As he looked at the sky he closed his eyes, as he opened his mouth."Mom, Dad, the day has come...I can finally show this world my true self!" He shouted to the sky opening his eyes which showed the great determination burning within them.

growl~

"Hmm....First I need to get something to eat" The young man said as he held his stomach. He looked back towards the road he was on and made his way to a place where he could get food. The streets were buzzing with people who came here tonight to get something to eat. The place was filled with all kinds of food, the delicious aroma made him go crazy, as his stomach rumbled incessantly.

growl~

"Hold on....I am almost there!" The young man said to himself, moving faster.

After walking for a while the young man arrived in front of a tavern.

From the outside it looks folksy, with an inviting and enchanting atmosphere surrounding the place. Large stones along with huge stone beams make up most of the building's outer structure.

It's tough to see through the high windows, but the cheerful sounds from within could be heard outside.

As you enter the tavern through the thick, metal door, you're welcomed by excitement, with people dancing merrily.

The bartender though busy with his work, would welcome you with a wave.

It is as alluring on the inside as it is on the outside. Hard wooden beams support the upper floor and the rows of small lights attached to them. The walls were covered with photographs of personal achievements, all related to the nearby mountain. Some, were of the people who reached the summit, others were simply filled with happy people.

The tavern itself was packed. Tourists seemed to be the primary clientele here, which could be seen as the best sign you could get. Several long tables were occupied by, what must be separate groups who have bonded over great food and conversation. The other, smaller tables were also occupied by people who clearly enjoyed each other's company, though they seemed to be strangers who met here. Even most of the stools at the bar were occupied, though nobody seemed to mind more company. The more the merrier, they would say.

"Van!" The bartender yelled as he looked at the young man, implying that this must be the name of the young man. He made his way towards the bartender, walking through the crowds of people.

"Can I get something I swear I will make it up to you?" The young man said as he looked at the old bartender. The bartender, who seemed to have known what he wanted to ask took a plate loaded with food and gave it to the young man, "I won't always be here so you’ll have to pull yourself together soon, lad!" The old man said to the young man before he gave him the plate.

"Don't worry. I won't be a useless moron anymore" Van said with a confident smile. The old man raised an eyebrow seeing the young man talk so confidently, when he had never done so before. The old man smiled "You better, I promised your parents I would make a man out of you, lad. What would I tell them if you stayed useless?" The old man sneered.

chomp~ chomp~

The young man dug in and started to eat the food in front of him, making the old man smile again. Then, the old man gave out a deep sigh, as he looked up at the ceiling and smiled once again "It seems like he has finally found himself" The old man whispered to himself, thinking about how the young man had changed, before going back to serving the people in the room.

After eating and calming his stomach, Van left the tavern and made his way to his house. After he got there he took off his clothes and opened a chest where he looked at with a smile.

Inside the chest were a set of black medieval clothing. He took them out and admired them, before wearing them. He looked down at himself, his body now garbed in better clothes.

His fairly short sleeved, hide jacket covered him to just above his knees, barely tied with string at the center. The sleeves of his jacket were a comfortable fit, reaching well below his wrists, decorated with a band almost at the edges.

The jacket had a narrow, rectangular neckline which revealed part of the ornate shirt worn below it, and together with a long leather belt, it was held together by an ornate pin. The leather belt was solely for decorative purposes and as a symbol of his status.

His pants were simple and wide, reaching down to his bound cloth boots. The boots were made from a fairly rare cloth but were otherwise of a commonly found design.

The young man, after making sure that everything was on, looked down at the chest once more and took out a blade.

The blade was a very short, broad, barbed blade made of iron. It had a grip wrapped in fairly common, forest green cow leather.

With its sharp, dual-edged blade this weapon could slice, dice, stab and jab at one’s enemies and shred whatever's left of them to pieces.

The blade had a barbed, twisted cross-guard, offering plenty of protection to the owner's hands and thus his or her life. The cross guard had a plain twist on each side, a sign of mass production.

A thick pommel was marked with the symbol of the house this sword belonged to, a symbol which doesn't prove much.

The blade itself was simple. No markings could be found. The weapon was meant for fighting, and decorations don't make you fight better.

This weapon could be used by anybody with a decent amount of money. Whatever the intended purpose of its owner, this weapon could fulfill it.

Just by looking at the amount of things that were in the chest you could already image that this young man might not have a simple background.

"Time for me to get going then. The exam starts soon...Dad, Mom, wish me luck" The young man said as he put blade behind him and went out of his shabby looking house, the house would make anyone looking at it surprised, as they would wonder how it was still standing even though it looked like that.

Van made his way towards the north side of the city where the 'Medwerth, Academy' was located.The young man walked faster, excited about how his life would be now that the promised day had come. How would the people treat him? How strong can he really become? There were lots of things going through the young man's head as he made his way towards the 'Medwerth, Academy'.

After walking for a couple of hours the young man made it and stood in front of the academy.

The academy seemed to be a castle as it had fourteen skinny, round towers dominating the skyline of this massive castle, connected by enormous, chunky walls made of sandstone.

Small windows were scattered here and there across the walls in an asymmetric pattern, along with small holes for archers and artillery.

A sizable gate with hefty wooden doors, a drawbridge, and hot oil pots gives a safe place to rest in this forest stronghold and it's the only easy way in, but easy is very relative here.

Plain fields of a type of grass covered most of the fields outside of the castle, adding to the castle's aesthetics. This castle had clearly stood the test of time and its inhabitants intended to make sure it stayed that way for ages to come.

The young man looked at the long line in front of him where a lot of people stood waiting for their turn. There were two lines, one for signing up for the teaching post and the other is where one signs up as a student.

The line for the teaching post was occupied by only about 5 people while the line for student’s application was occupied by over 500 people. Looking at the long line in front of him, the young man took a deep breath in, and then out before he stood, at the very last place of the line looking forward to when his turn would come.

Time went by and many people were either given an emblem or they were told to leave. "Next!" The middle-aged man yelled, looking down at his paper as he crossed off something. Seeing that it was his turn, Van made his way and stood in front of this man, waiting to be assessed to see if he had what it took to enter the academy.

The middle-aged man looked up at him with a lazy look. But upon seeing the outfit the young man had on his eyes brightened. "What is your name and age?" The middle-aged man asked, with a polite tone.

Looking at the change of attitude of this middle-aged man, Van frowned. He knew that if he didn't look like a noble the man wouldn't even look at him let alone be polite. "My name is Van. I am 18 years old." He said. The man wrote it down as he told Van to pick up the emblem in front of him.

Van picked the emblem up, a plain white emblem with nothing on it. But the moment Van picked it up the emblem became blue before a number showed up on it, the number was a 2.

Looking at it the man smiled "Please take care of that emblem, for it is the only proof of identity that you are a part of this academy. Now, please make your way towards that old man over there so he can assign you to your room.

Van made his way towards the old man the man gestured towards. He looked closely at this old man in front of him, noting his features. The old man had white hair and beard, with a wrinkled face. His eyes were closed but it felt like they were open, staring at the young man. Van hesitated for a moment, before he took a deep breath and made his way to the old man.

"Hello?" Van said. The old man opened his eyes , taking the emblem out of Van's hand. He took a look at it before giving it back to him "Your room number is 2. Now go!" The old man said and closed his eyes again. Van didn't want to stay any longer, so he made his way inside the castle where he got in due to the emblem.