When the last blows of the demonstration ceased and the rookies began to be dismissed, Cale walked away in silence. Most still exchanged animated words about the veterans and the technique of Aries, but he deviated by a side corridor, climbing a narrow staircase that led to the novice quarters.
Cale wasn't running away — he just didn't see a reason to prolong the interaction. He had said what he wanted to say. And Aries listened.
"Aries, hm?" muttered Cale, thoughtful.
Those green eyes and dominant presence. His skin shuddered as he remembered the intensity of his voice. Should Cale be grateful that he did not get into unnecessary fights with this warrior?
The dormitory assigned to him was small and simple: a narrow bed, a wooden ark at its feet and an empty shelf on the wall. The window gave no place but an inner courtyard, and yet, the environment pleased him. It was quiet. Quiet. No eyes watching or mouths judging.
He dropped the training sword on the ground and removed the robe, carefully bending it before placing it on the ark. He opened a small cloth wrap that he had brought with him. Inside, three items: an old locket, a leather strip with burn mark and a small piece of blue crystal. Cale placed them in the center of the shelf, with the same care as a priest setting up an altar.
He knelt before the small improvised composition and, with his eyes closed, began to pray in silence.
"Gods of Keonna, I pray for your enlightenment to me..."
His mouth was little, but there was firmness in the words. Devout as he was, Cale recited the prayers that he was already used to. Pray for the protection of his sister and him, his family in the village of Sostrana.
There, kneeling on the cold ground in front of three small objects and no audience, Cale felt closer to the gods than anywhere else in the academy.
At the end of the prayers, he opened his eyes slowly. His fingers touched the medallion, and an image came to mind: Aries, and the way he wielded the sword standing in front of him to defend it.
"Although he said some harsh words, I felt no shadow of arrogance." murmured pensively, his lips curving into a smile. "A guardian right in front of me... maybe it's not so bad to have come here."
Outside, the bell of the smaller tower rang once, calling the newbies to dinner in the dining hall. But Cale did not. Instead, he stood there in front of the shelf until the sound disappeared.
It was only when the darkness settled down through the window that he moved again.
.
.
.
Fourth day at the Othea Academy, and Cale already felt the weight of stress accumulating on his back.
The routine was overwhelming. Some people had such intense presences that it seemed to bend the air around them. Every word carried authority, every look demanded excellence. There was something too divine in everyone there. But not in the sense that Cale venerated. They were gods with status, yes — but distant, performative, adorned in diamonds and rules.
It was not that kind of divinity he respected.
That day, Crucius took the fourth group of demigods to the underground of the Academy, the damp and terribly silent space lit by torches. Throughout the day that group went through an exercise that certainly ended up making the demigods anxious and tense.
"How can you fail in a mission as simple as area reconnaissance? Start again!" cried Crucius.
Cale could barely stand walking around that area again! The exercise required quick reactions and preparation for ambushes, which were prepared by veterans.
To Cale's misfortune, in the area he chose to recognize there was a veteran whose eyes looked like mirrors. Cale barely managed to keep his gaze on her for more than ten seconds. It wasn't fear. It was discomfort. As if it was in front of something that was not made to be touched with the eyes.
"I bet she doesn't even blink. It's forbidden, by heavenly decree."
Ah... his mood was sour again. Cale should not blame the veterans for the malaise he felt since he set foot in that place. Caressing his own belly, he just tried to hold out as much as he could.
"Urgh... my stomach hurts" he complained, forcing himself to hide behind a huge rock.
When time ran out, Cale and a few other demigods failed the exercise. But no one expected everyone to succeed.
After leaving the underground, the group was led to a huge courtyard where dozens of demigods were training. Some dueled with spears and swords, while others chanted powerful spells that dissipated in the air in bursts of light.
The metallic sound of thundering blades, the cries of effort and the heat of magic formed a chaotic and mesmerizing symphony. Cale paused for a moment to absorb everything, forcing herself to ignore the growing discomfort.
And failing miserably.
"If I pass out, does it count how to camouflage? Because I'm about to find out" Cale murmured pale under the hood.
Cale moved away from the other students, hiding in the shadows of the columns. The feeling of pressure and crowd decreased a little, and the cool breeze moved away from his discomfort. But he did not trust his own legs to continue.
While hiding, Cale heard a group of demigods talking near one of the walls of the courtyard.
"Did you hear? Aries is here again. Many veterans tried to convince him to train them, but as always he refused all."
Spying on them carefully, Cale realized that he was not the only newcomer to escape the front row. Those three rookies were also hiding enjoying the cool shade.
Cale was not the kind of gossip — nor someone who listened to other people's conversations hidden. But it wasn't his fault that those three spoke loud enough to hear while he were resting, right?
"I think we can count on his fingers the people he actually trained. They all graduated from the academy and became local deities, right?" commented one of the rookies.
"Someone of his level has the right to choose by finger who to join."
Cale raised an eyebrow. Oh, of course, another living legend at the academy. As if it was not suffocating enough to be surrounded by future gods, now had to deal with a mythological veteran? How wonderful.
Moving quickly away from the thoughts, Cale looked around trying to locate himself. His mission was to survive for a month without being noticed, the rest should be ignored.
After all, it was suffocating to stand there.
Getting away from the group and conversations, Cale hurried to look for the temple. Every moment he passed there, he felt as if an invisible weight pressed his shoulders. The environment was oppressive. Not only by the curious looks he could feel occasionally, but by the divine energy that permeated every stone, every breath of wind inside that gym.
He adjusted the hood and followed the path that Alinys had mentioned: the gardens. Passing through stone arches covered with creepers and crystal clear fountains, Cale finally saw a discreet building, surrounded by vegetation and white flowers.
The temple.
"Well... no one floating or screaming with thunder voice. It's a start." he murmured.
His legs relaxed a little when he saw it. If there was a place where he could find some peace in that space full of deities, it would be there.
He walked to the entrance, feeling the warm breeze blow on his skin. The place was quiet, lit only by the soft light of floating lanterns.
Cale ran his fingers through the ancient inscriptions at the entrance of the temple, trying to absorb the feeling of tranquility. In the center, there was a simple altar — no offerings, no grand symbols. Just a blue flame, floating alone on a black iron stand.
He knew, at the same time, that the place was truly sacred.
Kneeled.
Cale didn't say anything immediately. He just felt it. The silence there was complete, but not empty. It was the kind of silence that listens to and welcomes. Unlike the rehearsed grandiosity of the ceremonial halls of the academy, that temple was like the ancients.
"I'm trying to get used to this place" he muttered, after a while. His fingers touched the cold ground. "But here... it looks like a theater. And I'm not good with masks."
The blue flame shining in the lanterns flickered slightly. Cale didn't know if it was an answer. But he liked to think so.
He stood there for long minutes, his eyes fixed on the dance of light. Cale felt the pressure in his temples ease, his stomach slow down. For the first time since he arrived, Cale was really breathing.
But before he could get deeper into the environment, a soft noise came from one of the nearby bushes.
Cale has paralyzed.
A second later, he heard a low sound, a muffled groan followed by the rustling of leaves. His heart sped up.
Cale looked around, hesitantly, then slowly approached the bush.
"Uh... is someone there?"
No answer. Just a subtle movement between the branches.
Swallowing dry, he pulled away some leaves and, to his surprise, found something he definitely did not expect to see.
A creature of small size. His body was covered with a soft and short furr, a mixture of scales and hair that reflected a golden glow under the light of lanterns. His wings were folded against the body, and the sharp and intelligent eyes, of a deep greenish hue, fixed themselves on Cale's.
For a moment, the two just stared at each other.
That was a...
"Oh, sure. Because the first week in a strange place wouldn't be complete without a mini-dragon coming out of the bushes. Perfect."
The dragon, though small, seemed extremely alert, as if analyzing each movement of Cale with an almost... human caution.
"Uh... hi?"
The dragon snorted and turned his face, ignoring Cale — which shocked him. Was he being ignored... by a dragon?
Even so, the creature did not leave the bushes, nor seemed to be about to attack Cale. The boy crouched carefully, still looking at him. Tried to look as harmless as possible, only slightly smiling and not making any sudden movements.
Cale opened his mouth to speak, but before he could make any sound, the little creature growled low as a warning.
He didn't know why, but something inside of him said that it wasn't just any dragon.
And it was definitely not an ordinary meeting.