He inserted his thumb into the ink, and puts a fingerprint on the bottom left corner of the profile picture of a young man that who is yet to be revealed.
Sun-Hee Baek(Kade&INT):
"Now, time to leave–"
"?"
As he turned, the door creaked open. Entering the office was Headmistress Sun-Hee Baek herself, scanning the room with a raised eyebrow, visibly puzzled.
Sun-Hee Baek(INT):
"Strange, I don't remember leaving the lights on."
Sun-Hee Baek/Kade Northwood:
"Shapeshift, Return."
Kade huddled behind a wooden file cabinet, whispering as he reverted to his original appearance, cautiously peering around the corner.
Sun-Hee Baek:
"Hello? Is anybody there?"
"Hm?"
Sun-Hee, spotting an opened ink pad on the desk, approached it. Intrigued, she squinted at Kade's fake student file, unfamiliar to her.
Sun-Hee Baek(INT):
"Now what's a student file doing on my desk?"
As she reached for the folder, a sudden awareness made her swiftly pivot, sensing someone's presence behind her.
Sun-Hee Baek:
"Light Magic, Yorun–"
"Oh!"
It was Hae-Joon Kim, the academy's night guard, brought relief to Sun-Hee, who sighed.
Sun-Hee Baek:
"Haeje! Gosh, you gave me a fright there."
Hae-Joon softly chuckled.
Hae-Joon Kim:
"Yeah, sorry about that."
"I saw your door open, and I just had to check to see who was inside."
Sun-Hee Baek:
"Well."
"You should atleast state your name when you're entering a room so everyone knows you're here."
He rubbed the back of his head, offering a reassuring smile.
Hae-Joon Kim:
"Yeah... right."
Sun-Hee neatly closed the ink pad, placed it in her desk drawer, and then proceeded to grab Kade's student folder, carefully storing it in the wooden file cabinets.
Sun-Hee Baek:
"Well, I best be on my way, goodnight."
Sun-Hee bowed slightly, leaving Hae-Joon slightly confused, and he reluctantly returned a slight bow. As she exits the office, Hae-Joon waits a few minutes before quietly chanting to himself.
Hae-Joon Kim/Kade Northwood:
"Shapeshift, Return."
Kade returns to his original appearance, exhales, removes his hat, inspects its interior, and reveals a light blond hair strand, smirking.
Kade Northwood:
"And yet again, luck is on my side."
*Clears throat*
Adjusting the authoritative coat collar, he drops the light blond hair strand into the trash, places the hat back on his head, and exits out of the room, turning off the lights and closing the door behind him before he does; walking through the expansive academic hallways, he holds onto the lantern.
Kade Northwood(INT):
"I must always remember that this world is still entirely unexplored by me. I lost everything in my past life."
"Yet who is to say that I can't rebuild it all once more? However, this time, I know that true power exists in this world, so I will work to achieve it, even if I do not yet have a clear motivation for my actions."
"I will continue to search until I find one."
Timeskip(Tomorrow Morning.)
In a secluded forest, a hidden cave nestled within the shrubbery served as Kade's refuge. Emerging, he carried a stolen Seolmara Academy student uniform, draping it on a rock before immersing himself in the nearby lake's waterfall, allowing the cascading water to wash his body.
Kade Northwood(INT):
"This place isn't the most pleasant for living conditions, but it is the most beautiful lake and waterfall I've have ever seen."
Drenched from the lake, he dries off with a towel, dons the Seolmara Academy Uniform, and heads from the forest to the Seolmara Outskirts and into the city.
He walks past individuals donned in traditional East Asian attire, observing the locals' colorful yet subtly vibrant traditional clothing, where the hues blend harmoniously and complement one another.
Kade Northwood(INT):
"What colorful robes they are wearing, strange."
"I'd assume that this is how the locals in
See-oulmay-ra dresses like?"
Walking the streets, he ponders to himself.
Kade Northwood(INT):
*Sigh*
"No, that isn't the point, the point is how and what I'd have to do if any passing relative were to see the body I'm taking form of."
Flashback(2 Days Ago).
Location:Seolmara Cemetery.
Kade Northwood(INT):
"To blend in properly, I'll have to take form of a local of this nation."
"This is probably messed up, but hey, the people here probably won't mind."
Strolling through the cemetery in the dead of night, he casually kept one of his hands in his pockets and a shovel at the other. As he passed graves adorned with tombstones featuring portraits of the deceased, he scrutinized the images, searching for signs of those who had died young and appeared ordinary.
One caught his attention.
Kade Northwood:
"Hm, died at 24, A little too old for academy re-enrollment standards, and too handsome looking."
He went to another grave.
Kade Northwood:
"Died at 14."
*Scoffs*
"Poor bastard."
After inspecting numerous graves and nearing the limits of his patience, he was on the verge of giving up. However, by chance, he stumbled upon a solitary grave beneath a tree. It appeared untouched and unattended compared to the others. Intrigued, he walked closer to examine the tombstone adorned with a picture of the deceased.
Kade Northwood:
"No one came to your death bed, huh? I can probably feel the same way about my past life's body."
"...You're pretty perfect, I guess nobody would recognize you just by the look of your grave."
"Died at 18, tall, but average looking... I guess you'll have to do."
Standing on the grave, he began digging, and after a few moments, his shovel struck a solid surface—the unmistakable sound of hitting the coffin.
Kade Northwood:
"There you are."
Kneeling down, he used his hands to clear the dirt from the coffin. Upon closer inspection, he punched a hole through it.
Kade Northwood:
*Cough*
"You smell like absolute sh##, buddy."
"You ever tried something called 'washing yourself'?"
"Oh wait, you're dead."
Kade held his nose when the coffin, emanating the putrid stench of decay through its hole, struck him. Despite the repulsive odor, he couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all.
Kade Northwood:
"Shapeshift, Capture."
He grabbed the decaying corpse's head within the coffin, his hands casting a dark green glow upon it before letting go.
Kade Northwood:
*Exhales*
Current Time.
Location: Seolmara.
Kade Northwood:
"Shapeshift."
He underwent a transformation, morphing into a younger form in the alleyways.
Cut to Seolmara Academy.
At the entrance of the Seolmara Magic Academy, a nervous young male student embarks on his first day, entering with his head bowed low.
Haneul Yoon(INT):
"Okay, okay Haneul! You can do this! Just stay positive, don't get in the way of people and you'll likely survive!"
The young man pulled on his bag, making his way slowly toward the front entrance door of the expansive Academy.
Haneul Yoon(INT):
"Alright, I'm doing good so far, I haven't bumped into anyone–"
Just as he mentioned it, someone collided with him. He startled, glancing back to identify the person who accidentally bumped into him.
Haneul Yoon:
"H–huh...?"
To his surprise, his gaze initially landed on their chest. He swallowed nervously and raised his eyes to meet the intimidating figure before him.
Haneul Yoon(INT):
"O–oh God... I'm so dead..."
The formidable presence, initially intimidating, flashed a gentle smile, leaning forward and casually rubbing the back of his head.
???:
"Hey, uh– are you alright?"
He stood tall, possessing an average yet athletic build. His short brown hair framed soft amber eyes, and a gentle smile adorned his face. In an instant, the towering youth shifted from intimidating to charismatic.
Haneul Yoon:
"U– uh– uhm... y–yeah..."