"Hey, Luten, you alive? Our ride's here."

  I was sitting on a bench in the academy's main park. While I'd been admiring the scenery, Elliot had run up to me.

  "So? Got your papers?"

  "Yeah, they didn't mess up the seals this time."

  Elliot shouldered his bag and glanced toward the academy gates.

  "Alright, let's go. The driver's probably getting impatient."

  We had a trip to the capital ahead of us, since Alice had summoned us there. Once a month she'd find a day to spend with us. Mostly we trained, reviewed theory, and just talked.

  Alice was the heir of House Veil and our mentor. Her strictness blended with a rare caring side she didn't like to show. For me, her attention meant more than I could put into words.

  At these meetings, she always found ways to remind us we were capable of more.

  "Elliot, look! How mesmerizing!"

  Due to the delay, we were approaching the city by evening. Thanks to that, we caught the time when the sun was already setting and the city filled with light from spotlights and buildings.

  We were already entering the capital's agglomeration. The houses here were mostly low-rise and stood very close together. At night, their poor condition wasn't visible in the city's shadows. Walls loomed in the distance. Like colossi, they towered over the river mouths flowing into the Great Lakes. Behind them, high-rises were visible, with dirigibles coursing in all directions.

  Once we managed to see an iron train running alongside the road. It had been launched recently and led straight to the otherworlders' base. More precisely, to their trading post, since nobody knew the actual location of their base.

  Different rumors circulated about this. Some said there was no base at all, and they were hiding somewhere in the trading outpost. Others insisted the base was hidden far in the mountains, under the protection of the deity Rakshtar.

  "Elliot, what do you know about the mountain patrons?"

  "Huh? Why're you asking about that now?"

  "Well, just curious."

  "I don't know any more than you do. In religion, they're considered traitors to the father-god. At the crucial moment, they betrayed him and fled. And to avoid punishment, they hid in the mountains. In reality, nobody's seen them. What, you believe they exist?"

  "Hard to say. Many who live at the mountain foothills say they hear something from up there. Would be cool to go there someday."

  "You're insane. If those evil gods are there, they'll kill us without blinking."

  " Chicken!"

  I made a mocking face to rile up Elliot as much as possible.

  "Been a while since someone cleaned your clock?"

  " Looks like someone did yours recently."

  Our little scuffle was interrupted by a guard post.

  "Documents."

  The driver handed over the necessary papers, and two men looked at us intently.

  They wore dark blue military uniforms with silver chevrons on the sleeves and high collars. Both had regulation caps with shiny badges resembling the capital's coat of arms, but slightly modified with the addition of the army symbol.

  One of the soldiers was tall and thin, with a stone face and restless eyes that carefully swept over the cabin. A revolver with a slightly worn grip hung from his belt, without a hint of a safety, and for some reason that was unsettling.

  His partner was shorter but much broader in the shoulders, with a stern, scarred face that spoke of long combat experience. His hand rested on his rifle stock, and he gripped it tightly, ready for action at any moment.

  When they let us go and we entered the city, I decided to ask the driver:

  "We've only been gone a couple months. Why does the city guard have weapons at the ready?"

  "You see, young master, the capital isn't as peaceful as we'd like right now. The city was recently sick with protesters."

  I leaned forward, curious about the sudden tension.

  "Protesters? Why stir up trouble at a time like this?"

  "I agree with you. Fortunately, they didn't cause much damage, and now the city's slowly being cleaned up."

  The whole way I looked at the empty streets with broken shop windows boarded up with planks. Black streaks on the facades served as silent traces of recent fires. The city seemed foreign, as if overnight it had become a ghost of itself.

  The driver pulled into the garage as soon as they opened the gates for us. Alice was waiting at the entrance.

  " Boys, hello!"

  Getting out of the car, Elliot immediately ran to hug her. I followed a bit later, waiting my turn. Getting into the elevator, we continued talking.

  "How are the last days before exams going?"

  Elliot immediately launched into complaints.

  "Tough, they're pushing us even harder. Remember how we told you in letters that there are now other classes at our level? What's the point of being called the chosen class now?"

  "Well, Elliot. The other classes aren't quite at your level. They just have training similar to your class. But you're still the strongest there. What do you think, Luten?"

  "I'm afraid they've caught up in strength. The teachers seem to deliberately sink us while inflating the others. Though they haven't held sparring matches between classes yet. You'll show us a couple magic tricks, right?"

  "You learn remarkably fast, but you still lack practice. Today I'll teach you an important sword technique."

  "Why? We've already learned basic fencing."

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  "In half a year? Don't make me laugh, that takes years to learn, if not decades."

  "I'm tired..."

  "Come on, let's take a little walk, I'll show you something."

  We barely got home before having to head out again..

  "Where are we going?"

  "You'll see for yourselves soon."

  After a few blocks, we found ourselves in the garrison district. It was quiet here, with only the distant sound of a sword striking from a training ground.

  The guards didn't ask questions. They just bowed politely to Alice, then to us. Passing a couple of barracks from which loud soldier snores emanated, we came to stairs leading down.

  Alice gestured for us to sit at the edge. Below we saw an ordinary training ground. It was covered with gravel, and various types of mannequins were arranged around the perimeter. One was made of straw, another of stone. But we were drawn to the mannequin with armor. A small crystal adorned the helmet.

  A boy stood before the mannequin. As Alice told us, his name was Tarian. He looked about fourteen: light brown hair carelessly cut, gray-blue eyes fixed on the mannequin. His body, wiry and strong for his age, was covered with fresh scratches and old scars—traces of training. Each of his strikes was confident and precise, as if he knew no fatigue.

  "When they reported to me about Tarian, I first wanted to take him to an orphanage and punish those responsible. Though after some time, they convinced me to observe him and make a decision after that."

  "And how did he meet your expectations?"

  "No, he didn't. Though I still took pity on the boy, since here at least he'll always be fed and get some kind of future."

  "And an orphanage wouldn't give that future?"

  "Not unless aristocrats miraculously adopt him. As painful as it is for me to admit, we have too few resources to support the entire population, even after so many years of peace. Thanks to my decision, in four years he's been able to hone his sword skills. He's very obedient and has never broken the rules. Unlike some people."

  "Who might that be?"

  "YOU! Did you think I wouldn't find out what happened?! Especially considering Luten had an episode while you were being scolded?!"

  "Um, you've got it all wrong..."

  "No, I've got it exactly right. As punishment, you'll go to Tarian and train with him until you drop from exhaustion! And no magic!"

  We reluctantly stood up and went down to the kid.

  "Hey, Tarian, sweetheart, come here please."

  He turned sharply and, dropping his wooden sword, quickly ran in our direction.

  "Yes, milady, how may I serve you at this hour?"

  "Are you tired?"

  Tarian shook his head no.

  "Then look who I've brought. I've taken in these two scamps. Unfortunately, I don't have much time and energy to train them. You need a new sparring partner, don't you?"

  "Yes, milady, but if I may... I'm not their equal in status."

  "Don't worry. While you're training, you can beat them as much as you want, Luten can heal anyway."

  "Hey! I'm not that good at it, only bruises and shallow wounds at best!"

  "Well, perfect, more motivation not to get hit. Have fun until you get bored, Tarian."

  He politely bowed to Alice, and she left the field with a smile on her face. She'd surely be sitting somewhere watching us.

  The boy's formal tone caught me off guard.

  "My apologies, how should I address you?"

  "Let's switch to informal. I'm Luten, and this is my brother Elliot."

  Tarian threw us a quick glance.

  "Alright. Let's begin."

  He handed us each a wooden sword. The weapons turned out to be unexpectedly light but sturdy enough to deliver a painful blow.

  "I hope you're ready."

  Elliot and I exchanged glances. I took the sword in both hands, trying to maintain the stance Alice had taught us. Elliot stepped right, flanking Tarian.

  Tarian didn't move. His gaze was fixed on me, as if he already knew what my first step would be.

  Elliot attacked first. His sword moved fast, but Tarian parried without losing balance and made a sharp thrust. Elliot barely managed to retreat, but Tarian had already switched to me. His sword slid forward, and I deflected the blow, feeling the vibration shoot up my arms.

  "You're holding the sword too tight."

  His next thrust came even faster. I dodged but stumbled, losing my balance.

  "Luten, careful!"

  But Tarian gave him no time. His sword met Elliot's strike, then with one smooth motion knocked the weapon from his hands.

  "Too predictable."

  I gritted my teeth, feeling irritation building inside. Channeling a bit of magic, I created a weak shield around myself. It flared with soft light, but Tarian noticed and smirked.

  "Shields? Fine. Let's see how long it lasts."

  His strike was sharp and precise. My shield crackled, then shattered into pieces. I backed up, realizing I couldn't win this fight with force.

  Elliot, getting to his feet, yelled:

  "Luten, team up!"

  We moved together, trying to attack from both sides. But Tarian moved like he could read our minds. His sword met my strike, then deflected Elliot's thrust. He stepped forward, knocking me off my feet, then disarmed my brother in one fluid motion.

  We ended up on the ground, breathing hard. Tarian stood over us, his face calm.

  "That's enough for today."

  Alice's voice came from somewhere behind:

  "Told you not to use magic. It won't help you here."

  Something ignited in me. Like someone had dangled a gift box in front of my nose and snatched it away. Greed took over so completely that I yelled:

  "What the hell was that?! What did you do? Why didn't my barrier stop a wooden sword?!"

  Alice laughed from the shadows, Tarian approached and thanked me for the match with a handshake.

  "See, I've been honing my sword skills for a long time, not just for fighting other swordsmen. I'm also learning to fight mages. So far I can only break through simple shields whose magic doesn't hide their structure."

  "Whoa, can you teach us that? Could really come in handy!"

  "Of course, but today my orders are: spar with you."

  Since Alice didn't stop him, we fought until midnight. At one point neither Elliot nor I could take it anymore. I tried to put up some kind of fight, but I just couldn't figure out how he read me so easily.

  "Come back tomorrow. I'll show you the technique."

  "We'll try, if we can still move after this."

  Under Alice's mockery and laughter, followed by several of her lectures, we left the military camp.

  "I'll say it again: you're not so much stronger than everyone else that you can slack off. You have unique abilities and opportunities. You need to develop them."

  Accompanied by guards, a stranger approached us—a woman with delicate features and a stern, almost stellar gaze. Her silver hair was tied in two elegant ponytails on the sides. Bangs slightly covering her forehead fell over her dark blue eyes.

  "Oh, Lady Alice. What an honor to meet you on such a late night."

  Alice's posture straightened, her casual demeanor shifting to formal courtesy.

  Under the streetlights, her pale skin seemed to glow faintly, emphasizing the strict curve of her straight nose and high cheekbones, giving her whole appearance an almost stellar aristocratic restraint. She wore a dark blue dress that hugged her figure, with a deep back cutout that exposed her shoulders and upper arms. The dress fabric shimmered slightly, and silver patterns seemed to echo the gleam of stars.

  To complement the outfit, she wore high boots of soft leather in the same deep shade. A pendant hung from her neck—simple but elegant, shaped like a star, and a thin bracelet with magical stones adorned her wrist.

  "Lady Camelia Morael. We haven't seen each other for a couple of years."

  "It has been so long. How are you, my lady?"

  "I have no complaints. I hope the same for you."

  "Yes, all is well. Are you returning to your estate?"

  "That's right. May I ask why you're inquiring?"

  "Oh, just hunting a criminal."

  "Is he such a threat that you're personally involved? Do you need my assistance?"

  A soldier ran up to her companion.

  "My lady, we've found him, we must go."

  "Oh, please excuse me."

  Alice and Camelia exchanged polite farewells, and we parted ways. During this conversation, I felt a predatory look on me.

  "Alice, don't you think we were being watched?"

  "Not just think—we were. Home, quickly."

  Only Elliot caught on late and panicked a bit.

  "What's happening?!"

  "While we were talking, someone was watching us from the stadium walls."

  That far? I only sensed them when they got within a block of us.

  "Will they be okay?"

  "Don't know, it's all strange. I didn't sense any power from the watcher. I need to get you home fast."

  While that woman passed by us, she stared at me intently. Seemed like she wanted to say something but apparently decided business was more important and just kept smiling.