The hill was located in the Academy's second section, an area only accessible to students who had reached a certain level. Its inaccessibility made it feel even more special to newcomers. Amid the heavily militarized atmosphere of the second area, the presence of a tranquil hill felt like a secret escape route. The wind that blew there was not harsh enough to be bothersome—on the contrary, it carried a soothing breeze. The sunset was perfectly visible from there; perhaps, in the future, it would become a habit to gather here after missions and watch the day end.

  Karim liked the place. Even if he didn’t feel as excited as Luca, he could see the potential. For Luca, it would become the origin point of all the stories they'd tell in the future. For Karim, it was simply a place of peace, where he could gather his thoughts.

  The next day, they returned and began cleaning the area. They pulled weeds, moved rocks, and eventually planted a tree seed in the soil. From that moment, it wasn’t just a hill anymore—it became a symbol of their past, their future, and their friendship. It was small, but it belonged entirely to them.

  Exhausted from their work, they collapsed onto their beds. The next morning, they were awakened by a servant who instructed them to dress in their best clothes and wait for someone to escort them when the time came.

  Karim put on his brown shirt and gray trousers. After lacing up his brown boots, he sat on his bed and waited. As he yawned and wondered, "When are they going to show up?" the door opened.

  It was the same black-robed teacher who had led him to his room on the first day. His face was still obscured by the hood's shadow.

  The teacher silently stepped inside and spoke in a cold, commanding tone: "Stand up."

  Karim stood immediately. The teacher studied him for a few seconds, then asked in a calm but probing voice: "I heard you broke your opponent’s arm in the exam. Is that true?"

  Karim hesitated briefly, then answered clearly: "I didn’t break it. It was just dislocated."

  The teacher took two steps toward him. His eyes, glowing faintly from beneath the hood, seemed to pierce through Karim. He spoke slowly: "It takes at least ten years for a child your age to understand the difference between a break and a dislocation, boy."

  He raised his hand and touched Karim’s chin. His fingers lightly grazed Karim’s face, as if trying to understand something. Then, with a deeper tone, he asked: "Tell me, are your parents from here?"

  Karim looked into the man’s eyes and answered with tense clarity: "I don’t know. I grew up in a forest village, sir."

  The teacher tilted his head slightly as if seeing something familiar. "What’s your name?"

  "Karim, sir."

  "And who trained you, Karim? Your mother or your father?"

  Karim swallowed slightly. "My mother. She taught me things since I was little, to protect myself. I never met my father. He died when I was very young."

  The teacher’s voice took on a knowing tone: "So... you’re the dust of a wanderer."

  There was a moment of silence. Karim didn’t understand the meaning, but he could feel that it wasn’t just a passing remark.

  "What’s your mother’s name?"

  "Diana, sir."

  The teacher narrowed his eyes slightly at the answer but said nothing. Instead, he pulled back his sleeve slightly and stepped away.

  "Very well, Karim. Starting tomorrow, you’ll begin your first lessons alongside the other students who passed the exam."

  Karim nodded respectfully. "Yes, sir."

  The teacher silently exited, slipping out the door like a shadow.

  As soon as the man left, questions flooded Karim’s mind. How did that teacher know the phrase he whispered to the guard when arriving with his sister? "I’m the dust of a wanderer"—he’d said it so quietly that only the guard could’ve heard it. Even his sister hadn’t known.

  And how did that teacher know about the move Karim used during the trial? He wasn’t like the other teachers—maybe he was their superior. But why had he touched his face like that? How did he know his training came from his mother? And why did he ask for her name? Was something going to happen to her?

  As questions spun through his mind, the door suddenly opened and Luca barged in.

  "We start tomorrow!" he shouted excitedly.

  Karim looked at him blankly and replied in a calm voice: "I know."

  Luca didn’t notice Karim’s unusual tone and kept rambling: "I don’t know who came to your room, but the guy who came into mine—I swear he looked like the guy I once stole a coin pouch from! I almost shit myself for a second!"

  Karim furrowed his brows and asked: "Did a robed guy come to you too?"

  Luca paused. His face showed a flicker of confusion and mild panic. "Wait, wait, wait… A robed guy came to you?"

  "Yes."

  Luca clutched his hair and exclaimed: "Karim, holy shit! The robed ones are from the third section! They run the whole Academy!"

  Karim stiffened. One of the people running this near-kingdom-sized institution had interrogated him.

  Luca couldn’t hold it in any longer: "Okay, what color was the robe?"

  Karim swallowed before answering: "Black."

  Luca’s face twisted into panic. "FUCK ME! That’s... that’s the head of combat arts! He oversees all combat disciplines and training! Why the hell did he pick you?!"

  Karim tried to answer, but his mind clouded even further.

  "I don’t know. When I first came here, there was a celebration going on. Students who passed their rank exams were celebrating, but I was waiting outside. Then the guards tried to throw me out even though I’d been accepted. I fought them. Then that teacher showed up and brought me in. He even yelled at the guards."

  Luca narrowed his eyes as if doing mental math: "When exactly did this celebration happen?"

  Karim thought for a second.

  "I think the day after I got accepted."

  Luca froze as if slapped in the face. He clutched his forehead.

  "Oh my god… Karim…"

  "What?!"

  Luca threw his hands in the air: "That celebration is for new students to bond! Anyone can go!"

  Karim’s eyes widened.

  "You’ve got to be fucking kidding me."

  "I'm dead serious, dumbass! I went to that celebration too! It was in the main hall, right?"

  "Yeah… but some student there told me I wasn’t allowed in!"

  Luca frowned.

  "Who told you that?"

  Karim searched his memory.

  "Simon... no. Sean! I think his name was Sean."

  Luca stared at Karim for a long moment, then rolled his eyes and burst out laughing.

  "Goddamn, he played you hard! Used you like a tool! Well, better late than never."

  Karim stayed silent.

  "What can you do?" Luca added with a smirk and a sigh.

  "I’m gonna find that bastard," Karim said, his voice full of cold resolve. "What gave him the fucking right to pull that shit on me my first day here?"

  Just as he started moving, Luca jumped in front of him and placed his hands on Karim’s shoulders to stop him.

  "Whoa, whoa! Hold the hell on," Luca said, his voice tinged with panic. "First off, we start training tomorrow. Second, this place is fucking massive, you know that. Just the other day, I asked someone if they were new, and the guy said it was his second year. Never seen him before in my life. We barely recognize the same faces more than once."

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Seeing Karim still pissed, Luca lowered his tone. "And third… If that guy pulled this crap on you, he’s probably ranked higher than us or connected to someone who is. So maybe chill for now, yeah?"

  Karim tried to process Luca’s words. He pushed his hand off and turned, ready to leave.

  But Luca grabbed him tighter around the waist this time and yanked him back.

  "Dude, seriously! Just hear me out one last time, then if you still wanna go, fine."

  Karim sighed, paused, and asked, "What?"

  Luca rolled his eyes but leaned in, voice more serious now. "Let’s say you find him. What the hell are you gonna do? Beat his ass? Didn’t you read the rules? Disturbing the peace is at least three days in the cells—or worse. You could get suspended, exiled, or locked up for life. Are you out of your damn mind?"

  Karim’s face tightened. Luca pushed one final argument.

  "Let’s just go through the lessons first. If we still feel like it, we’ll hunt that prick down together. Deal?"

  Karim thought for a moment. He was right. He couldn’t lose sight of why he came here over some petty revenge—at least not yet.

  He sighed and finally said, "Fine," fixing his shirt. Then he held out his hand and helped Luca up.

  “Alright then! As the most experienced among your friends, let’s test how well you can handle a sword!” he said, locking eyes with him.

  Karim hesitated for a moment, but then picked up the fallen sword, gripping it tightly with both hands and pointing it toward the instructor.

  The teacher swung the wooden sword in his hand lightly in the air and, with a mocking expression, said, “At least you know how to hold it.”

  “Make an attack towards me, Karim. Don’t worry, you won’t hurt me… even if you tried.”

  Karim cautiously started stepping toward the teacher. But just as he had taken his first few steps, the teacher moved with incredible speed! He brought the wooden sword down hard on Karim’s arm.

  Grabbing his arm in pain, Karim tried to hold onto the sword again, but the teacher struck his other hand this time. Dropping the sword, Karim stood frozen for a moment, watching the wooden weapon hit the ground.

  The teacher calmly bent down and placed the wooden sword against Karim’s neck. Then, turning to the other students, he spoke in a harsh tone:

  “If you’re going to move this slowly, just stab yourselves with your own swords. At least it’ll hurt less.”

  “Alright, everyone grab a sword from the barrel and find a partner. Karim, you’re working with me,” he said sternly.

  Karim, still holding his arm, gave a slight nod in agreement. While the other students quickly grabbed wooden swords and paired up, Karim picked up his sword again and stepped in front of the teacher.

  The instructor raised his voice as he looked at the group:

  “First, everyone watch. Then, repeat with your partner—slowly.”

  He then raised the wooden sword slightly and turned to Karim:

  “Now, I’m going to start by swinging the sword slowly from my right side, Karim. Just stay still and block the incoming strike from the opposite side, alright?”

  Karim nodded subtly.

  The instructor swung the wooden sword in a heavy, deliberate motion. Karim reacted quickly and raised his sword to meet the strike.

  CLACK!

  The sound of the two wooden swords colliding echoed through the air.

  The teacher listened to the sound of the wood and, nodding with satisfaction, turned to the students:

  “That’s the sound I want to hear! Slowly, one by one, and with control!”

  Everyone in the training area tried to follow the instructions carefully. The sound of wooden swords rubbing against each other filled the space, until the teacher’s booming voice suddenly cut through the noise:

  “Stop!”

  Everyone froze instantly.

  “Alright, now watch again,” the instructor said, then looked toward Karim.

  “Now, I’ll bring the tip of the sword toward you. You choose the direction and deflect it from any point, got it?”

  Karim nodded once more.

  The instructor slowly moved the wooden sword toward Karim’s chest. Karim swung his own sword to the right and blocked the incoming attack.

  After observing the move, the teacher addressed all the students:

  “The first move you make in battle or on a mission will determine how the fight goes—based on your speed and strength.”

  Then, muttering to himself, he added:

  “Though honestly, most of you won’t amount to shit.”

  He then raised his voice again:

  “This move is a basic thrust technique. But the most important part to pay attention to is your defense.”

  Feeling the students' gazes on him, he continued with a stern tone:

  “The simplest way to defend is to deflect it like your friend just did. But don’t ever step back. If you choose to only retreat during a fight, not only will you move closer to death, you’ll also guarantee yourself a painful one.”

  A heavy silence fell over the class.

  “Because more than likely, the blade won’t pierce your heart cleanly—it’ll shatter your bones and stab you right through the lungs,” he said, his eyes sweeping over the students one by one.

  “That’s why you either counter with your sword or dodge to the sides while keeping your position! Remember, you won’t be able to dodge every hit. You must learn how to evade and counter correctly.”

  The instructor made them repeat the two basic movements all day long. He demanded perfection in each strike and had them keep practicing until they got it right.

  As sunset approached, he finally commanded them to stop.

  “You’ll continue working on these two techniques,” he announced. “In time, your speed will improve. Remember, no battle is won without muscle memory.”

  By the end of the class, Karim and Luca could barely feel their arms. From swinging the swords so many times throughout the day, their muscles were burning.

  Luca cried out in breathless frustration:

  “My arms… I think they’ve fallen off. I can’t feel a damn thing.”

  Karim crouched down and let out a weary sigh:

  “You know what’s coming tomorrow?”

  Luca weakly shook his head.

  Karim lay down on the ground, resting his back against the dirt and staring up at the sky:

  “I hope we don’t have to swing swords tomorrow.”

  Luca lay beside him and exhaled deeply.

  “Do you remember when I told you we should’ve learned to use spears instead?” he asked.

  “Yeah?” Karim replied, a bit curious.

  Luca scrunched his face and replied with an exhausted expression,“Great. On second thought, maybe it’s better we don’t use spears.”Then he let out a long sigh.

  The next morning, just after dawn, a servant came into Karim’s room and told him he needed to go to the central building. There, he was supposed to find a woman wearing a yellow dress and a crown adorned with a silver stone.

  The central building was a place Karim had only seen briefly during a celebration. Now, for the first time, he had a chance to truly explore it.

  As he stepped inside, he froze in awe at the breathtaking architecture.

  The ceiling was impossibly high, and a massive, hollow staircase spiraled upward from the center, connecting the different floors of the building. The white marble floor reflected every detail like a mirror.

  Enormous stained-glass windows allowed light to pour in with a variety of hues, casting a mystical glow throughout the space. Along the hallway, golden-framed inscriptions and towering trophies spoke of the building’s glorious past.

  Karim was mesmerized. For a moment, he forgot why he was even there—he couldn’t help but admire his surroundings.

  Just then, a gentle touch on his shoulder startled him. He turned around.

  And there she was—the woman the servant had described.

  She was the embodiment of grace. If he had met her in his hometown, he might’ve believed she was an angel.

  Her pale skin, her eyes—so smooth, so flawless—immediately captivated Karim. Her pure white irises felt like voids, pulling him in, as if they could read the soul.

  Her black hair had an unusual hue—almost gray, yet not quite. The silver-stoned crown on her head gave her a regal, queenly aura.

  She broke the silence between them with a gentle and elegant voice.“You must be Karim.”

  After a short pause, Karim responded,“Yes.”

  But he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

  He had never felt this way toward any woman or girl before.It was as if there was an invisible thread binding him to her.And all he could do was stand there and stare.

  “So, Karim,” she asked softly, yet coolly, “do you know why you were asked to meet me?”

  Karim calmly and clearly replied,“No.”

  After a brief silence, she said, “Follow me,” and began ascending the staircase.

  Karim quickly caught up and followed her, carefully observing each floor as they passed.

  Every level was entirely different, and the structure’s internal design was like nothing Karim had ever seen.

  The second floor resembled the first—elegant, grandiose.But the third had the atmosphere of a church mixed with a library.Massive wooden shelves, towering columns that pierced the ceiling, and colored light filtering through the stained glass made the place feel sacred and serene.

  On the fourth floor, Karim saw a real mage for the first time in his life.

  The woman wore a dark, finely woven dress made of thin fabric and held a small book in her hands.

  The sight alone was enough to convince Karim she was a mage.

  But as he examined her and the area around her, another thought entered his mind:Who was the woman he was following?And why was he following her?

  By the time they reached the eighth floor, Karim couldn’t hold his curiosity anymore and broke the silence.“Where exactly are we going?” he asked.

  The woman paused.

  Slowly, she began to turn toward him.

  A strong sense of unease gripped Karim.

  He instinctively took a step back.

  And in that very moment, someone grabbed him hard from behind.

  Then, a voice—etched into his memory from long ago—was whispered into his ear:“Boss, this nutcase is mumbling to himself again.”

  Karim’s whole body froze.

  He couldn’t breathe.

  When he slowly raised his head, what he saw twisted his stomach into a knot of horror.

  The raider he had killed on his way to the Academy was standing right in front of him.

  His eyes burned with the same terror and fury Karim remembered from that moment.

  Karim screamed with all his might.

  And suddenly—his eyes snapped open as Luca burst into the room.

  It was a dream.

  But it felt so real, his breathing was still uneven, and his body drenched in sweat.

  Luca yelled as he rushed around the room,“DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TIME IT IS?!”

  Then he paused for a second.

  Seeing that Karim was still dazed, his tone immediately softened.

  “You okay?”

  But Karim said nothing.