Unknown Place

  The master enters a place where three people are sitting at a table. He sits with them, and they begin to speak.

  The Master: "Brandon, Victorion, Jean, not much time is left."

  Jean speaks to the master: "Isaac, our missions are almost done, so don’t falter."

  Isaac: "Do you think I’m the type to falter?"

  Jean: "I’m working with you because His Majesty ordered me to, but I’ve never liked you."

  Brandon: "You two, this is not the time for such talk."

  Victorion: "Brandon is right. None of this matters, because the world we’ve always dreamed of is closer than ever."

  Isaac: "Thanks to His Majesty, everything will be better."

  Limitless Academy

  Eoron: "Langst, Grif, please understand the situation."

  Grif: "You’re the one who needs to understand the situation, Yoron! We’ve lost four students!"

  Eoron: "These are the King's orders, Grif. There’s nothing I can do."

  Langst: "Since when did you become like this, Eoron? When we accidentally killed a butterfly, you were angry with us. Now how can you sit here after losing four students?? Aren’t you the principal here??"

  Eoron lowers his head and speaks in a soft and weak voice.

  Eoron: "Langst, I can’t do anything. While I’m sitting here, you’ve been trying for a month."

  Sadness fills Eoron’s voice: "I wish the earth would swallow me instead of this situation."

  Meeting Room of Anastasia Kingdom

  The Sacred Warrior, Aelius, is sitting in the meeting room waiting for the Higher Warriors to arrive.

  The Higher Warriors enter the room with quiet steps.

  Attack Warrior: Nuywaru Roden

  Defense Warrior: Renma Sheidel

  Support Warrior: Kanoui Volcharding

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  Bow Warrior: Hitaro Voltaren

  Assassin Warrior: Lakora Travian

  Nature Warrior: Winda Kuwamodori

  Steel Warrior: Yutomri Ryom

  Future Warrior: Yukio Figalim

  Nuywaru: "Why did you want us here, Sacred Warrior?"

  Aelius: "To discuss the future of Anastasia Kingdom."

  Meanwhile, the assassination of the Director of the Grand Academy Zuo in the Ogrelia Kingdom is announced after a week of his death.

  North of Anastasia Kingdom

  Mary: "The Axis road is the shortest, but still, it will take us nearly a whole day to get there."

  Leo: "I understand that, but where are Beatrix and Kaiser?"

  Karez: "Oh, my God..."

  Neron: "Give me a moment."

  Neron closes his eyes to strengthen his Shinta sensing ability, and indeed...

  Neron: "I found them. They’re not far."

  Beatrix and Kaiser were near a daimas

  Kaiser: "This Daimas is huge."

  Beatrix: "The size of the Daimas doesn’t matter; it doesn’t determine its rank."

  Kaiser: "I didn’t know that. Can you assess this Daimas?"

  Beatrix: "From the Shinta emanating from it, I believe it’s about rank C."

  At this moment, the others arrive at the location.

  Karez: "What did we say about splitting up??"

  Beatrix: "We were just-"

  Kinto: "Beatrix! A few days ago, we faced death, and some of us even died. We can’t move recklessly, and this applies to you too, Kaiser."

  Beatrix: "F-Fine..."

  Kento lowers his head to take a deep breath and then proceeds to talk calmly: "We’re not playing a children’s game. Although we’re students, we’re also warriors. There are times when we need to act like students and times when we need to act like warriors."

  In a City of Anastasia

  There are two homeless young brothers. The younger brother speaks: "Brother, when will we return to Mom and Dad?"

  The older brother’s throat tightens, but he speaks in the end: "Soon. Now let’s continue our search in the trash."

  At this moment, a noble-looking boy passes by the alley. He looks at them and begins to laugh mockingly. The older brother places his hand on the younger brother’s eyes. The older brother looks at the arrogant boy with a sad and silent face.

  11:34 PM

  The students stop on the road in a forest.

  They set up their tents to rest after the long journey.

  Garin and Karez sit outside to keep watch for a while.

  While they sit, Karez speaks.

  Karez: "Garin."

  Garin: "What?"

  Karez: "Do you remember when I talked to you about my childhood?"

  Garin: "Yeah, I remember. What about it?"

  Karez: "Aren’t you going to talk to me about your childhood? It’s not fair like this."

  Garin: "I don’t mind."

  13 years ago

  Garin was a child who was late in speaking. He didn’t learn to talk quickly, so he started speaking a little clearly at the age of five. But before that, at the age of three, he was thrown into an alley in one of the poor cities after his parents learned that he didn’t have the lava ability.

  He didn’t understand why they had thrown him there, so he sat waiting for them to return.

  He waited for an hour, then two.

  He felt fear and loneliness.

  The cold was biting.

  The darkness was terrifying.

  He began to cry.

  He lost consciousness from the cold, but shortly afterward, someone found him.

  They carried him and took him to their home.

  The house was old.

  This person took care of Garin and fed him.

  The person kept Garin in his home for a long time, and Garin came to consider him as his father.

  Though the man’s financial situation was very poor, he tried to make Garin as happy as possible.

  Even though he wasn’t his blood, he did everything possible for Garin.

  When Garin was five, he was able to ask the man his name, saying: "Daddy... what’s your name?"

  The man was overjoyed that Garin spoke because he thought Garin was mute and couldn’t talk.

  He answered: "Louis, my name is Louis."

  Garin answered slowly: "I’m Garin."

  Although Garin couldn’t speak well, he had a strong memory, and he remembered his name, but he didn’t know the name of his family or clan because the Lavalik clan never tells the children their clan name until they’re sure they have the lava ability, to prevent a person with another ability from being expelled from the clan and claiming they are from the Lavalik clan.

  Years passed, and the day Garin had been waiting for arrived.

  The day he could go to take the academy test.

  When he left, Louis closed the house door.

  He sat on the couch for a while.

  He began to cough heavily.

  Louis had a lung disease, but he didn’t tell Garin so as not to stop him from pursuing his goal of going to the academy.

  A month before the end of the school year, Louis died.

  When Garin returned, he was shocked.

  He couldn’t comprehend the situation.

  Louis’s body was decaying.

  Garin told Karez about this, so he went with him to the lavalik family mansion.

  Present

  Karez: You managed to take the test even though you didn’t go to school?

  Garin: School isn’t necessary for the test. Didn’t you know that?

  Karez: No, that’s something new to me.

  Garin: Looks like I’m smarter than you now.

  They both laugh as they look at the stars in the sky.