When waking up, you usually tend to feel groggy. Sometimes you may feel refreshed and ready to start the day. Hunger might gnaw at your stomach, sunlight might be prying at your eyelids, or maybe someone might be shaking you while yelling that you are late. What you would usually not expect to wake up to, though, would be exactly what I awakened to.
Pain. Agonizing, skin-searing, screaming pain.
I bolted upright in the bed I was lying in, clawing at my skin and thrashing in an attempt to get rid of the all-enveloping agony that I was currently suffering from. As I clawed at my skin, I could feel through the pain that I was wrapped all over my body in bandages, which prevented my fingers from reaching the source of my pain. I tried to open my eyes, but I could not see due to bandages being wrapped around the upper half of my face as well. I went to swing my legs over the bed to stand up, but a piercing pain ripped through my left leg as I did, causing me to cry out in agony and tumble out of my bed and onto the hard floor.
I suddenly heard the sound of running footsteps from nearby. A door, which I assumed led to the room I was currently in, slammed open and at least two people rushed in judging by the sounds that were being made. I couldn't work out any other details about my surroundings through my pain though, it was simply too unbearable.
"Quickly, hold him down so I can perform the spell," shouted an authoritative female voice. Two sets of hands grabbed me, one on each side of me. Their mere touch spiked my pain to newfound levels, one that barely left me with any room inside my head for thought.
I screamed and thrashed, throwing myself at the two people who were doing their best to hold me down. Suddenly, a golden light shone through the bandages covering my eyes, while a warm glow spread to cover all parts of my body. For the first time since I had woken up, the pain began to subside instead of increase. I lay there in perfect stillness, soaking up the healing energy but also worrying that if I moved for even a moment, the pain might return.
After several minutes of the glowing light radiating throughout my body, its warmth began to wane until it eventually stopped. My body slowly cooled down as the warmth left my body but instead of the burning pain returning, my body merely ached sorely.
"Remove the bandages from his eyes," commanded the woman I had heard earlier. Almost immediately, the bandages were tenderly unwrapped from my eyes. My eyes were greeted by three stunning blonde women, two of them on the ground, one on each side of me, and the other standing tall over the three of us. The two blonde women who were on the ground with me looked to be in their mid-twenties and seemed to be twins. They also bore a striking resemblance to the much older woman who stood imposingly over me. She had streaks of gray running through her blonde hair, which was tied back in a bun. All three of them had deep blue eyes, and the twins had their hair done up in ponytails.
"Don't just sit there. Claire, Charlotte, grab him gently and get him back in his bed," said the older woman.
"Yes, ma'am," responded the twins in unison. They leaped into action and tenderly picked me up off the ground and placed me back in the bed I had fallen out of. I was tense the whole time, expecting the pain to at least return for a moment. Instead, my body merely ached a little bit as I was lifted and set back down by the twins.
With my eyes now free to look around, I quickly observed the condition of my body. Although I had been able to conclude I was covered in bandages, looking myself over I found that it was even worse than what I had thought. Both my arms were covered with bandages from the tips of my fingers to my shoulders. My stomach, neck, and right leg were also completely covered in bandages. My left leg was the only part of me not bandaged but it was in a splint, meaning I must've broken some part of it. I guess that would explain the pain I had suffered when trying to swing it and stand on it.
The pearly white bandages were splotched red with blood in several areas, especially along my fingers and hands. I must've reopened the wounds underneath the bandages while thrashing and clawing at myself.
I paused. There was something I was missing. The realization hit me quicker than it had occurred to me that I was missing something. I looked up at the imposing older woman with a question hot on my lips.
"What's going on? What happened to me, and where am I?"
The second the question left my mouth, the older woman's eyes narrowed, and the twins shared a guarded look with each other. Something was amiss, and my question had made whatever was going on worse instead of better.
"You're telling me you don't remember?" questioned the older woman, doubtful. She stared at me with a piercing and unforgiving glare, as if daring me to try and lie so she could see right through me. Unlike the twins Claire and Charlotte, the older woman had harsh blue eyes instead of warm ones. She was definitely not someone to be trifled with. Unfortunately for her, I couldn't lie about anything since I had zero recollection of anything.
"I'm being truthful. I have no idea what happened to me or literally anything," I said uneasily, "Could you at least tell me my name?"
"Your name is Silas Gray. You are a new student here at Blackthorn Academy, but you were involved in an incident at an alchemist shop that left you seriously injured," answered the older woman.
Blackthorn Academy? Alchemist shop? What did she mean by incident and why did it sound like there was a lot more to it than that? I had so many more questions that needed to be answered. I had not a single memory of anything before waking up a few minutes ago. The only thing I did feel reassured about was having a name, Silas Gray.
"Judging by your expression, you have a lot of questions. My name is Miss Agatha Barrett, and these are my twin daughters, Charlotte and Claire. We run the infirmary here at Blackthorn Academy, and we will do our best to get you up to speed and recovered before the orientation ceremony," Agatha said firmly.
I nodded and looked at them intently, waiting to hear the full explanation and details of what was going on. Hopefully, I'd be able to remember something while they talked to me.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Outside of the infirmary where Silas Gray lay in bed listening to Miss Agatha Barrett, there was a massive sprawling stone castle and grounds known as Blackthorn Academy. It was the prestigious magical academy of the Ignis, a large kingdom that was mostly made up of hills, mountains, forests, and especially rich plains perfect for growing crops. It was a rich kingdom, one blessed with many resources that drew many talented individuals from across the continent. Blackthorn Academy was one of the reasons that Ignis was so powerful; it was the best all-around academy for learning any profession, especially regarding magic and aura.
The academy itself was located in a unique geological location known as the Blackthorn Territory. It was the smallest territory in the kingdom, but the only one without a lord or lady who managed it. It was land that could only be reigned over by the blood descendants of Xavier Blackthorn, the founder of Blackthorn Academy. Since his bloodline had vanished from history, no one, not even the King, could make any changes to the territory or rule over it. It was an extremely unique case due to the absolute power of Xavier Blackthorn and his critical role in establishing Ignis as a powerful kingdom.
The Blackthorn Territory contained only two establishments, the academy and a bustling but small town called Thornhold. The town sat right where the Elysia River emptied into Blackmere Lake, with the lake being emptied by the Trench River. Thornhold sat right on the edge of the lake on one side, while the academy sat on the exact opposite side of the lake.
Surrounding the academy, lake, and town was dense forestland known as Shadowwood. Surrounding all of that in turn was a small range of mountains called the Whispering Mountains. The end of these mountains meant the end of the Blackthorn Territory, making it not only a very small territory but one that was isolated. The territory has only three ways to access the territory without scaling the mountains. They were the Elysia River, the Slithering Pass to the south, and the Crawling Pass to the northwest.
The majority of travel to the territory was conducted by entering through the Elysia River since it was by far the smoothest and most convenient. That would be precisely why Blackmere Lake was filled with floating ships as it was every year at this time, all of them flying different flags and colors, which represented their territory or kingdom. Their cargo was the precious students who would come to fill Blackthorn Academy's halls for the academic year.
In the tallest tower of the academy, referred to by the students as The Eye, was the headmaster's office. Within that office stood a white-haired man, whose golden eyes glistened with curiosity as he stared out the window and down upon the ships floating on the lake. Although the man had admired the ships and watched them come and go for decades in this very spot, he couldn't help but still feel as excited as he did when he took the position of headmaster so many years ago. The door to the man's office suddenly opened and then slammed shut just as quickly as it had been opened. The white-haired headmaster sighed and shook his head, already knowing who would be standing behind him once he turned around.
"In a hurry yet again, are we? I wonder how many entrances like that until my poor door will need to be replaced," mused Aldaric Elwen, the current headmaster of Blackthorn Academy. The unruly black-haired man who had just entered the room scoffed and shook his head. He had scars running all over his face, serious brown eyes, and a scruffy beard that was a mixture of black and grey.
"That door was made to withstand the power of a dragon and a demigod-level spirit. Even if I used both my aura and mana at full strength and imbued them with my very soul, I would be shocked if I could even leave a crack on that door," quipped the man. Headmaster Elwen nodded and let loose a chuckle, seemingly amused by the man's response. The headmaster gestured for the man to sit but even as the headmaster sat down in his chair, the black-haired man made no move to sit. The headmaster paid no heed to the man's apparent rudeness, smiling ruefully at him instead.
"What rests heavily upon your mind, Professor Erwin?" asked Headmaster Elwen.
"I thought I told you not to call me that, Aldaric. Makes me sick just hearing you say it. I'm not some airheaded geezer like you. You also know damn well why I'm here," grumbled the man.
"And what might that be, Varric? Might you be wanting to change some of that barbaric curriculum of yours? If so, I'd be happy to oblige," remarked Headmaster Elwen. Although the headmaster was seemingly being playful, his golden eyes had shifted to being serious and guarded.
"Cut the crap. I've got a bad feeling about this year, and it's only been getting worse as the days go by. First, it was the terrible news from the southern front, then the death of Lord Easton, followed by unrest from both the dwarves and the elves, and finally the incident a few days ago at Bog's Alchemist Shop. Half the kingdom thinks Equalists have infiltrated Blackthorn, and you've done nothing," growled Varric as he slammed his fists on the headmaster's desk angrily.
"And what would you suggest I do, Varric? These are not the times you or I grew up in, we cannot allow fear and suspicion to manipulate us. There is no hard proof that Silas Grey is at all involved with the Equalists or that he even knew about what Bog had in his possession. Everything you've reported to me has been pure speculation," countered the headmaster. "If you are truly concerned, then why don't you tell me the results of the mission I sent you on?"
Varric sighed and grabbed the chair that Headmaster Elwen had gestured to earlier and practically threw himself into it, slouching into it while wearing a look of frustration. Varric then reached into the inner folds of his coat and pulled out a folder full of files, which he tossed onto Headmaster Elwen's desk.
"I've compiled files on all of the individuals that I think might've been involved with the incident at Bog's, as per your request. I investigated Bog's shop as well, but couldn't identify the two fatalities that occurred due to the blast. The Inquisitors were already swarming the place, and from the looks of it, they didn't find anything," replied Varric with a sigh. Headmaster Elwen simply nodded, despite the lackluster report.
"Did you manage to find any sign of the vial? Do you think that whoever is responsible for this incident knew of its existence?" questioned the headmaster gravely.
"No, I didn't find a single trace of the vial. But it's too much of a coincidence that the shop suddenly decided to blow up the second that we handed the vial to Bog so he could authenticate its contents. If I'm being honest, the most likely result was that the vial and its contents were destroyed in the explosion," answered Varric with a shrug. Headmaster Elwen, on the other hand, was far from excited by this news, grimacing.
"Relying on luck has hardly worked out for us in the past, Varric. That vial could've proven critical in these trying times to help maintain peace. I want you to keep investigating and try and ascertain if the vial might've survived," commanded the headmaster. Varric gave a begrudging but loyal nod.
"I stopped by and asked Agatha about both the boy and Bog, as you asked. Bog was released this morning and is doing the last stint of his recovery at home. I was also informed that shortly before my arrival, the kid who they pulled from the shop shortly after it exploded woke up. Apparently, he doesn't remember a single thing, not even his name. Agatha is currently having his daughters try and catch him up and also try and jog his memory," said Varric. At this news, the headmaster perked up, intrigued.
"Is that so? How strange. I will have to go and visit the boy and see if he still intends to attend the academy. Do you know what he intended to study prior to being involved in the incident?" asked the headmaster.
"All his details are in that file there. He's one of the people I'm suspicious of, and rightfully so. Especially with this whole memory loss act," said Varric as he gestured to the file he had thrown onto the desk earlier. Varric's answer caused the headmaster to raise an eyebrow in amusement, something that Varric didn't fail to notice.
"What's that look for geezer?" he barked in annoyance.
"You think he is faking memory loss? What an intriguing idea, one that I hope you have good evidence to back up. Did he seem like he may be lying when you visited him?" asked Headmaster Elwen humorously, as if he already knew the answer to his own question. Varric's face suddenly gained a slight shade of red to it and his gaze found the floor surprisingly quickly.
"No, Agatha wouldn't let me question the kid. She said I'm not allowed to menace any of her patients since apparently I was a little too rough with the last patient of hers I questioned," grumbled Varric, embarrassed. Headmaster Elwen let loose a chuckle as he picked Silas Grey's paper from the stack within the file on his desk.
"The Hero of the Battle of Tremble Bridge reduced to nothing when faced with our own Miss Barrett," quipped Headmaster Elwen. He then began to read the paper he had picked up on Silas Grey, ignoring the scowl that Varric was giving him as he did.
"Hmmm, this boy seems quite intriguing. Seventeen years old, the average age of a first-year student at our academy. Both of his parents are marked as deceased and he has no siblings, no astounding talent when it comes to mana, and none with aura. No background in alchemy or summoning, and he is apparently self-taught when it comes to both the sword and bow. Perfectly average if not below average by the standards of our academy," remarked the headmaster. Varric nodded in agreement, although while the headmaster had intrigue glinting in his eyes, Varric had suspicion.
"It's downright suspicious if you ask me," said Varric.
"You think everything is suspicious, my dear old student," said the headmaster with a scoff, "Though I do have to agree with you a little bit. I will have to visit this young man once he recovers enough for me to do so."
"Alright then geezer, I'll leave you to your schemes. I'll keep looking into the incident on my own, but don't expect many results, especially with me having to start teaching soon," said Varric as he removed himself from his slouched position in the chair.
"Very well, Professor Erwin, please keep me posted," responded Headmaster Elwen.
"I told you not to call me that," growled Varric as he opened and the quickly slammed the door to the office shut, leaving the headmaster alone.
The white-haired headmaster grinned to himself, setting down the paper before turning his chair to see if he could once again peer out the window and look at the ships sitting on the lake.
"I'm afraid my grumpy student may be right about this year. I feel that it will certainly be an interesting one," muttered the headmaster to himself.