Wrath's Virtue

A Northern blonde girl with a trembling sword in her hands was approach the goblin. The creature whimpered and tried to crawl away from her. The girl took a hesitant step, her knuckles white on the hilt of her sword. She looked down at the pleading creature, then lowered her head, tears welling in her eyes. "No... I can't," she whispered.

Seeing her hesitation, the goblin let out a thin snarl and lunged, seeing a chance to escape.

The girl cried out in shock, stumbling backward. She reflexively raised her sword to defend herself, and the charging goblin impaled itself on the blade.

It let out a pained shriek and collapsed beside her, twitching. The girl stared at the body in horror, her heart start pounding as she scrambled to her feet.

Kargath turned to Ulrich. "What do we do, Headmaster? She gave up, but she still killed the goblin in the end."

"The important thing is that she killed it or not," Ulrich stated. "She passes."

Kargath looked at the terrified girl. "Whelp!" he barked. The girl flinched and looked at the Orc. Kargath gestured with his chin toward the area where Aurelion and a few other children were now standing. "Get over there."

The girl walked slowly and trembling.

"Next!" Kargath called. This time, a dwarf child holding a small mace came forward.

Faelia murmured to herself, "This is too much for nine year olds."

"But it is necessary," Ulrich said, having overheard her.

"Yes, Headmaster, it is," Faelia conceded, "but I am still not sure about this test. They are goblins, yes, but they have to kill these creatures while they beg not to die. This is a horrible thing for a child."

"Not for all of them," Ulrich replied, his gaze drifting to the back, where Aurelion was watching the show with his arms crossed, a look of sheer boredom on his face.

"Next!" Kargath roared, and Ylva stepped forward. With her twin short swords in hand, she found herself facing a goblin that was noticeably younger than the others. It was crying.

Ylva's brow furrowed, a look of pity and conflict on her face. Noticing this, Aurelion straightened up slightly, moving to a spot where he knew Ylva could see him. He smiled.

Ylva's eyes darted to the side and met his. Aurelion brought a hand to his throat and dragged his thumb across it in a cutting motion. He say his words silently while a cruel smirk on his face. "Can't bring yourself to kill a goblin that hasn't even grown up, Princess?"

Ylva's face flushed with anger, but she held her tongue. "Mind your own business, elf," she said through gritted teeth.

Aurelion's smirk widened. "If you ever even dream of challenging and defeating me in the future, you should have already torn that little filth to pieces. Do you want to disappoint your grandfather? Kill it already."

Ulrich, Kargath, and Faelia simply watched.

"I'm going to kill it," Ylva snapped. "I said mind your own business."

Hearing her words, the small goblin shrieked.

"But how will you kill it, Princess?" Aurelion's taunt continued. "Fast? Or slow?"

This time, Ylva looked at him with a confused expression.

"I think you should do it slowly. You're too soft."

Ylva opened her mouth to retort, but he cut her off.

"You will never defeat me if you are not ruthless."

The words hit Ylva like a physical blow. She froze for a moment, then her gaze hardened. She turned back to the goblin and took a step forward. The creature tried to scramble backward in terror. Ylva approached and her twin swords held ready.

"Please, please…" the goblin whimpered.

Her right hand flashed out, burying her sword directly in the goblin's chest, killing it instantly and painlessly.

Ylva then turned and walked directly toward Aurelion. "Don't think you're so special, elf," she hissed, stopping in front of him. "I don't need to torture a goblin to be able to defeat you. I will kill, how I want to kill."

She held his gaze for a moment longer before turning and joining the other children who had passed the test.

As Ylva walked away, Aurelion continued to look forward, a faint smile on his face. He spoke just loud enough for her to hear. "You will understand what I said much better in the future, Princess."

Ylva stop for a moment then just grunted in response and kept walking.

After her, the remaining children were called, one by one. The process continued until the final stage of the test was complete.

Once the failures were sent away, only thirty three children remained.

"Follow me," Ulrich commanded.

He led them up a flight of stairs, leaving the dark dungeon behind them. Inside the college building, Ulrich led the children down several corridors until they reached a set of large doors. Two guards opened them, and a wave of bright light washed over the group as they stepped out onto a terrace.

This terrace, unlike the one at the entrance, overlooked a massive, green courtyard bustling with life. Scattered across the vast lawn were dozens of older students, from ages nine to fourteen, representing a multitude of races. Some were sparring, their movements fluid and practiced. A few sat in groups, chatting amongst themselves. Near a small grove of trees, an elf girl was training with a large hawk, directing it with sharp whistles. In another corner, by a small pond, several children were shaping the water into complex forms.

Ulrich turned to the awestruck children. "The parts of the college you have seen until now are the entrance wards, where the college guards are stationed. Your future lies in the grounds you see behind me. You will be trained in the areas where you are talented, from combat and energy manipulation to crafting and beast taming. And with the skills you learn here, you will be sent on small missions."

The children listened with excitement, their eyes darting around the vibrant courtyard.

"You are the ones who managed to pass the tests out of 214 children," Ulrich continued, his tone becoming stern again, "but this does not mean you are geniuses. It means you have met the minimum standards to be trained. You will spend the next few years of your life here."

Aurelion observed the courtyard, and the diversity he saw pleased him. The elf girl training the hawk, in particular, caught his interest.

"The training you will receive," Ulrich announced, "will be decided by myself, Head Instructor Faelia, and Head Instructor Kargath, based on the assessment we have made of your performance in the trials."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over each of them one last time. "This can be a good and happy place for children like you, but what is expected of you is seriousness and discipline. Take your training seriously, complete the tasks given to you, and your time here will be both productive and pleasant."

With that, Ulrich turned to Faelia.

Faelia stepped forward. "Your life at our college will begin in three days, children. For now, return to your homes and make your preparations." As she finished, two guards in black leather armor approached the group. "Follow us," one of them said.

Aurelion took one last look at the bustling courtyard, committing the scene to memory, before turning to follow the guards.

Meanwhile, under a large tree in that same bustling courtyard, three children were sitting together. One was a girl with orange hair and sharp fox ears, another a boy with gray hair and the ears of a wolf, and the third was a forest elf with long, light brown hair.

The forest elf was couldn't sit still, fidgeting with excitement.

The fox girl watched her with a mischievous smile. "Can't you wait any longer, Woodpecker? Did the the year separation feel that long?"

Elara stopped fidgeting and simply looked at Lyra. Lyra's own fox tail was wagging excitedly back and forth, and Elara just followed it with her eyes.

Lyra followed Elara's gaze, saw her own tail, and it instantly froze.

"Unlike you, I was the last one to see him. You're far more excited than I am, Lyra," Elara said with a smile.

"Shut up, Woodpecker," Lyra retorted. "I'm not that eager to see that sourpuss."

Kael, who had been lying back with his hands behind his head and staring at the sky, spoke up. "I don't understand why you're both so excited. The tests are today, which means even if he passes, he won't be here for another three days."

"Yes, that's true, but those tests..." Elara said, her expression growing somber as she remembered killing her own goblin last year. "They were hard."

"Don't worry, Woodpecker," Lyra said confidently. "That annoying kid definitely passed them."

Elara turned and looked pointedly at Lyra's tail, which had started wagging again. Lyra scowled. "Stop doing that."

Kael's voice turned serious. "Have you two decided what you're going to do when he arrives?"

The other two fell silent, their expressions also becoming serious. Then, a smile spread across Lyra's face. She looked at her hand and clenched it into a small fist.

"When that arrogant bastard arrives, I'm going to challenge him and kick his ass."