Chapter 4) Path To New Me…
The beast lunged, its claws tearing through the air.
Lucien's eyes widened, he had no time to react. But Serenya's hand shot out, gripping his wrist. With a sudden pull, she hurled him aside, both of them crashing to the ground as the beast's strike shattered the earth where they had just stood.
The creature roared and wheeled around, saliva dripping from its jaws, ready for another attack.
Lucien pushed himself up, breath ragged.
"What now?" he gasped.
Serenya narrowed her eyes, standing firm. "Stay behind me… just wait…"
The beast charged again.
And then… light flashed from above. Something streaked down from the night sky, cutting through the darkness.
In an instant, a figure landed between them and the monster. Steel glinted. A single clean strike split the beast open, its body collapsing with a dull thud into the soil.
The newcomer stood tall, cloak rippling in the wind. He glanced at the corpse, his expression cold.
"Common rank," he muttered. "What a pity."
Then his gaze snapped toward Serenya. His tone hardened.
"Serenya. Where have you been all this time? We've searched everywhere for you."
Serenya froze, her lips pressed tight.
"Pr… Professor?"
The man's eyes narrowed.
"Even my Phoenix couldn't track your trail."
A faint cry echoed from above, the silhouette of a great bird circled in the night sky, wings glowing faintly with embers.
Serenya lowered her gaze, silent.
The man took a step forward, his voice cutting like a blade.
"You'll explain everything. Now."
Arvendis narrowed his eyes at Lucien.
"And this one?" he asked sharply, his voice deep and commanding.
Lucien said nothing, his jaw tightening.
Serenya stepped forward quickly.
"Professor, forgive me. We lost our way in the forest, and on the path I found him… he was lying there, injured. His entire village, his family… they're gone."
Arvendis tilted his head, his expression unreadable.
"Gone?" His tone was almost mocking. "Explain."
Serenya's lips trembled for a moment before she said softly,
"A dragon. A dragon destroyed everything."
The professor smirked faintly, as if the words were too ridiculous to believe.
"A dragon, hm? Interesting." He waved his hand dismissively. "No matter. We'll sort this out once we reach the Academy. Enough talk… move."
Serenya hesitated, then asked,
"Professor Arvendis… how did you even find me?"
At that, the professor's gaze darkened, and his voice grew sharp.
"Are you mocking me, Serenya? That is not a question you should be asking."
With a swift motion, he mounted the magnificent phoenix waiting at his side. The bird's feathers shimmered with molten gold and crimson fire, casting sparks across the forest floor.
Arvendis turned his head slightly, his piercing eyes falling first on Serenya, then on Lucien.
"Sit."
Lucien, without a word, climbed onto the phoenix's back. The creature's warmth radiated through his body, and for the first time in hours, he felt the faintest sense of safety.
Sitting on the phoenix's back, Lucien's thoughts spun.
"So it's true… you can really bind a beast to yourself. That phoenix isn't just a companion, it's obeying him completely. Then… does that mean anyone can do it? Or only someone like him?"
His mind drifted back to the fight. "The way Arvendis had cut through that monster…
Common rank… that's what he called it. But what does that even mean? Are there ranks to these creatures? How many levels they have… how far above us are they…?"
The phoenix's feathers shimmered beneath him, scattering faint sparks into the night sky. Lucien tightened his grip, half afraid the blazing bird would simply vanish beneath him.
"I need to know… I need to learn everything… because if that dragon really was from the Abyssal Veins, then it wasn't just chance. It won't end with my village."
He glanced sideways at Serenya, quiet, staring ahead. Then at Arvendis, sitting upright, commanding the phoenix as if it were a natural extension of himself.
Lucien's heart pounded with a strange mix of fear and determination. "How lucky I was that he came when he did. If he hadn't… we'd be nothing but corpses in that forest."
And yet, somewhere deep inside, a voice whispered,"No… it's not just luck. I can't let it be just luck. I have to become strong enough to stand on my own."
‐‐‐
The night sky stretched endless. The phoenix's wings cut the silence.
"Damn… what the hell even happened just now? That beast… one strike and gone, like it was nothing. And he called it… common rank? Common? Hell, if that thing was common, then what the hell is waiting ahead?"
Lucien gritted his teeth.
"And Serenya… she was about to do something. I don't even know what. Shit, everything happened too fast. I couldn't even blink before that man crushed it."
The wind rushed past his ears.
"Arvendis… professor, huh? Hell, he didn't even ask me a damn thing. Just said everything in the Academy. The Academy… what the hell even is waiting for me there? Teachers? Monsters? More like hell's nest, probably. But it's my only chance…"
---
The phoenix soared endlessly. Hours had already passed. The air was colder now, but the sky slowly shifted, dark night breaking into dawn.
Serenya slept, leaning to the side, quiet. Arvendis sat like a stone, arms crossed, saying nothing.
Lucien stood up, holding on to the phoenix's feathers. His eyes widened.
"Holy…"
The horizon burned with colors, orange, gold, crimson, rolling across the clouds. The rising sun set the whole sky on fire.
"Damn… this… this is insane. I've never seen anything like this. Back in the village… all I ever saw was the same damn trees, the same dirt roads." He sighed.
The phoenix cut through the morning air, every flap glowing in sunlight.
Then, far away, a shape rose against the sky. Towers. Walls. Bridges curling through the air like veins of stone. The Academy.
Lucien's breath caught.
"No way… that's it? That's the Academy? Hell, it's massive… it's like another world. And I… I'm actually going there."
His chest pounded.
"If I could get in… if I could just stay there… so many chances, so many damn doors open. No more cages. No more helplessness. Just… power and Freedom."
The wind roared in his ears. He clenched his fists, eyes locked on the rising silhouette.
"This is it… my shot…"
The phoenix kept gliding, closer and closer to the shining fortress of the sky.