"Alright guys 2 days from now we will start preparing at the Academy for The Winter Event" Cinister said as they entered the Academy floor.
The Fangra were surprised to see a widespread forest with a variety of coloured trees, bushes and other plants filled with colourful fruits with many different shapes and textures instead of a concrete jungle full of students, shops and restaurants.with a gigantic school building as the centre of the city.
"What is this?" Ragna asked as he looked around the forest "I don't see the neither the Academy nor the [Sword of Devotion]"
"First of all that sword isn't just going be out in the open and second the map that Eulb gave us looks like it's correct because right here" Cinister said as he pointed at the entrance "It's looks like when we enter the first couple of kilometers is a forest then we have a lake and finally we will be The Academy"
"Okay... that makes sense. But where's Yoake? Wasn't he supposed to be here?" Alya asked, scanning the dense forest surrounding them.
The towering trees stretched high into the sky. The air was cool and still, broken only by the distant chirping of birds and the crunch of leaves beneath their feet.
"He probably went without us," Ragna replied calmly, adjusting the sword strapped across his back. "We'll find him soon."
"Yeah," Cinister agreed. "Right now we should focus on getting to the Academy."
The three members of the Fangra continued deeper through the forest, carefully weaving between ancient trees and tangled roots. Everything seemed strangely peaceful...
Until a sharp whistle cut through the air.
Whoosh!
A jagged spike of hardened earth shot from the trees, barely grazing Alya's cheek before burying itself into a nearby trunk with a heavy thud.
A thin line of blood appeared across her face.
She froze.
Cinister and Ragna instantly stepped in front of her, their eyes darting through the shadows.
"Who's there?!" Cinister shouted.
For a brief moment, silence answered him.
Then heavy footsteps echoed through the woods.
Crunch... Crunch... Crunch...
A massive figure emerged from between the trees.
He stood well over six feet tall, his broad shoulders making the surrounding trunks seem narrow by comparison. His arms were thick with muscle, his weathered skin covered in old scars from countless battles. A dense, rugged beard framed his square jaw, while his dark hair was slicked back into sharp, spiked strands. His stern amber eyes studied the trio with unwavering suspicion.
"Oh..." the man said, lowering one hand. "Sorry about that. I thought you were intruders."
Ragna immediately drew his sword, the steel glinting beneath the scattered sunlight.
"Who the hell are you?"
The man didn't even flinch.
"I'm Draen," he answered in a calm but cheerful voice. "I'm one of the Academy's guardians. My job is to keep unwanted visitors off these grounds."
His eyes narrowed.
"And judging by the way you showed up... you look pretty suspicious yourselves."
"I don't care who you are," Cinister snapped. "You don't get to attack innocent people!"
Without another word, he lunged forward.
"[Jet Burst]!"
Wind exploded around his feet as he launched himself toward Draen at incredible speed.
But before the attack could even begin
BOOM!
Draen's fist shot forward with terrifying precision.
The punch slammed into Cinister's stomach, sending a violent shockwave through the forest.
Cinister's eyes widened as all the air left his lungs.
He was blasted backward like a cannonball, crashing through several trees before skidding across the ground in a cloud of dirt and shattered wood.
The forest fell silent.
Draen slowly lowered his fist, barely looking winded.
"...Come on now," he said with a disappointed sigh. "Do you really want to fight?"
As he spoke, the earth beneath his feet trembled.
Chunks of rock rose into the air before spinning rapidly, shaping themselves into enormous razor-sharp drills of hardened stone.
The drills hovered around him, humming with raw magical energy as they pointed directly at Ragna and Alya.
"We definitely can't win... but maybe I can catch him off guard." Ragna thought.
Slowly, he let out a sigh before tossing his sword onto the ground with a loud clang. He raised both hands in surrender.
"Alright," Ragna said. "You made your point. We won't attack you."
Draen studied him for a moment before giving a satisfied nod.
"Now that's more like it."
The towering guardian turned his back and began walking toward his post, his heavy footsteps fading into the quiet forest.
Ragna glanced at Alya before subtly reaching for his sword.
"Now!"
He grabbed the hilt and pulled.
Nothing.
His eyes widened.
The blade refused to budge.
Some roots were surrounding the weapon, binding it to the earth itself. The ground beneath it had become as solid as steel under the effects of DustBreaker Magic.
"What...?" Ragna muttered, pulling harder.
The sword didn't move an inch.
"So predictable."
Before Ragna could even react, Draen was already standing beside him.
THUD!
A single strike to the side of Ragna's head sent him crashing unconscious onto the forest floor.
Silence settled over the clearing.
Draen looked toward Alya, who was struggling to drag Cinister beneath the shade of a nearby tree so he could recover.
"So," Draen asked calmly, "are you going to be next, lady?"
Alya stopped and looked back at him.
There was fear in her eyes, but she refused to let it control her.
"...Can you just leave me and my friends alone?" she asked quietly.
For a long moment, Draen simply stared at her.
Then he gave a small shrug.
"Yeah. I can do that."
He turned away once more.
"But tell your friends something."
His voice became firm.
"When you step inside the Academy... don't expect anyone to go easy on you."
"On this floor, there are no jokes."
Without another word, the earth beneath his feet shifted.
A swirl of dust rose around him, and in the blink of an eye he disappeared into the forest, leaving only drifting leaves and an uneasy silence behind.
Alya let out the breath she had been holding before kneeling beside her unconscious teammates.
The journey to the Academy had only just begun...
...and it was already proving to be far more dangerous than they had imagined.
After a couple of hours Cinister wakes up in a panic and looks around frantically. He sees Ragna slowly opening his eyes, his back pressed against the rough trunk of a towering tree. His head throbbed from Draen's devastating blow as scattered memories of the encounter came rushing back.
He groaned and pushed himself to his feet, nearly losing his balance.
"...What happened?" he asked, rubbing the side of his head.
Alya, who had been quietly staring up at the bright afternoon sky through the forest canopy, turned toward him with a playful smile.
"Ah, you're finally awake." She giggled. "As for what happened... that Draen guy completely wiped the floor with you."
Ragna let out an embarrassed sigh.
"...Yeah. Sounds about right."
A few steps away, Cinister adjusted Ragna's arm over his shoulder, helping support him as they continued walking.
"Does anyone actually know where we are?" Cinister asked.
Alya smiled mysteriously.
"Why don't you see for yourself?"
She stepped aside.
The moment the trees parted, an incredible sight unfolded before them.
Stretching far beyond the horizon was a colossal sapphire-blue lake, its crystal-clear waters shimmering beneath the sunlight like thousands of scattered gemstones. Gentle waves rolled across its surface while schools of brilliantly colored fish swam just beneath the water. Massive lily pads floated near the shoreline, and elegant white birds glided effortlessly through the air above the lake.
The peaceful breeze carried the scent of fresh water and blooming flowers, making the entire place feel almost otherworldly.
THUMP.
THUMP.
Cinister froze.
His heartbeat echoed loudly in his ears.
His eyes widened as he took in the breathtaking landscape before him.
He had never seen anything so vast...
So beautiful...
So utterly beyond words.
Even Ragna stood speechless.
For a brief moment, all three of them forgot about the battle they had just endured.
The world before them was simply too magnificent to ignore.