Edmus stood silently, staring at the school for several minutes when Guko came up from behind and shook Edmus gently from side to side.
⁃ "Hey, you alive?" said Guko.
⁃ "Yeah, sorry… I was just thinking about something," Edmus replied, averting his gaze.
⁃ "Listen, I'm really sorry about yesterday. I honestly didn't mean to say all that so harshly, and I definitely don't want our friendship to end. I'm sorry," said Guko, extending his hand in reconciliation.
⁃ "Guko…" Edmus took Guko's hand and even hugged him for a few seconds. His eyes were filled with joy.
"Could it be… someone will finally be my friend forever? I've been waiting so long for this… Thank you, God…"
After that, they walked to school — specifically, to their classroom, where each student was trained in their unique abilities.
Edmus was an archer, so he attended archery classes, while Guko was a swordsman.
There Edmus was, standing in class, when suddenly the teacher called on him.
– "Edmus, show us how to properly shoot with a bow!"
⁃ "As you wish, teacher."
Edmus pulled back the bowstring after placing an arrow on it. As he drew it, the arrow began to glow a green color that slightly blinded those around. He aimed at a massive stone, the size of an entire house and just as thick. Right before releasing the arrow, Edmus said:
"Slice! Level one!"
The arrow flew faster than the speed of sound. It pierced straight through the stone. Edmus exhaled deeply as the sound of the arrow's flight lingered in the air for a few more seconds.
⁃ "Teacher, may I go?"
⁃ "Of course you may, Edmus. But remember — daily training is necessary."
⁃ "Doubt it. I've never trained in my life and I'm still the best. Thanks for the advice though," Edmus said as he turned and walked away.
Edmus stepped out of the lesson and decided to visit the school across the street, where he saw Fira training in medicine.
Medical students usually practiced on animal bodies, but this time they were using a mannequin — which puzzled Edmus, but he quickly lost interest in that. What fascinated him far more was watching Fira from about 20 meters away.
But medics were also highly developed in sensory magic, so 20 meters was nothing to Fira. Feeling how her classmates were exchanging glances — from Edmus to Fira and back — she stood up, approached Edmus, and called him over.
⁃ "Hey, weirdo, what's up? Why'd you come to another school to see a girl you don't even know?" said Fira, folding her arms and looking away.
⁃ "Hey Fira, and stop calling me that! I'm not a weirdo! And you're definitely not an 'unknown girl' — you're Fira," Edmus said nervously.
⁃ "You do know I'm a medic, right? I can feel your breath when you're near. And I doubt anything's gonna happen between us. You're not exactly interesting to me," Fira said a bit arrogantly.
Edmus didn't seem upset at all. In fact, he looked satisfied even with that response.
⁃ "That's okay! We can be friends. I don't have many… just one, to be honest. But you could be the second," said Edmus with a smile.
⁃ "Friends, huh? Then tonight, as a friend, I'll tell you a secret. I hope I wasn't wrong about you and that you really are the one I need."
After saying this, Fira turned around confidently and walked away.
Edmus didn't understand why she suddenly decided to share a secret with him, especially after just saying she didn't care about him. Still, he calmly walked back toward his school, stealing a final glance at Fira.
She's divine… So beautiful, and so skilled in sensory and healing magic.
At that moment, Edmus began to realize his feelings for Fira, though he didn't plan on saying anything about it. They were still young — only 14. Even though Edmus was already as strong as an experienced soldier, his age remained a hurdle. These were the thoughts occupying his mind on his way back to class.
Upon returning, he went back to doing what he always did: learning, sighing from boredom. After class, while exiting the room, he bumped into a strange teacher. The teacher, with a nasty smile, began to speak:
— "Hello, you must be Edmus, right? That genius student all the teachers are talking about. I'm Teacher Weikh. I study technique manipulation without weapons. For example, using a sword without a sword. Hard to explain — easier to show! Want me to teach you how to use a bow… even without an actual bow?"
— "Excuse me, but I've never seen you before. And this encounter seems a bit too 'accidental' to be real. I'll have to decline — for now," Edmus said, getting up off the floor and walking away.
— "When you want to protect something precious, you'll come to me… Grolph. Right now, you're at a soldier's level, but with me, you'll exceed all limits. You'll leap beyond yourself. Edmus will become the strongest being," said the teacher, stepping forward and whispering in Edmus's ear:
— "And maybe… you'll find your mother or father."
— "Wha—" Edmus couldn't even finish his sentence, frozen in shock.
At that moment, the teacher vanished, and Edmus was left standing alone in the hallway.
"My mother?.. What the… I've never heard anything specific about her, or my father. I'll need to think over this man's offer. And he didn't even seem like a teacher… I've never seen him before either. Who is he…?"
Still shaken and confused, Edmus headed to the café, where he was supposed to meet Fira. She was supposed to reveal the secret and explain why it was so urgent. Upon arriving and seeing the girl he was so drawn to, Edmus sat down and looked into her fiery, beautiful eyes:
⁃ "Fira, so what's the secret?"
⁃ "Heh, well you seem like the kind of guy who shares my interests. So, I want to escape Yussia!"
⁃ "Escape from Yussia? Ha-ha-ha, alright. Let's say I want that too. But answer a few questions before I agree," said Edmus, smiling slyly like a fox.
⁃ "Go ahead!" Fira replied quickly and confidently.
⁃ "Why did you choose me?"
⁃ "That's easy. First off, you're the most capable person in the entire camp. No one our age is stronger than you," she said calmly, looking straight into Edmus's eyes.
⁃ "Alright… But what makes you think I'll agree? Just a question."
⁃ "That was obvious too. I asked around — you don't like Yussia. Our city, Cork, is the poorest in the country, so it makes sense. Plus, you're a Grolph. And what are Grolphs? Beings who hate chains and limitations. Due to their genetic abilities, they grow faster from birth. All of their traits are tied to the heart: inside, there's a magical lock that restricts their choices. That's why they always go all out in everything — to the very end. In short, you're a machine who simply can't love a government that limits your potential as a person. Am I right?"
Fira stared at Edmus, who was overwhelmed by the amount of information.
⁃ "In general, you're right. But… how do you know so much about Grolphs? We weren't supposed to learn about them yet," Edmus said, stuttering a bit.
⁃ "Doesn't matter where I learned it. What matters is that I know. So… are you with me?" she asked, crossing her legs.
⁃ "I'm with you, Fira."
That answer made them both smile and enjoy the rest of the evening over a cup of coffee.
Edmus then rushed back to school to find Teacher Weikh. He carefully searched every classroom but couldn't find him — it was as if the man had vanished into thin air. He decided to check the room next to Weikh's, which was much cleaner and more organized.
Inside, Edmus saw an unbelievably beautiful setting: walls painted in various colors, specially designed chairs, and a board that wrote by itself when it heard voices. Nowhere else in the school was anything like this.
Edmus, amazed, approached the person sitting at the teacher's desk — a woman speaking to the board. When she heard Edmus, she raised her eyes.
— "A Grolph, huh… Interesting."
— "How did you know? That I'm a Grolph… Are you a medic? Do you have sensory magic?" Edmus asked in surprise.
— "I never liked sensory magic. I prefer relying on my own instincts," she replied emotionlessly.
— "Do you know Teacher Weikh? I need him — he promised me something."
— "I know him… Crazy 54-year-old man. Constantly running around yelling, 'I'll awaken true power, I'll do it.' But honestly, he's a kind and sweet man. A bit unhinged, sure, but he's not a bad person."
— "Is that so… not bad, huh? Thank you so much!" Edmus bowed politely.
Edmus left the classroom and headed toward Teacher Veikh's room. Suddenly, Veikh appeared right in front of him, without warning. Without saying a word, he grabbed Edmus and dragged him into his office.
Inside, it was far less bright — a gloomy, disgusting place. Insects crawled around, but Teacher Veikh didn't seem to mind at all.
"Why did he bring me here? Could it be that he's finally going to train me? Or something else?.. What a creepy place…"
— "Edmus, do you seriously think you can escape the country? You're an interesting boy."
Upon hearing those words, Edmus's eyes widened like saucers, his pupils dilated, and his heart began to race wildly.
— "How, teacher?! How do you know? I've never talked to you about this… not once!" — Edmus said, still visibly nervous and shaken.
— "How? Look at your neck," — Veikh extended his hand and pointed to Edmus's shoulder, where a spider crawled out from under his skin.
— "But how?!"
— "My spiders can numb the area with a bite before slipping in. They're incredibly durable — special spiders, generated through energy manipulation."
Edmus saw the spider — it was tiny, smaller than a water bottle cap. It slowly crawled back to Veikh and affectionately rubbed against his hand.
— "So you were spying on me? Not the best way to start a teacher–student relationship, you know…"
— "Oh, come on, Edmus. It was all for your safety. But more importantly — I'm joining you on your journey. Have you decided where you're going?"
— "Yeah, Fira wrote me a note in a café. She wants to go to Elvtia. Says people live well there," — Edmus said, a hint of joy in his voice.
— "Elvtia?.. Edmus, did you know… Elvtia is your homeland?" — Veikh smiled and looked straight into Edmus's eyes.
— "How do you know all this? Who is my mother?.. Who am I?.. I don't even know where I was born…" — Edmus replied, lost in thought.
— "That doesn't matter. None of it matters. What matters now… is that you're too weak. Try to wound me — just as an example."
— "Are you sure? I might accidentally kill you…" — Edmus said with a hint of overconfidence.
— "Draw your bow. I'll show you true strength," — Veikh replied calmly, stepping in front of Edmus.
Edmus drew his bow and pulled the string, not to full power, then replicated what he had done in training. Standing in perfect posture, he aimed for Veikh's liver and released the string, shouting:
— "Slice! First Level!"
The arrow flew at supersonic speed, as always. Normal people wouldn't be able to react to such a shot… But Veikh — after the arrow was fired, the only thing left was the sound. Standing exactly at that sound's point, Veikh held the arrow in his hand… and threw it back at Edmus.
— "First level?.. That's weak for a Grolph…"
— "I was just holding back. Let me try again," — said Edmus, now less confidently.
He drew another arrow and this time took the shot more seriously. Pulling the string to its absolute limit, aiming carefully at Veikh's leg, he shouted:
— "Slice! Second Level!"
The second-level Slice was far superior to the first — it could embed itself in the target like a grenade and burst into shards, often piercing the heart. But unfortunately — Veikh caught the arrow by the tip, crushed it with his fist, and reduced the sharp end to dust.
— "Even the second level?.. How is that possible?.."
— "Edmus, you're still weak. Because you need a physical bow, you take too long to aim. Your arrows fly too slowly for me. I heard people say 'supersonic arrows'? No. These don't exceed the speed of sound. Maybe they match it, or even fall short. I've fought real attacks that surpass the sound barrier. Believe me — your arrows aren't even close," — Veikh concluded, placing a hand on Edmus's shoulder.
— "Then what do I do to become stronger?.."
Veikh smiled in a cunning, devilish way — enough to make any normal person feel something was off. Edmus did too… but he had no other choice. He had to protect Fira.
— "Become my student. I'll teach you not only magic with the bow but many other things as well."
— "Alright, master…?"
Edmus looked into Veikh's eyes, who seemed overjoyed, and gave a hesitant smile in return.
⸻
As he left the office, Edmus was completely lost in thought. Some weirdo kept feeding him more and more information about his past.
"Mother… Could it be I'll finally have a chance to learn who you are? Why did you and Father abandon me? Are Grolphs really so ugly that even their parents leave them? It's so hard… I seem to have everything: talent, power, abilities… yet this huge gap — family. What is family, really? What does it feel like to have someone waiting for you at home? Mom, are you alive? I hope so. There's so much I'd like to ask you…"
Edmus wandered and pondered until he noticed Guko, who came up to him and looked him straight in the eye. He couldn't help but notice how Edmus, with a pensive and sad expression, was pacing the street.
— "Edmus, did something happen?" — Guko asked, crouching slightly and looking directly into Edmus's eyes.
— "Guko… It turns out I have a mother, and I don't know if she's alive or dead. I don't know who she is or where. And most importantly — I'm not from Yussia. I'm from Elvtia. So much information in just the past few days…"
You could feel the sorrow in Edmus's eyes — he was on the verge.
— "An Elvtian, huh… A mother… Well, that's good. Now you have a chance to learn more about her. Edmus, if you ever need my help — just say the word. You know I'm always ready!" — Guko said with a huge grin.
— "Guko… No, there's nothi— Actually… Do you want to escape Yusia with me and one other person? To Elvtia."
Saying that, Edmus visibly brightened.
— "You know… That might be too dangerous, but I'm so curious about what's beyond the borders. And with you, a Grolph who can take out ten soldiers by himself, there's nothing to fear. So… Who's the girl?" — Guko asked curiously.
— "She… She's amazing! So beautiful, and smart, and talented. Her healing and sensing magic is incredible, and she's one of a kind — not like the rest! She truly sees people without prejudice. That's why she's the most amazing girl I've ever met!"
As Edmus spoke, he looked like a poet performing on stage.
— "I'm with you no matter what, my friend!"
⸻
Chapter 2. End.