A month had passed since the awakening ceremony, and the excitement that once stirred the Maglor household had now turned into a quiet tension.
Kaelen's days had been peaceful on the surface, but he wasn't a fool he had noticed. Derek had been coming home later than usual, shoulders heavy, eyes tired. He wasn't gambling, drinking, or cracking his usual jokes anymore. Instead, he had been busy collecting skill books, gear, and rare materials.
Derek was preparing Kaelen for something bigger than either of them had imagined.
The new academy "Dawn" was opening in just a week. Once Kaelen stepped through its gates, he wouldn't be allowed to return home until the end of the semester. That was the rule. No exceptions, not even for nobles.
And so, on the morning of his departure, the weight of that truth finally sank in.
---
"Dad… I don't want to go," Kaelen muttered as his eyes began to blur. His small fingers clenched tightly around the hem of Derek's coat. "I'll be alone. I want to stay with you…"
Derek felt something crack in his chest.
His boy was crying.
But he couldn't afford to show weakness now. He crouched and placed a firm hand on Kaelen's shoulder. His voice was low but steady.
"Kaelen. How old are you again?" Derek asked.
"F-Five…"
Derek was speechless for a moment realising his stupidity.
"Then stop crying like you're two." His tone sharpened, but his grip was reassuring. "You're a man of Maglor. An Awakened. You've been blessed with a black potential. That means you're special, Kaelen. Stronger than most maybe stronger than me someday."
Kaelen sniffled, still trembling.
"Listen, son. I don't want to send you away either. But this world Eldraus isn't going to wait for you to grow up. You'll be safer, stronger, and more prepared at the academy. You have to go. You must."
Then Derek smiled faintly and added, "Also... you have to protect little Alira too. You're the big brother there, remember?"
Kaelen paused. Thinking of Alira made him feel braver. She was younger than him and more fragile… He had to look out for her.
"…Okay," he whispered. "I'll go."
---
The scene was similar across many noble houses. Some cried, some cheered, and some masked their emotions behind proud smiles.
At the mor's household, however, things were dramatically different.
"It's okay, Daddy! I'll be fine!" declared Alira with puffy eyes.
But Holse was already bawling like a baby.
"MY LITTLE GIRL!! Don't go! Daddy loves you!" he wailed, hugging her like a lifeline.
Alira, crying too now, slapped his arm, "Stop crying! Uwaahh—YOU'RE MAKING ME CRY!"
Thelia, her mother, looked at Holse with the deepest disgust imaginable.
"You're the reason she's a coward."
And so, in the end, Alira didn't go. Despite her awakening as a purple system holder, Holse forbade her from enrolling. Thelia didn't protest. Holse couldn't bear to say goodbye.
---
Back in Maglor, Kaelen was preparing to leave. Derek handed him a finely carved wooden box.
Inside it was the puppet, now enchanted with two embedded defensive runes. It wasn't just a toy anymore. It could create a small barrier around Kaelen for five seconds long enough to survive an ambush or alert an instructor.
But that wasn't the only gift Kaelen had received.
Several other gold rank items were given by Derek including skill books which Kaelen had already learned.
From Holse, a custom-forged, gold rank light armor made of Mythril Alloy perfectly sized for a child's body and inscribed with a rune that kept it weightless and balanced.
From Duke Bolster, another gold rank, Starsteel Compass, an artifact once used by war scouts. It could detect movement and mana surges within a fifty-meter radius ideal for dungeons.( The gift he promised to give every awaken with purple system or higher)
Kaelen had received more treasures in a single month than most Awakened saw in a lifetime.
But to Derek, none of it mattered if it didn't keep him alive.
---
The teleportation portal hummed with energy in the city square.
There had already been an assigned servant waiting for each student ready to leave.
In Eldraus, travel between cities was possible through major teleportation gates, and today, dozens of children stood before the portal, clutching bags, blinking back tears, or trying to act brave.
The Dawn Academy, built within the borders of the Frahein Empire, the strongest human empire, was accepting its first batch of students. No fees, no strings. As long as one had awakened with a Golden System or higher, an invitation would arrive. Nobles, commoners, orphans it didn't matter.
The students ranged from 3 to 20 years old. Anyone older than 20 were not allowed in. There were simply no exceptions.
Kaelen stood at the edge of the crowd, holding his puppet in one hand and Derek's hand in the other.
"Dad… when will I see you again?"
Derek forced a smile.
"Soon, kid. End of the semester. You'll blink and I'll be right there, waiting."
The portal surged with light.
"Promise?"
"I never break my promises. Go now. Make me proud. And remember, you're a Maglor. You don't need to be afraid. You're born to fight fate."
Kaelen didn't fully understand what his father was saying,yet he nodded.
With one final hug, he turned and walked through the gate.
The light swallowed him.
What Kaelen didn't know was that a semester was five years long.
Derek stood there, long after the portal dimmed.
Alone.