Chapter 2: Journey to Beacon Academy

For a few hundred years, Beacon has stood the test of time. It got destroyed and rebuilt many times over the years. In this world, not only the Grim are the enemies but some people who desired more power and have their own twisted understanding of things try to do some things which harms more than do more good. It is just fortunate that every generation, a special Hunter or huntress always emerge to stand up and take the brunt of things.

In time, the system grew more systematic compared to the previous generation. Back then, there is no distinction between warriors. Everyone can be really strong or really weak without any clue. For the present time, warriors were separated by ranks. It is from rank E up to the highest rank X. The warriors grew more systematic so the classification of the Grims also evolved. The Grims’ level ranges from level 1-10 and 10 for the strongest there is. There are some fabled monsters which can’t be included with this scale because it is impossible to measure their power because of their elusive behavior.

Ellis is still riding his bicycle leisurely along the woods. Even with the unfamiliar place, he can still look up to the map for the distinct land marks. It was peaceful stroll for him compared to the south gate of the Lutton town. In the south of the Lutton town lays one of the most dangerous place of the entire Sielaria, the maze ruins. In a sense, one can call it a dungeon or some sorts as it was littered with countless Grims. Legend say that it used to be one of the prisons before the Great War and Grim overrun it due to massive negative emotion centered on the place.

Anyway, in Lutton town, everyone is able to fight for themselves for days. Aside from being exiled as punishment, they need to defend the land from that dangerous place which rumored to have a level 10 Grim hiding at the depths of the ruins. In there, countless danger lurks but countless opportunities exist too. Many ancient artifact which humanity lost along the passage of time sleeps and if one is fortunate enough to discover these things then one can redeem his sentence and be a freeman with lots of open opportunity to start over a new life.

Sadly those that discovered these artifacts did not turn over these things to the Kingdom of Vale but kept it for them to use. The artifacts themselves are useful in various ways. Some of them can be used as a great weapon, some can be used as a support mechanism in case of emergencies and some can really save a life in times. Because of those reasons, no one redeems themselves but continue to fish for luck on the ruins. Of course, the death toll is not low too.

The Moon Song clan actually lost majority of their men due to their desire to find an artifact to redeem themselves but through the years only one member managed to find an artifact. If the ancestors of the Moon Song clan knew that their descendant managed to find two artifacts to redeem themselves and keep one to use then they will surely spit blood with how much effort they put into but failed. Good thing they are no more since the artifact will surely not fall into the hands of Ellis but these elders.

For the artifact, one is being used by Ellis. A cube which can transform into two things which is a bulky metal bicycle and the other one is a huge slab of iron which is not suitable for a human to wield as a weapon. The other artifact is a shield that can easily block most of the Grim’s attacks up to level 8. It can also split into two and be used as a double handed weapon. That artifact was sent back to the capital and the Moon Song family has been freed from their status as exiled.

“I wonder how people live in the city. I bet they are just chilling under the sun.” Ellis mumbled due to boredom.

He has been riding his slow moving bicycle for three hours already and he really wanted to speed up his travels if not for the harsh terrain. Good thing is that the bicycle has a good balance and won’t fall so easily even if it is too bulky.

Ellis passed through a lake and decided to rest. The operation of the artifact is simple but it is quite taxing actually. The energy needed to push that bike is not efficient. If not for his semblance agreeing with the artifact, he would have sent the cube instead of the shield.

“Ahhh… I am getting bored with the scenery. It is not much different in anyway.” He was just self-talking when he saw something move from the bushes.

“Hmm?”

Ellis stood up and stood his ground preparing for whatever will come out of the bushes. His face was littered with sweat but not due to fear. He was feeling too excited that he feels like his body is burning. It was the first time that he was able to leave the Lutton town and he only went towards the south facing the maze ruins. This place is new for him and he was excited with the new experience, specially facing new Grims.

When he was about to dash himself because he can’t hold back anymore, a small black figure went out of the bushes and looked at him quizzically. It is a grim but it is so small in size compared to the ones he faced back in the ruins. He can’t help but wonder if he is getting trolled.

“This is it? A small little guy?” The creature seems to understand him and angrily leapt into the air baring its little cute fangs. It was shaped as a rat with a lusterless silver bone covering its entire head.

The little rat grim lacks intelligence and blindly attack Ellis. Sadly, it got swallowed by the cube in midair. The cube actually has three uses. One, it can transform into a metal bicycle, second, it can be used as a blunt weapon and lastly it can swallow Grims under level 3 and digest it for some time. Then after some time, the essence of the grim is added as new metal parts complimenting the whole artifact. Because of that function, Ellis decided to call it Abyss Devourer.

Ellis was quite disappointed with his first battle outside of the Lutton town. He knows that the road towards the capital of Vale is quite safe due to the army constantly culling these Grims but still, he hoped for something more exciting.

“Better luck next time I guess.” He said as he stood up and picks the bag lying on the ground beside the tree to continue his journey.

Ellis spent the rest of the day travelling and all he faced are small Grims shaped in rats, cats and even a frog. It is a disappointing experience for him but he consoled himself that it is just the journey towards the Vale capital. He told himself that there will be more when he finally arrived at Beacon academy. He rested on the cabin intended for the travelers to use which was constructed by the kingdom for those people like Ellis. There are some people around but Ellis does not want any connection with these people.

For him, there are only three kinds of people in the world. For him there is only family/friend, an enemy and a stranger. For these people, he treats them as one would treat strangers. Some people tried to talk to him but he ignored them all and occupied a small corner to rest. All he is thinking is to arrive to beacon faster and be more powerful then go back to his town. The situation concerning the maze is starting to get worrying. The Grims seems to be evolving as they slowly started to become more intelligent. If the situation continues as it is, they will become a more fearsome enemy and the little town of Lutton will not be able to do something about it.

Ellis rested the whole night without saying anything towards these people and early went out of the cabin to continue his journey. Some people are also up and saw the cube transform into a gaudy bicycle and were shocked. The technology level of Sielaria is high and they saw many types of vehicle but not this one. It looks old and actually inefficient yet unique enough to catch their attention. Ellis did not pay attention and continued his journey.

At noon, he finally arrived at the walls of the capital of Vale. The place is littered with huge robots and only a few personnel here and there. He slowly walked towards the front gate and waited for some time before a red light scanned him. He heard someone clearing voice across the mic for a few times before someone actually spoke. Weirdly, it is a woman’s voice.

“What business do you have here lad?” the voice tried to sound mature and all but Ellis can actually guess that the owner of the voice is only same age as him.

“I have a letter of introduction.” Ellis said trying to hide the snicker threatening to erupt from him.

Ellis can her some shuffling sounds from the other side then a small compartment opened. There is a small tray inside and Ellis put the letter into it. After he placed the letter, the compartment closed again and he can hear the sound of paper being opened. The other side is clearly reading the letter and he can only wait until that one get someone with authority to let him in.

He did not wait long until another voice sounded from the other side. It was deep and clearly an adult male’s voice.

“You are Ellis Moon?” The other party surely can see his appearance with how they converse. It will be surprising if there is no hidden camera to watch who comes into the gates.

“Yes sir!” He said politely and showed his I.D he got from the town.

The person read the I.D and he frowned when he saw the place it was issued from. It was from Lutton town and that town is the place of exiles. Even with the letter of introduction, he does not have a good impression towards the people from there. People that were exiled were a bunch of lawless person who either committed sins too heavy to be carried by only a single person but needed to be carried by the entire family or clan. He has not heard about this Moon Song clan but he just knows that they are not good people anyhow.

“From Lutton Town? Why should I let a traitor in?”

Ellis’ face changed countenance the next instant he heard the word. He expected people to make it hard for him but not to the point of being labeled a traitor. The matter his clan did passed already a few hundred years ago but the name traitor still appeared form someone who does not even know him.

“Because it is not your business to decide.” His tone was chilly and clearly not polite this time.

The other person flinched and he was about to respond when Ellis beat him to it.

“Will you really violate the command given by the authorities of Vale? You are a mere watch dog don’t butt into others business on your own whim, you might not be able to bear the consequence.”

The other party’s face changed this time. He was not expecting a sharp and aggressive tone from a young brat. He was really tempted to make trouble for the fellow but he knows that he has no ability to shoulder the consequence if things got complicated because of his actions. The letter introduced the person in front of him and the purpose of it is also written in the letter. Sealed and signed by the headmaster of beacon academy himself, he can’t possibly be too reckless with his actions. Even if he wanted trouble with the young lad, he can’t go over the line.

“Good good. You better hope that I won’t catch you doing something not right because I will send you back towards that shithole when I do.”

The gate opened and the door slowly parted. The sound of it is heavy and Ellis can see how thick the door was. This gate is clearly designed to withstand great power from Grim attacks. Even if this is just the borders of the Vale Kingdom, the quality of equipment here is very high.

Ellis walked in and glanced towards his left and saw a bald man holding a thick metal staff on his hand. His face was fierce and his gaze seems saying he wants to eat Ellis whole. Ellis just smiled mysteriously at him and passes by him. He was disinclined to deal with strangers. If he becomes an enemy then he can become the new food for Abyss Devourer.

He walked in not bothering with anymore when he grabbed the letter back from a lady which seem the same age as him. He looked at her and noticed that she seems wearing a badge on her collar. He knows that emblem symbolizes the Beacon academy. He smiled as he thought how he made his first impression towards the lady.

“Well, we can’t please everybody.” He said to himself when he was farther away for others not to hear him.

He took out the map from his bag and looked where he is. He saw a statue of men fighting with level 4 Grims and realized he needed to go towards northwest to arrive at beacon academy. He took out the cube and threw it on the ground.

Once again it turned into a bulky metal bicycle. He rode the suspicious looking bike and hit the spacious rode of the Kingdom of Vale. He finally stepped into a cemented road. Outside the walls of the Kingdom of Vale, the roads were just naturally formed by the walking travelers and it is not good to use a normal vehicle when trying to travel. It would be more comfortable riding a horse than a car outside the walls of every kingdom.

Ellis took his time as he watch the new scenery before him. He knows that he looks like a country bumpkin but he does not mind. He was a country bumpkin anyhow and he was not ashamed of it. He sees new things and it fascinated him, there is nothing wrong with that.

People also took notice of his ride and his appearance. Some people ignored it since he looks like a country bumpkin. Some people though, especially those with high knowledge about artifacts noticed some uniqueness of the bike. They curiously stared at the bicycle trying to gain some clues to its mysteries. Sadly, all they can see is a gaudy and inefficient looking bicycle that seems too hard to operate and balance.

Ellis saw a yellow rabbit doll hanging inside a store and he remembered his cute little sly sister. He stopped and made the bicycle turn back into its original cube shape. The cube is only the size of his thumb and he made a bracelet that can hold the cube when he does not use it.

He walked in the store and the sound of bells alerting the shopkeeper that they have a costumer. Inside, he can see various dolls hanging here and there. Some depicts of bright feelings but there are some that feels dark. There were even some small dolls of Grims. He wondered if this shop is a good place. Anyway, he wants to buy that single rabbit doll for his sister. He does not want to intrude about the matters of the shop and its owner.

“Hello?” He called since he still can’t see someone on the place where the shopkeeper should be.

Suddenly, he heard some creaking and a figure rose from below. An old lady with a bored face appeared. It spooked him a bit but decided to just endure and buy the doll. He was curious why the keeper is down below but noticed that a chair supporting the keeper can fold. Maybe the keeper just lay down until he showed up.

“How much is that one?” He pointed on the yellow rabbit near the window of the shop.

The old lady’s gaze followed his finger and frowned. “That’s for little girls you know?”

“It is for a little girl ma’am.” He replied without minding the accusing gaze of the old woman earlier.

“I see… Lover?”

“What?” Now Ellis is confused. Then he suddenly realized what the old woman is hinting.

“For my sister… Souvenir.”

“Oh… boring.” The old woman seems to lose her interest and took a tablet and scrolled to look for the price. “100 white unprocessed crystals or 70 white processed crystals.”

Crystals replaced the old currency of Sielaria. The crystals can be found from the Grim when one kills it. The stronger the Grim, the deeper color the crystal is. The colors start from white with the least value and the black as the highest valued crystal. The crystals can be processed to help one enhance his Aura.

Ellis thought for a bit and found the price is just so-so. It is not cheap but not too much for him to fuss. He took out a small pouch from his bag and took out one thumb size unprocessed grey colored crystal. One of these crystals equals to 100 unprocessed white. The old lady received the crystal and looked at it meticulously.

After nodding, the old lady placed the grey silver crystal inside a box. She then walked out from the desk and walks towards the rabbit doll. She handed the doll back to Ellis and then went back to her earlier position to sit.

Ellis saw her press a button on the side of the chair and the chair started to form like a small bed. It amazed him how people come up with the weirdest ideas. One can just imitate the chair with simpler methods but yet decided to make an electronic system just for the half of the chair to move up and down.

He walked out of the store feeling how different the place compared to the simple and humble living standard of the folks from the Lutton town and here. He was at the capital and he needed to adapt and not look things from a person staying in Lutton town if he wants to stay here for four years.

He threw the cube again in the ground and it turned into a bicycle again. He rode it and this time hastens his pace towards Beacon academy. He saw many foreign things along the way but sadly he has no time to slowly discover these kinds of things.

After an hour later, he finally arrived at the gates of the Beacon academy. He can’t help but feel the majestic aura it has. Books told how this academy once fell into the hands of the Grims due to some people’s scheme but seeing how majestic and mighty the place is, he can’t help but think. Who can possibly do such a thing?

The gate was wide open so he just walked in after retrieving the cube back in his hands. Some people curiously look at him but most of the people walking around the academy only spared him a glance and went on their own ways. Ellis tried to find a directory to see where he should proceed. The idea of asking someone never came to his mind sadly.

After a few minutes of mindlessly walking around, he finally saw a directory. He memorized the location of the registrar and went on his way quickly. When he arrived, a man in his mid-thirties was on a desk pressing buttons on his computer. Ellis politely waited until the man finally turned his gaze away from the monitor towards him.

“What can I do for you young man?”

Ellis handed him the letter and the man read it. After a few moments, the man typed something in his computer and verified the letter in his hands. After the verification, he handed the letter back and typed some more in his computer.

Ellis patiently waited silently and after a few minutes the man seems finally done. He handed a bunch of files to him and smiled to Ellis.

“This is the directory of the whole Academy so that you won’t get lost. I marked the place you will be staying and the room number. Be sure to not wander to the opposite building since that is for the young ladies. This one is your temporary proof until you officially be admitted to this school.”

Ellis listened carefully towards the words of the man and he frowned at the end. He thought that he will be enrolled upon handing the letter but it seems not the case. He wanted to ask but the man seems to know what he wants to ask.

“Beacon academy only accepts people with real skills. Papers don’t mean anything in our eyes. Only by proving yourself, you can stay in here. Until then, you will stay in this temporary dorm. Tomorrow at eight in the morning, the test will begin and that is when we decide if you will stay or will go home.”

Ellis nodded and liked this idea actually. He wanted to see how capable the other people were. He was quite confident with his skills and he was excited to see how the other kids on his age fare compared to him. He was not thinking that he will be the best among the try outs though since he understands that the world is huge and there is always someone better at you. Even if it is not today, tomorrow might be the day when someone greater than you will be born.

“Thank you sir.” He bowed in respect and left the registrar after.

He followed the marks on the directory map and found the building. It does not look that good but it still look ok. It is not the same as the buildings outside of the academy but since it is only meant for temporary dwelling for the applicants then he can understand why it is this way. He met many people along the way when he was inside the building and some of them greeted him actually. He only returned with a simple smile or a nod of recognition towards these people. Some that ignored him; he can only ignore them back since he is not looking forward in making conversations.

When he arrived at the room, it only has four simple beds and a clock hanging on the wall. Then there are the neatly folded cover for the bed and some fresh pillow enclosed by plastic to not get some dust. He places the bag down the corner of a bed that he decided to take. It is near the window and the corner which he likes. There are better locations but he does not want to garner too much attention. With his identity and origin, he already has enough reputation and he does not want to get bothered with just bed issues.

He cleaned the room for a bit to get rid of the dust that collected on every bed and floor. He does not need to do it including the other bed but he just felt that it would be a bother when he was done then people arrive and dusted the place which will scatter the dust all over again. That will be a real hassle so he just did the whole thing.

When he was done, he took the clean covers and placed it on his bed. He took a pillow and comfortably lay down in the bed. He already ate along the way so he got nothing to do until the next morning. Somehow, laying down the comfortable bed lulled him to a sleep without him noticing. He entered a long and dreamless sleep.