NTR School: S Rank Student

The next day, Raphael woke up feeling rejuvenated. He had gotten a lot of sleep the night before, in preparation for the day that he had ahead of him.

He planned to head to the north and bring the battle directly to King Helix.

Many would say that he was being foolish. Making bad decisions that could lead to his death.

But this would hardly be the first time that he had been in such circumstances.

Every time Raphael took risks; he seemed to come out and prosper.

In his mind, he told himself that there was nothing different about this.

That things would be the same as they had always been. He would emerge victorious.

He warned his maidens of his absence and told them to spread the word. His students would have to be on guard at all times, lest the north attack whilst he's away.

His Maidens insisted that he take them with him, but he couldn't.

He needed them to stay in the school whilst he was away. Especially since Lillian had been placed into a coma.

After all this, he was ready to set out.

Raphael travelled fast, wishing to cover as much distance as possible. The longer he was away from his schools, the higher the chance of them being attacked.

Raphael reached the Iceleaf forest and leapt through the trees as he had seen Yuki doing the day beforehand.

The terrain slowly grew colder the further north he travelled. Finally, snow began to fall.

The already white forest became covered in a mound of snow, making it hard for him to keep his step.

Luckily, the dragons inside of him allowed him to keep his warmth. He only needed to wear the grey outfit of the Dragon School, and the golden crown that sat atop his head.

He had no desire to hide his rank. Everyone in the north needed to know he was.

A True King.

Finally, after a long run, Raphael caught sight of the open air ahead of him.

He had never been this far north, so he was excited as to what would lie past the forest, despite the situation being so dire.

As he burst through the tree, the land of the north stretched before him.

The land constantly rose uphill as though he were standing at the bottom of a small mountain.

In the far distance, he could see massive city walls which encircled what he assumed would be the capital of the north.

The location of King Helix.

Judging by the large stretch of snowy fields leading towards it, he assumed it would still take him at least an hour to reach there.

It seems I have a long journey ahead of me.

---

After travelling through the fields for ten minutes, Raphael began to realise something strange taking place around him.

No matter how far he travelled through the snowy fields, the castle walls ahead never seemed to get closer.

He tested this in many ways. Sprinting as fast he could, or marching at a steady pace towards his destination.

But no matter what he did, the walls always remained what seemed to be an even distance away from him.

Raphael stopped in his tracks, looking around him.

He was no longer near the Iceleaf forest, which meant that he was definitely travelling away from it.

It was just the city that was confusing him. He couldn't get closer.

Could it be brain damage from my fight with Yuki? Is my mind playing tricks on me?

For now, Raphael decided to ignore it and continued on his path.

But it was at that moment that he felt it. A strange pressure fell upon him, as though he was standing before a mighty opponent.

Readily, he swivelled his head around in all directions, but he could not feel the source of its location.

Then, he spotted it.

In the distance ahead of him, he saw a figure standing in the snow.

It was the first person he had seen in a long time, and due to their white clothing, they blended in with the snow.

At first, Raphael's body stiffened, instantly going on guard.

But as he got a better look, he realised that the person was rather small and gave off no magical energy.

Whatever the pressure was that I felt earlier, it wasn't coming from them.

Raphael stepped closer to what he guessed was a young boy.

His skin was brown, and he wore white robes which seemed to be too large for his small frame.

The boy had his back faced towards him and was unable to see Raphael as he approached.

"Sorry to bother you little guy, but could you help me out."

The boy turned to Raphael, finally allowing him to see his face.

At that moment, he realised that the person was not a boy at all. He seemed to be a man in his early twenties, just smaller than average.

Though what was strangest about him, was the black blindfold that he wore over his eyes.

The man slowly lifted in, giving Raphael a sight of a pair of unnatural red eyes.

Despite their gruesome colour, they held a softness to them, as they pierced deep into Raphael.

"What can I help you with?" The man asked, voice soft as expected.

Raphael was caught off guard by the man's strange appearance but put it to the side out of respect.

"I want to make It to that city, but no matter how far I travel, I don't seem to be getting any closer." He said, whilst pointing to the walls ahead.

The man looked up at Raphael with a calm look on his face. He clearly hadn't noticed anything strange about the area.

"Ah," he expressed, face now taking on a faint smile. "That would be because I don't want you to get there."

At first, Raphael was confused by the man's words. But only seconds later, he dashed backwards rapidly, putting distance between himself and the small man.

The white-robed figure remained still and kept a calm expression on his face.

Raphael prepared to call upon the dragons. It was clear to him that something was strange about the man standing before him.

Then, the red eyes fell upon Raphael once again, his gaze piercing like a sword.

"I'm glad you came to me, Raphael Brooks. It saved me the trouble of chasing you."

Then, he outstretched his hands, as though he was presenting the world to Raphael.

"I am Saint Michael, First of the Angels." He announced, causing Raphael's heart to stop in his chest. "And you will get no closer to King Helix or the capital city until I am dead."