The first rays of sunlight passed through the curtains, illuminating the room. I opened my eyes, looking around, confirming that yesterday was not a dream.

I yet to understand why is Kyra being nice to me, nobody would do anything for free, especially paying a huge sum of money as she did. Sighing, knowing that I wouldn’t be getting an answer at this moment, I threw everything to the back of my head, focusing on the present.

Today, I’ll be heading with Kyra to the academy, I am not sure of how the selection process will go nor I am confident of being able to pass them, but I will do my best for the sake of my dream.

Kyra words resounded in my mind, ‘being a hero isn’t something people would necessarily want,’ puzzled me. I recalled all the tales of heroes; chosen by the gods; saving countries from natural calamities; subduing evil existences; subjugating danger zones, all these feats seemed common when talking about them, nobody wouldn’t want to not have such adventures and leave their name in the annals of history. The tales also said that heroes are granted eternal life by the gods in the Divine Realm, being worshipped in the Land of Gods for all eternity.

I stared at the dim orb rotating below the ceiling, pondering the meaning of her words and why she seemed serious about that. It felt as if there was more than to see about heroes than tales could tell.

Shaking my head and smiling wryly due to the fact that I ended up thinking about Kyra again, I went off the bed and washed, It felt really good taking a bath with the mushroom head.

Drying myself, I took out black-colored underwear, white-colored half-sleeved shirt, black-colored skirt, knee-high black stockings and a pair of black colored shoes reaching a little above the ankle. Dressing up, I looked at the mirror.

I was 166 centimeters, not growing since the last year. My red eyes and black hair blended with the outfit, in contrast to my pale white skin. Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I had the impression that I can break by the slightest force, which was probably true.

The sound of the bathroom door closing echoed behind me, I found Kyra waiting for me, wearing the same outfit as she did yesterday sitting on the bed, gazing in my direction, smiling, she said, “You look beautiful, I told you wearing a white shirt will suit you more.”

I replied while lowering my voice, “I love the black color more.”

She laughed and patted the area beside her, indicating for me to sit.

I walked and sat beside her, looking into her blue eyes. I could sense an extra emotion within her gaze, but I was unable to understand it. We sat there in silence, staring, the sound of air blowing at the curtain accompanying us.

Kyra suddenly broke the silence, opening her mouth to speak, ”You will be entering Glat Academy today, I have already talked with Principle Azahl and he approved of your admission. We will be going there so that you can take the test to identify your elements and if you possess a soul weapon, even though we know that you possess a soul weapon based on the words of that old fart, we must follow the procedures set by the academy.”

I looked at her, shocked. I was not surprised about the fact that I have a soul weapon, nor about that it is possible to use a backdoor, but at the fact that the principal allowed it within such a short period of time. I started wondering more about the status Kyra posses in Glattia Kingdom.

Seemingly reading my mind, Kyra continued, “I know you have many questions, but all I can tell you right now that I am simply doing this out of expectations, I expect that you’ll be someone great in the future,” pausing, she suddenly lifted my chin, saying playfully, “Being a beauty is a reason too, but you are still too young for me.”

I felt my face heat up, feeling her let go of my chin, a weird sensation sprouted from my heart, but I could not understand what it meant. Remembering the sensation of her hand lifting my chin with her eyes staring deep at me, I felt my cheeks heat up again.

Patting my head, “I have one last gift to give you,” She said, putting a stone tablet in my hand, continuing, ”This stone tablet is called [Language Tablet] will help you learn how to read within a short period of time, It simply imparts mana into your body, facilitating memorizing the strokes of a language, making it easier to memorize words.

“The limit to the number of words you can learn daily is based on your capacity to withstand mana, at your level, you should be able to learn the Northern Language within a month. You should start learning the Southern, Eastern and Western languages afterward.”

I stared at the tablet in front of me, startled by how easy it is to learn languages. Suddenly, the image of an Old Man reading a book flashed through my mind, I tilted my head and asked, “Since it is that easy to learn a language, why is that Old Man still finding it difficult to read a book?”

“Smart question,” Kyra replied, continuing with an enigmatic smile, “These four languages are easy to learn because they are allowed to be learned easily, others…” her words trailed off as she looked through the window and into the distance.

The phrase ‘allowed to be learned easily’ reverberated in my mind, I wanted to ask more, but noticing her look, I realized that it will be useless.

Casting my eyes downwards, I stared at her bountiful chest, subconsciously touching my own in comparison. I felt inadequate.

Remembering my black scar, I decided that it was wise to change the topic, I pulled her sleeves to pull her out of her reverie.

Tousling my hair, she turned her head and said, “Go ahead and tell, I am all ears.”

Enjoying the sensation, I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out, at loss on how I should explain this to her. Without realizing it, I started rubbing my chin while tilting my head. there were many things I wanted to talk to her about; the nightmare; the dagger; the scar, but I was unsure where to start nor how to convey it.

I did not notice Kyra staring at me while tilting my head left and right, making quite an amusing sight.

Sorting my thoughts, I raised my head to see Kyra, resting on the bed while resting her head on her palm, gazing at me. The way she laid there accentuated her figure, giving quite a sight. My cheeks burned, I took a deep breath and shook my head, regaining clarity and organizing my thoughts once again.

I hesitated for a moment, then said, “I want to talk about what happened during the way to the capital, there is something wrong with my body.”

Eyes narrowing, Kyra said, “Something wrong with your body? You entered the healing room for several days, it should not be possible for something to be wrong.”

Looking at her expression, I did not speak, sat up and silently unbuttoned my shirt, letting it drop on the floor.

What entered Kyras’ sight was pale white skin; as pure as snow, and a pair of fair developing melons. If it was any other situation, she would’ve probably admired the sight as she always did while looking at me. What attracted her attention, however, was a black scar, resembling a line as It ran between my chests, perfectly splitting it in two.

She inspected the scar, the longer she looked the narrower her eyes became, and without a word, she extended a finger, touching my scar.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

I felt the soft touch of her finger and gasped, a warm feeling spreading through the wound from her finger.

It continued on for several minutes, whereupon, she suddenly pulled her hand back in panic, a trace of black energy seeping into her finger, slowly dying it black, a cold edge of a blade reflected the rays of the sun; drops of blood flowing down from it, sparkling with blood-colored starlight, crimson blood sprouting from her stump, staining her robe red.

A hand lay on the floor, slowly losing its color. A layer of dark frost slowly covered it. I directed my gaze from the hand to the stump, my red-colored eyes reflecting the sight, engraving it to memory.

I suddenly heard the sound of something slowly breaking, directing my gaze to the source of the sound. I saw the hand laying on the floor, covered in a block of dark ice, breaking into countless pieces on itself, the red of flesh and white of bone barely visible. Collapsing on itself, the hand slowly turned into nothingness, disappearing from view.

My breathing became ragged, I looked at Kyras` pained expression. I opened my mouth, trying to scream, but no voice came out. Putting my hands on my head, I shook, dizziness overcame me, a buzzing sound rang into my ears, getting louder with each second, I felt the world slowly become dark.

The last thing I saw was Kyra, holding me with her left hand, a worried expression on her face. She seemed to be saying something, turning her head and shouted in a direction, but I couldn’t hear anything.

***

I opened my eyes, darkness all around me. I saw a hand, flying without a care in the world, If it had a mouth, It’d be humming contently. Looking at it carefully, I felt that it was familiar. The hand seemed to sense my gaze and stopped moving, It’s palm turning to face me.

There, I saw it, a black colored scar ran through the middle of the palm. Suddenly, a nauseating sound of flesh being torn traveled to my ears and a red-eye appeared, gazing into me, seemingly seeing through my everything.

I saw flesh distorting right below the eye, a sound of it being torn echoed again. I looked at the distortion and saw the flesh trying to reconnect, unlike the eye which was eternally open. I tried to avert my eyes, only to hear the sound of infants wailing and screams that came from the abyss traveling into my ears, sending shivers down my spine, turning my gaze slowly, I saw the wound glowing a blood-red glow, seemingly connected to hell.

I shook, feeling my mind going blank, opening my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. I remembered the hand origin, the scene of Kyra cutting her own hand. My eyes shook with increasing intensity, I formed my hand into a blade and aimed to cut my neck, trying to end myself; to end this painful feeling, but I was unable to. I formed a claw with my hands, aiming to tear off my heart, but it was futile. It all served to increase the pain and despair that I felt.

The hand slowly approached me at a leisure pace, I tried to run, but the distance remained ever-the-same. It slowly approached me at the same speed, only it was able to shorten the distance. Soon, It was mere inches away from my face.

It slowly formed a claw and clutched my head, two fingers pressed into my ears, tearing and forming mouths, whispering, only to be drowned by the sounds from hell. I shuddered, feeling the eye staring at me with increasing intensity, blood-red tendrils with bony outgrowths extending from the hell, aiming to crush my neck. The sound of flesh ripping echoed in the darkness, bits and pieces of flesh and blood decorated the tendril. I lost the ability to breathe, feeling cold. Sensing my weakness, the pressure increased, aiming to crush me. I ceased to resist, feeling that all hope is lost, only the image of Kyra cutting her own hand remaining.

The world suddenly shook, accompanied by a deafening explosion reverberating throughout. I saw a blinding white light driving away the darkness, coming from above. The light touched the hand and tendrils as they began to slowly melt. They increased their strength, aiming to end my life, but the light intensified, vaporizing them from existence.

Looking at the world of light, I felt a warm feeling spreading throughout me, healing my wounds, but the black scar remained cold.

***

I opened my eyes slowly, and an old man entered my fuzzy vision. He had white hair, white beard, a face full of wrinkles, and his entire body looked shriveled, seemingly as if he just climbed out of a grave. The only exception is his golden eyes which exuded boundless vigor, a contrast to his appearance.

The old man was heaving heavily, drops of sweat filling his forehead. It seemed as if he had just finished a life-or-death fight, barely surviving. He was clutching my head, white light shining from his hands.

Seemingly aware of my awakening, the old man released his grip, sighing, he plopped down a nearby chair, wiping the sweat and heaving heavily. Sitting beside him was another old man with similar features, at a glance one would realize they are twins.

I suddenly felt a piercing pain in my head, clutching it and panting, the world grew fuzzier by each passing second.

A pair of hands extended, pulling me into an embrace. I felt that sensation and remember this smell, It belonged to Kyra. My mind grew clearer smelling this scent.

Shuddering, I tried to escape her grip, hitting and clawing at her, but she stood like an immovable mountain, taking all my hits without flinching. Gradually, I became to calm down, and eventually, cried.

I clutched the hem of her robe, tears flowing down my face like a waterfall. I felt her hands tighten, pulling me deeper, her soft lips kissing my hair.

Lifting my head, my red eyes stared at Kyra, I could feel her breath from this distance, we were mere inches away. Averting my gaze, I felt both her hands touching my face. Instinctively, I rested my head on her right hand and closed my eyes, feeling its warmth and confirming that it’s real, afraid that the hand will disappear the next moment.

After what seemed like an eternity for me, I opened my eyes and gazed at Kyra, I silently hugged her tighter, feeling her warmth. She patted my head and embracing me tighter.

The room was silent for these couple of minutes.

Leaving her embrace, I began to take in the room. I was sitting in a bed, a white curtain surrounding us, exuding a calming light. The floor was black, sigils carved on it, spewing out starlight.

Two old men sat in wooden chairs, facing us while looking deeply into my eyes, seemingly wanting to read through me, their eyes flashing with light. I could not read what they were thinking.

I whispered to Kyra, “I am sorry, It is all my fault. Had I not asked you, this wouldn’t have happened”

Tears started to formed the moment I finished speaking, patting my head, she shook her head, saying, “This level of injury for adventurers is nothing. It was only but a minor injury, do not take it into your heart.”

I closed my eyes and felt her hand, enjoying the feeling. At one point in time, unbeknownst to me, Kyra occupied a place within my heart.

Suddenly, I heard the old man saying, “Kyra, won’t you introduce us to the young lady?”

A chuckle sounded in my ears, forcing me to open my eyes to look at Kyra.

“This is Cassandra. Cassandra, this old man over there is Principle Azahl, while the other one is his brother, Elder Agrus of Glat Academy,” Kyra said, gesturing with her hand while tousling my hair with the other.

Shocked, I turned over my head towards the two old men, noticing their smiling expressions, I greeted them, “It is my honor to meet you, President, Elder!”

Remembering Kyras’ lesson, I made sure to not be overly submissive in my actions. It still leaked out, but was better compared to before.

Elder Agrus and President Azhal nodded their heads in approval, ignoring the servile tone seeping out.

President Azhal jokingly said whilst laughing, “Little girl, If you did not wake up early, I’d have died from being drained by you.”

My expression paled, remembering his face, but before I could respond, Elder Agrus shot Azhal a glance, saying, “Little brother, please do not scare the child to death. Aren’t you old enough to be pranking kids?”

“Big brother, how can you say that!” Azhal said, sounding wronged, “I was really going to die from mana exhaustion, you do not know how much that mana that little girl ate!”

Agrus countered, “A Grand Tier Five Sorcerer, complaining about the loss of a little bit of mana on a child?” snickering, he continued, “Will surely be fun to spread such news outside.”

Azhal expression paled, Looking at them bickering, I was dumbfounded, I tilted my head in confusion and stared and Kyra. She leaned in and whispered into my ears, “The sweat is created using mana and he started heaving right before you woke up. President Azhal is known for loving to prank people.”

I shot the President a weird look, noticing my gaze, he suddenly coughed, straightening his back. Kyra shot him a meaningful look, seeing it, he slightly nodded.

“Little girl, I heard you want to enroll in the academy from Kyra, Is that correct?” Azhal said with a friendly expression. It really didn’t feel like that this kind old man is the president of a behemoth that is the Glat Academy.

Hearing him, I nodded my head in apprehension, this was the moment I’ve been waiting for most of my life.

Azhal exchanged looks with Agrus, seeing his brother nodding, Azhal clapped his hands, saying with an amiable smile, “Congratulations, you are now a student of the academy!”

I froze upon hearing these words, even though I heard such a thing from Kyra beforehand, I was still dumbfounded.

I dreamt since childhood to be enrolled in the academy, and in the end, it was accomplished with a nod of a head and a clap of a hand.