The Augur Of Vengeance

The gigantic academy that awaited his entry had an air of thrill and noise rarely felt here. Students could be seen entering, their heads held high and eagerness laden in their eyes. Aethercrest Academy was actually an amalgamation of two separate ones: the first for the unawakened trainees and the other for genuine mages. The latter was closed today, and the only students entering were those here for the baptism hunt.

As Nicolas stepped foot into the academy premises, his eyes were greeted by a once-enchanting but now quotidian view. He was greeted by his classmates, all exchanges limited merely to wishing one another luck for the impending event.

After a while, his ears picked up a familiar voice, that of his best friend. He approached the source and was met with an ongoing discourse between her and Emerald, also a good friend and classmate. Their tones unusually harsh as if discussing a matter of apprehension. He went near them.

"What happened? Why are you two so worried?" asked Nicolas intently.

"It's nothing, everything is okay; we are just a little worried about the upcoming hunt," Emilia hastily replied, flinching slightly at his sudden appearance.

"How come you are so late? You usually are the first to arrive at such events," questioned Emerald, his eyes containing surprise.

"Just got a little lost in the view on the way to the tele-station. Have the faculties arrived yet?"

"Yes, they have. We were told to gather on the campus grounds by 9:30. That means—" saying so, Emilia looked towards her Q-band, "—Only 5 minutes are left. Let's hurry up."

The trio immediately quickened their pace, heading hastily towards the campus grounds.

"Huff! We arrived just in time," they exclaimed with relief.

All the students had already arrived and were looking towards the front where the headmaster of the trainee division was seated. Just as the clock hit 9:30, he stood up from his seat, ascending upwards until he towered above the students.

"Today, each and every one of you are here for a single purpose, and that is to triumph in the baptism ritual, thus beginning your journey as an awakener. I will be straightforward: most of you will not be able to achieve that even with the aid of spell scrolls. Those who do will skyrocket to the top, and the others might feel hopeless. This is a message for the future selves of those who fail. The very fact that you were able to awaken proves your potential. A failed baptism shall not allow thee to abandon all hope, as it just envisages another way, another path to your actual purpose and goal. Believe me, not a single person is bereft of one. Most of you carry the burden of entire families on your shoulders, and failing this test might make it appear that you will be deprived of the means to continue carrying it. Yet in reality, it just makes clear that there is another entirely unique path waiting for your voyage. This world has no paucity of fields to tread in. I hope you allow no failure to penetrate your determination. In a few moments, a set of flying chariots will arrive to usher you to today's destination. I genuinely wish each of you performs well. Don't forget: Aethercrest Academy is the home of the country's most courageous individuals!"

The students felt their hope reignite, each of them carrying an aspiration just as valuable as the other, and they would go to any lengths to fulfill their ambitions. As they were waiting for the guides to arrive, numerous duos, trios, and quartets had begun forming in an attempt to increase their chances of availing this challenge.

Nicolas was going to pair up with only Emilia, as Emerald was joining another group comprised of his sister and other acquaintances.

"As we had discussed earlier, the game plan is as follows— We will first go to the Myriad Mountains in the east of the forest, then use an RT-snare to trap a tree golem. After that, we will slowly burn it by throwing inferno grenades at it while you use your spell to weaken it. The next time, I will use my fire spell while it is bound by the RT-snare. In this way, the credit of the hunts will go to the spellcaster, i.e., you in the first case and I in the second," Nicolas said.

"Yes, I've set every detail of the plan in my mind. We will definitely succeed," Emilia replied confidently.

---

Their discussion was interrupted by the noise of the approaching hovercrafts, a sudden anxiety settling inside their minds despite all the planning and cognizance of assured success. The vehicles landed, and out came members of the Valtheris Aviation Confederation. They were one of the hegemons here, as Valtheris was a country with one of the highest aerial traffic. Hence, their employees were treated with respect, especially the ones operating magical crafts.

Gradually, all the participants had mounted the hovercrafts, taking in the mesmerizing craftsmanship of these wonders. As the crafts slowly ascended upwards, the students were enthralled more and more by the magnificent view before their eyes.

The ephemeral journey seemed to possess intransient qualities, as if the temporal flow had slowed down for the sole purpose of torturing them.

Eventually, their destination lay before them, welcoming them with its dense canopies, towering trees, and the sound of the creatures present inside; both hostile and affable. The hovercrafts descended, and bit by bit all the students exited, their minds containing both apprehension and excitement.

The aviation officers told them that the guards hired by the academy would be on standby here and provided each of them a flare gun they could shoot to indicate that they were in fatal danger. This was the biggest perk of going to a baptism hunt organized by some authority instead of an autonomous one.

After all protocol had been followed, the groups started entering the forest, slowly becoming more and more distant from each other.

---

Nicolas and Emilia had been drifting towards the Myriad Forest for a while now, and fortunately, no attacks had been initiated on them yet. The pair had been chewing the fat for an hour or so, the topics ranging from happy encounters to daily struggles. This discourse, however, was suddenly cut off by a slight rustle in the nearby shrubs. The two were immediately on the ball, searching solemnly for any alien presence.

The backs of the pair were facing each other to allow maximum reconnaissance.

Hisss! Out of the blue, a purple streak struck Nicolas' foot. He hastily jerked his foot to shake off the foreign entity, the movements catching Emilia's attention as she turned to look at him. His foot had become entangled by the svelte body of the snake-like creature, which seemed to be gradually increasing the pressure, tightening his leg.

Emilia pulled out an eccentric whip with a blade on its end and carefully struck the beast. The blade, which appeared to be sharp enough to cut through iron, could barely shake off the creature. But because this move pulled the snake's attention to the whip, Nicolas was given temporary liberty to counterattack. Making full use of this split second, he unsheathed the saber hanging on his back and, in one swift motion, maneuvered it at a slant angle to the beast's eyes. To protect its eyes, it was forced to shut them, and this ephemeral loss of sight was all it needed for Nicolas to plunge his saber deep into the beast's stomach, making it release a horrifying scream.

Emilia used this moment to pull the snake by its tail, using all her strength to untangle the snake and throw it at a distance.

The creature, now infuriated, rapidly approached Emilia and launched into the air, attempting to strangle her neck. But before it could, it was met with the tenacious blow of her whip, sending it flying to the ground. Just as it plummeted, its eyes were pierced by the unforgiving blade of Nicolas.

Soon, the lifeless body of the beast lay sprawled across the ground, allowing them to assess its appearance and identify that it was an Azure Battlesnake, one of the deadliest tierless beasts.

"Phew! That was too close for comfort. We have to pay more attention to our surroundings. Thankfully, it was a magicless beast, but luck may not be on our side next time," Nicolas said with a solemn expression while looking towards the body of the Azure Battlesnake. After extracting its fangs and skin, they started a fire.

The sparks of the kindling flame made them associate it with their current situation. Witnessing it slowly shape into a roaring fire, their eyes were ignited with a sense of resolve never seen before. The pair watched the body of the snake slowly cook while paying attention to the intrusion of any creatures that may have been lured by the smoke.

"Tomorrow is the day we will face our hardest challenge yet. If we do successfully take down a tiered beast, each of our arduous moments of hard work will bear fruit. If not, we may forever be as insignificant as today in the grand schemes, stripped of our rights to make true the dream we two have carried for so long. I hope we will prevail in tomorrow's face-off and will continue to overcome even harder tribulations, together." The crackling of the fire was accompanied by Nicolas' soothing voice.

The food had been fully cooked. The pair started eating, the atmosphere laden with an unusual weight and silence juxtaposed to their typical chattering. As the dinner finished, both of them brought out their compressible tents and inflatable sheets, trying to drift to sleep.