The day had finally come — the day we would leave for Asterin.
The sunlight poured warmly into my room, yet inside I felt nothing but sorrow at the thought of leaving my parents behind. I sat up in bed and placed my hand over my heart.
"I'll become stronger — strong enough to protect them. That will be my purpose while I'm at the Academy."
I clenched my fist against my chest, determination burning in my eyes.
"That's a good goal. I support it."
Rei's voice came out of nowhere as he continued packing his things.
I'd completely forgotten he was sharing the room with me. My face flushed bright red.
"Mind your own business! Don't eavesdrop on my thoughts!" I snapped, embarrassed.
"I'm trying to," he replied with that calm, blank look of his, though a teasing smile hid behind it. "It's just hard when you're yelling at yourself."
"Ugh…" I grumbled, choosing to storm out of the room rather than give him the satisfaction of seeing me blush harder.
In the kitchen, both my parents were waiting, seated as if expecting me.
"Good morning! How are you?" I asked. "Dad, what are you doing here? Don't you have work in the village?"
"Good morning, son! There's always work," he said with a proud smile in his eyes, "but my son leaving home—that's far more important."
"How's the packing going? Do you need any help?" my mother asked, worry flickering behind her gentle gaze.
"I'm almost done. I can handle the rest." I tried to reassure her, hoping she'd see I wasn't the clumsy kid she still imagined me to be. But in her eyes, the worry remained.
Afterward, Rei and I finished loading everything. We shared one last meal together before walking to the far end of the village, where the carriage waited to take us to Eldora, the capital.
"You boys remembered everything, right?" my mother asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"Yes, Mom," I replied, a little impatiently — she'd been repeating the same instructions all morning.
"Then tell me, if you're so sure!" she demanded, testing if I'd actually been listening.
"We take the carriage to Eldora, stay overnight at the royal palace, and in the morning all Eldoran students go together through the teleport gate to Asterin," I recited word-for-word, hoping she'd finally relax.
"Exactly. Good. Then I won't nag you anymore," she said — though of course she couldn't resist adding another round of advice about behaving properly and following the rules.
When we reached the carriage, I saw Senna loading her luggage.
"Senna?! Why didn't you tell me you were coming to Asterin too?" I asked, completely shocked — I'd talked about this trip so many times.
"I wanted it to be a surprise," she smiled. "I told Rei, though. I thought he'd tell you."
Rei just laughed quietly and shrugged, clearly enjoying himself.
Meanwhile, my parents were loading my belongings into the carriage.
When they were done, my mother turned to me, tears shimmering in her eyes.
"My son… I love you so much. Please, take care of yourself. And if anything happens — use the necklace."
She hugged me tightly, her hands trembling as if she couldn't bear to let go.
"I will, Mom. I promise. You don't have to worry."
Her embrace was so warm… I didn't want to release it. A small, aching thought crossed my mind — who knows when I'll feel this warmth again?
My father stepped forward next.
"Son, don't bring shame upon us," he said sternly — then broke into a laugh.
"With your strength, I'm sure you'll become Asterin's pride. My sword," he added, placing his hand on my shoulder, "I hope it will be worthy of you — and that it'll return full of memories."
"I promise. I'll make you both proud, and I'll give this sword stories worth telling when I come back."
We exchanged a look — a wordless goodbye that said everything.
I climbed into the carriage where Rei and Senna were already waiting.
My parents waved until they disappeared in the distance.
For a while, I just stared out the window, the road ahead blurring in the sunlight.
"How long will the trip take?" I asked.
"About four or five hours," Senna answered.
"What?! We'll die of boredom before we even get there!"
"Then rest," Rei said calmly, closing his eyes. "Or train."
Senna laughed at my exaggerated sighs of despair, but eventually, I decided to focus my mana and managed to form another mana orb during the trip. It took up most of the time, though after a while I grew tired and decided to ask something that had been weighing on my mind.
"Do you guys know… how we came back to this world?"
The air instantly changed. Both of them froze — as if I'd said something forbidden.
"We don't know either," Senna said quietly, but I could see in her eyes she wasn't telling the whole truth.
"You both do know something, don't you?" I pressed, my voice firm. I could see it — the guilt, the hesitation. They knew.
Silence.
Then Rei finally spoke.
"We can't tell you." He crossed his arms and lowered his gaze. "They said you'd be told when the time comes."
"Who?" I asked, desperate for a real answer.
Silence again.
Then Senna whispered:
"The gods."
And nothing more.
The air turned heavy. I didn't ask again. Still, the thought gnawed at me — that they knew something vital about us, something I wasn't yet allowed to understand.
I tried to accept it, but unease followed me all the way until we arrived at the capital.
Eldora greeted us with grand gates and golden light.
We were led into one of the palace wings where about twenty other students — all bound for Asterin — were waiting. After resting in our rooms, the guards escorted us to the grand dining hall.
The hall was magnificent — larger than our entire home, glowing with chandeliers and gilded walls. We sat at a long table set with golden plates and polished silverware. Before we could begin eating, a voice called everyone's attention.
"Hello, everyone. I hope you're comfortable. My name is Saya Rin I am the princess of Eldora, and I'll be joining you at Asterin."
She smiled softly. "Please, forget about ranks or titles. Treat me as an equal."
A girl with violet hair and eyes — her beauty so pure it almost felt unreal.
Some of the boys around me looked ready to confess their love right there.
We applauded, then began dinner.
Afterward, we were briefed about tomorrow's departure, then dismissed to rest.
When I lay down on the impossibly soft bed, sleep came over me in moments.
Tomorrow — a new world awaited