Separation

Days had passed since Raziel and Tsukasa had gotten back from town.

To them, it was back to their old, boring, life. It was simple but enjoyable. Except after meeting with Arslan, Raziel felt an unspeakable desire to battle and get stronger awaken within him.

Unfortunately, it wasn't what he himself wanted. All he wanted was to spend his time with Tsukasa, the girl that made him feel at home, even without his memories.

He didn't know whether it was because she had saved him, the fact that she had been with him for the past year, or because they had a heart link and would be married in the future, but he felt a strong attraction to her, to take care of her, to be always there for her.

The two of them stood at a balcony, both of them stared at the round, glowing, beautiful moon in the sky.

"Hey, Raziel?"

"Yeah?"

"It's been a year since we've met right?"

"Has it already been a year? I don't even bother paying attention to the date when I'm with you," he cheekily grinned.

Tsukasa rolled her eyes but felt her heart warm up from the former's words.

The two of them had been through very few interesting things, but over the past year, the two had mostly been together. Although both of them had held back things unconsciously with Raziel's missing memories and Tsukasa's mysterious background, the two of them had always been happy together. She wished that these times would never end.

Unfortunately...

"Dear, don't you think the world is very big? There are still countless places to discover, so much to learn and see."

"What are you talking about, Tsukasa?" he started to feel nervous and afraid for some reason as if he was about to lose something important to him.

Tsukasa turned her head and looked straight into his eyes, grabbing his face tightly as they stared at each other.

"Someday, I want to see the world with you. Even if we can't fulfill that wish in this life, can you promise me to do it with me even in another?"

Although it wasn't obvious, Raziel could see tears building up in her eyes. He felt his heart tighten and immediately pulled the girl into his embrace.

"Why wait until another life when we can do it in this one? No matter what, no one will stop me from doing so!"

Tsukasa smiled sweetly as she wiped her tears, staring at the full moon above the sky. If one looked a bit more closer, human silhouettes could be seen from afar.

"I'm glad I met you Raziel... our fates are bound to each other, but there would always be another force to pull us away from each other..." she muttered, Raziel not hearing her words.

She slowly pulled away from his embrace and pulled Raziel back into their home.

"It's getting late dear, we should get some rest and wake up early," Tsukasa gave a light peck onto Raziel's cheek and went back inside, leaving a pondering Raziel.

Raziel took a final look at the moon, his eyes glinting for a split second, which immediately disappeared as he followed back Tsukasa inside.

As Raziel finally disappeared from the balcony, two men suddenly appeared above the home of the two.

"Did he sense us?" The man who looked like a mage asked his knight companion.

"Impossible," the knight shook his head. "Although I don't know what his rune orb is, it seemed to be still unawakened. A young child like him, his level is most likely just hovering around 15. Do you still think he can sense us?"

"You look down on him too much. Do you think the princess will stick with any common child for a year?" the mage rolled his eyes.

"It could be that he's merely lucky. Unfortunately, he's a mere commoner. Wishing to be with the princess is nothing but a pipe dream. Moreover, it's time for us to pick her up. Since the princess wishes to leave without the boy noticing, then we'll respect her wishes." the knight crossed his arms together as the two of them waited for several hours.

The surroundings grew silent as time passed. The silent breeze of the night blew upon the environment as two silhouettes stood quietly in the air, silently waiting.

The front door to the house of Raziel and Tsukasa silently opened, in which, out came Tsukasa.

"I'm here. Let's go," the young girl gripped her hand tightly as she stared at their home, one final time.

"Your eldest princess will be pleased to see her younger sister come back once more." The mage gave Tsukasa a reassuring smile as he waved his staff at her, making her fly up in the air.

As if not hearing what the latter said, Tsukasa only kept staring at their home.

"I will wait for you..." she muttered.

Slowly, the three of them disappeared, leaving the house, currently full of a cold atmosphere. Within it, a young boy stared at the sky from a window, with eyes full of killing intent and gentleness.

"Someday, I will help you realize your dream. And no one will be able to separate you from me."

...

A couple of days later.

"Raziel, come on! We're gonna be late for the opening ceremony again!"

Two young boys could be spotted running on the academic grounds of a large, castle-like building surrounded by countless more elegant-looking structures.

One of the young boys, Raziel, merely observed around in curiosity. The Regent Academy of the royal capital city Dawnstar was watched over by the dean, who was nobody but the Emperor himself. The most powerful knight in the empire and one of the most powerful people on the Lemurian Continent.

He had just traveled back to the city in order to meet up with Arslan and join the academy he had spoken of. After losing Tsukasa to those mysterious people, he felt something awaken inside him. His will to become stronger, as he called it.

After arriving in the city, he had met up with Arslan as they decided to take the test together. Over the past few days, the two of them had gotten much closer. Just like Tsukasa, Raziel felt like Arslan similarly had a mysterious background, which he decided not to bring up due to his respect for the latter's privacy.

As the two trod the path, Raziel's eyes were focused on different things. Fifteen solid, round towers form a protective barrier all around the castle and are connected by enormous, wide walls made of white stone-like material, with enchantments visible on the walls.

The courtyard itself was decorated by beautiful fauna and smooth stone paths. In the middle stood a fountain with the giant crest of a human holding a sword and a staff, the academy's crest itself. The representation of the greatness of humanity.

From the entrance of the academy, they had passed by a huge metal gate with colossal, but elegant-looking metal doors. From the outside, if there was a word to describe it, it would be that the Regent Academy was a fortress meant for royalty.

Over by the sideways, countless students walked past them.

The boys in this school wear narrow fitting, black with golden linings dacron trousers that reach down to just above their ankles and reveal their loafers, all of which are colored black. They're paired with regular, broadly crisscrossed socks and a regular belt-colored black and gold.

A black-gold long-sleeved polo shirt is gently tucked into their trousers and covered with another black and gold-themed blazer.

The girls wear pleated skirts in black-gold and they reach down to just above their ankles. They're paired with knee-high socks and shoes colored in black respectively.

Like the boys, the girls wear long-sleeved shirts, which are usually neatly hidden into their skirts and covered by an equally graceful blazer.

All jackets have buttons with the school symbol on them and, although completely optional, some students wear all sorts of accessories, such as robes, ties, hats, or scabbards by their sides.

Most of the students stared at Raziel as they walked by, mostly from the girls. Although immature, Raziel was still a very handsome boy, although it was quite feminine looking at his young age, he had grown mature, unlike the first time he met Tsukasa.

Although Arslan was good-looking as well, unfortunately, he was still shadowed by his friend, although he seemed like he didn't mind at all and merely focused on their destination.

"Come on, we're almost there Raziel," Arslan pulled at his friend's arm and started sprinting even faster.

Soon, the two arrived in a wide yard where from the distance, a couple of young people and adults gathered. Knowing that this was what they came for, the two immediately lined up along.

Standing on the front of the group of adults, a blond burly man clapped his hands which dissipated the chattering of the young people.

"Since this seems like this all that would come, then let us start the Aptitude Test for the Regent Academy's entrance examination!" the blond burly man paused for a while and continued. "However, do you have what it takes to join the academy for the elite?"