The morning sun was barely cresting over the academy spires when I stood before my mirror, adjusting the strap of my travel bag across my shoulder. The nerves hadn’t left me since yesterday.
"Thank god I was discharged just in time..." I thought, breathing out a heavy sigh. "If I’d missed Beastridge mountain... I don’t even want to imagine the consequences. It will only be more ominous this time"
A major event, a turning point not only in the game, but in real life now. I had only vague outlines of what might unfold — but the thought of not being there to influence it, or protect those around me, left a cold sweat behind my ears.
Professor Seraphina had personally informed me last night that I’d be traveling in a special carriage, under her supervision to make sure I am fully recovered. Three full days to reach Beastridge Mountain. The Mountain council allowed no teleportation, no shortcuts — only physical travel.
Apparently, there would be others sharing my carriage, but honestly, I didn’t care. I assumed they’d be some unnamed students, background characters. Extras.
I slung the bag on, double-checked the vials of emergency potions, and stepped out. A subtle buzz of excitement and dread hummed under my skin.
By the time I reached the academy’s central courtyard, it was already bustling with activity. A long procession of enchanted carriages stood lined in neat rows. Horses snorted and pawed the ground, professors barked orders, and students from all four years gathered in groups, chatting or nervously checking their equipment.
The academy’s prestige meant it had the largest quota of Beastridge slots across all allied kingdoms. This wasn’t just a field trip — it was a rare privilege, a chance to obtain power, or die trying.
As I waited by the stone fountain, footsteps approached.
"Yo, Luca!"
"Hey brother-in-law, looks like you survived after all!"
I turned, smiling as Eric and Kyle appeared together — an odd pairing, but strangely fitting. Eric’s relaxed grin contrasted perfectly with Kyle’s teasing, smug look.
"Well," I chuckled, bumping fists with both, "fortunately I woke up before Beastridge. Looks like fate’s got a strange sense of humor."
"Or you just refuse to die," Kyle added dryly, arms crossed.
Before I could respond, Aiden approached quietly, nodding in greeting. His cool composure hadn’t changed, but there was a glint of relief in his usually unreadable eyes. Selena followed next, giving me a small nod — curt but respectful. And then Lilliane, smiling faintly, eyes softer than usual.
"It’s good to see you again, Luca," she said.
I gave her a brief nod. "Good to be back."
One by one, the courtyard filled with students and faculty. Luggage was being loaded, assignments shouted out.
Then, among the crowd, red hair shimmered under the sunlight. Aurelia.
She strode toward me and without hesitation, took my hand in hers.
"Tch. It’s a shame inter-year students aren’t allowed to share carriages," she said with a soft pout. "Otherwise, I’d have claimed the seat next to you."
I laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of my neck. "Guess the academy has strict ideas about ’fairness.’"
"Unfair, you mean," she muttered, before letting go reluctantly.
Before I could reply, a clear voice rang out across the courtyard.
"Everyone, report to your assigned carriages!"
It was Seraphina.
Groups began to disperse as names were called. I checked the number I’d been given and turned to head toward mine when Eric clapped a hand on my shoulder.
"Come on, we’re together."
I blinked, surprised. "Wait, really?"
He nodded. "Yep"
Hahah, as I thought all extras.
But when I looked back there was someone travelling in the same direction with us — Selena,
"Are you with us too?" I asked, eyebrows raised.
Selena nodded curtly.
I sighed. One main character in a carriage, sure. Doesn’t matter much. Just to make sure
"Hey Eric, who is the last one in our carriage?"
Eric only grinned mysteriously.
"Oh, it’s a surprise."
I stared at him, my left eye twitching. "That’s... ominous."
A bad premonition curled at the edge of my spine, but Seraphina’s sharp voice cut off my thoughts.
"Get in, now! We don’t have all day!"
Selena entered first, quiet and graceful. Eric followed, whistling. I took a breath and stepped inside — and that’s when it happened.
As I looked across the cushioned seats of the carriage, I locked eyes with the final passenger.
Her silver eyes widened, and at the exact same moment, both of us shouted in disbelief:
"It’s you?!"
***
The wheels of the carriage creaked to life, rolling over the cobbled path as the grand convoy of Arcadia Academy set off toward Beastridge Mountain. Inside one of the ornate, rune-inscribed carriages, silence reigned.
Eric lounged comfortably on one side, humming a tune as if completely unaware of the stiff, awkward atmosphere. Beside him sat Luca, his gaze fixed on the window though his mind was clearly elsewhere. Across from them, Selena sat with her usual composed expression, Seraphina in the middle with her eyes closed,arms folded, while the final passenger — the silver-eyed Saintess — kept stealing glances toward Luca and then quickly looking away.
The silence dragged, heavy and tense, until Eric finally leaned forward and said, "Luca, Saintess... you two know each other already?"
Without missing a beat, both Luca and Aria blurted out, "Of course not."
Their voices overlapped in perfect sync, and then the awkwardness grew unbearable.
Eric blinked, then slowly leaned back with an amused smile. "Uh-huh."
Luca stared at the floor, mentally cursing the situation.
What the hell is going on?
He shot a quick glance at Aria — or rather, the Saintess Aria — then looked away just as fast.
Why is she here... now?
According to the original storyline, she wasn’t supposed to appear until the third arc — at Beastridge Mountain — and even then, only briefly. She would have arrived as a neutral figure, someone who tamed one of the sacred beasts and gained access to the Inner Sanctum. Only after that would she have joined the academy as a formal student. Not this.
Her being here now... it was a huge shift. A disruption.
How many ripples will this create in the story? How many threads will it twist just by her early involvement?
But even more confusing was the way she had looked at him. Recognition? Surprise? Was it possible she knows me?
No. No, that didn’t make sense. It must be a misunderstanding.
On the opposite seat, Aria was having her own internal crisis.
Ugh, how embarrassing!
Her hands fidgeted with the hem of her gloves as she kept her expression serene, barely.
Who would’ve guessed that this Luca guy was that guy from the bar? I thought maybe I’d run into him in the academy... maybe in a different class or a year above me, not in the same carriage!
Her cheeks warmed slightly as she stole another glance at him.
But wait... did he recognize me? He was looking at me like he did. But no, that can’t be it. I’m a Saintess now — it’s normal for people to recognize me. That must be it.
Still, the awkward silence was making her skin crawl.
Determined to take the initiative, she straightened her posture and said in a clear, formal tone, "Hello, Mr. Valentina. My name is Aria. I’ve heard a lot about you these past three weeks."
Luca looked up, blinking once before replying politely, "Ah... it’s my fortune that you know me, Saintess."
This time, the carriage wasn’t steeped in silence. The tension from earlier had begun to dissolve — only slightly — thanks to Eric’s usual talent for poking holes through awkward atmospheres.
He slouched further into his seat, arms crossed behind his head, and groaned dramatically.
"Ugh, why do we have to travel by carriage of all things? Can’t we just teleport or ride a beast or something faster?"
Aria, ever composed despite the bumpy road, answered calmly, "It’s for security reasons. There can’t be any form of transportation besides physical travel."
Eric raised an eyebrow. "Security reasons? For a bunch of top students and a Saintess?"
This time, the reply came not from across him, but from his own side.
Luca tilted his head slightly, voice low and matter-of-fact. "Because Beastridge is a forbidden region. It opens only once every fifty years. The barriers that seal it would detect — and block — any form of magical or artificial interference."
He leaned forward a little, glancing out the window as the distant silhouette of the mountain range peeked through the trees.
"If alternate routes or teleportation were available, anyone could access it anytime. That would lead to... all kinds of problems."
Aria nodded beside him, adding, "Many factions would risk everything to reach the Inner Sanctum if the chance came early."
Luca continued again, "It’s not just danger from outside. The land itself reacts to unnatural intrusion."
Seraphina, seated in the middle, giving a curt nod of agreement.
Eric let out a low whistle. "Well damn... no pressure, huh?"
Then his lips curved upward in a mischievous smirk, and he elbowed Luca lightly.
"But you know what is suspicious?" He turned his gaze toward both Luca and Aria. "You two seem to be perfectly in sync."
Luca blinked.
Aria coughed.
***
But far away, in a land twisted by corruption and shadows, a conspiracy was brewing—one that would not only shake Luca, but send tremors across the entire continent.