Chapter Two
Fifteen days had passed since the incident that would later be known as "The Mysterious Elesu Village Incident." The weather was cold, the sky clear. Eugene walked with confident steps, though tension clearly clung to his face. As he moved through the crowded streets of Neo Capital, he suddenly stopped, gazing upward in awe.
"Wow! Is that really the Sun Academy? That's insane!"
Rin replied,
"Yeah, that's the academy founded by Moses, one of the Four Guardians."
Eugene blinked in surprise.
"Moses? The Four Guardians? How do you even know all that? And how do you know he founded it?"
Rin answered with full confidence,
"I read books all the time. It's normal to know these things. The Four Guardians are incredibly powerful cultivators with vast experience who protect the Monian Empire. They are: Iron, Moses, Musashi, and Master Jan."
"You're back to your usual chatter, huh?" Eugene said with a teasing smirk.
Rin glared at him, his confident eyes turning sharp with irritation.
Eugene shot him a playful grin.
"Hey! Why are you mad? I'm just joking."
At that moment, a man wearing glasses and carrying a book called out:
"You two! Come inside. The registration ceremony is about to start."
Eugene and Rin rushed into the assembly hall. The moment they entered, all eyes turned toward them. Whispered murmurs filled the room:
"Those are the only survivors of the Elesu Village incident."
Tension squeezed their chests as they sat in the back row. The hall was massive, decorated with ornate patterns and glowing chandeliers.
While they sat in silence, a tall man with long white hair, a monocle over one eye, and flowing blue robes called them with a gentle voice and a warm smile:
"Eugene, Rin, come sit in the front."
Shock rippled through the crowd, even among the teachers. Why would Moses—one of the Four Guardians and the founder of the Sun Academy—personally call two newcomers with no fame and no talent to sit in the front row?
Whispers exploded:
"Why is Moses favoring those two newcomers?"
"They must be close to him."
"Maybe it's connected to the Elesu incident."
Eugene and Rin moved nervously, hearts racing, sweat dripping under everyone's stares—especially Eugene, who was painfully shy, and Rin, who struggled heavily with social anxiety.
They sat down in the front row. The lights dimmed except for one spotlight shining on Moses. Some new students grew uneasy, especially after older students whispered warnings:
"You better drop out before you die or end up crippled like some others."
Moses rose from his seat, holding a glowing blue gem—known as a Sound Amplifier, used to project one's voice. His tone boomed with passion:
"Listen well, new students! From the moment you enter this academy, you are no longer ordinary people. You will become powerful cultivators and great warriors. One of you may even sit in this very chair as the academy's director someday."
"I will not promise you survival. The world of cultivators is harsh, mysterious, terrifying, and bloody. Only the great survive. But I promise that every teacher and staff member in this academy will give everything they have to train and protect you. And in return, I expect all of your effort, all of your commitment, and relentless determination to reach the top. Today is January 26— the beginning of a new generation of talents. Now tell me… are you ready?!"
The hall erupted with cheers and applause.
Eugene looked at Moses, eyes filled with awe and excitement.
"Amazing… he got everyone hyped even though they were scared," Eugene said happily.
Rin's voice trembled,
"Eugene… I don't think this is a good idea. He literally said we might die."
Eugene rolled his eyes,
"Rin, stop being a coward. We're under the protection of the Four Guardians and the Sun Academy. We'll get the best training, resources, and guidance. And besides… we survived that terrifying attack. Why would we be scared now?"
The applause went on for a while before everyone left to register their names.
After registering, Eugene and Rin were assigned a dorm wing. They collapsed onto their beds after the long, chaotic day.
"Ughhh, today was exhausting…"
"Exhausting? We were literally just celebrating. What's exhausting about that?"
Eugene stared at the ceiling, remembering the scene from days ago—the moment he had been tied down.
"Who are you? Why am I restrained? And where's Rin?"
The investigator answered,
"Don't worry, Rin is fine. He's at the hospital. I'm done interrogating him. My name is Mr. Fire, and I'm the lead investigator on this case."
Eugene's eyes widened.
"Case? What case?!"
With a calm voice, Fire leaned back and opened a file.
"On January 11th, at 6:30 PM, a massive explosion was heard all the way from the southern watchtower. Iron received the report and rushed to the site. When he arrived, he found Mount Elesu completely destroyed. He found two people: one severely injured, the other who had fallen from the mountain. He brought you both in for treatment, and we interrogated the first: Rin Shadow — unknown lineage, no records in that region. And you, Eugene Noah — also unknown and unregistered."
"But the strange part isn't the explosion… it's the fact that there's no village named 'Elesu' in Monian's records at all. So let me ask you again… who are you two?"
Eugene froze.
"H-How… how can Elesu not exist? We lived there! A thousand people lived there! How could it just disappear?"
Fire raised an eyebrow.
"So you're saying the village was full of residents… and you both lived there?"
"Yes! Yes!" Eugene replied in panic.
"Alright then… tell me everything that happened."
Eugene told him everything. Afterward, Fire released him. Eugene rushed to the hospital and found Rin surrounded by nurses and doctors. Rin was overwhelmed by all the attention, and Fire had personally ordered them to take good care of him. Eugene ran to him and hugged him tightly, tears of relief filling his eyes.
Later, Mr. Fire entered the room.
"Eugene, Rin, listen… We're transferring you to the Sun Academy."
Rin's eyes widened.
"What? The Sun Academy? Why?"
Fire sat down.
"Well, you have no registered lineage, no village named Elesu exists, and we don't know if that man with the strange symbol will attack again. So we're moving you somewhere safe—where you'll train, live, and hopefully become useful members of society. You leave tomorrow."
Rin's anxiety spiked. The path they were being forced into was the very path their mothers had always warned them about. But Eugene felt both excitement and fear—this was the path he had always dreamed of.
Fire stood to leave, then added:
"Oh, and… Moses personally requested your transfer from the Justice Organization."
Everyone was stunned. Unknown lineage, no talent… yet Moses wanted them?
Odd. Very odd.
"Anyway," Fire said with a faint smile, "I hope you find a good life there. Until we meet again."
End of Chapter Two