There was a surprise waiting for Kai and Andre as they went back to their new dorm room. Another person was waiting inside, setting up some stuff on one of the available beds. The young man was smaller than most people he had ever seen. Even his sister Arielle who of eleven might be taller. His arms were riddled with glyph tattoos all over, like a sleeve of ink glyphs. His dark brown eyes took in the two.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you two. I am Hector DeSantos, attendant to his Lord Franklin Cross, future Duke of the Ashbourne Kingdom, and heir to the region of Cross,” the man’s voice was deep for his size but crisp and well-practiced. Hector wore a white dress shirt with rolled back sleeves showing tattoos of intricate colors on his pale skin that would usually remain hidden. He neither bowed nor offered a handshake to the two, his eyes steadily evaluating his two new roommates.

Cross? I believe that’s the area outside the mists. I probably should have paid more attention to my geography lessons.

Andre was the first to act. “It’s very nice to meet you. I am Andre Belton, of the Belton Merchant Group, located in Rille, and this is Kai Cineris, we are your new roommates.”

Akane yapped behind the two.

“How could I forget. Akane who belongs to Kai,” Andre added.

[Human – Foundation Level 76]

Kai couldn’t help but widen his eyes. He hadn’t expected anyone entering the academy to be so high in level already. It was very likely he would find some higher leveled students around, people who had their families help level them before the academy started. It was a slow process to level like that. For all he knew, Hector took months to reach this level until the school year started. He could have done the same, but he had chosen to spend the few weeks since he turned 16 with his family instead of going out every day scrounging for levels.

Despite being standoffish at first, Kai found Hector to be quite knowledgeable. He was the personal attendant to the heir of the Dukedom of Cross. Raised at birth for such an honor. Duke Cross was the very same Duke who ruled the territory around the Illusionary Misty Region. Kai wondered if the man was aware of the village inside.

“What’s with the fox?” Hector asked seeing Akane observe the three from on one of the beds. Despite how much she ate, her belly didn’t bulge at all.

Kai had an awkward look on his face, trying to think of how to explain it. “It’s hard to explain, she isn’t mine but belongs to the village I lived in. I didn’t know she was coming to stay with me at school until I was literally signing up at the admissions booth and she appeared next to me. My father probably didn’t want me to be lonely and brought her secretly on our trip here for all I know,” Kai said.

Both Andre and Hector gave the fox an appraising look. Akane was licking her paw without a care in the world. After being around her for so long, he had picked up small tells of hers. Behind her paw, it was almost as if she had a small smirk on her face, finding the conversation funny.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why do you have tattoos?” Andre asked Hector.

Looking a little uncomfortable Hector answered, “they are a family tradition, I’m not allowed to discuss them.”

“Ah. Sorry I didn’t know.”

Hector waved him off. “It’s fine.”

Kai decided to change the subject to something he was more interested in.

“Is it true the Illusionary Misty Region is a part of the Cross Dukedom?” Kai asked. Even though he knew the answer, he was curious to find out more about his isolated home. Not once in his sixteen years were there any visitors. It was very strange.

Hector’s face dropped. “It is. Technically, that area is contested between the Dukedom and the Hart Empire, however, while both sides claim it, neither will travel through it. I’m assuming you’re familiar with the rumors and history of the area?”

Kai shook his head lying. While it was true, he was aware of some rumors revolving around the Illusionary Misty Region, it was only what he had heard from Steve and Bettrica. He genuinely wanted to know what residents of the Ashbourne Kingdom, who weren’t so close to it, thought of his home. He was also quite sure that Steve and Bettrica withheld stuff from him. They were probably instructed not to talk about it.

Sighing, Hector continued, “Well first off, anyone who enters that area never returns, or so they say. However, there is a tale that at least one person managed to return. About a hundred years ago, the brother of the duke, who was my Lord’s great uncle, entered the mists, apparently not taking the rumors seriously with a squadron of soldiers. I don’t know why he would enter the mists. Regardless his strength and his soldiers were by no means insignificant from what I’ve heard. After an hour, one of the men stumbled out of the mist half-dead, muttering about unseen monsters, specters of evil, and other crazy things.” Hector waved his hand back and forth in a dismissive manner.

“The survivor said they were attacked by unknown monsters. They had no chance of fighting back. Whatever monsters lurked there, systematically destroyed them without them having a chance. The guy wasn’t even sure if the duke’s brother was alive still. An entire regiment was sent in to recover the duke’s brother dead or alive including the one survivor to show them the way. No one ever returned. Afterward, people intentionally moved away from the mists and the rumors grew stronger and stranger over time. Of course, some people claim others have gone inside the mists only to never return since then.”

Is it me or is it getting hot in this room? His mouth moved to say something, but no words came out. He knew from what his father told him that they would kill trespassers. But the village had effectively declared war on the Ashbourne Kingdom by killing their nobility and came out on top. He discreetly looked at Akane who was now licking her paw in an even more exaggerated motion, the smirk even more pronounced.

“Does anyone know what is inside the mists?” His voice cracked a little.

“No... All sorts of rumors but nothing definite. I figure there must be very territorial monsters of massive strength. Nothing else makes sense,” Hector said with a shrug.

Kai remained silent as Andre and Hector compared theories of what lurked inside the mists. What monsters? The only monsters are those little gluttonous foxes. Unfortunately for the two, the truth was rather dull compared to their imaginations, Andre declared that a dragon must have laid claim to the area. The conversation changed topics many times, eventually stopping about their homes and families. Kai found out that Hector was born into a long line of servants and attendants for the duke’s family. He had been raised and trained for the purpose of being the duke’s assistant since birth, claiming it was a huge honor.

Kai couldn’t imagine being told what to do for his entire life. He figured he had a different perspective on life since his family allowed him to do what he had chosen and supported him. Kai’s older sister Lyddia had elected to be an enchanter, not following his mother or father. As a result, she began studying daily with the master enchanter in the village.

Andre was similar to Hector; he chose to go into the family business. Kai furrowed his brows when he thought of something that hadn’t occurred to him. What am I going to do when I graduate school? What is my purpose in life? In his past life, he had become a soldier of sorts for the sake of humanity’s beginning in the new world. He had sacrificed both blood and body for the people to push forward and expand their territories, only to become betrayed in the end.

Slaying monsters was all he knew, but the risks involved were significant. It was more likely he would die before his 50th birthday than survive if he continuously fought monsters without pause. His father claimed the stronger the monsters were, the more intelligent they were as well. Setting traps and problem solving was just the beginning of what intelligent monsters were capable of doing. While not necessary, the academy would provide a chance to improve his combat skills and ability to survive in a future filled with the unknown.

Kai was a bit envious, his roommates had goals and dreams beyond engaging in an impossible, unrealistic revenge or fighting monsters until they died.

The dorm room was quiet, Kai had stayed awake long past the time the other two went to bed. Akane was curled up by his side, sleeping peacefully as Kai rubbed her back. In the end, no one had come and claimed the last bed, leaving just the three of them in the room. He liked both his new roommates, finding them knowledgeable and interesting. The lights outside the window had continued to dim until they officially shut off sometime before midnight. Finally falling asleep an hour later, his mind wandered until the very end. Although lunch had been a little turbulent, the rest of the day went rather well. Kai could only hope that his first day of classes went well too.

Kai woke up to bright light shining through the window. Again, he tried to identify the source of the light but couldn’t tell from where it originated. It was as if a web of light was strung across the entirety of the city’s sky. Hector was already missing, and Andre had only begun stirring awake. Despite the limited number of courses available, Kai’s schedule was different from theirs except for field training and ethics and law. Neither Hector nor Andre used physical weapons, placing them in the mage class.

There were apparently no uniforms at this school so he would be stuck with what he brought with him from home. I guess I can go shopping too, pick up some local wear.

Like many of the students would today, Kai decided to dress to impress. He wore his nicest black tunic, pairing them with some standard brown pants and boots.

Akane pawed at the door, wimpering slightly. Her stomach had been growling for the last 30 minutes and had only been increasing in frequency and intensity since.

“Hold on, give me one more minute,” Kai said aloud to Akane. Grabbing a comb Kai attempted to tackle his messy bedhead before going out.

Walking down to the same cafeteria from the day before, Kai found Hector already eating. Knowing he would have to split his food with Akane, he grabbed two plates, filling them up before he took a seat next to his roommate. There was no denying the food was more impressive than the kind he ate at home. He wouldn’t be surprised if some of the people who had prepared the food had a chef or cook class.

“Sorry I left early this morning. I had to attend to my lord,” Hector apologized.

“No need to apologize, it’s your job,” Kai replied. The three ate in silence, Andre joining only two minutes later.

Breakfast passed without any drama. There was excitement in the air as all the students chatted loudly. Kai didn’t know if this was the entire student body, but there were at least 300 students in the large multi-leveled cafeteria. It was a sea of fashion. Students were wearing different kinds of clothes, some even a little risqué. A bell rang once and with it, the tide of students began filtering out as they prepared to go to their first class of the year.

Kai found the classroom easy enough. He was early, so it wasn’t a surprise that there were only a few students so far. Everyone inside was human of similar age to him. I really want to see some other races…

Elves, dwarves, and other fantasy races had been often discussed and thought about in his first life. After all, with so many other planets surrounding them, humans couldn’t have been the only race besides monsters to grace the Myriad of Worlds. His mother the gamer, had practically salivated at the thought of meeting other races, but she had died before her wish could come true.

Kai later learned in his second life, that those races did exist and many more on those planets. The humans had been kept isolated until their adjustment into the Myriad of Worlds had been deemed acceptable.

People stared as he entered, apparently having nothing else to do except gawk at every person that entered. The seating was an auditorium-style seating with rows cascading up higher towards the back of the room. A long desk went from one side of the row to the other side for all the students to do some writing if they chose.

Having picked a spot isolated from the other students, he ignored the continued stares he kept receiving. Akane settled onto the desk in front of him. Yawning, she looked bored.

Kai closed his eyes and began meditating to pass the time until he felt a tap on his shoulder. Opening his eyes he heard, “Can you move down one spot so my sister and I can sit together?”

Kai noticed that the classroom had filled up considerably since he had closed his eyes and “napped.” Almost every seat was taken leaving only a single seat here and there. To his left, two beautiful identical-looking girls were staring at him expectantly. Kai wordlessly obliged and stood up, before moving to the next chair over.

Another minute passed. He could hear the two girls whispering to each other while covertly sending glances at Akane.

“Excuses me,” the twin next to him whispered. “Are you the person who offended Jason Grell, yesterday?”

Kai groaned audibly, pinching the bridge of his nose. He wondered if she had witnessed the incident or if rumors had already spread about a fox-owning commoner disrespecting a noble in the cafeteria.

“I hope not, why do you ask?”

“Our friend saw what happened and told us about a young commoner student with a fox who insulted the future marquess.”

Kai sighed. “There was no intended disrespect. It was a miscommunication.”

There was a pause as the girls considered his words. Kai could tell others were listening in on his conversation. Someone scoffed behind him, Kai ignored him.

“Is the fox yours?” The second twin asked.

Kai nodded.

“Do you think I can pet her?” The nearest twin asked.

“Akane?” Kai looked down and said her name as if asking permission on the girl’s behalf.

Akane opened an eye and nodded her head.

With a hesitant hand, the girl reached over and started running her hand down Akane back. Within seconds she was enthralled going for another stroke, and then another. Almost mesmerized. “It’s so soft,” she said absently.

“That’s inappropriate,” the second twin informed the other, her cheeks puffing up.

“I don’t care. She feels heavenly.” The nearest twin was squeezing her hand into Akane’s fur, completely ignoring the looks around the room.

Her sister watched on, envy obvious on her face. “Can I feel too?” She asked, already half out of her seat. Akane nodded her consent. Both girls were now petting Akane, the second even squealing a little.

“My gods, it is so soft.”

“I know right. Softer and smoother than anything I’ve ever felt,” the first twin said.

Akane rolled over onto her back and began pointing at her stomach. Getting the hint, the girls began rubbing and patting her belly. Akane’s tail swished with happiness.

Kai awkwardly watched on.

“What’s her name?” Asked the second twin.

“Akane, and I’m Kai,” he said.

“Joslyn, and Katie,” she the first twin pointing to herself first.

“Is she for sale?” Asked Katie, a disturbing gleam in her eye.

Kai felt Akane tense for a second before she looked at him with her intelligent orange eyes. He felt his back chill for a second as his eyes made contact. “No sorry.”

With a pout, the twins didn’t get to respond as the teacher walked in, all chatter instantly silencing.