The slumbering Liam had no inkling that his fate had taken a sharp turn while he remained unaware.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Liam suddenly awoke, sitting bolt upright, gasping for air, his hands trembling slightly. In his recent dreams, he had been cast out of Phantasmal Academy, forced down the mountain as thunder and torrential rain relentlessly assaulted him, leaving him defenseless.
He steadied himself and surveyed his surroundings. He found himself in a simple, tidy room with two small windows and sparse furnishings: a few wooden tables and chairs with a water jug and cups. A small bed occupied a quarter of the space near the wall, where he had just been lying.
Above the small bed, on the wall, hung a square picture featuring a complex design. Liam couldn’t quite make out what it depicted, but the intricate lines were mesmerizing.
“You're awake. That’s good,” a voice came from the doorway, and in walked a familiar figure.
Liam looked up and recognized the young man who had stood behind the empty chair in the grand hall. He was tall and ruggedly handsome. For some reason, seeing this familiar face brought a sense of comfort.
“Hello, sir. I was just wondering…” Liam trailed off, trying to piece together how he had ended up here after fainting in the grand hall of the Phantasmal Academy. Though he felt relatively safe within the Academy, he couldn’t help but probe cautiously.
Aiden sighed inwardly before approaching the bed and gently placing a hand on Liam’s head. “Little brother, my name is Aiden. From now on, we’re family.”
Liam was momentarily stunned. “Family?”
Aiden smiled and recounted the story of how the Headmaster had assigned Liam to the Eighth Division. Naturally, he was unaware of the minor dispute among the division leaders in the grand hall.
Liam felt a surge of joy. The nightmare had not come to pass, and he had finally become a part of the Phantasmal Academy.
Straightening himself, he respectfully addressed Aiden, “Brother Aiden.”
Aiden nodded warmly. “Good, good. You’ve slept for quite a while. You must be hungry by now, aren’t you?”
At the mention of food, Liam’s stomach grumbled audibly, eliciting a laugh from Aiden. “Come, little brother. Let’s get you something to eat, and I’ll fill you in on our division.”
Liam nodded, getting out of bed, and noticed the room seemed a bit more spacious than he initially thought.
As Aiden led him out, he explained, “Our Eighth Division is quite small compared to the others. Including you, we now only number six, so we have a bit more space.”
They stepped into a small courtyard, and after a few more steps, they exited into a corridor. With only a dozen rooms in sight, the division’s modest scale was evident.
As they headed to the kitchen, Aiden filled Liam in on the division’s history. The Eighth Division had always been small since its founding by one of the original Phantasmal Academy masters, and under the current master, James Mentor, it remained so. The eldest brother, Lucas Solace, often guarded the southern border, and James frequently visited him, leaving the division sparsely populated.
Currently, the division was under Aiden’s care, as he represented their absent master. Lucas was the eldest brother, Aiden the second, followed by Ethan Chase and Mark Andrew, making Liam the fifth and youngest brother.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Liam took in all this information, thinking to himself, "Indeed, not many of us..."
After eating in the kitchen, Aiden took Liam’s hand. “Come, little brother. Let me show you to your new room.”
They stepped out of the kitchen into the darkening night. A bright moon rose in the east, casting a serene glow. Passing the main hall of the Eighth Division, the "Hall of Meditation," Liam peered inside, finding it unlit and shadowy, with only the moonlight providing an eerie ambiance.
They walked a bit further until they reached the living quarters. Aiden led him to the last room on the right. “This is your room. The one you woke up in earlier is mine. The other brothers’ rooms are along this side. The seven rooms on the left are unoccupied,” Aiden explained, pausing to look at Liam. “Living alone, are you afraid?”
Liam shook his head.
Aiden smiled, “That’s the spirit. We’re men, after all. We can’t fear solitude. Come, let’s go inside.” With that, he led Liam into the room.
Liam surveyed the unfamiliar place that would be his long-term home: a small courtyard with a pine tree on the left and five or six bamboo stalks as thick as bowls and as tall as two or three men on the right. The courtyard’s path was paved with small stones, flanked by grassy patches. The night breeze stirred the leaves and bamboo branches gently, carrying the faint scent of fresh grass, creating a tranquil atmosphere.
Aiden opened the door, stepped inside, and lit a lamp. "Come in, little brother," he called.
Liam entered and saw that the room was as simply furnished as Aiden's: a table, chairs, and a bed, with little else.
"I cleaned up the place today," Aiden said. "You can stay here for now. The living conditions in the mountains are quite harsh, and you might feel lonely given your young age. But as practitioners, we must endure various hardships. From now on, you'll have to take care of your daily needs by yourself."
"I understand, second brother," Liam replied.
Aiden nodded and glanced around. "Well, if there's nothing else, I'll head back. You've had a long day, so get some rest."
Liam nodded and saw Aiden to the door. Suddenly, he remembered something. "Second brother, it’s just nightfall. Why aren't the other brothers out and about?"
"Oh, right, I almost forgot. Come, let me introduce you to a couple of them," Aiden said, smacking his forehead and pulling Liam towards a nearby lit room.
As they walked, Aiden chuckled. "You see, we’ve all been in the Eighth Division for decades. We seldom leave, so we know this place inside out and rarely walk around. For example, the fourth brother loves reading, and the diligent third brother stays in his room practicing. They usually don’t come out."
Liam nodded in understanding.
Soon, they reached a door just three rooms away from Liam’s. "This is your fourth brother, Mark Andrew’s room. He has a great personality and is deeply passionate about books. He’s read almost everything in the Eighth Division's library. If you ever have trouble understanding something, you can always ask him. He's one of the most knowledgeable people in the entire Phantasmal Academy. But he’s so engrossed in reading that his practice suffers. Our master has reprimanded him many times, but he never seems to change."
As Aiden spoke, the door suddenly opened, and light spilled out. Liam looked up to see a large desk piled high with books, forming a small mountain. Standing beside the book mountain was a man in white robes, holding a thick book and smiling warmly at them.
"Second brother, is this the new little brother?" The man looked to be in his thirties, with a scholarly appearance, wearing round glasses that exuded a gentle warmth.
"Despite being a homebody, you have your ways of keeping informed," Aiden joked, pointing at Liam. "This is our youngest brother, Liam."
"The one who climbed eight hundred steps with three segments of Arcane Power?" The gentle man adjusted his glasses and nodded at Liam with a smile.
Liam could only manage an awkward smile in response.
"So, little brother’s name is Liam. A good name. Little brother, believe in yourself. Talent is important, but effort is even more so," the man in white said, glancing at the mountain of books beside him.
"Well, I won’t keep you. I hit a difficult spot in my reading yesterday, and I need to look up more information to understand it," Mark said, turning away. But he paused, looking back at Liam with soft eyes.
"Little brother, whether you're a prodigy or an ordinary person, remember this: once you join Phantasmal Academy and our Eighth Division, this is your home. No one can bully you here." Mark smiled again and turned back to his books.
Liam nodded earnestly, Mark’s words etched clearly in his mind.
"Let’s go, little brother. We shouldn't disturb your fourth brother while he’s engrossed in his reading," Aiden said, leading Liam out and gently closing the door behind them. As they walked away, the sound of pages turning filled the room.