It was night time, the darkness was tainted with the dim luminescence of the moon on a cloudless sky. The stars were shining brightly yet my attention was drawn to the modernized town ahead of this unknown land.

The view was shaky caused by the caravan I'm riding on the rocky dry land. The heavy clothing I'm wearing made me not suspicious. This foreign land's normal clothing was really heavy compared to the other territories. I wore it to blend in. And since it was already late in the evening, the town guards didn't bother to ask who I was or what my purpose is.

I parked the caravan on the town's parking station. This vehicle seems outdated compared to the machine-like means of transportation of this land. I went to the darkest alley where there was a well-clothed lady sat, waiting.

This lady was covered in expensive-looking fabric, few pieces of jewelry and light garment on her arms. Beside her was a beautiful rod. It seems to me that her social status is high yet I don’t know who she was or why she is here... I sat beside her.

"What's the scoop?" a feminine voice asked, leaving a confident expression on the lady's face.

"The green one's at Esterwell." the lady answered with a smirk on her face.

"I know that the place is surrounded by mountains but who's guarding it?" the voice asked again.

"I heard it was a clan. Though from what I heard, they already lost a civil war twenty-five years ago and there are a few of them left in there. I also overheard that Wolfbourne inventors are doing their best to create the machines to get there." her smirk was gone when she explained.

"We shouldn't hang out much like this, you see." the voice told her in a serious tone.

"Yeah, rumours may spread." the lady sarcastically replied so she stood up and started walking away.

"Long live the wicked emperor" she muttered and waved but never looked back.

"Stay safe" the voice advised loudly but not loud enough to disturb anyone else.

***

"Idris! Please wake up!" I heard Laika's anxious shaky voice wished as it woke me up from a deep slumber. Tears were already evident on her worried beautiful face.

Laika Skylaurde is a charming girl of her one-and-twenty years of age. She was my room mate for 3 years and a fellow scholar- though, unlike me, she's a real scholar. Despite being from a defense magician family, she was different. Her offense magic is superb and she can wield defense magic enough to protect her. She was also a beauty to be recognized, if not by everyone, by me. She has soft dirty blond hair and soothing teal eyes- though having bad visions, were very handsome. She has a petite body even though she’s older than me.

"Wha-?" I was about to stand up when the academy's healer stopped me. I also noticed I'm in the infirmary and we're the only ones in here.

"Why are we here? How did I even get in here?" confused, asked the guy. That same old tone I use while with him.

"I didn't want to be here, you surprisingly light idiot. I could have let you die if it weren't for her," he replied and pointed at Laika who is currently wiping her tears.

"What happened?" I asked.

"You were out cold since I went to wake you up. You're not breathing and your spirit won't accept Blaize's revive." Laika replied with grief painted on her face.

"Maybe my spirit really despises him," I responded jokingly.

"Gee, thanks for the waste of energy." Blaize Stanford sarcastically mumbled and crossed his arms.

"I'm just asleep, okay?" I told them.

"How weird of your eyes to be both purples earlier then went to normal..." he said, looking down.

"Must be your imagination~" I smirked. Laika just sat there, watching the two of us talk back to each other.

"Oh, forget it." Blaize turned and started walking out of the room.

"Just this once, thank you  Blaize." he stopped for a while and looked at me with utter disgust.

"Go die already", he mumbled and left.

That brown-haired glasses guy considered me as his rival when he noticed my drastic growth as someone below his level in support magic. He must have thought of me as a threat for his top position. He's a year early to graduate the junior league since his magic is top-notch. Overall the senior league, his support magic is the best... even though we're both nineteen years old. He's a pro healer for this academy for almost four years. I was assigned to him after graduating the junior league for the 'guide month'. He’s that one person I always get to hang out with… since Laika is a busy person. I don't hate him but he can be pretty annoying.

Anyway, Laika's hugging me really tight; I can hardly breathe. She must have been very, very worried and thought I died. I freed myself and asked her what the time is.

"Right in time for the drills." she answered.

"Too early..." I mumbled. I mean, who would not hate to wake up before the sun rise?

"No whining, we've been doing this since we joined the junior league. How come you haven't coped up with it?" she scolded.

"I ditched drills for months when we aren't roommates yet," I answered straightforward and she laughed it off.

The two of us went to the school grounds. Students are already in groups and are warming up with each of their commanding officers. There are three classes at this school: agrimages, war mages and weapon-users. Laika and I are both war mages. Since our fortes are different, we're divided into sub-classes.

There are offense mages or the magicians who specialize in black magic. Their main forte is to use magic to attack the enemies. They can use or generate the main elements: fire, ice, lightning, earth and water. Laika is a member of this sub-class.

The second sub-class includes defense mages or the magicians who specialize in helping with reducing the amount of damage. This kind of mage primarily protects its allies and structures. Most of them make walls to refrain the attacks to damage.

The third sub-class includes support mages or the magicians who specialize in white magic. Their main objective is to heal their allies and remove special defects such as mute, blind, stun etc. This sub-class also includes the ones who cast the special defects/buffs. Blaize and I belong to this sub-class.

The fourth sub-class is oddly a small group of less than 20 (for the senior league, currently). This is where bards, creature-shifters and summoners are grouped. They are the special and rare kind of mages.

When I went to my group, Blaize is having his stern-look. He looked at me with a different stare. It seems to me that he's up for a competition with me later... in which I rarely win.

"If you want another healing competition, I'll pass. Not like I'll win anyway." I told him as the drill started for other classes. What do you expect? Our main objective is to heal.

"Coward. How will you improve if you won't learn from the best?" he asked with that irritating smirk of his.

"Screw off, Blaize." I cursed him and I started with my warm up. Little did the two of us know, Xenos Voltergaurde and his combat partner are having a friendly battle near us.

Xenos is Laika’s cocky cousin and a barely-above average weapon-user. He’s as old as Laika. Even though being related, their relation is not that noticeable. They’re like polar opposites. The only thing they share in common is their teal eyes and uncommon gifted nature- being blessed with a strong connection to an element. The two of them were from a known clan: Voltergaurde (the clan blessed by the lightning) and Skylaurde (the clan blessed by the wind). Though the Voltergaurdes are Griffinham’s communication transactor by the means of lightning, Xenos isn’t known to have shown this ability. There are only few remaining members of their family and they are scattered everywhere in the country.

"Be careful with your sword, you might hit the nerd and the pipsqueak." I heard Xenos told the girl.

"Not on my watch, Voltergaurde." she replied as they swished and clashed their swords.

"You guys know you might get yourselves killed if it weren't for us, right?" I told them.

"Nah, we're strong enough to avoid that." Xenos confidently responded. Blaize cast a light stun on the girl and blind for Xenos. The girl fainted.

"Never mess with the best support mage," I told them and bumped my fist with Blaize's.

"I take back what I said! Idris, cure this already!" Xenos pleaded yet I ignored it and this best support beside me just snickered.

"Where's your pride, man?" he asked Xenos.

"Ugh forget it! I thought you hate each other." Xenos complained.

"Not at all." Blaize and I looked at each other when we accidentally said it in unison.

"Idris Nox. Blaize Stanford. Enough talk, let's get going." our commanding officer, Karlynn Hartilly, commanded so the two of us left the two weapon-users with defects. We heard C.O. Zachamander Wayne, the commanding officer of the swordsmen, shouted from afar.

"Stanford!" he called out. Blaize shivered a bit from the sudden call. He looked at me and he can see my suppressed laughter. He went to the other class while I went with C.O. Hartilly.

We went to the school's infirmary where the other support mages and academy healers are. A lot of injured students are here. I quickly went to a vacant station and asked a patient waiting to take a seat. I started healing his wounds. The moment it was finished, he thanked me and leave. After four wounded students are healed, Blaize came.

"What happened?" I asked while healing the fifth patient.

"C.O. Wayne made them bow to me and apologize. I cured them after. And then, they were being punished right now." he chuckled after replying.

"How I wish to see Xenos bowing.." I mumbled. He signalled a queued patient to sit to his station which is right next to me.

"Nothing much of a view" he commented as he started healing his patient. There was silence for like three minutes and it's already our next patients.

" Say, do you know where Esterwell is?" I suddenly asked without thinking much.

"Ah... it's the far southwest island bordered by mountains. The village of Esterwell, itself is located in the middle. It is the fastest messaging village of the whole Griffinham- or even Valford. Why did you ask?" he explained.

"Just curious. How can I go there?" I kept asking.

" I live by the border of Mistcliff so I have no idea how to travel that far. If you really want to go there, ask that jerk of a Voltergaurde." he answered once again.

"Oh-kay" I responded.

It would be really odd if I keep on bothering him with weird questions. I wonder what sort of green stuff is located at Esterwell...