SUNLESS REGLARD
7:22?!
Sunless Reglard jolted upright, heart pounding. "Crap! I'm going to be late for the academy!"
He scrambled out of bed, limbs flailing as he tried to dress and brush his teeth at the same time. From the open window, Tori's laughter drifted in—loud, smug, and laced with the stench of sweat. Sunless wrinkled his nose. His brother smelled like he'd been training for a full day straight.
Beatrice, perched on the edge of the desk, watched the chaos unfold with a twitch of her whiskers and what looked suspiciously like a smirk. Sunless shot her a look.
She was strange, no doubt. Most people found her unsettling—an odd little creature with iridescent fur and eyes that shimmered like starlight. But to Sunless, she was beautiful. He remembered the day they met like it was etched into his soul.
He'd been five, playing adventurer with Tori when a misstep sent him tumbling into a cave. Alone, scared, and crying, he'd stumbled upon a rainbow-colored egg wrapped in a cloth unlike anything he'd ever seen. The egg cracked, and from it emerged a tiny, trembling creature. Through blurry eyes, he'd reached out, and the creature had responded with a soft cry. Hours passed in that cave—just the two of them. He named her Bea. Later, Beatrice.
Then came the System message:
[The Unnamed Creature is interested in forming a Companion Contract with You. Do you accept?]
He hadn't hesitated. He was five. Of course he clicked yes.
Even now, he didn't fully understand the contract's terms. But Beatrice had never left his side.
"Argh, Tori, get in the shower first—you reek," Sunless muttered, pinching his nose.
Tori just laughed and sauntered off, leaving a trail of sweat in his wake.
Sunless turned to the window. Beyond the training field, the towering walls of the Layers loomed in the distance. The Layer of Beginning—the first of many. A cage disguised as civilization. He and Tori had sworn to break through them someday. Maybe. After attending school
The rest of the day was spent training. Sword drills, stamina circuits, and mana refinement. Sunless excelled in the latter. Authority training came naturally to him, unlike Tori, who—at seventeen—still hadn't awakened his Authority. A delayed Awakener, they said. But Sunless had a theory: the more powerful the Authority, the longer it took to manifest. Maybe Tori's was just... waiting.
Three months left. That's all the time they had before their journey began.
"Boys, come and get your lunch!" their mother called.
Tori launched himself at the sandwiches like a starved beast. "Ahhh," he groaned dramatically.
Sunless rolled his eyes and joined him, scarfing down his own meal.
"Okay, Sunless," Tori said between bites, "let's talk about what we're doing after we leave."
Sunless leaned back. "We'll have to travel outside Aspin to get our licenses. The exam's called King of the Hill—we hold a flag for ten minutes in a contested zone. Four posts. We only need one. Then there's the physical test and the monster slaying exam. Should be easy."
Tori grinned. "I'm excited. We're finally doing it. Let's thug school out and be gone."
Their mother, Alice, watched them with a worried expression. Her eyes said what her lips didn't: Be careful, my sons.
"Hey, Tori," their father, Eric Reglard, called from the yard. "Spar with me for a bit?"
Tori cracked his knuckles. "Sure you wanna go, old man?"
They clashed, laughter and steel ringing through the air.
Sunless returned to his training, switching between weapons with fluid precision. His Authority made him versatile—dangerously so.
By 9:45 PM, exhaustion claimed them both. They collapsed into bed, only to rise again at 7:45 AM for school.
School. A place Sunless tolerated at best. Most of what he knew came from books. Still, some professors were worth listening to—like Mr. Klark. His lectures on rune stones and ancient mana beasts were fascinating. Mr. Klark had taught his students about how we could obtain rune stones and how they are stored authorities of the fallen warrior of the great war and how they were guarded by ancient mana beasts fragments of that era.
He also spoke of Primordial Observers, beings who watched Fables unfold like stories. To become one, your life had to be a Great Fable, either voted in by other Observers or recognized by the System itself.
But you only became one after death.
Sunless wondered if he could ever be worthy of that. Who would want to watch the Unluckiest Mortal?
The day passed quickly. At home, Beatrice greeted him with a leap and a lick, then did the same to Tori. They trained again. Time was slipping away.
"Sunless!"
He turned just in time to be tackled into a bear hug.
"Mica," he groaned.
"Hey hey! I haven't seen you in forever!" she chirped, squeezing tighter.
He gently peeled her off. "Uh, hey Mica… hehe."
"Oh, don't give me that goofy response," she said, hugging him again.
Mica had been his friend since he was seven. She was loud, affectionate, and utterly immune to personal space. Tori raised an eyebrow, and Sunless shot him a look: It's not like that.
That night, they all sat down for dinner—Eric, Alice, Mica, Tori, and Sunless. He looked around the table and smiled.
These were his people.
TORI REGLARD
Two months passed in a blur. Now, only one month remained.
Tori Reglard stood in the academy courtyard, lost in thought. Soon, he and Sunless would become adventurers. Their dream was finally within reach.
Then—crunch.
He looked down. He'd stepped on someone's shoe.
A hush fell over the courtyard.
It was Issac. The noble. The so-called strongest student in school.
Issac's emerald eyes narrowed. "Well," he said coldly, "go ahead. Get on your knees and lick the dirt you put there."
Tori met his gaze, golden eyes glowing faintly.
He didn't flinch.