Today was Fin's last day in the hospital—the end of one life, and the beginning of another.
Over the past few days, he had spoken to a few more doctors and nurses and gathered bits of information about the Academy. It was located on a small island in the Orphea Sea, welcoming both commoners and nobles alike. Its instructors hailed from across the world, not just from this continent.
Normally, Branded students attended from the age of fifteen and trained for years before facing their trials. But Fin did not have that luxury—he would be there for only three months. Three months to learn how to fight. How to survive.
Just as he finished running through what he had learned, the nurse who first greeted him returned to his room.
"It is time, Fin. The Academy's envoy is here. Grab your things and let's go."
"I don't own anything," Fin replied quietly. "We can go now."
They stepped into the hallway. Fin recognized a few familiar faces and offered quiet goodbyes. He tried to keep a calm face, but anxiety churned in his chest. He had never truly socialized before—his life had always been kill or be killed. Now, he was about to join a school. In the middle of the school year. Surrounded by strangers!
His thoughts spiraled as they exited the building. Waiting outside the hospital doors was a tall man in red leather armour.
"Fin, this is Teacher Cornelius," the nurse announced cheerfully. "He'll be your swordsmanship instructor—and your ride to the Academy today."
"Nice to meet you, boy," the man said with a nod. "I hope the school suits your taste."
Fin looked up at him—up. Why is everyone so tall? Cornelius had to be at least six foot five. Strangely, he carried no sword, which seemed odd for a swordsmanship teacher.
"Nice to meet you too," Fin said. "But, uh—no offense—but how exactly are we getting there? She told me it would take seconds but forgive me if I am a little sceptical."
Cornelius chuckled. "Polite and curious. That's refreshing."
The nurse nearly choked on her own saliva.
"Don't worry," Cornelius said calmly. "She did not lie. We will be there in seconds. You see, I have a tether to the Academy. I simply have to pull on it—and it will bring us straight there. Instant teleportation."
Fin's eyes widened slightly.
This world just keeps getting weirder.
"Well… uh, okay, I guess. I don't own anything, so we can go right now if that's okay."
"It is. Now grab my arm and we will get going."
When he said that, Fin said his goodbyes to the nurse and proceeded to grab the professor's arm. The moment he did, he felt as if his body was stretching and compressing at the same time—a huge amount of light blinded him, and then his feet left the ground. It all happened extremely fast. He started to levitate and disappeared, only to reappear someplace else.
As he became aware of his surroundings, he felt something stirring in his stomach. At first, he could not tell what it was—but then it became clear. He puked his guts out. Everything he had eaten over the last two days flew out of his body at incredible speed.
"Do not worry, young man. It happens to the best of us. Even I passed out the first time I teleported," Cornelius said with a reassuring tone.
"Feels like crap!! Never again!!"
But after the anger came the realization—he was standing on the greenest grass he had ever seen, and just ahead of him stood a beautiful old castle made of pristine white stone. The building was magnificent—it looked like no one, or nothing could ever destroy it. It possessed two tower-like structures rising thirty feet into the sky, ending with luxurious golden tips. Fin turned around to look at his surroundings and saw that the Academy was encompassed by the fiercest ramparts he had ever seen. They looked like they were sculpted out of pure black obsidian—no light reflected off them—no scratch could be seen on their smooth surface. And the strangest thing of all was the strong feeling of dread Fin felt while looking at them.
In its entirety, the Academy looked like an impregnable bastion. No army would ever be able to conquer it. It was surrounded by walls, standing atop a hill on a secluded island. It was simply perfect.
"It's magnificent, isn't it?" Cornelius praised proudly.
"Yes, it is."
"Well, enough dilly-dallying. I will show you your quarters, then take you to your class."
Fin followed him into the castle, his heart was pounding as if trying to leave his own chest. By some stoke of luck he did not meet anyone while walking to his room—the few people he saw just looked at him like he was some sort of animal in a zoo. He would have to thank lady fate later.
As they walked what seemed to be a long and winding road they finally reached the door of his room.
They opened the door, and Fin froze on the threshold, overwhelmed.
The room wasn't large, but to him, it felt like a palace. Warm light filtered through a small window opposite the door, illuminating furniture that looked hand-crafted—each piece carved from dark, polished wood and detailed with swirling patterns that must have taken hours to make. A soft rug covered the stone floor, and the air smelled faintly of lavender and old books.
A sturdy wardrobe stood in one corner, and beside it, a narrow desk with a cushioned chair. On the other side of the room were two beds, each neatly made with crisp white sheets and thick wool blankets.
Fin's chest tightened. He'd never had a room of his own before—never had furniture, warmth, or safety like this. For five years he'd slept on cold stone, under benches, or not at all. This... this felt like something from a dream.
He had to stop himself from hugging Cornelius out of sheer gratitude.
Then he noticed.
"Wait—two beds? That doesn't make sense," Fin muttered.
"That's because you'll have a roommate," Cornelius said with a chuckle. "You'll meet him soon. But now that you've seen your room, I'll take you to class."
Fin sighed inwardly.
It was too good to be true. Lady Fate is never that nice.