"Argh!" a boy screamed as he stood up straight from his bed, his body soaked in perspiration. Realising that it was just a nightmare, the same old one he had been experiencing on a frequent basis over the past 7 years, the boy quickly regained his composure as he checked the time on his clock.

The time shown was 0645, which was neither too early nor too late for the boy, who quickly got out of bed. As the boy stood straight, his body features were now clearly visible. He wasn't very muscular, but he was lean and decently toned, possessing a rather athletic body. He had neatly trimmed black hair on top of his head, complementing his slightly above average looks with his sharp nose and auburn pupils.

This was Kai, and he dragged himself to the bathroom to wash up before wearing his school uniform. After all, today was going to be his first day of school at the renowned Zion Academy. Zion Academy wasn't an ordinary school that provided solely general education, it was a school that groomed future elite soldiers and adventurers, since it provided courses on Magic and other forms of combat.

Kai shuffled down the stairs, where his father, a man who was much more solidly built than him with a scar across his left cheek, was already up and preparing breakfast. He was Arkad, Kai's father and Major of the City Guard, the division within the Army which was in charge of internal security.

Helping him was an adorable little girl aged no older than 10, with her black hair tied into 2 pigtails. She was Yuri, Kai's little sister. Yuri exclaimed, "Big Brother, you're finally awake! Come, let's eat breakfast together!"

Kai smiled gently, trying as hard as he could to conceal his exhaustion as he sat down at the dining table, silently eating his breakfast together with his family. As he was munching on his bread, something caught his eye. It was a photo of his family, taken 7 years ago when his mother was still around.

Noticing his son's peculiar expression as though he was reminiscing something, on top of his unusual lack of energy, Arkad asked gently as he turned to see what Kai was looking at, "You had that nightmare again, my boy? Is that horrifying memory really that indelible?"

Kai answered with a question of his own, "Dad, do demons truly exist? If they do, what has Mum done to warrant such cruel savagery from them? I can never forget-"

Remembering that his sister was still present, Kai swiftly kept his tongue in check to spare his sister from the gory details before resuming, "You know what I mean, Dad."

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Arkad hesitated for a while before replying calmly, "I don't know too, my boy. I've never seen a demon in real life before, even with my years serving in the military. There were simply no traces left to incriminate anyone, let alone a demon. My best advice is to try to let go and forget, but if you can't, then use this as a source of motivation to train harder, to become stronger so that you might protect your loved ones."

Kai looked at Yuri who was growing increasingly nervous from the tension in the air, "You're right, Dad. I'll definitely train harder and get to the bottom of this matter. I'm sorry if I had startled you, Yuri, but rest assured that Big Brother would protect you with all his might no matter who or what threatens you, okay?" before patting his little sister on the head.

Yuri nodded and chirped innocently, her uneasiness dissipated, "Uhm! I too want to grow stronger so that all 3 of us can stay together happily as one family!" Both Arkad and Kai laughed before Kai glanced at the clock on the wall, which read 0715.

Kai exclaimed, "Gosh, school starts at 0745! I can't be late on the 1st day! Yuri, be a good girl and listen to Dad, okay?" as he grabbed a piece of bread and rushed out towards the door. Yuri nodded and smiled brightly as she watched her brother head towards the direction of Zion Academy, ready to begin the new school term.

A blue-haired girl was alone in her room as she was seen with a letter between her hands. She was rather tall for her gender, but otherwise, she had an average build for a girl, though she had a bit more muscle than most girls. Her blue hair was long, as she let it flow down below her shoulders.

The girl read the letter silently in her mind, "To my dearest daughter, Adeline, I'm sorry to have put you through this, but as the finest among your peers, you were deemed most suitable for this covert mission, where you are tasked to investigate our relations with the humans in Nirvania.

I dislike sending youths, but only youths can infiltrate the esteemed Zion Academy as students to learn more about its inner workings and how potential soldiers are trained in Nirvania. In there, hopefully you would also learn more about their stance towards us, so that we may make a more informed decision when the time comes.

Remember, your safety should be the utmost priority, I'll be sending another agent, Huth, there to assist you in aspects you may not be familiar with, given your tender age. Take care and may Mother Nature watch over you, your inept father, Azir."

A small smile crept up on Adeline's face when she finished reading the letter, even though she had already read it countless of times. Her father was really a worrywart, and it amused her to think that he was the King of her people, the Sylphs. Adeline drew her long hair back from her ears, which were pointed, a trait of the Sylph race.

Realising that she had nearly forgotten to apply her disguise, Adeline quickly performed transformation magic to conceal her pointed ears, making them like an ordinary human's. When she was satisfied with her new appearance, Adeline quickly packed her stuff, which included a pair of knives which her father gave her as a memento, into her bag before leaving her apartment, ready to embark on her mission and school life ahead.