Alaric and the rest of the first years stood in front of a portal that was shimmering in front of them. It had been opened by headmaster Thorne. He stood in front of the gate with them, his hands were held behind him. “You can consider this as the secret realm training for you. Most of the creatures and demons of higher ranks had been dealt with, the ones that are in there are the ones of ranks for your grades. The third years accompanying you will be of help to you when necessary, but otherwise, they will only watch,” Headmaster Thorne said to the first years, and they all nodded their heads in acknowledgment. “Good. I wish you good luck, although you will need more than that in there,” he added. “This training will last for three hours.” After speaking those words, he gestured for them to go inside, and they did just that. The first years moved in first, and then the three years that had always been with them from the get-go followed them in. They were all clad in black shirts a

They did just that. They followed Alaric’s tactic. Over time, the Goremaul was wearing down, it seemed like it couldn’t go any longer, and its movements got slower, giving its attackers more opening space, and it was all a matter of time before they took it down. In the distance, Josh was beyond marveled by the sight before him. Alaric seemed like the perfect student that any academy will want to die for. An excellent strategist and tactician, who is fast on his feet and also has an amazing beast that would always be underestimated but is actually a prodigy, an anomaly that would shock the world when the time comes. But there was another look in Josh’s eyes, one underneath all that marvel and surprise. A negative one actually. Things might actually be looking good for him, but they actually aren’t good. He needs to be dealt a lesson and fast, he seems like the type that will grow faster from losses than he actually will with his wins. He lets out a sigh and pushes the thought a

Alaric was placed gently on a sickbed by Elena, who stood at a corner, observing everything that was going on in the room. She had done all that she could to save her master. A man dressed in a white coat with white hair that was neatly combed stood over Alaric, observing him and the shards that were protruding out of his skin. The man pulled his glass down gently.“How did you let the shards get into his skin like this, while the rest of you are safe?” He asked, staring at the remaining humans in the room with him. Josh, Andressa, Andrew, Kira, and Tristan. They all had a somber look on their face. Tristan and Kira had no idea whether to call their training a success or not.But thinking deeply about it, it can be called a success after all, they had learned a lesson from what had just transpired with the Goremaul. No battle was really over until it was over. Josh answered, “This was our first time facing a corrupted Goremaul, there was no way for us to tell that they would s

The sound of footsteps running along the tunnel that acted as a hallway filled the whole area as Elena made her way towards the ward room. She had felt it. Her master was already awake. The moment they made it out of the portal, she didn’t waste time dashing towards the academy. She pushed the door open and made her way inside, her lips stretched into a wide smile, seeing Alaric in a sitting position, staring at the door wide-eyed. Elena didn’t break the stride, she kept dashing forward until her arms were wrapped around that of her master. The only person who had ever made her feel wanted. Suddenly, Elena shrieked and broke the hug, standing at attention with her head bent low, an apologetic look on her face, but she couldn’t bear to look at her master.Composing herself the best she could, “I am very sorry, Master, I am—” Alaric held out his hand and patted her head softly. “It is fine, there is no need to apologize. I guess you are just that happy to see your master, huh?” E

Every one of them raised their hand to cover their nose, their faces scrunched up in a frown. “What the hell is this?” Matty was the only one able to squeeze words with a little bit of difficulty, his voice came out muffled, though. After a moment too long, Josh spoke up, “Calm yourself, everyone, try to calm yourself and force your brain into the illusion that the air is good enough for you to breathe. The system will deal with any toxin that the air contains, and that is if it contains any one at all.” He turned around to face them, and he slowly took his hand away from his mouth, his face wasn’t scrunched up, and he didn’t seem to be having any difficulty with breathing at all. He was breathing just fine. The rest of them shut their eyes as they repeatedly tried to force their brain into the illusion that the air is perfectly fine just as the captain of their squad had said. In no time, they were all breathing perfectly and advancing in the weirdly quiet forest. The fact tha