I hid, shivering, covered by the corpses of my family.
My father and my brothers' limp, unmoving bodies were the only thing sparing me from the same fate. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. Because if a single breath or movement escaped, the floodgates would break. And that would literally be the death of me.
I heard the men around me searching for survivors.
I didn't want to be found.
Couldn't be found.
Two people entered the ruins of what used to be my home. They were talking to each other.
I recognized the voices.
My blood boiled into a frenzy.
The lord of this accursed land and his bastard son. The son, blond and white as a sheet, said, "Who cares if all the monsters are dead. They will be soon enough."
"Son," the lord said, "when you rule, remember this. Never leave an enemy alive if you can finish him off."
The bastard hummed and replied, "You're so wise, father."
Something prodded my father's side.
"Hold up, there's something underneath!"
I closed my eyes in fear, and my third eye on my chest opened.
Light poured over me, blinding and harsh.
"Aww," the bastard sighed. "He's dead."
"Nero, don't worry," his father said. "I made sure they captured some of the more interesting monsters for our entertainment."
His dad consoled him while mine rotted, unable to console me.
"Now let us get going," he continued. "You know how your mother gets when you're late for dinner!"
Nero laughed and kicked me, the way a man stomps on a bug.
"Let's go!"
As their footsteps faded away, I finally let out a breath of relief.
"I knew practicing my mind powers would be useful at some point," I whispered.
I let go of the paper I had been holding.
It was bloody and almost completely unreadable, except for three words.
Accepted into ….. academy.
I smiled, out of hysteria or genuine happiness I couldn't tell. At least they couldn't take this away from me.
An hour after they left, I stood up slowly.
First to bury everyone.
Then to get going.
Revenge waits for no man.
— — —
I laughed at the man clearly in pain, flopping through the sky like a fish out of water, one wing ruined, the spear still lodged deep in his chest. The man who used to be his brother chased after him, controlled by a dog collar. He screamed something or other. It didn't really matter. Death was coming for him either way.
I waited with bated breath for the moment.
The moment he realized he was going to die.
That there was no escaping the man who used to be blood spilling your blood.
That the only choice left was how he died.
I saw it in his eyes.
And I saw something I hadn't seen in a long time.
Defiance.
He put both of his hands on the spear and, with one massive pull, yanked it free, pressed it to his neck, and took his own life.
I let out a sigh of disappointment.
I felt a tap on my shoulder from a trembling hand. I turned and saw a letter the same color as blood being handed to me.
"For… for you, sir."
I accepted the note from the old man, who was clearly shaken by something. I smiled. I already knew what was inside. I didn't need to open it.
But I did.
The only words I saw were,
"The academy is ecstatic to welcome gifted students like yourself through our gates."
My grin grew.
— — —
Just as I was about to push my chair back from the table, stomach full and brain still buzzing, the old man snaps his fingers.
"Oh yeah," he says, like he'd just remembered he left the stove on instead of altering the course of my entire existence. "I almost forgot."
He turns to Crane. "Why didn't you remind me to give him the letter?"
Crane tilted his head, immaculate as ever. "I assumed you were waiting for the appropriate moment, my king."
The old man shrugs. "Eh. Now's good enough."
"Give me what?" I asked, genuinely lost.
"That," he says, pointing lazily at my side of the table.
I follow his finger.
And there it was.
A letter. Sitting neatly beside my plate like it had always belonged there. Deep crimson, almost glowing under the chandelier, like someone went out of their way to make it look important. Or ominous. Or both.
My heart skipped a beat.
I grab it immediately and pry it open with my dinner knife, which earned me an tsk from Crane.
All I had to see was one word.
Academy.
My brain stopped out of shock.
Then I lost it.
"AN ACADEMY ARC YESSS!"
I shoot up so fast my chair fell backwards, arms thrown wide like I'd just been personally blessed by the universe. "I KNEW IT! I KNEW YOU HADN'T FORSAKEN ME GOD!"
Tears appear instantly. With no warning and with no regard for shame. I, laughing and sobbing at the same time, drop to my knees like I was in the middle of prayer, hands spread wide in unshuttered, unfiltered, utter joy.
"THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED!"
I wipe my face on my sleeve, still grinning like an idiot. "Please tell me it's everything I've ever dreamed of."
The old man stares at me.
Then he looks at Crane.
And they both burst into laughter.
Real laughter. Not polite. Not even slightly restrained. Crane turns away covering his mouth. The old man slaps the table, shoulders shaking like this was the funniest thing he'd seen in centuries.
I didn't care.
I didn't care that this was probably part of some cosmic plan.
I didn't even care that an entire world would be watching.
For the first time in a while, I felt excited.
Maybe this world would actually be fun.