The night sky is beautiful tonight.

Stars dotted the sky, creating an endless stream of small and large lights. Some lights were so bright that they devoured those that were lesser than them. While some were like a flickering flame, their light was insignificant compared to the others. Their state of being is at the cusp of being snuffed out. In my opinion, the flickering stars were more beautiful.

Since they are the ones that are still trying to shine bright, despite the others outshining them. An unyielding desire to burn bright no matter the cost.

I smiled.

“Kayd! Get back in here. Break times over.”

"All right old man! Just wait a second.” I spat. I picked up my hammer from the ground, wore my banda across my forehead, and went back to the forge. The moment I entered, a blast of heat slammed against my face. I breathed it in, as I felt that yup, this was one of the best feelings. I grabbed the piece of metal that I was forging and started hammering away once more.

It wasn't until a few hours later that I was deemed to be done. The old man approached me unknowingly and inspected the sword I made. He picked it up, swung it around for a bit, and ran his finger across the blade. He tapped it once and commented. “Decent, but could be better. Ayyyy, Kayde do you have to leave? With yer skill, being may be as good as me could be possible for you little runt. Those pretentious bastards at the Academy won't even appreciate the things you could do. You could always learn Kigen from me.”

“Thanks, Bael, but you and I both know that your Kigen is only specialized for blacksmithy.”

“What's wrong with that? I ain't lying when I said that you could learn Kigen from me.”

“I already did old man. Heck, I already know how to manipulate Kigen and strengthen and even sharpen the weapons I make. But I want something more and you know that.”

Bael scratched his beard in frustration, but his eyes conveyed understanding. He knew it. I know it. There was a reason why I wanted to join, in Bael's words, the pretentious Academy. If it wasn't that important of a reason, then I wouldn't even consider it. I'm happy just making swords and learning from Bael. But it was just that important. It's not something I can afford to ignore. Not anymore anyway.

“Well alright then. But when did I ever say that just strengthening the sword is the only thing you can do with Kigen." I nodded, fully knowing that I barely scratched the surface with Kigen. Once our talk was done, he slapped me in the back and bid me farewell. It wasn't goodbye yet. There were still a few days before I left for the Academy’s entrance test.

Packing up my things, I left the smithy and went home. It was a little far from the smithy. I had to walk a good distance before I was able to be at home. Once there, I gazed at my house. My house was pretty big, bigger than at least the house of commoners. Vines and greenery spread across the sides and front of the house, the roof was old as if it had been cleaned and maintained for years, and it was the same for the rest of the house. The windows were blurry and faded. There was grass at the front of the house back then, but now it was barren, with simply it just being ground.

I did clean the front door though. It was a wooden door with a golden knob. Intricate designs covered every inch of the door. My mother was the one that made the door. She was pretty good when it came to anything that meant designing something. I walked up, turned the knob, and swung it open. A slight creeping sound echoed through the house as I entered.

“I'm home,” I said. There was no response. I didn't react. It was normal. In fact, I would freak out if there was someone that responded. I laid my things on the ground and sat in the living room chair. The lights were on, illuminating the living room. Using a bit of Kigen, I shot it to the fireplace as a blaze of fire came alive.

One would think, that it's awesome that I could live in such a big house all alone. In reality, it was anything but. I looked up at the ceiling and pondered the last few years. I was fifteen when it happened. Back from school, I came home as usual and said 'I'm home’ as usual. What was not usual or unusual for that matter, was that no one responded.

I thought nothing of it. Mom was sometimes out in the city buying groceries and other stuff. While Dad was off to work, being a tailor in his own store. He was a pretty good one considering my mom, who was a picky person when it comes to aesthetics, married him. I mean, not to insult my Dad or anything, but he was sometimes boring? He was pretty bland. Nothing was exciting about him. He kept his head down, worked, and followed the rules. Did everything right in his life. But now, I would do anything just to feel that sense of a boring life once more.

The sky darkened, but still, they weren't at home. That was the part where I became suspicious. Dadey was always home at Six. On the dot. No more no less. Mom was even earlier. But again, I thought nothing of it, until morning came and they were still gone.

Days after that, I searched. I searched and searched along with the people that were willing to help. Yet a month quietly passed and there were still no signs of them. Some of our family friends even said, though not explicitly, that they weren't coming back. I didn't believe them. I refused to believe them. Something must have happened.

Some offered for me to stay with them, but I declined. My family was still out there. They will come back. I just had to wait for them to come back. So I finished school early. Went into blacksmithy where I met Bael, and patiently waited. That was the plan. Until I found something that entirely changed everything.

...

Central Academy.

The most prestigious school to learn the art of Kigen. There was no better place to go. It was situated in literally, the center of the continent. Every young aspiring Battle Dancer, a term used for people who can use Kigen, wants to go. There was no exception. Every Empire and Kingdom wants to send their talents there to learn from the strongest battle dancers there are.

Normally, there would be no sane Nation that wants to send their precious talents to go to another place where they have little to no influence. But the Central Academy case is unique. It's headed by The Ascendants. A group of individuals that manage and rule the Holy Land of all battle dancers through a democratic process. Unlike the other nations of the continent that are ruled by one Individual or Family, The Ascendants need a majority decision whenever they make a decision that impacts Greace City.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

Now what is The Ascendants anyway? Well, they are best described in two words. The Strongest. So even if the other nations want to get any strange ideas towards Central Academy, they first have to go through The Ascendants. And that's not gonna happen. For context describe how strong they actually are. There would be no difference in sending one man and a Hundred-thousand-man army to fight an Ascendant. Death will be their only outcome.

The only way to beat an Ascendant is another Ascendant. Sure, some Empires have their own Ascendants. But Greace City has eight Ascendants. With that said, I don't have to worry about my safety in the Academy.

There were still a few days left before the Trials started. Every year, Central Academy only takes 400 Students across the continent. From a certain point of view, it's a lot. When in reality, it's merely a percentage of hundreds of thousands of applicants. Only the elite of the elite get to go in. I know my chances are slim. Not just because of that despairing fact. But because of another, more despairing reason.

Becoming a Battle Dancer is hard. To be a battle dancer, a mortal must be able to sense Kigen. The lifeblood of the world. It is the energy that maintains and flows through every single thing in the world. Every individual has Kigen. The difference between a battle dancer, and someone who is not, is that battle dancers can sense Kigen. Meaning that they recognize that it exists within them.

My problem isn't sensing Kigen. I already sensed it the moment I tried learning Kigen. No. It's not that. It's that fact that the amount of Kigen I have is lesser than the average battle dancer. If the average battle dancer has tubs worth of Kigen, then I have a bucket's worth. And there is no such thing as an average battle dancer in Central Academy.

But I did not panic nor worry.

Indeed, compared to the geniuses there, Im a cripple at best. But I have something they don't have. I fished something from the pockets of my coat and took it. I felt the leathery texture of the notebook. Staring at it, I saw its yellowish sides. The simple design of it made it apparent that the previous owner had no care for its appearance and only its contents. And I agree with him.

I pulled back the straps that locked it and flipped it open.

‘The Simple Technique: Efficient Use of Kigen and Its Applications’

The title of the book was coated in Silver. It's probably the only thing that has some aesthetic value. I looked down below the title and saw a name imprinted in black.

‘Arthur Yarrow.’ I grinned, knowing that Dad really hadn't changed that much. This was it. This was the reason why I decided to stop waiting for them and start searching for them instead. This was Dad's diary/guide in learning Kigen. I was confused at first. When was Dad ever a battle dancer? He didn't look the part. He didn't even show hints that he was a Battle Dancer. Mom never mentioned it. I thought that maybe Dad was hiding this fact from Mom, but I doubt it. They have no secrets with each other. Sometimes, It's a bit uncomfortable for me that they are so comfortable with each other.

Thus, I can conclude that they were both hiding this fact from me. I'm even thinking that Mom is also a battle dancer. Looking back, it was strange. Throughout my whole lifetime, they have never mentioned once about Battle Dancers. Even when I mentioned battle dancers, they simply ignored it and moved the conversation to something else.

I found the diary in a peculiar place. It was in a hidden compartment. The only reason I found it was a complete coincidence. It was a year ago. I got back home from the smithy and did my usual routine. Drop my things on the floor, rest for a bit in front of the fireplace for a while, and then go sleep in Mom and Dad's bedroom. But I didn't reach the bedroom. What I did reach, or more specifically, what my foot reached was below a step in the staircase.

I then realized that there was something below the steps. There were two things. The diary, of course. And a locket. I grabbed the locket from my coat and snapped it open. It was a picture of the three of us. My mom, with her smile as pure and bright as the sun. And my Dad, wearing a soft, yet deadpanned face.

Then there was Baby Me. Not even looking at the camera and was instead laughing with a big smile on my face. I grinned and yet also felt a little sad. I closed it and closed my eyes. I promise, that even if the world becomes my enemy, I will make it so again.

...

"Kayde! I need a new hammer. I broke mine.” Bael said.

“Comin right up!” I stopped hammering away, grabbed a new hammer for Bael from my rack, and went to Bael. He was in a different room. He had his own furnace, whereas I was using the store's furnace. The furnace I was using was indeed good, but it was nothing compared to Bael. I entered the room and saw that Bael was still hammering away. Not use a hammer, instead, he used his arm. I looked to his side and saw the hammer he was using. The head of the hammer was cracked, obliterated honestly.

I approached Bael, and without even acknowledging my presence, he grabbed the hammer from my hand and went back to hammering away. This is normal. Bael always gets lost when forging, so much so that grabbing a new hammer on his own is a waste of time in his opinion. In his own words, 'Anything else besides forging is a waste of time.’ I think if given a choice between breathing and forging, he would choose forging.

Shrugging my shoulders, I went out and forged on my own.

I'm going to miss this. Sure the hours are brutal, like there were some days where I had to work till midnight, but it was nothing really. It didn't even impact my learning of KIgen, in fact, it even helped me. I'm never going to say this in front of Bael, but has the best.

Not just as a person, but as a blacksmith. Never once did I encounter someone who could be better than him. How do I know this? Simple. Back when I knew I had to get into Central Academy, in the belief that the disappearance of my parents might have some clues there, I had to go job hunting. In Dad's diary, he mentioned that he went to Central Academy, and though I was shocked at first, what came after was even more shocking.

It was the tuition fee. To put it into comparison, even if I sold myself a thousand times over, I still won't be able to afford it. So I had to get a job. It was hard at first, but I got used to it. But I realized that doing odd jobs here and there wasn't going to cut it. So I turned to the one profession that I might have a talent for. Blacksmith.

It was a lucrative career besides being a Battle Dancer. Weapons were always in short supply, so I thought that being a blacksmith wasn't such a bad idea. I tried out for a smithy down at Abbey Road, but I got rejected. I did it again and it was the same. It was at my 13th attempt did I even found a silver of success.

It was a coincidence really. Just when I got rejected for the 12th time, I got lost in a peculiar alley. Thinking nothing of it, I passed by a shop and realized, it was another blacksmithy. It was weird because there was only one sign up there. Baels Smithy. There weren't even weapons being displayed in front of the store.

There was no one around. It was a ghost store. But I tried out anyway since I was desperate.

Just as I was reminiscing about the past, Bael shouted.

“Kayde! There's a customer upfront. I'm busy, so you take care of it.”

A story for another time then.

“Got it!” I replied. We sometimes get these types. Those that wander around here like me, and almost always they were lost and were just curious that our shop even existed. I grabbed a cloth and went up to the front as I wiped my hands. I was a little startled when I saw him since this type of customer was a little special.

He was handsome, to say the least. He had snow-white hair, piercing blue eyes that were currently staring at me as if he wanted to see through me, and a white regal uniform that was likened to a noble soldier. What was surprising was that it seemed that he was the same age as me. But what most stood out was the crest on his left chest. It was a symbol of a white wolf howling. Only one family had it in the entire empire, and I'm pretty sure that they weren't supposed to be in the slums.

“What can I do for you?” I said.

The customer didn't respond. Instead, he kept staring at me, and I don't know if I was making this up, but I think that he was really cautious when I stared past his gaze. A short silence ensued.

WIth a cold face, the princely figure said.

“Fight me.”