"Well, that's that." Jason casually spoke out loud, his sword sliding into his sheath with a calming sound of sword scraping against leather. His eyes scanned over the accumulation of nearly thirty dead bodies, and luckily for him, he didn't need to bother cleaning them up.
It'll be left as a mystery for the enforcers, one they'll never solve. Arion stepped forward, his humility from their first encounter shifting as Zackary, or rather Jason, was brought to a new light. "So, what now?"
Jason continued to look forward, his mind already set on how the next few days would unfold. "Nothing. Return to your home, act as if nothing happened."
Arion nodded and stepped over to his child, who faced the wall, unaware of the horrors that unfanned right behind him. "Daddy is going to take us home now, okay? Daddy's friends had to be punished for doing bad things to their friends." Arion patted his head with a feigned smile, lifting him in his arms as he began making way to the exit.
"Arion," Jason called out.
Arion halted and turned his head, his eyes interlinking with Jason's.
"You might be a bad person, but you're a good father. And that is all that matters." A soft smile bloomed on Arion's face as he closed his eyes in a manner of not allowing his gratitude show too much, but he couldn't stop himself fully.
He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, round-shaped object, and tossed it toward Jason, who snatched it out of the air.
"If you're ever in need of help with anything, my family will back you. My daughter, Ena, will be in the APE, along with that boy. Show that to her, and he'll have a commendable friend throughout the academy."
Jason also expressed a smile; Not one of social courtesy, but knowing he had an ally. Someone who could come to aid him and Agnus should they ever need it. "Likewise. You know where to find me."
The two nodded eachother off as Arion took his leave, fusing with the shadows as his mana signature disappeared from the world.
Jason unclasped his hand, examining the crest that lay in his palm. It was designed with a hazy red as the main accent, with golden sparkles embedded throughout. Shallow but masterfully carved lines marked the crest, depicting an image of a wave belonging to the ocean with the sun fittingly positioned behind it.
'Oho, a family crest, eh?'
The idea was simple: have one, and you could prove you're a member of that family.
Have that while not being a member of the family, and that means you were a trusted ally of them.
They didn't merely gain the backing of one man; they had an entire family willing to aid him.
He was reluctant upon calling a family, but should the need ever arise, he would.
"Well, it's time for us to leave. I wanna sleep."
Agnus nodded and began walking out, Jason trailing close behind.
—
The familiar streets of Marba roared with life, its roads festered with more teenagers than children as the academy APE program would begin today.
Jason had to leave earlier than Agnus, attending to his duties as a professor to keep his disguise hidden neatly. Agnus scanned his eyes over the crowd with each step he took, an assassin hiding within the crowd never escaping his thoughts. An assassination in broad daylight was incredibly bold, but it couldn't be ruled out. Agnus kept his left hand near his hip, his dagger hiding within his waistband, waiting to be drawn.
The colossal size of the academy entered his view, his eyes focused on the buildings that stretched hundreds of feet into the air. Massive engravings were etched onto the sides, following a wave-type pattern that flowed throughout the exterior. Long ribbons featuring the names of renowned students draped from the sides, the inner courtyard featuring massive statues of phenomenal figures born from this academy.
Renowned warriors, brilliant scientists, and even the respected Pillars. Multiple began their journey in this academy, and Agnus would be no different. A rush of teenage children his age passed him like a school of fish, their vigorous shrieks of excitement filling the air with sound. Agnus calmly walked behind them, his gait steady and articulation blank as he aimlessly stared forward.
He had the customary uniform for the APE program, a slick black uniform lined with red seams. Simple and pleasant looking. Finally, Agnus made it to the entrance of the academy.
Wide steps that spread nearly 20 yards from left to right, their color a simple grey with handrails at each third.
Agnus followed the steps upward, past gigantic walls that reached nearly 60 feet in the air and 30 feet across, fanning outward. White-granite walls followed the outside, forming a colossal square that harbored all of the academy's facilities. Each time Agnus glanced around, he saw teenagers with their parents or accompanied by others. He walked by himself, his hand lingering around his waistband in the possiblity an assassination would take place.
Realizing this, he acknowledged how different he was from other children his age.
If he had emotions, would he be surrounded by friends or family?
If he were never the son of the Twelfth Pillar, would he be walking next to his parents with a smile on his face?
The thoughts vanished as quickly as they appeared, but the same question would always linger in the back of his mind like an odor stained into a carpet. He eventually made it to the top of the stairs and walked through the mighty doors that acted as the entrance into the academy.
As soon as he stepped in, the sight was bewildering as each building was significantly spread apart, far past what he saw outside the Academy.
He let himself stand idly for a second as his eyes traced the buildings to the walls of the Academy, yet no reliable proof stated the reasoning for this. In his mind, however, he knew it was the effect of runes or spells that he couldn't visibly detect.
The inside of the Academy was a city within itself, and the sight was one to marvel at. In the center, the largest building was positioned, fanning out hundreds of feet to each side and behind it. To his left, a set of buildings that were nearly a dozen stories tall were stacked next to each other, 'The dorms.' He said in his mind. There were plenty of different buildings he couldn't label, each one different in size, width, or height.
Naturally, Agnus followed the wave of students, allowing them to be his leader as they moved to where the APE took place, and where it would all start for him. Eventually, he was led to a massive opening where the center was hollowed out, allowing a nearly 500-yard-long courtyard to exist in the middle of the walls.
In each direction, a long wave of black and red filled Agnus's vision, everyone wearing the common uniforms as required for the APE exams. The sheer number of people present would be astounding to any other person, as there were nearly ten-thousand students participating in the exam alone, not even accounting for those who were already enrolled.
The scale of it was major, and Agnus only let himself think there would be more students to surpass.
He didn't even consider the thought of it being harder.
He would pass the exam, as there was no personal want in it.
It was needed.
If he didn't pass; He was weak, and he wouldn't be able to pull out their foes.
Both were possibilities that Agnus knew were dire, and wouldn't accomplish anything if it went down that route.
Therefore, he had no plans to fail the APE and would certainly guarantee his spot in the academy. In front of the mass accumulation of students, an elevated stand was built, its platform vacant as it awaited a speaker to take place.
The teenagers around Agnus hushedly conversed with each other, each letter being audible to the idle Agnus who stood there motionlessly.
"You think it'll be the headmaster again?"
"Na, prolly the vice-master again."
A few more exchanges were spoken between them until their tones suddenly shifted, "Yoo, see that kid in front of us? White hair? You think that's who I think it is?"
The other kid squinted his eyes as he comically moved his head around to try to get a better view of Agnus, who kept his stature straight and head facing forward.
Slowly, he heard as the tone of the whispers rippling throughout the crowd changed, their words becoming sharper and quieter as if speaking of something forbidden. Boys kept their eyes focused on Agnus as they chuckled to themselves, girls covering their mouths as they whispered something to each other and barely managed to hold in the laugh.
Agnus could sense as hundreds of gazes fell upon his body, the spiritual effect funneling into his stomach. It felt like every gaze in the world was honed in on his body, each lingering emotion of spite from his father's actions forming a bubble of malice that enveloped his being.
'I can feel it.' He said inwardly as he shifted his feet, allowing his stance to become more relaxed.
'Their hatred for me pools around me like the air.
They already hate me.'
There was one thing Ryan warned him about, and it was unfortunate, as it was the same thing occurring right now.
Resentment.
It was one thing to be weak, but it was another to have a target on your back during the APE.