***

"Look what I found," Mika exclaimed, presenting a large, translucent gemstone with a spiraling texture emanating from its core, delicately suspended by a string like a captivating pendant.

"Is that a Nymph stone?" Inquired Dariu.

Mika giggled and nodded yes.

"It's for you," she said, gently placing the necklace around his neck.

"Where on earth did you find this?"

"It's a secret."

"Thank you, Mika. I can use this for my training with Arsel, he always complains from stones shortage."

"NO! It will break if you use it too much, right? I forbid you from using it for your magic... unless it's urgent."

"It's Lojia, not magic, but I shall do as you command, sire!"

They both laughed.

***

Dariu sat on the ground amidst the neon blue Mika flowers. In his right hand resided his precious Nymph stone, his eyes wandering in its evocative depths. In front of him lied a tombstone.

The engravings on the tombstone read:'Here lies Mika Garnel, a spirit untainted, too pure for this plane.'

Numerous tombstones lied there besides Mika's, it was a cemetery. The graves, like silent witnesses, have nearly doubled since the arrival of the beast.

Three years had elapsed since the death of Mika. Dariu, now sixteen, was at the age at which the empire would forcefully recruit him for his Lojia affinity. Though normally, a rural boy such as himself would go unnoticed, he was in special circumstances, as the empire had its eyes on his village due to the beast's presence.

"Oi, Dariu!" A shout echoed from afar.

It was a middle-aged man with long blond hair, clothed in worn attire, and shouldering a hefty load of wheat. With a wave, he signaled Dariu to approach him.

"Hello, Mr. Phias," Dariu greeted when he drew near.

"I knew you would be here. Arsel is looking for you."

"Darn it, it completely slipped my mind," he exclaimed as he took off running.

"Say hi to your father for me!" Yelled Mr. Phias.

"Shall do!" He replied.

Beneath the shade of a massive tree near the palisades encircling the village, there rested an old man with gray hair, a full gray beard, a scarred right cheek, and a missing right arm. By his side lied two wooden swords and a black glove, adorned with a tiny Nymph stone mounted on one of its knuckle placements.

The man yawned, then uttered "you're early," upon hearing the footsteps and heavy breathing of Dariu.

"I'm sorry, I lost track of time."

"You shouldn't apologize for being early."

"Haha... Yes, I get it, very funny."

"Insolence!" he shouted, tossing one of the wooden swords to Dariu, who deftly caught it, as the man rose to his feet while holding the other sword in his hand.

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"Doshyl," said the man, holding a fighting stance.

"Understood, let me grab the glo—" his sentence was abruptly interrupted as the man charged him.

"Arsel! Wait," Dariu exclaimed, blocking the swing.

"The battlefield does not wait, my friend!"

The pair exchanged some rapid blows, none of which managed to breach Dariu's guard. Then, with a swift front flip, Dariu artfully slipped past Arsel and reached the glove. In haste, he wore it on his left hand just as Arsel closed the distance once more, approaching with yet another swing aimed at Dariu's right.

"Doshyl!" Yelled Dariu, his left palm against Arsel's sword, conjuring an almost translucent cyanish shield that effectively blocked the swing.

"This one is a waste," said Arsel, "I don't think you remember how this goes."

"I panicked."

"Let me refresh your memory: that tiny stone can only handle three basic spells."

"I know."

"You're casting Doshyl unnecessarily, that will break the stone before you can even touch me."

"I know."

"And when that happens, you lose."

"I know!"

The clash resumed quickly with yet another swing by Arsel, followed by a nonstop exchange of blows. Dariu skillfully defended against the onslaught, retreating until cornered by the palisades. In a decisive move, Arsel launched a powerful downward slash, met with a swift counterstrike – a Doshyl – from Dariu.

"And yet another was—"

"Waste? I think not," declared Dariu with a smug expression. He then canceled the shield, allowing his hand to pass through and seize Arsel's weapon. Swiftly, Dariu launched a right-sided swing, but Arsel dodged skillfully in the last second. Following the dodge, Arsel executed a crouching spin kick, disrupting Dariu's balance and causing him to fall to the ground. Arsel then planted a foot on Dariu's chest for the grand finale.

"Dying before your stone, that's shameful."

After removing his foot, Arsel took a couple of steps back and settled into a cross-legged sitting position.

"You're not focusing today, what's on your mind?"

"Arsel, speak truthfully," said Dariu as he elevated himself into a cross-legged repose as well, "do you think I could survive in Acradia?"

"That bastard Kaylu came to you again, didn't he?"

"He did."

Arsel sighed, then scratched his head.

"Listen, kid, I will be honest with you. I have not the slightest idea on what goes on in there. I don't even know what you're supposed to survive."

"But you did meet an Arcadian Lojius before?"

"That I did, but he wasn't the type of guys one can have a chit-chat with. And according to the rumours surrounding them, I'm sure the others aren't too different."

Dariu lowered his head, the look of frustration evident in his expression.

"What I do know is that you're a bright kid, and you'd make a great Bellius."

"I don't want to become a Bellius."

"Well, you're not missing much," he remarked, gesturing towards his absent right arm.

***

Bellius are deemed an inferior iteration of Lojius. While Lojius wield a vast arsenal of spells and possess a profound knowledge of Lojia, the latter are constrained to the four basic spells: Dhormu, Dhoshyl, Raya and Greyush. These spells demand no extensive training to master, as they are devoid of any incantations or hand mouvements.

Bellius are primarily peasents with an inherent affinity for Lojia who find themselves pressed into the Empire's military. In addition to supplementing them with the four basic spells, their training extends to encompass various forms of martial arts and swordsmanship, this approach is utilized to compensate for their spellcasting limitations.

***

On his way back from training, Dariu caught sight of Raisha waving from her doorstep, signaling him to join her. He quickly grasped her silent request; his brown, wavy hair had become too long, and it was time for a haircut.

"You know, I never understood why you hate having your hair cut," remarked Raisha, scissors in hand, as she skillfully trimmed his hair.

"I guess I just like having long hair."

"But it gets too messy when it's long, you should at least tie it."

"I had considered doing that, before the mighty beast appeared from nowhere and burned it to ashes."

They both laughed.

"Mika hated it too when I cut her hair."

"I know."

It went quite for some time.

"It's done," she declared once she had finished, "I wonder how you'll manage without me when you leave."

"I wonder the same, will you be fine on your own?"

"I will, don't worry about me."

Stepping out of Raisha's house, Dariu observed a knight emerging from his own dwelling. The knight, catching sight of Dariu, paused and awaited his approach.

"Commander kaylu," greeted Dariu.

"Dariu, have you considered my offer?"

"Has my father?"

"Your father is naive, kid, you should not abide by his words."

"And I should abide by yours?"

"I am growing tired of waiting, kid, you have until sunrise to make a decision. When day breaks, you either leave for the army or Arcadia, it's up to you."

"If I do end up enrolling in Arcadia, will you keep your promise?"

"Yes, I will make sure that your father and the others are to be left out of the selection, and if you make it back, the Empire will provide you with whatever you need to subjugate the beast. All this, of course, in the condition that you join the Imperial military as an Arcadian Lojius."

"What do you figure my chances are to make it out alive?"

"Slim to none. The most we've ever seen get out of that helhole are only four... out of hundreds."

"I see."

"I will be waiting for you at the northern gate. Don't be late," he declared before taking his leave.

Endowed with formidable power, Arcadian Lojius stand as the empire's most desirable weapons. Yet, given their rarity and the Empire's lack of dominion over Arcadia Academy, it is not uncommon for them to strike such shady deals with peasents who aspire to become Lojius. This is all done for the sole purpose of tremendously strengthening the Imperial military.

Once he opened the door, Dariu was immediately met by the uneasy gaze of his father.

"I do not care what he told you. I am not sending you to your death."

"But fath—"

"You will join the army as a Bellius. Work hard, rise in the ranks and live a good life."

"What about you?!"

"Forget about me, and forget about Mikarul. This village died three years ago, there is no saving it."

Dariu held his silence for a prolonged moment, grappling with frustration as a myriad of conflicting emotions played across his face. Eventually, he yielded, uttering, "As you wish."

As the sun ascended, signaling the time for departure, villagers gathered at the northern gate to bid their farewells. Rantu, Dariu's father, along with Raisha and Arsel, stood among them.

Mounted on a horse beside Kaylu, Dariu was approached by Arsel, who handed him a pair of black gloves. These gloves featured ten knuckle placements for Nymph stones, with two of them already adorned with the mystical stones.

"You'll need these," he said, handing him the gloves.

"Thank you."

"Be well, kid."

"Be well, Arsel."

Dariu said his farewells and gradually rode away. With tearful eyes, and fully knowing that this might be the final encounter with him, all the villagers collectively wept and waved their goodbyes.

"Are you certain about this?" Asked Kaylu.

"Yes, let's go."

They set their horses into a gallop.

"To Arcadia."