"Ah, this is boring..."
Rain was sitting in his classroom, attending history class with his teacher, Michael.
He sat at the back of the class, resting his head on his hand, his eyes wandering around the room with clear boredom.
"Azou Log was a king beloved by all, but in the end, he died under mysterious circumstances, as he helped anyone who came to him seeking help. He built this kingdom according to strict laws…"
Michael's voice was steady and monotonous as usual, as though the story held nothing intriguing.
But...
For the first time, Rain felt curious about what Michael said.
"Mysterious circumstances?"
The thought slipped into his mind unconsciously, as if a single word had awakened something dormant inside him.
Rain raised his hand to ask his teacher.
"Teacher, does anyone know these circumstances?"
Michael looked at Rain, appearing slightly surprised, as he rarely asked questions.
"Of course, no one knows yet, but the historians of our kingdom know he passed away, unfortunately."
Rain wasn't convinced.
"What was his name? And what was his element?"
A brief silence fell in the classroom, as though the question had made the atmosphere heavier.
"Unfortunately, no one knows our hero's name, nor his element, but the element of our king, Azou Log, was fire."
Rain nodded, pretending to understand, though many questions were still stirring inside him.
"This is strange..."
The bell rang, signaling the end of the class, and the students sighed with relief, but before leaving, Professor Michael added:
"Oh, I remember, in a week you will participate for the first time in a practical exercise with the golden and silver level students."
A murmur spread through the room.
One student asked:
"What do we have to do in this exercise?"
"You'll have to survive for a week in a place a little away from our academy. We've set it up with some weak monsters, but don't worry, you'll be teleported there. You will do this in groups of six students, two from each level."
The students left the classroom, anxiety visible on most faces, leaving only Rain and…
"Hey, don't you think this is strange?"
Rain turned around toward the voice and found Rafi speaking to him.
Her voice was soft, but her expression carried curiosity similar to his.
"What do you mean?"
"That the name of our hero and his element are unknown, and Azou Log died mysteriously."
Rain paused for a moment, then said:
"I thought about this too, but I don't think we'll get an answer anytime soon, at least."
Rafi nodded, understanding.
"Well, I'm going for lunch. Do you want to come with me?"
Rain was surprised by her question, his heart skipped a beat, but he finally answered:
"Okay, let's go."
---
Rain and Rafi entered the cafeteria together and took their food on trays.
The room was bustling with voices and laughter.
"Come on, Rain, over here!"
They walked to an isolated table, sitting across from each other.
The place seemed to isolate them from the rest of the students.
They began eating their meals, but an awkward silence fell between them.
Eventually, Rain broke the silence with his question:
"Why did you invite me to lunch?"
Rafi hesitated, glancing at her plate before answering:
"Why? Is it not okay? I mean... staying alone without friends is a bit difficult, and it makes you feel lonely, and... don't mind it."
Her face showed clear embarrassment.
"Well, then... I'm also lonely, so no problem. Do you know? I haven't shared a lunch table with anyone since we entered the academy."
Rafi suddenly smiled.
"Well, then that makes me the first! Isn't it an honor for you to share lunch with a beautiful girl like me?"
She said it with a little boast, but she wasn't lying.
Most of the students' eyes were focused on her due to her alluring feminine figure.
"Okay, okay, no problem."
Rain stood up to leave, and Rafi stood up as well.
They left the cafeteria together and continued their walk toward the dorm until someone appeared in front of them.
"Hey, you look beautiful, what do you say about coming with us? We'll make sure you'll have fun."
A group of thugs blocked their way.
Time seemed to stop for a moment.
Rain and Rafi found themselves in a difficult situation, not knowing what to do next.
"Come on, come with us."
Fear was clear on Rafi's face; she hadn't been in a situation like this before.
"I... I..."
"What's wrong? Did the cat eat your tongue?"
Rafi was about to break down when...
One of them grabbed her hand.
"No! Let me go, let me leave!"
Rafi raised her head and saw that it was Rain who had grabbed her hand.
In that moment, she felt safe from anything.
"Rafi, let's run!"
And so, they ran with all the speed they had.
The sound of their footsteps mixed with the pounding of their hearts.
"Looks like we got rid of them."
Rain said it with a slight smile on his face.
They were both exhausted from running for so long.
"Thank you, Rain... you saved me again."
Rain's face turned red as he remembered what Harry had told him that morning.
"I have to go, Harry is waiting for me."
"Hold on a second, Rain... did you make any friends?"
"No, why? I don't need them."
"Rain, trust me, staying without friends brings loneliness, and makes you face your problems alone, so make sure to gain some."
Rain replied with annoyance:
"Okay, okay, I'm going."
"Goodbye."
Suddenly, Rain asked a question he hadn't intended to ask earlier...
But now he wanted to ask it.
"Rafi... we're... we're friends, right?"
He felt extremely embarrassed, wishing the ground would swallow him up.
Rafi smiled without hesitation:
"What's this silly question? Of course, we're friends."
Both of them felt a warm, simple happiness, but it was real.
"Goodbye, Rafi. See you tomorrow."
"Goodbye, Rain."
---
Both of them left in their separate ways, their smiles still on their faces,
but what they didn't know was that there were people watching them... from afar.
On the top of a building at the academy, stood a man wearing a long black coat,
looking at Rafi with cold eyes devoid of any compassion.
Beside him stood a girl with short silver hair, holding a piece of paper with a picture of Rafi,
and beside it was a mysterious seal, engraved with a symbol resembling a broken wolf.
The girl spoke softly:
"Are you sure it's her? She seems like just an ordinary student."
The man answered without turning his gaze:
"Yes, she's the last one from that family. She will join her father sooner or later."
She paused for a moment, then asked with slight fear:
"But wasn't that family completely wiped out?"
He smiled slyly:
"Looks like fate enjoys irony... only one survived,
and we have to finish what we started before she becomes stronger and gets it."
The girl closed the paper tightly and said:
"What about the boy she was with?"
The man's voice lowered as he turned away from the edge:
"Just a temporary obstacle... fate will take care of him."
Their footsteps d
isappeared into the shadows, leaving behind a cold wind that passed over the academy's roof,
as though warning that the peace Rain and Rafi were living would not last long.
---
End of Chapter 4