Eleonora is an ego-sword that one day was abandoned by her candidate. Confident, she thought that not many days would pass until she would get a new owner, but to her surprise more than 3000 years passed. In her absence, too many things in the world changed. Most of the things she knows, work differently and magic, along with technology, are moving across the continent as the 3 great kingdoms compete. How will the sword adapt to this strange time never seen before?
Amid a vast meadow, dotted with wildflowers and leafy trees, stands the imposing city of Astarock.
Its high stone walls, crowned with watchtowers, stretch along the horizon, offering protection and security to those who reside within.
The walls are a constant reminder of the threat of the monsters that lurk outside the city.
Among all the stone and wooden buildings, in the center of the city, rises the Astarock Academy of Magic, an architectural gem that stands out among the surrounding structures.
Its tall and elegant towers reach towards the sky, while well-tended gardens and serene ponds add a touch of tranquility.
The walls of the academy are adorned with various emblems representing the four classes of students who attend it.
The noble emblem is represented by a golden dragon, symbolizing power, wisdom, and nobility.
The knight emblem is represented by a lion, symbolizing courage, bravery, and dedication to protecting the people.
The divine emblem is represented by a phoenix, symbolizing rebirth, resurrection, and spirituality.
The plebeian emblem is presented by a soaring eagle, symbolizing freedom, perseverance, and keenness.
Since it was not yet noon, most of the students were focused on their classes.
The academy's research class was conducting an experiment that required the concentration of its most skilled students.
The others, who didn't stand out much for their abilities, were sitting, observing, and learning.
Today was an important day as they were investigating a magical artifact sent by the kingdom for their practice for the first time.
This artifact was a small blue cube containing a large amount of mana and was used as a tool for large-scale teleportation magic.
The task for the students was to decipher the workings of the artifact in groups to use it, but they were not successful.
The class ended, and soon all the students reluctantly left while thinking about their lunch.
Only a few students remained in the classroom, and one of them was a boy picking up his scattered notes from the floor.
"Do you need help, Isuke?" asked a glasses-wearing boy as he bent down.
"Of course, are you blind, Leo?" Isuke responded mockingly.
Leo smiled at that comment and helped gather all the papers. Then Isuke put everything in his leather bag, and both were ready to leave.
"You look like a walking dead, haven't you slept at all?" Leo asked, noticing Isuke's dark circles.
"Thanks, I learned from you."
"Hey..." Leo was about to protest but remembered that he hardly slept due to spending countless hours practicing with his sword. "At least try to eat! You're too thin!"
"Let's go hunting together?" Isuke immediately suggested, but soon both heard a cheerful voice behind them.
"Hey, guys! How are you? I finished talking to the teacher. Are you fighting again?" The girl looked at Leo first and then at Isuke with her eyes.
"You arrive just in time, Alexia. I'm going hunting to feed the malnourished Isuke. Are you joining?" Leo said, pointing at Isuke with a mocking smile.
"Of course!" Alexia responded with a smile as her tail wagged with excitement.
Unlike Isuke or Leo, who were humans, Alexia was a demi-human with brown cat ears and a tail that contrasted with her fair skin.
Isuke let out a sigh, and the three of them headed outside the city walls to go hunting.
◇◆◇
Since Isuke wasn't very proficient in practical magic, he lagged behind in the group while Leo and Alexia searched for a monster to hunt.
They spent several minutes looking for prey, but because other students were doing the same as well as other city dwellers dedicated to hunting, they failed to find anything for themselves.
"Are you looking for food?" a girl asked Leo, accompanied by four other people.
It seemed to be another group of students, and based on their attire, three were nobles and two were knights.
"Yes, are you venturing into the forest?" Leo replied as he evaluated how those students were equipped.
Leo's eyes were fixed on the weapons of the students.
"You're quick! And yes, since there's quite a competition in this area, we want to venture into the forest for hunting. We have enough people, but I still want to play it safe," the girl explained, glancing at her companions.
Reluctantly, Leo's eyes stopped looking at those shining swords carried by the knights, and he responded: "I understand. Do you want us to cooperate?"
"Yes!"
"Wait, that's not my responsibility."
Leo took a step back and let Alexia step forward in front of the noble who asked for their help.
"Are you the one leading the group?" the surprised girl asked, as she had thought that the student with the Lion emblem was the leader.
The student in front of her was a demi-human with black cat ears and hair. She also wore an eagle emblem on her chest.
She was a plebeian.
"Yes, can you tell me about their formation?" Alexia asked directly.
For a moment, the noble wanted to step back, but she resisted and began to explain, "We have 2 knights, and the rest of us use offensive magic..."
"Great. We have 1 knight, 1 support mage, and a hunter," Alexia explained, pointing to her companions, and at the end, she pointed to herself.
"What!? You're a hunter?" the girl said, impressed.
She knew that the academy had many classes for different tasks, but she never imagined there would be a class dedicated to hunters.
"Yeah. Any problem?" Alexia asked with a cold gaze.
"No! I was just surprised. I hope we can cooperate well."
"Perfect. I can be the bait to lure the prey, and you can lead everyone else. Are you okay with that?"
"Agreed!" Emily accepted without hesitation.
"Can you tell me your name?" Alexia asked as she extended her hand.
"I'm Emily," Emily responded, shaking hands with Alexia.
Both groups joined together, exchanging a few words. Leo introduced himself confidently, while Isuke did so in a more reserved manner.