Francis came to find me just as the sun began to rise.
He had come with a assortment of weapons upon his back as well. He carried a large crystal in his left hand which glowed a faint blue hue and in his right there was a book. The Title saying, "The Complete History of Aleron".
The books I had been reading as a child were all useless they held no significant information at all about the world. Titles including, "Cook like a God", "Bargain for Who", even " "Make men follow your every Command". This world was exactly like my last when it came to common matters.
He placed the assortment of equipment along the wall opposite of my bed. Upon closer inspection, there were bows, swords, daggers, maces, shields, and others. But their size was that befitting my own.Something that I could wield.
A slight feeling of excitement started to grow within me. My favorite past time had been training my body and I was finally old enough.
"My Lord, hold out the backside of your left hand." He said.
He touched the back of my hand to the crystal.
"Whats the point of this?" I said.
I had never heard or seen of such a ridiculous thing in the last life.
The mans eye went dark for a moment and then began to explain.
"This crystal is special to this academy. It is the main reason why the regimen we apply to the students is acceptable. Otherwise Nobles would never entrust their children to us" He took the crystal away and placed it on the table.
"What does it do?" I asked my eyebrows narrowing.
"The students who have this crystal on their person, power have the ability revive on the grounds of the academy." He said such an unbelievable thing without the slightest doubt.
"And you expect me to believe such a thing?" I chuckled a small laugh escaping my lips.
"It is not a measure of belief,my lord." He said.
He got up from his chair and motioned me to follow him.
"I will show you." Francis had a smirk covering his depressing face.
Francis led me down various corridors, down stairs and then back up stairs as if following some map.
The academy itself, I had come to realize, was the size of a palace. It had 5 floors above ground that stretched a mile long in each direction. The interior designer felt the same and fashioned it to in suite. I was thoroughly impressed. You couldn't go 3 minutes without seeing a sculpture of a beautiful man or women. I guess that was just the place it was.
We came upon a door that was twice as large as the others and a huge sign was above it that said, "From Death We Learn".
The door itself was made of marble and had the pictures of angels and demons fighting, neither side with the advantage, sculpted on it.
My head started to pound.
This place even though it was meant to teach the cruelties about the world to the students.
Why was it so damn elegant? Nobles must keep up appearances at all times.You can't show a lack luster academy to nobles who spend a fortune for their children to come here.
Also the teachers were really disappointing.
Later, I would come to find that the answer lay in the man in front of me.
Francis opened the door and motioned me to enter before him.
A white crystal pervaded the center of the room. It was rooted as if stuck to the ground and carved in place. A rail separated it from the rest of the room. Beds were placed along the walls of the room for what seemed to be an endless degree.
As I started walking closer to the railing I realized that the railing did not only separate the floor from the crystal but also from an immense drop leading into sheer darkness. The crystal reached completely into the depths disappearing as well.
The crystal let out a deep blue hue and then out of the air materialized a teenager at least 11 years of age. He was in the air unconscious to his own situation.
He floated down to the ground and out of no where nurses had wheeled a bed over and had him strapped down and completely naked and under the covers in seconds. I couldn't believe my eyes. I rubbed it again. And then the same phenomenon happened.
I turned around and saw the friar look at the crystal lovingly.
"What the hell!?!?!" I screamed. My face a mixture of amazement and disbelief.
"It is not something so unbelievable, my lord." He said" This is a world of magic, within it anything is possible."
"Are you telling me that if I somehow died then I can come back here with no harm?" I said.
The mans face filled with unparalleled pity.
"No."
"Alright, now that I do-" I stopped realizing what he said. "Wait, why not?"
"Your soul is not so easily reclaimed from death." He said.
I just stopped thinking at this point. No point to lose my cool over something that I never needed in the first place. Not like I could possibly die in the first place.
"Let's move on." I said.
Sensing my mood, he began to give me a tour of the school explaining the various functions of each room and the classes available to students as they reach maturity and pass a variety of tests. He had been showing the others
"Then what about me?" I said.
I was generally curious about how I would be treated given the fact that I could actually die. They would be forced to change the way they taught to accompany me.
"I believe I can work around that, my lord." He said." Yes, I will assign you to permanent self study. You will be allowed to go and do what you please as long as you take monthly placement tests. This point is absolute. The various parents of the nobles wish to know the strengths and weakness of their future friends and enemies."
He sighed at the last part as if saying it were a hassle he would rather not deal with.
"When I first arrived you charged Angeline four times the going rate. Why?" I asked him.
The man stopped in his tracks and said a few words that I would rather not repeat.
"You may see her as a mother figure, my lord. But she is far more cunning than you could ever imagine. If I allowed a random child to just enter in the middle of a school year, I would have had to make many more exception at that." He said exuding very angry presence.
"How much is the regular going rate?" I inquired.
"More than you could imagine." He said his face sour..
I decided that was not a conversation he wished to continue. So I changed the subject to another direction.
"Why is every room you show so large in the interior but the academy not even one tenth of the size that it should be?" I said intrigued.
"As I said before, my lord. You are in a world of Magic truly anything is possible. After all, this academy was not such to begin with."He said.
"How so?"
" This was in the beginning a high class dungeon that was spoken about in legend. Your 'mother' was apart of those who defeated it." He said."The dungeon had a special condition to the party that defeated it and here we are today with the reward."
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He had said the word reward with disgust.
"You said that I was your Savior who gave you a second chance to save the world? Is that the only reason you call me lord?" I asked him.
"Yes and no. Not only are you the carnation of death but you were adopted officially by 'That woman' years ago. She is the highest ranking general in the country second in power only to the king. That gives me the leeway to call you, my lord around others." he finished.
So that would explain it. I didn't know she officially adopted me but I was forever grateful for that woman.
If only I were a little older. I laughed at the thought.
"Anymore questions, my lord?" he said.
I thought about it for a moment.
"None that I can think of at the moment. The book you left in the room will answer the rest anyway."
He nodded and the said something impossible aloud.
"Show Status Window to Death"
Status WindowName:FrancisAlignment:???Level:???Class:Esteemed CelebratorRace:humanGender:MaleTitlesDeath's GuideFame:??Infamy:??-Health:2000/2000Health Regen:33.5 / SecMana:?? / ??Mana Regen:105 / SecStamina:300/300Stamina Regen:20/ Sec-Strenght:90Agility:80Vitality:50Intelligence:1000Wisdom:1500Luck:??-Attack:150Defense:500
It was a game display menu similar to ones in my last world. Once again. I was too stunned to speak. What was this a super cheat? How can this even be? Can I do something like this?
"This is a status menu. All people born into this world have one. You should as well." He said." But because you can't even connect with the crystal. I believe this is even a deeper kind of problem. You who are marked by death should be able to look and see more of the world than anyone."
I heard another incredible thing. Why was my last world so boring and this one so unbelievable.
"Try saying Show status menu."
So I did. But nothing occurred.
He started to laugh
"Whats so funny?" I said my voice rising/
"You're going to have to follow me."
Francis held an open smile upon his face, laughing at the situation that I face.
He took me down five flights of stairs until we reached a large black door with guards on both sides. The way they positioned there were almost like it was the gates of hell.
Directly above it was a large sign similar to menu he had shown.
It was a leader board. An assortment of names went down the left hand side with floor levels going down the right. There was also a board of party names as well. Individual and party achievements were displayed. Whether they returned or died was also displayed.
The guards looked at Francis and I both and displayed a queer look.
"Can we do anything for you Sir?" guard one said.
"Relax men. I'm showing this one around the academy.This is our last stop."
I saw sweat flowing down the face of one of the men.
What had this guy ever done to these men? I can't even begin to understand his position at this academy.
Francis took me back to my room away from the two.
"Death had told me one last thing. I mean I never thought that this would ever be the case...."
"What did he say?"
"To become whole, you must traverse to the depths lowest level of hell. I believe he was speaking about the dungeon I just showed you"
"It couldn't be that hard right?"
"Worse. The dungeon can only be entered by those under the age of 20. Also no one has ever reached the bottom of the dungeon."He said with pity.
Are you kidding me? Why all these ridiculous rules? What is the whole point of this place? Seriously if I ever meet this guy who looks like me I'm going to take all my frustrations on him. I swear by the blackness of my soul.
The celebrator could see the dark eyes of the child glowing a faint red color. He slowly spoke.
" Right now your around the age of 5. You have 15 years to reach the bottom of the dungeon and defeat it or else the world will be destroyed. Please consider your options carefully."
He left the room.
He may be my guide but I still didn't like him.
I looked over the room at the various weapons and then saw the book.
"The Complete History of Aleron".
I guess I should start there.
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