The morning mist hung low over the dirt road as Yuu guided his horse—a sturdy brown gelding named Oakley that his father had borrowed from a neighboring farmer—through the rolling hills north of Greenhollow. The chest his father had made was strapped securely to the saddle, and Shinrai rested at his hip, its leather sheath rubbing comfortably against his leg.
It had been three days since he'd left the village, and the landscape had already changed dramatically. The golden wheat fields of home had given way to dense forests and rocky outcrops, with distant mountains rising like giants against the horizon. Silverfall City lay beyond those mountains, nestled in a valley where the Silver River cascaded down into a series of waterfalls—hence the name.
Yuu pulled Oakley to a stop by a clear stream to let the horse drink. He'd been traveling since dawn, and the morning chill had seeped through his leather armor. He sat down on a flat rock, pulled a piece of bread from his pack, and watched the water flow by.
So far, the journey had been peaceful. He'd passed through two small villages, where he'd traded some of his dried fruit for fresh water and information about the road ahead. The villagers had warned him about the Wolf's Tooth Pass—a narrow stretch of road through the mountains that was known for bandits and wild monsters.
"Stay on the main road," an old merchant had told him the day before. "And if you see smoke rising from the hills, turn back immediately. That's the sign of the Black Claw Bandits—they don't take kindly to travelers who carry valuable goods."
Yuu looked down at his sword. He wasn't carrying anything valuable—just his supplies, his armor, and Shinrai. But he knew that bandits wouldn't care about that. They'd see a young traveler alone on the road and take whatever they wanted.
He finished his bread, refilled his water skin, and mounted Oakley again. The sun was higher now, burning away the mist and warming the air. He urged the horse forward, following the road as it curved up into the foothills of the mountains.
By midday, he'd reached the start of Wolf's Tooth Pass. The road narrowed to barely wide enough for one horse, with steep cliffs on one side and a deep ravine on the other. Jagged rocks jutted out from the mountainside above, looking like the teeth of some great beast—exactly how the pass had gotten its name.
Yuu slowed Oakley to a careful walk, his hand resting on the hilt of Shinrai. He'd been practicing sensing magic every day, and now he focused his attention on the hills around him, feeling for any sign of danger. The air felt heavy here, with a faint undercurrent of something dark—like smoke mixed with fear.
Someone's been here recently, he thought. And they weren't friendly.
He was about to urge Oakley to move faster when he heard a sound from above—stones tumbling down the cliff face. He pulled the horse to a stop just as a group of men emerged from behind the rocks, blocking the road ahead. There were five of them, all dressed in dark leather armor with black claws painted on their chests. Each one carried a sword or a club, and their eyes gleamed with greed as they looked at Yuu and his horse.
"Well, well," said the largest man, stepping forward. He had a scar across his face and a thick beard full of dirt. "What do we have here? A young traveler all alone on the road. You must be carrying something valuable to be out here by yourself."
"I'm just a student heading to the Royal Academy," Yuu said calmly, keeping his hand on Shinrai. "I have nothing worth stealing."
The bandit leader laughed, a rough sound like grinding stones. "Everyone has something worth stealing. Your horse, your armor, that fancy sword at your hip—all of it belongs to the Black Claw Bandits now. Get off the horse and hand over your things, and maybe we'll let you walk away."
Yuu dismounted slowly, keeping his eyes on the bandits. He could feel their magical signatures now—weak and chaotic, like untamed fire. They were using low-level enhancement magic to make themselves stronger and faster, but it was sloppy and unfocused.
"I'd rather not do that," he said, his voice steady. "If you let me pass, I won't tell anyone you were here."
The bandit leader's face darkened. "You think you can threaten us, boy? We've been robbing travelers through this pass for years. No one stops us—not even the royal guards."
He raised his hand, and the other bandits moved forward, surrounding Yuu in a half-circle. "Last chance," the leader said. "Give us your things, or we'll take them by force."
Yuu drew Shinrai, the blade gleaming bright in the sunlight. The bandits laughed, but their eyes widened slightly as they saw the weapon—they'd never seen anything like it before.
"A sword with no magic?" the leader scoffed. "What good is that against our enhanced strength?"
Yuu didn't answer. He focused on the air around him, feeling the flow of the bandits' magic. They were all using the same type of enhancement spell—warm and fast-moving, like a gust of hot wind. He needed to strike with the flow, not against it.
The first bandit charged forward, swinging a club with both hands. Yuu stepped to the side, following the curve of the bandit's movement, and sliced Shinrai across his arm. The blade cut through the leather armor as if it were paper, and the bandit cried out, dropping his club and stumbling back.
The second bandit attacked from his left, using a sword with a dull, magical glow. Yuu ducked under the swing, then spun around and struck the bandit's wrist. The sword clattered to the ground, and the bandit clutched his hand in pain.
The leader roared in anger and charged himself, his fists wrapped in magical fire. "You'll pay for that, boy!"
Yuu could feel the heat of the fire magic as the leader approached—intense and wild, with no real pattern to its flow. He waited until the last moment, then side-stepped and swung Shinrai in a wide arc, cutting through the fire spell as easily as he'd cut through Lirael's practice walls. The excess energy was absorbed by the sword, and Yuu felt a warm jolt travel up his arm.
Before the leader could recover, Yuu struck his shoulder with the flat of the blade, knocking him to the ground. The remaining two bandits looked at their fallen companions, then at Yuu and his glowing sword, and turned and ran into the hills.
Yuu stood over the leader, Shinrai pointed at his chest. "Why are you doing this?" he asked. "There are better ways to make a living than robbing travelers."
The leader glared up at him, but there was fear in his eyes. "Better ways?" he spat. "We have no magic—no one will hire us for anything but the worst jobs. The academy doesn't take people like us. The nobles don't care about us. We do what we have to to survive."
Yuu felt a pang of sympathy. He knew what it was like to be looked down on because he had no magic. He lowered his sword slightly. "There's a village a few miles back," he said. "The people there are kind. If you go there and ask for help, they'll give you work—farming, building, whatever you can do. But you have to stop robbing people."
The leader looked surprised. "You're not going to kill us? Or turn us over to the guards?"
"I'm not here to hurt people," Yuu said. "I'm here to help them. But if I see you robbing travelers again, I won't be so kind."
He sheathed Shinrai and helped the two injured bandits to their feet. He cleaned their wounds with water from his skin and applied some of the healing herbs Mrs. Willow had given him. "The herbs will help with the pain and prevent infection," he said. "Now go—before I change my mind."
The bandit leader nodded slowly, then helped his men walk toward the hills where the other two had fled. "Thank you," he said quietly, before disappearing into the trees.
Yuu mounted Oakley again and continued up the pass. He knew that what he'd done was risky—letting the bandits go could mean they'd return to their old ways. But he also knew that punishing them wouldn't solve the problem. In a world where magic determined a person's worth, those without it had few options. It was another reason why he needed to go to the academy—maybe he could find a way to change things, to show that strength came in many forms.
A few hours later, as he was coming out of the pass, he heard a sound behind him. He turned to see the bandit leader running down the road toward him, alone.
"Wait!" the leader called out, stopping a few feet away. He was breathing hard, and he held something in his hand. "I wanted to give you this. It's a map of the mountain trails—shows all the safe paths through to Silverfall. My grandfather made it before the bandits took over the pass. It'll help you avoid any other trouble on the road."
Yuu took the map, unfolding it to see detailed drawings of the mountains, rivers, and hidden paths. "Thank you," he said.
The leader nodded. "I meant what I said earlier—we'll go to the village and ask for work. You showed us kindness when we deserved none. It's time we tried to be better people."
He turned and walked back up the pass, and Yuu watched him go before urging Oakley forward. The sun was beginning to set, painting the mountains in shades of red and gold. He followed the map the leader had given him, taking a hidden trail that wound through a forest of pine trees.
As darkness fell, he found a small clearing beside a stream where he could camp for the night. He built a small fire, unsaddled Oakley and let him graze on the grass, then sat down to eat. He pulled out the map again, studying it by the firelight. It showed a shortcut through the mountains that would cut his journey time by almost a week.
He was about to put the map away when he noticed something written in small letters in the corner: "The strongest magic is not in spells, but in the bonds we share with others."
Yuu smiled. It was the same message he'd seen on the pillars in the sacred clearing. Maybe the bandit leader's grandfather had known the Blade Guardian's story too.
As he lay down to sleep, wrapped in a warm blanket, Yuu thought about everything that had happened that day. He'd faced his first real challenge on the road, and he'd chosen kindness over violence. It hadn't been easy—part of him had wanted to punish the bandits for threatening him. But he'd remembered what Lirael had told him: being a guardian wasn't about being powerful, it was about protecting others and helping them become better.
The next morning, he packed up his camp and continued on his way, following the shortcut on the map. The trail was steep and narrow, but it was safe, and he made good time. Along the way, he encountered a family of travelers whose wagon had broken down. He used his knowledge of mechanics from his old world to fix the wheel, and in return, they shared their food with him and told him stories about life in Silverfall City.
"They say the academy is beautiful," the mother said, as they ate by the side of the road. "With towers that reach up to the clouds and gardens filled with magical flowers. But it can be a hard place for those without magic. The noble students often look down on anyone who isn't as powerful as they are."
Yuu nodded. "I've heard that. But maybe I can show them that there's more to strength than magic."
The father smiled. "That's the right attitude to have. The world needs more people who think like you."
They parted ways a few hours later, and Yuu continued on his journey. Over the next few days, he encountered more travelers—merchants, pilgrims, even a group of elves heading to the academy to study nature magic. He helped them when he could—healing wounds, fixing broken equipment, sharing his food—and in return, they shared their knowledge of the road and the city ahead.
By the tenth day of his journey, he could see Silverfall City in the distance. It was even more beautiful than he'd imagined—white stone towers rose from the valley floor, connected by bridges of polished wood and glass. The Silver River cascaded down the mountainside in a series of sparkling waterfalls, and gardens filled with flowers that glowed with soft magical light covered every available space.
As he rode through the city gates, Yuu felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. The Royal Academy of Magic was just ahead, and his life was about to change forever. He didn't know what challenges lay ahead, or how he would fit in among students who could wield powerful magic. But he knew he was ready to try.
He had his sword, his knowledge of medicine, and the lessons he'd learned on the road. And somewhere in the city, he was sure he'd find allies who would help him protect Aethermoor when the time came.
The road to Silverfall had been long, but his journey at the academy was just beginning.