“Are you lost?” said one of the guards.
“N-no, sir,” was the reply Sarik managed to stammer out. “I’ve just received word that I was enrolled into this academy.”
“Hardly look like the type Cedric would want in this place, but I do suppose we could use all the help we can get. What’s your name, boy?”
“My name is Sarik.”
“Well, then, Sarik, come with me, and I’ll show you to your new home.”
Sarik was a young man about the age of seventeen. He had long, black hair that covered one of his eyes, and half of his face. He lived an ordinary life. Or, at least, as ordinary as life could get on an island where monsters crawled all over the country side. The only way off was a small boat halfway across the island. But, despite all the hardships life on Talking Island held, Sarik never once resorted to violence. Then, everything changed when his parents told him he was now a student in Cedric’s Training Academy.
Cedric used to be one of the worlds greatest fighters, having vanquished many terrible creatures most people would never even dream of seeing in their lifetime. When Sarik found out he was to be enrolled in this school, he felt a wave of excitement and terror. Never before had he wielded a sword in hatred toward another living thing. So, when he walked into the academy, he didn’t know what to think or say.
He looked at the giant gateway, and marveled at the beauty and size of the place he beheld. It was far bigger and grander than anything he had ever witnessed. The gates were made of solid ebony, and the walls were made of adamantine.
The guard led him down a long, elegant corridor, Sarik stared at all the many statues lining the walls. There were statues dating as far back as the Elder Days, when evil first started to appear in the world. The most recent statue, he noted, was of a man slaying a gigantic lizard. The guard noticed the amazement in Sarik’s eyes, and he smiled. As they continued to walk, Sarik saw many separate hallways, leading down to the classroom section. There were also many other hallways, some leading to the cafeteria, some leading to rooms where Sarik saw what appeared to be housing units, but he didn’t think they were for the students.
“All the statues here are of people who did marvelous things after leaving this very academy,” said the guard. “That’s where they house the monsters in this academy. Don’t worry,” the guard told him, seeing the shocked look on Sarik’s face. “The very best of our students are the only ones allowed in, and if the monsters get passed them, they have to pass all the guards, which is a near impossibility.”
They passed a few people, all of whom smiled, or waved as they passed by. Sarik saw no female students, but he paid little attention to the fact.
As they passed a small group of students, the guard motioned for one of them to come near. The student was of average height, and had long blonde hair, with sharp blue eyes staring out from behind his hair.
“I want you to take this young man to see Cedric. Don’t give him a hard time.”
“Yes sir!” the student said. “Follow me.” Again, they started walking, and Sarik turned to watch the guard leave behind him. He stared until he could no longer see the guard standing at the gateway.
As they walked on, Sarik kept silent, thinking about how his life was going to be much different now. To him, it didn’t feel like a very long silence, but it must have been, for the student abruptly stopped, causing Sarik to nearly walk straight into his back.
“These are Cedric’s quarters. He will come to summon you when he is ready, so make yourself comfortable.” Sarik nodded, more to wake himself up than to nod to the other student.
“Am I to go in alone, or are you going to come with me?” The student shook his head, explaining he had other duties to attend to, but he would come by in about an hour to pick him up and take him to his room.
Sarik watched as the other student headed down the hallway, and turned to the left. Then he stared at the door, attempting to strike up enough courage to knock. Just as he was about to, a tall, dark skinned man flung the door open, beaming at him.
“Come in, young Sarik! I’ve been expecting you!” He half lead, half dragged Sarik into the room, and forced him into a small chair across from an oaken desk. Sarik sat there, dumb-founded, staring at the man.
After a few seconds, Sarik caught himself, knowing that it wasn’t polite to stare at someone for a long period of time. “So, you’re Cedric, then?” He knew it was a stupid question, because he already knew the answer.
“I am,” said Cedric. “Now, I know you’re wondering why I’ve brought you here, but that will all be explained in due time. For now, I want to ask you a few questions.”
Sarik nodded, not really wanting to say anything for fear it would sound extremely stupid. He instead looked around the room, waiting for the first question to be asked.
“First off, do you know what is happening to the world?”
“No, sorry, all I know is that the monsters have become more and more ferocious, attacking our livestock, and killing anyone who leaves the city.”
“That is correct. But, do you know why?” Sarik shook his head. “Well, have you ever heard of Valakas, the fire dragon?” This time, Sarik nodded, very, very slowly.
There wasn’t a soul alive who hadn’t heard of Valakas. Valakas was the greatest of all the dragons, but he was kept under the rule of Frintezza, the demi-god of Chaos. There was also Antharas, the land dragon, and the Ice Fairy, Sirra. There were many other monsters that were associated with those four, such as Dr. Chaos, a crazed dwarf who had allied himself with the powers of darkness, and also Eilhalder Von Hellman, a vampire who had rebelled against the king a very long time ago.
“Well, it seems that Valakas has once again returned to the land of Aden. And with his return, and the other’s as well, the monsters all over the land of Aden have grown increasingly aggressive.” Sarik, not quite knowing what direction this conversation was going in, merely just stared at the man in front of him.
“Um…sir, if I may, I still don’t see what this has to do with me at all…”
“Sarik, Sarik, Sarik, how can you fail to see what's right in front of you? Here in this academy, we will teach you how to defend yourself against all evil in the world. This includes Valakas and his gang, if, may the God’s forbid, you ever come face to face with them.” Sarik again said nothing, and stared instead at a sword attached to the wall. It somehow reminded him of a time when he was a child and had fallen into a trap set by one of the werewolves that patrolled the forest…