SHATTERED REALM: FORGOTTEN ECHOES

"I can't believe you just agreed like that."

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"And why do we have to follow these stupid rules?"

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"I mean, he could just teleport us there, but then he decided we should follow these dumb protocols. And we also have to use horses. Tch! So slow."

As you can already guess, this is Lynnor.

And as for the silent ones, it's none other than Aramith and Mozrael

A week had slowly passed, and they were currently sitting in a horse-drawn carriage.

Lynnor, as usual, wore a revealing dress.

And Aramith and mozrael wore deep navy-colored robes with grey accents on the sleeves and collars. This was the official color of the academy when going out.

Of course, they weren't the only ones from the academy heading to the location of the competition.

The other students were divided into other carriages as well.

Each with a teacher and two to three students.

None of them liked Aramith and Mozrael.

Why?

Unlike these newcomers, they were all students who'd been in the academy for at least four years.

Lynnor was also known as the most unserious teacher they knew, so to have her come along with them, of course, they wouldn't like it.

And the fact that Lynnor was always favored by Ilthane made it worse.

They'd also never seen her teaching before, which further cemented the belief that she was just a clown in the academy. And now, she's tagging along with them to the competition with two new students. Students whom she'd clearly said she was biased against.

Rumors had spread that Aramith and Mozrael were the two top students among the new kids, but none of them knew how strong they were, which cemented their belief that they were only favored.

They hoped this competition would be a lesson to teach these arrogant brats a lesson, but no. Things weren't going that way.

In another carriage, two boys and a girl sat in, accompanied by a male teacher. The girl was very frustrated and kept frowning.

"You might ruin your pretty face if you keep thinking about them," one of the boys said, though he tried to sound as little and polite as he could.

These students wore the same colored robes, just that the accents on their robes were the color of rust.

"It's not fair at all. How can they get such special treatment one week after they get into the academy?"

No one said a word to her. Not out of respect, but out of fear. Even the teacher had the same demeanor.

She continued. "And they are not going to even fight. I wanted them to get the humiliation of their life, but they go on to decide that they will only be substitutes for when there's no one to continue the fight. How disrespectful!"

She clenched her fist so tightly, if someone's hand were in it, she'd have crushed it to dust.

Aramith and Mozrael were not to fight as the others would.

Their purpose, as Ilthane said, "is to observe and learn. And in case there is any trouble, they will be substitutes."

Substitute students were allowed in this contest, and they weren't to participate in any fight unless extremely necessary.

Which meant they would replace a student who could not continue their fight.

And of course, they could choose not to do it, too.

This role was supposed to be given to someone trustworthy and strong, but Ilthane decided to give that role to students whom they were blatantly biased toward.

"I'm starting to dislike that Rector more and more these days," she huffed.

Back in the carriage with the people in question, Lynnor took out two masks and gave them to Aramith and Mozrael.

"We're getting close. Put these on."

Before they went out, Ilthane decided they would use Aliases and disguise themselves.

Aramith was to be called Therin, and Mozrael was his sister, Rina.

They both put on their masks, and the transformation was instant.

"This is perfect, glad I chose this, hehe," Lynnor said, grinning.

Aramith had changed to a dark-skinned boy with a roundish face, who looked rather cute.

And Mozrael, also dark-skinned, appeared to be the type of girl who couldn't hurt a fly.

Their appearances were plain and worked well to keep them out of the spotlight.

"Oh, we're there," Lynnor said, then opened the curtains over the window.

Before they looked outside, they first felt it—the rich atmosphere of Youm that filled the city of Yumaris.

Yumaris was unlike any other city they had seen. The air itself felt dense with Youm, a quiet pressure humming around every corner. The streets were smooth stone, unmarked by banners or emblems, as every sign of allegiance had been stripped away by design.

The land was also rich in resources and plants that could be found nowhere else, making it highly valuable.

The city had no publicly known ruler or military, only the citizens who were called Keepers.

They were a special group that commanded the place and lived humble lives.

They were very polite and morally upright people who kept order in the place without being cocky or forceful about it.

As they entered, they saw the keepers of the city standing along the path in pairs, draped in pale, veiled garb that concealed their faces entirely—white, faint silver in the edges glittered like moonlight caught in a reflection.

They carried no weapons, yet the weight of their presence alone warned that order here didn't rely on force, but on understanding.

People were to lower their voices as they passed them.

Yumaris didn't belong to any kingdom—Yumaris was its own law, and Youm was its pulse and banner.

As a neutral place, this was the best location for such contests.

What made it the more acceptable choice was the rich Youm.

Training or fighting in there was always bound to increase one's strength. Being allowed to come there was a privilege anyone would want.

As they stepped out of their carriages, the other students ahead glanced at Aramith and Mozrael with contempt.

They don't deserve to be here.

"I hate this place."

These were Lynnor's first words when she stepped out.

Her words angered the other students and the keepers nearest to them, but no one uttered a word.

They couldn't kick her out unless she caused trouble, nd those words hadn't done any harm.

She cupped her hands over her eyes and looked up, squinting as though the sun were at its zenith, even though it was only morning.

"No, seriously, is this place cursed or what? It's like they decided to concentrate all the sunlight in here to hurt me."

The keepers nearest to her twitched.

Is she sane? You should feel honored to be here.

She clenched her fist in front of her, shaking it as she continued. "If I go back and my skin has received any trouble, I swear, I'll destroy this place."

Get out!

Leave it to Lynnor to draw attention to herself and trouble people, and she won't fail you.

"Which academy is this?" A keeper approached their group

"Forsaken Peak Academy," One of the other teachers answered.

"Hey, hurry up and show us where we're staying. I can't let my skin take any more damage!"

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The keeper addressing them felt his eyes twitching, and even under the veil, his pained expression could be seen.

Who is this crazy lady?

"Apologies. Please follow me, all of you."

More and more hatred for this group of three was sown.

They were at the back of the group when Lynnor lowered her voice to whisper. "Hey, Ara-cough-Therin, now that yoyou'reere, do you think it was worth it?"

Aramith didn't reply to her. He was focused on the strange way the buildings were structured.

Mozrael was quiet beside them, but she could see from the small frown on Aramith's face that something else was bothering him.

Before they left the academy, he asked her if she remembered anyone called Kesha or Lia, which bothered her because she didn't know any such people.

And then, he also warned her to be careful about Lynnor.

She understood that he had something he didn't like about Lynnor...something that made his dislike even akin to hate, but he didn't explain further.

The walk to their place of lodge was long and tiring, but for cultivators like them, this was easy.

However—

"It's been over an hour and we're still not there. Do they plan on burning me up before they give us a place?"

It's only been four minutes.

"If this is the kind of service they had, they should have let us stay in the carriages."

Then go! We don't want you here!

"And they call this a privilege. More like a punishment."

Why didn't someone else come to lead this group?

Aramith ignored her words. His focus wasn't on her complaints — it was on the Youm density pressing against his senses. Something in this city felt… wrong.

She kept nagging like that the entire way, irritating the others and frustrating the Keeper leading the way.

When they arrived at the said location, the Keeper was in a rush to leave them in the hands of the others in there who were to show them around.

Even then, she was still complaining when one of the teachers, having had enough, approached her.

"You are being rude to the people here. If you keep doing that, you'll ruin our—"

"And who gave you the authority to speak to me like that?" Her expression was one filled with disgust.

This angered the teacher. "Just because you're privileged and allowed to do as you please in the academy doesn't mean you can do that here as well."

"Shut up."

Just like that, Forsaken Peak Academy entered Yumaris already despised.

Everyone will now look down on them as the ununited group.

In-fighting in a place where they were to work together to fight others? That was insane

Trouble had arrived before the first duel even began.