Nero looked down at the street below him, it was a market. People were selling wares and buying food, it appears it’s a holiday of some sort. The vibrant colors of the stalls and banners amused him. He turns around and sees his new friends still climbing the wall, and helps them up. They feel weightless as he pulls them up.

“Are they light? Or am I strong?” he thought to himself.

“Okay it’s time for a quick tour!” Alia says cheerfully.

From the top of the wall, she points to a large, immaculate castle at the end of the city. It’s made of a polished white material, known as Sun Steel. Golden embroidery runs along the palace and large towers all over the castle.

“It’s breathtaking, even from this distance.” Nero says.

“I know! And her majesty Stella lives there, she’s a princess.” Aria replies.

Nero looks at Stella and senses something special about her. He makes note that her arcane essense feels different from the others.

Aria then points to a much closer structure, It’s a large building with gates surronding it. There are many open fields within the walls, with many people training and dueling in them.

“That’s the knights academy, the library there is very extensive and has everything you need, if you want to learn. Let’s go guys.” Stella says.

The group walks along the wall they stand on, and make their way towards the academy. About half an hour passes, and they scale down the wall, and make their way to the gate. Once there, a knight with a bronze cape stands over them. He’s a large human, with short orange red hair and a bushy mustache. He is a major knight, a rank above a minor knight.

“Princess, De Sempre, Erikson. You're late, morning teachings have started already.”

“Sorry Gallus, you see we got lost and-” Aria tried to say.

“Don’t care, just go to class.” Gallus interuppted.

As the group walked through the gates, Gallus blocks Nero’s path.

“Who are you? Take your hood off.” Gallus commands.

“He’s with me.” Stella says with authority.

Gallus immediatly stands aside, He is a knight and must follow royal authority. Even if this did seem a little odd to him. The group continues, and walks up the large stairway to the main doors. Nero could tell this place was very prestigous. He didn’t know why, but something inside him made him want to test his strength. As they passed by a pair of young students sparring, this feeling only grew. He has no memories, but could he have been a warrior in the times before? Nero stops in his tracks to watch them fight. One has 2 axes, while the other fights with a sword. Both are equally skilled students.

“I would like to fight those people.” Nero says.

“They’re first years, they’re probably like 13 years old! Go ahead and beat them up Nero!” Aria laughs.

“Let the kids be, we have to get to the library remember?” Stella said as she led the group up another flight of stairs.

They enter the library, it’s an incredibly large room with many levels that go higher than the eye can see. Every wall is covered with bookshelves, and each shelf is filled with books. The group find a secluded table in a corner on the first floor.

“Aria, Alex, find the essentials. Dictionary, history and government.” Stella said.

“Fine, what will you do Stell?” Aria asked.

“I’m going to the restricted floor to try and find out what Nero is, royalty has access to that room remember?” Stella said with a wink.

The trio scattered around the library, leaving Nero alone. He wandered to a large window nearby and looked down to the fields below. There was a dual going on, but it wasn’t for practice. The two combatants were going full power, this was a test.

One of the fighters was a human girl, with curly red hair and green eyes. She has a flail in her right hand and is fighting very aggressivley against the other fighter. Who’s a tall Hevarian man with a large battleaxe. The man dodged the womans flail, and spun around to kick her stomach. She fell backwards on impact, but caught herself on her hand. She then used her flail to fling dirt into her opponents eyes. While her opponent was blinded, she hit his hand, forcing him to drop his axe. Just as she was going in for the kill, she stopped. She had won the duel. What looked to be an instructer marked down the results on a piece of paper.

“Hmm maybe I'll ask Alex if we can spar later. This looks really fun.” Nero thought to himself.

His thoughts were interrupted when Aria loudley got his attention.

“Hey! Got you some books.”

Nero got back to the table and started going through the huge books Aria had brought. Which was a Hevarian Dictionary, Hevarian literature, and a giant book on world history. Aria had seen some mages who could read very fast, but what Nero could do was unheard of. It only took him a few moments to finish the entire hevarian dictionary. By the time Alexander and Stella had returned, He had already finished all of the books Alia had brought him. Alia was in complete shock and looked completely serious, which was rare for her. She asked him about the world history book he has just finished.

“Did you... Learn anything?” Alia asked him.

“This world... is violent.” Nero replied with a serious look.

To the trio, history was just history. To Nero, it was as if he recieved news from across the ages. Feeling the effects of war and strife, and seeing the aftermath of death. History is always mostly bad after all. Alexander approached Nero with two medium sized books. One titled: Hevarian Government, and the other titled: The Knights Guild of Hevaria.

Nero was now fully literate in the Hevarian language and well educated on the history and current state of the world. However, he was eager to learn more. He read through the book on Hevarian government even quicker than the other books because of his newfound understanding of the language they’re written in. In the book, he learned about the King; Luce Solare and his rule. As well as his four children.

Alba Solare, the eldest offspring at the age of 24. She is a master arcanist who studied and now teaches at the Mage’s College in Lerond, the capitol of Eldrant. She is a member of the Grand Council of Magic, and is considered to be one of the strongest wizards alive.

Eclissa Solare, the second born at the age of 22. A distinguished warrior who is a member of the Gallant Six, who are the strongest knights alive and are considered heroes around the world.

Mezzo Solare, the third born at the age of 20. The kings only son, making him the rightful heir. He is a powerful Golden Knight that travels the world taking on high ranking missions with his team.

Finally, Stella Solare, the youngest child of the king at 18. Who Nero already knows is attending the Knights academy.

Nero finishes the book and looks up at Stella with a smile.

“You have a cool family Stell.”

“Ugh, just read the next book.” Stella said embarrased.

Nero then begins to read “The Knights Guild of Hevaria.” At first he read very quickly, but then slowed down to a normal speed once he got a section listing the ranking of knights. He was completely enthralled by the words on the page. This surprised the trio, who had all witnessed him read incredibly fast just a moment ago. He read as followed:

“The knights of Hevaria practice strict rules, and follow a chain of command. This chain is measured by rank, and rank is measured by power and recognition of power.”

Knightee

Student of the Knights Academy.

Minor Knight

Base level of knights who act as a general police force in Hevaria. In times of war, they are found on the front line.

Major Knight

Wearing a bronze cape as their symbol, these knights have shown their exceptional qualities and potential. They are free to travel the world to perform missions, or choose to live in Hevaria and act as captains in the police force.

Lieutenant Knight

Wearing a silver cape as their symbol, lieutenant Knights are seen across the world performing missions with their assigned squad of major knights. They act as leaders, and are very powerful. Some reside in Citta Della, and work as a military police force for the king.

Golden Knight

Wearing a gold cape as their symbol, the diplomatic golden knights are squad leaders that far surpass lieutenant knights. They only take on the most elite missions and bounties with their squad of skilled handpicked bronze knights. They also act as delegates for Hevaria when called upon for diplomatic missions. These knights are famous, and get paid a high salary for their work.

The Emerald Council

Wearing a green cape as their symbol, these are knights who have proven to be the brightest and most passionate of their kind. They vote on many subjects to make decisions on matters relating to the guild. Because of this there are only ever 13 of them to ensure a deciding vote.

The Gallant Six

Wearing a red cape as their symbol of extreme power, the Gallant Six are the most brilliant and dominant in the guild. They are considered “superheroes” around the world, and live up to their name. They usually work alone, and take on the most critical missions assigned by the hevarian government and even by the governments of other nations. However, when the six work as a team, they are an unstoppable force. They are ranked based off of their number, 1 being the leader, and 6 being the weakest or most inexperienced. They are so powerful, other nations will offer them some sort of estate in their country so they will be more inclined to visit and offer a hand in matters.

The Three Masters

There are 3 Master knights, each having an obligation to keep the guild running. These older knights alone could possibly take on multiple Gallant Knights in a fight, because of their lifelong devotion to battle. The three titles are Headmaster, War master, and Royal Knight. The headmaster runs the academy, The war master controls battle and war operations in the guild, and the Royal Knight serves as the Guilds advisor to the king.

The Grand Master

This is the leader of the guild, there is no one above him besides the king. Having this job isn’t too intense because there are three masters to divide the work. However, He is the face and the pillar of the knighthood. The current Grand Master is the strongest knight alive, and possibly one of the strongest to have ever lived.

Nero finished the book, completely astonished. Although he remembers nothing of his past, he has just found something to look forward to. That same feeling he felt when entering the academy was back, but stronger now. He looked at Stella, and she found wonder in his eyes. Nero took down his hood in pure bliss.

“Could I become a knight?” Nero asked Stella.

A moment of silence passed. Stella then sat next to him and spoke softly.

“Well sure... you don’t have to be a Hevarian to become a knight. Many different people journey here to train and achieve knighthood. For example, Alex is a human from Eldrant who came here 4 years ago and he’s to graduate next week. But Nero...”

“How do I get into the academy? Do I have to pay? I can find a way to make money.” He interjected eagerly.

“I couldn’t find anything out about you in the restricted level of the library. If any information relating to you or your species exists, it would’ve been there. By now you’ve probably realized it, if you’re discovered there will be no turning back. You could be interrogated or even experimented on. There’s just no way.”

Nero’s demeanor changed, a dark look swept across his face. Stella couldn’t tell if it was sadness or anger. Just as Nero was about to speak, a loud voice was heard from behind the group.

“I knew something was off!”

The group turned around quickly, the major knight from the gate, Gallus, stood before them. He did not look happy.

“Oh shit.” Alia said quietly.

Gallus stepped forward, right hand on his sheathed sword.

“By order of the Knights, Identify yourself Interloper!”

At this point all of the students in the library had turned their attention to the situation.

“Gallus, what did you hear?” Stella asked frantically as she quickly stood up.

“I heard enough. Step aside, all of you.”

“Stand down Gallus, he isn’t hurting anyone.” Stella replied.

“I’m sorry Princess, but this is a matter of national security. By law you have no authority over me at the moment.” Gallus said with a stone face.

The knight stepped closer, Nero could tell he was strong. Stronger than his three new friends. However, he felt no fear, all he could feel was his own need to test his strength. The perfect feeling, lust for battle. Gallus was tall and wide with muscle, and was ready to draw his sword. Nero knew he had no weapon of his own, but this only excited him more.

“A worthy challenge.” Said a voice in Nero’s heart.

Stella had stepped in between the two, and Aria joined soon after. Alexander stayed back, seemingly not wanting to interfere with a knights business.

“It’s okay, let me through.” Nero said with a wide smile.

The trio was surprised. Stella reached out to stop him, but something inside her was curious to see what would happen. Just then, Nero stepped through the two girls offering him protection and approached Gallus.

“Show me what you got.” Nero said with excitement.

“Insolent boy...” Gallus said angrily.

In the blink of an eye, Gallus unsheathed his sword and swung at Nero’s head in one move. In just that moment, Nero felt something take full control over him. Was it an animalistic instinct? Or perhaps something more? He did not know. But it felt amazing, he felt alive for the first time since he awoke.

To Nero, Gallus’s strike was moving incredibly slow. He almost believed it was a trick, until he realized this was just how he was percieving information. This is why he was reading those books so fast. However, it wasn’t just Nero’s perception going this speed, it was his body too.

Nero ducked under Gallus’s blade with ease, and looked up at him with a smile. It took a second for anyone to realize what happened. They had all just witnessed “blinding speed,” A movement so fast that the eye couldn’t keep up with it.

Gallus grunted with impatience, and began to swing his sword down with great force.

Before his blade had even moved an inch, Nero had stood up and moved to the side. A loud clanking noise was followed as Gallus’s sword met the ground with great force. The bronze knight looked up with wide blue eyes.

“My turn.” Nero said with a smile.

Nero felt his body move on his own, he was winding up for a punch. The air itself began to shift around his hips as they turned and right shoulder as it pulled back.

Stella remembered this same feeling when the gargoyle she fought was about to attack, but certainly Nero couldn’t create that much force she thought.

Nero let out a small roar, and released his punch. Hitting the knight straight in the chest. To everyones surprise, Gallus was sent through the wall behind him and a great shockwave went through the room. Scattering books and papers. Gallus now laid unconsious in the hallway outside the library. His chestplate completely shattered.

Nero was breathing heavily, not out of exhaustion, but pure exhilaration. He was completely ignorant of the possible consequences of his actions. However, he cared not. He could only think about the feeling in his heart, this lust. He had clearly beaten his opponent but the feeling remained. He then had a horrifying thought that snapped him out of his state.

“This isn’t a lust for battle, but for blood. It won’t stop until he’s dead.” he thought.

He stumbled backwards, now feeling fear.

“What did I just do?” He turned to Stella and asked.

“I... do not know.” She replied.

“I do, you just assaulted a knight attempting an arrest, on knight’s guild property.” Alexander said to Nero.

“He was defending himself! He did nothing wrong!” Stella added.

“What kind of person resists arrest... with a smile on their face as well?” Alexander laughed with a look of anger.

“Alex...” Stella said meekly.

“I knew this was a terrible idea. The door, the enchantments, the gargoyle. This guy is dangerous, and we led him right into the academy.” Alex said, gripping his sword on his back.

“I don’t know why i did that Alex, I don’t mean anyone harm.” Nero said apologetically.

At this point, the room began flooding with students and instructers alike, and armored footsteps could be heard echoing closer to the library. More knights were on the way and Gallus was begining to come to his senses.

The same feeling began rising in Nero’s chest, it was once pleasure, and now it was sinister. There were many people looking at him in wonder. Many murmuring among the crowd about his appearance and mental state.

Nero could hear them all, his senses were heightened and he began sweating. Just then a group of major knights burst into the room, they were stronger than Gallus, Nero could feel it. They were led by a knight with a silver cape, she was a short hevarian woman who was oozing with power, he could practically smell it. She was a lieutenant knight.

“I-I don’t want to hurt anyone else...” Nero said, almost sickened.

“Seize him, and take him to the Knights Headquarters.” The lieutenant knight said calmly.

Nero recalled what Stella had said to him before: “...You could be interrogated or even experimented on...” He was now terrified. What fate lay before him? A cell? Execution? Torture? All of these thoughts ran through his mind, but were broken when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Run.” Stella said to him softly.

He did just that, and began running towards the window at fast speeds. It was his only option. All he could hear was Stella’s voice shouting:

“stultus cæcus!”

A bright light appeared in Nero’s periphery as he crashed through the window, Stella had distracted them long enough to give him a headstart. As he laded on the ground below his mind was flooded with thoughts, and he wondered if they were truly his own.

He ran towards the city, hearing faded shouts from behind.

“Who am I?” he said to himself.