A look of shock appeared on Kaius' face.
'What is this…?'
Even though he didn't know how to read or write, he could perfectly understand what it was trying to convey.
No, that wasn't the main point.
It did something!
'Darkness aspect, recorded…?'
He couldn't figure out what it meant. But more importantly, the Cube reacted to something for the first time since he discovered it.
This Cube dwelling in his soul had a rather mysterious origin.
Back in the mines, when a slave had tried to kill him, he was barely able to survive due to his luck.
That same night, he killed that person when they were asleep.
After he murdered the man in cold blood, he suddenly discovered a vibration within his body.
When he attempted to discover what it was, he found himself staring at a Cube inside his body.
Six year old him couldn't tell what it was, but he could definitely ascertain that it was very special.
He thought that it might be a legendary mage relic, spoken about in the legends his parents used to tell him.
He tried studying it for years, but due to his status as a slave, he didn't have many opportunities and gradually lost hope in utilizing it.
But fortunately, he became a mage.
'If I can find more information about it later…'
Kaius' heart spurned. He shook his head and put the idea in the back of his mind.
At that moment, Varyn stopped.
"I'll be leaving you little things here. I have to report to the Tenebrous Order. Be sure to listen to the people here, or else…"
Leaving the children in suspense, he simply chuckled and flew off.
Kaius and the rest were left in front of a large building, staring at it in a daze. A name sign was erected on top, but he was too illiterate to understand it.
"Tenebrous Academy…"
One of his companions, a dark-haired girl, muttered out loud.
Kaius and the others blinked.
An academy?
""Yohohoho, new sprouts, eh? Welcome, welcome!""
An old, ragged voice suddenly echoed from all directions, causing them to collapse on the ground like a drumstick hit their heads.
Kaius felt his eardrums shake. A strong vibration erupted in his mind, turning his vision into a hazy mess. Veins appeared on his forehead.
He clenched his fist tightly, grabbing onto the grass below.
'I must resist…!'
Woosh!
A dark-robed man suddenly appeared in front of them, watching them struggle with a cold expression. He had a long white goatee, while a monocle hung on his left eye.
""Hm?""
Seemingly realizing something, his voice returned to normal.
"Ah… my mistake."
Haa—!
Feeling as if a huge burden was lifted from his mind, Kaius gasped audibly, panting heavily. One of his hands went to support his head. His eyes turned towards the dark-robed man, filled with fear and apprehension.
Some of the others were still collapsed on the floor, on the verge of turning unconscious.
Only he and the dark-haired girl could move.
Move, to be honest, was an overstatement.
Seeing this, the dark-robed man clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.
"It's merely an incomplete spell. Tsk. Useless. This year's batch is filled with trash."
He glanced at Kaius and the girl.
"But… you two. Passable, better than most."
Hearing his words, Kaius felt like his suffering was worth it.
Being acknowledged by a mage was definitely a good thing, right?
The dark-robed man muttered out an incantation, bringing forth darkness that covered each of the children.
In a matter of moments, Kaius and the others recovered.
Before the children could marvel at the spell's effect, the man turned his back and started walking inside.
"Follow me. Let's get each of you your identity plates."
Led by the dark-robed man, they went inside the Tenebrous Academy.
"I haven't introduced myself, haven't I? I'm Professor Raskol, a professor in the Tenebrous Academy. You'll be staying here for three years, learning to become a proper mage under my guidance and the other professors."
'So this is an Academy…?'
Kaius' heart spurned, his eyes wandering all over the place He had only heard about it from commoners who visited the mines occasionally. They said it was where people were thought how to read and write!
He didn't think he'd have a chance to be in one.
Seemingly in a hurry, Raskol and the others quickly arrived in a small room, where dozens of purplish dark steles were hovering around. The children looked at them with curiosity and excitement.
"Those who came before you had already received their identity plates. Your batch, led by Mage Varyn, should be the last one. I had to stop my research for this, so if you don't listen to my instructions clearly, I'll kill you."
Raskol said calmly, but his words made the children's hearts quiver.
"Now, pick the stele nearest to you. Once you grab hold of it, close your eyes and think of your name…"
Kaius did exactly as he was instructed. He picked a stele close by and grabbed it with both hands. Then, he closed his eyes and thought of his name.
His mother said that she, along with his father, racked their brains all night to make a name from the letters they both knew. They didn't want their son to simply inherit his parents' name, like them.
Thus, his name—Kaius was born. He didn't have a surname, as slaves weren't granted the privilege to have surnames.
Shhh…
Suddenly, he felt the stele on his hand shake, attempting to break free from his grasp.
"Don't let it go. Keep holding it tightly until it stops shaking."
Raskol's voice resounded, making everyone grasp their steles tightly as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
Kaius waited calmly, focusing all of his attention on the stele. Then, after a minute or two, the stele on his hand stilled. He waited a few more seconds before opening his eyes, just to make sure.
Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice come from in front of him.
"Release your hand."
Shocked, he immediately let go of his hand.
Kaius looked up and saw Professor Raskol standing before him.
But his attention was quickly pulled by the stele once more, as it rose and hovered in front of him. A symbol of characters was engraved on the stele, corresponding to his name, and slightly below it, a spider's head symbol could be seen.
"Good."
Raskol gave a creepy smile.