Noel walked through the corridor toward his father's study. A summons from Rowan Hendrix was rare, so it meant something.
He knocked.
"Enter."
The study was filled with dark wood and old maps, a fire crackling in the hearth. His father sat behind a large desk, light blue eyes identical to Noel's fixed on him.
"You wanted to see me, Father?"
Rowan gestured to the chair. "Sit."
Noel sat.
"We are going to Mornhaza," Rowan said. "The capital."
Noel waited.
"You will be fifteen soon. It is time you prepare for what comes next."
Noel frowned. "I don't understand. Why are you telling me this now?"
Rowan stared at him as if he had asked something painfully obvious. For a moment, he didn't answer. Then he spoke.
"I am going to the capital for political matters regarding the border situation. You are coming with me. You will enroll in the Royal Academy."
Noel's face tightened.
The Royal Academy. He had heard of it. It was where noble children learned politics, etiquette, and history everything he already knew or didn't care to learn.
He didn't want to go.
Not because he disliked studying he had spent nine years learning this world but because the academy meant nobles. Arrogant brats who looked down on minor houses. Factions, favors, grudges. A hundred tiny social rules designed to trip up the unwary.
He had seen it before in novels, in anime, in his previous life.
A pain in the ass.
"I don't want to go," Noel said.
Rowan's jaw tightened.
"You know nothing."
His voice was low and cold. He rose from his chair, hands flat on the desk.
"You think I am sending you because you have nothing to do there? Because you need to learn which fork to use?" He stepped around the desk, his shadow falling over Noel. "Your main reason for going is to make connections. To build relationships with other noble houses. To ensure that when the Hendrix name is spoken in the capital, it carries weight."
Noel stared at the floor.
"You have trained your body and your mana," Rowan continued. "Your mother tells me you are ahead of most children your age. But do not think that is enough to survive in this world. Strength alone does not protect a house. You need allies. You need people in the capital who know your name and will speak it when you are not in the room."
Noel met his father's gaze.
What a load of bullshit, he thought.
He had seen it before in novels, in stories, in the anime of his first life. Power was everything. When you had real power, the rest fell into place.
The nobles who schemed and smiled were the ones who lacked the strength to take what they wanted directly.
But he didn't say that. He had learned to keep his mouth shut.
"I understand," Noel said quietly.
Rowan studied him for a moment, then returned to his seat.
"We leave in a week. Your mother will help you prepare."
"Yes, Father."
Noel turned to leave. His hand was on the handle when Rowan spoke again.
"Noel."
He looked back.
"The academy is not a waste of time. It is an opportunity one I did not have at your age. Do not waste it."
Noel held his father's gaze for a moment, noting the hard lines of his face, the tiredness in his eyes.
"Yes, Father."
He stepped out and closed the door.
He stood in the corridor for a moment, staring at the stone wall.
Connections. Alliances. Reputation.
He started walking.
Power is power, he thought. When you have enough of it, you don't need to bow. You don't need to smile. You don't need to play their games.
He reached his room and pushed the door open. Lily was inside, folding clothes into a trunk.
"Young master," she said brightly. "Your mother said we should start packing. Isn't it exciting? The capital!"
Noel looked at the trunk.
"Yeah," he said. "Exciting."
He sat on the edge of his bed and stared at the wall.
When you have power, everything else follows.
But the wall did not answer.
A week later, Noel stood at the entrance of the estate.
Behind him, the carriage waited, horses shifting impatiently. Before him stood his family his mother Amelia, his brothers Noah and Marvin, and his younger sister Regina.
Three years.
That was how long he would be gone.
Noah was the first to break the silence.
"It's not fair," he said, frustration clear in his voice. "Why does brother get to go to the capital? I want to go too."
He looked at their father, expecting an answer.
He had always looked up to Noel. Every lesson Noel learned, Noah wanted to learn. Every place Noel went, Noah wanted to follow. Being left behind was unbearable.
One sharp gaze from their mother was all it took.
Amelia did not raise her voice. She did not scold. She simply looked at him and Noah fell silent. His shoulders slumped, though the dissatisfaction remained.
Marvin stood quietly beside her. Unlike Noah, he did not complain. He simply watched Noel, calm but distant, as if holding his thoughts to himself.
Regina was different.
She clung tightly to Noel's sleeve, her small fingers gripping the fabric, her face pressed against his arm. She didn't cry. She just held on as if letting go would make him disappear.
Noel looked at all of them Noah's frustration, Marvin's silence, Regina's grip and felt something warm settle in his chest.
He had never been good with words. Not in his first life, not in this one.
But now, he had to say something.
He crouched to Regina's height and gently took her hand.
"It's only three years," he said, looking at each of them. "I'll be back before you know it."
Noah kicked at the ground. "Three years is forever."
"It's not," Noel replied.
Regina loosened her grip slightly, though she still hesitated. Noah turned away, hiding his feelings, while Marvin gave a small nod.
"Young master."
Noel turned.
Charles Rick stood by the carriage, calm and patient. A retired knight, he had served the Hendrix family for eighteen years and once fought alongside Rowan. Now he was his most trusted aide—and would accompany them to the capital.
"Everything is ready," Charles said. "We should depart."
Noel nodded.
The time had come.
He stepped into the carriage beside his father.
As it began to move, he looked back one last time at the Hendrix estate.
The place where he had lived for fourteen years.
His home.
Even with memories of another life, this one mattered just as much.
For a moment, his thoughts drifted.
His sister the one he used to steal milk tea from. His mother, who had yelled at him a hundred times. His father, who worked too hard and smiled too little. And Ditto the dog who never cared who he was.
What were they doing now?
Did they think about him?
Did they wonder what happened that day—after the truck, after the fire?
A faint ache rose in his chest, but he pushed it down.
There was nothing he could do.
The carriage moved forward, leaving the estate behind.
Soon they would pass through the territory of Baron Wade and reach the city of Tares.
A city built on a single advantage:
A teleportation gate.
It stood at the heart of the city a gateway to the capital and beyond and it had made the Wade family richer than most houses of their rank.
Noel shifted his gaze forward.
On the way to Tares City, the journey was supposed to take half a day. But the road was poor rugged and battered, cutting close to the mountains where the terrain grew rough and uneven. The carriage jolted with every bump, and Noel found himself gripping the seat to stay steady.
Charles Rick spoke from across the carriage. "This is the only direct route to Tares City. Though it runs near the northern mountains, where beasts naturally roam, it is the shortest path. The other route would take a full day."
Rowan nodded, his gaze distant. "The border near Frostpeak Mountain has been unstable lately. More reports have come in. The kingdom is concerned."
"The patrols have been increased," Charles said, "but the terrain makes it difficult to cover everything. The beasts have grown bolder in recent months."
"That is why I must handle this matter in the capital personally," Rowan replied. "If the northern houses do not present a united front, the crown will begin making decisions for us and those decisions will not favor the border territories."
Noel listened silently from his corner of the carriage.
Politics, Borders, Alliances.
These things did not interest him. He turned his gaze to the window, watching the landscape pass by.
The scenery was beautiful. Fields of golden grass stretched toward the horizon, broken by rivers that gleamed under the afternoon sun. In the distance, the mountains rose like dark teeth against the sky, their peaks shrouded in mist.
Then he noticed something.
Birds.
Flocks of them, moving from the north toward the west. Their shapes dotted the sky in long, dark streams, all heading in the same direction.
It was unusual but not alarming. Birds migrated. That was what birds did.
The soldiers rode ahead of the carriage, their armor catching the light, their eyes scanning the road and the forest that bordered it. They were veterans of the border patrols. There was no reason to worry.
Then the horses stopped.
The soldiers pulled on their reins, urging them forward, but the horses refused to move. Their ears flattened, hooves stamping against the dirt as they let out uneasy sounds.
One of the soldiers laughed nervously. "Come on, what's gotten into you?"
Another shrugged. "Horses get spooked sometimes. Nothing to worry about."
They dismissed it. A few sharp commands, a few kicks, and the horses reluctantly moved forward.
Noel frowned slightly as he watched.
He didn't like it.
But he said nothing.
They continued on.
The road wound deeper into the forest, the trees growing thicker on either side. The light dimmed, filtered through the canopy above.
Then came the sound.
Low, Guttural, Distant.
The soldiers tensed. The horses stopped again this time violently, some rearing back.
The captain raised his hand. "Hold. Stop."
The column halted.
Rowan leaned forward in the carriage, his hand moving to the sword at his side. Charles did the same, his expression sharpening.
Rowan called out, "What is happening?"
The captain rode back, his face tight. "My lord, the horses refuse to move. There is something in the forest. We heard a sound I cannot identify it, but it came from ahead."
Before Rowan could respond, a rumble came from the forest.
It began low a vibration Noel felt in his chest before he heard it. Then it grew louder, deeper the sound of something massive moving through the trees.
The soldiers went silent.
Weapons were drawn.
The horses stamped and whinnied, trying to bolt.
Then came the sound of trees breaking.
Wood splintering. Branches snapping. Heavy footfalls shaking the ground.
Through the gaps in the trees, shapes appeared.
Large shapes. Moving fast.
A soldier shouted, "Beasts! They're charging toward us!"
The captain snapped into action. "Form a defensive line around the carriage! Do not engage head-on! Hold them back and divert them!"
The soldiers moved quickly, shields raised, spears leveled toward the forest.
Rowan stepped out of the carriage, drawing his sword in one smooth motion. The blade gleamed in the dim light. Charles followed, steady despite his age.
Noel moved to step out.
"No."
Rowan's voice stopped him cold.
"You stay in the carriage."
Noel's jaw tightened. "Father, I can help, I've trained, I can fight."
Rowan's gaze hardened. "You are fifteen. You are not ready for this. Stay inside."
Frustration surged in Noel's chest. His hands clenched into fists.
He could fight.
He wasn't helpless.
Charles stepped closer, meeting Noel's eyes.
"Young master," he said calmly, "stay safe in the carriage."
Noel looked between them two men who had lived through battles he had only imagined.
He hated it.
But he nodded and sat back.
Rowan turned and raised his sword high.
"Listen to me!" he shouted. "We will not fight head-on! Hold formation and cut a path through! Protect the carriage! We retreat together not as scattered men!"
The soldiers answered with a unified shout.
Then
The first beast burst from the treeline.
Massive. A hulking form of fur and muscle, its eyes glowing yellow.
Behind it, more followed crashing through the forest, their roars shaking the air.
Rowan stepped forward.
The soldiers braced.
And the beasts charged.