"How many marks are going to appear on my body?"
Standing in front of the mirror, I looked at the spot on my chest. The black spiral mark had lightened slightly with a greyish tone.
I did not feel anything from it other than its rough lines.
The pain had faded. Leaving nothing more than my twisted chest and dried up blood, which was far away from the bloodish kind of blood.
Whatever that meant.
I reached for the wardrobe near the mirror and took out a plain white tunic. Normal clothing one could wear when no one is around.
"I can figure all this out tomorrow," I mumbled, pulling at my clothes. "For today, I have one last thing to do."
Turning around, I walked towards my desk—reddish brown mahogany desk. It was rectangular, with two drawers on each side tucked underneath the desktop. The top was empty, with no books to be seen.
I was yet to choose my classes.
But that was tomorrow's thing. Now, my focus was solely on the blue crystalline orb sitting on a soft red cushion. It was slightly pulsating with a white light, meaning the connection was established.
This crystal, made out of the mana stone, is known as a Communication Crystal.
How it works is that each communication crystal is bonded to the mana frequency of another crystal, establishing a connection with the two. Although its range varies from the price paid to the enchanter.
The one I am using is one of the expensive ones used in the military.
About how I received such an expensive item. One name—Michael.
He got this for me as I asked him to. I will use this to communicate with Aeris and the other members who are yet to be recruited.
But soon they will join me… On their own accord, of course.
Pressing my palms against the smooth surface of the crystal, I gave it tiny bits of my mana. The orb glowed a bright white light, and then it turned a shade of light green.
"Brother Mic, are you there?"
I called out, removing my hands. The orb was now a permanent green, meaning it should be working.
"Uhm, testing. Testing. Testing." His distorted voice came through the orb.
"It is working. You don't have to do that."
"Sorry, my bad. Military habits. So, how was the first day? Made some friends?"
Resting my chin on my hands, I replied. "Well, it went well. And as for friends…" I paused. Thinking about what to say. Then I remembered.
"No friends?"
"No. No. I did make one. His name is Albert Weichts."
"Do you mean the grandson of Sir Valkan Weichts?!" Michael asked, his voice etched with recognition.
"I think so," Smirking, I replied. "Their last names match after all."
"A good friend you have gotten yourself. Albert is talented in the school of enchanting. During my trainee days, Sir Valkan would boast about him a lot." Michael started rambling.
But the only reason I am close to Albert is to have an advantage over Valkan. I feel like he knows my identity, which is a big no from me. I don't want anyone to link Dimitri Novikov to Noah Von Blitzfeld.
It will ruin all of my plans.
And I am just hoping he does not get to hear about what I did in the Academy today. I would get the Felix treatment from him.
I guess the Blitzfelds share warmth by mutilating each other.
"You listening?" Michael's glitched voice pierced through my thoughts.
"Uh, yeah. What were you talking about?"
"Did you decide your subjects yet?"
"Yeah," I replied. "I am thinking of taking Melee Combat, alchemy, Illusion, and beast taming."
"Hmmmm…" Michael hummed as if he were in deep thought. "I can understand Combat and Alchemy… But why taming and illusion? Why not Conjuration or Spellcasting?"
Well, he was right to doubt. According to my current build, I should go for an Arcane Knight route with Spellcasting and Combat as my main subjects.
But instead, I opted for Illusion and beast taming.
"I am interested in those subjects. And, I am not taking them as major electives but rather as complementary subjects. I will mainly specialise in combat."
In the Academy few of the electives, such as History, German Literature and some extra noble classes, are mandatory, but after that, you can choose what you want to specialize in.
"Well, it's your wish what you want to pursue. I won't force you." He replied.
"Oh, and I hope you do not create any problems with Frostholms and Blitzfelds. I am not there to protect you from them."
Well, I did exactly that.
"Don't worry, brother… I don't like to cause trouble." I chuckled through the sweat forming.
"But, I should still warn you. Because Alea and Ikaris are there."
My jaw tightened at the mention of Ikaris's name. My body still remembered the charges of the lightning that pierced it. If I did not carry the legacy of Thorvian, I might've died.
And that guy is the current heir of the Blitzfelds.
But this was not the right time to deal with him. I have a proper plan that I can execute during an upcoming event.
"So, were you able to woo some noble girls? Or are you perhaps the type to flirt with a beautiful commoner?"
"Sigh... I am not here to do that..."
***
The green light of the communication crystal on my desk dimmed. The orb was silently pulsating with a white light.
"Well, he sure has grown…" I leaned back into my leather chair, gaze sweeping over the huge pile of documents on my tabletop.
[He is far stronger than the first-year students. I believe he might be strong enough to take down a second year, too.] The voice in my head commented.
"You were listening after all, Lord Thorvian?" I asked, smiling.
[Indeed, I was. After all, I can hear and see what you see.]
"Is that so?" I reached for a document on top. "What do you think about him?"
[Hmmm… One thing is sure. He has changed significantly since the last time you two fought. He should be considered a prodigy just like you.]
My lips curved in a small smile. "He might surpass me, too."
[We cannot let that happen, remember what I told you?] Thorvian asked, his tone softening. [I am trying to limit his powers as much as I can.]
"Yes, I know..." My smile faded instantly. "But first, at least I want him to meet Uncle Vasili before that—He should get to meet his real father."
[Remember what that child carries is the bane of life—He is the Child of Ruin. He should be dealt with as soon as possible. Or…] Thorvian stopped as if hesitating, but spoke again. [Josephine and Lyra—they will be swollen up in the mess as well, just like Marianne.]
My fists tightened around the armrests of the chair. "I know… But I promised—I promised Aunt Marianne that I would protect him. He is the only memory left behind by her."
"He used to look like her—Talk like her. He was like a spitting image of the mother I had lost." My gaze softened as soon as it landed on the framed picture of two individuals.
One was a beautiful woman in a soft white dress, her belly was swollen. While the other was a well built man with piercing silver eyes and jet-black hair, he was wearing a simple black shirt with trousers.
Both of them were smiling.
Grabbing the wooden frame with my hand, I stared at the man. "But now… He looks exactly like you, Uncle."
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A/N: This draft I had saved in the docs. So, I thought of publishing it as a way of saying that the Author is indeed alive. I am reading books, but they are not novels. If you have questions you can ask them(Without spoiling too much) and I will come back in June(I might sign the contract after editing the chapters. I ghosted the offer for a month due to exam lmao).
Peace.