Chapter 200: The Capital Astraelum and a New Beginning
Vol. 3 — Academy Arc
200: The Capital Astraelum and a New Beginning
Two years later...
The heart of the Holy Luminara Empire, Capital Astraelum.
The sun poured its golden rays over massive marble towers, majestic temples reaching into the sky, and broad streets illuminated by magic.
The capital stood as tangible proof of the empire’s power and wealth. Art, magic, and grandeur collided on every street corner. Yet amidst this dazzling beauty walked a silhouette that entirely contradicted the city’s flawless texture.
It was a young man wearing an old, tattered black cloak patched with rough stitching.
The clothes hanging beneath his cloak were covered in dirt and dust, making him look as if he had been on the road for months, surviving countless dangers to arrive here.
When the wind blew gently, the pure white hair cascading down his shoulders fluttered, resembling the purity of freshly fallen snow.
However, the eyes lying beneath that pure hair were blood red, as if torn from the deepest pits of hell. Expressionless, dull, yet piercingly sharp, these eyes did not care the slightest bit about the surrounding splendor.
In the young man’s hand was a brightly colored pamphlet with slightly wrinkled edges: **Luminara Imperial Academy Annual Entrance Exams**.
The boy slowly raised his head. After a long and exhausting walk, he had finally reached his destination, the Academy City district, a massive campus spread across the northwestern corner of the capital.
Behind the colossal wrought iron gates lay what was practically a kingdom of its own, complete with its internal rules, markets, and educational buildings. All that remained was to walk through those gates and register.
_ _ _
As he headed toward the main entrance of Academy City with heavy steps, a silver armored security guard bearing the noble colors of the empire raised his hand, blocking his path.
The officer looked this ragged youth up and down. This was a place where thousands of nobles, wealthy merchant children, and talented geniuses passed through every day. What business could someone looking like a vagrant possibly have here?
"Hold it right there," said the security guard, his voice authoritative but far from unnecessarily rude. "This section is forbidden to outsiders, unauthorized individuals, and civilians."
Cassian fixed his emotionless red eyes on the man. Without even blinking, he simply held out the slightly wrinkled academy entrance exam pamphlet to him.
The officer looked at the pamphlet, then back at Cassian’s expressionless face. "Did you lose your way, young man? Or are you new to the Capital?" he asked, with a tone closer to bewilderment than mockery.
Cassian did not reply. He just stood there silently, continuing to stare at the man. His gaze was so empty and yet so profound that the security guard felt a drop of cold sweat slide down the back of his neck for a moment.
"Ahh..." the man said, clearing his throat. "You came for the entrance exam registration? Very well. May I see your identification?"
Cassian reached into a pocket beneath his cloak, pulled out an old identification card with frayed edges, and handed it to the man. The officer took the ID and began to read the information on it.
Name:Cassian
Surname:None
Father’s Name: None
Mother’s Name: None
Place of Birth: ...
The officer’s voice suddenly cut off. His eyes were stuck on that line. "...The North."
The man slowly raised his head from the ID and looked at Cassian. One of his eyebrows went up, but the authoritative expression in his eyes was instantly replaced by a deep sense of sorrow and pity.
The North... The entire empire knew of the apocalypse that had broken out in those lands two years ago, the cities wiped off the face of the earth, the indescribable disasters.
Very few people had survived that disaster, and most of those who did had lost their minds or been physically crippled. Seeing a northerner these days, especially such a young, orphaned boy, was extremely rare.
The officer’s shoulders slumped slightly, and his tone of voice suddenly softened, taking on a fatherly affection.
"So you come from there..." he murmured. "You must have been through a lot, son. Do you see that large building with the blue roof over there for the exam registrations?" The officer pointed his finger at the massive structure further inside the Academy campus. "You need to go there. Go up to the third floor and find Pharsa Muclein’s room. She takes the registrations."
As Cassian took his ID back, the officer gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "But before you go in, I need to search you as a matter of procedure. Those are the rules. It is strictly forbidden to bring unregistered weapons or any magical item that could pose a danger into the academy grounds."
Cassian slightly spread his arms to the sides, allowing the man. The officer searched the youth quickly but carefully. He checked the pockets of his cloak and his waist. There was neither a dagger nor a magic stone nor a hidden weapon. The only thing he found was an old meat bun, partially eaten and on the verge of drying out, stuffed into the inner pocket of the cloak.
The officer swallowed hard as he looked at the piece of bread in his hand. Was this all the wealth and possessions this orphaned boy had? The sense of pity filling him grew even larger. Trying to smile, he handed the food back to Cassian.
"Here you go, no weapons. You are clean. Good luck, young man."
Cassian took the bun and put it back in his pocket. Not a nod, not a smile, not even a tiny word of thanks. He just turned around and began walking with silent steps toward the indicated blue building.
The officer was left staring after him. "What a strange boy..." he muttered to himself, shaking his head.
_ _ _
On the paths of the colossal and ostentatious Academy City, Cassian walked straight toward the building with the blue roof, not even glancing at the heated groups of students around him, the magic spheres floating in the air, or the magnificent statues.
When he entered through the massive double doors of the building, he realized the inside was even more chaotic than the outside. There were moving paintings on the walls, documents flying around on their own, and academy staff rushing frantically from side to side.
As he scanned his surroundings to find the stairs, he heard the cheerful voices and rapid footsteps of two people coming down from the upper floors.
"Come on, hurry up! If we miss this lunch too, I will skewer you with that stupid sword of yours!" shouted a girl’s voice.
"Do not exaggerate! It is just one meal. Besides, my legs are longer than yours, you are the one who cannot catch up to me!" replied an energetic boy’s voice.
As the voices drew closer, Cassian headed in that direction and noticed the wide, winding staircase. Just as he reached the beginning of the stairs, he came face to face with the duo rushing down.
The girl had wavy brown hair, large sea blue eyes, and a rather noble yet equally mischievous beauty.
Her academy uniform was flawless. The boy running behind her looked like an absolute troublemaker. He was an energetic type with an impudent grin on his face, a silver earring dangling from his left ear, and a thick lock of hair dyed bright yellow at the front of his black hair. Moreover, he was chewing on a huge sandwich while descending the stairs at that speed.
The boy was not looking ahead as he turned back to bicker with the girl. "If you are not fast, I will eat that last dessert, and you will cry after me..."
Right at that moment, when the boy turned his head forward, he realized he was about to collide with Cassian. There were only millimeters between them. It was impossible for an average person to dodge this collision at that speed.
However, Cassian slid to the side with a sudden, flawless reflex, like smoke billowing in the wind. He had not exerted the slightest effort, and that dull expression on his face had not changed a single millimeter.
The boy opened his eyes in panic from the sudden sensation of stepping into the void. He completely lost his balance, the sandwich flew out of his mouth, and the boy tumbled down the final steps of the stairs with a loud crash, faceplanting onto the marble floor.
Seeing her friend hit the ground, the girl called out in panic. "Hey! Are you okay?!" she yelled, hurriedly crouching next to the boy.
Cassian, on the other hand, did not even turn to look at what had happened. He placed his hand on the banister and continued to climb the stairs at the same pace, as if no one had just faceplanted there and no incident had occurred at all.
As the girl tried to lift her friend off the ground, she went mad with anger when she saw Cassian walking away indifferently.
"Hey!" the girl shouted, her voice echoing in the marble corridor. Cassian did not stop. "I am talking to you, you show off with the white hair! Are you serious?!"
Cassian slowly came to a halt.
The girl continued to yell while tugging at the arm of her groaning friend on the floor. "Did your mother never teach you anything about manners?! You are supposed to help someone when they fall, especially if they fell because of you! Are you blind? Why do you not move out of the way and cause people to fall instead?!"
Halfway up the stairs, Cassian slowly turned his head. Over his shoulder, he threw a glance at the girl and the boy next to her with his blood red eyes that harbored no emotion and no soul.
In that gaze, there was no apology, no anger, and no display of superiority. It was as if he were looking at a rock lying on the ground. This absolute indifference sent a shiver down the girl’s spine.
Following that gaze which lasted only a second, Cassian silently turned back around and continued on his way indifferently.
"What is... what is his problem?!" the girl hissed as she brushed the dust off her friend.
The boy with the yellow streak stood up, rubbing his aching elbow. After looking sadly at his dropped sandwich, he grinned. "Haha... Leave him be. I think he is just a loser who came to register for the entrance exam. Look at his clothes. He must be too tense."
The boy arrogantly lifted his chin. "This is exactly why they should not even allow these stupid, uncouth peasants through the academy doors. They lower the standards for nobles like us."
The moment the girl heard these words from the boy, she quickly reached out, grabbed his ear with the earring, and twisted it mercilessly.
"Ah! Ahhh! Let go, it hurts!" the boy yelled.
"What are you saying, you fool?!" the girl hissed. "If Professor Julia heard this stupid peasant talk from your mouth, she would make you eat her sword instantly!"
The boy whined while trying to free his ear. "Are you blackmailing me?! Okay, okay, I will not say it again, let go of my ear!"
_ _ _
Hi guys! Yes, it’s me, your shameless, lazy, and stupid author...
Vol 3 officially begins with this Chapter! ^_^
I’m planning for Vol 3 to be anywhere between 100 to 150 Chapters maybe a little less, maybe a little more.
Anyway, in this volume, I’ll be focusing much more on the relationships between the characters. There will still be fight scenes, but they won’t be the main focus.
By the way, this is the last volume taking place in this universe.
As for the number of weekly Chapters...
Uhm, I’ll do my best 🍋
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