For nine years, Hektor Khion endured the life of an orphaned peasant, training his body so that he may become a soldier. His efforts rewarded him a place in Thalassa Union’s most prestigious military school, Tethys Academy. Yet things didn’t get better from there. An incident at the end of his first year left his capacity for spirit energy crippled, preventing him from using his beast spirit to its full potential. With his future stripped from him, many students and teachers turned their backs on him.

Despite this, two people still stuck by his side, people he could trust with his life.

The first was Selena Argyris, his childhood friend turned fiancée. Selena was a girl who grew up in the same village as Hektor. Their families were friends, and the Argyris family shielded him from his harassers. As a result, Selena was always by his side, and the two grew up together like siblings. Their loyalty to each other didn’t change, even after they both made it to Tethys. Selena was quite popular because of her talent and abilities, which they felt were wasted on a cripple like Hektor. Despite the efforts of other students, the two eventually got engaged outside of school. They kept this relationship secret to all except one student.

That student was Justin Danaus, the second person Hektor trusted over anyone else. Although he was of noble birth, they both got along since they lost their mothers early in life. Hektor saw Justin as a dependable older brother. He would help Hektor train whenever he had the time and give Selena excuses to get away from her classmates so she could meet up with Hektor. When Hektor’s abilities were crippled, Justin spent money on several potential treatments, albeit to no avail.

Hektor held both of them with the utmost respect, which made him struggle with the reality he was facing.

“Explain yourself, Justin. This is too much to be a joke.”

On the day before graduating from the academy, Justin, Hektor, and Selena made plans to take one last school-sanctioned quest. It was a simple quest to retrieve an herb from the Venom Mist Forest. The thick miasma was not an issue for individuals with particular animal spirit abilities or access to the right concoctions. Hektor and Selena had spirit beast abilities to resist the poison, so only Justin needed to take a potion to resist the effects.

The trip was going well. The three had a meal in Justin’s room before leaving for the forest and arrived at the ravine where the herb was said to grow. Just before they were going to plan a way down, Justin drew out his sword and pointed it at them, barring their way towards safer ground.

“Don’t you hear him?” Selena glared at Justin. “Put the sword down, and we can talk!”

After a few seconds of agonizing silence, Justin finally opened his mouth.

“It has been four years since we met, hasn’t it, my dear friends.”

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“This is a lousy time for reminiscing—“

“Four years. I had to deal with you both for four years.” Justin’s smile warped into an eerie grin. “Spent so much money too. To think I wasted all that time and money hoping I could get into Selena’s good graces.”

The words hammered his heart.

“What the? What do you mean?”

“Seriously, I thought she would leave your side after you had become nothing more than a shield-toting failure. I guess I underestimated your close relationship. To think you would both become engaged.”

Selena shook her head in disapproval. 

“I can’t believe you would think such a thing.”

“Don’t be like that, Selena. Come on, just leave him. He has no future. At the very least, I can certainly fund and use your talents.”

“No.”

Justin sighed and cast his eyes downward.

“Should have seen this coming. But that dedication and loyalty are exactly what I love about you, Selena.”

Hektor got into a combat stance. 

“Justin, lower your sword. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Oh, I’d be more worried about the both of you instead.”

“What?”

As if on cue, Selena began to cough and collapsed onto Hektor’s side.

“Selena? What’s wrong? Ach!”

It was like someone had grabbed his neck to choke him. His face and chest burned, and his palms were soaked in sweat. Was it the poisonous air? How? The forest conditions should have had no effect on him at all.

“What did you do, Justin?”

Justin threw back his head and cackled to the sky.

“I didn’t think they would work, but it looks like those special spirit energy weakening pills were worth all the money I spent. Soon, you both will lose the protections granted to you by your spirit beasts and die here.”

Hektor grimaced. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Of course, I would.”

“Don’t you want her alive?”

“Of course. I know you’ll sacrifice your own spirit energy to keep Selena alive. I just have to wait till you croak.”

Hektor clicked his tongue. Justin was right. He was already transferring some of his spirit energy to Selena to prevent her aura from wearing off.

“Stop it, Hektor! You heard what he said.”

“Of course, I’d be willing to let you both live if you got down on your hands and knees and begged me to be mine, Selena.”

Selena stared at Justin with bloodshot eyes.

“If agreeing to your demands means being engaged with my beloved’s killer, then I would rather die with him here.”

Justin shrugged. “So be it. If you won’t be mine, then I’ll make sure you won’t belong to anyone.”

With one swift motion, Justin stabbed his sword into the ground, and the earth shook beneath Vesper. Hektor’s eyes widened. Justin planned on bringing the entire cliffside down using his spirit energy.

“Justin!”

Hektor and Selena tried to run but could not get past Justin with their weakened strength before the ground fell apart beneath them. With the last of his consciousness, Hektor held Selena tightly to his chest as they fell into the ravine together.