The hooves of the horses thundered against the dirt path, the sound filling the uneasy silence between Jake and his escort. A thin fog curled around the trees that lined the road, swallowing the morning light and leaving everything cold and gray. Jake sat stiffly in the carriage, his jaw tight and his gaze fixed on the rolling hills ahead. 

"This is pointless," he muttered under his breath, adjusting the collar of his new uniform. The fine stitching and deep blue fabric felt unnatural against his skin, a far cry from the simple tunics he used to wear. 

"Pointless?" The gruff voice of Captain Orlan, the family's loyal guard, cut through the quiet. "Your father's orders are far from pointless, boy." 

Jake's glare could have cut steel. "I should be training, not wasting time pretending to fit in with those vultures." 

Orlan snorted but didn't respond. He knew better than to argue when Jake was in one of his moods. 

Jake leaned back, arms crossed. The academy. A place for nobles, schemers, and cowards hiding behind their titles. He'd been to the battlefield, seen men bleed and die under his father's banner. The thought of sitting in a classroom with pampered brats made his blood boil. 

---

As the carriage rocked on, Jake's mind drifted back to the night it all changed. The monsters had come without warning, swarming the city like a plague. The screams, the smell of blood, the chaos—they were burned into his memory. 

The baron fled like a coward, leaving the city to burn. Jake's father had stepped forward, rallying the broken soldiers and leading the charge to push the monsters back. It was a battle Jake had fought in, even at his young age. He still remembered the sting of the sword hilt in his hands, the roar of the beasts, and the way his father's voice cut through the noise like a blade. 

When the dust settled, the king had stripped the baron of his title, naming Jake's father the new lord. It was a victory, but it came with a price. The nobility didn't take kindly to a commoner rising above them, and their disdain had poisoned everything since. 

---

The carriage jolted suddenly, pulling Jake from his thoughts. Orlan's hand went to his sword as the horses whinnied in panic. 

"Stay inside," Orlan barked, stepping out. 

Jake didn't listen. He shoved the door open and jumped down, landing lightly on the dirt road. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings. Figures emerged from the trees—bandits, armed and masked, their weapons glinting in the dim light. 

"Well, well," one of them sneered, "the new noble brat, out for a ride. Looks like today's our lucky day." 

Jake's lips curled into a smirk. "You're going to regret this." 

The bandits laughed, but it didn't last. Jake's hand shot to the sword at his side, the steel singing as it left the scabbard. 

Orlan growled, "Jake—" 

"I've got this," Jake cut him off, stepping forward. 

The air around him seemed to shift, a faint hum vibrating through the ground. His power surged—a trait he'd inherited from his father, though he didn't fully understand it yet. Energy crackled at his fingertips as he moved, faster than the bandits could react. 

In a blur of motion, Jake disarmed the first attacker, his sword slicing cleanly through the man's weapon. The others hesitated, but Jake didn't give them a chance. His movements were precise, brutal, and efficient, honed on the battlefield rather than in a noble's training yard. 

By the time Orlan joined the fray, it was already over. The bandits lay groaning on the ground, their weapons scattered. 

Orlan sheathed his sword and gave Jake a look of grudging approval. "You're too reckless." 

Jake shrugged, wiping his blade clean. "And you're too slow." 

---

Back in the carriage, Jake leaned against the window, watching the trees blur past. His heart still pounded from the fight, but it wasn't from fear. It was the only time he felt alive—when he was proving himself, fighting for something real. 

The academy wouldn't be like that. There would be no battles, only words and schemes. He clenched his fists. 

"If they think I'm just some commoner to push around," he murmured, "they're in for a surprise." 

The towering spires of the academy appeared in the distance, rising above the mist like a fortress. Jake stared at it, his jaw tightening. 

Let them hate me, he thought. I'll make them regret it.