Chapter 7) Our First Ever Meeting
The laughter in the hall was hushed but biting. Professors exchanged uneasy glances, whispering words too low for Lucien to catch. One of them, an older man with silver-threaded hair, leaned toward another in evident concern. The cage at the center of the hall remained ominously still.
Students chuckled among themselves, quietly, cruelly. It wasn't open ridicule, but the kind that burned deeper: muffled snickers, smirks half-hidden behind hands, the unspoken judgment in their eyes.
Lucien turned instinctively to find Serenya. She stood rigid, her face unreadable, gaze fixed straight ahead. She didn't look at him, didn't even flinch.
"Of course," Lucien thought bitterly. "I knew it. I should've expected this from the very start."
Before he could sink further into the moment, a woman in the crimson robes of a professor stepped out from the dais. Her footsteps clicked sharply against the floor as she approached him. Her expression was severe.
"Come with me," she said, her voice clipped and cold.
Lucien hesitated, searching her face. "Where are we going?" he asked, his voice lower than he intended.
Her eyes narrowed, sharp as daggers under her brow. "You'll understand soon enough," she said sternly. No explanation. No room for questions.
She turned on her heel, and he was forced to follow, the crowd's whispers rising again in his wake. Together, they left the grand hall behind, the heavy doors closing with a hollow thud that seemed to cut him off from everything he thought he'd come here for.
---
They stepped into a quiet office. At the desk sat Professor Arvendis.
"Wait… Professor Arvendis? Why him?"
Arvendis lifted his gaze lazily.
"Oh, you're that boy, aren't you?"
His tone was flat. Dismissive. As if it didn't matter.
"What's going on with me?" Lucien's chest tightened. "Damn it… I really thought I'd at least get a common rank. Anything… but nothing? That hurts more than I thought."
The professor who escorted him pointed at Lucien.
"This is the boy."
Then she left, closing the door behind her.
Silence.
Arvendis finally spoke.
"So you're the one who failed to receive a beast. You're already past seventeen, correct?"
Lucien clenched his jaw.
"You know what happened to me. I never even studied in a school before this. I've never even seen a beast in my life."
Arvendis tilted his head slightly, a thin smile curling.
"Exactly. I've investigated your past. And with that knowledge, I can say this with certainty… you may remain in the Academy. Learn. Watch. Discover what the beasts mean to you."
Lucien blinked.
"…That's it? Just like that?"
"So easy? That doesn't make sense. Something's off here."
And then, he caught the smirk. Subtle, but sharp.
Lucien's mind froze for a second. Then narrowed.
"Ah… I see. So that's the game you're playing, Arvendis. Fine. If you want to play, I'll play by your rules."
Lucien hesitated, then asked,
"So… what happens to me now? What will I even get here? Education? Training?"
Arvendis leaned back in his chair, that faint smirk never leaving his lips.
"You'll study. Properly, this time. You'll receive the same education as others."
The smirk deepened, like he was holding back laughter.
Lucien's eyes narrowed. "Arvendis, Arvendis… how wrong you are about me. About everything…"
The professor's voice broke his thoughts.
"You're free to go for now. I'll send some attendants to escort you to your quarters. A room has already been prepared for you."
Lucien blinked.
"Already? Even without a beast, they… prepared all this for me? Strange."
Arvendis gestured toward the door.
"Explore the Academy. Learn its halls. You'll need it."
Lucien inclined his head politely.
"…Thank you."
He stepped out, the door shutting behind him.
And in his mind, the words burned sharp:
"So that's how it is. They don't even understand. Arvendis, you've already miscalculated."
---
Lucien wandered through the vast halls of the Academy, peeking into classrooms, training chambers, and endless corridors. This place is enormous…
In his mind, thoughts circled like restless birds. "Arvendis thinks he can use me later. He knows, and I know. But I won't play by his rules. I'll just pretend for now, follow along… and when the time comes, he'll see who I really am."
"Lucien."
The soft call from behind froze his thoughts. He turned quickly and saw Serenya standing there.
Her eyes were lowered, voice quiet. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it would turn out this way."
Lucien studied her face for a moment, then shook his head. "It's not your fault. I didn't get a beast, that's all. So don't worry."
She hesitated, then asked, "And you? How are you feeling?"
Lucien smirked faintly, though inside a heaviness pressed on his chest. "How do you think I feel?" he replied. "But… I'll manage with that."
Serenya stepped closer, her expression softening. "You don't have to carry it all alone. The Academy… it isn't as simple as it looks. Not everything is written in the ceremony. You'll understand soon."
Lucien's eyes narrowed slightly at her words. "Not as simple, huh? What do you know that I don't?"
"Maybe," he said aloud, masking his curiosity. "But still, thanks for saying that."
For a moment, silence hung between them, the noise of the Academy echoing faintly in the distance.
---
They stepped out onto a balcony. Night had already fallen, the Academy bathed in silver moonlight. Stars glittered above the towering spires, and the air carried a quiet stillness.
Lucien leaned against the stone railing, eyes wide. "What beauty… All my life, I've only seen my little village. I never even stepped beyond it, except for the market. And here… this feels like another world."
Serenya stood beside him, watching the night sky. For a while, neither spoke. Then she glanced at him. "Don't let today weigh you down too much. Tomorrow will come, and with it, more chances."
Lucien gave a faint smile, though inside his chest tightened. "Chances… yes. But for me, those chances always come with a price."
Before Serenya could reply, footsteps approached. Two attendants in Academy uniforms bowed slightly.
"Lucien Ardyn," one of them announced. "Professor Arvendis instructed us to escort you to your quarters."
Lucien looked back at Serenya. "I need to go."
She nodded. "Yes. But tomorrow… I'll be waiting. Don't shut yourself away."
Lucien gave her a short nod, then followed the escorts down the hall.
After a few minutes, they stopped before a wooden door marked with faint runes. One of them pushed it open and gestured. "This is your room. Settle in as you like. We'll leave you here."
The door closed behind him with a soft click.
Lucien stepped inside and froze. Someone was already there.
A boy sat casually on one of the beds, flipping through a thin book. He looked up, eyes sharp, then smirked.
Lucien's thought struck immediately: "So I'm not alone in this room… Interesting. Let's see who this one is."
The boy looked up from his book, eyes narrowing with a faint smile.
"Well then… hello, Lucien."
Lucien froze mid-step. "How does he know my name? Did he remember it from the bonding ritual…? Or is there something else?"
Keeping his composure, he moved a little closer, stopping near his own bed. "Well… hello."
For a moment, silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken questions. Finally, Lucien asked, "So, you also received your beast today?"
The boy chuckled quietly, closing his book. "Also? That's a strong word."
Lucien's heart tightened. "Damn… so he does know. He knows I didn't get one."
He forced a small smile. "Right. Well… I think I'll get some fresh air."
Not waiting for a reply, he turned and left the room.
---
The cool night breeze hit him as soon as he stepped outside the dormitory. He inhaled deeply, but the weight in his chest only grew heavier. "How uncomfortable… How shameful… To be seen like that, to be reminded of it so quickly."
He kept walking. Past the lit courtyards, past the grand halls of the Academy, until the tall gates loomed before him. Without much thought, he slipped through and found himself on the quiet road leading out.
The stars stretched endlessly above, the distant forest calling to him like a shadowed refuge. His steps carried him toward it, further and further from the Academy lights.
Lucien muttered under his breath, "At least in the forest, no one's watching me."
Lucien settled by a small pond just beyond the Academy's outer walls. The night was quiet here, safer than the deep forest, where wild beasts prowled. He leaned forward, picking up a stone and tossing it into the water. Ripples spread across the dark surface, swallowing the reflection of the moon.
"I can at least rest here," he thought. "At least here, no one's watching, no one's whispering behind my back."
Another stone skipped once before sinking.
"Damn it… not even a common rank beast. Not even the weakest." He clenched his fists, nails biting into his palms. "Why me? Out of everyone, why did it have to be me? To sit there, in front of the entire Academy, and walk away with nothing…"
His voice broke in a low whisper, carried off by the wind. "Why do I have to suffer like this?"
He leaned back on the grass, staring at the stars. They shimmered faintly above him, indifferent to his pain. The Academy stood in the distance like a golden monument, its towers glowing faintly under the moonlight. To everyone else, it was a place of dreams, a future. To him, it felt like a cage already tightening.
Yet even as the bitterness twisted inside him, a flicker of defiance sparked.
"They can laugh. They can whisper. But this isn't the end for me… it can't be. It can't be…"
He tossed another stone into the water, the splash echoing like a quiet vow.
And then…
"Lucien…"
The sound came like an echo, soft and tender, unlike any voice he had ever heard. It wasn't harsh, it wasn't mocking. It was… gentle. Almost caring.
Lucien's head snapped up. His pulse spiked. "What?!" He looked around, eyes darting through the shadows between the trees.
Lucien froze, every muscle locking as the voice echoed again, this time clearer, deeper, yet strangely gentle.
"Lucien…"
He spun in place, his eyes darting across the moonlit trees. "What? Who's there?!"
The reply came from everywhere at once, carried on the wind, slipping under his skin.
"I am here."
His breath caught in his throat. "W-what the hell…? Who are you?!"
The grass rustled behind him. His body screamed to run, but when he turned, his heart nearly stopped.
Towering over him was a colossal wolf, its fur streaked with silver lightning, arcs of energy crackling along its chained body. The chains themselves glowed faintly, runes pulsing as though straining to hold the beast in place. Its amber eyes blazed like twin suns in the dark, fixed directly on him.
Lucien's legs gave out, and he fell to the ground, scrambling back on his hands. "No… no, no… this… this isn't real! What the hell are you?!"
The wolf stepped forward, the ground trembling beneath its weight. Sparks scattered from the chains as it lowered its head closer to him. And then, its lips moved.
"Lucien…" the beast rumbled, voice resonating like thunder, yet soft, almost sorrowful. "I waited for you..."