The carriage door swung open with a creak, revealing Markus clad in an elegant white trench coat. The coat was intricately designed, its edges and buttons lined with shimmering gold thread, and prominently featuring the insignia of the temple embroidered on the chest. At his hips, he carried two striking silver cleavers, their blades gleaming in the sunlight, with white fur adorning the guards of the handles, adding a touch of luxury to his imposing appearance. Every piece of his equipment was carefully provided by the temple.
However, beneath the polished exterior, his eyes were bloodshot and weary from a long night of anxious thoughts. His face was pale and devoid of the vibrancy of youth, a stark contrast to the excitement he had once felt. An air of dread clung to him, as if the weight of unfulfilled expectations pressed down on his shoulders.
Today marked a pivotal moment in his life: the chance to attend the Knight's Academy, a dream he had harbored for years. He had envisioned this opportunity as a means to uplift his family's life , yet it seemed that this very aspiration had brought more strife than help, leaving him to grapple with the consequences of his ambition.
Markus made his way to the academy's main hall, moving slowly and slouching as he walked. He headed toward the front of the announcement hall, searching for the seat with his name. As he scanned the area, another student approached him, someone he recognized.
It was Jolene Grayfield, the noble who had attended the temple ceremony and received the magma and eclipse arcana. She looked at Markus, her eyes narrowed in disdain. "You're that commoner who got that pity scholarship," she said. "I'm surprised you showed up. You should have saved us the trouble of kicking you out and just stayed in your place."
Markus glanced at Jolene but found her antics unworthy of his attention. "Leave me alone," he told her. Undeterred, she continued to mock him. "Aww, why are you so sad? You've finally realized you're nothing but a pathetic little pawn. You only got here because of your luck with a decent arcana, and your family has no real worth. I bet your pathetic mother must be overjoyed that her womb gave birth to someone soothing useful for once ."
Markus glared at her. His blood lust felt like knives being dragged through her body but this wasn't enough to move her. Jolene eyes sharpened, and she gritted her teeth. She replied, "You think I'm scared of you. Don't be so arrogant." She spat at him, but before the saliva could reach him, he froze it then flicked it back Into her face.
Jolene shouted, "You arrogant fool," while she grabbed him by his collar, creating a ball of magma in her other hand, ready to burn him asunder. Markus grabbed the hand on his collar, dislocating her wrist before he kicked her other hand, making her launch the bolt of magma toward the roof of the building.
Jolene fell to the ground screaming in pain. While her magma blast strock the roof, causing rubble to fall toward a couple of students, Markus quickly used his ability overheat and focused it onto his legs. Increasing his speed; he dashed toward the students, pushing them out of the way. A piece of the rubble landed on his leg, causing him to scream in pain as it pinned him on the ground.
Jolene took this opportunity to attack, she walked towards him with magma radiating off of half her body and her wrist dangling. She created a large ball of magma, showing off her large amount of energy, one of the few things she had over Markus.
Markus was prepared to retaliate. The ground around Jolene began glowing as Markus readied himself to use radiant burst. " STOP THIS SENSLESS! FIGHT THIS INSTANT!" a man in a silver and black dress suit shouted as a black and purple aura emanated from his back. A giant black snake wrapped around Markus and Jolene. It opened its mouth, releasing a toxic gas that left them both unconscious.
Markus woke up a few hours later in a white hospital bed, looking around trying to figure out where he was. One side of the room was filled with glass tubes that extended from the ceiling to the floor, filled with various liquids. On the other side, hospital beds lined the walls.
Markus sat up in the bed and asked, "Where am I?"
"You're in the school's infirmary," replied a woman in a blue and black lab coat, wearing an oversized witch's hat, while sipping a strange liquid from a test tube.
Markus looked at her, turning his head in confusion. After sipping the liquid, she exhaled blue and black smoke and continued, "You and your friend there were brought here by the principal. He instructed me to keep you here until orientation is over."
Markus felt annoyed; he could guess who the woman meant by "his friend." He sighed and asked, "Am I going to be expelled?"
She laughed and replied, "Ha! If that's all it took to get expelled from here, we wouldn't have any students. Don't worry, kid; I've seen murderers keep their place in this school."
Those words didn't exactly comfort Markus, but at least the fact that he wasn't being expelled put his mind at ease.
"By the way, my name is Nix. So, kid, what's your story? Do you have some sort of beef with the Grayfields?" the woman in the witch's hat asked.
"The only beef we have is the fact that I'm a commoner," Markus replied.
"Of course. I wish you the best, kid. Most people here aren't friendly to commoners," Nix responded.
Markus looked Nix up and down, realizing she was just working while casually talking to him. "You don't seem to despise me, at least."
Nix grinned as she replied, "I don't really care if you're a commoner or not; it's none of my business. Plus, you lot tend to be more entertaining than the suck ups in this school."
Markus smirked; he was glad to have found someone without a bone to pick with him for once.