small, but it was enough for one person. It had a small bed and a desk that seemed to be used for studying.
A boy with messy black hair and brown eyes, pale skin, and dark circles under his eyes was sitting in front of it. Clearly, he hadn't slept, as it was nearly three in the morning, and he didn't seem inclined to sleep anytime soon.
"Ahh… this is so hard!"
Raine said, a hint of annoyance on his face, for of course, learning to read and write was almost impossible, as only two weeks had passed since he entered the academy.
"At this rate, I won't finish before the students arrive."
Indeed, only three weeks remained before he and the students officially entered the academy to learn.
Finally, he decided to take some rest from all these trivialities.
He fell asleep quickly like someone who hadn't slept for a decade.
############################
Early in the morning, three people sat around the breakfast table. The first was a young man around twenty years old, blond hair and yellow eyes highlighting his beauty. He was Harry, one of the academy's monitoring aides who had been taking care of Raine during his stay before the students arrived.
The second was an elderly woman with white hair, the cook Healy.
And the third was Raine.
"This food is delicious."
"Eat, Raine, until you are full."
"I'm already full, Healy. Thank you."
He got up for a moment and headed to his room to continue studying, when Harry's voice interrupted him:
"Wait… how about a tour?"
"I have to study."
"Come on, I'll also teach you what I know about this world."
He was right; Raine was not yet aware of how to develop and unlock more seals.
"Alright then."
"I'm coming."
After a while, on a street outside the academy, a tall handsome young man was walking with another shorter, ordinary and homeless-looking boy. They formed a huge contrast.
"Ah, this game looks amazing!"
Since leaving, Harry had only been looking at some games without doing anything else.
"When will you teach me? Even though this is annoying."
"Come on, it looks amazing."
"I'll leave then."
"Wait, okay… ah, where do I start?"
Harry diverted his gaze from the games and walked down the street with Raine.
"Ah… alright. You know about the first seal, right? You unlocked it before."
"In total, there are six seals. When you unlock the first seal, you discover your source element, which was Ash with simple control over it. Each seal brings you closer to surpassing your limits as a mortal. The second seal gives you better control over your source element and increases your awareness. The third seal allows you to create your element, meaning you don't need to search for it to use it; you can generate it yourself. The fourth lets you shape it in any form you want, sharp enough to cut rocks or solid to the point of being nearly unbreakable—you become almost invincible. The fifth and sixth, I know nothing about them; very few have reached those seals."
Raine's mind was boiling from all this new information.
After a while, he asked, "Why?"
After a long silence, Harry replied:
"Raine, it seemed to you that your first seal was easy because it is like that for most people, but after it, no seal is easy at all. You can die from a single mistake, you fool, and the higher your seal, the more your physical strength increases too, but you can also die. To unlock higher seals, you must do something unknown to you, something difficult or that you hate. But don't worry; for the second seal, you will need to do something slightly easy, and the higher the seal you want to unlock, the harder it becomes."
"Ah… alright, but Ash seems useless."
"Listen, Raine, no element is useless. Every element has its own use and way."
Indeed, Harry was right; Ash could do a lot, so he had to hone his skills to the utmost if he wanted to survive in this world.
"Alright."
After a long conversation and tour, they finally decided to return to the academy. They found Healy at their lodging, then headed to their rooms.
"Oh, and one last thing."
"What?"
"I forgot this: every element can evolve, but I don't know… for example, water becomes ice, fire becomes flame, wind becomes a storm, rock becomes earth. As for the sub-elements, there are many. And Ash, I really don't know how it will evolve, and maybe no one knows, since after all, Ash users are very rare."
What? Ash will evolve? Raine rejoiced at the thought that his Ash would evolve.
"Ah, Harry, can I ask you something?"
"Ask."
"What is your element and your seal?"
"My element is Light, and my seal is the second."
"Goodbye then."
"See you tomorrow."
Raine headed to his room, thinking about how his life had changed for the better. He now had breakfast from Healy and even had a friend—can you imagine?
"This is amazing."
"Lower your voice, there are others here besides you."
Harry told him this and left, but wait… what?
"There are others here besides me?"
########################
Early in the morning, a girl came out of her room, happiness showing on her face. She walked until she reached an old hag who seemed to be preparing breakfast.
"Hello, Healy."
"Good morning, Rafi. Sit for breakfast."
"Thanks, but I need to do some exercise first."
Rafi liked to exercise early in the morning to take care of her body and physical health. She also had to take care of her black hair, which enhanced her beauty, and her blue eyes that gave a sense of coldness despite her kindness.
"Alright, see you later."
"See you."
########################
Rafi was running down the street, and signs of fatigue began to appear on her pale face, but for some reason, her focus seemed distracted.
'How am I supposed to live from now on?'
Indeed, her way of life was hard, especially after…
'They killed my father and mother.'
The death of her parents was the hardest thing for her. Fortunately, she found someone to take care of her: her grandfather. He took care of her. She decided to unlock her first seal, which gave her the Water element.
'I must become stronger.'
Rafi continued running, losing track of time. After all, she loved putting in great effort to achieve her goal. She also had to learn to read and write in a month.
'I learned it in 3 weeks.'
It was amazing—learning to read and write in three weeks. Few could accomplish such a remarkable feat.
Rafi stopped near the academy, specifically in the back courtyard, where people like her were staying before the students arrived, with only two weeks left.
They sat in groups, chatting, laughing, and playing as if they were… friends? Perhaps.
After all, Rafi didn't know the meaning of having a friend. She had never had one before, seeing them as a waste of time that would block her path to becoming strong.
'Fools… wasting their time.'
Rafi was about to continue running when her eyes fell on a young man sitting near a table eating. He had black hair and pale skin, giving off a sense of loneliness, which perhaps made him appear… different? He had no friends with him.
'Weird… why does he seem different?'
She couldn't take her eyes off him easily. Something in his calmness and solitude sparked her curiosity, something she wasn't used to. She had hated wasting time with people, but now it seemed as though this stranger carried the same coldness she saw in herself.
The young man suddenly noticed her.
She instinctively stopped running, feeling a strange irritation in her heart.
"Are you looking at me?" he said in a calm yet sharp voice.
She froze for a moment. She hadn't expected to be spoken to.
"No, I just… passed by."
She didn't answer. He returned to his food as if her presence didn't matter at all. But that ignorance made her feel something closer to… annoyance.
'Who is this? Who does he think he is?'
She stepped closer in measured steps until the table was between them.
"Why are you sitting alone? Don't you have companions?"
He raised his head slightly, looking at her with cold eyes like hers, and said:
"I don't need companions, but if I could have one, I certainly would."
She froze in place. His words mirrored her own thoughts… the same phrase she always repeated.
She wanted to reply, but the words stuck in her throat. For the first time in a long time, she felt that someone understood her view of life without her saying anything.
She, too, if she could have a friend, certainly wouldn't be arrogant about it.
The young man smiled faintly, barely noticeable:
"So, will you just stand there, or will you continue running?"
She clenched her t
eeth, then quickly turned to leave, but her heart was pounding.
"…Strange fool," she muttered as she walked away.
So does that make her… a strange fool too?
'Ah, I'm a strange fool too'