Agora Institute.

The moon shone brightly underneath the castle. Cicadas lurked in the forest just outside the gates where two people stood guard, their postures ramrod straight as they stared ahead the dark forest. In the cover of the night, a figure could be seen passing through the narrow path of dirt and mud, attracting the attention of the guards. Almost immediately they held out their weapons and got into a fighting stance, prepared to fight whatever lurked in the shadows.

Just as they were about to pounce on the fast approaching figure, there was a loud neigh as two horses appeared from the forest, their hooves clopping heavily against the stone pavement as it stood to a standstill in front of the northern gate of the castle. The horses continued to neigh until its driver calmed them down and got off the wagon. An old man in

his 60s shakily wiped the sweat from his forehead and bowed in respect to the guards, not daring to look up until he was told to.

“State your business,” the guard on the left commanded.

Not daring to look up, the old man then replied, “I am here to deliver someone to the headmaster of the Black Castle.” He pulled out a piece of rolled parchment from the inside of his vest.

The guard narrowed his eyes. What kind of business would an old man like him have with the headmaster? He did not look like a warrior, nor someone of importance. And to deliver a person? Alive or dead? An innocent or convict? These questions ran through the guard’s mind as he accepted the piece of parchment and read the contents. A flash of agitation passed through his eyes as he shared a look with his comrade. He threw the parchment to his partner, to which the latter caught. After reading the contents, the other guard had also shared a look of agitation as they nodded at each other.

In one swift move, the second guard had approached the almost dilapidated wagon, its cover had been torn into pieces as if a storm had passed through and the moldy wood looked about ready to collapse. Lifting the cover of the wagon, what he saw certainly made him widen his eyes. He threw a glance at the old man, who quaked in fear when he realized the malicious gaze that landed on him. For fear of being killed he got down on his knees and pleaded with mercy. “Please, sir! Have mercy and spare him!”

Misunderstanding his intentions, the guard let out a growl and said, “Who said I would kill him?”

The teary old man looked sniffed and looked up. “You-you won’t?”

“I do not have the authority to do that.” He threw the old man a look that said ‘are you stupid?’ before completely tearing away the cover.

A boy.

No younger than fourteen, he suspected. He looked thin and fragile that it was obvious he had been subjected to starvation. Pallid skin and sunken eyes, it was like his soul had been sucked out of his body. But he was... an oddity among oddities. The guard had traveled all over the world but never had he seen such a unique person with striking features.

As soon as the boy had sensed his gaze, he shrank his tiny body and sank farther into the corner of the wagon, grasping onto the hem of his shabby shirt. One thing the guard noticed was that he did not let out a single whimper or cry for help, knowing that it would make no difference at all. He didn’t know if he was brave or had given up. Either way, he understood why the child had been sent here. If one had to consider where the safest place to hide, the Sierra Mountains would take the top spot, but no ordinary human could last a week there, much less years.

And so they settled for the next best thing, the Black Castle.

“Do you have any belongings?” the guard asked.

The boy shook his head, lips quivering. There was nothing that belonged to him ever since he had been born. Not even a name.

“I see.”

His thin clothes did not provide much warmth against the cold of autumn. The guard signaled his companion and urged the child out of the wagon with a few tries. He gave him a cloak that would protect him from the cold and approached the driver who stared at the boy with teary eyes.

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“Please take care of him, sire.”

The guard nodded.

Then the old man approached the child. Lowering his head, he whispered something to the boy before patting him reassuringly on his shoulder. The boy had nodded in response and glanced at the imposing guard that stood a ways from him. He gave him a nod and bowed as thanks, making the old man tear up again. Feared he might be tracked, the old man reluctantly said his goodbyes and hurriedly got on the wagon before urging the horses to leave the premises.

“Follow me.”

The guard did not stop to wait for the child and strode towards the gates, which had been opened by his companion. After departing, they continued to walk further inside, the area looked bleak with no light except from the moon. They arrived in front of the headmaster’s office. Coincidentally, the doors creaked open and revealed a middle-aged woman dressed in light armor before bowing politely.

“Good evening, sentinel. The headmaster had been expecting you.”

The guard bowed respectfully and strode inside the room that smelled of aged books and rust. Headmaster Wyles sat in an armchair, admiring the view of the moon by the fireplace.

“Sir.”

He turned his head and glanced at his two visitors. He smiled, revealing the deep wrinkles on his face, and gestured for them to sit down. Signaling his subordinate, he then opened his mouth to say, “I presume you’re here because of this child?”

The sentinel was surprised, but did not let it show on his face as he continued to stand next to the sofa with the demeanor of a guard. “Yes, head.”

The headmaster did not look shocked and gazed warmly at him, a stare that startled the boy. Not used to being gazed at with such warm eyes, the boy wanted to keep his attention away from anywhere but the headmaster. His eyes then caught the weapons that hung on the walls of the office. Weapons of various sizes and style. While some were as big as he was, there were also thin and tiny ones that could be hidden.

Some shone, while some had been left to collect dust and rust as it sat there like an ornament. The boy’s eyes glimmered with curiosity as a sense of wanting to try them out filled him.This gaze did not go unnoticed as the headmaster then asked, “Have those weapons on the wall caught your interest, child? Overcome with a desire to try them out?”

The boy, who had been caught red-handed, dropped his gaze and fiddled with his fingers.

“Ah, a shy one.” The headmaster presumed it would be wise not to pursue the topic and turned towards the guard. “What was it that we were talking about again, Soj?”

Soj, the sentinel, handed over the letter. “It was this, head. It contains the seal of the Imperial Head Knight of Solasta.”

“I see...” The headmaster picked up the parchment and thoughtfully nodded. “I remember he had sent me a similar letter a week prior.”

“Are you going to admit this child, head?”

He did not miss the hint of desperation in the sentinel’s voice as he turned his gaze at the child who was all skin and bones. Recalling a similar situation that happened two months ago, a smile drifted to his lips as he urged Soj to calm down. “I will certainly not abandon this child, if that is what you’re thinking, Soj. I have a child similar to this

boy –”

“Then this child can be their companion –”

The headmaster shook his head. “I have made a promise not to disclose their identity. And I have decided to keep it that way for as long as they wanted to.” He did not miss the way Soj’s head slightly drooped as he stood up and made his way to the large bookshelf that occupied the entire left wall of the office.

Behind several books hid a safe that no one would notice unless they removed every single book. Soj, who until now hadn’t noticed that the headmaster had a safe, tilted his head and wondered what could possibly be of interest in the tiny, little safe. The hidden safe, on the other hand, managed to pique the boy’s interest as he tried to crane his neck to

get a better view. However his small height did not give him much leverage.

“Here, take this child,” the headmaster gestured for the boy to come forward, with Soj pushing him forward. Taking small steps, he carefully inched forward to the headmaster, who greeted him with a smile as he held out his hand.

Holding out his tiny hands, the headmaster then placed a kind of bracelet on his palms. Although plain looking, it was warm in his hands. There was no luster to be seen and looked as ordinary as any bracelet.

“Well, go on. Wear it.”

Carefully slipping the bracelet on his right wrist, it tightened around his wrist, scaring the wits out of the boy as he jumped in fright. The headmaster chuckled and said, “This is a special bracelet, capable of altering the user’s appearance. Go on, try imagining your appearance changing.”

The boy looked up at the headmaster and back at Soj, who continued to gaze at him with those blank eyes. Gulping, he tightly closed his eyes and imagined himself as one of the children he once saw in the streets of Solasta.

“You can open your eyes now.”

Brown hair and eyes. As ordinary as one could be, the boy caressed his own face, afraid that it wasn’t real and that the mirror had been cast with vitalis.

He felt... normal.