Damien didn’t seem to comprehend what he had been told. Everything about passing her test and not dying to her hands would have been all amazing news for him to hear, however that wasn’t the biggest shock to him.

“Two years? Two… no that can’t be right. I was supposed to be back to StarPoint in three months. It should have only been two and half months I was here! Are you playing some kind of joke on me?”

Damien was visibly becoming frantic with each coming breath. This bombshell of information was too much for him to actually believe. He looked at her face for validation to no avail. Aya was as cold faced as ever, and eyed Kyro with those piercing eyes.

“You didn’t tell the boy anything? He would have found out eventually. Just look at his clothes.”

Kyro coughed in embarrassment as it appeared for the first time in his life he was being lectured. He scratched his head with his claw and finally decided to also tell the truth.

“That’s right, boy. Two years have gone and passed since you arrived here. You can blame me, I kept it to myself and let you believe your own fantasy.”

It truly hit Damien this time. His head was spinning in circles trying to understand what could have happened these last two years. He thought of all the time he missed with his friends and the memories they would have had. But none of it could compare to what he thought of him. For all they knew, Damien would never come back or worse, have perished in some remote corner.

“But why would you keep this to yourself?”

Damien faced the floor with injustice spread across his face. He felt betrayed by those he felt he could trust.

“My friend, do you truly believe you would reach where you are now if I had not lied to you. I am in the wrong, but as someone looking for the best out of you, it was a necessary wrong. I accept the blame for this.”

Damien clenched his hand to a fist as hard as he could. He was building up his anger and sadness, ready to blow off the steam. No one tried to stop him as they felt it was necessary for him to go through this. They waited and waited but nothing happened. Damien let go of his fist along with all of his pent up Mana he built up.

“You’re right, Kyro. It is also my fault to believe I was so talented I could reach this point without a Sky Realm Cultivation Technique in that short amount of time. Anyways I can give everyone a big surprise when I show up out of nowhere!”

Damien’s maturity reached a new level along with his new age. Although Kyro wanted to praise such a commending attitude, he could not let go of the fact Damien that he was not using the correct cultivation technique. Kyro quickly flapped around crazily, pulling out strands of Damien’s hair.

“What do you mean you weren’t using a Sky Realm Cultivation Technique!? At the rate you climbed the ranks it was no different from me! You mean to say you could’ve cultivated faster? You pulling my tail?”

Damien shook his head and explained which technique he was practicing and why he did not have the next book for it. He then went on how he would need to win the I-CAT to ask for the next volume as a gift. As he was talking about it, a lightbulb turned on in his head.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“I now qualify for the I-CAT! I’m 13 now which means I can sign up! I have to go back to StarPoint and have a spot assigned to me for it!”

Damien’s enthusiasm overshadowed all of their doubts as he took off to where he believed was the direction to the City of Gats. Kyro quickly figured out that Damien had no idea where he was going. At this rate he would be entering a new Kingdom and would have to deal with their enforcing soldiers. Kyro yanked Damien’s hair with his claws forcing him to stop and overall get rid of his excitement.

“Ow, oww, owww! Okay you can stop! What was that for?”

“First you’re going the wrong way…”

Kyro then yanked Damien’s head so he could face ahead where Aya coldly stood with an annoyed look on her face. It was not a face Damien was happy to see, but at least he knew why Kyro was in a hurry to stop. Damien quietly thanked Kyro from the bottom of his heart.

“My friend, she is not one that likes to play around. I’ll show you the way, just follow my lead.”

Damien turned around following the direction in which Kyro would pull his hair. Aya couldn’t help but groan at such a miserable sight. Someone who had immense talent and the strength to back it up was just a puppet because he could not understand a sense of direction. Aya let it go since he was actually going the right way this time.

“Hopefully he gets that ingrained to his brain.”

Like that the three began their return journey back to Damien’s current home, StarPoint Academy. Knowing he needed to win that tournament to make his cultivation easier they had no reason to stop him. They didn’t have the resources to help him in that situation, but they did to help him acclimate to his new strength. Along the way back, Aya would prepare a sneak attack against Damien. The first couple of times, Kyro instinctively warned Damien, causing him to dodge with ease. Aya quickly taught Kyro a lesson so that he wouldn’t interfere again, however Damien was on high alert ever since.

Damien’s new found speed made it easy for him to dodge or deflect any attack Aya launched his way, albeit she held back. It went from sneak attacks to head-on attacks, to finally sparring battles. Damien would always end up black and blue, but it helped him create a new fighting style that fit his new abilities. Kyro would give his advice on many things Damien would do wrong, significantly bringing his skills up. The way back took no time as there were no challenges or issues along the way. If there was, Damien would handle it in a second.

Two weeks later, Damien arrived at the front gates of Gats. The lines were as long as ever, with everyone creating a loud bustle of music, laughter, and business. Seeing that it would be hours until they could enter, while Damien was raring to go, an idea popped up in his head. He disappeared in the bushes and returned with his StarPoint Academy uniform. Its magical properties allowed it to grow to his size without any problems. Instantly the mood around him changed as he received everyone’s attention. Damien felt quite embarrassed to pull this out but it would let him cut through this entire line. No one tried to stop him from entering, and anyone that would try to complain was instantly shut down by other members of their party. Going against an academy student was a death sentence for anyone trying to enter the City of Gats.

Damien made it to the entrance with everyone giving way. Even the City Guards gave Damien a gesture of respect. They let him in along with Aya and Kyro who they assumed was just a tamed crow. No identification was needed this time around and they entered inside the walls. Coming in reminded Damien of the first time he came with his Grandfather. He still had no idea where he was or doing but knowing he believed in him was enough for Damien for now. By the time they reached the Academy Gate entrance, Aya went her separate ways. There was no way she’d be able to stay there without causing any issues.

“I’ll be staying somewhere nearby so I can keep my eye on you. Can't have you try to escape my grasp just yet. Remember I can level this whole city and no one can stop me.”

Damien tried his best to send her off with a smile, but once she disappeared into the grand city, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders. Kyro swung over the top of head bringing his face directly to Damien’s.

“Don’t relax just yet my friend. I can sense her Mana covering us and I doubt it will go away.”

Damien felt a cold shiver run down his spine and made sure he wouldn’t say anything behind her back. He would have to live with being monitored albeit he had no idea of the others watching him. Kyro could not even sense those eyes on Damien since they weren’t intentionally being obvious like Aya.

Without any further hesitation, Damien tried waltzing through the gates of StarPoint Academy. Before he got a foot inside the boundaries, the two unassuming guards closed his path with their bodies. Damien wasn’t prepared nor putting any strength to his stride so he was knocked back a couple of steps.

“Hey, what was that for? You can see I go here with my uniform, so I don’t want any problems.”

Damien tried letting the first offense go, because he was excited to surprise everyone. He also believed they just made an honest mistake. As Damien tried to walk past the gates once more, the guards stood blocking the path again.

“You are not to pass until we verify your identity. Just because you wear the uniform does not mean you go here. Many people try to sneak in with counterfeits all the time. Plus class is in session so why would you try to enter now if you should have been in class?”