The Academy truly lived up to its fame. It was so magnificent that even Aegon was impressed.
The Academy’s base was built upon the palm section of the God’s Hand and was filled with several grand architectures that were both elegant and pleasing to the eyes.
However, what truly impressed Aegon was not the beauty, but the feeling he was getting from this place. It was as if he were standing before a crouching tiger, majestic and calm on the surface, yet ready to pounce the moment he made a wrong move.
There was nothing he could do about that feeling.
’There are many powerful people here. Even the very world feels different, as if being influenced by their presence,’ Aegon thought with a smile. ’I’ve definitely come to the right place.’
A few students could be seen walking around, and every one of them carried an aura that left an impression.
Even though Aegon was currently on the weaker end, his sixth sense allowed him to analyze their presence and strength with relative ease.
Just as they were about to move forward to explore more of the Academy, a loud, commanding voice thundered through the air, accompanied by an oppressive presence that made even the atmosphere tremble.
"Make no further move."
With a heavy thud, a bald man landed in front of them, the ground cracking slightly beneath his feet. Straightening his body slowly, he towered over Aegon, who was already quite tall himself.
His fierce expression was accentuated by a long scar that ran from his forehead down to his cheek, narrowly missing his eye.
He crossed his muscular arms over his chest, his sharp gaze landing squarely on Aegon or more precisely, on his eyes.
"Greetings, Instructor!" Cali and Xavier immediately straightened up and punched their right fists against their chests in salute.
However, the man didn’t even spare them a glance. His narrow eyes remained fixed on Aegon as he spoke in a deep, commanding tone. "Who are you?"
The sudden confrontation attracted attention. Students nearby stopped whatever they were doing, and soon a small crowd gathered. All of them were curious and wondered who managed to get this particular Instructor’s attention.
Aegon calmly lowered his head slightly, a polite gesture of greeting in the Moonrise Kingdom, before speaking in a composed and steady voice.
"Greetings, Instructor. I am Aegon Valeria Augustus. I came here with my friends to look around the Academy before the entrance exams."
His introduction sent a wave of silence through the entire entrance area. Even those who hadn’t been paying attention before now froze in place, eyes widening in surprise.
Only then did everyone notice the unmistakable brilliance of his golden eyes and remember something very important.
Only two Houses were known to possess individuals with golden eyes. And even among those, only those with the purest bloodlines would have these radiant eyes.
The first was the Imperial Family of the Great Solar Empire, the House of Morningstar.
The second...was the most infamous lineage across the entire continent.
And now, the last surviving Valerian stood before them, facing the world properly for the first time.
The people unconsciously raised their head to look at the scar in the sky as they were reminded of the legacy named Aegon Valeria Augustus.
The bald instructor’s eyes trembled slightly, though his expression remained stern and unreadable. He continued to stare at Aegon for several seconds before speaking again.
"You need to come with me."
"Uh, but I wanted to check out the Academy first," Aegon tried to reason, clearly more interested in exploring than dealing with formalities.
"You can do that later," the instructor replied firmly before turning his gaze toward Xavier and Cali. "I’ll give your friends a day off to show you around afterward. For now, you need to come with me." The source of thɪs content is 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⁂𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱
His eyes shifted subtly toward Aegon’s shadow as he added, "We need to discuss something first."
Aegon finally understood why the instructor had appeared so suddenly and why he was being taken away. It wasn’t only because of his identity but it was also because of the Red Viel.
’I see. They can’t afford to let someone with unrestrained and powerful shadows roam freely within the Academy,’ Aegon thought before nodding slightly. "Then, I’ll have to trouble you."
He turned toward his friends and said, "I’ll be back soon."
"It’s fine, we can explore later," Cali said hurriedly, practically pushing him forward as if afraid he might refuse. "Your matter is more important."
Aegon rolled his eyes at her nervous expression and turned back to the instructor. "Please, lead the way."
In the next instant, the bald instructor appeared right beside him and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Tell them not to do anything reckless," he said quietly.
Aegon nodded with a faint smile toward his shadow.
A moment later, his surroundings blurred. He didn’t feel disoriented though as he had already grown used to this sort of rapid teleportation thanks to Xiu’s constant habit of dragging him around the city in a blink.
Either Aegon’s perception had grown sharper, or the instructor was weaker than Xiu, because this time he could clearly track the spatial movement and sense their destination.
’The Red Thumb,’ Aegon realized as the surroundings came into focus. Before him stood what looked like a massive mountain peak shaped like a thumb, one of the five divine fingers of the God’s Hand.
The instructor took him all the way to the very top, where a solitary three-story wooden building stood proudly.
Aegon noticed other structures along the way, but none as prominent as this one, it clearly served as the central administrative office.
The bald instructor stopped there and gently released his grip on Aegon’s shoulder before bowing respectfully. "I’ve brought him, Elder Sherwin."
Before Aegon could even fully register the situation, a powerful yet serene voice echoed all around him. It was impossible to pinpoint the exact direction as it seemed to come from everywhere at once.
He looked at the wooden building before him as shadows beneath his feet rippled faintly.
"It’s fine," he muttered, glancing briefly at the instructor.
The bald man bowed once more, giving Aegon a curious look before turning around and departing silently.
"You can come inside, child," the same deep voice called again.
"Thanks for having me then," Aegon said with a light exhale as he pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The moment his foot crossed the threshold, the world around him blurred again for a split second.
When his vision cleared, he found himself standing inside what appeared to be an office, though calling it that felt generous.
Dozens of bookshelves lined the walls, overflowing with scrolls and papers. Documents were piled everywhere, on desks, on chairs, even on the floor.
It was absolute chaos. There wasn’t enough clear space to even take a proper step forward.
"I’m here," a calm voice spoke from behind a mountain of papers.
Aegon turned toward it and found a middle-aged man sitting behind the clutter, his silver hair neatly tied back. He adjusted the monocle over his right eye and smiled warmly.
"Take a seat, Aegon," he said. "I am Amon Sherwin, the Dean of the Supreme Apostle Academy. And I believe we have quite a few things to discuss."