A beautiful melody of birds chirping in the sky spread across the nearby treetops. Below them, a stretch of bright green grass extended, providing a peaceful contrast to the scene unfolding beneath.
There lay a young man, his dark hair splayed across the grass. His clothes were ragged, torn, and cut in many places, stained dark red with long-dried blood.
At that moment, Vale's eyes shot open. Gasping for air, he looked around in panic, his breath shallow and erratic. A surge of fear rose within him as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. Then—a sudden realization dawned on him as he took everything in. His furrowed expression softened into a smile, joy written all over his face.
"I'm alive..."
It was unmistakable. In contrast to the Demon Realm, everything here felt so alive, so beautiful.
Vale spent the next few minutes absorbing the nature around him, breathing in the fresh air and listening to the birds sing. In the far distance, he could hear chatter, indicating that people were nearby. However, he didn't concern himself with that just yet—he wanted to savour his reunion with the living world.
He knew what he had to do, but first, he wanted a moment of peace.
Everyone who successfully returned from the first trial was required to turn themselves in to the Central Academy. There, they would receive training, guidance, and ultimately be killed—so they could face the second trial.
Being an Awakened was considered the highest honour, and avoiding the second trial was strictly forbidden. The Academy maintained order with ease; even if someone refused to take the trial, the Academy had the authority to execute them on the spot—forcing them to face it either way.
Vale had no intention of avoiding the second trial. He needed to find out who had killed him and take revenge. To do that, he had to grow stronger, and the trials were the only way to achieve his current goals. That meant he needed to find his way to the Central Academy.
However, there was one flaw in Vale's plan—his identity. While ordinary people might not recognize him as the second prince, the high-ranking Academy officials certainly would. Many of them had attended banquets at the royal estate.
After a few moments of consideration, he decided to take things as they came.
If his identity was discovered, he should be safe on Academy grounds and would soon be sent to the Demon Realm—meaning whoever wanted him dead would have to wait until he either returned as an Awakened or perished.
On the other hand, if his identity remained hidden, he would attend the Academy as an ordinary person, keeping his true identity a secret to avoid drawing too much attention and preventing his assassins from finding him again.
Prepared for both scenarios, Vale walked toward the sound of chatter.
Two men stood beneath the trees, clad in armour, enjoying some kind of beverage in the shade—they were guards of some sort.
"...and then I tell him, why don't ya—"
"Excuse me," Vale interrupted.
"Huh? Who goes there?" said the guard with brown, oily hair. A slight frown formed on his face as he looked at Vale.
"My name is Vale, I—"
"I don't care about your name, kid. Why the hell are you on government property?!"
"I just finished my first trial," Vale stated.
The two guards hesitated at the mention of the trial. Studying him carefully, they noticed that his clothes and body weren't covered in dirt but in dried blood. Still skeptical, they exchanged doubtful glances.
"Are you sure, kid?" the second guard asked.
"What? What kind of question is that? thought Vale, before answering.
"Yes, I'm sure"
"Listen, kid, lying about finishing the trial is punishable by death, so—"
"By law, all citizens must assist those who have completed the first trial by guiding them toward the Centr—"
"Okay, okay, we get it. Wait here, we need to check in with our boss."
Vale nodded.
The two guards hurried off. Encountering someone right after the trial was rare, which explained their skepticism. However, it was still possible, and assisting returnees was required by law. Due to the nature of the First Trial, a person could return at any location or time—some even after multiple years.
Time dragged on. Nearly an hour later, the two guards returned, walking slowly toward Vale. A slight frown crossed his face as he noticed them. Sitting around doing nothing for so long made it feel like he had been waiting for centuries.
But before Vale could complain about the delay, one of the guards spoke.
"It's your lucky day, kid. Our boss prepared a caravan just for you. It'll take you straight to the Academy," the guard said with a grin, wrapping an arm around Vale's shoulder.
"Come on, kid, we don't have all day."
Vale walked in silence. It was indeed lucky that he had secured a caravan to the Academy. This would save him a lot of time that he would have otherwise wasted traveling aimlessly throughout the kingdom.
"How far is the Academy?" Vale asked, only just realizing he could have returned anywhere. The idea of traveling for days—or even weeks—did not sit well with him.
"Roughly eight hours away."
Satisfied with the answer, the three men continued walking. Vale remained quiet while the guards spoke and laughed loudly—badmouthing their boss, complaining about their home lives, and talking as if he wasn't even there.
Caught up in one of the guards' stories, Vale was late to realize they had arrived at their destination.
Before him stood a large caravan made of polished metal with a tint of blue. Two horses were attached to it, both reinforced with metal armour to protect them from weapons. This was no ordinary caravan for transporting people—it was built for battle. These things were beyond expensive. While Vale had seen plenty as the second prince, he knew that few outside the royal family could afford one.
Before he could question who exactly was helping him, one of the guards spoke as he climbed atop a horse.
"Get in, kid. The weather's good—let's not waste time."
"He probably hasn't seen anything like this before," the second guard laughed.
Ignoring the laughter, Vale entered the caravan. Inside, seats lined with metal and blue silk cushions awaited. He sat down, and as soon as he did, exhaustion and sleep deprivation crept in.
As his eyes closed, Vale fell into a deep slumber.