*****
The sun casted its rays through the window and on the bed that had already broken to the ground.
However Martin was not on the bed, he was not in even the house.
With the bag of money he had gotten as compensation for the death of his teammates, Martin had treated himself to an early morning meal, he bought the cheapest meal he could find. He had little money to waste, as he needed to find a way to learn more about this world and the so-called runes.
Martin sat in a small cafe, in front of him was a half-eaten french toast and omelette, he didn't know why but he just couldn't finish the food. Although he had to compliment the chef as it tasted superb, it was the first time he had such kind of meal, when he was back home, he would have lobster rolled omelettes with different types of caviars, there would be different dishes to pick from but now he had to buy only what he could afford.
"I wonder how that bastard would be doing knowing that I'm dead." By bastard, Martin was referring to his father and he couldn't help but feel sad for his friend, Trip.
Martin had sat by the window, watching the streets, he could see boys his age carrying back packs and going to their various institution but he was sitting leisurely in a cafe with worn out clothes.
Martin wondered if the remaining money in his bags would be able to take him to school. It was an amount that was worth more that the property he had.
It was five gold loins and some change. He really needed to know more about this world, he felt alone knowing that he didn't know anything except that people gained power through runes.
He still wanted to find a way back to his own world and going to school would be the first step to this goal.
From Axton's memories, he realised that the boy had been going to school when his parents were alive, at least barely managing to attend classes as his parents had found it hard to pay for the fees of the prestigious school.
It was after the death of his parents that Axton had found out that his mother had volunteered to serve as a cleaner in the school, she would do the morning work of the whole school along with some other women and she would also have to clean the staff quarters and the students quarters.
While his father had worked for extra hours as an adventurer, endangering his life for more money.
It was during one of these missions that his parents had died, he saw that the boy Axton had overheard his father telling his mother that they needed someone that had awakened the Healing rune and she had to go with them because they were going to be paid a huge amount of money, but in the end, they paid with their life
Martin understood the importance of the healing element and why they needed his mother.
The boy had stopped going to school after the news of his parents' death had reached him. He had made himself face all the ridicules and bullying just to prove to his parents that they were worth suffering for but now they were no longer alive.
Martin stood up, but not before leaving a tip for the waiter, an habit that was brought from his past life.
He had a new resolve, he was going back to that school.
One, because it was the most prestigious school in the city, two, he wanted to know more about everything in this world and what better than an environment you are already familiar with, and the most important reason was because he had seen that red haired princess in Axton's memories of the school, there was no way he was going to back out of that.
Martin immediately went to the bus station and took a ride to the school.
He arrived at the large building which stood in front of a massive mountain, it was rather big for a school but it lived up to its prestigious name.
A line of stairs led up to its entrance but Martin couldn't see the school from where he stood which described as tall the staircase was.
Just as he stepped on the first step preparing for the arduous journey upward, someone grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Hey Axton, I have been yelling out your name since you stepped out of that bus."
A blonde boy looked at him with a wide smile on his face that would remain forever etched into Axton's memories.
Martin smiled back, he remembered the boy whose name was Theodore, for short, Axton had always called him Theo. Martin realized he needed to get used to being called Axton, his old life had gone, he was about to start a new one.
He looked at Theo, to think the boy had not changed since the last four years, he still had the same nerdy smile that caused the full effect of his dimples to show.
They had been good friends until Axton dropped out of the school.
Theodore without waiting for permission immediately pulled Axton into a huge hug, he had not seen his friend in a while so he had missed him.
The thing is that Theo had only been friends with Axton and they kept it at the school level which was because of Axton.
Axton never really told Theo about his life, he didn't even let him visit him or come to his home, there was nothing to entertain him with.
Although he knew Theo would not mind and that was how good of a friend he was, he just felt bad inviting his friend to such a place.
When the news of how his mother was a servant in the school spread like wildfire across the school, Theo was the only one who had stuck by him. When he was being bullied, Theo had always been there to help him up.
He did feel bad about not telling him that he was leaving and suddenly cutting him off but he had no other choice.
After going through Axton's memories, Martin returned the hug back to Theo.
"I have missed you my friend. What brings you here?"
Theo said, his voice as peaceful as the ocean before a storm.
"I want to return back to my studies."
Theo widened his eyes, he was happy that his friend was returning but he had not seen him for four good years, four years was actually nothing in the eyes of rune users, who could live for more than a dozen century and still not age but it was a long time for this two friends.
Theo could tell that something had changed in his friend, Axton.
His back and shoulders were straight yet relaxed as if he was walking on air.
His voice had a strange sense of calm and confidence unlike the stammering and timid voice he had when they were kids.
"I'm just happy you are back." Theo smiled as he shook his head, that was what he cared about the most.
Martin returned the smile and together they climbed the staircase.
Theo told Martin about how he had awoken the Water rune during the awakening organized by the school for its students, and he was yet to open a second rune, as the school had said that only the students that passed above a certain grade would be allowed to go through the awakening again.
Theo continued to tell him about his progress in developing his runes but Martin couldn't understand most of it because he had no knowledge but his friend was talking about meridians, spiritual veins and things like that.
Martin immediately blocked out Theo's voice, only responding with "Ah.", "I see.", "Splendid."
They arrived at the gate of the school, and Martin's mouth dropped down in amazement.
The school looked splendid, it almost looked like it was a castle fished out of a fairy tale.
The front of the school had massive stone columns that held the walls of the school. On top of the school was a massive emblem that held the huge sculpture of a dragon name, with the name of the school written in bold golden letters below, "DRAGON HEART ACADEMY."
The windows on the school were not just regular windows; they were shaped like arches and had complex gold designs on them. You could see inside a little bit through these windows.
The roof of the school was very well designed. It looked like a crown that was placed on top of the building.
At the very top, was a pointed part of the building taking the form of a tower.
Around the school, there was a nice garden path to walk on.
There were also sculptures and fountains, which are like pieces of art that further accentuated the beauty of the school.
Martin couldn't help but feel like he truly belonged here, but to actually belong here, he needed to get enrolled and begin his new journey.
He walked slowly through the cobblestone path and into the golden gate, where there was a massive hall.
Theo immediately dragged him into what looked like the elevator from his previous life.
Standing in the elevator, he couldn't help but take a deep breath, he was about to start a turning point in his life.