“Goodbye young master.” Both Steve and Bettrica bowed a little deeper than when he first met them.

Kai bowed back to the two, before leaving them inside the inn. He followed behind his father as they traveled to the academy’s registration area. Yawning, he stretched his back and arms as he waited to become more awake. His father had taken him shopping last evening, gathering a few necessities for living and even a few health potions for emergencies.

They walked through multiple alleys, keeping a quick pace. All of Kai’s belongings were stored away in his father’s ring of storage except for his sword and knife which were latched onto his belt in their sheaths. After a dozen turns, Kai was beginning to become lost. They had taken so many seemingly random turns, going in different directions that Kai was beginning to think that his father was doing it on purpose to mess with him or waste time.

“Dad, where the hell are we going? We’ve been walking over a quarter of an hour.”

There was no answer as his father hummed a tune to himself. The inn they stayed at was located in the western quadrant of the city, the school was located on the opposite side of the city, in the northeast, closest to the mountainside. Without a proper sun above them, Kai wasn’t sure how one could tell directions without being familiar with the city already. He guessed either a drunk architect had designed the city’s layout, or they had added streets and housing as fast as possible when expanding.

Eventually, they approached a large castle. Surrounding the castle were walls made of the same material as the city’s walls, though nowhere near as high. Beyond the walls, a majestic building towered overhead, half as large as the entire village that he had grown up in and four times as tall as any other buildings around. Much like the walls, the palace was made of ashstone, making it seem more like a villain’s fortress than where a king resided.

In front of the palace gate stood eight guards, all equipped similarly to the guards at the entrance of the city, though Kai could tell there was a different air about them. Their bodies were on edge, ready to react to any situation. These were most likely elite soldiers in direct service to the king. All eight of the guard’s gazes had locked onto Octavian, watching him like a hawk. He surmised they perceived his father as a possible threat which Kai found funny considering his father’s relaxed attitude with his hands tucked in his pockets as he whistled a tune.

Giving the palace one last look, Kai neglected to pay attention to his surroundings as he crashed into his father’s backside. It felt like he crashed into solid steel, the man not even budging from the collision. The surroundings had turned silent, his father seemed frozen. Alarmed, he turned his head to match his father’s gaze. Stepping out of the palace gates was an older gentleman with long flowing white hair. Matching his hair, he wore a simple white robe, that was tattered at the bottom edges. Not a speck of dirt stained his clothing. Who is that man? I don’t think I’ve ever seen my dad freeze like that. The guards saluted the older man as he passed by them. He must have been someone of grave importance to draw respect like that from elite soldiers.

[Human - ???]

The mysterious white-haired man swept his eyes over Octavian, barely acknowledging him, as they settled onto Kai. One of the man’s eyebrows raised high. The next moment Kai felt a strange sensation from within his body. His pulse spiked, as he felt naked before the old man, his very essence exposed. Oddly, it didn’t feel malicious but was nonetheless unnerving.

To his side, Octavian’s aura surged, breaking Kai from his trance. Ripples of magic vibrated the air, even causing the cobbled stone that he stood on to crack.

The guards reacted accordingly to the rising threat of magic, all their hands going to the hilts of their weapons, ready to strike down his father. To the older man’s credit, he realized things were getting out of hand. Instantly the sensation vanished. Holding up a hand, the old man mouthed one word that Kai couldn’t hear. The gate guards immediately relaxed, their hands falling to their sides. His father too relaxed as his aura ceased.

The mysterious man in white bowed once each to the pair. His gaze lingered on Kai a moment longer than was comfortable. After a few unblinking moments, he turned and began walking away without a word. A strange smile lingered on the strange man’s face as he vanished out of sight.

“Who was that man?” Kai asked turning to his dad.

“I have no idea, but he was beyond my identification range.” His father frowned.

Kai was shocked. The man was more than likely one of the strongest humans in this city. If what his father claimed was true about him being in the fifth realm, then that meant that the mysterious man in white had to be in the seventh realm or higher. Something that hadn’t even existed among humans during Kai’s past life.

“I was talking to Trica last night, and she was telling me that the Ash Monarch was rumored to be in the seventh realm of power. Could that have been him?” Kai speculated.

“No, the characteristics of the Ash Monarch are very distinct. He is a man with ashen grey hair and grey eyes. He is also a large man, built like a bovine,” his father answered, his eyes still lingering in the distance where the old man in white had vanished from sight. “Let’s go, I don’t want to linger in front of the palace any longer.”

After some more walking, they finally made it to the academy’s entrance. Outside the gate entrance, there were multiple booths set up in varying colors. Each booth was occupied, some people were being questioned while others were filling out forms. Kai counted half a dozen young adults his age split up between the different booths.

He immediately felt underdressed. All of the other future students were dressed in expensive-looking clothing, some noticeably enchanted. They stood tall and proud, their arrogance and wealth were on display for everyone to see. Every one of these students enrolling would be a potential rival in the final tournament. Off to the side, a bunch of primly dressed servants with luggage gathered around them.

“Time for me to get going,” Octavian said spontaneously.

Kai turned to him confused. “You’re not going to help me enroll?”

“Na, you got this. Here is all your stuff.” Octavian began to pull a few items from his ring of storage. Kai’s large bag of clothing dropped to the ground, followed by a smaller bag with school supplies such as notebooks and writing materials.

Kai was at a loss. It was so sudden and so matter of fact. He was aware they were going to have to say their goodbyes today, but he wasn’t emotionally or mentally ready for it. He’d thought they would have a little more time together.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder he looked up. His father’s face had watery eyes, likely feeling as saddened as Kai did.

“You will do well here. Believe in your training, don’t slack off, and most importantly don’t be stupid. Find Trica if you need to get a message or letter to me... Oh, and money is in the small bag,” Octavian said with a small smile before he turned and began leaving. Not one for a long goodbye.

Kai stood frozen, still coming to terms that his father had left just like that. “Thank you, dad,” Kai spoke sincerely, his eyes now watery as well. But his father never heard, the man was already out of sight.

After a few moments, Kai noticed people staring at him. The stares were full of curiosity and more troubling, disgust. Apparently, his heartfelt goodbye to his father had been very public. Completely embarrassed and red in the face, Kai grabbed his bags, each lighter than he thought they would be which was likely due to his increased attributes. He moved quickly, approaching the booth with the large words “Registration.”

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“Hello, I see that you do not have a parent or guardian with you,” a middle-aged man wearing a black dress shirt with silver buttons spoke up to the approaching Kai.

Kai’s eye twitched slightly at the obvious statement.

“This is for admission to the Ashbourne Academy. Do you understand?”

Kai nodded silently. Duh.

“I require a verbal yes or no.”

“Yes.”

“I will require you to put your hand on this orb and answer the questions truthfully,” the man continued.

Kai observed the clear orb, runes, and letters etched around it. It was large enough so he couldn’t fit his entire hand over the top. Laying his palm over it, the orb warmed instantly as it began glowing red.

“Please don’t let go until all questions are finished. First question. Name?”

“Kaismo Cineris.”

“Date of birth?”

“Jul 12th, 6-2138.”

The man noted down everything Kai mentioned, occasionally peeking at the orb. The orb remained a steady red without any change.

“Place of birth and current residence?”

“Kitsune Village and I still reside there.”

“Is that a village located in the Ashbourne Kingdom?”

“Yes, it is located near the Illusionary Misty Region,” Kai lied. He had been told to not tell the location of his village only its name if asked.

The orb underneath his hand flashed red without warning.

The man frowned. “That was a lie. Another lie and you will be barred from entering the academy,” the man informed him. His glare was now fixated on Kai.

Kai gulped. This is new. He wasn’t sure what to do. He had specific instructions not to tell anyone he was from inside the Illusionary Misty Region, but he hadn’t been told there was a lie detector at the sign-in booth.

“It’s located in the Ashbourne Kingdom.” Kai generalized it since additional specifics might cause him to trip up again.

The man observed the orb for a full second noting it was back to a steady red before he began noting down the information.

“Are you or your family nobility of the Ashbourne Kingdom?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

He kept jotting down the information. “Element and class?

“Gravity and vanguard,” responded Kai honestly.

The man looked up at Kai this time, a strange look on his face as if he couldn’t believe what he was just told. After a moment he looked to the orb, but with no change, he could only accept it as truth, writing the information down a moment later.

“Alright, your information has been log—” The man suddenly stopped. “I didn’t notice you have a pet, if you want your pet to stay with you on academy grounds it will cost additional gold and you will be held responsible for any damages it incurs during your time here. That includes...” he coughed. “Accidents.”

What pet? Kai had no idea what the man was talking about. Just then he felt something soft brush up against his leg.

Looking down on the ground, Akane was sitting there, expectantly looking up at him. Kai recoiled, only barely stopping himself from jumping. What the fuck is going on? Was she always with us? No... I haven’t seen her once since we left the village. How the hell did she get here? Is dad pranking me? Did he bring her? Arggg, I’m so confused right now. He looked around but didn’t see his father.

“I’m sorry sir, this is not my pe— Ahhh,” Kai screamed. Akane bite his calf as he was denying ownership of her. His eyes promised vengeance at the little cute fox. She could have held back a little. He rubbed his tender calf, feeling relieved when he didn’t feel any blood through his pants leg.

“Fine, fine. She’s mine I guess,” Kai grumbled reluctantly, glaring at the fox who almost seemed to be smirking at him. I’ll get you back for that.

Slightly amused the man pulled out some papers. “I want you to read this.” He passed a small packet of paper to Kai. “This contains all academy rules and regulations. Breaking any of these can result in punishment or death. After reading that, sign the bottom of the form agreeing to follow said rules. If you have trouble reading, I can read it for you.”

Kai grabbed the paper and began reading the rules. They were all commonsense items like don’t attack other students outside of proper duels, no stealing or murdering. Surprisingly there was a rule stating there was no magic on academy grounds unless in designated places or obvious self-defense. Putting the form down he signed his name on the sheet acknowledging his understanding of the rules.

“Last item for me. There will be a fee for the first year of forty gold coins including the addition and expenses of your pet. We do not take loans or items. Coins only. Until you pay it, we cannot have you proceed further in the registration process.”

Kai fished out the pouch of money his father had left him. Opening it up, he was nearly blinded by all the shiny metals inside. The majority of coins were silver, while some were bronze or gold. Two coins appeared a different shade of silver, Kai guessing they were the fabled platinum coins, the most expensive currency coin out there. Pulling out one platinum coin he placed it on the table. Kai knew from his lessons that 100 bronze coins were equal to 1 silver coin, and so on until the most expensive coin, platinum.

One of the man’s eyebrows arched upwards in surprise at seeing a platinum coin from an obvious commoner dressed in his homespun tunic. He deftly pulled the coin off the table and quickly brought it up to his eye to examine it. The coin vanished from his hand after a lengthy inquiry, in which 60 gold coins took its place, a moment later all stacked on the table perfectly in four even piles. Kai grabbed at the coins and awkwardly shoved them into the pouch, feeling uneasy having that many coins on display in public. He would have traded forty gold coins even, but he only had about fifteen in his pouch.

With the first smile Kai had seen of the man, he held out a white token with an insignia of a wolf pup on it. “Take this to the booth with the white overhead to your left and hand it to them. They will get you set up with classes for the first semester.”

“Thank you.” Kai nodded his head at the man.

“Come here PET,” Kai empathized the word pet as he picked up Akane by the scruff in one hand and grabbed his bag with the other. Part of him was glad Akane had come to the academy with him. Out of all the foxes in the village, she was the one he knew best, having spent more time with her than the others. Does the family know she’s here? Oh shit. They are going to be freaking out looking for her. I’ll have to visit Trica sooner rather than later it seems. The small fox maneuvered out of his grip and climbed onto his body until she was wrapped around his shoulder much like a scarf. A warm cuddly scarf that he was still crossed with.

Rolling his eyes, he continued to the next booth. A woman wearing what must be the school colors, sat there expectantly waiting for him.

“Token please.” She held out her hand as Kai handed the token to her. “I see that you possess a sword so I assume you would like to take physical combat-oriented classes?”

Kai nodded. He wasn’t arrogant enough to believe he knew all there was about melee combat or sword fighting. Even his father whose age remained unknown to him, wouldn’t know everything. It was best if he could experience different styles and examples of melee combat to prepare himself best for the future to face any situation.

“For first-year students, your courses will be the following, Introduction to Magic, Magic Application, History, Melee Combat Training, Monster Subjugation, Ethics and Law, and the most popular course, Field Training which is a required course. If you have any issues with any of these courses please speak now, you will be unable to change them after this,” the woman said.

“No, the courses sound fine,” Kai said. He could guess the topic of the classes from their course names. He was looking forward to seeing the changes between topics when he had originally learned them and now.

In the village, the children had a general education that was handled by three adults who taught the basics such as reading, writing, history, and math. All of which Kai had learned in his past life. It had sucked to do everything over again, especially when he already knew the material, but he had to keep up appearances of it being fresh to him. All magically related subjects were usually taught after said person unlocked their magic.

The woman pointed to another orb, also clear with runes etched on the surface. “One last thing. Please touch the orb.”

Kai did as she asked. The orb instantly turned blue this time and pulsed for a few seconds until it stopped and remained a steady blue.

“Please remove your hand. Your aura has been successfully recorded. You may now freely enter the academy grounds without any additional security procedures until the end of the academic year. This process will have to be repeated again if you attend the academy next year and so forth.”

“Here is a form with your class, times, and locations. I wish you the best during your time here at the Ashbourne Academy,” the woman said with a bright smile. “Take this token to the booth on your left,” the woman returned his token to him.

Kai did as he was told. The very next booth was busy, so he waited quietly a few meters away. The student finished at the booth and turned to give Kai an appraising look. His clothes spoke of wealth but his slouched back and attempts to avoid eye contact didn’t speak well for his confidence.

“Good morning,” said an elderly man who accepted Kai’s wolf pup token. “I see you have a token for a shared room.”

“A shared room, like a dorm room?” Kai asked slightly confused, he hadn’t had any expectations about sharing a room or not, but the way the man was saying it was as if there were options for single rooms.

“Is a private room an option?” Kai asked. Besides his family, it wasn’t a stretch to say Kai had some trust issues and didn’t want to sleep in the same room with random people.

“It is, for an additional twenty gold coins per year,” the elderly man responded with a small smile as if finding it funny.

“Yea, no thank you,” Kai said. Twenty gold was a good portion of his funds. It wasn’t worth trading it in for some solitude.

The man picked up a small bell and rang it once. A young boy came running from a group of children. “Thomas here will take you to your dorm room. Here is your key, don’t lose it. Replacing it costs money. Thomas, he will be in room C-23.”