Azrael went back inside the cottage to pack his things.
He didn't have much—just a few sets of clothes and a handful of personal belongings he'd gathered over the years. Still, as he folded each piece and set it aside, his hands moved slower than usual. The cottage had been his safe space. Quiet. Isolated. Predictable. He had grown used to the silence, to days passing with little to no human interaction. It was lonely at times, but it was familiar.
Now, all of that was about to end.
Once he stepped beyond this place, there would be no turning back. He would be leaving behind the comfort he knew and stepping into a much larger world—one filled with uncertainty, danger, and expectations he didn't fully understand yet.
By the time he finished packing, the sun was already beginning to set. Azrael placed his small bundle by the door and took one last look around the cottage. The walls were plain, the furniture old. Yet every corner carried memories. He lingered for a moment longer than he meant to, then finally lay down to rest.
The next morning, Charles arrived early.
By the time he knocked, Azrael was already prepared, standing near the door with his belongings in hand. There was no hesitation in his movements now.
Whatever doubts he had, he kept them buried.
Azrael was the only one from his city who had chosen Blackspire Academy. That alone made him stand out—but the reason behind it mattered even more. Blackspire only accepted students who had awakened a purple grade or higher. In a small, backwater city like his, even a purple-grade awakening was rare. Blue grade was almost unheard of. Most people awakened a pink or orange grade, and those who did were already considered fortunate.
They began walking through the city streets, moving farther and farther from the familiar paths Azrael knew. When he realized they were heading toward the very edge of the city, his brows furrowed.
After a moment of hesitation, he finally spoke.
"Senior… are we heading back to the academy by foot?"
The question slipped out before he could stop himself.
What have I gotten myself into? he thought. At least he could've prepared a carriage.
Charles stopped walking and turned to look at him. Then he laughed.
"Hahaha," Charles laughed, clearly amused. "Of course not. Come with me. I'll show you our ride."
Azrael eyed him suspiciously but followed anyway.
They passed beyond the city's borders and entered the forest. The air grew cooler, the sounds of civilization fading behind them. Birds called from the trees, and sunlight filtered through the canopy above. They walked for some time, deeper into the forest than Azrael had ever gone before.
Eventually, the trees thinned, revealing a wide, quiet lake.
Azrael was about to comment on the scenery when he noticed something beside the water.
He froze.
Lying near the lake was a massive bird-like creature.
Its entire body was coated in feathers the color of the open sky—light blue, almost glowing under the sunlight. Its beak was long and dangerously curved, sharp enough to tear through steel. Folded against its back were two enormous wings, the feathers there a deeper shade of blue, layered and powerful.
Its talons dug into the earth beneath it, razor-sharp and unmistakably lethal.
Azrael swallowed.
As he took a cautious step closer, the beast slowly turned its head. Its blue, beady eyes locked onto him. They were strangely mesmerizing, like ripples on the surface of deep water. For a brief moment, Azrael thought he could see his own reflection staring back at him.
"M-ma… magical beast," he muttered.
It couldn't be helped.
The city he came from was a backwater in every sense of the word. Though there were forests nearby where people hunted, most of the creatures there were normal beasts. Low-tier magical beasts only existed deep within the forest, places most residents never dared to enter. Seeing one up close—especially one this large—was overwhelming.
Charles watched his reaction with a small smile.
"Here's our ride back to the academy," he said casually.
"She's a Skyfeather Eaglebeast."
Azrael stared.
Charles walked toward the creature without hesitation and gently ran his hand through her feathers. The beast remained calm, letting out a low, rumbling sound that almost resembled a purr.
"Are you going to stand there all day?" Charles asked, laughing. "Come on. We've got a long way to go."
Azrael hesitated, then slowly stepped forward.
Every instinct screamed at him to be careful. One wrong move, one wrong gesture, and those terrifying talons could rip him apart in an instant. His body tensed as he approached, heart pounding in his chest.
It wasn't until he stood close that the full scale of the Skyfeather Eaglebeast truly sank in.
II'm… tiny, he realized.
She was massive—far larger than he had imagined from a distance. Standing beside her made him feel insignificant, like a child next to a mountain.
I
Charles seemed to enjoy giving him time to take it all in. After a moment, he spoke again.
"Alright," he said. "That's enough staring. Let's move."
At his signal, the Skyfeather Eaglebeast lowered herself, squatting down so they could climb onto her back. Azrael hesitated only a second before carefully climbing up, gripping her feathers tightly. They were warm beneath his hands, surprisingly soft.
Once they were both settled, Charles gave the beast a firm pat.
And then—
She launched into the air.
The force of it stole Azrael's breath. The ground vanished beneath them as the Skyfeather Eaglebeast soared upward, her wings beating with terrifying power. Wind rushed past his ears, cold and sharp, and the world below shrank rapidly.
Azrael tightened his grip, eyes wide.
Below them, the forest stretched endlessly, rivers cutting through it like silver threads. Beyond that lay lands he had never seen, places he had only heard about in passing.
For the first time, the reality of it truly hit him.
He was leaving everything behind.
And whatever waited ahead… there was no turning back.