"I promise I was just defending myself," he says, trying to avoid further scolding. "This man came out of nowhere and attacked me," he adds, pointing at the immobilized figure of the man, frozen in place by Rhea's power.
The man grits his teeth, struggling to break free. "Girl, what have you done to me?" he asks, his frustration palpable.
Rhea smiles mischievously as she steps closer to the man's face. "You're under my power. You can't move unless I say so," she taunts him, clearly enjoying her control. As she circles him, she notices the strange marks etched onto his body and scrutinizes them carefully. "Where did you come from, and how did you get past the barrier?" she inquires, but the man remains silent, focusing entirely on his futile efforts to break free. "Well, we'll get all the answers we need when we question you at the academy."
Clapping her hands, a group of shadowy figures—students—emerge from the dark, standing behind her, ready to follow her orders. "Lock him up and transport him to the school. Make sure he doesn't escape, or you'll be in his place," she commands them.
Turning her attention to the boy, who is unconscious and clearly the master of this powerful figure, Rhea bends down, flipping his hair to get a better look at his face. "Why did you aim for his face?" she scolds Luke. "You almost ruined it!"
With a dismissive wave, she uses her power to float the boy's unconscious body to the front of the alley where a line of carriages awaits. As they leave the now empty battleground, the hooves of horses and the rolling carriages are the only sounds that remain, a sharp contrast to the chaos that had unfolded moments earlier.
Hours later, as they near the academy, the boy wakes up. His head rests on something soft—Rhea's lap. "Oh, so you've finally woken up," she says, glancing down at him with a gentle smile.
Flustered, the boy quickly sits up, trying to compose himself and hide his face. He looks around and sees Luke sitting across from him, and without thinking, lunges to attack him. However, just like the man before him, he's stopped mid-air by Rhea's powers. "No fighting while we're driving," she scolds, floating him gently back into his seat.
The boy, baffled, asks, "How are you doing that?" still floating in the air.
Luke, clearly enjoying the moment, bursts out laughing. "Hahahaha, do you want to get beaten up again?" he mocks, watching the boy's humiliation with amusement.
The boy, now blushing, clenches his fists in frustration. But Rhea cuts in, scolding Luke. "Do you want to get the same treatment?" she says, turning her sharp gaze on him. Instantly, Luke quiets down, sitting straight as the boy's restraints are lifted.
"Boy, who are you, and how did you and that man get through the barrier into the city?" Rhea asks sternly.
"I-I don't know," the boy stammers, clearly trying hard to remember. "All I can remember is waking up in a building and following a strange animal all the way here." His eyes lower as he tries to recount the details. "The cat-like animal used a strange power to open the barrier, and I walked through a tunnel leading all the way to town," he adds, his voice soft.
Rhea nearly leaps out of her seat. "It opened the barrier?!" she exclaims in shock. "The barrier hasn't been opened in years! The only person to ever do that was a disciple of the Goddess of Light, the one who created it."
"The Goddess of Light?" the boy asks, perplexed.
His innocent question makes everyone in the carriage pause and stare at him as if he'd said something insane. Luke is the first to respond. "The Goddess of Light, mother of the sun and bringer of hope," he explains, incredulous. "Everyone knows her. Where did you come from? Did you live under a rock?"
Noticing the boy's confusion, Luke sighs and decides to tell the story. "Long ago the world was vast and fruitful, beautiful landscapes and the sound of life was brimming from every corner. The gods lived amongst the humans, and everything was peaceful, until the God of creation got tired of living at peace with the humans and created monsters that overran the entire world. One by one every nation and country started to crumble with them being no match for the army of beasts that attacked them. Sick of the torment and feeling pity for the humans the seven gods of prosperity came together and defeated the god of creation stopping the monsters from ravaging the earth by locking them in a giant tower, blessing the humans with powers to defeat them. With these newfound abilities passed through generation to generation if we are able to clear the top of the tower we will receive enlightenment allowing the humans to live with the gods again."
Rhea picks up where Luke leaves off. "It's been over 1,000 years since the tower appeared. We've only cleared half of it, and with the increase in activity at the lower levels, progress has slowed," she adds, flipping her hair behind her ear.
"So, that weird power you used earlier was a blessing from the gods?" the boy asks, finally starting to understand. "No fair."
Luke grins arrogantly. "Me and Rhea are special. We were chosen by gods. We're a step above the rest," he says, clearly enjoying rubbing it in. "That's why I had to teach you a lesson earlier."
Before Luke can keep gloating, Rhea freezes him mid-sentence, turning him into a statue. His face, twisted with laughter, now looks ridiculous, and the boy bursts into laughter. "Hahahaha, who's laughing now?" he says, savoring the moment.
Rhea, back to business, tells the boy, "We still need to figure out why you don't remember anything and how you broke through the barrier." As she speaks, the carriage comes to a stop. "But first, we have to report our findings to the headmaster."
The academy looms ahead, its massive gates opening to reveal a vast courtyard and towering buildings. A flag with a strange symbol flutters in the center. The boy's eyes widen as he recognizes it. "I've seen that symbol before," he says, pointing.
"Oh, that's the symbol of hope. It was given to us by the gods as a token of remembrance for the time of peace," Rhea explains as they walk into the courtyard. "The creator of it the mother of light was one of the first gods to offer her blessings to the humans when the world was coming to an end".
"This academy is the last hope for humanity, students are trained here from birth mainly people of nobility but anyone who awakens the blessing of a god isn't exempt from enrolling", Luke carried on as they stare at the academy.
Suddenly, a high-pitched ringing fills the boy's ears, and his vision blurs. His head feels like it's about to explode. "Ouch," he mutters, clutching his temple.
"Headmaster Hymlin, I didn't know you'd meet us yourself," Rhea says, rushing toward a tall, rugged man with a commanding presence. The headmaster had dark black hair and a scar stretching from the left side of his face to the right. He wore a grey trench coat with patches on the side of it .
The boy's blurred vision tries to focus on the headmaster, whose sharp blue eyes peer into his soul. "Who might you be?" the headmaster asks, his voice low and intimidating.
The boy tries to respond, but his mind goes blank. Luke speaks up instead, explaining everything—how the boy came from outside the barrier and even kept up with him in a fight.
The headmaster strokes his chin, intrigued. "If what Luke says is true, then you won't mind a little test." He removes his coat, revealing a lean, muscular frame. "Make me use my saevus, just once, and I'll believe your story."