Nathan rushed out of his door immediately and looked around the house. Eric, who was usually out at this time, turned out to be sitting casually at the dining room table, staring at the scenery outside the window. Nathan sighed with relief; this saved him a lot of trouble trying to look for him in town.
"Dad, come check this out," he said hastily, presenting the letter and uniform on the table.
There wasn't even a glimmer of surprise in Eric's eyes. He picked the letter up casually and scanned through it. With a shrug, he smiled at Nathan. "Congratulations."
Nathan's pupils widened as he opened his mouth, attempting to speak. But no words came out. He excitedly grabbed the letter and pointed toward the phrase "Representative student."
Eric nodded. "Great news indeed. There are a lot of privileges you can get by being a representative student. Perhaps your dream could be achievable at this academy."
Seeing the innocence and casualness in his father's demeanor, Nathan's body softened, and his voice lost its excitement. "Dad, do you see why I want to figure out who you really are?"
"Why?" Eric shrugged again, his smile friendly yet filled with an uncomfortable amusement.
"You're the one who told me how difficult it is to become a representative student at the Imperial Rune Arts Academy," Nathan replied in resignation. "Please, Dad, just tell me how you earned this position for me."
"What do you mean?" Eric turned his body to face Nathan directly. "I wasn't the one who gave you the letter. It says very clearly that this was Principal Nox's decision—nothing to do with me."
Before Nathan could reply, Eric continued, "Come on, boy. I don't think the question is 'How did I possibly get invited?' It should be 'Do I want to go study at this academy?' and 'Will I enjoy my life better if I'm enrolled?'"
"Of course I want to go!" Nathan lashed out, his eyes shining even brighter than usual. This was an opportunity of a lifetime, and Nathan wasn't someone who would casually give it up. Deep in his heart, he knew his life had changed. No matter how difficult the path forward was, he would tread it without regret.
"Great, great." Eric nodded in acknowledgment, though a sudden sorrow flashed across his features.
Nathan tried his best to calm himself down and reevaluate the situation. After a quick pause, he pointed out the most critical problem.
"Well, it's not like you're going to tell me who you actually are, so I won't even bother," he said thoughtfully, leaning against the table. "But realistically, I'm still a Lostburg citizen. Even though no one will suspect it since I'm a representative student, how could I even leave this town?"
Lostburg was an abandoned realm where no one could enter and no one could leave. Protected by guards with profound mastery over Combat Rune Arts, there hadn't been a single case of a Lostburg citizen escaping from the city.
Eric seemed impressed with Nathan's question. He stood up and headed to his room. Nathan waited quietly as his brain processed the overwhelming information. There were so many problems he would have to face even after he reached the academy. His identity would always make him the odd one out among the other representative students.
Additionally, he didn't want to enroll in the academy simply to study Rune Arts. He wanted to do something impressive—so impressive that his name would be written in the academy's history books. He had no idea what it was or how he would achieve it, but the flame of ambition roared inside his heart, filling him with confidence and excitement.
When Eric returned to the dining room, he was holding a thin stack of paper. Nathan could briefly see circular patterns embedded on the surface.
Nathan didn't know exactly what it was, but he had a slight idea.
Those patterns were runes—runes that could unleash miraculous Rune Arts. From Nathan's understanding, runes were usually drawn on a surface or midair using a special wand. When a Rune Artist pressed their hand on the rune and channeled their power through it, the specific Rune Art would be released.
The elemental trait of the wand determined the color of the rune and, therefore, its element. The type of Rune Art depended only on the rune's pattern, while its power depended on the mastery of the Rune Artist. Different patterns of runes were still being discovered in the modern era, and everyone had the opportunity to create their own specific Rune Arts. However, it all depended on their talent, effort, and imagination.
Nathan knew that practicing Rune Arts without a Rune Artist certificate from the official federation or outside an academy was strictly forbidden. But since he was going to break the law by escaping Lostburg anyway, he barely cared.
"You already guessed what these are, right?" Eric smiled, spreading the papers on the table. There were seven runes of different colors, representing the seven possible elements.
Nathan nodded, though his eyebrows furrowed slightly. "I thought runes needed to be drawn on the spot. Shouldn't they dissolve in midair after a while if no one casts them?"
"Precisely," Eric responded with an unusual sense of wisdom and composure. "But these aren't ordinary papers. When runes are drawn onto them, they'll stay there forever. The Rune Arts Federation calls them 'stamped runes.' These are extremely modern technologies that haven't been shared with the public yet. For safety reasons, only a select few can use them."
This made Nathan doubt his theory about his father's identity. If Eric was still up-to-date with the kingdom's secrets, he couldn't be a banished aristocrat. After all that had happened, Nathan knew his father wasn't just someone special but perhaps a legendary figure of significant value to Runalond.
But Nathan didn't want to question him further. He knew Eric wouldn't answer, just like every other time he tried.
"I suppose these will help me get out of the town?" Nathan studied the runes carefully.
"Some elements are better for travelling and disguise. But even if your elemental trait doesn't match the element, simply casting Rune Arts should be enough to prove you don't belong in Lostburg," Eric explained. "You'll need some practice to cast Rune Arts from these stamped runes. But first, let's find out your elemental trait. Try this one first."
Eric lifted the paper with green-coloured runes and delicately twisted his hands. The rune projected into reality, appearing larger.
"The easiest method is to fly out of Lostburg," Eric added. "Press your hand on it and see if the rune reacts to you."
Nathan did as he was told, feeling a sense of calmness and relaxation as he pressed his hand on it. But the rune didn't respond.
"Your elemental trait isn't wind. Now try the earth one," Eric said, shaking his head. He pressed the wind rune back onto the paper, returning it to its stamped form, and replaced it with a brown rune. "This one will let you travel underground. It takes more practice, but it's doable."
Nathan nodded and tried again. This time, the feeling was replaced by steadiness and confidence, but again, the rune didn't respond.
"It's fine. You'll definitely have an elemental trait." Eric repeated the process and replaced it with a black rune. "This one is darkness. It's riskier, but it can conceal you so you can sneak past the guards unnoticed."
Nathan pressed his hand on the darkness rune. He felt nothing but endless hollow and uncertainty. However, this time, the rune glowed with a gentle aura, and Nathan sensed something flowing inside him.
"Right on!" Eric smiled widely. "Nathan, we have one month until the academy starts. It usually takes about a week to learn a basic Rune Art. Every Rune Art requires a unique flow of energy to cast properly. I don't possess the darkness elemental trait, so I've never cast this before. But I believe my son will figure it out without much effort."
Feeling a comfortable connection with the darkness rune, Nathan nodded. Though his face appeared calm, his heart was bursting with excitement and hope.
Mysteries and challenges lay ahead, but he wasn't afraid.
In fact, he couldn't wait to face them.