The next day arrived in no time, and the students rushed to choose the classes they would attend until the Grand Trial. Even though riding their dragons was much cooler than attending classes, they knew that if they didn't learn the basics about their dragons, they risked offending them and getting hurt. Worse, they might fail to discover their dragons' weaknesses, allowing their opponents to exploit them.Eryx stared at the long list on the board where all the classes were displayed alongside the instructors' names. Earlier that morning, he had received a box containing the academy's official uniform and a letter informing him that he was now allowed to attend classes, which had confused him.He had thought he would spend his days in that dung heap they called a room until his last breath."Still, I'm grateful I can leave that place." He rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes scanning the board, but he still couldn't decide which class to attend. Unlike everyone else, who knew about t

She walked away, and the remaining four watched as she moved to a corner and sat on the floor. They all turned toward Eryx, but sensing that things were about to get out of hand, Nyra quickly stepped in."Hey! I'm Nyra. What's your name?" she asked with a bright smile, waving cheerfully with her eyes closed.The boy standing at the front, with long, curly hair, scoffed as he folded his arms and rolled his eyes."Aw, come on. Don't be like that," Nyra pleaded, clapping her hands together before walking over to Eryx and pulling him toward the group. "Look, we're all new students here, and none of us knows how things work. We didn't have the privilege of growing up in noble households."She poked Eryx in the side, urging him to speak."Y-Yes. I'm really sorry. It won't happen again, I promise," he said quickly, rubbing the back of his neck.The others exchanged glances before sighing. The first boy rubbed his temple."It's not about apologizing. The Red Planet is extremely dangerous, and

“Outrageous!” An elder slammed his palms flat against the table. The remaining elders’ expressions turned grim as they glanced at one another, knowing how bad the situation was.Seeing that the others remained silent, the elder clenched his fists against the table, his eyes twitching with anger.“Aldric dares to disobey the Academy’s rules! What is he trying to say? He’s basically saying we can do nothing about it, and yet you all are quiet?”Another elder, a bald man with blind eyes, sighed.“You should understand something, Modris. Yelling cannot solve any matters involving Aldric. The first thing we must do is find a way to get the students back from the Red Planet. Then we can discuss the necessary punishment to give Aldric.”Modris’ eyes narrowed before he opened them fully.“You speak so calmly, but your legs are trembling, Kas. Is it because you still fear Aldric? He doesn’t have the same power he had in his youth, and he has already been inactive for years, teaching in the Aca

The purple fog pressed against their skin, as the sweet scent of crushed hibiscus was everywhere now, coating the back of their throats until breathing felt like swallowing sludge."Stay calm and listen to the sound of my voice!" Aldric's voice called out from somewhere inside the haze, muffled and distorted like he was speaking from the bottom of a deep well. "Control your breathing! The flower is called the Mind-Lotus. It feeds on adrenaline and panic!"Easy for him to say, Seth thought, his hands clawing at the air as he took a ragged breath. I can't even see my own boots."The pollen bypasses your senses," Aldric shouted, his steps crunching somewhere in the dark. "It does not create illusions out of nothing. It digs into your memories, finds the dark corners, the things you bury, the things you fear most, and brings them right behind your eyes. Do not trust what you see!"Seth took another step forward, his boot heavy in the gloom as the purple fog suddenly swirled around his ank

Aldric threw his body across the dirt, slamming himself between Sol, her mother, and the descending screeching swarm.Razor-sharp talons shredded through the leather of his coat, tearing into the muscle of his back. The modified bats latched on, their long, pale snouts driving deep into his flesh like needles as high-pitched shrieks vibrated straight through his spine.The wrist comm sputtered to life against his bruised forearm, the instructor's voice bursting through the static, distorted “Aldric! The creatures—they’re Parasitic Vespera! They don't just bleed prey, they siphon spirit energy straight from the core! Do not let them latch!”*Too late,* Aldric thought, his vision blurring as a cold, hollow sensation spread from his shoulder blades straight down to his chest. His knees hit the red grit hard. Every breath felt thin, like trying to inhale smoke. Strength drained out of his limbs, leaving his sword hand trembling as he tried to raise his blade.“So this is where the road en