The sun was setting when all the first years were guided to their dorms.
The male and female dorms were separated. The male dorms were located near the shopping district, while the female dorms were near the school. This was to prevent 'accidents' from stumbling inside the female dorm because of the close proximity to the male residences.
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Rain finished setting everything and was about to take a shower when he felt a presence. He turned to see the Grandmaster casually sitting at his chair, looking at the scenery outside the window.
For a moment, Rain was at a loss for words before he quickly bowed in respect.
"Rain Rizwalde greets you, Grandmaster!"
"Rise! Rise! My student. I hope I didn't bother you." The Grandmaster smiled, and for the first time, he looked amiable, nothing like the older man they saw a while ago.
"Sit. My boy." The Grandmaster motioned towards the bed for Rain to sit.
Without a second thought, Rain immediately went to bed and sat in front of the Grandmaster.
". . ."
". . ."
"Err . . . is there something I can do for you, Grandmaster?" Rain asked after a moment that the older man just kept staring at his face as if studying it, which made Rain uncomfortable with the pressure emanating from the old man's pearly white eyes.
"Hmmm . . ." The Grandmaster stroked his bird as he nodded to himself. "I think that it's you who needs something from me."
"M-me?" Rain really was at a loss. He honestly didn't know why the Grandmaster suddenly appeared inside his room.
The Grandmaster grinned. Layers of wrinkles appeared near his eyes. "Hmm . . . You don't? I thought that maybe you have some questions considering that you found the sword in the underground mansion."
Rain's eyes bulged. "G-grandmaster . . . y-you know about the sword?"
The old man laughed. "Ohohoho. I know far too much than you'll ever know, my boy."
Rain straightened his back as his blood rushed to his body. Couldn't contain all the questions swimming inside his head, he asked, "Please tell me about this sword grandmaster."
Without a second thought, the underground sword materialized in Rain's hand. Rain didn't felt an ounce of worry towards the older man as he felt that the Grandmaster brought him no ill.
For a moment, the Grandmaster's eyes shone like tears pooled beneath his eyelids. But it was gone as soon as Rain blinked. The Grandmaster's face then turned forlorn as if he remembered something.
The Grandmaster huffed a laugh. "Ah . . . yes . . . It is still as I remember it. The sword you're holding is known as a Regalia."
"Regalia?" Rain repeated.
"It's one of the five arcane weapons scattered throughout this land. It's quite special." The Grandmaster winked.
Rain couldn't help but frown. He sensed that the Grandmaster wasn't about to tell him anything about the sword's origins.
"Grandmaster, who made it? From what material? How come it materializes and could be absorbed inside my Armalest? How is it special? And why are they only five?" Rain asked one question after the other.
"Ohohoho! All I can tell you is that all Regalias are made entirely of natural arcane energy, just like your weapons. The only difference is that you couldn't change its shape nor appearance, and that stone at the hilt . . . is no ordinary stone."
The Grandmaster grinned, seemingly delighted at Rain's confusion. "The arcane stones that are mined are just ordinary stones. Over time arcane energy sips through its walls, filling it with concentrated energy. That stone on your Regalia's hilt, however, is a true arcane stone. Which is rarer than rare as there are no more true arcane stones left in this world."
Rain tightened his grip on the sword.
"As to why they are special. You'll know once you use it. Ohohoho! Enough. I already said what I came to say."
The Grandmaster stood to his feet and walked towards Rain, and squeezed his left shoulder. "With this sword, you no longer need to activate this."
And he was gone, leaving Rain dumbfounded on his bed.
"Oh . . . right," the Grandmaster's voice bounced inside Rain's room, "for your protection, I suggest you don't tell anyone about that sword. Ohohoho!"
". . ."
. . .
. . .
It was already some time that the Grandmaster left, but Rain was still paralyzed on top of his bed. Without thought, he grazed his left chest as questions after questions flooded his mind.
Instead of answering his questions, the old man just left more questions in his wake. How did the Grandmaster know about his secret? How he knew about the Regalia. And what did he mean that with the sword, he would no longer need to activate it? And don't even make him start asking about the true arcane stones.
"Agh! No use overthinking it!" Rain raffled his hair. "If I don't know, then I don't know."
He stood and stored the Regalia into his Armalest. Just in time, he heard a knocking sound.
Not long after, Ethan's voice echoed on the other side of his door.
"Rain! Let's go and eat dinner!"
----
At the dead of the night, a silhouette of an old man atop a roof disturbed some of the flying creatures rests. He leisurely swept his gaze at the buildings below with a melancholic smile on his face.
"Ah . . . alas. I am bound to secrecy as I am merely an overseer of destiny. I cannot tamper with it too much. Ohohohohoho! I wonder what the Cosmos has in store for us this time."