I walked into the Athellia branch of the Mávros Drákos office. At first, I thought it might be too early to sign up as a member, but on second thought, it was better to be safe than sorry. Having a group would be the safest bet if a war ever broke out. Once I reached the administrative desk, the officer questioned me.
"What are you doing here, kid? This isn't a place for children."
He glared at me with a gaze so sharp it felt like it could slit my throat. I calmly replied,
"I'm here to register as a member."
"At your age? Can you even use magic yet?"
Despite his mocking words, he didn't even crack a smile. He turned around, grabbed a piece of paper, and handed it to me.I looked at the paper it required me to fill out some necessary information. Everything seemed normal until I saw one specific field:Family Name. Was that really necessary?So, I asked the officer,
"Is a family name important?"
"Suit yourself," he replied. "But if you want my advice... don't bother putting it in."
Since I didn't have one in this world anyway, I left the field blank. After I finished filling out the form, I handed it back to him. He scanned the paper for a moment before reaching for a sword-shaped brooch and handing it to me. I tucked it safely into my pocket.
"You may go," he said.
I stepped inside, and my eyes widened. It was a massive black hall, adorned with numerous dragon statues. I looked around, noticing only a few members present. However, something caught my attention—why were their brooches shaped like dragons? I figured our ranks must be different.Suddenly, I spotted a tall woman with black hair; her brooch featured both a dragon and a sword. What kind of rank was that? Then, a man with white hair emerged from the training room, drenched in sweat. He, too, wore a dragon-and-sword brooch.
He glared at me with a murderous gaze. I froze for a moment, but his expression instantly shifted to one of kindness as he waved at me. How strange. Being seemingly the youngest in the room, I didn't dare speak to anyone. I checked the request board, but it was eerily quiet. Is no one posting requests? Damn it! No chance to earn money.
With nothing left to do, I walked out of the Mávros Drákos branch office. Snow was still falling, though the sun was now shining. Wait, the sun is always shining here, isn't it? Whatever.
I strolled along the crowded streets. I glanced at a restaurant and saw a family sharing a meal happily; the child looked so joyful to be with their parents. I then looked toward the Palace of Athelia—it was breathtakingly beautiful, beyond words.
Suddenly, an arrow flew into the palace. Immediately, soldiers surrounded the perimeter, blocking all exits. What's happening? An assassination? But who's the target? Seriously, things like this just happen out of nowhere.
The entire kingdom fell into chaos. All entrances were sealed. I saw some people taking advantage of the panic to loot others. But wait... why were the soldiers storming the palace instead of protecting it? A rebellion? If so... who is behind this?
I cautiously moved through the crowd, searching for my friends. They should be at the school—which was for the best, as it was far safer than the palace right now. Suddenly, I saw blood splatter from within the palace walls. Even from a distance, the sight of it made my heart race.
I reached for my sword, but—damn it!—I hadn't brought it with me! I looked at the panicked crowd, and then I saw it: a green snake-shaped brooch. Members of the Prásino Fídi were storming the palace. From inside, the screams of nobles being slaughtered echoed through the air. I rushed through the chaos, heading back to the school, only to find my nightmare confirmed. The school had been seized! And the Headmaster was away on business in another kingdom. That meant the school was defenseless!
Amidst the turmoil, I slipped into a weapons shop and snatched a bow without being noticed. When I reached the school's outer wall, I swallowed hard, staring up at its height. Do I really have to climb this? I doubted myself for a second, but I had no choice. I began forming ice harpoons to use as climbing anchors.
Suddenly, a sharp whistle cut through the air. I instinctively lunged to the side, nearly losing my footing. A spear—thrown by a Prásino Fídi member—embedded itself where I had just been standing. He was readying a second throw when the white-haired man with the dragon-and-sword brooch swooped in, killing him instantly. He turned and waved at me with that same cheerful expression. Hmph, how can he be so carefree in this situation? But still, I was grateful.
I climbed until I was nearly at the top, but then it hit me: they would have already secured the battlements. I had to try something new. I conjured an ice chain, anchoring one end to the wall and the other to myself. I then created two iron bars, driving them into the stone for support. Taking a few steps back, I raised my bow and began crafting arrows of pure ice.
I aimed with all my might, ensuring the arrow would strike an unarmored gap. Whoosh! The sound of it tearing through the air was sharper than I ever imagined. Was this stolen bow really this exceptional? The arrow struck a soldier squarely in the skull.
I quickly crafted another and fired; it found its mark again. This bow is incredible! I'll definitely have to buy one after this is over. Once I had cleared out several soldiers, I scaled the wall and rushed into the fortification.
To ensure I remained undisturbed, I took out every soldier on the battlements, making sure their corpses didn't fall to the ground and alert those below.
I paused for a heartbeat—someone below was staring right at me. Impossible! They shouldn't be able to see me from that distance— Before I could finish the thought, a fiery spear lunged toward the tower, causing it to explode instantly. Didn't this school have a protective barrier? As the tower crumbled, I used the chaos to slip inside the hollow structure of the wall. What the hell?! I saw massive magic circles etched into the inner structure. I had wondered why these walls were so sturdy; the sheer number of enchantments was staggering.
I drilled a small hole—barely a centimeter wide—and peered through. I froze, stunned by the horror before me.
The soldiers were executing students. I estimated over a hundred were already dead. There was no time to lose. In a desperate hurry, I grabbed my bow and conjured an arrow. I swung myself out from the damaged section of the wall and fired. But the arrow was too late. Another student was killed before my eyes—I couldn't tell who it was; their backs were turned toward my position.
My arrow pierced the soldier's helmet, killing him instantly. But… no… it couldn't be…
The image burned into my mind: a severed head rolling on the ground. It was the head of my friend. My world went still. Then, a primal rage took over. I began crafting arrows frantically, firing one after another in a continuous blur. Some hit, some missed—I didn't care anymore...
Wait, where did the guy who threw the spear go? I scrambled up the inner structure of the wall, desperate to relocate. Suddenly, another fiery spear streaked toward me. I forced myself to stop and dodge, but the blast from the impact caught me. The shockwave sent me plummeting toward the ground.
Crack. A searing pain shot through my body. My leg was broken.
Before I could even process the agony, the spear-thrower appeared before me. He sneered, his voice cold:
"Just a brat, yet you have the gall to attempt an assassination."
He conjured another spear, ready to impale me. I wasn't about to let him win. I lunged away using my ice chains, but I knew I was at my limit. With my vision blurring from the immense pain, I fired one last ice arrow. It missed... or so it seemed.
The fiery spear plunged deep into my right shoulder. A sickening thud. The world went silent; my ears were ringing so loudly I couldn't hear his mocking words. Using my last shred of consciousness, I commanded the arrow I had just shot. I forced it to curve back, driving it straight into my enemy's back. I watched, through fading vision, as he collapsed. Is it finally over...?
No. Not yet. I forced my eyes open, fighting the darkness. If I gave up now, more would die. My legs were useless, shattered, but I used my chains to drag my broken body back up the wall's structure. I peered through a small crevice. Below, the soldiers were in total disarray, panicked by the mysterious deaths of their comrades. Hmph. At least I bought some time.
Suddenly, a streak of blue light cut through the chaos. A man with blue hair descended upon the school like a god of death, obliterating the remaining soldiers in a flash. I let out a heavy, ragged sigh. It's really over this time.
As I leaned against the weakened wall, the structure finally gave way under the damage from the blasts. It crumbled beneath me, and as I fell—everything went dark.