10 years ago…
A little blond boy with bright blue eyes was playing with a girl his age in a beautiful park. The two of them ran around, playing tag, hide and seek, and all the usual games kids love.
One night, just before bed, the boy asked his mom to tell him a story. She told him about a noble king—one who was loved by everyone.
In the story, the king heard a poor villager crying out for help—their village had been attacked by a dragon.
Without wasting time, the king appeared in the village in the blink of an eye and saw the place engulfed in flames.
But with a wave of his hand, he put out all the fires and restored the houses and farms as if nothing had ever happened. The dragon, watching this from afar, grew furious.
Then, the king pulled out a sword said to be able to cut through anything—and with just one slash, he took down the dragon, leaving everyone shocked and cheering like crazy.
The king stood before his people and said,
"Listen, my people. Nothing is impossible in this world—unless you refuse to believe it. Call for me, and I shall fulfill my duty as your king."
The crowd erupted in celebration, cheering for their beloved ruler.
That was the story the little boy heard before drifting off to sleep. It filled him with awe and lit a fire in his heart.
"Mama, do you think Theo can become a king someday?" he asked, his eyes full of wonder.
His mom was a little caught off guard but smiled gently.
"The king said it himself—'nothing's impossible unless you stop believing in it.'" she replied, adjusting his blanket.
"Mama, I wanna be a king too. I'll help you, our village, Talia, my friends, and everyone in the world!" he said proudly, full of confidence.
She smiled. "Good. Then I want to see you make that dream come true. Don't disappoint me, okay?"
Theo grinned. "Don't worry, Mama. I'll protect you and our village until the day I become a king!"
She chuckled and gently patted him to sleep. "Now, sleep."
Theo slowly closed his eyes, repeating his dream in his heart—"I want to be a king."
He didn't realize he was saying it out loud. His mother heard his whisper and smiled sadly.
"Being a king… it's not as glorious as it sounds, Theo. I hope you grow strong enough to truly handle it…"
---
Theo:
I was meeting with Sir Arsene after completing my mission. The whole thing was both terrifying and exciting. It was just the two of us in the teacher's office.
I waited in silence until he finally spoke up.
"Did you finish the mission I gave you?" he asked.
"Yeah," I answered casually.
"And?" he pushed, teasing a bit.
"The cave… no one's allowed in. It's guarded," I explained.
"By who?"
"A giant serpent," I replied.
He smirked. "Then I guess it's time I told you why you were sent there."
I blinked. Wait—he was gonna tell me straight up?
"You were chosen from many students because you saw Gorgolisth. That alone proves you've got insane potential—potential that regular students can't even begin to imagine."
He leaned forward slightly.
"That makes you one of the most promising students we've got right now. If you want to go even further, come see me tomorrow. I'll introduce you to a new teacher."
With that, he stood and left. No farewell. No dramatic speech.
I stood there, a mix of nervousness and excitement swirling in my chest. I need to keep growing… to reach his level.
Nao… from today on, I'm your rival.
As I walked out, the sky was already turning orange. School was over, and the other students had all gone home.
I remembered what Talia said when we last spoke:
"Theo, don't push yourself too hard. Don't just chase the top—live your life too, okay? Just you being here already helps so many people."
I smiled quietly to myself as I looked up at the wide open sky.
Starting tomorrow, I'm gonna train like never before.
I will become the king of this world.
---
Nao:
School ended just like that—and it felt weird. Like, nothing out of the ordinary happened. I didn't fall off a building, no one tried to start a fight with me… not even a single bit of chaos.
Kinda creepy.
Even Tetsu was acting weird around me. Normally, he'd run up and cling to me like a damn koala. But today? He just stared, like he wasn't sure if I was really me.
I let out a deep sigh. Guess I've changed a lot. I came to this academy to learn what I thought was interesting—and I tossed out anything that wasn't.
I tried to brush it off and went to my usual spot: a restaurant I liked.
Not fancy or anything, but for the price? Totally worth it. Way better than those overpriced ones.
I sat at my usual table and ordered the same thing I always do—simple noodle soup. Surprisingly good here.
As I was eating, I suddenly heard a loud noise behind me.
BAM!
Someone slammed a table hard.
"WHAT IS THIS TRASH YOU'RE FEEDING ME?!" a guy yelled, tossing his food like a total asshole. He had his feet up on the table, acting like he owned the place.
Big dude. Muscular. Slicked-back black hair. Wearing the academy uniform.
I just kept eating. Not my business. I had my back turned, and I wasn't about to get involved in some childish tantrum.
"Sorry, sir! We'll make it again!" the waiter said, rushing to clean the mess.
As he was picking up the broken plate, the guy stepped on him.
"Pick it up properly, you government mutt!" he sneered, laughing like a maniac.
Everyone else in the restaurant either ignored it or quietly slipped out, trying not to get dragged into the mess.
"Yeah, pick it up nice and clean, hahaha!" his buddies cackled.
The waiter looked like he was about to cry. No one did a thing. Just stared, silently disgusted.
I couldn't help but remember Valen—the way he stepped on me during that whole boring incident. I thought I played the part perfectly.
Wonder if his suspension is over yet… I heard he got hit with a month-long ban, had to pay 20 gold coins, and got the crap beaten out of him by his dad. Serves him right. Hah.
Then I heard it.
"Eat the leftovers too, you dog," the guy said, followed by more sick laughter.
That word—dog—it reminded me of Elysia. When is she getting out of the infirmary anyway? It's been two weeks already. She's lucky as hell. Her wound wasn't even that bad—just a scratch. But apparently her mental state was messed up.
I sighed.
That guy must've heard me, 'cause then he called out,
"Hey, kid. Come here a sec."