The sound of horses galloping echoed through the air, and dust and bits of grass floated around.
Inside the carriage, a young man with messy white hair and silver eyes sat, looking out the window.
"1... 2... 3..."
—ROAR—
"What the hell was that?" he muttered, eyes wide.
A loud roar echoed again, and suddenly, a group of five monsters jumped in front of the carriage. They had green skin and wore rough animal hides.
"Seriously?" he growled, kicking the door open and jumping out.
The monsters growled, clearly pissed off.
"Goddamn it, just my luck," he cursed, cracking his knuckles and getting ready to fight.
One of the monsters lunged at him, its claws aimed right for his throat. The young man barely had time to dodge, rolling to the side as it slammed into the ground where he'd been standing just a second before.
"Shit, that was close," he muttered, quickly getting to his feet.
The monster snarled and turned around, but he was already moving. He drew a short sword from his side and slashed at the creature, hitting it across the chest. It let out a grunt and staggered back.
"Come on, you ugly bastards. Bring it," he growled.
The others charged in, but the young man was faster. He ducked, weaved, and slashed with the same practiced speed, taking down one of the monsters with a clean cut to the neck.
"Fu*king idiots," he spat, wiping some sweat off his forehead. "Can't even fight right."
Another monster swiped at him, but he blocked it with his sword and kicked the thing in the stomach, sending it flying back.
"Just a bunch of fu*king goblins wants to kill me huh?" He muttered while looking at the goblin pack.
The carriage driver, gripping the reins tightly, finally lost it.
"Kid, quit running your damn mouth and just kill them already!" he shouted, voice shaking.
The young man rolled his eyes, dodging another goblin's swing before stabbing it straight in the gut. The thing let out a weird gurgle before dropping.
"The fu*k do you think I'm doing?" he shot back.
One of the goblins grabbed it's wooden spear and rushed forward. The driver, looking like he regretted every life decision that led him here, yanked a rusty dagger from his belt. "Oh, fu*k this," he muttered, gripping it with both hands.
The goblin lunged, but before it got close, the young man moved. He ducked under the attack and slashed up, cutting straight through its chest. Blood sprayed, and the goblin hit the ground with a thud.
The last two goblins froze, glancing at each other. They looked like they just realised they'd fu*ked up.
The young man cracked his neck. "Oh, now you're scared? Too fu*king late for that."
Before they could run, he dashed forward and sliced one of them down in one hit. The last goblin turned to bolt, but the driver, in some desperate attempt to help, threw his dagger at it.
It barely did anything. The handle smacked against the goblin's back, making it stumble.
The young man sighed. "That was embarrassing."
"Shut the hell up!" the driver snapped.
Rolling his eyes, the young man walked up and stabbed the last goblin in the neck. It dropped, and just like that, it was over.
Everything went quiet. The young man shook some blood off his sword. "What a fu*king waste of time."
The driver sighed, rubbing his face. "You better pay me extra for this shit."
The young man smirked. "Yeah? Yeah, I'll pay you once we reach the academy."
The driver scoffed. "Like hell you will."
The young man just shrugged and climbed back into the carriage like nothing happened.
The driver grumbled, wiping sweat off his forehead before hauling himself back onto the seat. "Damn brat," he muttered under his breath, snapping the reins. The horses hesitated for a second, still spooked from the fight, but after a few sharp tugs, they started moving again.
The carriage rattled down the road, the bloodstains on the dirt already drying under the sun.
Inside, the young man leaned back, resting his head against the seat. "Fu*king goblins," he mumbled, closing his eyes. "Can't even let me have a peaceful ride."
The driver snorted. "Yeah, real peaceful. You jumped out like you were dying to pick a fight."
The young man cracked one eye open. "What? You wanted me to sit there and let them rip the horses apart?"
The driver grunted. "Would've been nice if you took care of it faster."
"Would've been nice if you actually helped," the young man shot back.
The driver rolled his eyes and focused on the road, deciding he was too tired to keep arguing.
The young man let out a slow breath, relaxing as the steady sound of hooves filled the air again.
It wasn't long before his eyes grew heavy. "Wake me up when we get there," he muttered, already drifting off.
The driver just shook his head. "Lazy bastard."
And with that, the carriage rolled on toward the academy.
The carriage kept rolling down the dirt road, the wheels rattling over small rocks and bumps. The driver sighed, rubbing his temples. He wasn't paid enough for this shit.
After a while, the sun started dipping lower in the sky. The young man was still asleep, arms crossed, head tilted slightly to the side. He looked completely at peace, like he hadn't just butchered a bunch of goblins.
The driver glanced back at him and clicked his tongue. "Fu*king brat," he muttered, shaking his head.
A few hours passed, and the towering walls of Alrix Academy finally came into view. The place was massive, standing like a fortress with tall spires, iron gates, and banners fluttering in the wind.
The driver pulled the reins, slowing the horses down. "Oi, wake up," he called.
The young man didn't move.
The driver narrowed his eyes. "Hey! Get your lazy ass up!" He reached back and smacked the side of the carriage.
The young man groaned and opened his eyes slightly. "The fu*k...?" He sat up, rubbing his neck. "We there already?"
"Yeah, and you still owe me extra for that shit back there," the driver grumbled.
The young man yawned, stretching his arms. "Yeah, yeah, put it on my tab."
The driver scoffed. "Like you got a tab."
The carriage rolled up to the academy gates, where a couple of guards stood watch. One of them, a man in polished armor with a spear resting on his shoulder, stepped forward.
"State your name and business," the guard said.
The young man stepped out of the carriage, adjusting his coat. He gave the guard a lazy smirk.
"Ezra Nacht. New student."
The guard raised an eyebrow and glanced at a list in his hands. His eyes narrowed slightly when he found the name. Then pointed past the gates. "Go straight, keep walking, and you'll see a giant building with red bricks. That's where you need to be."
Ezra squinted past the gate, trying to spot the building. "Big - building. Got it."
The guard didn't say anything else, just waved him through.
The guard ignored him and motioned toward the gates. "Proceed inside. Your belongings will be inspected. Follow the instructions given by the academy staff."
Ezra sighed and stretched again. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
He turned back to the driver, who was already lighting up a cigarette. "Now pay me"
Ezra snorted. "Oh, yeah. About that…" He patted his pockets, then suddenly pulled out a small, slightly crumpled piece of paper. He flicked it toward the driver, who caught it with a skeptical look.
"That's the name of my uncle," Ezra said with a lazy smirk. "He's a mercenary. You can ask him for the money."
The driver scowled and unfolded the paper, reading the name scribbled on it. His frown deepened. "A mercenary?"
"Yeah," Ezra said, stretching. "You'll probably find him around The Rusted Boar inn. If he's not drinking there, he's probably taking a nap in some alley nearby."
The driver's eye twitched. "Are you fucking serious?"
Ezra just grinned. "Dead serious."
"You're sending me to chase down some drunk mercenary for payment?"
"Hey, better than nothing." Ezra turned, already walking toward the academy gates. "Good luck with that."
The driver glared at him, then at the paper, then at the sky like he was questioning every decision that led to this moment.
"Kid, if your uncle doesn't pay up, I swear to the gods—"
Ezra waved over his shoulder. "Then I guess we'll both be broke. Sucks, huh?"
The driver took a long, suffering drag of his cigarette. "Next time, I'm running you over."
Ezra snorted but didn't slow down. "Love you too!"
Ignoring the driver's curses, he stepped past the massive iron gates, finally entering Alrix Academy.
Ezra walked through the gates, hands in his pockets, barely paying attention to the people around him. The place was huge, filled with statues, training grounds, and way too many students wearing fancy uniforms. Some were fighting, some were studying, and some were just standing around talking.
He didn't care about any of that.
"Big red-brick building… there it is," he muttered, spotting it in the distance.
As he headed toward it, he started noticing people looking at him. Some whispered.
"Who's that?"
"New kid?"
"He looks… rough."
"Why is he alone? No family escort?"
Ezra rolled his eyes. "Nobles are so fu*king weird."
He was almost up the steps when someone stepped in front of him on purpose.
"Hey, you."
Ezra stopped, already annoyed. The guy in front of him had perfect blond hair, a spotless uniform, and the smug look of someone who thought he was important. Behind him stood a few other students, clearly waiting for something to happen.
Ezra already knew what this was.
"Yeah?" he said, not bothering to hide his boredom.
The blond guy crossed his arms. "I don't know where you came from, but you can't just walk in here like you own the place."
Ezra yawned.
The guy twitched. "Are you even listening?"
"Not really," Ezra said. "You done?"
The guy's eye twitched harder. "Do you even know who I am?"
Ezra shrugged. "Nope. Don't care."
Gasps. Someone whispered, He's dead.
The blond guy's face went red. "You lowborn piece of—"
Ezra grabbed his collar and yanked him closer. "Listen, princess I just spent my morning fighting goblins and getting scammed by a carriage driver. I'm not in the mood. So unless you want me to knock your teeth in, move your fancy ass out of my way."
More gasps. Someone in the crowd whispered, Oh, he's really dead now.
The blond guy clenched his fists, looking like he was about to throw a punch, but before he could do anything, a voice cut through the tension.
"Oi! What the hell is going on here?"
Everyone turned.
A tall man with messy dark brown hair and a scruffy beard stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at them with sharp blue eyes. He had a long coat draped over his academy robes and a cigarette hanging loosely from his fingers. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.
Ezra squinted up at him, then muttered under his breath, "Who the hell is this guy?"
The blond guy straightened up immediately, his smugness flickering into nervousness. "P-Professor Vance!"
Professor Cedric Vance exhaled a trail of smoke, his tired blue eyes scanning the scene. "Let me guess—some pompous brat tried to start shit with the new kid, and now you all think you're in a goddamn drama play." He rubbed his temple. "Move. Now."
The blond guy stiffened. "But, Professor, he—"
"Did I fu*king stutter?" Vance said flatly, flicking ash off his cigarette. "You got a problem, take it to the arena. Otherwise, get the hell out of my sight before I start handing out extra assignments."
The crowd hesitated, then quickly dispersed. The blond guy scowled but backed off, muttering curses under his breath.
Ezra let out a slow breath, letting go of the guy's collar. "Tch. What a fu*king waste of time."
Vance sighed, finally looking at him. "You. White-haired loudmouth. You're Ezra Nacht, yeah?"
Ezra raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. You got a problem with that?"
Vance snorted. "Not yet. But something tells me I will." He turned on his heel. "Hurry up. Orientation's a pain in the ass, and I'd rather not be standing around all day."
Ezra shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Sounds like a you problem."
Vance stopped, exhaled slowly, and muttered, "I fu*king hate my job." Then, without another word, he started walking toward the building.
Ezra smirked. "This might actually be fun."
With that, he followed after his new teacher, stepping fully into the madness that was Alrix Academy.