deep within the darkest and most heavily guarded cell, a man lies down, sleeping on top of a stone bed. his body, although in deep slumber, was releasing a faint shade of golden light, a sign that the sacred sword was still protecting him.

    nobody can hurt him, and neither can they wake him up; all they can do is wait and see when he will open his eyes.

    deep within his dreams, a certain person was waving at him, a man he thought he had forgotten.

    "teacher... apollo"

    he called until a fragment of a long-lost memory came to him.

    "what are you doing? you are creating madness, dominos!"

    a voice full of rage filled my ears, along with glass shattering and objects clattering on the ground. i looked at the owner of the voice, and i saw a man who would always send shivers down my spine.

    "teacher.... listen, i can explain..."

    "enough erase everything now!"

    he didn''t even try to listen to me...

    teacher.... listen.....i just want you to be proud...

    in the next moment, my eyes were filled with flames, shouts, and screams.

    what is going on?

    teacher?

    "dominos!" my head turned, and immediately, my heart was filled with relief when that familiar voice came to me.

    "teacher!"

    i ran towards him, but as soon as i reached him, i felt a sudden pain touch my cheek, causing my body to sway unevenly.

    "teacher?" i asked, hurt and confused, as i looked at him, closed eyes bearing darkness on me. for the first time in my life, i felt scared that those eyes would never turn on me like that. even when he is extremely mad, it was never to this extent. it was never with an ill intention that could almost be seen as killing intent.

    "teacher i...i swore i never had such intention..."

    "i told you, demons are not to be experimented! look what have done everything has been destroyed! everyone is dying and this catastrophe could spread across the entire continent! do you want another era of extinction to happen? i have warned you!"

    each word he said was like a sword that kept stabbing me...i know what i did was wrong; however, isn''t that what it takes to create another innovation? another advancement in technology. why teacher....how come you can''t understand me. i was doing something good, for everyone.

    "what have you done!" my teacher repeated, and that is when my knees felt weak as the power of corruption invaded my body. i felt weak, and i couldn''t breathe; however, instead of running, my eyes kept looking at my teacher. he was angry a second ago but now, he is holding me in his arms.

    "don''t breathe it... the air!... use your mana!" his voice reached me too late....far too late.

    "dominos! look at me!"

    i can''t breathe.... something is blocking my airway and my mana has long been tainted by the corruption.

    "t-teacher..... i would p-pro-ve...you wrong..."

    despite my desperate breathing, i still wish to say something....he has to hear me.

    "dominos, you little idiot, even in death, you are still obsessed." my teacher was filled with pain and hate. i have no idea why. but i still wish he had seen how i created that demon using his blood. will he feel surprised that blood from the sacred guarding families can actually create such a monstrosity? will he believe me if i say that the demon can actually sense him since they share the same blood?

    "o-oh....how interesting"

    i really want to see who will win when a demon that has the same ability as you emerge

    "teacher, good luck..."

    darkness soon came, and for some unknown reason,, i felt like i was floating like a boat floating at a moving wave of water.

    "okay, okay i know you don''t have to explain like that"

    "come on don''t laugh"

    "yes yes i won''t i promise"

    continue your adventure at empire

    "you are still smirking"

    "but i wasn''t?"

    "you are!"

    while the two bicker, the rest of their classmates are currently admiring the beautiful lake hidden deep within the old shrine; however, soon, they, too, join them.

    "hey, which one of you put my name on the cross-dressing event" apollo immediately asked as soon as he saw his friends.

    all of a sudden, all heads turn towards mckenzie, making him smile mischievously.

    "seriously why that event?" apollo asked feeling exasperated at his friend.

    "well, no one wants to take it, and considering your skills, we are sure you are the perfect one. besides, you are not alone, matilda''s gonna join the female one while you will go for the male. you two will represent our class for the cross-dressing event"

    mckenzie explained but apollo still felt funny about the situation.

    "well, it''s not like i have a choice," he mutters, accepting the event he was signing in.

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    night falls while the festival will happen tomorrow, the wind blows coldly as the month of november brought forth the signs of coming winter.

    "tell me did apollo accept our invitation?"

    a voice asks; his silhouette can barely be seen in the deep, shady room. however, despite that, his presence was so suffocating that it filled the room with heavy foreboding pressure.

    "senior he accepted, he and two of his classmates will come here at the end of the festival"

    "hmmm....how amusing.." he replied as he paced back and forth in his room.

    "i can''t see it, his fate and his lower classmates. how come i can''t read into their future,e," he added while the darkness surrounding him began to increase.

    "watson"

    "yes senior"

    "tell everyone that they should win more events than the other class, we must gauge how strong our new first years, especially those from the lower class department"

    the voice was very commanding, but even so, none of the present students tried to disobey him.

    "we will do as you command, senior," replied the student as he left along with his classmates.

    "apollo lionheart, how come i can''t see you in any of your future. are you an existence capable of destroying fate like me"

    he whispered to himself as he was left alone in the room.

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