Footsteps crunched against the scattered rubble.
Dominic turned his swimming vision with effort. A tall figure emerged from the dim light. He was cloaked in dark fabric, a compact small crossbow held loosely in one hand.
Frost still clung to the weapon's metal limbs. The man's face was cold and bearded, his expression pulled into a faint frown as he looked down at the frozen monster, then at Dominic.
He approached without hurry.
When he reached Dominic, he crouched, his sharp eyes studying the wounded boy with an unreadable calm, as if he didn't see his wounds or that it didn't matter.
"What's a boy like you doing here?" he asked with his deep voice that echoed slightly in the chamber.
"I… ugh…" Dominic tried to speak, but pain and haze tangled his words. "Help…"
The man exhaled slowly, gaze traveling across Dominic's twisted legs and shattered arm.
"Don't worry," he said, almost casually. "You're not dying."
Dominic wanted to ask who he was, but darkness was already swallowing the edges of his sight. His body felt weightless and everything went black.
—
Dominic blinked his eyes open and saw a bright sky dotted with small drifting clouds. Warm sunlight pressed gently against his skin.
Confused, Dominic pushed himself up slightly and looked around.
He was lying on soft grass.
Nearby, the bearded man sat with his back against a tree, chewing a strip of jerky while scribbling in a small leather-bound book.
The man didn't seem to notice Dominic at first, absorbed in whatever notes he was writing.
Dominic stared at the sky again, realization slowly dawning.
He was… outside. That meant the man had carried him out of the Labyrinth. That also meant that he was still alive.
Dominic let out a shaky breath of relief.
"You awake?" the bearded man said without looking up, his deep voice unmistakable.
"Yes…" Dominic answered, his tone trembling as the memory of his shattered arm flashed through his mind.
His body should've been broken. He should've been drowning in pain.
But… he wasn't.
Dominic looked down at himself. His arms, his legs, his ribs, everything looked and felt normal and whole.
"You healed me?" Dominic asked, disbelief in his words.
"You're lucky I still had my elixir of healing," the man replied. He finally closed his book and looked at him. "Now tell me, what were you doing in that place alone?"
Dominic hesitated. But lying felt wrong after the man had saved his life.
"I'm… following a voice," Dominic said quietly.
"A voice?" The man's expression changed instantly. His frown deepened, and something sharp flickered in his eyes. Like shock, suspicion, and alarm.
Dominic braced himself, expecting to be yelled at. But the scolding never came.
The man simply continued. "What kind of voice?"
"It was… an old man's voice," Dominic explained. "He told me to come, and he said he would give me power. My Bloodmark is bad, you know? it has no ability. And I'm poor. So… I needed this power to survive."
The man stared at him for three long seconds with a piercing, unreadable gaze.
Then he asked, "And did you get this power?"
"Uh… I think so."
The moment Dominic said it, the man moved fast toward him. He grabbed Dominic's chin, checking his forehead, then pressed a hand to his chest. His eyes sharpened further as he grabbed Dominic's right hand.
He found the two small symbols just below Dominic's index and middle finger.
"This is it?" the man asked.
"Yes. Those two appeared after I saw two grey lights shoot into my body," Dominic said.
"Shot into your body? You weren't looking for it?" he asked in disbelief, again.
"No," Dominic replied, confused.
The man frowned, thinking deeply, jaw tightening. After a long moment, he muttered. "Huh. Strange."
"What's strange?" Dominic asked.
The man closed his book with a soft snap.
"What you got are Signatures," he said. "One of the two types of power hidden inside the Labyrinth. They don't just come on you. To obtain a Signature, you're supposed to find them, study them, understand their nature, and then imprint them through will and resonance."
The man narrowed his eyes. "But you… You don't look like someone who could decipher a single rune, much less attune to a Signature."
Dominic blinked. "Uh…"
"And you said these things shot toward you?" Felix continued.
"Yes," Dominic said, nodding slowly. Hearing Felix's explanation, the whole thing indeed sounded strange. It made the hairs on his arms rise. What happened to him?
"I saw two grey lights. They just went into me," Dominic said.
The man leaned back slightly, frowning harder. "That shouldn't happen."
Dominic swallowed. A strange unease crept through him. He had obtained a power that required study and understanding without doing anything.
The man rubbed his beard, deep in thought. Then he looked at Dominic with a piercing intensity that made the boy feel like his soul was being inspected.
After a moment, the man nodded to himself.
"I don't know what happened to you," he said. "But whatever it is… it's going to be interesting."
Dominic's heart skipped.
The man stood and dusted off his cloak.
"Tell you what," he said. "You work under me."
Dominic stared at him. "Under… you?"
The man gave a short nod. "My name's Felix. And whether you realize it or not, boy, you're in the middle of something unusual. Might as well learn from someone who knows how to keep you alive. What do you think?"
He extended a hand toward Dominic.
Dominic stared at the outstretched hand, then back up at the man.
"Am I getting paid?" he asked carefully.
Felix snorted, a short laugh escaping him. "Of course. I said you'll work, didn't I? I don't take unpaid labor."
That was enough. Dominic reached out and took the man's hand. "Alright."
"Good!" Felix said, releasing him. "But first, you need to attend the Academy."
Dominic blinked. "Academy?"
"Yeah." Felix folded his arms. "If you want to work under me and do the kind of things I do, you'll need a diploma. A license."
Dominic swallowed. Academy. A place for nobles, skilled fighters, and trained Arcanists. A place he never dreamed he'd step into.
Felix continued, "You've got potential, kid. Weird potential, but potential. But you need training, grounding, and proper credentials before anything we would do together."
Dominic stared at him, unsure if he should feel intimidated or excited.
Felix smirked slightly. "Don't worry. I'll get you in there easily."
—