After breakfast, the Duke and Duchess bid their children farewell, wishing them success and blessings for the day. Arden gazed at Aerick, his expression softening slightly as he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"Aerick, Father's just trying to look out for you. Don't be too hard on him, okay?"
He said, his voice low and soothing. Aerick nodded curtly, his olive green eyes flicking towards Leonard before he turned to leave, his light hair brushing against the collar of his uniform.
Just as he was about to excuse himself, a small hand slipped into Aerick's, halting him in his tracks. His expression softened, and he turned to face the young intruder, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
"Cyrin, what's wrong?"
He asked with a gentle expression. Cyrin shook his head, his blue eyes wide and earnest as he gazed up at Aerick.
"Brother, can I sleep with you tonight? I've had nightmares for a while now."
Aerick's face relaxed into a tender smile.
"Cyr, you're twelve now. Still hiding under the covers, hmm?"
He teased gently, ruffling Cyrin's hair.
Cyrin's face scratched into a pout as he crossed his arms, muttering,
"As if I'd care. I was just asking, brother."
Aerick chuckled, and ruffled Cyrin's hair.
"Alright, alright. You can sleep with me tonight."
With a nod, Aerick excused himself from Lyra and Leonard, striding towards the magic circle in the eastern wing of the mansion.
As he stepped into the intricate silver pattern, a shimmering glow enveloped him, and the world around him blurred. When his vision cleared, he found himself in the capital mansion.
Everwood Academy, a prestigious institution, stood at the forest's edge near the capital. The campus had student dormitories, but the Duke had insisted his children live at home, and Aerick was no exception. Of course, he himself had no desire to stay in the dorms. He preferred solitude and freedom.
Aerick and his elder siblings would enter the magic circle one by one, teleport, and then head to their respective carriages. Aerick always left a little earlier trying to avoid his siblings.
Aerick appeared in the capital mansion's garden, the morning sun was shining on the neatly trimmed hedges. The mansion's white marble building stood before him, its grand entrance and intricate carvings were a familiar sight to him. The butler greeted Aerick with a bow, a maid quietly taking his bag.
Aerick walked into the mansion with the maid, passing through the marble halls. Inside, the halls were elegant, with creamy walls, polished floors, and gold accents. Crystal chandeliers sparkled, adding warmth to the space. Aerick went to the main entrance where his carriage waited. He climbed in, accompanied by four knights, his mind already drifting to the day ahead.
Two roads led to Everwood Academy, one through the bustling capital, the other through the forest's quiet shadows. Aerick preferred the forest route as it provided a sense of peace and calm.
Aerick gazed out the window, watching sunlight filter through the trees as the carriage rolled down the forest path. The creak of the carriage and thump of hooves on earth lulled him into calm.
The scent of damp earth and leaves wafted in. Lost in thought, Aerick was jolted back to reality when the carriage suddenly stopped
Aerick frowned, his eyes narrowing.
"Halt?"
He called out, expecting an answer from the knights outside. But there was only silence. He tried again, louder,
"What is the matter?"
His voice was met with more silence. Aerick's grip on the seat tightened as he leaned forward, peering out the window. All, he could only see were only the trees and green grass in this oppressive quietness.
A sense of foreboding crawled up Aerick's spine as his mind raced through worst-case scenarios; assassin, attack, ambush. But the quiet was too oppressive, too unnatural.
And then he noticed it, the silence. No birds chirping in the canopy above, no rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze, no distant sound of water in the forest streams. Just...nothing. The absence of sound was deafening.
"The sound... it's quiet. Way too quiet."
He exhaled slowly, steeling himself for what he might find, and pushed open the carriage door.
The knights, positioned two ahead and two behind, sat motionless on their horses, their faces expressionless. Aerick's gaze swept over them, his confusion deepening.
No signs of injury or struggle, just... stillness. The horses didn't twitch, didn't breathe. It was as if time had frozen.
"What the...? What on earth happened here?"
Aerick muttered moving towards the knights. All of a sudden a soft voice spoke behind him.
"Oh dear, why so anxious?"
Aerick spun around, his hand on the hilt of the nearest sword. A man in a unique formal attire stood next to the carriage door, holding a crimson leather book, his smile polite but unnerving.
"Good to see you again, Kai. Well, you look scared."
Aerick's mind reeled. Suspicious stranger in unusual attire, holding a mysterious book.
'Mage? Time manipulation? Impossible. Who is he?'
The man's smile broadened as he stepped forward. Alarmed, Aerick stumbled back pulling out the Knight's sword. The man chuckled, his voice low and soothing.
"No need for that, Kai. I'm here to help."
"Stay back! What do you want? And who's Kai? You've got the wrong guy sir, I'm Aerick Valorian."
Aerick said, raising his sword. Trying to maintain his composure. The man's smile widened, his grey eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Nah, I got the right guy. You're Aerick, and also kinda Kai. Don't worry, dude, I'm not gonna hurt you. I mean, I'm a total gentleman, no way I'd mess with a kid."
Aerick's eyebrow twitched as he thought;
"What an embarrassing way of talking for a grown-up man. Classless donkey.'
As if the mysterious man had heard Aerick's inner thought, he coughed awkwardly and grumbled;
"Even kids are judging nowadays. Tsk. Anyway let's get to the matter at hand young Lord. Stop being paranoid, if I were to harm you, I wouldn't drag it out. So listen here, you need to survive and live. To do that, you must follow my instructions. If you don't, I will come back."
Aerick remained wary, his olive green eyes narrowing, not responding to the man's provocative remark. The stranger's smile didn't falter; he flipped open his antique pocket watch, revealing intricate engravings.
"Well, as much as I'd love to stay, time's up. Read this book, kid. Read it if you want answers. Don't, and you'll regret it."
He tossed the crimson book at Aerick, who dodged it like the plague and it fell on the ground.
The man's smile flickered, his mouth twitching into a brief scowl. He sighed, shaking his head.
"Kids these days..."
Then with a snap of his fingers, he vanished, leaving behind sandalwood and smoke.
As Aerick was about to react, his surroundings vanished, and he plummeted into darkness. He screamed, his stomach dropped, until he jolted awake back in the carriage, everything normal.
'Dream? I slept?'
Breathing deeply, Aerick tried to convince himself that it was just a wild dream. However, that hope shattered when he spotted the crimson book lying next to him.
Aerick's eyes widened in alarm as he recoiled from the book.
"What the actual-- oh shit!"
He exclaimed, backing away hastily. As he considered tossing it, the mysterious man's warning echoed in his mind. After some contemplation, Aerick let out a resigned sigh, his hand hesitating before he reached for the book.
As his fingers made contact, he felt an unexpected warmth emanating from it.
Swallowing hard, Aerick pushed aside the growing sense of unease and cracked open the cover, the leather creaking softly.
[ "It hurts... It hurts so much. Mother told me to run and to not look back. My throat and legs hurt so much. I can not stop, I need to find that man. I must. Mother said he's waiting at the crossroads, he has same hair and eyes as me. I need to hurry and help mother."
A child barely eight whispered, his breath hitching as he sprinted through the rain-soaked darkness in the jungle. In the dark under thundering sky and merciless rain. He ran, his clothes torn, his feet and hands injured.
Holding a charm, his mother gave him before paving the way for her son by fighting the attackers, he held it tightly in his hand. The charm increased his vision and kept wild beasts away from him. Perhaps, a last hope of protection from his mother.
Far off in the distance he saw a light. Thunder boomed, and the child's voice trembled as he cried out for help with all his might;
"Help...HELP ME..HELP.
....]
Aerick's eyebrows shot up as he scanned the page, his expression morphing into a mix of confusion and amusement.
'Is this just a dumbass novel?'
he thought.
'Are powerful beings advertising their books because they got too much free time?'
The dramatic narrative and over-the-top setup had him questioning the book's author. Recruitment tool for a crazy cult or just an entertaining tale gone wrong? He chuckled at the absurdity. Well, he enjoyed reading novels now and then.
As he read on, Aerick's eyes widened, fingers gripping the book tightly.
The Caelum Empire, his own family, the powerful Verdigris Duchy, and the other two duchies were all mentioned, leaving him stunned. The revelation that the young protagonist was none other than Zylan Verdigris, eldest son of Duke Verdigris – his classmate and arch-rival (self-proclaimed).
The carriage neared the prestigious Everwood Academy, but Aerick barely registered it, lost in the book. In the book, Aerick was portrayed as an arrogant, ungrateful snob who despised the family that loved him dearly. Aerick's face reddened.
"Arrogant? Ungrateful? SNOB? Me? Should I throw this book away? Is this a conspiracy against me?"
He muttered, yet kept reading.
He'd devoured almost six pages when the carriage stopped – Aerick barely acknowledged it. Chapters begin after a brief character overview of volume one. The story starts on the 3rd day of Elyria spring month. Aerick raised an eyebrow as he thought that today was the third day of Elyria spring month.
The plot was obvious by prologue, Protagonist Zylan seeks vengeance against those who harmed his mother. Reading the prologue, Aerick felt bad for the kid who'd seen such brutal slaughter and sacrifice.
Of course, Aerick never believed anything this book mentioned. As he read the first chapter his expression turned peculiar. According to the first few pages today an incident would occur. Where Aerick Valorian, the " Notorious Noble trash " would pick a fight with the nearby student and break an expensive vase at the academy.
At the time Zylan would arrive and defuse the situation emerging as a responsible student respected by his peers. Aerick scoffed at the absurdity but a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
'Isn't it too predictable? Let's see. Whether this book lies or maybe predicts future.'
Aerick chuckled at the absurd thought and was about to read more when the carriage door was knocked and a voice came from outside.
"Young master, is everything alright? It's been 15 minutes since the arrival."
Aerick snapped back to the reality and responded as he put the book in his back and got out;
"Everything is alright."
The knight nodded as he bowed. Aerick turned towards the entrance of the world famous Everwood Academy. Founded by the greatest scholar in history eight centuries ago who vanished after establishing it, Edward Everwood.
Everwood Academy stood tall, its walls shining in sunlight. The campus was huge, with gardens, fountains, and tall trees guarding the entrance, leaves rustling softly. As students hurried to class, sounds of clashing swords, whispered spells, and bubbling potions filled the air.
Everwood was a place of magic and learning, offering courses in
Magic Theory and Practice
Swords and Combat
Potions and Herbalism
Ancient History and Mythology
Beast Taming and Care
Medicines and Healing
Arts and Cuisines
The academy's grand library held ancient books and scrolls. Teachers were experts, retired heroes and even hunters. Commoners were allowed to study for free if they had potential or talents. The graduates of this academy were sought after anywhere in and out of Empire.
'It's also a place I despise. Well, today might be an exception.'
Aerick thought to himself as he went in through the entrance. Academy only accepted students of 17 years of age as they were accepted in a student must complete their four years of study.