The man, his posture rigid with pride and tension, pressed his thin hand on the desk. His voice was controlled but carried an undercurrent of warning. “We will follow the process. You will write everything first, and only then will my son enter. I do not want others to think the Sealborne family does not follow the rules.”
The man at the desk began to sweat. He did not dare sit down and started frantically filling in the details. Previously, when he had told them that they could only enter the academy after completing the paperwork, they had almost beaten him for making them wait. Now, however, they behaved like completely different people.
The child, who was about Alex’s height, began removing his treasures and artefacts one by one and handed them to the knight stationed nearby. The knight knelt on one knee to match the child’s height, kept his eyes on the ground as he accepted all the items, and then backed away.
After all the paperwork was completed, the man at the desk finally dared to meet their gaze again. However, their black eyes were so deep, like an abyss, that he immediately looked down and said, “Lord, I have finished writing the details. The young lord may enter now.”
The child lifted his gaze to his father, his expression unreadable. Not a flicker of feeling crossed his young face, as if he had been trained to hide every trace of fear or hope. His father met his eyes, equally inscrutable, and gave a single, stiff nod. “Go, son,” he said, his words heavy with unspoken expectations.
Just as the child was about to move forward, the man leaned in. He placed a firm, almost possessive grip on his son’s shoulder and bent down, his breath warm against the child’s ear. In a voice that was both gentle and terrifying, he whispered, “If you dare tarnish our family name, you know what will happen, right?”
The child froze in his tracks, his eyes dilating and his face almost losing its color. As soon as his father lifted his head to meet his gaze, the child managed to nod and enter through one of the small gate entrances that were behind the desk.
The man at the desk remained quiet. He wanted to claim he had not heard anything, but he had overheard them and was sweating buckets, fearing for his life. Thankfully, the man no longer paid attention to him as if he were beneath him and instead began marching toward the Drakethorne and Veilcaster families, who were waiting behind him.
The knights gave way to their lord, and the man stopped just a few steps in front of them. He looked at Alex; there was no smile on his face, and no one could tell what he was thinking until he said, “Finally, your son has taken a step outside his house. I do not know what will happen, but Shane, you must take care of him. Some rats might try to kill him.”
Shane immediately summoned his sword, Darkred, which hummed in his hand as red, blood-like flames erupted from it. Before he could take another step, Cassian came between them and stopped his friend from making any rash decisions.
Cassian looked at his friend and said, “Control yourself.”
Cassian’s voice sharpened as he turned to the man; his jaw tightened. “Do you want to lose your head, Grand Duke Corvin Sealborne?” he challenged, eyes flashing with restrained fury.
Corvin Sealborne, patriarch of the Grand Duchy Sealborne, turned his head slightly, a smirk forming on his lips. He said, “You mean your friend’s head.”
Cassian almost cursed the man. This time, he did not stop, and Shane appeared beside him, launching his sword toward Corvin’s neck. At that moment, a giant beast called Runebear appeared, its runes glowing brightly to harden its fur.
But before the two could clash, a loud voice rang out, “Stop.” Shane’s sword halted in its tracks, and everyone turned toward a woman who was slowly floating down to the ground. Her face was filled with anger, her eyebrows raised, and her eyes bulging. She was Sylara Aerwyn, the vice principal of the academy.
Sylara landed soundlessly and fixed both Shane and Corvin with a piercing glare. She pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation, then adjusted her glasses before speaking. “Withdraw your auras and weapons. Corvin, call back your Runebear. People are disturbed by your fight.” Her tone was icy, allowing no argument.
Shane recalled his sword into his dimensional space, and Corvin’s Runebear also disappeared into particles.
Before Sylara could utter another word, Corvin strode toward Shane, his expression unreadable. He placed a heavy hand on Shane’s shoulder, leaning in to whisper, “Your son has disappointed me.” The words were laced with contempt.
Shane froze in place as Corvin moved past them, leaving them behind. His knights followed him.
Seeing his friend’s reaction, Cassian put his hand on Shane’s shoulder and raised his eyebrows. Shane turned toward him, simply smiled, and shook his head to indicate that nothing had happened.
Sylara, the vice principal, looked at them and, since the situation had calmed down, told them not to fight again before disappearing into the sky. Alex watched the woman's retreating figure in the sky. He had heard nothing, did not know who she was, but was mesmerized by her ability to float in the air.
Alex observed everything and realized there was some bad blood between the man and his father, judging by their reactions and the fight. His mother held his hand tightly, as well as his sister’s. Sometimes he felt her grip tighten, and when he looked at her face, he saw her stressed, with lines forming on her forehead.
He sighed to himself, ‘It seems there are people who actively hate us and have bad blood with us.’ He made a note to remember the child who had previously entered through the gate and had come with the man.