"Sir Gaelius?"
"Mister Gaelius?!"
Elio stood alone, clutching the edge of his tattered tunic.
'He just disappeared? He left me?'
He stared long at the edifices before him.
Then he began walking toward the massive, ornate gates of SPA, his heart sinking with every step. Up close, the architecture of the fence wall was intimidating, every section etched with runes of power that hummed with a low frequency.
Multiple guards stood on top of the fence, silently watching and prepared for any surprise.
Two guards stood at the entrance of the gigantic gate, their posture remaining rigid like they had been standing for eternity. They looked at Elio, their eyes taking in his tattered tunic.
There was no way Elio could read their mana. He hadn't learnt that.
"Lost your way, kid?" One of them asked, not even moving.
"I'm enrolled," Elio whispered, his voice trembling as he tried to find the confidence Gaelius had momentarily sparked. "My name is Elio Ravina."
The guards looked at each other's faces and had to forcefully stop themselves from bursting into laughter.
"Kid, I know Serenum Prestige is every child's dream, but sometimes, life gives us… You know…"
That one stung more than it should.
"Kind sirs, please, you have to believe me. I know I look poor, but my parents had given all to get me here."
His voice became shaky, desperation clawing at his throat.
"Elio, is it? You can't…" the guard tried again, but he was cut short by his colleague.
"Look, kid, we're trying as much as we can to be nice," the other guard began speaking, his tone owning an edge that made what was left of Elio's confidence shrink to the ground.
"We've seen plenty of scenarios like this. You can't get into the academy out of pity! If your parents are hiding somewhere near, you better go meet them. The academy is not a home for charity!"
"Hey, he's just a kid." Guard 1 nudged him by his side.
Tears formed in Elio's eyes. He was about to plead again when a sharp, authoritative voice echoed from inside.
One of the guards grumbled and stepped inside. When he returned, he was carrying a heavy, leather bound register. He looked at Elio with irritation.
"Hm?" Guard 2 asked his mate.
"I was told to check the register," Guard 1 responded with furrowed eyebrows.
"Your name again?"
"Elio Ravina, sir."
"Elio…" he muttered, flipping through the pages. His finger stopped near the bottom of a list. "First year. Enrolled. How in the…"
"Fine. Come with me." He turned to look at the small mess. "Don't touch anything!"
"How is this even possible?" He muttered as he led him through the gates.
Once in the premise, Elio's silence spoke volumes of his disbelief.
The interior of the academy was a world of its own. Elio was marveled by the sheer scale of the place, the expensive and beautiful lamps that lit the paths, the students dressed in shimmering silks who looked at him as if he were a bug.
Everything was stylish and rigid, a testament to the wealth of the families who sent their children here and the academy's position as the best. Despite the stares, a small spark of happiness flickered in his chest.
He had made it. He was inside.
'Mother and Father, I made it. I'm in Serenum Prestige. I hope you can forgive me wherever you are. I won't fail you again.'
He sincerely wished they could hear him.
He was led to the administration office where the process was a blur. He was cleared, given three identical uniforms made of the same fabric that he had seen the students wearing, and handed other accessories he needed as a First Year student.
Elio could already feel it. He could see it.
The look the administrator gave him when he mentioned that his beast was a Bloat Lizard.
He knew the journey wasn't going to be smooth, and that look he was given meant he would have to go extra miles to beat odds.
If only Elio knew the administrator had no iota of hope for him. The administrator knew the beast had an infamous record for no progression in cultivation and no boost to its tamer.
Those who had been misfortuned with the beast in the past never amounted to anything.
But Elio was unaware of this. He only knew the beast was a bad one. However, the words of Gaelius remained in his consciousness.
The same Gaelius who vanished.
Elio was given a school map and was instructed to find his dormitory.
He found the wing easily, mostly because it was the bad section of the school.
This was the Iron Wing, a series of small, cramped stone buildings reserved for the students who didn't come from money.
Students who stayed here were either ones with no potential or ones who came from poor backgrounds and couldn't afford the luxurious part of the academy.
For Elio, he perfectly fits both reasons.
He entered his assigned room, a small room that held four separate beds with only one desk for studying.
Elio was surprised to find a boy already occupying one.
He had bright red hair and was sitting on the edge, flapping pages of a small book in his hands.
"Roomate?" the boy asked, looking up with a grin.
"Yeah, I was assigned to this room," Elio timidly answered as he began to arrange the only belongings he had and collected from the administration office.
"I'm Jax Cavert. Nice to meet you."
"Elio Ravina. Nice to meet you too," Elio replied.
"How was the journey?"
"Good," Elio managed to say, the word dry in his throat.
"I'm sorry, I'm not from this kingdom, so, do you know when others will arrive?"
"No."
"No? I noticed many students are not arriving today. So I guess you're early, why?"
Elio paused, looking for the right words.
"Today was our Contract Ceremony. You must have done yours earlier in your kingdom. Most of the students will rest at home today and probably come tomorrow."
"I see. Guess you're one of the early birds, huh?"
Elio nodded, too tired to speak and uninterested to continue the conversation.
He settled onto his bed, his body aching for sleep and mind reeling all that transpired that day.
He could feel the weight of the stupid beast in his consciousness, and the everlasting weight of that darkness that had always pulled his chest.
But now, it felt like something else was there, a sharp contrast to the horror he was accustomed to.
He thought of his parents again, then the disgrace in the hall, and lastly, Gaelius.
He wondered where the man vanished to and why, but as someone who was accustomed to never getting answers, he pushed the thoughts away and tried to focus on the future.
He hadn't even bothered to remove his dirty tunic, he just wrapped himself in the sheets and started bracing for the future.
He heard a book close behind him. He knew it was Jax.
"Hey, Elio, um… What's your beast? Just curious because we're roommates and all."
Elio pretended not to hear and wrapped himself tighter. He allowed the warmth of the sheets to swallow him and push him towards sleepiness.
But the sleep never came.
Soon, the sun disappeared completely and the shadows in the room grew long.
The system chimed again.
[Warning: Nightfall approaching. Dark Constituent Stability may decrease.]
He dismissed the message, curling into a ball under the thin sheets. He tried to sleep, but thoughts about what could happen that night haunted him.
He knew nights were never the best for him. Most nights always told sad stories for his past six years.
History would be repeating itself tonight.
Images of his parents began to crawl through his mind, the way the fire had turned his house to ash with them in it. He began hearing voices, his parents calling him, pleading for their… lives.
"Elio… Elio… My little boy, our blood isn't on your hands. Please, let go."
He heard a sudden scream.
His chest started heaving heavily, beads of sweat trickling from his forehead all the way to his chest.
"Elio, the fire!" Elena screamed.
"NOOOO!"
He saw black fire engulfing his parents, breaking their skin apart like ash blowing in the wind.
"Run, Elio!"
He bolted upright, his breath coming in jagged hitches. He couldn't tell if he was seeing things or he had nightmares, but the voices sounded real.
He looked at Jax who was sprawled and sound asleep.
He couldn't stay in the room. For Jax's safety mostly.
He rushed out, finding his way to the public bathroom at the end of the hall. He splashed cold water on his face, staring into the mirror at eyes that didn't look like his own.
Multiple pings rang in his head.
[Dark Constituent Stability: 10... 5... 2...]
It was decreasing rapidly.
[Dark Constituent Stability: 0.]
[Dark mana escaping.]
Elio's eyes turned into a void of pure black.
A thick, oily darkness began to pour from his body, coiling around his anatomy like a living thing.
His hands ripped the tunic off like a savage beast, living only his underwear on him.
The shadows around him danced, stretching and curling.
Something was trying to manifest, something powerful and dark that tore at the very fabric of his consciousness.
Elio felt a sharp pain in his chest.
He screamed, clawing at himself as if his skin was on fire. The dark matter escaped his body in greater quantities. Buckets of sweat poured from his body, and he began pulling his hair frenzily.
Something was still trying to form from the shadows.
A shape of dark wings appeared first, then small, glowing red dots…
Elio's scream was growing louder, and more horrific features tried appearing from the shadows.
But the strain was too much.
With a choked gasp, Elio's vision went dark, and he collapsed onto the cold floor of the bathroom, unconscious while the shadows slowly retreated back into his skin.