24 >Chapter 23<

The boys were escorted to their rooms after their conversation with Caedis. They decided to go into one room and think about this offer more carefully. After all, more people equal more opinions, especially if this was a matter of life or death.

They were so focused thinking about this one offer that they didn't even notice something… But that will be an issue for later…

The boys were now all in one room, specifically Patrick's room. Though it wouldn't matter whose room it is. After all, every one of them looks the same.

The boys were currently discussing possible outcomes that may happen after they did or did not accept the offer.

"What do you guys think?" Timothy asked while looking at the others.

"Well, he said that we would get general knowledge in the academy, though, I suppose it is suspicious that he would say that." David answered. "I mean I understand the magic part because they could somehow see our potential not to mention our element, but I don't understand why he thought we don't have some general knowledge."

"Isn't it normal to say what the academy could offer us as an incentive to make us join?" Patrick asked.

"Yeah, but why mention the general knowledge like he expected us to not have any?" David pushed up his glasses. "Does he somehow know something about where we come from?"

"Now that you mention it, it does indeed sound suspicious, but… How would he know?"

"Does it have something to do with the curses that he spoke about?" Phillip interrupted. "He said that we don't have to worry about getting nightmares anymore. Did he mean the one we had the night before?"

"Yeah, but how did he know what kind of nightmare we had? No, how did he know we were having any nightmares in the first place?" Timothy asked no one in particular.

"Well he said something about the soul curses, so if he can see what kind of nightmares we had, why couldn't he see our entire past?" Jacob responded.

"Then he knows we're not from here? Why is he acting normal then? Wouldn't a person be shocked about something like this?" Patrick asked.

"We will probably never know if we don't ask him…" Phillip

"So then, that dream was a curse?" Patrick asked.

"I think so…" Timothy confirmed. He then remembered something and asked. "And then he spoke about war… how are five human teenagers enough to start a war between entire races?"

"He said it was complicated, so we shouldn't dig into it deeper than what is needed." David said.

"Let's forget the war thing for now… or not because if we accept is offer, then we will have to participate in one." Phillip sighed.

"Right… the problem is, will we be strong enough to fight? And he didn't even say how long we will have to attend the academy." David spoke.

"Well, it seems like his offer is pretty reasonable, at least I think so." Timothy voiced out his opinion. "From his words, I can deduce that we will be able to progress pretty fast or at least we should be stronger than what is considered to be a norm, so I think we should be ready to face whatever the world throws at us and be ready to, at the very least, not die in the war."

"It sounds like a fair deal, but we still don't know what obligations a student at the academy has." Jacob noted.

"What do you think they would do to us if we don't join the academy?" Phillip asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Patrick was bewildered at the sudden question.

"I mean, would they just let us leave peacefully if we reject their invitation? And what would we do after that? Just walk around aimlessly in the forest?" Phillip asked a bunch of questions.

The boys were silent after Phillips silent proclamation. They totally ignored these questions that were constantly screaming at them from the back of their mind's. A gloomy atmosphere descended upon them when they realized that they don't have any other choice but to accept.

"Well… Let's just say that there are more pros than cons to us joining, so let's not get all gloomy, okay?" Patrick maintained his attitude and said.

"You're right… I guess we have come to a decision?" Phillip asked the others who just nodded solemnly.

In another room, Caedis was sitting in a chair while looking out of the balcony with Albert, the butler, standing right next to him with his arms behind his straightened back. Though it may have looked like he was looking at the nature outside, he was actually replaying one scene in his mind.

If one actually looked carefully enough, they would see completely different images flashing through his eyes than what is happening outside.

In this scene, the five youths that he had talked to today were walking down a hallway. They soon started to get bored of just walking and stopped. Caedis wondered what they would do next and listened to their conversation.

"…probably an illusion…"

"…can't get out…"

He widened his eyes at their conversation. He released a chuckle when he realized that they had actually figured it out, but he continued to listen.

"…try to sense..."

"…if it doesn't work just attack the wall…"

Watching as the human youths started to sense the energy, as they started to open the door at which he just amusedly chuckled.

The next scene displayed one of the boys, who started concentrating. A moment later his fist was covered in fire. He then punched the wall and silence rang out in the ears of the boys and Caedis.

The boy who punched the wall put his fist down and looked at the wall awkwardly while the other boys just looked around, trying to see any changes.

Caedis looked absolutely stunned because of what he saw next. Though the boys in the next scene looked pretty funny, it was not this that caused him to look like this. It was the small, but still noticeable crack in the wall. He then released a loud laugh that made him release a small amount of his bloodlust.

"Hahahaha~"

Albert just looked at Caedis with a calm expression, though his mind wasn't calm at all. He had never seen his master laugh like this. He got worried so he asked a question.

"Sir, is everything alright?"

Caedis continued to laugh for another minute as if he hadn't heard Albert's question. Trying to calm down, he took a deep breath.

"Yes, Albert. Everything is alright. Actually, it's better than alright. It is absolutely amazing!" Caedis said, practically jumping from joy.

"Hahahaha~"

The only thing that could be heard for the rest of the evening was the sound of Victor's mad laughter that rang out throughout his whole sound barrier covered room. Else it would spook everyone currently residing in the castle.