, it gave me one of its feathers.
"It's a gift from them. Only those they truly accept and respect receive one."
"What will I do with that?"
"It's very rare, Bright. A Simurgh's feather can heal any wound or scar—but it only works if it's willingly given to a human."
Mini told me that.
......…..
Sagurd perspective :-
That boy… he's truly a miracle. He may not be the smartest here, but his heart shows purity and bravery. That's why the Simurgh agreed to let him ride it.
"Sir, may I ask why someone like you is here? If I had known you were coming, I would have arranged for your comfort."
"I came to see how my students are doing."
I gestured toward Bond and Dex.
"Since when did you become so caring, old hag?"
This kid has no respect for elders.
I hit him and said, "Who are you calling old? I'm only 35." (Actually, I'm over 50.)
I grabbed both of them by the hair. "You two should be thankful to me—I left my shop for you."
"That's exactly my point. Since when do you prioritize us over your shop?"
"Hey, Bond, just shut up. He hit me because of you!" Dex complained.
"Sir, did I hear that correctly? You never wanted to teach anyone before?"
"Do you have a problem with that? I see a lot of loopholes in your teaching. You've turned this into a business. A shaman is meant to pass knowledge to the next generation. This academy disappoints me."
"We are sorry, sir…"
"Who is that person? What do you want?"
I saw a boy step forward—probably from a higher clan.
"Stop, Nekh. Apologize right now. He is one of the four Z-rankers—and the second to achieve it."
Z-ranker… I had almost forgotten the last time I was called that. But those words alone were enough for them.
"What?! That old geezer is a Z-ranker?!"
"You didn't know that?"
"He never told us. We knew he was strong, but a Z-ranker?!"
"I prefer 'Shisho' over 'old geezer'."
"Why would a legendary figure like you teach low-lineage orphans?"
"What was your name again, kid?"
"Nekh, I am—"
"I only asked for your name. Listen, Nekh—you suffer from a disease called imagination. You like living in your own world, but the real world is far bigger. Come back to reality. If you don't change your attitude, you'll never achieve anything. And I suggest you learn to respect your classmates—you'll gain more from that than anything else."
Then I moved on to my real purpose.
I stepped in front of the boy.
"What's your name again?"
"Erebus."
"Step forward. That baby dragon chose you. I'm happy for you."
"But—"
"Look, the dragon chose you. Even I was never chosen by a dragon in my student days. You should be proud of yourself. With a little confidence, you'll become a fine warrior."
"But my group…"
"Those fools? No animal chose them because of their arrogance. And I'm here to fix that."
"From now on, this boy will no longer belong to that group." I made the announcement.
"But sir, he must belong to a group. It's mandatory."
"Then he'll join another group—one that actually wants him. He will join before the session ends."
"But sir, that's against the rules."
"His teammates don't want him, right? Then what's the problem? And this isn't my decision—Chiron made it. He couldn't come, so he sent me."
At the mention of Chiron's name, they fell silent.
......…..