Time: 8:00 AM
Extra's House
{Currently, Kalkin is sitting at the dining table and having his breakfast, there are essentially two people in his service: First, a maid with little horns on her head around the same age as the extra Kalkin is embodying and then a young man, roughly around 22-24 years of age}
{ Kalkin is currently in deep thought, eating his breakfast which includes some pancakes and an omelet }
It just doesn't make any sense to me, how can I a 30-year-old Software Engineer, happily living his life, be inside the body of a 17-year-old kid ????? Does it makes any sense??
As if to make matters worse is the fact that I think I am inside the world of Octagon, the continent on which the Octagon Academy is established is known as Eldoria. It is the biggest mass of land in this world, other than that there is another mass comparatively smaller known as the unexplored/dark continent. It is called Dark Continent because the ships consisting of the renowned explorers of all the 8 nations that essentially constitute Eldoria, went missing when they set foot to explore that unexplored continent. If I am actually in the world of Octagon, this is the most basic information that needs to be true.
So, whom should I ask, that AI or these two? Wait, I don't even know how to speak the language of this world? Is it normal English? or Hindi? what should I do?
Ahh, F**k it, I'll just go with the flow!
What is the date Today?
"It's the start of the Fall, my master," replied that young man.
I meant the date!
"My apologies master, today is 1st day of the month of Tempestia" replied the young man as if he couldn't understand his master's sudden questions.
"And the year?"
"My lord is something wrong, why are you asking this?" asked the young man clearly concerned for his master.
"Just answer me" Man, I feel so stiff asking people questions, If I can just have my phone, I wouldn't have any need for such questioning.
"1763, my lord" replied the Young Man.
"Ok, I know it might sound a bit ignorant of me, but can you summon all the people who work under me here, I want to know your names, actually and I also want to apologize to everyone."
As soon as those two heard what I said, their heads suddenly sprinted upwards and there was a sudden shock in their eyes. I don't even understand what they are thinking?
10 minutes later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Young Master, I apologize on behalf of the staff, we are very sorry if we hurt you in any way, and I apologize if my questions towards you were impolite and you felt wrong! but don't disown us, we are very grateful to your father and we promise we will never ever give you any reason to discharge us of our service, we were helped by your father, Sir Simon Braveheart and we made an oath to protect and serve you till we die. We apologize deeply if we caused you any discomfort." said the Young Man, his blonde hair that were all set in the morning now seem to be a little distorted.
Even that maid seems to be bowing down and is not looking at me.
Man, I just called them to actually know their names, I mean I don't know it so I thought I'll just ask them and thank them for their service, what is all this?
"Ahh, all of you just calm down, I am not letting go of any of you, I just want to know your names, just everyone relax a bit," I said now regretting my decision to call them all at once.
"Young Master, but you never bothered before to know about us, you call me the ball, the maid horn, the young man as blonde, and rest like the cook as oldy, baldy, etc," said that ball AI, "why do you suddenly, want to know our names?"
Ahh, so that's what it was, what a douchebag this 17-year-old Aristocrat was, I mean I think I am noble, right? people call me young master, my father is titled "Sir", so I think I am one right? So at least that might mean I am associated with the royal family in some sense. But let's focus on first things first. I need to act like one, now. I closed my eyes as I began this speech of mine:
"Everyone, I apologize to each and every one of you for my past actions, I was then, nothing but a young and careless child, but now, now that I am a student of The Octagon Academy, I need to behave as one too, there is nothing like "young master or lord" within the octagon, so I decided now that I am one of the students, I should own my mistakes, apologize for them, and take actions accordingly, keeping in mind the name of the House of BraveHeart. The way you all respect my father, I am sure he knew each and every one of you, while I am lacking in many ways compared to my father, I will make sure that I become someone that you all are genuinely proud of, after all, you are the only family I have left"
I didn't intend to say the last part but those words just naturally came to my mind. Is this actually due to this young Master's guilt or what?
Oh, sh*t, I also need to add something more, I still don't know this young lad's name:
"Everyone, I know, I stand nowhere, near close to my father, therefore, I request you all to give me the respect that I actually deserve, I haven't done anything worthwhile like my father, so I don't deserve the title of Master of this House as of now, so please feel free to me by my name" What a master move Kalkin, they won't be able to say no to you now, and let's now see their faces:
"Young master, we can never," tears falling from that young man's eyes, "No, no young master, those words prove how great you are, we respect you deeply, " said the chef from the back.
"Young master, we respect you a lot, those words are the only appreciation we ever need, don't belittle yourself, we love whatever you call us," said the old lady in the front.
Why did it all have a different effect? Man, I just thought after my great speech they would tell me this guy's name. But just then:
"Young Master, Railan, it gives me immense happiness that you chose to call us by our names, my name is Cerci Blackhorn, I am your maid in attendance and this crying young man is Farkas Forestwood, as you might know, I am a demi-human, who was about to be sold, when Sir Simon rescued me, both my parents were killed when some slave traders attacked my village. Since then, I have been under the care of the Sir and Mam Braveheart. This young person is half wolf-half human Farkas Forestwood, he is your personal guard and butler." said the young maid for the first time, since all this debacle.
"I am your personal AI assistant Aria, young master" replied that Ball looking thing.
That young man now calm, gained back his composure and said, "Young Master, I apologize for my sudden behavior, I misunderstood you and as such I am now unfit to be your guard, with your permission, I am going to kill myself, just give me the order" said Farkas, as if it meant nothing.
"Hey, hey calm again, I don't want you to kill yourself, just don't repeat all this in the future", I was barely able to say this after how nonchalantly and elegantly that Farkas said those things.
Slowly, the rest of my staff introduced themselves and I thanked them for their service and dedication towards me.
My chef's name is Gustavo. There are two young chefs that work under Gustavo, their names are Robin and Julia. The chief of maids is that old lady, her name is Kusum. Rima and Vanessa, are the two maids that work under Kusum, other than Cerci. Well, I also had a driver his name was Bernert but I fired him beforehand, cause he disturbed my sleep once, while I was sleeping in my carriage. I need to apologize and reinstate him.
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After the introductions, I left along with my personal guard Farkas on my carriage towards the Octagon.
Ahh, man, now I have to go to the Academy. Since The Octagon, disregards any titles such as King or nobles inside the premises, students are not allowed to bring their personal assistants inside Academy's premises. One can choose to live in the student Dorm or Can do up and down daily from the Academy to back to his/her home. I think I will be going to live in the dorm. Once in a while, it's okay to live in my mansion and feel the grandeur but it's always better to remember one's roots. Since I am not this Aristocrat I cannot allow myself to be influenced by his lifestyle. I need to, first of all, make sure of my powers and the crests and save myself from the incoming danger from the dark continent. I must have some powers right as I am a student of Octagon.
There are a lot of things that don't make sense to me, right now. To be frank, one doesn't need to compulsorily attend the welcoming ceremony, it is more sort of an informal rule rather than an actual one made by seniors of the university to pick out "juniors" and bring them under their wing. Today's day is just for new students to introduce themselves, make friends and join clubs like proper student life activities. According to my novel knowledge, Siddanth will attend the ceremony today, but will get into a fight with some seniors and showcases his powers in order to protect Elena. Typical, hero introduction and his meeting with the heroine and the heroine somehow developing a "crush" on the hero.
Ahh, man, I am 30, and these things should mean nothing to me, but I was so into these chapters then, I actually started shipping them and even bought their merch.
{Thinking about all this now, makes Kalkin realize his obsession with this novel.}
So what essentially will happen is that Elena would be late for the ceremony and some senior male students, not realizing, she is actually the niece of the King's daughter, would hit on her, she fights back, but then they all gang up on her, that's when Siddanth comes and saves her, initially they make light of his status as a Commoner who got to study with "nobles, ya type of " b**lsh*t, but when he actually beats them up, they threaten him and run away, while he just helps Elena out and they become friends but Elena develops a little crush on him.
Ah, I will watch all this from the sideline.
But first things first, I have realized now that I am actually in the world of Octagon, the novel that I read and cherished the most. So let's make some bullet points of what I actually know about:
1. I am Railan Braveheart, son of Sir Simon and Madam Amelia Braveheart. If you notice the paradox here, Railan means in this world, one who braves the ocean, and my father Simon, a legendary explorer and adventurer died while sailing towards the dark continent. Mr Kian H sure knows, how to create puns.
2. My mother and father were initially explorers and due to the exploits of my father, he was given the title of Baron and "Great Adventurer" before the events of the novel story. My mother was his junior and they fell in love and married. While my mother was pregnant my father was called to lead the exploration of the dark Continent where he died. As if those explorers were cursed, all the family members of those explorers also caught some sudden illness and died. The thing that I don't understand is then how am I alive? I mean I am glad I am alive, but this person Railan Braveheart was never mentioned in the original story. The 'Curse of Doom' as they referred to the apparent curse that killed the family of the explorers, it doesn't make sense that I am alive! I am an 'Extra'.
3. This Aria-Ai, was supposed to originally belong to Elena who would then make a copy of this AI and give it to Siddanth so that they can be connected and contacted in case they ever lost, that's how all the main characters are able to reach the dark continent where the actual plotline of the story begins. In the continent of Eldoria, only the people very close to the king and queen of the eight nations
have these AI. Actually calling them AI is misleading as for me it means "Artificial Intelligence" but here it's called "Arcanite Intellect". According to the novel, these AI, or "Arcanite Intellect" as one may call them are actually fragments or part of the knowledge of the dragons, Each of the eight kingdoms of Eldoria is blessed with these AI by the dragons. So as one might know there are hence 8 dragons. It's not like these dragons are dead or lost, they blessed the founders of the kingdom and this blessing essentially gave them the knowledge to perceive the laws of the world and the power to mold them to their liking which as of today is known as "divine arts" in this world.
It's not like if one doesn't have these AI, they won't be able to learn the arts, having this AI makes it easy as these AI have that knowledge stored in them. However, if an unworthy person were to receive this AI, he would never be able to gain the stored knowledge within the AI to learn the arts, due to the blessing. Hence, as technology improved, the nations brought together the brightest minds and created a giant monolith that contained all the knowledge received through the blessing. And these AI are actually all connected to that central system, thus making them Arcanite Intellect.
Now, the question to ask might be why the nations agreed to such a system when this could lead to them losing their own essential blessings.
Well, this was not explained in the novel until chapter 350, but I already know about it. This was also one of the open-ended questions until it was answered in the novel.
The main reason was, that each dragon represented a truth about the world, and when the blessings of all the dragons were combined, then only it formed the "complete essence of the world", Siddanth would be the First person to ever gain the "complete essence of the world" which was necessary to bring down the major antagonist of the last serialized arc of the novel essentially chapter 425. After chapter 425 it was all just fillers.
Thus, the eight kingdoms despite their internal differences, maintain an externally friendly front while they try to secretly learn about the truth of the world or the essence of the world that the other kingdom possess and even plot against their fellow kingdoms at times. Well, that is actually scary stuff that started surfacing from chapter 285 of the novel: The Octagon: The Academy of Supernaturals.
Hence, this institution: The Octagon has an ever greater significance than one might think at the start of the story.
4. My memories of my previous life as Kalkin, have slowly started to fade too, as I cannot properly remember stuff other than that of the novel as I feel settled in this life. So, my task is to write down what I know, so that I can reference it before I forget everything about my previous life.
5. The eight kingdoms are:
1. Avaloria - A kingdom of majestic castles and lush landscapes, known for its chivalry and honor.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
2. Drakoria - A kingdom nestled in rugged mountains and dense forests, inhabited by powerful wyvern-riding warriors.
3. Sylvanara - A kingdom covered in enchanted forests and inhabited by mystical creatures, known for its harmonious relationship with nature.
4. Stormgarde - A kingdom situated along treacherous coastlines and battling tempestuous seas, home to skilled seafarers and formidable naval forces.
5. Celestia - A kingdom perched high on soaring mountaintops, renowned for its celestial magic and divine connections.
6. Ironhelm - A kingdom built within vast and ancient caverns, rich in mineral resources and guarded by skilled dwarven warriors.
7. Emberlyn - A kingdom set amidst desolate volcanic landscapes, where fire magic is harnessed and feared, and its inhabitants are fiercely independent.
8. Frostholm - A kingdom shrouded in winter, with icy landscapes and resilient inhabitants who have adapted to harsh conditions.
The Octagon is surrounded by all the kingdoms, it is not just an Academy but a city built by all the kingdoms to send their mages and warriors to learn the art of mana essence, become proficient in weapons arts, and built relations (for nobles probably diplomatic) amongst the future of the Kingdoms itself.
This is the world of Octagon, the city, and the Academy that raises the future of the kingdoms. The world that will fall, if Siddhanth dies, the world where many of my favorite characters died, and the world that is now my reality.
6. Truth be told, the inhabitants of this world, I mean the normal nonpowered people are actually stronger than the average human in my world. This world is filled with mana and people are exposed to it since birth, so even if they do not possess the medium (i.e. the Crests) to actually bring forth the power of Mana, they are strong as their body contains a lot of mana.
I was lost in my thoughts when I was suddenly brought back by Aria as she bumped into my head again. "Master, we have arrived."
Ahh, the Octagon, the majestic Institution that raises the supernaturals( people with crests), the place where I will meet all the characters I loved and cherished.
Well, it looks pretty majestic is the only I could think of, even when I read the novel vs the scope that I am seeing now, which is on a whole different level. Well, the entry gate itself is wide enough such that 300 people stood row-wise with their hands stretched on the sides and connected to the person on their left and right, they would still all be easily able to enter the academy gates but why are there no people here?
Hey AI, did you get the date wrong, why are there no people here?
"Actually, Master Railan, the welcoming ceremony has already started, according to your orders we weren't allowed to drive greater than 10 miles/hr as it might disturb your sleep, that is why you let go of the last driver, so that is why we are late by another 20 minutes, the welcoming ceremony must have started by now"
This f**king idiot of a master !!! He loved sleep more than anything!
"From now on, drive faster but within the prescribed limits, and make sure I reach Academy on time even in case of delays even if you have to go over the speed limits but only if necessary," I said I mean reaching in time is more important than sleeping.
"Sh*t, s**t, I will be late".
"Ok, Farkas and AI, you all can go back, I will take it from here," I said as I began to run towards the entrance.
"Master, but I can't leave you, I am bounded to you," said Aria.
Oh, ya I forgot, "Ya, you can come with me, Aria," I said as I rushed towards the entrance.
"take care, master, I am here, just tell Aria what you need, I will bring it all," said Farkas, as he waved me "goodbye". I could see tears in his eyes as I waved him back. So it's true that once a wolf tribe member becomes sworn loyal to someone, they remain loyal till they die. In Farkas's case, according to him, I am his "the one" I don't know what it means nor do I wanna know, if he is happy, I am happy I guess. { Well, sweat could be seen on Kalkin's forehead as he remembered this. }
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Ahh, man, where is the ceremony, why does this place have to be so freaking huge and majestic, I mean I was charmed by this Railan's mansion but here it's far more grandiose. As I was walking I heard someone say:
"Oye, where you going, that's the opposite of the Entrance Ceremony."
I turned and it was none other than Elena, the female lead of the story.
"Ahh, umm, ohh, Ah, ......." I suddenly didn't know what to say, I mean she was breathtaking but to this extent, man I was blown away. I am 30 so I shouldn't feel attracted to her that way but I am in the body of a 17-year-old so I just can't resist you know, she is just something out of the world.
"Are you mute? Can you not speak?" asked Elena in an authoritative tone.
"Oh, Ah, I am sorry, I am lost" Thanks Aria, if she didn't tap me on the back, I wouldn't have gained consciousness. I was mesmerized by Elena's beauty.
"Oh, then follow me I am going to the ceremony now," said Elena as she turned and started walking.
Oh, so it seems I will enjoy the upcoming show in first-person seats.
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(Near the entrance of the ceremony hall)
"Well, well, well, look what we have found here, two first years trying to escape from the ceremony. "
Ahh man, it's not exactly the same dialogue I was hoping but it can't be helped as I am here with Elena.
Well, it's not exactly the same, but can't be helped :
Hey Aria, it's true right, you can't be seen by anyone until I say so. " Yes master," replied Aria.
What should I do, should I help or should I wait for the hero? I mean I think it should be the latter otherwise I will be messing with the story so let's wait for a little.
"Well, a cute and beautiful junior like you, if she agrees to come under my wing, I might look the other way otherwise I will need to punish you." said the guy with purplish hair, who seems like the leader of the three people beside him.
Ahh, now I remember, he is Jim, the minor character who will die later on! Ahh, Mr. Kian, why did you have to mention his side story in one of the filler chapters, I can't help but feel pity for his sister and mother. He is not a bad guy, but a little puffed up after becoming a senior and getting influenced by the minor antagonist of this arc! I don't want him to die though. But he needs to learn a lesson, but this will push him towards the antagonist and he dies just by supporting him as the antagonist implants a virus in him and many others that makes them all go crazy and explode and spread more virus. The only way to save others is to kill the antagonist."
Man, what should I do? what should I do?
Just then:
"Who are you, don't you even have the etiquette to introduce yourself as a student of this Academy, before anything else?" said none other than Elena, always so upright and rule-following.
it's customary in Octagon to introduce yourself first before anything whether it be a duel or a talk, etc, etc.
But the fact remains, should I or should I not, participate in the story?
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To be continued