Six years ago. Agora Institute.
In the dead of the night, Agora stood standing in the precipice of the border between snow and sand, its black luster stood bleak yet imposing. Beyong the west gate lied the enchanted forest, converging with the northern mountains. Hardly anyone would pass there except for a few wild beasts.
And yet as the deep trees parted, a carriage broke out of the foliage and stopped a mere distance in front of the iron gates. Soturis stood vigilant, raising their weapons against the dilapidated carriage.
"State your business."
An old man stepped off the rickety carriage and with shaking hands, pulled out a piece of rolled parchment from his vest. It looked worn and crumpled, but bore the seal of the headmaster that the soturis could not outrightly turn him back. Both of them had neither the courage nor authority to open the letter, except for the seal itself that granted him entry.
Anticipating their reactions, the old man turned back to the carriage and pulled open the curtains. He then spoke in a raspy voice, "I... will not be venturing inside. Instead, please take this child. He is more important than my life." He collapsed on his knees, coughing and almost begging. He was far too much to have endured a journey through the enchanted forest, it had been a miracle he had broken through.
One soturi stepped forward as he lowered his weapon to take a closer look inside the carriage. "This..."
"I know it's wrong! But we need the headmaster's help." The old man pleaded. "He promised!"
Inside the carriage that resembled a wagon more than anything, sat a boy wrapped in ragged clothes. He was thin and pale, almost turning translucent under the moonlight.
The soturi's short companion also approached and raised his brows. "A zabiya?"
He nodded, still shaking. From nervousness or fear, the soturis did not know. Zabiyas were different from the normal humans. Natural talent for vitalis and the constitution of a laev, but their history meant they were persecuted throughout the centuries. Even now as the continent is preparing to shift to criminalize their persecution, mankind dare not forget and still constantly discriminated them.
"Where is this child from?"
The soturi looked at him for an answer, but even then the stubborn old man refused. He was not privy enough to such clandestine.
"Very well then." The guard didn't force him. "Let the boy down and I will escort him."
The old man nodded and beckoned the child to come forward. After letting him down the carriage, he whispered a few words to him and looked teary. He was unwilling to part with the boy, but his role was done.
Any further interaction would prove harmful, enough that it might endanger the child's life. Sensing the old man's resoluteness, the boy nodded expressionlessly. He wasn't aware of what was going to happen to him, but he couldn't be fussy because his mother would be angry.
After saying goodbye, the guard escorted him to the north side of the castle. He knocked on the door of the headmaster's office, revealing a woman in her late thirties dressed in armor.
She looked solemn but not surprised, as if she had already expected his arrival. She opened the door and let them in, serving tea before resuming her post.
"Good evening, headmaster."
Headmaster Ragnall, head of the Black Castle and leader of Agora. A rugged face with piercing blue eyes, an imposing stature that resembled an unmovable mountain, and as a 9th class soturi, very much befitting of of the title, Iron Sword.
The frail boy shivered as the man gazed upon him, the pressure so great he almost could not bring himself to breathe in his presence.
But the headmaster smiled. "Is this the boy, Soj?"
The soturi that escorted him nodded and handed him the letter. Unfurling the parchment, he read the contents with a contemplative look, making it hard to know his thoughts. He rolled up the letter and set it aside. Again, he glanced at the small boy.
He knew that his friend would bring a boy, but to be so young... Not to mention the fact that he was a zabiya. Well... almost a zabiya. He could not truly be considered one.
There were hardly any zabiyas that possessed pink eyes. Their race had long mixed with other humans and most often than not, most people would not even know they were considered one. The only thing that would give a clue to the modern zabiya would be their vibrant eyes. Too vibrant, too striking, too unique, and out of this world, an abnormality that set them apart from others. So beautiful that scavengers would hunt the young ones and exploit them for their own.
After the civil war from two decades ago, most zabiyas decided to scatter across the continents. The current emperor of Werdolf has done an immense job of trying to rid them of their 'cursed' status, but public opinion was slow to sway and being a race that was naturally gifted held them back.
The boy looked curiously around the room full of trinkets, weapons, and books. The room itself was no larger than an average living room of a modest family, but took on the aged look of a library, the smell of lavender incense filled the room, providing comfort in the unfamiliar.
Ragnall gestured for him to sit down, the boy obediently nodded and almost marveled at the soft velvet that sunk as he sat.
"Your mother has informed me. For the foreseeable future, you are under my care. I will endeavor to take care of things that should be taken care of, but everything else will be up to you. Do you understand?" His words were firm, a tone that reminded the boy of his father, whose face he could no longer remember.
But he also understood that there was nothing free in this world and that he had to work hard. He nodded, afraid to meet the headmaster's eyes. Ragnall smiled imperceptibly as he took out a leather necklace from his robes.
"Fortunately, you are not a pureblood. This can be considered my first gift to you. It is nothing more than a dampener, made to slightly alter your appearance. Just enough to make people think they know. Simply imbue it with vitalis every now and then should do the trick."
The boy had been taught the basics and knew the simple chants for vitalis. He wore it under his clothes and muttered under his breath. Slowly, the color of his hair and eyes had turned dull and he looked no different from a normal commoner child. A tight feeling on his body appeared, as if he had been constricted with a tight collar.
"Do not be too surprised. Although the mechanics are simple, illusion magic will always need something in return. You will feel this as long as you wear it. Continuously pour vitalis into it and it will work as intended. Stop and you will change back to your original appearance. A small price to pay for safety, no?"
Soj remembered something. "Sir, did you not admit another child like him? Will you consider keeping them together? So the child will not feel lonely."
But the headmaster shook his head. "It hardly seems appropriate to have unfamiliar children be together. Another matter is that the child is not willing. I had to make a contract, could you fathom bargaining with a child? So forget that matter, it is best we leave it be."
The boy pretended not to hear anything, but kept the truth close to his heart. If there was anything he was sure of, is that there was another like him in this castle. But it was far too vast, would he even find who it was?
Soj felt it a pity. How lonely must the boy be to be left alone in this dark castle where neither innocence nor naivety lurked? Alas, it may be for the best. He had seen that child before and they were not the friendliest either.
"What is your name, child?"
The boy looked up, his deep eyes gazing into the headmaster's, with a gaze that could pierce one's soul. A purity the headmaster could not seem to fathom that he felt himself faintly tremble.
"Carys."