Adam reached the clearing that had housed Gork’s goblin village ten years ago.
Gone were the uneven metallic plates and the steam rising from the chimney. Instead, he whistled at the magic barrier pulsing a bright blue around intricately carved walls. Behind, the academy campus that replaced the town forced a nod of admiration out of him with its towers, dorms, and castle-like central building.
As he approached the guards, he heard students discussing complex topics, melding magic and science. Others, their voices younger, chuckled, the sound of their little steps on soft soil enlivening the gate.
A demon wearing a white military uniform adorned with a shining golden badge rather than armor, smiled at him.
"Hello, sir. Would you mind showing me your student or teacher card?"
Adam tilted his head and raised a brow.
The guard sized him up before he nodded. "I see. Did you come to enrol or visit someone?"
"Visit." Adam pointed at the central building. "Guide me to Gork’s office."
The guard shuddered. The academy dean? Was this unremarkable demon a big shot or a fool? He scratched his head. What he thought was of no importance, he just had to follow the protocol to keep things in order and avoid mistreatment.
"Could you please show me your identity plate, sir? I’ll report to our esteemed dean and return with an answer in a few minutes."
Adam clicked his tongue. "This again? I’ve been away from the city for ten years. We didn’t have them back in the day."
Annoyed by the waste of time, he massaged his brows and whispered. "Let me in, fool. "I’m your lord."
The guard studied him, his expression unreadable before he turned. "Please wait for a moment, sir."
Adam followed his movement, frowning a little more with each step until he saw the demon retrieve the same metallic device used by the police officer and whisper in it. But he read on his lips.
"Requesting a law enforcer’s division assistance. We have a madman claiming he’s the lord at the academy gate. He hasn’t done anything yet, so I’m reluctant to use lethal force or summon the academy guard. Alright, I’ll buy time until you bring him to a mental care facility."
Adam froze, disbelief trembling in his eyes and open mouth while Mimir exploded in laughter.
"Brother, I think I’ve never laughed that much in my life."
Adam took a deep inhale, the noise whistling through his teeth as his skin cracked and turned ashen, and his eye glowed infernal scarlet and blue.
"Come here, you fool who doesn’t know about secrecy!"
Stunned, the guard scratched his head before continuing his report into the device. "He just shapeshifted into a high-ranking demon."
A condensed beam of plasma burst from his finger. It crashed onto the device, vaporising it on the spot as he huffed.
"It’ll be your head next if you continue playing with me. You just had one thing to do. Why do you look for trouble?"
"I’m just following the rules, sir." The guard’s eyes narrowed. "But you just threatened an official on duty. I hope you’re ready to face the consequences."
Three more guards moved from the gate to assist him while one dashed inside to call for reinforcements.
Adam’s brows twitched, plasma flickering around his clenching and unclenching fists. He wanted to blast them so badly. But Mimir’s voice echoed with the obvious.
"I am amazed by their adherence to rules. But you shouldn’t escalate things. Innocent children are living in the dorms."
"You don’t have to remind me."
His eyes narrowed as he summoned his chaos bringer. The blade’s edges glowed with divine and infernal lights, the pulsing flourished a mesmerising spectacle of dancing mana, qi, and chaos. Lips curled and brow raised in disdain, he hurled it before the guards.
"Who owns this weapon, you bastards?"
The guards frowned slightly, the quality stunning them. With a shared glance, they nodded and unsheathed their blades.
"Why would you ask us? Isn’t it yours?"
"RAAAH!" Adam gripped his forehead and roared his frustration out.
What his? Of course, it was! That was the entire point of showing it since no one could wield it but him! How did they not recognise their lord’s weapon? Why were they so hard to talk to?
"I’m done playing." He blurred, four heavy collisions booming before the guard’s unconscious body dropped to the ground.
"Bored insects. Do you think I have time to waste blabbering for years?" He kicked the one who escalated the situation for no reason, shattering his legs. "Did you forget the most basic law?" His face turned somber as he walked through the gate. "Preserve yourself when confronted by someone stronger."
He exhaled to calm his boiling blood and drumming heart, the lush garden and smiling youth seated on sheets and enjoying picnics while discussing helping.
Yet, his eyes narrowed as he took a step back.
A scalding arrow dug into the soft soil a centimeter before his foot. Its milky white radiance, the tongues of pure solar energy... His lips curled into a smirk.
"I thought I would find you all scheming in the castle." Wrath ignited in his eyes as he tightened his fists, the knuckles white. "Clench your teeth, or you might lose a few, Karna."
He absorbed the arrow before the students noticed anything and lunged at the academy’s roof like a comet.
There, he saw Karna’s white hair flutter under his savage approach. The man he had once considered a close friend, a mentor, and a paternal figure’s pupils constricted. Despite the shock, an intricate bow covered with magical and runic symbols snapped to meet his fist.
The deafening collision sent ripples through the air. Karna held on for a second, his mythical artefact absorbing a part of the force. But not enough. His arm groaned, the muscles straining and veins bursting.
The bones shattered with a crunch, forcing him back a step with a grunt as he narrowed his eyes at Adam. He studied the fiery crevices pulsing beneath the elegant blue robe, the ashen skin, sharp devilish features, and the infernal and blue eye screaming vengeance.
Who was this powerful in this realm? Who had he wronged to deserve such a glare? The questions rumbled as solar energy flared from his eyes, and he readied himself to endure a bitter fight.
Yet, his adversary was already a blur, his movements too fast to be stopped. Gritting his teeth, his flames erupted in a protective cocoon to force him back.
However, he heard the trespasser’s voice behind him, the gloating tone sending an icy shudder down his spine. Strangely, it also revived painful memories.
"How well have you lived while I was gone, you traitorous snake?"
His eyes widened, his heart pounding against his ribs in a painful cacophony. The unmistakable suppressed rage taught by Achilles, the despair hidden behind the gloating, the sarcastic phrasing, he knew them all too well.
Relief, delight, guilt, and shame hustled in his heart as his lips quivered and his eyes watered. Ten years... Ten burdening years during which he felt his own convictions crush him for his mistake.
As he pondered, thinking to be safe in the raging inferno protecting him, his jaw dropped in disbelief.