NTR School: S Rank Student

Saint Michael, The First Angel.

So this is him. The man that all the other Angels spoke of.

Raphael looked at the dark-skinned man with red eyes. They seemed to hold a dark power within them as if simply meeting his gaze was dangerous.

"Let me ask you something, Raphael." The man said calmly, yet his voice carried through the snowy fields. "What is your purpose."

A question Raphael had been asked before.

It hardly required thought for him to give his answer.

"To become King of Vailstone."

Of course, his true goals were more precise. Such as first becoming King of the all six schools, and collecting the five dragons.

But his ultimate dream was to become King of the entire world.

Saint Michael nodded his head at the answer, considering it.

"Do you realise what you will have to accomplish to achieve that goal? Not only will you need to conquer the north, but also the south, east and west, as well as the surrounding islands."

He let the words hang in the air for a moment, before continuing.

"The Dunkelwacht."

Shock ran through Raphael's body. It was the third time he had heard that word now.

It was clear they held some importance to him.

"Who are they? The Dunkelwacht." He asked, earning him a smile from the first angel.

"Beat me, and I will give you all the answers that you wish to know."

Raphael wasted no time, summoning The Ender in his hand.

If it's a battle that he wants, then he will get one.

The spiralling white and black sword formed into his hand, which he took in a two-handed grip.

However, after the summoning process was completed, he looked up at his opponent.

The man was no longer there.

Raphael readied himself, preparing to be attacked from any direction, but as he stood still on the snow it quickly became obvious.

The man was nowhere to be seen.

He checked around to make sure that he was not blending in with the snow once again, but he saw no sign of him.

Similar to the he was fighting Yuki.

Then, a sound came from behind him.

Raphael turned with speed, prepared to swing his weapon, but what he saw instantly stopped him in his tracks.

"Raphael?" A soft voice spoke.

The person who stood in front of him was a boy, hardly wearing clothes fit for the North. Loose rags that struggled to cover the arms and lower legs were clearly a sign of poverty.

His hair was blonde and dishevelled, and his face was streaked with dirt. He stood much shorter than Raphael, but to anybody who saw the two together, it would instantly become obvious to them.

They resembled each other.

"Brandon?" Raphael said, in disbelief, almost dropping his blade from his hand.

The boy looked at him with the same eyes, as though unable to believe what he was seeing.

Raphael slowly made his way over to him, reaching his left hand out towards the boy.

He needed to touch him, to confirm he was real.

As his hand landed on the boys shoulders and did not move, goosebumps spread across his body.

"Little brother."

Raphael looked into the young boy's blue eyes and was met with a smile.

Brandon was Raphael's younger brother that he lived with back in the South before his journey to the five schools.

Raphael had been the only one of the siblings to awaken with a Birthright, so only he was sent by the southern king to the schools to serve his nation.

They had an extremely close relationship during the time they had spent together, so it brought back thorough memories when seeing him.

Times of their poverty, when they had to steal from local markets to provide food for the house.

Fun games they had made up to make tragic times less serious.

The aspirations they had dreamed of together as kids were to someday make a name for themselves in the world of Vailstone.

However, there was something wrong with the encounter.

Raphael tightened his grip on The Ender, his face casual and stoic.

...

Brandon had died years ago.

Raphael thrust his blade into the stomach of his little brother, skewering him like meat until the blade protruded through his back.

"Aughh."

His little brother looked up at him with shock spread across his face. Blood coughed from the boy's mouth as he spoke.

"H-how? Your own brother?"

It was at that moment that the body of his brother slowly began to become distorted. The clothes that he wore had started to shift, as well as the rest of the appearance.

Flickers of a different person began to show through the mirage. A man with dark skin and red robes. A man wearing robes white like the snow.

"How can you so relentlessly kill the person you love most?" Saint Michael said, losing his life to The Ender.

Raphael pushed the man off the blade, and let him crumple to the ground in a bloody heap.

Afterwards, he allowed his weapon to fade away from existence. Space around him began to shift, returning to normal.

"You are strong. I can see why you were given the rank of the First Angel. Unfortunately, you met your worst matchup. I assume that ability creates some sort of hallucination on its victim, making them see visions that you can use to distract them, whilst you kill them with other methods."

Saint Michael coughed another spray of blood onto the snow, clutching his hand to the large wound in his stomach.

"But how?" The dying man said. "How can you be so emotionless when killing your own brother?"

Raphael smirked at the man as he turned away from him and faced the city walls in the distance.

"My brother was killed a long time ago. No matter what hallucinations you show me, that fact will never change."

The city walls ahead seemed to appear different to him now. Somehow, he knew that he would now be able to reach them if he continued marching.

King Helix. I'll be paying you a visit soon.

But first, Raphael had a question he needed to ask. A thought plagued his mind.

"Who are the Dunkelwacht, and why do I keep hearing their name being mentioned."

Saint Michael hesitated on the ground for a moment, the pain had made his body go numb.

And then, he smiled.

"I guess... There's no harm in telling you." He said, voice awfully soft for a man so close to death.

Raphael stood there, waiting for him to continue.

"On the Volcanic Island to the west, a group of powerful men and women live. One has a power much like yours... But stronger."

Raphael's heart leapt in shock. He had yet to meet a man stronger than him.

And he had a guess as to who that man might be.

"They call him God of the Flames, and once you kill King Helix, I'm sure you will earn his attention."

The last words of the Angel slowly faded away, until the man closed his eyes, succumbing to his wounds.

Raphael's mind raced with thoughts.

God of the Flames.

It was clear what sort of person would earn such a title, and now he knew where they were.

One of the remaining two dragons.