Two years earlier.
Kael tried not to notice the second glances he was receiving as he walked toward the main town of Nexus. Not that he minded. In fact, he normally relished the attention, but he was trying to process the events of the past few days and come to terms with the fact that he was alone again.
Not many dark elves made the long journey from Qylith to this tiny island located in the center of all the kingdoms of Atheria, so despite being in a crowd of people from virtually every kingdom in the world, he stood out, in more ways than one.
These were hard times where everyone was fighting to survive one day at a time. Seeing someone walking with a greatsword strapped across his back, with a large dazzling blue jewel set in its pommel, worth five years of food and shelter for their family, drew a lot of attention.
Yet what made him stand out the most was not his weapon or even the fine armor he was wearing. The reason they nodded in respect, moved out of his way, and greeted him as my lord was the confident manner in which he carried himself. Someone important, they must have thought. After all, only a prince or a rich lord's son could have such rare equipment.
In reality, Kael was carrying everything he owned. A few loose silver coins in his pockets, another day’s rations, a half-filled waterskin, and a girl’s ivory hair clip tucked away in his belt pouch. He had earned his gear and was proud of it. And if they helped open up doors and made people nicer to him, all the better.
He had walked all the way up from the harbor on foot, in his armor, despite the unusual heat that was lingering from the summer, for this very reason, and to stick out from all the others hoping to seek glory, fame, and riches by becoming Adventurers as well.
Membership in the Guild was the only way to become one, and before that you had to graduate from the Adventurer’s Academy. A very selective two-year program that trained talented fighters, healers, and magic users to become the strongest versions of themselves.
The Guild was not only in charge of all of Nexus, but it was also the only recognized governing body for all the kingdoms’ efforts against the Void Breaches. The first line of defense and the last beacon of hope in the battle to prevent the world from being torn apart by cosmic rifts that allowed hordes of monsters to flood in from random pocket realities. Before the Guild, the world was plunged into a dark age that lasted many millennia.
At least that was what the pamphlets said.
Those on the same road as him gaped in awe as they approached the town gates. Although Nexus was a small town by any kingdom’s standards, it was the most heavily protected and militarily capable of any fortress in the world. Massive magically infused stone walls and battlements stretched all the way around the town. Large cobblestone roads split the town into organized and easy-to-defend districts with a main gate on each side. The ramparts could hold thousands to fight back whatever threat might spawn.
Kael was unimpressed. He strode through the town gates like he had built the place, not bothering to stop even when the town guard tried to question him about his entry. A simple look and a raised eyebrow was all it took for the guard to bow his head and wave him on.
He made his way past the stables into the main town square. A giant water fountain stood in the middle, surrounded by shops, a tavern, market stalls, and of course the Guild headquarters. There was a lot to see and explore, but that would be for another day.
Kael crossed the town square and made his way to the Academy gates. Two pillars of pale limestone, with the Guild’s mark cut into the capstone between them, worn soft by hundreds of years of wind and rain. Kael paused at the threshold.
Here goes nothing.
He pushed open the gate and stepped into the main courtyard. Its paved pathways hugged the perimeter, and a large center lane ran toward the main hall, made of the same pale limestone as the gate. The Mage’s Tower peered over the back of the campus buildings.
Fields of grass with meticulously placed trees and flowers filled the spaces between pathways in the courtyard, bringing a sense of nature into the otherwise built-up town.
The main path led straight to the Academy’s giant tiered stairs, up to a central landing and then again to the large double doors of the hall itself. The hall’s entrance way was framed by three long round pillars on each side, a large silk banner hung between each side of the middle pillar. Apart from noticing the colors, red, purple, white, and green, Kael paid little mind to them. He didn’t care about politics. Strength was all that mattered, not which faction you belonged to.
The entire courtyard was full of Academy hopefuls. He was surprised to see so many students his own age still being dropped off by their family and loved ones. Large trunks full of their belongings at their feet, so they wouldn’t miss any of the comforts of home.
Kael didn’t even bring a change of clothes.
He couldn’t imagine how weak and coddled they must all be. Now he understood why he had heard the dock workers gossiping that most applicants would be sent home or wash out after a couple of weeks.
The next thing Kael noticed was that the majority of the students looked like they came from money. Every piece of equipment Kael could see was expensive, and none of it looked like it had ever been used in actual combat. Polished breastplates with matched sets of pauldrons and greaves, with house symbols imprinted on them. Flowing robes with silver and gold embroidered runes on rich velvet fabric, paired with an intricately carved and stained staff. All preening for attention, being doted on by their parents, and trying to size each other up.
Talk about pretentious elites.
He shook his head. Then turned his attention to the other group of students that gathered away from the others. They were the students who seemed like farmers and crafts folk who had come for a sense of duty or to better their family’s station. Some may have been directly affected by the breaches; either wanting to keep their loved ones safe or exact revenge for their loss. Kael could relate to them better than he would care to admit.
Most were dressed in worn clothes and a patchwork of different armor pieces. Their weapons were old, dug out of chests or taken down from walls where they had hung as heirlooms, likely for the first time in years. A boy near the gate was so nervous he had dropped his bedroll and was trying to pick it up before anyone noticed. Seven paces to his left, he could hear a mother crying quietly, not wanting to let her son go off on his own.
Kael put them out of his mind and continued to scan the courtyard.
There were also students from other kingdoms and races. A green fellow with green hair and a large red sash tied around his waist that said come fight me if you dare, stood off away from the others near a large oak tree. It looked like a group of the pompous rich kids were going to try their luck.
Five on one. Pitiful. It will be a good lesson for them.
Even at this distance, Kael caught the movement of a female figure in a black hooded cape disappearing behind the tree where those boys had gathered.
So oblivious. They didn’t even see her. Wait… did she have a tail?
Kael shrugged and made his way up the central path, getting a few glares as he skipped the long lines of students waiting before him, heading straight toward the registration desk. No one challenged him though.
It was evident, even to a farmhand, that Kael’s armor had not come off a wall. Its black leather was overlaid with deep purple plate, cut and fitted in a style none of them had ever seen before, and it seemed like it had been tailor made just for him. The leather looked soft at the joints, as from actual wear in battle. The metal had a depth to it that new steel did not have, with small dents and scratches. Combined with the size of his greatsword and the way he wore it, Kael gave the impression of someone who should not be trifled with.
He could feel their eyes on him without needing to turn around. A group of three students waiting in line watched him walk past them. It had been a long time since he had been in a crowd without keeping track of every person and potential threat in it. These three were harmless.
“Look at that gear. That’s seen real action.”
“What kind of design work is that? I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“He’s a dark elf. I’ve never seen one before.”
“He must be from Qylith. What’s he doing all the way out here?”
Same as you, Kael thought.
Two girls a little further ahead were linked arm in arm, giggling with each other. One of the girls did a double take at Kael as he neared, then quickly looked away.
“He’s handsome,” she said as she laughed into her friend’s shoulder.
“Ren!” the one in white cleric novice robes admonished her friend while giving Kael a disapproving stare.
“What! Clerics can like bad boys too.”
Kael decided to have some fun with them. As he passed, he leaned in and whispered loud enough for anyone nearby to hear, “Ren… with eyes as beautiful as yours, I’d have no choice but to repent for my wicked ways.” He paused for a dramatic second, looking straight into her eyes. “Or would they just make me want to do more wicked things instead?”
Ren’s face turned bright red and she was left speechless. Kael heard some of the boys behind her snicker. Before she could recover, Kael winked and said, “We better not risk it.”
He smiled slyly and started up the steps to the welcome desk. By the time he reached the landing, half the people in the courtyard had decided he came from a great house, was a Qylith prince, or was an experienced adventurer fleeing from a faraway land to avoid being hanged by a rich noblewoman’s husband.
He had never lied to anyone. He just never corrected them. In fact, he had barely said a word to anyone. That was the whole trick. Say little, carry yourself as if you own the place, and people would build you a history that was much better than the truth. Real life was never as exciting as what one could imagine in their own mind. He had been playing these types of games since he was a boy, for fun and distraction.
The registration table stood under a canvas awning on the middle landing, where broad steps went up to the main building entrance. In the center of the table, next to a jar of quills, was an open ledger with a small river stone holding down the current page. Behind the table there was a single chair with the first person Kael had seen all morning in a school uniform.
She looked about nineteen or twenty, so she must be a second-year student. Her uniform consisted of a deep burgundy tunic that went to her hip, with a gold-trimmed stand collar and a small woven Academy crest at the left breast. A broad green sash was draped across her right shoulder with a gold border stitched along it. She wore a charcoal knee-length skirt and black stockings. Her black hair was cut bluntly at the jaw. While she looked unhappy to be assigned to run the desk registrations, she gave off the impression that she would make sure she still did an amazing job at it.
She was finishing her review of a dwarf’s application. He was young, his beard barely reaching an inch past his chin.
“Interesting, you are enrolling to better understand the relationship between elemental magic and the Aetheon’s magic sources?”
Nearby, a cute redhead in a teal dress and half-pointed ears perked up at that. She looked like she wanted to jump into the conversation, but the older, slightly scruffy-looking human with a beard brought her focus back to what he was saying. It looked like she already had her application papers.
The dwarf’s application was marked approved and handed back to him. He thanked her and then jumped when he saw Kael, running off quickly. “Next,” the student clerk called. She looked confused for a second that Kael was in front of her. She glanced over at the long line behind him, shrugged, and then simply asked, “Application papers?”
Kael put on his best smile and picked up a quill. “I don’t have any, I’m afraid. I just sign here to enroll, right?” The aide didn’t reply. She looked him over and frowned. Obviously not impressed by what she saw.
Turning the ledger towards her, she asked, “Name?”
“Kael.”
She flipped through the pages, running her finger down the roll. She ran through it a second time, this time slower, and her mouth tightened.
“Say it once more.”
“Kael.”
“Kael of ?”
“Just Kael.”
She turned the ledger back around so he could read it, put her finger at the top of a column, and drew it down. Each page had a long list of names, some with a kingdom name after them or a sponsor’s mark in red in the margin.
“Well, Just Kael. You’re not on the roll. No application. No sponsor.” She let that sit, and then, because she was thorough, she finished it. “No admission.”
If she thought that would be the end of it, she was about to be in for a big disappointment.
Kael did not deflate or bristle at her rejection. He went into his own mind instead. He found it a good way to focus when something did not add up. He was supposed to be here. There wasn’t any doubt in his mind. He didn’t know what had happened, but it did not matter. His instructions had been clear that he had to be enrolled in the Academy today. No matter what.
He looked back up at the registrar and smiled at her.
“The ledger is wrong; someone must have made a mistake.”
That made the most logical sense. The ledger was only paper. A mistake could easily have been made at the Academy’s end. An application lost in transit, misfiled by a school clerk, or a scribe thinking more about supper than the work at hand.
She frowned at that, eyebrows drawing together, an irritated look forming on her face.
“I do not make mistakes, Just Kael. I already checked it twice. If you aren’t already on the ledger, have a letter of recommendation, or are from a noble home, step aside.”
Her hand was already out for the next student’s papers.
“Next.”
Kael did not move.
He did not argue with her or plead, and he did not do what every other sensible person would do in that situation, which was to step aside, embarrassed, and go somewhere to think about what to do next.
Kael simply stayed where he was. Behind him the queue stalled and then came to a complete stop. The clerk’s hand stayed out in the air, waiting for papers that could not reach her with the dark elf in the way. He was purposely remaining in front of the table, preventing anyone else from interacting with the student clerk, until he got his way.
She called his bluff and didn’t say or do anything else either. She just kept her hand extended, waiting. She didn’t even look up at him. Minutes passed, and students still waiting in line craned their necks to see what the holdup was.
I have to give it to her. She is stubborn. No, I’m not moving. I don’t care if I’m making a scene or not.
Somewhere behind him a father called out, “What’s the matter up there?” and nobody answered him.
“You’re holding up the line,” the clerk finally said.
“Am I? I’m just waiting for my approval stamp,” Kael said sweetly.
She gave up first, let out a small sigh, and without taking her eyes off him, turned to a male student in the same uniform who was standing behind her.
“Go and fetch Proctor Maelen… quickly.”
He nodded, said, “Yes, Mira,” and ran up the rest of the stairs, two steps at a time, into the Academy Hall. The name went back down the queue behind Kael in a murmur.
“Maelen.”
“She’s sent for Proctor Maelen.”
People said her name as if they were talking about a famous hero. Kael waited. He did not fidget. He had spent a long time learning not to, in a place where fidgeting got noticed. He remained still, ignoring the heat of the sun, the weight of his greatsword across his shoulders, and the daggers in the eyes of the people waiting behind him.
He noticed Mira watching him and gave her a little smile. Not to say he was sorry, but that she brought this on herself. She rolled her eyes at him and pulled out what looked like a small spellbook from her pocket and started flipping through it.
Ten minutes later, Proctor Maelen was walking down the steps to the middle landing. Kael flashed a warning to Mira with his eyes, who immediately sat up straight and quickly put her book away. She looked like she was trying to figure him out and not having any luck.
While Proctor Maelen didn’t hurry, she didn’t seem happy to be called away from whatever she was doing. The proctor was an elf, tall, in deep violet robes trimmed at the hem and cuffs with silver. Her hair was dark and had a bun tied up above her neck in the back. Like most mages, she held a slim wooden staff in one hand. A small enamel pin that subtly showcased her affiliation with the Magus sat on her collar.
She looked at Kael. She had sharp gray eyes and she did not seem surprised to find a dark elf blocking her desk. The runner must have told her everything on the way.
Her eyes narrowed a fraction as she took in his armor and greatsword.
“Is there a reason you’re holding up the registration, dark elf?”
Kael did not flinch under her intense gaze.
“I’m supposed to be here,” he replied authoritatively. It was how a king would address his subject, with not an ounce of pleading or doubt that he would be obeyed.
She looked him over again. Really studying him. She looked surprised. Most in his situation would try to name drop, claim a kingdom, or invent a patron who could not easily be checked, tell a lie, or resort to begging.
Kael did none of those things. He did not offer a single excuse or reason. He did not offer a single other word to make his case. The silence went on long enough that Mira shifted in her chair. Somewhere behind him a trunk lid banged shut, and somebody laughed and was hushed.
“Where did you train?”
“Out there.”
“With whom?”
“An angel.”
Maelen’s mouth twitched as if she was trying to hide a smile. She looked at him again, and Kael felt as if she was storing and analyzing every detail about him, trying to figure out which box he fit in.
“I can’t put you on the roster this late,” she said loudly for the benefit of the crowd. A proctor must be an example and obey the rules.
Then she leaned in close to whisper to him, “But it is tradition that anyone in the hall when the assessment starts is allowed to participate in the screening.”
He smiled that dangerous smile at her.
“Thank you, Maelen. I look forward to your tutelage.”
Mira stammered in shock at his familiarity, “It is Proctor Maelen!”
Kael was grateful. He could tell the proctor had done something special for him and that nobody would thank her for it. If he turned out to be an embarrassment or a waste of time, it would be her reputation that was damaged.
She was already walking away, the staff ticking on the stone. Kael called out after her, “You won’t be disappointed.”
She half turned. “Let’s see if your power matches your boldness.”
“I guarantee it will be something you never forget.”
He meant it. It was not a boast. She just nodded once and entered the Academy.
Did that just happen? I can’t believe it. I thought we were going to have to fight our way in there for a second.
“You can go now,” Mira said.
Realizing he didn’t have any real information about the Academy, where to go, or what the screening actually was, he hesitated. “Where do I go? Is there anything else I have to do?”
She looked at him in total bewilderment.
“The screening hall. Go through the double doors, turn left at the first hallway, and then the third door on the right.”
“Thank you, Mira.”
She went back to her ledger and raised her hand. “Next applicant, come forward.” She did not look at him again. Kael decided that he liked her.
Before he had taken a step away from the table toward the Academy, a loud clatter of hooves echoed off the pavement, drawing the attention of everyone outside. On a path that was meant for walking, a white and gold horse-drawn carriage with intricate elven ornaments came through the gate into the courtyard in a hurry.
Two matched grays in harness stopped at the foot of the Academy steps without the driver even pulling the reins. He simply moved his hand and they responded. The elven driver was a dangerous man. Kael saw that with just a glance. He must also be a bodyguard for whatever noble was in the carriage. The driver hopped down from his seat to open the carriage door. His head bowed, he extended his hand, and a white armored gauntlet reached out and took it.
She stepped down with the unnecessary help of her driver, and Kael saw the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.
Second. Second most beautiful.
She was fair-skinned, with the pointed ears of the Ondara elves, in white and gold plate over chainmail. She wore a white tabard over the plate and a custom longsword at her hip in a plain white scabbard, and on her other arm she carried a white shield with gold at the rim and no crest or device on it, which said more than any of the house symbols around her: she wanted to be judged on her own strength and merits. Yet she still moved with the grace and polish of a real noble.
Her long golden blonde hair was tied in braids at the sides, pulled back from a face that showed a cold determination and little else. Ice-blue eyes pierced through the crowd, set on their target, the steps where he stood.
She nodded to herself and took long strides up the remaining pathway and stairs. The courtyard went quiet in patches as she walked through it, and a path opened in front of her with what seemed like deference. A different reaction to the one he had received, but the same end result.
“That’s the Ondara ambassador’s daughter.”
“She is gorgeous.”
A boy wearing expensive plate armor took half a step into her path. He was tall and had the confident face of a boy who had never been told no.
“Solena… Welcome. To the Academy. I’m Bram, of—”
She did not slow or even bother to look at him as he spoke. She simply walked by him. He was left standing in the middle of the path with his hand half raised and his family name still in his mouth. The students nearest to him found somewhere else to look.
One of them teased his friend, “Oh… that was cold!”
It was not cruelty on her part. Kael could see that much from the landing. She had not noticed the boy at all. She had seen the path she needed to be on and walked it. There was something amusing in that, a girl who could stop a whole courtyard without saying a word and then not realize the effect she had on others.
More whispers followed her up the stairs. If she heard them, she didn’t let on that she did.
“They said she’s already turned down a clan.”
“I heard she’s had an Ondara Arcane Blademaster training her since she could first hold a practice sword.”
“She’s our year? Is she the one the Church has been trying to recruit?”
“She’s a Paladin candidate.”
Kael watched as she walked the length of the courtyard and straight to the front of the line, past a queue that had been standing in the sun for an hour, ignoring all the comments about her, and nobody daring to say a word to stop her. Just as they had for him.
Solena stopped in front of him, unable to get to the desk with him still blocking the way. She looked at him with a slightly raised eyebrow, confused that something was stopping her from her purpose there. The same technique he used on the town guard.
I’m going to have to be careful around this one.
Before either of them could say anything, a ray of sunlight caught the chain at her collar, drawing his eyes down to a heavy gold signet ring nestled in the middle of her chest.
Unconsciously, he raised his hand in the air, half open, as if to grab it.
“What are you doing?” Her voice was level. Not cold, but not warm either, as she used her shield arm to point to the desk he was standing in front of, and back to the long line behind them. She did not break eye contact as she waited for his response.
“Huh?”
His mind was racing and his heart was beating faster. Unable to take his eyes off the ring, he stammered, “I’m not doing any—”
“Then move,” she said, cutting him off.
A pause, and then, in a much colder tone:
“What are you staring at?”
Her eyes followed his. Down her neck, to her own collarbone, to the middle of her chest. Her face flushed slightly and she tsked loudly in surprise as she used her shield to cover her chest.
“Pervert!”
“What? No…”
Now it was Kael’s turn to be embarrassed. He felt the heat go up his neck and into his pointed ears. He barely stopped himself from turning his gaze away. If he did that, he would lose. He had not been flustered like this by anyone in years.
Bram, the boy she had ignored, and his friends were intently watching their exchange, whispering snide comments to each other.
What is going on with me? I must be dehydrated from the walk from the harbor. Don’t worry. I can handle this.
Kael flashed his best grin at her.
“Don’t flatter yourself, princess.”
It was out of his mouth before he realized it. Princess. It had come out naturally and without thought.
The boys were delighted, not bothering to keep it down.
“Princess?”
“More like a frost princess…”
Her eyes narrowed. She was angry. She turned and glared at the boys.
“All hail the ice princess!” they teased.
She flashed Kael another glare before pushing past him to make her way to the desk. Kael, already off balance from the exchange, stumbled aside. She handed Mira her application without looking his way again.