'Aster is a country on the continent of Valkaen, known for having won a great war 100 years ago. It is currently home to the most prestigious academy on the continent, where I attend, and my objective is… '
Somewhere in the academy, a flustered boy entered a room and locked the door. He leaned his back against the wood, breathing deeply several times before finally allowing himself to relax.
'For now I'm safe'.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his uniform sleeve and walked silently toward one of the windows. He checked outside and saw no one, then sighed.
'This is me. I am the eldest son of the Dunvyr family… '
He approached the door and opened it just a crack. He looked both ways down the corridor, alert to any sound.
'And why am I hiding? That's because… '
A sharp blow interrupted his thought. The door trembled. Another impact struck harder, and the wood began to splinter. The boy immediately stepped back and ran to a locker, slipping inside and closing it carefully.
From outside, the sound of metal tearing through wood could be heard. A sword pierced the door and broke it apart without difficulty. A silver-haired girl with blue eyes entered the room with firm steps.
"I know you're around here, Torven, come out…"
'That girl looking for me is Valdegrim Taliah, and yes, she's a little upset… '
Taliah rested the sword on her shoulder and calmly surveyed the room with tense composure.
"I'll count to five, and if you don't come out…"
Her voice shifted to a lower, colder tone.
"Prepare for the consequences".
'Well, she's very upset'.
Torven held his breath inside the locker. He heard the sound of boots approaching, slow and measured. Each step felt closer.
"One…"
The metal of the sword began to scrape against the floor.
"Two…"
Torven squeezed his eyes shut.
"Three…"
The footsteps stopped in front of the locker.
"Four…"
A heavy silence filled the air.
"Five…"
Torven began praying to the one above.
"Your time is up".
Torven heard a die rolling in his head.
'This is bad'.
The sword cut the locker in half. The metal door fell to the floor. Torven shot out from the side before the strike finished. He ran down the corridor without looking back.
'That was close'.
He turned a corner and ran with all his strength. At the end of the corridor, he saw a familiar female figure.
"Calenne!?"
Calenne looked at him for a fraction of a second and raised her hand. A fireball appeared and shot toward him. He heard the die again.
'Good thing, it rolled a 7'.
Torven threw himself to the side and the fireball struck the wall, leaving a black mark.
'The one who almost roasted me is called Lansholt Calenne, and let's just say she's upset too…'
Torven didn't stop. He ran toward an open window and jumped without thinking. He landed on the courtyard ground with a roll and immediately got to his feet.
'Yes, I just jumped from a second floor. That's thanks to magic existing in this world… '
Taliah and Calenne landed shortly after, without issue.
'Unfortunately, they have magic too'.
Torven started running. He crossed the courtyard, turned a corner, and entered a side corridor. He ran to the end and stopped short.
There was no exit.
He turned around just as he saw the two of them approaching. He stepped back.
'I never thought I would die this way…'
Suddenly, a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him backward. The wall opened and Torven fell into a hidden space. The wall closed.
"Elyndra!"
Elyndra covered his mouth and motioned for him to stay silent. They waited. Footsteps were heard outside, tense voices. Then, silence.
Elyndra barely peeked out and checked. Then she nodded and released Torven.
"Elyndra, thank you so much! If you hadn't hidden me, I don't know what would've happened to me…"
"You're welcome, I do everything to keep you safe."
Elyndra smiled at him. Torven swallowed.
'This red-haired elf is Aelthyris Elyndra. You could say that, out of the three, she's the calmest… '
Elyndra stepped closer and whispered in his ear.
"By the way, is it true they saw you with a woman on the artisans' promenade?"
"Why do you ask?"
"For nothing, I just wanted to know who the cur— I mean, the fortunate young lady was who got to accompany you."
'For that person's safety, I'd better not tell her'.
Torven looked through a gap in the false wall.
"I think they're gone now, so I'm leaving…"
Elyndra grabbed his sleeve.
"By the way, I spoke with your father about the family business…"
'When did she talk to him!?'
"He says he would be pleased to strengthen ties with my family, but there's one thing you have to do, Torven…"
"What thing is that?"
Elyndra pulled out a paper.
"You have to sign here and with that we would be partners…"
Torven looked at it closely.
"This is a marriage certificate."
"Really? Oh my, how silly of me."
She swapped the paper for another one.
"Here you have the real one, go on, sign."
Torven frowned.
"This is a signature copying sheet."
"Just sign already, don't pay attention to that sheet!"
They began struggling. Suddenly, the false wall was cut from side to side. The fragments fell to the floor. Taliah and Calenne appeared, furious.
'They found us'.
"Do you dare try to win over my man in my presence!?"
Calenne shouted.
"I don't see my Torven being engaged to you for you to claim him as yours".
Elyndra replied without moving aside.
Taliah pointed her sword at Elyndra's neck.
"I will protect Torven from any crawling rat who tries to take advantage of him…"
"My, I had forgotten that Miss Valdegrim is someone who acts crudely. Do you know there are more ways to solve things than brute force?"
The three of them moved at the same time. Elyndra stepped in front of Torven.
"Stay behind me, Torven, I'll protect you".
"You'd better come with me if you know what's good for you!"
Taliah snapped.
"I won't hold back".
Calenne warned.
The three attacked. Swords, fire, and magic clashed in a confined space. Torven took advantage of the chaos and ran.
'I go through this almost every day. But I'm willing to go through this hell to achieve my objective, to become the final boss of this video game'.