For the past two months, Sabito had trained Koku relentlessly, refining his skills, improving his reflexes, and sharpening his instincts. But no matter how much progress the boy made, Sabito couldn't shake the feeling that his time here was running out.
Standing atop a thick tree branch, arms crossed, he gazed at the sinking sun. The sky was painted in deep orange and purple hues, a sight he had grown to appreciate over the years. He sighed, knowing that soon, he would have to leave.
"Only a few more months before they make me leave," he muttered. His voice carried the weight of an unavoidable reality.
Koku, who had just finished his training session, caught the faint murmur. His sharp ears perked up, and he turned to Sabito with a curious glance.
"Something wrong?" he asked, tilting his head.
Sabito blinked, momentarily caught off guard. He forced a smirk and shook his head. "Nah, just thinking." He gestured toward the exit of the training grounds. "You done for the day?"
"Yeah. I finished training a while ago."
"Then head back to headquarters," Sabito instructed. "It's getting dark, and it's best not to wander around at night."
Koku gave a small nod and started his way back.
While heading back, he gave what Sabito said some thought, 'Make me leave,' he wondered, questioning if he was headed for the frontlines or somewhere else, he pondered over this.
Eventually pushing the thought out of his head as he wasn't too interested. It served no benefit, and no bad, but not as he traveled and weaved through the dense trees back to the fortress, something caught his attention.
A faint murmur.
It wasn't just the rustling of leaves in the wind. It was voices—low, hushed, as if those speaking didn't want to be overheard.
Koku instinctively slowed his steps. His presence was practically invisible to magic users and most other beings, making it easy for him to approach without being noticed. Keeping himself hidden, he moved toward the source of the voices.
Crouching behind a thick bush, he peered through the leaves. In the clearing stood two cloaked figures, their postures rigid, their conversation tense.
"…four months," one of them muttered.
"Yes. By then, we'll have everything set," the other responded.
Koku narrowed his eyes. "They're planning something."
He remained silent, watching carefully. Their words were vague, never revealing too much at once, but he could tell they were discussing something significant. He stayed there for nearly twenty minutes, taking in every detail.
Then, one of them walked away, leaving the other behind.
Koku kept his focus on the remaining figure. The man lingered for a moment, then knelt and started drawing something into the dirt.
Koku's eyes widened slightly. "A magic circle… I've seen that pattern before. It's a trap spell."
The cloaked figure suddenly leaned in, whispering something into the circle. But just as he did, his body tensed. His head snapped toward Koku's hiding spot.
"Did he sense me?" Koku thought.
The man raised a hand.
"Flame Serpent!"
A serpent of pure fire burst forth, slithering through the air with unnatural speed. Its glowing eyes locked onto Koku.
He reacted instantly, dodging to the side, but the fiery snake twisted mid-air and continued its pursuit.
"Heat-seeking," Koku analyzed.
The serpent struck. It collided with him, the impact sending him flying backward. He crashed against a tree, the bark splintering on impact. A sharp sting spread through his back, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself up.
The mage wasn't done. He was already chanting another spell.
Koku didn't give him the chance. His aura flared, and a dark purple blade formed in his grip. He dashed forward.
Seeing this, the mage smirked and flicked his wrist.
"Flame Serpent!"
Koku anticipated it this time. He slashed the ground, kicking up dirt and dust into the air, obscuring his figure.
The serpent hesitated, losing its direct target.
"So, it relies on vision," Koku deduced.
Using this brief opening, he closed the gap. The mage was still blinded by the dust cloud when Koku swung his sword.
But just before the blade could connect, a new presence emerged.
A sharp whistling sound cut through the air.
Koku barely had time to react. He leaped backward as a sword cleaved down where he had stood.
Another cloaked figure had arrived.
This one was fast.
Koku steadied himself as the newcomer lunged at him, their blades clashing. Sparks flew as they exchanged blows.
"You're well-trained," the hooded enemy remarked, eyes gleaming beneath his hood.
Koku remained silent, focusing on blocking and countering.
The duel continued for minutes, each strike measured, precise. But Koku knew he couldn't keep up forever.
Then, from behind him, the mage finished his incantation.
"Fire Tomb!"
Flames erupted in a web-like formation, closing in on Koku from all sides.
For a split second, he considered his options.
But before the fire reached him—
BOOM!
Massive stone pillars burst from the ground, forming a barrier around him. The flames were snuffed out instantly.
A familiar voice rang out.
"Good job surviving this long kiddo."
As the stone barrier lowered, Sabito stepped forward.
He was already moving before his opponents could react.
In a blur, he severed the sword wielder's arm. A heartbeat later, he took his head.
The mage panicked and tried to retreat.
Sabito didn't let him. With a single slash, he cut the man in half.
Silence followed.
Sabito let out a slow exhale, sheathing his blade. He glanced at Koku.
"That was unexpected…" his hand met his hairless chin.
"Alright, kiddo. Let's head back. I've got things to report."
Koku opened his mouth, then closed it. He nodded and silently followed.
Sabito noticed the clear action, "He was gonna say something." he told himself, giving the silent silver haired boy a glance.
Once returning, Koku went straight for the bathing room. Arriving there, as usual it was occupied.
"Hello there silver boy, come on in!" the rough voice of an older knight he'd come to know over the months of his stays,
"Grayves." Koku pointed him out inside his head.
The waving hand of the elder knight seemed friendly, but full of joy. They were drinking in the bathing areas again.
After removing his clothing and neatly covering himself with a towel, he joined them.
"Eh? Hahaha! You bother with that stuff?" he laughed, the same with three of the other bathing or drinking knights.
Koku settled into the water, his violet-purple eyes calm and unreadable as he listened to the laughter around him.
"It's proper," he stated simply.
Grayves let out a barking laugh. "Proper, he says! Kid, we're knights, not nobles! Ain't nobody here worried about 'proper.'"
One of the other knights, a burly man with a scar across his chest, took a swig from his flask and smirked. "You need fun in your life, always talking like that, boy. All stiff and to the point"
Koku blinked, tilting his head slightly. "This is how I speak."
The knights exchanged glances before bursting into laughter again.
"Hah! He's a strange one, alright," Grayves said, shaking his head. "But I like ya, silver boy. At least you got manners, unlike these slobs." He jabbed a thumb toward the others, earning some protest.
Koku remained quiet, watching the way the water rippled around him. The chatter of the knights fading into the background.
Grayves leaned back, swirling his drink. "So? How'd training go?"
Koku hesitated. "Unexpected."
Grayves raised an eyebrow. "That so? Hah. Sounds like Sabito beat your ass again."
Koku didn't respond, his fingers tracing faint patterns in the water.
One of the other knights grinned. "I bet five Argentums the kid held his own at least,"
Grayves smirked. "Probably gave Sabito more trouble than he's ever willing to admit."
The knights roared with laughter, but Koku only blinked, his expression as unreadable as ever. He wasn't sure what was so funny, It was probably the alcohol.
The knights continued to laugh, their voices echoing through the warm, steamy air. Koku remained still, his violet-purple eyes focused on the swirling water, not showing the slightest trace of emotion.
"C'mon kid, have a drink. It'll help since you don't talk much." one of the knights said, nudging Koku's shoulder playfully. "Is that how you're gonna be when you're a full-fledged knight? Quiet and serious? Nobody likes someone like that~"
Koku didn't immediately answer. He lowered his head into the steamy water slightly, considering the question. "I speak when necessary," he replied flatly.
Grayves let out another laugh, slapping his knee. "Ha! He's a tough nut, ain't he?" he said to the others. "But you know, that's what makes it fun to mess with you."
Koku didn't respond, his eyes now glancing toward the door. The air in the room had grown heavy with the scent of alcohol, steam, and the sounds of casual chatter. He wasn't bothered by it. He hadn't cared about such things, if anything at all.
"They aren't making any sense anymore." Koku observed as Grayves tossed his empty cup over the scared knight's head, all laughing.
"What was that about earlier, by the way?" Grayves asked, calming down and leaning in slightly. "You seemed like you were gonna say something, but then you didn't. Got something on your mind?"
Koku's gaze flicked toward him, briefly meeting his eyes. "I did not." His voice remained as calm as ever, giving away no hint of what might have been going on in his mind.
Grayves stared at him for a moment, then shrugged. "Alright, alright. You're a tough one to crack. We'll see if you ever open up, silver boy."
The other knights, still chuckling, seemed to lose interest, and the conversation shifted to other topics. Koku, however, remained quiet, his thoughts drifting elsewhere. As they laughed and joked, he simply focused on the water, wondering if one day he might understand what made all of this so entertaining.
It was a strange world, filled with loud voices and emotions he didn't fully grasp. But for now, he would remain a quiet observer, letting the lively people around him swirl till their hearts become content.
The door to the bathing room creaked open, and Sabito walked in, his usual carefree grin plastered across his face. He glanced around at the group of knights, his eyes glinting with mischief.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "A bunch of tough guys drinking in the bath? Don't you knights have anything better to do?"
Grayves looked up, his face lighting up at the sight of Sabito. "Oh, look who's here, the lazy fat ass himself!" he said with a chuckle. "I'm surprised the kiddo's here today, training cut short."
Sabito stretched lazily, his arms above his head as if he'd just woken up from a nap. "Training?" He clicked his tongue in mock disappointment. "Nah, I'm on my break. Besides, I'm sure someone here is better at handling himself than i am," he said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder toward Koku.
Koku didn't react, still sitting motionless in the water. His eyes flickered briefly to Sabito before returning to the ripples on the surface.
Sabito rolled his eyes dramatically and sat on the edge of the bath, dangling his legs in the water. "I swear, you all make it seem like I never do any work around here. Like I'm just here to mess with you guys." He smirked, leaning back. "But hey, I guess I do deserve a little rest. I'm basically the hardest-working guy here."
One of the knights snorted, trying not to laugh. "Hardest-working? You've been avoiding work all week!"
"Pfft, whatever," Sabito said, waving a hand dismissively. "Let's not get into details. It's all about efficiency, gentlemen. And that's why I'm here—keeping the morale high, one sarcastic comment at a time."
He turned his attention to Koku, who hadn't moved since Sabito entered. "So, kiddo, still acting like the water's more interesting than us?" Sabito raised an eyebrow. "I see how it is. You're just pretending to be all deep and mysterious, huh?"
Koku's violet eyes flicked up to Sabito for a split second before he looked back at the water. "It is interesting," he said flatly, his voice not betraying any amusement.
Sabito burst out laughing, the other knights as well. "Oh, man, you're gonna be the death of me, kid. You're way too serious for someone who should be having fun!" He leaned back further, stretching his arms over his head in a dramatic show of relaxation. "You know, you might want to take a page out of my book. Let go a little. Life's short, kid."
Koku's gaze flickered again toward Sabito, but he said nothing.
Grayves, amused by the exchange, chuckled and lifted his flask. "Ha! Maybe the kid's got the right idea, Sabito. We can't all be like you—lazy, loud, and carefree."
Sabito shrugged nonchalantly. "Hey, someone's gotta keep things interesting around here. Who else is gonna make sure you guys don't get too bored and start doing something crazy?"
One of the knights raised his hand. "Uh, we already do crazy stuff on our own, thanks."
Sabito laughed again, shaking his head. "Alright, alright, point taken. But I'm still the best at it." He gave Koku another glance. "Don't worry, kid, I'll teach you how to relax eventually. You just gotta stop taking everything so seriously."
Koku blinked slowly, his expression unchanged. "I don't take things seriously."
Sabito grinned. "Sure you don't, kiddo. Sure you don't." He leaned back against the wall of the bath, settling in for a long, lazy soak.
The knights went back to their drinks, and the conversation shifted, but Koku's attention remained on the ripples in the water. For now, it was enough.
The next two months passed quickly.
Koku trained harder and harder, pushing himself beyond his former limits. Under Sabito's guidance, his skills developed at an astounding rate. He mastered everything a beginner and intermediate knight should know.
One afternoon, while they sparred in the courtyard, two knights observed from the sidelines.
"To think he's intermediate level already. Think it's just news" one asked.
"Hard to say," the other replied, watching as Koku dodged Sabito's attacks with precision.
"You've gotten good," Sabito admitted, smirking. "But you still lack in some areas."
"I know. My—"
Sabito waved a hand, cutting him off. "Whoa, whoa. Stop overloading your brain. You're just six, kiddo."
Over time, Koku's aura like sword thickened, and he unlocked his first ability—Void Slash. It was weak for now, but it would grow alongside him.
But then, war erupted.
The country of Paladonia found itself in open conflict with the merfolk. The first battle, at Roke Bridge resulted in staggering losses—80,000 knights dead, 120,000 wounded. The merfolk's overwhelming numbers proved disastrous. 200,000 Knights against 430,000 Demi-humans…
Sabito's worry came at last, since relationships with their country Paladonia and Merfolk had already been tense, and as he'd come to suspect, he was sent to the frontlines before the fighting began.
Not much information was given after that, and soon after, one month passed, and Koku stood at the gates of Bronze Academy.
Being escorted by the knights who'd grown fond of him, one called out.
"You got this, kid,"
The academy, located in Aframon, was one of the best cities in Paladonia, also one of the biggest.
So earlier, when arriving at the city, the knights escorted Koku as per the request of their boss, general Hermann. They arrived at the academy, where they were told beforehand to gather near the courtyard as all of the paperwork was taken care of months prior. They went ahead and arrived there, where they'd see the gates to the courtyard of the academy.
"This is it. Take it easy, and remember somewhere down the line kiddo, we'll meet again."
"We'll tell old man Grayves you got here just fine." One of the knights said.
Another spoke up, "We'll even through a good word in for ya, that ya said you miss him already, hahaha!" the group of men laughed, giving him a pat in the back.
Passing through the gates of the Bronze academy, and arriving to the courtyard, Koku saw thousands of new students gathered in the, receiving guidebooks.
When he received one as well, he immediately started to flip through the pages—there had been 1,500 pages, far to many for the potential time they had. That was unless they planned to keep them here all day and night. Maybe all week.
Students everywhere scoffed and gasped, "This thing has 1,500 pages!", a few students yelled, and a few more joined in.
But unlike many others, Koku began reading the moment he got the book, page by page he made it to the next and the next. Eventually when the instructors made the announcements, Koku was at the 600th page.
Even then, Koku continued to read as the instructors called out the names of the applicants to see who was here and who wasn't. After about 2 hours the last name was being called, "Koku are you here!?", the instructor made sure to speak clearly and loudly.
He raised his hand raising his voice as he confirmed he was here apathetically.
The instructors looked at him and checked his name on the list. "Alright!, here at the academy, we're known as bronze, that's the academy name and rank amongst the other academies in Paladonia. Seeing as how you're all applying for this academy, your parents, guardians, or whoever else, amounted enough money to get you in here." The instructor continued speaking.
For about 10 minutes, he talked about student pride and the school's rules. However, as Koku finished reading the book of 1,500 pages, he flipped to this page which was near the end of the book; it explained something about entrance exams, a creature to be specific.
As he scanned the page, he saw the part of the book he was interested in. Koku began to read the page to himself.
"The Cratrus is a fairly big monster, one which possesses poisonous qualities, long and close-range combat capabilities as well. Its shallow armor protects it against shallow strikes such as beginners and intermediate academy students' attacks. The monster has an incredible defensive system, as it's able to decrease the potency and effect of any poison or aftereffects done to itself," Koku read this but noticed something about the page, like a print error.
He flipped the guidebook upside down and could see another set of words, "One chosen by the vast endless shall set its eyes upon this monster with curiosity. When the stars align, this monster will bend a knee to another, to the… who will challenge it—", Koku noted that the page stopped right there; he wanted to know more but heard the instructor start talking about the test, so he listened.
"This test is what determines if you're allowed into the school. If you fail, then too bad, you're out. And if you pass, then good for you, so here's the gist of the entrance exam, the tests. First, you'll…