I was on my way back to the city. Just as I left the forest, guards stopped me; they all looked pissed, and Tobias was with them.
"Have you lost your mind, kids?" The guard was in his mid-forties; he looked mad but worried at the same time.
"We were just having a walk…." I looked away, and I didn't know what else to tell him.
"You're not allowed to leave city walls without an adult or a notice to the guard post from your parents or guardians."
"Sorry…" I lowered my head and looked at the ground.
"Cain, escort these kids back to their homes; we'll go investigate the forest. Pelkanix appearing all of a sudden can't be good news!" Giving a command to his underling, he disappeared into the forest.
"Let's go back." The guard began to walk towards the city.

"Thank you, kind sir. We'll make sure that this doesn't happen again!" My mother bowed to the guard and closed the door once I entered. I wanted to hurry back to my room, but dad stopped me and dragged me to the living room.
"Sit down." He didn't look furious, but he placed his hand on his face and sat down across the table. Was that disappointment?
"So, Elias, what are you about to tell us?" His face turned stone-hard; he didn't even blink.
"We snuck out to train our magic…." I couldn't look into his crystal-clear blue eyes.
"Damon, you don't have to sound so aggressive; you can see that he knows that what he did was wrong…." She sat down next to father and placed her hands on his shoulder.
"Violet, you can't always defend him like – he's only a kid… don't be so harsh… he didn't know better bla bla bla. - He is soon to be a grown man. He should know that actions have consequences, besides endangering himself; he also pulled Tobias in it. I'm glad that we're close with his family, but since they're nobles, if anything happened to their son due to ours, we would most likely be exiled from the country…." He was calm and rational. I also knew that I could bring trouble to my family by doing that, but still, it's not like I forced Tobi to follow me… But I won't talk back to father. I'll go with him to the Mithras residence and ask for forgiveness. Hope that I'll still be able to meet Tobias.

After the talk with my parents, I got a house arrest for the next two weeks. They also told me that I'd be in more considerable trouble if I would leave the walls without them one more time. Still, they didn't tell me what they would do, but in the end, I planned to stop going out since I'll be entering the Academy soon.
Three days passed, and my birthday arrived. I had to stay home, and also couldn't go to the bakery with my mother. She wanted me to tag along with her, but still, father didn't allow it, so I waited in my room while sitting on a window sill and looking outside. The city is vivacious; it is a rich country that has stood as the continent's powerhouse for almost four hundred years now. No one dares to invade Salexty, and it has become very peaceful.
A small pebble hit my window, and as I looked down, I could see Tobias waving his hands towards me. I wanted to ask him how he's doing, but his house knights arrived and dragged him away. I was surprised that he got so far. I chuckled, but then I heard him scream - "Happy birthday, Elias!".
I waved at him; I was grateful and happy that he was willing to come all this way to congratulate me. I bet that once he got behind the corned, his legs began to shake, his mother will be probably pretty pissed at him.
"Elias, call your sisters. I bought a nice cherry cake. Let's celebrate your 13th birthday!"

Two weeks flew by, the same goes for my house arrest, but I didn't mind it much. I spent all the time reading magic books and learning the Ninvaean language. It's an ancient language of a race that is said to be the first to use magic. Still, the language hasn't been fully decrypted yet, so even the spells we cast now might not be how they're supposed to be.

Now that I’m about to begin my life at school, parents will give me more pocket money. They said they will provide me with ten Salexty silver coins per month when I'm going to be studying. Depending on which country one silver coin is from twenty-four to twenty-seven ignius crystal shards, and it also depends on how heavy the shards are if they haven't been uncut. Still, most places don't accept them like that. Three silver coins are enough to feed our family for about two days could make it easily three, but dad loved his meat, so about half of the expenses go towards it. Thirty-seven Salexty silver coins make one Salexty gold coin, but there are many types of coins because most places make their own, so the prices vary. After gold coins come lumius metal coins, which are usually used in big purchases since one of those is around fifty gold coins. Today is my turn to go and buy ingredients for dinner, so I jumped in my boots and left the house.

"Hey, Eli boy, want some fish today? I caught the best opal linobacks. They look like they're the best ones I've gotten in the last few years." A huge but friendly man with a massive beard called me from the fish stall from which we usually get fish and other kinds of seafood.
"Sorry, different plans today, so no, thank you." I waved and turned away from the stall.
"Your loss, boy." He laughed and continued to talk with other customers.


 I continued to walk around the marketplace when suddenly someone placed his hand on my shoulder. I was startled.
"Child, we finally meet again. Let’s have a short chat over there." I knew that voice, it was the pelkanix from the forest, but it looks human, it was about an average-sized man with long black hair and golden eyes.
"How here? What? Find me? Hello" I couldn't make a sentence, I was troubled, but after calming down, I decided to follow him because I wanted to know what he meant by saying that I’m a dragon.
"So, Elias, I hoped we could meet in the forest so I could stay in my proper form. I'm uncomfortable in this body even if I use it often." He looked at me and walked towards a place that looked empty.
"Don't worry, child, I don't have any plans to hurt you; it's the opposite. I haven't met any like you in my long lifetime. I won't talk much since we're in a big human city, and who knows what the walls can hear here." He continued.


 We stopped at a quiet place; I wasn’t worried anymore, just curious.
"I hope you haven't told anyone about being what you are?" He leaned forward to look me in the eyes.
"No, not even my parents."
"Good, I didn't find anything about Lyceus family besides being of common birth. May I ask your mother's family name before she married your father?"
"I don't know; she hasn’t told me much about times when she was young."
"I see. I will meet you again. Hopefully, you could leave the city walls so I could tell you more, but for now, stay safe young Elias. Just so you know, once you enter the forest, call my name, and I'll come." He pulled a hood over his head and disappeared in the people.
I was confused as to why a creature like him is interested in me and why he thinks that I am a dragon. And why he always leaves… My parents are both commoners, so it’s implausible for us to have some secrets and strange dragon blood in our veins… I laughed it off and went home.

The last three months passed, I had tons of questions and no answers, but it was time to begin my studies at Salexty Academy finally. The Academy is next to the north wall, so it's a long walk from my house, located in the south. It would take me about five hours if I walked there. I'll be staying on the campus anyway since it's a requirement to do so on school days, so I'll only go back home around once a month.
"Eli, please be safe and listen to teachers, ok? And if you need any help, ask your sisters, they're now in the 4th year, and they will help you, ok?" My mother seemed to have tears in her eyes… It's not like I'm moving away to a land far away, I'm only going to study and even come back pretty often, but it still made me happy to see that she cares for me that much.
"I'll be off. See ya, mom!" I kissed her on the cheek and left.


 After a two-hour long ride in a cart, I arrived at the Academies gates – "Here I go; five years of studying in the Academy have now begun!"