Dashing through the forest with tendrils of purple lightning flickering across his frame, Nico hurried back to Airedale.
He did not want to be late on the first day of school.
That would be extremely mortifying…
Perhaps even more so than sharing a dance with the Dragon Princess.
Weaving past another tree, he recalled the end of his time with Henry's mother. He remembered asking her specifically why she was the only one left in the village.
Her answer… affected him more than he would have liked to admit.
Not just because of how he was responsible for her son's death, but also because he viewed her as something akin to a second aunt. Nico considered his friends' loved ones to be a part of his family, albeit on the more extended and distant side.
Nonetheless, hearing that she could not leave even if she had wanted to, left a bitter taste in his mouth. She had revealed that her son's demise had only exacerbated her already frail body. Apart from the emotional toll on her heart, the physical side effects of such intense grief and sadness were too much for her body to bear.
What was worse, right after Instructor William had delivered the terrible news, the Stanburg's came and forcefully evicted a large percentage of the village. Faced with a threat from a medium-sized house, the people here - mostly inhabitants of the bottom caste - knew they could not refuse.
Nico's fury had almost reignited in full force when he learned the nobles did not even recompense the poor villagers for the trouble of leaving their own homes.
'Those hateful bastards…'
Just how much more despicable could they get?
In Nico's eyes, the Stanburg's had already reached such a sickening level of cruelty. He struggled to imagine how much more abhorrent they could get.
After learning of her weak condition, Nico enquired about Henry's father and siblings.
That was when the farmer's mother revealed they too were forced to leave - the Stanburg's were not just happy with effectively displacing these people, it seemed their pettiness ran even deeper than that. Such that they would leave an ageing woman all by herself, with just the bare minimum of supplies.
Resources… that were quickly dwindling.
When asked about her situation, she reluctantly admitted that she would run out of things to eat soon. If her health had been better, Henry's mother would have attempted fishing in the Enchanted Creek - the river was the reason why the village had been set up in such a remote location.
As it was, though… she was currently stuck.
This admission made Nico want to help her even more.
Increasing his speed, the brown-haired boy gritted his teeth. Not only did the Stanburg's stop at nothing to make his and his friends' lives like hell, but they were also conceited and deplorable beyond belief, viewing themselves on a higher pedestal than the rest of the population.
Nico wanted to wipe them off the face of Crelerath.
Honestly, the whole world would be better off without them, even if the Empire had to readjust and reassign new warriors to guard its borders.
Surely ridding the world of such evil would be worth the lack of protection?
Sadly, he knew not everyone would think like that. Especially when the Demons were added into the mix.
He sighed, turning his focus to his storage ring.
Henry's mother had gifted him the tome describing the events of the Second Great War. Although he had rapidly refused at first, she wanted him to have it as a souvenir of his time with her son in the Training Camp.
…Something that he could always look upon fondly, reminiscing at the warm memories it invoked.
In the end, Nico could not refuse.
He planned to inspect it at the end of the day as a way of working through his grief.
In the meantime though, he had an Academy to attend.
Zipping through the forest at break-neck speed, Nico challenged his control and agility to its limit. As the sun's rays brightened and the cerulean skies became clearer, his figure rushed through the trees, leaving only the crackle of lightning in his wake.
Unknown to Nico, a pair of eyes stalked him silently from the shadows.
***
'Phew, made it just in time!'
Back in Airedale, Nico heaved a sigh of relief. He had made it back in time to receive the Ancestor's blessing in the Fate Temple. Feeling it nestling comfortably in his soul, he could not stop himself from being awed by the mystical sensation.
No matter how many times he experienced it, it was still incredible and awe-inspiring.
The feeling of divine power descending him from the heavens… Nico clenched his fists. He wanted to reach those heights in the future. He inwardly had a nagging feeling that this type of power may be what was needed to stop Cedric from destroying Crelerath.
'Hopefully, it never comes to that.'
Shaking his head slightly, the brown-haired boy quickly entered the Inner Circle and soon stopped outside the opulent gates of Silverwing Academy. There, he went through the usual routine of having his belongings inspected before he entered and swiftly made his way through the great hall.
The corridors were filled with students and staff alike. Dressed in a black compression shirt and pants, Nico felt like he stood out like a sore thumb compared to the other students' extravagant uniforms. Most of them wore robes that flowed down the length of their feet, the material sparkling with different hues.
He felt slightly dizzy seeing so much colour on display. He wondered if the Saintess planned on giving them these uniforms after reporting to the great hall.
Suppressing his anxiety, Nico finally entered the room where the banquet was held the previous evening. However, instead of long buffet tables, what greeted him was a myriad of seats, as if he had now stepped into a vast auditorium.
His eyes scanned the space for any signs of his friends. Nico found them after a few moments of searching.
Leon, Isaac and Oliver waved at him. He sent a wave of his own, hurrying to where they sat.
Nico ignored the scores of eyes on him. Murmurs exploded to life after his arrival.
Just as his rear touched the seat beside the half-blood, a hush descended on the hall. Shifting his neck, the brown-haired boy stared at the front where the Saintess stood on the slightly raised dais.
Her powerful voice echoed a moment later.
"Welcome, everyone. I'm glad you could make it. I'll keep this short because we have a tight schedule ahead of us, so please listen up carefully."
Nico took a deep breath.
'Here we go…'