"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Lao Tzu
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The Kerina faction raided Augustrius many years ago. It was a day of envy, loss, and hatred. A boy tugged on the sleeve of his mother's blouse, his voice trembling with desperation. He repeatedly begged the raiders not to take her away.
"Don't take Mommy!"
The mother forced a smile. "Don't worry, Zernia. Mommy will be back before you know it! Until then, I want you to become a savior for Augustrius."
Those words were enough to convince the boy, and so he waited—days, months, years—only for his mother to never return. With every passing second, his loathing for the Kerina faction deepened. He eventually realized that her words had only been to protect him. That false sense of hope was the driving force behind his dream, yet he could never believe the hope itself was a lie.
Zernia, now 17, has one goal: to destroy Kerina.
What he didn't know was that soon, an even greater challenge awaited him.
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The Augustrius faction was bustling with activity. Merchants shouted to attract customers, offering their commodities to the masses. The clanking and rattling of construction echoed through the air. Among the commotion, others—including me—were rushing to the academy. Today was the day system users could take the Augustrius Academy entrance exam.
Even getting to the academy felt like a test in itself, as I lived 50 miles away. But this time, I was prepared. I had left five hours earlier than last year when I missed the exam entirely.
"System, what's my distance?"
[8 MILES AWAY FROM DESTINATION]
[20 MINUTES UNTIL ARRIVAL]
The weight on my chest began to fade. This was perfect. However, with that clarity came a growing sense of anxiety and doubt. The thought of failure loomed large in my mind. The entrance exam had an unnervingly low success rate, so much so that even high-ranking mages claimed they would struggle to pass despite their incredible strength.
My anxious thoughts grew more jumbled as I stared at the leviathan of an academy that watched over the lively town.
"Aaah!"
Echoing screams and the sound of crashing stone houses filled the air. I approached the cloud of dust rising from the destruction and saw a blue-haired mage standing in the rubble of a house he had smashed into, scratching his head.
"My apologies, but I'm in a hurry!"
The blue-haired mage fled after muttering his half-hearted apology. I chased him down, grabbing him by the hood of his black robe to stop him. He turned slowly, meeting my glare as I raised my voice.
"I'm in a rush to the academy too, but that's no excuse to ignore the damage you caused!"
"Let go of me, damn it! I promise I'll take care of it later. You're just wasting our time right now."
"Fine, but you better hold that vow close to your heart. I'm not afraid to do you in after I get my system license."
"Whoa! Don't resort to violence over something so meager!"
"I'm just messing with you. The idea is funny, though."
"Seriously, what's wrong with you?!"
I chuckled slyly as I let go of his hood. As we continued toward the academy, a message window popped up.
[10 MINUTES UNTIL THE AREA CLOSES!]
[ESTIMATED TIME TO ARRIVE: 15 MINUTES]
This wasn't good. I had actually wasted too much time dealing with this situation. There was seemingly no way I'd make it on time. Desperately, I began conjuring up every possible scenario to fix the issue. Then, I opened the system and selected the option to view the blue-haired mage's profile.
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[CHARACTER PROFILE]
NAME: MORPHIS ORPHIS
AGE: 19
TITLES: NONE
SKILLS: [LIFT-OFF LV.5] [LAUGHTER LV.3] [OUTRAGE LV.2]
STIGMA: ???
WEAPON: NONE
STATS: [ATTACK LV.12] [ENDURANCE LV.7] [AGILITY LV.4] [SENSES LV.2] [MAGIC POWER LV.4]
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This was perfect. After reviewing his character profile, an idea had struck me.
"Mind lending me a hand, home-wrecker?"
"If it involves me dying, then hell no."
"No need to be so paranoid. I just want to know what skill you used to get here so quickly and end up crashing like that."
"The 'Lift-Off' skill. Why?"
"Launch me to the academy."
"You're insane," he muttered, clasping his hands together. "Fine. Hop on. But if you crash, that's on you."
I stepped onto his clasped hands and gave him the signal. "Prepared for lift-off, captain!"
"Not seeing you for a while will be a blessing. Now, lift-off!"
I was instantly propelled into the air, my body soaring toward the academy. From this height, the vastness of Augustrius came into view. Homes stretched out across the faction, neighboring shops and inns. The faint, light-blue cracks of hatching rifts dotted the landscape. Countless people bustled through the town. Even though this was only a fraction of the faction, its beauty was overwhelming.
My trance broke as I crash-landed onto the grass and dirt of the academy's campus. Debris scattered as I shook myself off. I had made it. I was finally here—on the very grounds of Augustrius Academy.
I couldn't help but exclaim, "Victory has been seized!"
Turning around, I noticed several students standing near the gate, staring at me in awe. Moments later, the blue-haired mage landed gracefully on both feet, shaking the ground beneath him.
"I'm Zernia, and this guy is my friend," I said teasingly.
The mage grunted and pushed me aside. "Like hell I am."
"I saved you from getting arrested for property damage, though…"
"And you threatened to kill me right after, dumbass!"
The students began applauding us. While the blue-haired mage looked utterly confused, I chimed in, cheering right along with them.
[THE TITLE: "MAGE FROM THE SKY" HAS BEEN ACQUIRED]
The double doors of the academy creaked. A middle-aged man could be seen plodding on the stone pathway that led from the gate to the door. Our rowdiness fell silent at the very first thud of his boots. This was the academy's president, Muir Augustrius.