"Wh-who's there?" asked Axel in frustrated apprehension.
"It's just me, Aelia. Why do you ask?" said the unfamiliar woman who had entered Axel's room.
"Wha-what? I don't have any idea who you are...I think I might have struck my head..." Axel mumbled, squinting at the woman in shock, his mind swirling with unanswered questions.
"Oh dear, do you remember your name?" asked Aelia worriedly.
"Yes.. but I seem to have forgotten my last name, " Axel admitted.
"Your name is Axel... Axel Stray of the noble family of Stray... we should probably inform your parents about your memory issue. Re-education may be for you. However, you seem to remember how to talk, which should help a bit." Aelia explained as she flitted from place to place throughout the room, freshening up the dusty air and letting the sun in.
"Go get washed up now, Axel."
"Okay. But where is the bathroom?" Asked Axel
"It's right over there." Replied Aelia while pointing at a brown door.
"T-thanks," Axe replied as he haltingly got out of bed.
He stumbled a bit getting to the bathroom, his body strangely heavy.
As he entered, he was met with a huge, lavish bathroom painted an excellent azure, complimented with golden lining. He went up to the mirror to look at his reflection, the grandeur of his surroundings a stark contrast to his current confusion.
What stared back at him was a slim, white-haired, green, and blue-eyed youth who did not appear to be over 8.
"Wow, this is what I look like, huh? Not bad." thought Axel.
"Ah, I should get dressed, I wonder what kind of clothing I have as a noble?" Axel mused while searching for the closet.
After a bit of aimlessly wandering around, he found it, opening the double doors to be greeted with an assortment of colorful outfits.
Axel had never seen this many clothes in one place, especially not ones as high-quality as these; his eyes widened in amazement.
"Woah! Is this blue silk?"
Head swinging from side to side, Axel drank in the sight of the various options hanging up for him to try. Ultimately, he returned to his roots, picking out a simple shirt, an outer coat of blue silk, and some nondescript black pants.
"Fashion still doesn't seem to be my strong suit."
With his clothes picked out, he returned to the bathroom for a bath.
At first, Axel was a bit confused about how anything worked; there were some strange knobs and no buckets anywhere to carry to wherever there may be a well. Cautiously, he reached out and touched the knobs, pushing and pulling before he felt it give away to a twist.
Water rushed out of the weird spout attached to the knobs suddenly, startling Axel quite a bit.
"Woah! Is that…running water? I never thought I'd see the day, haha; this stuff was fiction only back in my day!"
Waiting for the water to fill up, Axel fiddled with the knobs a bit more, figuring out one of them was also for soap. Another luxury he'd never experienced.
30 minutes later, Axel was out of the bath. He walked out of the bathroom wearing a nice set of clothes and new shoes that Aelia had kindly left for him outside the door.
"Oh, that feels good," turning to Aelia, Axel asked, "What do I do now, miss?"
"Your parents would like to meet you. Allow me to escort you to the drawing-room," said Aelia.
The hall outside Axel's room seemed to stretch on forever, grand and imposing; as he stepped out, Axel felt very small, the unfamiliarity of his new life weighing heavily on him.
Specks of gold and silver adorned the walls, and more intricate detailings of the hall glittered enticingly, showing off the status of a noble family.
A large open area sprawled before them after Aelia and Axel's long trek through the hall and the training grounds, Aelia had told him.
Sword racks and training dummies lined up perfectly on either side, with a sparring arena in the middle where they could see multiple knights training.
"Oh, the young Master has finally woken up, huh?" one of the knights said when he noticed their approach.
"Ah yes, he woke up just a few hours ago," replied Aelia.
"The young master seems…a little, how should I put this…different? Did something happen?" another knight piped up, this one exuding a far more oppressive aura.
"Ah…yes, he seems to have hit his head. That's all he remembers besides his name." Aelia said, turning to him.
"We're currently on our way to have an audience with Axel's father in hopes that something could be done about this."
"I see, that's sensible enough." replied the knight with a grin.
Leaving the training grounds, they went to another building where Axel's father's office resided. The main building was grandiose, looking like a palace one might build for a king.
A receptionist greeted them as they entered and directed them to Axel's father, who appeared to be sitting in a chair with stacks of paperwork all over the desk.
His father was a broad, powerfully built man. His presence was immense, with a contrasting, calming allure. He was a teddy bear almost brought to life. Greybeard, with blue eyes, had a grey tail and ears and looked similar to Axel, but the type of ears seemed just slightly different.
"Son? What brings you here?" asked Axel's father–Revan Stray, as the nameplate on his desk suggested.
"Well, after yesterday's events, it would seem that the young master has lost all his memories," replied Aelia.
"What?! What happened yesterday? Is there a way to re-educate him? Or is that out of the question?"
Aelia spoke slowly, "Of course, we can re-educate him, but his personality… will be different." It was left unsaid that maybe it was for the better since the original Axel was a bit…naughty.
"Interesting…and nobody saw him hurt his head? 8 years old, and wakes up claiming to have hit his head with no recollection of anything else…I'm put off by this. Either way, we'll have to start from the basics; maybe his memories will return with time."
"Well, we could call the previous tutors back so they can prepare to do just that. Start from basic history, math, and family expectations?
"I can always trust you to make the right decisions, Aelia. Get started on that right away. However, Axel, do make sure to keep your memory issues away from the rest of the family. The power struggle may get worse if you're revealed as an amnesiac. Overthrowing you as the family head would be easy enough in your state."
_______________
It had been years since Axel first woke up, and he had mostly regained the knowledge he'd lost from his hit on the head. He was getting ready to take the city's magic exam to test his affinity with magic of any kind, as well as specialty traits with certain professions.
On the day of the exam, Axel's father follows him and signs him up for it, as he will be 12 in a few months.
"Welcome to the Arc City of the Lang Kingdom! Today, we are examining all of the qualifying kids in the city to test for elements and affinities to warrior classes. We hope there are a few lucky people this year."
"Now, let's not dawdle. Could the first qualifying candidate come up and place their hand on this stone, please?"
An uneven black orb sat in the middle of the stage. It was a standard stone able to measure magical affinities and determine which type of warrior class would best suit them.
A few hours later, the 67th person steps up.
They were a big shot, a jackpot. The candidate had unlocked 3 elements, all above supreme capabilities! This shocked the whole crowd.
"Folks... this is...extraordinary, a one-of-a-kind talent we haven't seen in the last 30 years!"
Academy representatives were quick to talk amongst themselves, surprised and bargaining with each other about who would take this candidate.
The rankings of the 4 great academies are listed by strength and power.
Astral Academy, Lunar Star Academy, The Royal Academy, and the First Light Academy. All powerful in their own right.
Everyone wanted to be accepted by one of the big 4 because of the vast wealth of knowledge and powerful techniques they provided; these unlimited resources were a guarantee to skyrocket an elemental's power. Cutthroat wasn't even a good enough word to describe the acceptance competition. Students could get picked off and thrown into a small academy every year if they cannot pass the baseline ability test.
Another 30 minutes pass before Axel is called up onstage. Thousands of people are watching him; this was their entertainment for today, after all.
Stage fright strikes him as he steps up onto the platform. It's silly, but Axel hasn't had this big audience since then. Putting his hand on the stone, everyone waited for his affinities to show themselves; the revealed ones were a massive surprise. Axel…had gotten fire and wind with an unknown 3rd element. It was white, with a ring spinning in the middle, but it wasn't light since the light was just a bright white. Axel stares at it a little before checking his occupation.
Axel was compatible with the assassin class, which uses tricks to kill their prey and stealth.
Murmuring was heard throughout the crowd. Unsure how to react, Axel turned back to the announcer. Small cheers were given as the astonishment from his affinities wore off.
The announcer speaks in a flurry, quite excited about this outcome.
"This right here. Is, I'd say, the best result since the white flame took over part of the continent!" boomed the announcer, his voice breathless. His eyes glittered expectantly, clearly excited for Axel's future.
Axel hurried off the stage and to his father, who looked at him with pride in his eyes.
"Son, you are...powerful, to say the least. You may even be one of the few who will keep the world's balance in the future. With that display, I can only ask which academy you wish to go to, not which one you think will take you." said Revan in muted fondness.
"Lunar Star Academy. It seems to be in my best interests," Axel intoned quietly, staring up at his father.
Going back onstage, Axel stated his name and which academy he would like to be accepted into. Lunar Star Academy took him on the spot.
Cheers filled with excitement started up again because he, once again, would be the first in over 30 years to go to Lunar Star Academy, at least from Arc City.
When Axel arrived home, he was greeted by his mother, a slim woman with black hair, blue eyes, and a calming demeanor.
"Axel…my dear son, I look forward to your future. I know you'll grow up to be a powerful young man," said Maria, Axel's mother, looking at him tenderly.
"I…I will miss you, Mom. I know this journey will be long and arduous, but I will make the family proud," said Axel, tears welling up in his eyes.
A few days later, when Axel was getting ready to leave, Aelia walked into his room, so he decided to give her a goodbye hug.
"Aelia, you have always been the best maid. Thank you so much for your help over the last 12 years. You are a truly amazing person and very kind-hearted." said Axel, praising Aelia for her loyalty.
"Young master, you have grown so much and come far from when you were a child. Your demeanor and how you carry yourself have become much more self-assured; that mischievous little boy from back then has grown up." Aelia says, a bit more emotional than usual.
Aelia grabs a book from the shelf. Axel thought it was merely for decoration.
"Here. Take this book, I'm still determining where it's from and what it does, but it was here the day you woke up all those years ago. It may be of some use to you.
Taking the book, Axel thanked Aelia once again, then left the room to get ready to depart from his house. He was almost giddy at the thought of going out and experiencing life for what it truly was. Learning magic was just an afterthought.