“Hey, Garth! Wait up!” a familiar girl’s voice resounded from behind Garth.

            The seven year old stopped on the path leading to the Academic Peak of Imperium Private Academy, the greatest school for cultivators in America.  When he turned around, he saw a boy and a girl running down the path leading to the Dorm Peak.

            “Come on, man.  You couldn’t even wake me up?” the boy asked, bitterly.

            Garth chuckled, “I tried, but I woke up late myself today and didn’t have the fifteen minutes to spare waking you up.”

            “So you leave him for me?!” the girl asked indignantly.

            “Well of course.  You’re his girlfriend after all.  You’re also the daughter of the Headmaster, so it’s your job to make sure everyone gets to class on time.”

            The girl gaped as a hint of sadness flashed across her petite face.

            “Who wants to be his girlfriend…” she muttered.

            Garth looked at her with sorry eyes.  He knew that this girl, Adeline Washington, was in love with him, but he just couldn’t return her feelings.

            “Don’t worry, Adeline.  Just forget him, and find comfort in my embrace,” the boy said while he tried to catch the girl in a hug.

            “Shut up, Peter,” Adeline said as she jumped away from him. “Why do you have to joke so much?”

            She then rushed ahead of the two boys, while Peter Franklin’s depressed eyes followed her.  Garth sighed as he patted his best friend and cousin on the shoulder to comfort him.  While Garth knew that Adeline had feelings for him, she herself was totally oblivious to Peter’s feelings for her.

            “Dude, why don’t you date her already?” Peter asked Garth, “She’s beautiful with her bright, blonde hair, amber eyes, and button shaped nose.  Not to mention her perfect lips and cute cheeks…”

            Garth watched the drool roll down Peter’s chin in disgust for a while, before continuing to walk while saying, “We’re only seven years old.  What’s the rush?  Besides, I just don’t have those feelings for her, while you, my best friend, do.  So hurry up and get her out of my hair, will you?”

            “Oh, come on.  You know how it is in the Martial Plane.  Most marriages aren’t about love, they’re about benefits, which you would get the better bargain out of.  You wouldn’t just be the adopted grandson of my family’s Great Protector, you would be the son-in-law of the Headmaster of Imperium and most likely to obtain the position yourself someday!”

            “Not interested,” Garth retorted with a lazy wave of his hand.  “Enough of this, come on.  We’re going to be late.”

            The two rushed into class, just as the bell rang.

            Before they could even let out a sigh of relief, a snappy, feminine voice said, “Hurry up and find your seats.”

            “Yes, Miss Nakiri,” Garth and Peter replied before they hastily made their way to their seats.

            “Humph, idiots of the Franklin Family will always continue to be just that,” a boy snorted from the back of the room.

            “Shut up, Merlin!” Peter roared before Garth put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

            “Don’t worry about him, the First Grade Ranking Tournament is coming soon.  You’ll get your chance then, so train hard and make sure you’re ready.”

            Gradually, Peter calmed down and continued toward the seats Adeline had saved for them.  Getting to their seats, Garth gave Adeline a thankful nod, then sat down at the desk on her left.  He then turned to the girl on his left.

            “Hey there, Erin.  How are you today?” he greeted.

            Erin Li was the jewel of Imperium’s First Grade.  She had long, silver hair; deep, blue eyes and a nose, chin, and cheeks that screamed elegance and nobility all with skin of white jade.  She was also his adopted grandfather’s precious granddaughter, whom he asked Garth to take care of just before he died.

            Erin glanced at Garth coldly, then nodded before she returned her attention back to the teacher.  Garth sighed, then did the same.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

            “You just had to make your last wish something so impossible, didn’t you Old Man,” Garth thought to himself and shook his head.

            “Save her, Garth,” Old Man Mo had said as he bled out.  “Because of my damn in-laws, she’s lost within herself, drowning in indifference.  My friend can protect her from the Li Clan in Imperium, but you can’t say she’s really living right now.”

            Shaking himself out of his memories, Garth listened to Miss Nakiri lecture.

            “Class won’t be very long today, since it’s the last day of the school year.  However, each of you needs to remember to prepare for the Ranking Tournament in two days.  Each of you will have an assigned ranking based on your exam results, but others could challenge you for it.  Likewise, you can challenge anyone higher than you as well, but make sure you actually have a chance.  It will go on for three days, so make sure you keep in good condition.  Alright, let’s begin the lesson…”

            “Yeah!” Peter cried in victory, “The last day of class is over!  Hello, summer vacation.”

            Garth chuckled, while Adeline slapped him on the back of the head, “Tournament first, then summer, nitwit.”

            The three walked through the mess hall and grabbed some food.  Then, they headed to the commons area, which was down in the valley created by four of the seven peaks that Imperium inhabited.  Heading toward their usual tree, they found Erin already eating.

            “Hi,” Garth greeted as he sat down next to her.

            Once again, Erin nodded at him before returning to her sandwich.  Garth frowned, and lifted his hand, poking her cheek.

            “I let you get away with it in class so you wouldn’t be embarrassed, but you need to learn to greet people properly.”

            Erin rolled her eyes and gave a resigned sigh before replying, “Hello.”

            Garth nodded with satisfaction, and began to eat his lunch while he tuned into Adeline and Peter discussing preparations for the Ranking Competition.

            “Hey Garth, what are you going to do with the two days before the Ranking Competition?” Peter asked.

            “Master Sejus probably has something for me to do,” Garth replied.

            Peter and Adeline both shook their heads in wonder, before Adeline said, “You actually managed to live through a year under that psycho, and even still you go back willingly.”

            Garth shrugged, “He’s a good teacher.”

            “How can you say that he’s a good teacher?!” Peter asked, “The first day, he threw you into the misty valley!  You almost got killed by a Hellbourne Mammoth of the tenth rank in there!”

            Again, Garth shrugged, “It did the trick though.”

            At the beginning of the year, the first day he met Master Sejus, the old man had thrown him off a cliff and into the misty valley, where the strongest of the demonic beasts fostered by the Academy lived.  The first night, he had almost gotten killed when confronted with a Hellbourne Mammoth.  In the battle, however, Garth had found out how to control his Soul Force, which was a special power belonging to the few Soul Craftsmen of the world.  Garth had also managed to break through into the second stage of cultivation, which is why he was now at its peak, ready to break into the third stage in just one year.  This was considered godly talent, even in Imperium.

            The group conversed for a little longer, before they parted ways after they finished their meals.  It also didn’t escape Garth’s notice that Erin had stayed to listen to the others, even after she finished her lunch, which was a major improvement compared to the beginning of the year.

            “Now then, off to find Master Sejus,” Garth mumbled to himself before heading up Soul Peak.