Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Entrada
The tenth day of the sixth month, Iūnius, marks the day when the academy opens its gate to its new students. "Look at that Eros we have new toys to play with" Edgar said while tucking the elbow of Eros.
"Edgar" However to his surprise Eros looked at him with contempt.
"People are no toys" he said while dosing his words with his aura, making his remark more powerful.
His friend gulped as he felt the overwhelming aura of Eros, but since his ego was much higher than his height he tried to fight back.
"People are no toys?" his voice became ragged as he tried to fight off the aura.
"You said that...but didn't you used to whip your brother? and treat him like a dog?" his tone was very sarcastic as if telling Eros that he was no better than him.
His words made Eros retract his aura, he knew well what he did and he hated remembering it.
"What? Go on speak!" with the aura's disappearance it made Edgar more confident to speak however Eros just looked at him.
This time his silent glare made Edgar shut.
"This is a warning Edgar" he went closer to him, then as he extended his arm he grabbed Edgar's collar before releasing his killing intent.
"You may be my friend but I won't tolerate anything that can taint my name"
Eros then let go of Edgar's collar, letting him fall to the ground. He then left leaving his friend sitting on the cold hard floor.
"Damn it" Edgar could only say those words while trying to calm his trembling legs.
More students entered the gates gaining the attention of the entire city or even the empire. Aster Academy is known for being the sanctuary for talents and that is why being eligible to enter was already a great honour.
However, talents are not the only ones being honed inside the academy but also connections. Every child from the noble bloodline is tasked to enrol. This way the younger generation can form friendships among their peers. The more friends you have the better the connection.
"Look is that Prince Caesar!"
"Wait let me see....damn it's a prince"
"I can't believe this! please someone check if I am dreaming" Then her friend proceeds to push her onto a nearby pond.
"Argh!" She gasps when the cold water from the pond touches her skin.
"Do you need me to check it again if you're dreaming or not?" her friend said while remaining nonchalant.
"This is not what I meant" she began to complain then a group of people approached her idol.
"Who is that guy how dare he approach my prince!"
"Violet calm down that guy is not some nobody, his the son of the leader of the mage association, Johan Aaren"
"I don't care," she said while putting down the frog that jumped on top of her head.
"Greetings noble prince of the empire" Johan Aaren immediately said as soon as he saw Caeser enter.
"Greetings as well but you know the academy forbids any aristocrats from declaring their status, so please treat me just like any other student here"
"I don't think I can do that, your Highness"
"Johan Aaren it's better to follow rules"
"Sigh if you put it that way then I suppose I have no choice but to follow"
Caesar nodded liking his answer however there was something that worried him.
"I wonder why am I feeling nervous" he could only say to himself.
"Your Highness!"
Soon enough Astrid Obsidianvale and Odysseus Arcanebane arrived with their respective escorts. Those escorts were students as well who were trained to protect the respective people they were assigned to. Usually, aristocratic families have them in order to secure their child's safety.
Beside Astrid was a lady with the same age as her, with black hair and brown eyes Leona Blackvel stood tall beside her lady. Odysseus on the other hand had a male escort with him. His name is Logan Blackstone he has light brown hair and light green eyes.
"It seems like Johan will be his highness' escort "
"Indeed the emperor gave such an important task to me and I shall do my best to fulfil it"
Caesar only shook his head while he listened to him. Silently he continued to walk across the academy's corridors.
"The general assembly will start tomorrow morning right?"
"Yes since it's tomorrow, we still have plenty of time to explore the high-class dormitory and facilities" Odysseus said while taking out a map from his storage ring.
"Man I am excited"
"Lady Astrid maybe we should also visit this place"
This group of high-rank nobles gathered the attention of the masses but they didn't pay any attention to them.
Outside the academy, the land basked into the light of the day. But suddenly the warm sunlight turns dark as the magic takes over. A black magic circle containing 15 magical rings along with intricate patterns and symbols, summon a huge ship along with a thousand mages.
"What the!" everyone's mouth remained gaping when they saw such an unexpected sight.
"Wait your Highness look" Astrid noticed first and immediately notified Caesar.
"Are those mages?" Odysseus asked while feeling dumbfounded.
"Seus those are not just mages, they are mages that came from the tower"
Caesar said as he recognized the insignia embedded on the body of the ship.
"A ship from the tower" Johan mumbled feeling a bit bitter.
.....
However opposite to the commotion below the ship along with the tower mages were quite exhausted due to the sudden teleport.
"Ugh!" one of the knights said while covering his mouth.
"Knight I'll give you a warning, if you throw up I'll throw up as well. So you better know how to fly before doing the unthinkable" Sam warned while looking threatening towards the knight.
"Everyone we have arrived!" while Sam continued giving his warning Tim happily announced their arrival.
"Well that was a rough ride, I'll just call the others" Apollo nonchalantly said before running towards the cabin.
....
"Did it end? Are we allowed to go now?" Niko asked fearing that if they came out, Apollo would cast another terrifying spell.
"The shaking stopped I think we should come out now?" Samael suggested but Arabella kept clinging to him.
It seems what happened at the entrance exam still haunts her.
"Come on guys I think by now we are already used to this type of drama. I mean it's been a year since we started being chased. Danger is no longer foreign to us" Braiden said trying to cheer them up.
"Everyone we are here!"
"!?"
Due to the tense atmosphere, Apollo's sudden entrance made them jump in fright.
"That scared me!" Agnes shouted while lightly hitting Apollo.
"Sorry I didn't mean it," he said pretending to be hurt.
More than a month spent inside the Mage tower was enough for Apollo to get to know them. Their trauma and even the people they lost on the way here were all told to him. They didn't hide anything and freely revealed everything. Somehow Apollo felt that they could sense that like them he too had a rough journey in life and because of that, them opening up was very easy.
However, knowing their past made it even harder for Apollo to quench his thirst for blood. He knows what it felt like to be hurt repeatedly, and what it felt like walking through an endless pit. The sense of hopelessness and insatiable anger for feeling useless eats you up, he knows it very well.
He had been there and no matter how many times he tried to tell himself he was okay,but he was aware he wasn't.
"How about we stay here for a while before going inside" Apollo suggested while his gaze subtly touched two staggering girls. One of them was Alya a girl with yellow-gold hair and orange eyes, and Vesta a little girl with dark brown hair and golden eyes.
Apollo could see how these two tried to walk however their legs were trembling so hard that they could barely walk. Apollo could recognize their state, it was a relapse, because of the sudden attack of the monastery unpleasant memories started surfacing. Those memories brought past emotions and scars that they tried so hard to fight.
But traumas are not easy to cure it takes a lot of time and courage to do so. That is why despite being repeatedly being reminded of their horrific experience, they remain strong and hopeful.
Their perseverance made Apollo respect them, it made the boy even more eager to protect them.
Now despite his initial thoughts of using them as a mere pastime, before dooming his sibling's life, he began to change after meeting them.
Now Apollo can never let them be, he knows that deep down those 15 students became important to him.
"Let's stay here for a little longer since there is still a huge crowd below"
The others nodded feeling that they still needed time to recover.