12.0

On the second day of the students’ return from their week break, Moxnet students were all summoned for an assembly by the front yard of the academy’s main building.

“Welcome, welcome!!! Welcome back my dear students!!!” a lady who was dressed in a white robe called to all the students. “As many of you are aware, today marks the day of the aptitude test that the academy has prepared for you all.”

The students looked at each other in confusion, although all the academy students of the current batch have gathered before this courtyard, most of them had no idea of what the lady meant. Most of them had just returned from their week break, visiting their friends and families at home had put them in a relaxed mood that they forgotten what the lady announcer meant.

“In that case, I shall remind you all once more.”

The lady joined her hands together, her eyes immediately glow in a brilliant white light.

“The darkest of nights, a place where dead souls part not from this world, amidst the slumber of the three pillars, a frontier of perseverance is but a necessity.

Under such circumstances, passage of time is a falsetto of hope.

Relics of old, hidden and buried from all prying eyes, will once again be in the right hands of the empire. Uncover their secrets, and one will be granted safety in exchange.”

“…Such a riddle was released, the reason everyone is gathered here has something to do with what the activities that soon await you the moment this gathering is over.”

Faces lit up the moment the lady explained herself, quickly reminded of the riddle released from two weeks ago, the clueless students immediately caught on to what the lady meant.

Their first official major school event is about to take place soon—estimate to be a few hours from now.

Though it was a sudden announcement, most of them were not worried about the sudden commencement of it, as almost all students have prepared in one way another for this event upon the first week of receiving the riddle. Many had already purchased better weapons and clothing in hindsight, some even started training themselves in order to adapt to whatever the school event needed them to do. So really, most of them were just finally relieved that the day has finally come for them to prove themselves.

Allowing the realization to wash over the students, the lady continued.

“If it isn’t clear from the riddle already, I am here to clarify on the rules that all of you will be following throughout this first ever school event.

“Firstly, students are required to be in groups of 5 or 6. Secondly, once banded together each team will be given a series of tasks of optimal difficulty. Whilst doing their task in a foreign place the event takes transpires, team members are required to trust each other as though their lives depended on it. It is vital that students should keep in mind that they will be staying in such a place for prolonged periods of untold time.”

Uncertain voices spread between students the moment they realized the event was a group activity that would be taken place somewhere foreign.

With the uncertainty hinted by the riddle and the lady announcer, some who were on the verge of panicking started to form groups with the people around them or looked for their friends in order to stick with the other as the event took place.

Sensing the students’ troubles, the lady affirmed them, “Worry not students, you will be given three hours’ worth of time for your final preparations before the event commences. The academy understands that it is quite a surprise and many of you might be underprepared in terms of food and supplies.”

“HOWEVER!” the lady’s voice boomed at the courtyard, garnering the attention of each and every individual.“It does not indicate that failure is an acceptable outcome for all teams formed. Should anyone of you fail in this event, an automatic ‘respectful dismissal’ from the academy is a given.”

The spines of Moxnet students stiffened upon hearing the word ‘respectful’.

Inside of Moxnet academy, there are two methods where the student would premature end their studies, the primary method was respectful dismissal, where students would be discharged from the academy for failing to reach their grades or have failed to achieve the goals that the academy has set for them.

It would mean the termination of the prestigious life in Moxnet academy, although many other schools would be willing to receive such students, those who have been respectfully dismissed will forever humiliated and reminded of their failure.

But compared to the second method, respectful dismissal is a much better option. Known as ‘immediate expulsion’ to many, this method is used to terminate a student’s study should they ever commit crimes that are punishable by death. Things such as terrorism, treason, rebellion, crimes that would indirectly cause trouble and disturbance for Dezarith Empire or Moxnet Academy are the reason that the immediate expulsion exists.

Although committing accidental murder against another fellow student in Moxnet Academy would not be labled as such crimes—due to the nature of magic academies and how powerful certain students may be—incidentally, a student extorting or threatening academy staff would mean for them to be immediately expelled.

As the label was only used for people who sought to disrupt the peace of Dezarith Empire, people who become immediately expelled by Moxnet Academy would be subjugated by imperial soldiers and be imprisoned for life in the darkest dungeons in Registoria. In there, they are treated as fully fledged criminals and would be often tortured to remind them of their sins.

“But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” The lady clapped her hands, bringing back the attention of the students. “Of course, we will send academy staff on a periodic basis to keep watch on all of you, and perhaps even bring food and supplies to those who burned through their own stash. But for the sake of your grades, it is better to rely on yourselves when it comes down to the food and supplies.”

The lady let out a sly smile upon witnessing the students gaze became alert at the mere mention of their grades.

She continued, “Once you have formed your groups, you are required to register your team with the nearest academy staff so that we the teachers will be able to give adequate tasks for you to handle. If you have any more inquiries, please refer to the academy staff when team registration is complete. That’s all for now.”

The lady waved a hand at the crowd then quickly vanished from the stage.

Voices of awe and chatter followed once the lady announcer left.

“Woah, the president herself came by today, isn’t she always busy?”

“I want to be a light magic user like her someday! The way she keeps everything simple is just so cool!!!” squealed a second.

“Hey, do you guys want to form a group with me?” asked a third.

“Why not, you’re training to become a priest right? We definitely need a healer in our group. I am still not too sure on where will the even be held but it doesn’t hurt to have a balanced team,” replied a forth, “Speaking of which, did you guys hear of what happened in East Wing yesterday?”

“You mean…” a fifth voice replied.

The gathered group of five looked at each other quietly, indicating they all knew what the fourth speaker was trying to bring up.

“Yeah I know… That Sarvod guy, the supposed new healer of the hero’s party,” the first voice agreed. “Are you thinking about asking him to join? I heard he can stand against the hero Scywell’s sword skills but after what happened yesterday… I don’t think I can feel safe even if he has a talent.”

“Agreed.” The forth nodded

“You’re right. Rumor or not, I don’t think I can get along with someone who tried to kill the hero.”

“H-he does sound dangerous,” the second spoke

“I-I might not be able to use powerful healing spells as him, but I’ll make it up to all of you with my support magic!” the third who was planning to become a priest affirmed his team.

“It’s alright, we know you well enough, you’ve been very helpful to us so far. We are better off without that Sarvod guy anyways, no one wants to have a loose cannon like him—”

Oof!

Someone bumped into the first person while he was speaking.

“What gives!? Who dares to…” his voice became small upon seeing a girl who had a pair of cold intelligent eyes, his attitude changed into a docile one. “M-miss Grisst, I apologize for obstructing your path, please, don’t pay attention to this rude one!”

Angeline Grisst, the noble child prodigy who entered the nation’s one and only Inventor’s Department, the girl who revolutionized legal use of consumer potions to the common people only to leave it to join the hero Scywell Shatterstep’s cause.

The other four of the group quickly bowed their head in apology to the third daughter of the great Grisst family. Although, unlike her family who were diplomats for the Dezarith Empire, in her own way, the name Angeline Girsst was very well respected in and out of Registoria.

Angeline grunted a spiteful “Hmph…” before she moved passed the group and went to where the rest of the hero’s party were.

“…Did I say something I shouldn’t?” asked the guy who Angeline Grisst bumped into. His group members simply shook their heads in reply. “Then… Why did she… Oh, crap! I am done for! My family must have done something against the Grissts to have her dislike me! This is bad, this is bad.”

There was an understanding among nobles who displeased the Grisst family who so diligently managed the country’s international relations. The Grissts were diplomats that the Immortal Emperor personally selected to maintain the peace with the other countries.

Due to them being Dezarith’s diplomats, and to prevent any power—whether foreign or domestic—from interfering with their decisions, the Grisst Family were given plenty of resource and power to best serve their country.

To say the Grisst family were the highest ranked nobles of the Dezarith Empire would not be an understatement, anything they say was almost akin to the law—though thankfully the Grisst family never abused their power. But if Angeline wished, she could make an excuse to her family and have the guy and his group permanently removed from Dezarith Empire and be casted into exile, regardless of their family statuses.

“You idiots, of course she would be angry, how can she not be?” an unfamiliar voice said. “Sigh… This is why nobles are a pain. They are so wrapped up in their little world that they fail to notice anything outside their bubble.”

“Who—” the guy turned around and saw a couple walking towards them. “Bran Starlent? What are you doing here?”

“That’s Branderson Starlent to you. Only my friends get to call me Bran,” Bran shook his head. “I was looking for someone, though he disappeared before I could call to him. I just happened to witness your amusing interaction with Angeline Grisst, I must say, you did strike one of her nerves, ahahaha! Good luck on getting any letters from your family once this test is over, something bad might or might not happen to them!”

The faces of the group of five all darkened, the realization that they have somehow made Angeline Grisst angry struck a primal fear in them

“Bran!” the girl who was accompanying him pulled at his cheeks.

“Okay, okay, Matilda. I’ll stop teasing them,” Bran surrendered, and Matilda eased up on him.

He adjusted himself then continued to speak to the group of five, “Relax, all of you, Angeline Grisst is just unhappy about the way you badmouthed Sarvod, that’s all.”

Unable to comprehend what he was trying to say, the brows of all five members arched at Bran in interesting angles, raised so high that it almost looked like the group rehearsed this very scene of pure confusion.

“Meaning?” one of the girls from the group asked.

“Aside from the hero’s merry party, Angeline Grisst doesn’t pay attention to anything else aside from her research or things related to the hero’s party. Don’t you all think it is a little bit peculiar that when you badmouthed Sarvod, she appeared out of nowhere and have you five pooped your pants?”

“B-but Sarvod started a fight with the hero didn’t he? So isn’t it unsual for her to still think of him as some kind of acquaintance to them?”

Bran shook his head, “Wrong again. According to what I am aware of Miss Grisst did share a dance at the ball with John Sarvod at the Ball of Paragons. In fact, I heard she turned down every single man that tried ask for a dance with her.”

“Your l-lying…” one of the five protested. His face became darker as he denied Bran’s words

“Say what you will, but I won’t be surprised any of you were dismissed from the academy for no reason.” Bran faked a straight face as he spoke, but inside he was laughing at the fear that was painted on the faces of these five.

Of course, Angeline Grisst wasn’t so petty that she would do something blasphemous as expelling each and everyone who commented on John, that would mean expelling every single person who partaken in any rumour regarding John.

But Bran kept pressuring on them about what Angeline would do despite knowing that. He wanted people to stop spreading those rumors about John when the guy was actually a contrast to what the rumors had painted him as.

Unlike Bran who was so busy entertaining the group of five, Matilda was focused at a distance away from them, she quickly tugged at Bran’s shirt and whispered into his ear, indicating that they have to go soon. “I am positive I saw him enter there. He’s probably gone back to his room”

Still trying to defend John’s honor, Bran whispered back at her “Yeah, just give me a minute, almost done.”

Unsatisfied with what Bran said to them, the fourth member from the group spoke, “We heard the Sarvod kid spat at the hero’s party yesterday, that means Miss Grisst was included. So there is no reason for Miss Grisst to defend someone like him.”

“But do you know why?” Bran opened his arms, gesturing the group to give him an answer. “Does anyone know what truly happened in East Wing? As far as I know, there were no eye witnesses when it happened, people only heard it because their voices were loud, no one dared to interrupt the great hero Scywell Shatterstep.”

“…”

“I don’t like your voice,” the second person from the group spoke.

“The way you mentioned the hero… It sounds like you are mocking him,” the forth member said to Bran.

“You don’t know who John Sarvod is, yet you speak about him as though he were your archnemesis, I only did the same for the hero Scywell Shatterstep. How you interpret what I’ve said is none of my business. I on the other hand, happened to know John personally to know he isn’t as you people think he is,” Bran bragged seemingly enjoying this banter far too much for his own good.

Thinking back, he also thought that John was just a suck-up to the hero of their generation due to rumors, but when he actually spoke to John himself, he thought that it wouldn’t be bad to befriend someone like him. Nowadays, its more like Bran is a big fan of John who talked him out of his brash usage of his own magic—despite having spoken to John that one time.

“And what do you know what happened? You speak as though you were there when it all happened—”

“I don’t. In fact, I am just about to go learn it from the man himself.”

“F-from t-the hero?” the guy blurted.

“The hero? Who cares about him, I was talking about John Sarvod. Just you wait till I get the best healer on my team!”

“Wha—”

“He’s got a few screws loose…”

“Why would he even think about that guy?”

“Maybe he just wants to use Sarvod for his healing magic? Even then…it’s not…”

“B-but if h-he is right about how outstanding Sarvod… T-then Miss Grisst might do something if we keep talking about…”

The group of five shuddered in fear as Bran and Matilda left in a hurry. All of them can’t help but think that Angeline Grisst might do something to them if they kept besmirching John’s name.

“F-for the time being, l-let’s don’t talk about Sarvod anymore.”

“Y-yeah, I don’t want anything bad to happen to any of us…”

Thanks to Bran’s unnecessary gloating at the five who spoke ill of John, they almost lost track of which part of the East Wing residence John had retreated into.

Luckily, there was another individual who was chasing after John like they did, a beastkin that had a gray bushy tail, youthful looks, and wore baggy clothing as though he originated from the desert.

“Is he trying to get John on his team too?” Bran whispered to Matilda, unsure what to think of such a person appearing in front of John’s door steps.

Before Matilda could answer, the door to John’s door reverberated.

Knock, knock, knock!

“John, even if you don’t wish to participate in it, this event is compulsory. More so, it is a team event, you can’t possibly expect to go through everything on your own—”

“Will you just shut up already? I barely know you!”

Bran looked to Matilda upon overhearing the conversation but she shrugged, none of them had any idea what the beastkin was talking to John about.

“Let’s go and check,” with his hand grabbing Matilda’s they approached the beastkin.

“I understand what you are feeling right now, I’ve been in dark places too, but if you are just willing to accept help… Ack-ack!” the beastkin coughed when he saw Bran and Matilda. “Ah, please don’t mind me, I am just speaking to my friend here…”

Bran raised a hand, “Thanks. But I will need to borrow your friend for a minute.”

“My friend?”

Bran proceeded to clutched his hand into a fists, then started pounding loudly on John’s door.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“What the fuck!? Stop annoying me Aurelius!!! Go form your stupid group with someone else!” John’s disgruntled voice came from the door.

“That wasn’t me, that’s—”

“Oi, Sarvod kid! Guess who’s here?”

“Don’t know, don’t care…”

Bran made a face but he quickly returned to the smile that he had on him, “It’s Bran, you helped me back when I almost fainted from being all glowy with my Avatar magic, remember? I am here to pay you a visit, and to inform you that you are already registered as my fifth group member, thought I just give you a heads up!”

John became silent from Bran’s words.

“…”

“I’ll take that silence as a yes? We really need a good healer like you, who knows when I will use my magic whenever I feel like it, haha...” recalling his how his body constitution broke down after each use of his magic, Bran chuckled.

“…”

Matilda cast a concerned look at Bran, she then said in a voice soft enough for the two of them to hear, “Maybe telling him that we’ve registered him as our group was too strong. He might not like it given how he was yesterday…”

“Relax, relax, knowing how the guy is, he probably will accept it. I am not taking a no from the John Sarvod, you know that, Matilda.” Bran pulled her to his arms. “Besides, aren’t you the one who encouraged me to help the guy?”

His fiancée meekly nod her head, “Just don’t overdo it.”

“Ahahaha, I’ve learned my lesson, and soon the person who thought me that will be joining us—”

The door to John’s room swung open.

“Ah, there he is, come on Sarvod, let’s get you registered for the event—” Bran suddenly stopped his voice and pushed Matilda aside.

Shiiing!

An arming sword suddenly appeared beneath Bran neck causing him to stiffen himself.

“J-John!? What are you doing?” Aurelius crouched and was ready to leap at any second to disarm John.

“Bran!” Matilda called to him.

“It’s okay! Stay where you are! Both of you!” his clear voice calmed the other down. “It’s alright, it’s alright…” Bran then turned his head to John, he raised his hands as a sign of submission and remained at where he stood. “I’ll take that I don’t have to reintroduce myself?”

A low voice came from John who was dressed in a black hooded coat, “Yeah, I remember you, Bran.”

John’s facial expression was covered by the oversized hood that he draped over his head, he wanted to make a witty remark at John for wearing such a gloomy outfit in such a sunny day but stopped himself short when he saw John had a slight tremor in his grip.

He recalled his expression John wore yesterday when he and Matilda returned to the academy, the lifeless stride he had, the gloomy gaze that clouded his once sharp gaze.

Bran finally understood.

The way that John was behaving felt exactly like how his father behaved the day his mother passed away. The devastation that assaulted his old man, the despair that his father felt for not knowing what to do, it was almost enough to worry Bran that his father might kill himself out of said agony.

Right now, the same scene played before him, but this time, it was John who is suffering such a fate.

“I am sorry,” he apologized in a small voice. “I don’t know what happened but…”

“Sorry? What are you sorry about? For disturbing me?” John said spitefully. “What I don’t understand is, why do you all think you are close enough to me to form a group with me? Am I all that great?” he turned towards Aurelius then returned to Bran. “Do you people think it is funny to pull the same joke on me multiple times? To give me false sympathy without knowing anything about me?”

“A… J-joke? John, what are you trying to say?”

“You want me because of my stupid [Heal]! IS IT NOT!? The moment I start asking anyone questions, the moment I start to do things for myself, it when my usefulness to you people stop isn’t it!!!??”

Aurelius the beastkin spoke up, “That’s not true, I am just trying to help you...”

John lowered his sword, a cynical laugh came from him, “Ahahaha… Help me? Why? Do you owe me something? Have I done anything worthy of your aid? Sure I remember I helped you back then, but you haven’t tried talking to me once after that, only now with the aptitude test event, you try to befriend me.”

“…T-that’s not it,” the besatkin denied but could not come up with a decent reply. “You’ve once treated me in kind, so I am doing—”

“The same applies to you, Bran.” John cast a glare at him, “Nothing good will come for you two if you meddle with someone like me… Just leave, I-I don’t want to deal with anyone anymore.”

Click.

John shut the door and left his three guests outside. He threw himself onto the large bed and buried his face in it.

He was miserable.

The expression on Aurelius and Bran’s face, he was tired of it. He hated himself for knowing that they had good intentions, he hated that they thought so highly of him, but most of all…

He hated how they reminded him of A’vetheas.

Why did the elves abandon him? How could they have exiled him when all he did was for the sake of the place that he so cherished? He saved the elves’ beloved princess, their one and only princess without letting and harm to befall upon her. He had even died for her, dabbled in taboo just to keep her safe.

Yet, yet, yet…

He was discarded like a tool that no longer has any use.

It was a feeling that he knew too well, one that accompanied him before his life in A’vetheas. The feeling of being pushed away for something he had done without proper explanation to why.

It was though he was born with an unidentifiable curse.

A curse where the people he cherished will all end up leaving him, whether it was by his own doing or by the circumstances that he found himself in, his relationships with people never last.

No matter how hard he tried.

Kahnira… Raina… Alwin… Meli… Mera… Miril… Miros… Itzella… Randolph… Gobbert… Angeline… Scywell… Helen…

“Ephinelyth…” John whispered as he brought his hands to his face. “I am so sorry… I don’t know what I can do, am just a demon after all…”

He tried to move on, he tried to move on from his past and he succeeded for a while. He had adapted to the new environment he found himself in, established a good relationship with the Harvests, become enrolled into the most prestigious school in Dezarith Empire, he even became well acquainted with people like Scywell Shatterstep.

But those were just the façade he saw.

The night he saw Miros and Itzella’s decapitated heads laid before him was what snapped him back to reality. He finally understood then.

Everyone who he’d gotten close to end up getting hurt.

He even hurt Evie, by his own accord. Perhaps she did mess up while she attempted to contact him about her absence in the academy back then, but for him to declare he would kill her should she ever appear before him, it was a step too far.

And whilst he was trying to take out his frustrations against what she did…

He ended up causing the Harvest’s death.

Perhaps he could not have done a thing against the vampires, perhaps they would have narrowly escaped death with him by their side, perhaps he would die a gruesome death whilst trying to save them.

Even then, John blamed himself for not being there for them at the final moments of their lives, it was because of his own actions that led to such tormenting consequences that he was living today.

He won’t forgive himself, nor will he forget it.

…

…

…

“Let’s make this quick…”

“Don’t worry…”

“…just get ready you two.”

Hushed voices entered his ear, it came from a large group from beyond his room. John simply disregarded it as baseless chatter.

“Ready… Three… two… one!”

All of a sudden, the latch to his door became undone and it swung open.

Bang!

The sound brought John out of his senseless mulling. Following that were the sounds of hustled footsteps barging in.

Is the academy here to expel me for not wanting to participate?

Then, two strong arms grabbed him by his shoulders and raised him to his legs, restraining him from doing anything reckless. It was the wolf beastkin that he told off earlier, Aurelius, and along with him were Bran, Matilda and two faces that John could not recognize.

“H-how did you get in? The door is only accessible to…”

Bran approached tapped his forehead with a sly smile, “My dad’s is part of the board of directors of Moxnet, so I asked him a favor.”

“Ehh? Is that why you get to be in North Wing with my sister, Bran? I’ve never heard anything about it until today, since when did your old man become so successful?” a taller guy with a country look said as he nudged an elbow at Bran. He then extended a hand to John, “Welcome to the team, Sarvod. I am Kirksten, Matilda’s elder brother, you can call me Kirk. The girl behind me is Cacti, we’ll be counting on you from now on.”

“…”

Equipped with all kinds of reinforced armor on them, John could only sit on the edge of his bed while he stared at the five who invaded his room. All of them were dressed as if they were about to leave for a combat expedition—Aurelius included.

“You don’t have to shake Kirk’s hand if you don’t want to,” Matilda spoke. “Aurelius filled us in on what happened.”

John turned towards the beastkin who was leaning against the table, then directed his gaze to Bran.

“He overheard your argument with the hero yesterday, don’t worry I would have done the same thing if I were in your shoes.”

Aurelius finally spoke, “It’s fine that you don’t like us, but you don’t have to be close yourself off from help. These people, they don’t even know me, but they asked me to join with them seeing how I had no team like you.”

“…”

The beastkin continued, “I am not asking you to pretend like nothing is wrong. My point is, John, the world still moves no matter what happened in the past, the sun will still rise and set like it always has. Surely you understand that.”

“…”

“We have another thirty minutes before the academy starts the mass teleportation, you can make your decision then,” Matilda said to him.

“Teleportation!?” Kirk gasped. “The president did not mention that!”

“I thought we were going by horse…” Cacti whispered.

“How else would the make it ‘mandatory’, Kirk? With teleportation, every single Moxnet student will have to participate, regardless if they chose to,” Matilda rolled her eyes.

“Yeah… I thought dad was kidding when he said the academy is going to mass teleport us, do you have any idea how much energy will be used just to teleport us alone?”

“You know where we are going!?” Kirk beamed.

Bran shook his head, “Sadly no, not even the board of directors are aware of the location nor the tasks that we will be required to do. That’s why it is safer if we have the numbers…”

Sigh.

Seeing how Bran, Matilda and Aurelius continued to treat him as though nothing happened after he threatened them, John expelled a breath of compliance, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

“…Yeah, you guys won. I’ll join.”