Leo's fifteenth birthday passed quietly, marked by a small celebration and an even smaller sense of relief.
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Three days later, the admission letter arrived. The parchment was thick, heavy with weight, and a sunburst seal was pressed deep enough to scar the paper.
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'Finally. All those cold morning days, the bloody hands, and whips to my back weren't for nothing.'
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During the years as Leo got older, he grew larger and sharper. The terrifying training from Lucas ended, leaving him with a body full of carefully cultivated muscles, brimming with strength.
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While servants quietly prepared his belongings, a message came from the main hall. His parents wished to see him.
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'Mom will probably cry.' Leo was already thinking of ways to calm his emotional mother.
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The doors opened and Leo stepped in.
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The main hall stretched wide above Leo, sunlight spilling through tall stained glass windows and painting marvelous colored patterns across the marble floor.
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The banners of the Rosenhart family hung motionless, the wind outside unable to touch them. Every footstep he took echoed as if the room itself were holding its breath.
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His parents were standing next to a large dining table, watching him, though their faces betrayed their barely composed facade.
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His mother, Sophia, had her hands clenched in front of her, nails digging into her palms. Her chest rose and fell too quickly, and her eyes glistened as she tried to hold back tears.
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His father, William, looked as composed as ever, but the slight crease at the corner of his mouth and the tension in his shoulders betrayed the worry he refused to voice.
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Leo saw this and clenched his fist. The guilt in his heart gnawed at him.
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William spoke first.
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"Leo, the time for you to leave has come. You must go there and show them the pride of Rosenhart. Don't forget the lessons taught to you." He spoke clearly, however, his eyes were full of worry for his second boy.
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"Yes, father. I'll raise the head of the Grand Duchy and come back stronger than ever!" Leo said at his father's words.
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Sophia moved forward and adjusted Leo's collar, but there wasn't anything to fix.
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As she stared upon her departing son, the emotions she held back with all her might burst forward.
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She hugged him tight, sobbing through her words.
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"Be careful, and don't focus only on getting stronger. There is so much more to life, so go and enjoy the boons of your effort, my son," Sophia said, as she flashed a beautiful smile while her face glistened with tears.
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"I will, mother," Leo said, hugging his mother back.
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Footsteps echoed as the steward entered.
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"Young lord, the carriage has been prepared," said the steward, bowing.
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Leo took a step back, letting go of his mother.
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He took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming with held-back tears.
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"...Goodbye." Leo grinned as the sun hit his face, then turned and walked away.
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The piercing cries of his mother rang behind him, but he didn't look back, not because he didn't care, but because he knew he would be back.
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The carriage waited, horses stamping softly, reins clinking. Leo climbed in, the door closing behind him with a soft thud. From the window, he saw his parents shrink in the distance.
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And as the carriage began to roll forward, carrying him toward the unknown lands where the Academy awaited, Leo's heart thudded with both fear and exhilaration.
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The city shrank behind him, the banners fluttering in the morning breeze. Leo felt a strange tug in his chest, a mix of excitement and longing.
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The streets he had known all his life, every market, every fountain, every sunlit balcony, blurred past in a single heartbeat. For the first time, he was truly leaving home.
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'The journey should take four days until reaching the Academy. I'm already getting excited about what will happen!' As Leo was thinking, screams rang out behind him.
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Focusing outside, he saw him.
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"Young masterrr! You forgot me, your loyal servant!" Raymond was running behind the carriage, evident by his panting and sweat.
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"Sorry Raymond! The academy doesn't allow servants. I'll see you when I come back," Leo screamed back, laughing at Raymond.
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Raymond quickly fell behind, leaving him in despair as his master left him.
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The carriage passed through the city. News of Leo's admission had long been spreading, so the people knew that the second young lord was leaving.
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Passing through the city gates, he saw the people gathering and bowing to the carriage, saying their farewells.
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Just as Leo was feeling emotional, the carriage stopped abruptly outside the city.
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As he looked outside, he spotted two figures and sighed heavily.
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Stepping out of the shadows, Lucas's towering frame was followed by Violet's figure.
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Lucas stood in front of the carriage and said, "You didn't think you'd be leaving us behind, did you?" Lucas's voice carried like thunder.
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Leo's eyes widened. "You... you're joining me?"
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Violet smiled softly. "We were offered the position of professors at the Academy, so we accepted. And you're not the kind of student we can just send off, so we're coming with you!"
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Leo was pleasantly surprised. During the years, he had gotten close to them both. Knowing they were going to be with him left a smile on his face.
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"Well, climb in. There's plenty of room!" Leo welcomed them as he scooted over.
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"So, what year will you be teaching?" Leo asked.
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Violet answered, "The two of us will be teaching the first year, so that means you as well."
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Leo nodded and looked back towards the fading city. It was his first time leaving, but he didn't cry. He smiled, knowing when he came back, he would be a different man.
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The road to the Academy was thorny. The academy was built in the time of the first Emperor.
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At the time, a large-scale war between the different races threatened to happen, so the emperor arranged a meeting between them all: the Human Empress, the Elf Queen, the Dwarf King, and the High Chieftain of the Beastkin.
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They signed a pact to jointly build the Solarium Academy in neutral territory, bordered by all nations, intending to bring them closer and preventing such disastrous wars from happening.
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The days passed, and the carriage finally arrived near Solarium. What greeted them were huge walls with hundreds of carriages lined up.
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There were two large wooden gates. One was for people who came for the city of Solaria, and the other was for students of the academy. Thankfully, the line for students was small.
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As the carriage passed through the gate, the group was stunned at the sight before them.
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The entire city was bustling. Its sheer scale was stunning. Thousands of different kinds of people filled the streets even in the early morning.
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As the carriage rolled on, they finally saw the academy.
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The walls of Solarium loomed taller than any building Leo had ever seen. Magic Barriers shimmered along the stone, and the air hummed faintly with power.
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Students of every race, elves with their slender graceful forms, dwarves bustling with confidence, and beastkin with fur and horns, crossed paths in orderly chaos, their voices blending in a symphony of a thousand worlds.
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Leo's heart hammered with excitement.