The refreshing breeze of summer lifted the curtain of ice and snow. The trees that seemed lifeless under the ravishing coldness of winter began to show signs of life, and the activities of both humanoids and animals began to become more and more active.
Livingstone Forest, situated between the borders of Evergloom and Twilight Continent, had just experienced its longest winter in decades. The intense coldness had claimed many lives in this free territory, causing irreparable damage that was bound to never heal in the coming years.
As a free territory, all kinds of races intermixed with each other, and conflicts were bound to arise with different ideals and beliefs floating all around. There were tens of settlements in Livingstone Forest, each occupying a small territory where one could experience the hustle of bustle of cities within the great countries.
Each settlement would usually be overseered by a powerful individual or family. Those at the forefront of each settlement would have the title "Lord," and regardless of whether they had taken up the position due to individual power or their background, they were the most respected people throughout the entire territory of Livingstone Forest.
The northwest part of Livingstone Forest was nearest to the Evergloom Continent, and as such, the settlements in this place were led by dark races such as vampires, werewolves, demons, and trolls. Many other neutral races such as beastmen, draconians, and gnomes could also be found in this area, but most of them were well-hidden, only appearing in auspicious times.
Among the settlements northwest of Livingstone Forest, Aether Town was the biggest, comparable to Dawn Town led by humans in the southeast. Aether Town's territory was located just beside Lake of Serenity, making it a very habitable place with a forest on its back and a natural water body in front.
Those that lived in Aether Town were a mixture of werewolves, demons, and orks. Races such as arachne, lizardmen, and beastmen could also be found here from time to time, especially during hunting season where many adventurers would travel to trade for goods.
A dark, gloomy aura always permeated the air of Aether Town, but the liveliness of the beings within was certainly contrary to how most humans and other light races perceived the dark races. The pubs within were lively with different races mingling with each other, and the market had all kinds of transactions going on throughout the day.
Under the leadership of Lord Shael, a mighty demon bearing the strength of lightning, Aether Town maintained its stability and became a major trade hub for all settlements throughout Livingstone Forest. As such, light races such as human, dwarves, and elves appearing in town wasn't unheard of. Merely, some major conflicts had occurred during those times, and the lord of the town had to step in. After all, which of the light race, without sufficient strength, would dare to walk around a dark race territory?
At the moment, within the tallest building in Aether Town, the Lord's Mansion, Lord Shael had been staring at the ceiling for approximately 2 hours now. It all started when a letter arrived this morning, signed by a person he least expected to send a message to him.
As for the content of the letter, it was even more baffling to him.
"My child will enter an exchange student program in Twilight Academy. Please have someone to escort him. He will arrive in Aether Town in a week."
The sender, an entity so strong that Lord Shael could be killed with just a glance, had a child that would enter Twilight Academy as an exchange student. Through this, there were a number of things that Lord Shael could confirm. One, the content of the letter was real. Two, this child would most certainly be special. And three, well…
"What the hell, isn't Twilight Academy in Twilight Continent!?" Lord Shael finally spoke after all this time of staring at the ceiling. However, what left his mouth was shouts of abuse. How was he supposed to find someone who could escort such a problem child to Twilight Continent?
Unless they have sufficient strength, any of the dark races would most certainly get killed the moment they entered the southeast part of Livingstone Forest. There, the three settlements under Skyfire Guild had a kill-on-sight order for the dark races.
Even someone as powerful as him would be seriously injured, if not killed, under the encirclement of the three leaders of Skyfire Guild. Was there anyone who would actually be able to succeed in such a job?
"Old man, no need to think too much. I can handle myself."
All of a sudden, an eerie voice echoed in his ears. The voice sounded soft and naive, yet it contained a terrifying coldness that made the old hair of Lord Shael stand on end.
"Who?" Lord Shael's 3-inch horn on the middle of his forehead released arcs of lightning, threatening anyone who dared to come close to him. His normally black, unperturbed eyes shone with red light as his body released its full power.
Anything that could make him feel threatened were either those who were stronger than him by leaps and bounds, or those who had noble bloodlines that naturally suppressed anyone of lower birth.
At this time, a young boy appeared before him. He had silver hair, pale skin, and a pair of blue eyes. He wore a leather jacket made of unknown material, seemingly resistant to both fire and lightning.
The boy looked at him with a slightly amused expression, and his eyes even sized him up, seemingly unafraid of the terrifying aura enveloping him.
"Lord Shael, Lightning-horn Demon of the 12 tribes. It's a pleasure to meet you," the boy said as he cupped his fists. "My name is Levantine, but I prefer calling myself Levi. I figure that you have already received my father's letter?"
Lord Shael, after seeing Levi, had a rather peculiar expression on the face. Many thoughts subsequently appeared in his mind, however, they were quickly kept in dark since he had immediately realized who the person before him was.
He retracted his aura, stood up, and was about to bow when the boy, Levi, waved his hand which seemed to say that such actions were unnecessary. Lord Shael just nodded and sat back down. In this conversation, he didn't have the initiative, so he decided to just keep his mouth shut and wait for what the young lord would say.
Levi sat down on the chair in front of Lord Shael's desk and took a deep breath. After which, he spoke nonchalantly, "The air in this place is totally different from Evergloom Continent. Compared to the infinite dark qi of Evergloom Continent, this place has both dark and light qi floating about but never mixing with each other... Truly peculiar."
Lord Shael listened to Levi's words and found them to be rather deep and meaningful. He was born in Evergloom Continent, but many matters had occurred which led him to seek refuge in Livingstone Forest. Today, he was reminded of Evergloom Continent's most special trait, the infinite dark qi everywhere. Memories of the past entered his mind, but he quickly suppressed them as he let out a sigh.
Levi, of course, noticed this. "It seems Lord Shael has lots of experiences in life."
Lord Shael nodded but didn't utter a reply. The status of the person before him was so high that he could easily solve all his problems with just a few words. However, as someone born of the dark race—a demon with a title—he had his own pride.
Levi saw through this and smiled. He respected a person like Lord Shael, unlike those greedy dark races he had met during his journey from Evergloom Continent to Livingstone Forest. All of them only wanted to take some advantages, with neither principle nor pride to speak of.
"Lord Shael, the reason I came to this place is just as stated in the letter. I need to go to Twilight Academy to enter an exchange student program, and from then on, I'll be living among the light races," Levi explained slowly as his fingers continuously tapped on the desk.
Lord Shael looked at him in the eyes and said truthfully, "But what your father asks is something no one in Livingstone Forest can adhere to. You are, after all… What?"
His words were cut off all of a sudden when he noticed the particular aura emanating from Levi. "Light qi?"
Levi only showed a bitter smile before saying, "I am on the verge of death."