2 Instructor Axtorius (1/2)

Every day brings a new form of misery to me, I've come to realize. It wasn't bad enough that I got my ass shot last night; now I'm currently falling from the sky at astonishing speed.

Pretty high up, too. The sky doesn't look sky-blue up here anymore; it's a very pretty dark blue where I'm at right now. Haven't seen this sort of blue since the time I almost drowned at sea when I fell off of boss' boat a couple of years ago.

I can see the world up here! Mountain ranges, the wide blue sea, glittering cities in the distance, all kinds of interesting places.

Well, I guess the pretty boy scammed me in the end. One hell of a way to kill someone, though. A creative way to get rid of people.

The wind hitting my face feels as if I'm being smothered into a goddamned brick wall. It's hard to even breathe and I can't see much because of the light surrounding me. Do all magicians travel like this? Perhaps all magicians are masochists that like falling from the sky...

Shit, the ground's getting closer by the second. Not slowing down, can't move, can't breathe too well. Might as well close my eyes and count to ten...

Ten...Nine...Eight...Six...Four...

....Oh? Shouldn't I be dead already? Shockingly, I didn't die.

Floating no more than a foot above the ground, Reed let a couple of tears of relief. He found himself in front of a massive building that resembled a giant spear that pierced the sky. He discovered that he wasn't alone either; other people just like him were stuck suspended mid-air by a glowing light that enveloped them.

Most of them seemed roughly his age, if not a little older than him. One glaring detail he noticed was that not a single one of them seemed impressed or even interested in the building in front of them. None of them looked shocked about their descent from the sky either and most had bored expressions as they waited for something. Some even started chatting amongst themselves...

It was likely that he wasn't the only person that got thrown in by the gentleman, right? What had he gotten him into?

The gentleman explained that he'd be sent to 'Mulia', but he didn't even know what Mulia was in the first place. It was such a nonchalant explanation, almost as if he just expected me to understand everything he told off the bat.

Was Mulia a city? A distant country? A different continent or perhaps a completely different world? The gentleman told advised that it would be best for me to return to the 'mortal world', but what constitutes a mortal world?

There are too many damn questions I need answers for, but I don't know who to ask...

”Welcome to the proving grounds, kids! You should be proud that you've passed the preliminary trial and have formally become contenders, but know that this is only the beginning of your journey.”

”Don't think for a second any of you have what it takes to survive in Mulia as you are right now, though. You're all lower than fleas right now. Anything outside of this tutorial area could kill you with a single thought. That's how weak you are right now.”

Many faces hardened as soon they heard the man's warning, but a couple of people scoffed and acted as if they were above the rest. They had a self-inflated air of superiority around them that made them look like they would rather die than accept the man's words as truth.

A deep sigh came out as the man finally revealed himself and formally presented himself to the group.

The threatening, authoritative voice that had rung across the plaza in front of the spear building came from this guy? If he could only describe the man with a single word, Reed would have chosen ”scrawny”.

The man had a sickly, pale complexion that gave the impression that he had never seen the sun in his life. Sunk-in cheekbones and piercing blue eyes that shimmered like a neon sign. He wore a sharp, black uniform emblazoned with a golden crown with a moon behind it. It gave him a strange air of class, in a certain way.

”Getting full of yourself because of your backgrounds? Hm? It doesn't mean jack shit who your sponsor is or which clan, family, or organization you hail from. If you think you'll have an advantage over others because of that bullshit, you're going die even faster than the people you're looking down on right now.”