The nobleman had left, leaving only an ominous quiet. Emil and Luin remained there, both were frozen in stunned quiet after the confrontation that had just taken place. Emil took a swift breath, his head was spinning as he nodded and headed towards the carriage.
"Let's proceed, come in, Luin," he said firmly, attempting to dissipate the tension.
Luin paused for an instant before boarding. Garrick, the veteran driver, hardly noticed their arrival, having already been paid by the nobleman. He had no motive to reject them now.
Outside, five knights were standing around the carriage, their voices were loud and untroubled. They laughed and joked, their attitude far from what one would expect from soldiers who were meant to be guarding the road. They seemed lazy, way too unprofessional and certainly not to be trusted.
Emil scowled, furrowing his eyebrows as he watched them. "They don't look very disciplined. Either they're lazy or they don't take their work seriously at all"
With a creak of wood and a sudden jerk, the carriage moved forward, its wheels grating as it traveled the bumpy dirt path.
Within, the carriage was plain, there were wooden benches, some bags of provisions, and a residual odor of old leather. The only noises were the rattle of the wheels and the strained silence between Emil and Luin, who sat across from him, his eyes were fixed on the ground.
Emil spoke up, his tone relaxed. "So, Luin, why are you going to the Academy?"
Luin paused, lifting his head slowly, his eyes were flashing golden with doubt. His voice was low, almost comforting and soft. "I was chosen. But I don't know why. I never really let anyone see what I could do. It just happened naturally, and then I received the invitation letter for the academy out of nowhere"
Emil listened in silence, the pieces were falling into place in his head. He already knew the truth Luin was no accident recruit. He was meant to become one of the strongest mages in the empire, a very important player in the happenings of the world. But he was currently just a shy, anxious child.
"Your full name, Luin?" Emil inquired, his voice suave.
"Luin Alderan," he said, his voice betraying a faint hesitation. "No family. I was raised in an orphanage house"
Emil remembered details about the name "Alderman". He remembered the tale of a noblesse family wiped out years ago, a cruel struggle for power. Luin was unaware of it, though, and didn't need to know the ugly truth yet.
Instead, he reclined with a smirk. "Well, I guess we're in the same boat then. Since we're both going to the Academy, might as well go together, and get to know you. We can be friends, right?"
Luin blinked in surprise, obviously taken aback. "You want me to go with you?"
"Sure" Emil replied with a smile. "If they chose you, then you must be valuable. And valuable individuals attract threats. It'll be safer if we're together. I can look after you in difficult spots and can protect you from any danger"
Luin hesitated, obviously uncertain, before slowly nodding. "Okay. I'll trust you, Emil"
Emil's smile broadened as he said to himself, "One step in the right direction to keeping this future dynamo on my side. He's going to be an important figure in the world of magic soon enough"
But before they could get further into the conversation, the carriage suddenly stopped.
A Sudden Ambush
Outside, the driver, Garrick, shouted "What's happening? Why are we stopping?"
Emil looked out the window, and a shiver ran down his back. Figures were stepping out of the forest, they were bandits. A dozen of them, at least. But what made matters worse was that three of the five knights now stood opposite the carriage with their swords drawn. They were the betrayers.
One of the traitors shouted, "Surrender the provisions and cash, old guy, and perhaps we might spare your life and let you go without any scar"
Emil's gut clenched as he growled under his breath, "Betrayal, I knew it. They seemed so lazy and unmotivated"
He cursed to himself. I knew these bastards weren't trustworthy.
Garrick spat on the ground, disgust was heard in his voice "Traitors! I should've known that you weren't actual knights, merely a group of mercenaries bought on a handful of coins"
One of the traitors sneered. "Survival first, old man. Now give us the money, and nobody gets harmed."
The two loyal knights unsheathed their swords, prepared to defend. "You scum. How dare you betray your vows?"
"Tch," one of the traitors sneered. "Vows don't put bread on the table, idiot. You've got to earn it, no matter how"
Tension grew in the air, and a tangible sense of danger started spreading as the bandits moved in.
Then, chaos broke out.
The Battle started
The bandits charged, and their swords were shining in the fading light. The two loyal knights charged to meet them, steel ringing against steel in a clash of noise.
Emil's heart raced as he faced Luin. "Stay within! Don't come out unless I tell you to. Wait for my order"
Luin was white but nodded, he was attempting to remain calm.
Emil took a dagger from one of the bags and jumped out of the carriage, his head was spinning. His actions were automatic, but he knew he was still not strong enough to confront these enemies in a straight fight. He had to be smart, he had to be careful.
A bandit struck at him with a sword, and Emil ducked just in time, hearing the whoosh as the blade passed through the air. He did not hesitate, striking forward with the dagger and plunging it into the bandit's leg. The bandit shouted, stumbling backward and grasping at the wound.
Before he could even take a breath and a sigh of relief, there came a traitor knight charging straight at him, sword high. Emil deflected the strike, but the knight's gauntleted fist crashed into his belly, taking the wind from him.
"Gah! You dirty traitor piece of shit!" Emil gasped, reeling back, he was fighting for breath.
The knight sneered, advancing. "Not so brave now, are ya, kid? Mind your station.
Emil gritted his teeth, his mind started racing. "I can't fight him straight on. I need to create an opening. I have to force one"
Then, just as the knight was preparing to strike again, a loud, clear ding echoed in Emil's mind.
[System Notification: Unsealing in progress]
"What?" Emil breathed softly, he was surprised by the surprise notification.
Pain coursed through his body, burning and fierce. It was as if something beneath his surface was stirring. His eyes blurred for an instant, his senses started to aflame as his body shifted.
The knight struck once more, but this time Emil could see it with shocking precision. The knight's attacks were sluggish, no, not the knight. Emil's vision had improved. Time itself seemed to have slowed.
With fresh accuracy, Emil danced aside and parried, his dagger piercing the knight's exposed shoulder. Blood spattered as the knight reeled backward, reeling from the sudden attack.
"What the devil is happening?!" the knight bellowed, clapping his shoulder.
Emil hardly had a moment to catch his breath before more system alerts assaulted his brain.
"System window," he grumbled, his mind whirling.
A new screen appeared before him:
[Unsealing progress: 5%… 7%…]
His body shook, his senses acute. He could sense it—a rush of power, just coming into existence. And somewhere inside, he knew that this was just the beginning.
This is only the beginning.
Emil's eyes flashed, and he took hold of himself. He was not going to let this chance slip away from him. He would make it through this. He would continue.