The two weeks passed quickly, and Chase woke up on the morning of the first day of school.
He stood in front of his bathroom mirror as he brushed his teeth, while admiring the terrible scar that had been engraved into his shoulder, by perhaps one of the most beautiful girls on the continent.
"It's sort of an achievement if you think about it."
He said to himself, as he struggled to put his academy uniform on.
Too think that one day he would wear the vibrant orange and black uniform, was truly a strange thing.
It was made of a smooth silk, that was oddly comfortable, and lined with numerous buttons and patterns, as well as had the emblem of a phoenix engraved onto the collar of his uniform, that matched the rune that had been marked onto his wrist, as well as the one that sat on the guard of his sword.
As he wondered what his first day would be like, he looked down at the small paper that had been delivered to his room last night.
'I start with Social Society, which from the description is just noble etiquette and politics, so that just means I have another hour of sleep at the start of the day.'
His eyes lowered down the paper, and his gaze was fixated on his next classes.
'Alchemy, Ancient History, Beast Taming, and then after all of those nap classes, I have the important ones...'
After an hour of free time, Chase had a beginner combat training, which switched out with Primis Insight every other day. Then followed by his last class of the day, which would be Runic Insights, and Enchantments.
'So, nothing important other then the combat classes.'
Who knows, he could end up enjoying these other classes for all he knew.
After putting his library books inside of his black backpack from his time in The Dark Forest, and even before that- he stepped in front of his dorm-room door and took a deep breath.
"Here we go, time for a new journey."
He closed his eyes, and steadied his shaky breath.
"Rhysara of Frostfang, I promise you that I will be the one to have your head, so please, don't get too comfortable..."
Chase said in a quiet whisper.
With that, he opened his door, and was greeted by the loud conversations of hundreds of students who filled the vast stairwell of the phoenix academy.
'So many people.'
In front of his door, two idiots were arguing with each other.
One, was a taller boy with raven-black hair, and casual glasses. The other was a shorter boy with a scruffy face.
The first boy had the crest of an icicle on a golden emblem that was attached to his collar, and the other boy had the emblem of an anvil in a similar matter.
"Chase, this damn dwarf says your friends, I keep telling him to get lost but he wont listen to me!"
Michael of House Everfrost said, with an annoyed expression.
"Good morning Chase, how has that sword been holding up?"
Gemini of House Ironclad said, with a massive grin on his face.
Suddenly, Chase couldn't help but be overcome with feelings of gratitude, and joy.
"It's great, I've been training every night, when I'm not reading."
Michael stared at the two with a blank expression.
"Oh, you weren't lying."
Both Chase and Gemini began to laugh in unison, causing Michael's shoulders to slump.
After the two of his friends got acquainted with each other, the three of them made their way to their first classes of the day.
'This might not be as bad as I thought.'
...
Within a vast and cozy room, Leander of House Orion stood next a man with dark skin, and long black hair, as they admired the view of the vibrant Pyrothar.
"King Darius, I do wonder... Have you ever heard of The Book Of Eternity?"
Darius had a somber expression on his face as his golden eyes seemed to show a sense of dread.
"My old friend, why bring up such a terrible topic on a special day such as this?"
Leander let out a wistful sigh, as he pointed at the large glass window in front of them.
Suddenly, everything began to change and shift, as if the very essence of logic ceased to exist.
Where the window once stood- an illusion of sorts had taken its place.
Three boys were walking down the halls of the academy, surrounded by hundreds of students.
"Why show me my son?"
Leander grinned.
"I am not as young as I once was, but I am a thousand times wiser..."
Darius gave him a strange look.
"No, he is not a Sacred Soul, if that's what you were getting at."
Leander raised an eyebrow.
"I am aware; however, it has been nearly a century since my father sealed his soul within the second sun... And we have still not been blessed with another Sacred Soul. I am afraid you might be the last of your kind, king Darius."
A sad expression formed on The Dwarf King's face, but Leander cut him off before he could speak his mind.
"Do you remember Blaze?"
Darius looked into Leander's eyes.
"Surely you don't mean to say..."
A large grin appeared on the fragile old man's face.
"Yes, I do. My nephew gave birth to a son!"
Darius looked as if the very reality around him had crumbled, and a sad smile formed on the edge of his dry lips.
"That boy in the middle, he is the heir of the Phoenix clan then?"
Leander shook his head.
"Not officially, he was never giving the right of passage, nor was he given the sigil of the clan, so he is simply a Stray child, at least that is what people think."
Darius gave him a curious look.
"Continue..."
Leander seemed to be ecstatic about the tale he was about to tell.
"Once upon a time, there was a woman, and this woman was born from the ash and fire within the depths of hell."
He took a deep breath, as Darius's eyes began to widen.
"The girl struggled to survive inside of the underworld, but one day, she gained her rightful place on the throne of hell, and that girl one day found a way to transfer her body into the world of the living..."
Darius took a heavy breath, as he looked at the boy in the window once more.
"A boy with the powers of the phoenix found her, and sheltered her, eventually falling in love with her."
"Lilith..."
Darius said, behind tearful eyes.
"The two bared a child, and that child, has survived a harrowing fate, and lived through the wrath of the gods, until the Everfrost clan found him near the beheaded Naga within the outskirts of Gaia's cursed forest."
A single tear fell from Leander's one good eye.
"I thought, that the clans of Tartarus, and The Phoenix had died with Blaze and Lilith, but I earlier found out that the boy not only lived, but he is strong."
Darius put a hand on his chest.
"My gods... Then, everything The Book Of Eternity foretold was wrong!"
The room went silent for a while, and the two stood still.
"A Sacred Soul was born, the first in ages, marking the start of the third generation..."
Darius looked into Leander's eyes, his expression turning serious.
"Then the first war of many is coming, and with it, the birth of many more Sacred Souls."
Leander did not meet The Dwarf King's expression, and instead looked ahead.
"Your wrong, the chain reaction has already begun, I believe he is not the only Sacred Soul attending the academy as a first year."
Several other illusions filled the glass windows, and scenes of multiple students appeared next to the child of hell.
A picture of a girl with ivory hair, and crimson red eyes, a boy with bright blue hair, and a physique that belonged to someone much older and stronger then him, a larger boy, with the crest of a panda, and a chubby face.
"The age is here Darius, and we must protect them with our lives. No matter the cost..."
Darius nodded.
"That we will do my old friend, and one day I pray that we sit across from each other in the fields of peace, while they reign supreme in the world we will build for them."
Leander shook his head, his face showing shades of sadness.
"I'm afraid we don't have a lot of time, we need to ensure they grow strong, and can build that world on their own incase some parts of The Book Of Eternity remain true, as they always have..."
...
'Damnit, I'm late!'
Chase quickly sped through the halls, achieving strange looks from some of the students that remained in the halls.
'Why does it have to be me of all people, damn you Gemini, and you two Michael!'
He said, nearly tripping over his own feet.
Eventually, he reached his classroom door. He gently went to push the door open, but before he could someone pulled the door open swiftly revealing an a bunch of occupied desks.
Everyone was staring at the Stray who showed up late to his first day at such a prestigious academy.
One boy had thin glasses, and jet-black hair, with a skinny frame, Vivian sat in the front of the class, next to him, and gave Chase a reassuring smile.
There were other students that seemed strangely familiar, one of them was huge, and had the emblem of a panda on his collar.
Another had an annoyed frown on his face, as he talked to two girls next to him. He had bright blue hair, and had strangely muscular arms for his age.
However, none of them mattered to Chase at the moment, because in front of him stood a really familiar girl with a blank expression on her face.
"It's disrespectful to be late on your first day, Stray."
'YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!'
The ivory princess stood in front of, with her piercing crimson eyes staring straight into his very soul.
"Sorry, your majesty."
Chase said sarcastically, as he made his way into the classroom.
...
~ End of Volume One ~ A Boy Is Born. ~