Azrael stood at the entrance of the Card Maker Association, staring down at the flying vehicle license in his hand. He felt a mixture of surprise and satisfaction. He'd expected bureaucratic delays and forms in triplicate—maybe even a waiting period—but the association's efficiency caught him completely off guard. After one registration process, he was already holding his official permit.
"Well, that was easier than expected," he thought, tucking the license into his jacket pocket.
The saddle shop next door beckoned him with its weathered sign, which creaked slightly in the afternoon breeze. Azrael pushed through the door and was immediately hit by the rich scent of leather and metal polish. The shop was a Lore Cardian's paradise. Saddles of every conceivable design lined the walls, from sleek racing models to heavy-duty combat gear designed for the most exotic creatures.
The shop owner looked up from his workbench and took one glance at Azrael before his eyes lit up with professional interest. "First time flyer, eh? Let's see what you're working with."
Azrael summoned Pidgeot with a flash of light. The majestic bird materialized, ruffling its impressive feathers as it adjusted to the cramped space of the shop.
The owner whistled appreciatively and moved toward a specific section of his inventory. "Beautiful specimen. You'll want something built for speed and agility." He pulled down a sleek bird saddle and ran his weathered hands over the crafted leather. "Try this on for size."
Azrael lifted the saddle onto Pidgeot's back and adjusted the straps with careful precision. The fit was perfect: snug enough for security but comfortable enough for extended flights. Pidgeot shifted slightly, testing the weight, then gave an approving trill.
"Perfect," Azrael nodded, genuinely pleased with the craftsmanship.
The owner grinned and held up five fingers. "Five thousand Empyrean dollars, and worth every bit of it."
Azrael's eyebrows shot up. "Five thousand? That's nearly half my monthly allowance!" But he bit back any complaints. A shop this close to the Association with prices this high either had serious backing or superior products. Given the quality he'd just witnessed, he suspected the latter.
Without hesitation, he swiped his card. It was better to invest in quality gear than to regret cutting corners later.
"Hey there, young man," the owner called out as Azrael reached for the saddle. "What's the hurry?"
Before he could respond, the man stepped forward and placed his palm on the saddle. With a soft shimmer of light, the entire piece of equipment dissolved into a sleek card that settled into Azrael's hand.
"Ah, that explains the price tag," Azrael realized, examining the prop card with new respect. Unlike creature cards, prop cards could be freely traded and gifted, offering valuable flexibility that justified the premium cost.
He absorbed the card into his mental collection, feeling the familiar tingle as new information flowed into his consciousness.
[Bird Saddle] Grade: Black Iron Quality: White
The description was refreshingly straightforward, with no fancy bells and whistles, just reliable functionality.
Outside the shop, Azrael looked up at Pidgeot, excitement building in his chest. "Ready to show me what real flight feels like?"
He climbed onto Pidgeot's back. The materialized saddle fit perfectly, just as it had in the shop. With a powerful beat of its wings, Pidgeot launched into the sky, leaving a small crowd of curious onlookers craning their necks to watch.
The wind whipped against Azrael's face with startling force, and he immediately understood why most aerial riders wore protective gear. "I definitely need to invest in some goggles and a windshield for longer trips," he thought, squinting against the rushing air.
Despite the minor discomfort, Pidgeot's performance was impressive. They cruised at a steady sixty kilometers per hour, the cityscape flowing beneath them like a living map. For a Black Iron-level creature, the speed was more than adequate for daily transportation.
"Though I'd hate to try riding through a thunderstorm," Azrael mused, imagining himself being tossed around like a leaf in a hurricane.
Miles away from Azrael's aerial adventure, in the suffocating darkness of an underwater cave, a very different kind of meeting was taking place.
The cavern reeked of stagnant water and something far more sinister. Phosphorescent fungi provided the only light, casting eerie shadows that danced across the damp stone walls. In this unwelcoming environment, an old man with a hooked nose sat hunched over an ornate scale, caressing its surface with disturbing affection.
"Tell me," the old man rasped, his voice like grinding stone. "Does the Velkairos City Cardian Master Association have any plans for secret realm exploration in the near future?"
The middle-aged man standing before him, cloaked in black robes that absorbed even the meager cave light, shifted nervously before responding. "Sir, due to the recent riot in the Demon's Nest, all official exploration plans have been suspended indefinitely."
The old man's eyes glittered with cruel anticipation. "Suspended, you say? How cautious of them."
"However," the robed man quickly continued, sensing his master's interest, "I've received reports that several high schools in Velkairos are organizing students for secret realm training exercises."
A sound emerged from the old man's throat that might charitably be called laughter but sounded more like the death rattle of a dying animal. "Students, you say? How delightfully vulnerable."
He held up the scale, and in the dim light, Azrael would have recognized the artifact immediately. It was identical to the one that had appeared in his nightmares: the balance that weighed souls and found them wanting.
"Lucian," the old man whispered, his voice dripping with decades of accumulated hatred. "Always so protective of your precious charges. Let's see how well you can guard them when the danger comes from within."
The scale began to glow with an ominous light. One side displayed glittering treasures, while the other showed a crimson card that seemed to pulse with malevolent energy.
"Insert a few chess pieces into their little training exercise," the old man commanded. His smile revealed teeth that were far too sharp for a human mouth.
"Understood, sir," the robed man said, bowing deeply. "It will be done."
As the scale balanced perfectly between treasure and blood, a voice that belonged to no living being echoed through the cavern. "The deal is done."
The old man's laughter rose to a crescendo that would have shattered the nerves of anyone unfortunate enough to hear it.
School days had a way of blurring together, but the anticipation of their upcoming Secret Realm training kept Azrael's focus sharp. Now, finally, the day had arrived.
The students of Silverbrook High School's Key Class gathered in front of a chartered bus, their excited chatter mingling with nervous energy. Miss Victoria stood before them, her usually stern expression softened by what might have been maternal concern.
"This internship represents an opportunity that Principal Kang fought very hard to secure for all of you," she began, her voice carrying genuine care beneath its professional tone. "The training you'll receive and the experience you'll gain will serve you well in your future careers as Lore Cardians. I expect each of you to approach this seriously and safely."
As Victoria continued her speech about responsibility and representing their school honorably, Azrael leaned toward Gabi, keeping his voice low. "Is it really safe for students like us to enter a secret realm directly? I mean, most of us have never experienced real combat."
Azrael's concern was justified. Looking around at his classmates, he saw the soft features of teenagers who had grown up in Velkairos's protective embrace. They were brilliant academically, certainly, but did they have actual battle experience? That was another matter entirely.
Gabi followed his gaze, understanding his worry immediately. "The secret realms designated for high school training have been completely pacified by the Cardian Master Association," she whispered back. "They're populated exclusively with Black Iron-level monsters, which is nothing beyond what a competent student should be able to handle."
That made sense. Azrael nodded thoughtfully. A trained Lore Cardian could typically handle several monsters of an equivalent level at once, as long as they didn't encounter any elite variants.
"Plus, these training realms are under constant surveillance," Gabi added. If anything goes seriously wrong, Association Lore Cardians can intervene within minutes."
Victoria's voice rose slightly, signaling the end of her address. "All right, everyone. Time to board the bus and begin this adventure properly."
The students filed onto the bus, excited and nervous. As the vehicle rumbled to life and pulled away from the school, Azrael watched the familiar skyline of Velkairos gradually disappear behind them.
The transition was remarkable. One moment, they were surrounded by towering steel-and-glass monuments of modern civilization; the next, they were traveling through a dense, primordial forest that seemed to stretch endlessly in all directions.
This was Azrael's first time venturing beyond Velkairos's protective boundaries, and the sight thrilled and unsettled him. According to the original owner's memories, these forests weren't empty wilderness; they teemed with demons, monsters, and unpredictable phenomena that spawned new secret realms without warning.
The government of the Empire of Aetherlight had made numerous attempts to expand the city's territorial control over the years, but progress remained frustratingly slow. Every mile of expansion required constant vigilance, extensive fortification, and the permanent deployment of powerful Lore Cardians to maintain security.
It was a strange quirk of this world that the most remote, uninhabited areas generated the most secret realms. The oceans, in particular, were riddled with them: countless pocket dimensions of varying sizes and danger levels scattered across the waters like hidden mines.
Ocean trade, which should have been a cornerstone of economic development, had all but disappeared, except for the most daring and well-equipped expeditions led by legendary-tier Lore Cardians.
The bus gradually approached a military installation: a sprawling complex of steel buildings surrounded by high fences and guard towers. A uniformed soldier emerged from the checkpoint with his weapon clearly visible and raised his hand to halt their approach.
"Confidential military facility ahead," the soldier announced with professional courtesy. "Please state your business."
Miss Victoria stepped off the bus, documents already in hand. Azrael watched through the window as she engaged in what appeared to be a thorough verification process. The guard examined their paperwork with meticulous attention, suggesting this wasn't mere formality.
After several minutes of discussion, which appeared to include communication with a higher authority, the soldier nodded and waved them through. "No problems identified. Proceed to the main facility."
Inside the base, they were met by a delegation of officials who had clearly been expecting them. The lead officer, a middle-aged man with the bearing of someone accustomed to responsibility, approached Victoria with a genuine smile.
"You must be the Silverbrook High School group that President Lian arranged for us," he said, extending his hand in greeting. "We're honored to facilitate your training exercise."
Victoria shook his hand warmly. "Thank you for accommodating us on such short notice. We're very grateful for the opportunity."
The officer waved off her thanks with obvious sincerity. "No trouble at all. When President Lian personally requests something, we consider it a privilege to comply. We're all working toward the same goal: preparing the next generation of Lore Cardians for the challenges ahead."
He turned to address the assembled students directly. "If you'll follow my team, we'll escort you to the secret realm entrance. Everything has been prepared according to the association's safety protocols."
Azrael followed his classmates across a vast concrete plaza toward the center of the base. There, rising from the ground like something out of a science fiction film, stood a massive portal crackling with silver-white energy. The space gate pulsed with power, making the air seem to vibrate.
The base staff member leading their group gestured proudly toward the portal. "Students, for most of you, this will be your first encounter with a Secret Realm Space Gate. Please proceed through in an orderly fashion. We have Association Lore Cardians positioned inside to ensure your safety and provide guidance."
One by one, Azrael's classmates stepped through the shimmering barrier and vanished in flashes of light. The portal looked simultaneously inviting and terrifying, like stepping through a doorway into the unknown.
When it was Azrael's turn, he took a deep breath and walked forward. The sensation was indescribable, like being dissolved and reconstituted in the space between heartbeats. One moment, he was standing on concrete at the military base; the next, his feet touched soft earth at the base of a towering mountain.
Two Lore Cardians in black association uniforms stood waiting, their relaxed postures suggesting that this was routine for them. The senior of the two, a woman with kind eyes and gray hair, stepped forward to address the newly arrived students.
"Welcome to the secret realm, Thousand Foot," she announced with the practiced warmth of an experienced instructor. "I know the name might sound intimidating, but there's no cause for concern. This realm earned its name from a massive centipede-type monster that once dominated the area, but that creature and all other threats above Black Iron level have been permanently eliminated by Association forces."
She gestured toward a table where communication devices were neatly arranged. "Each of you will receive a personal communicator that will keep you in constant contact with our monitoring team. Once you're equipped, you'll be free to explore, train, and complete your assigned objectives at your own pace."
Azrael accepted his communicator with a mixture of excitement and nervous anticipation. The real adventure was finally about to begin.