"Look at him, walking all proud and mighty. A freaking freeloader." A woman's voice mocked a young man as he walked through the large chestnut-red doors into the academy building. From above, it looked like something crafted from the finest marble, a place where only the rich could study.
Wild kept walking as if he heard nothing, though his jaw tightened for a single brief moment. If he stopped for every insult thrown his way, he would have never made it to those doors in the first place.
"He won't last long." Another young man snorted, his golden eyes scanning the crowd. Everybody was dressed in expensive garments except for one person.
That person was called Wild. While the others had surnames to match their status, he did not even possess one.
"Leave him alone, you clowns." A beautiful girl carrying a large stack of books passed by the duo. Her silver eyes were filled with displeasure, but they only chuckled before carelessly sticking their feet out in front of her. A moment later, she stumbled, and the books flew from her arms, scattering across the floor and drawing laughter from all around.
"If that isn't Miss Celestria Arden, the proud youngest daughter of the Arden Clan. No wonder." At first, many eyes turned toward the duo in anger, but the moment her surname was spoken, those same looks softened into amused chuckles. They ignored her completely and nudged the fallen books even farther away with their feet.
A small tear threatened to escape despite the iron grip she kept over her emotions. She refused to appear weak in a place like this. She had to prove to everybody that the Arden Clan was still worthy of standing at the top, and that she was not like her parents or siblings. She was different. That was why she swallowed the shame, forcing herself not to cry even as the humiliation burned under her skin.
A firm hand reached out beside her and picked up a few of the scattered books as she desperately gathered the rest. To her surprise, it was the very young man the others had been mocking, the one she had just defended.
"Ah, it's okay, I can do this myself." She quickly rose to her feet, flustered. I can't have him help me. They will eat him alive if he stays around me. She knew all too well how nobles acted. Their disgusting belief in supremacy made bile rise in her throat.
But what she received in return was neither a kind smile nor words of comfort. "Stay away from me, or this will keep happening," Wild said, his face completely empty of emotion. Only his eyes carried the faintest glimmer as he stared ahead at the towering halls leading to the main chamber, where the beast summoning ceremony would soon take place.
He placed the books he had gathered back into her arms, adding them neatly to the stack, then turned and walked away, leaving Celestria frozen and robbed of words. She had just told herself that keeping her distance would protect him, that he would suffer less if she did not involve him, yet he was the one who pushed her away first.
"Wait a second!" she shouted, ignoring the mocking gazes as she hurried after him. "Wait, I said!"
Wild let out a sigh and turned to meet her gaze. "Is there anything I can help you with, Miss Arden?" He bowed lightly, the kind of bow a noble would offer someone of equal standing, yet his worn-out clothes made the gesture look strangely out of place.
Celestria noticed it at once and returned the bow as she stopped in front of him, nearly dropping the books all over again. "What's your name?" she asked, curiosity slipping into her voice as she finally gathered herself.
"Wild," he replied nonchalantly, already turning away as if the conversation had ended before it even began. His whole body burned with impatience. He wanted to enter the main chamber, summon a beast, and prove to everybody that being an orphan did not make him lesser than the nobles standing above him.
Wild... no wonder he's an orphan. Who would name somebody like that? It's so vulgar... "I'm Celestria, nice to meet— hey! Wait!" She barely realized he had already left her behind, forcing her to hurry after him into the summoning chamber.
The chamber itself stretched vast and imposing, its towering walls lined with gold and black marble that made the place feel both luxurious and ominous. Thousands had gathered inside, all waiting to learn their rankings and be placed into classes according to the rank of the first beast they summoned.
In the middle of it all stood a tall scaly egg, and beside it waited an old man. His beard had gone gray with age, but his head was bald and smooth, gleaming as though it had been freshly polished.
Celestria remained near the back of the crowd beside Wild, who did not pay her the slightest attention. His gaze remained fixed on the egg, unwavering and intense.
"Welcome to Dragonborn Academy!" A loud, excited voice boomed from the center, drawing instant cheers from the students. "Today is a very special day! A new generation has come to summon their beasts! A new generation of talented, powerful individuals, and I've heard we have the five top clans joining all together this year!"
That single line sent the crowd into a frenzy. Heads turned from side to side as everyone searched for those five famous heirs.
Wild looked as well, his eyes catching a few faces he had already seen on the news. Top five clans... They are the elite of this town. With them here, it will be hard for me to stand out. I hope... His gaze sharpened on the egg. I hope I summon a mythic-level beast. Please...
"Now, now... I understand how excited all of you are, but let's not forget why you all gathered here today. It is time to start the beast summoning ritual!" The old man roared as though possessed by a dragon itself.
The entire chamber trembled, the ground quaked beneath everyone's feet, and the egg in the middle seemed to drift farther and farther away. Only then did everybody realize it was not the egg moving, but the chamber itself expanding around it.
The walls and floor stretched outward like a living creature, and a vast circle of golden light unfolded around the egg like a summoning platform.
From above, it looked almost translucent, ghostly even, yet the old man stepped onto it without hesitation, making it seem as though he were walking across the clouds.
"Let's start, shall we?" His smile widened, but his eyes burned with a crazed light, drawing fierce cheers from the gathered students.
A strange pressure hung in the air, and every heartbeat seemed to quicken with it. Wild stared at the egg without blinking.
This was it. The moment that would decide whether he would rise with the nobles... or be crushed beneath them forever.