CHAPTER 14 - Goals.

*P.O.V by Elaine*

Suddenly, my body was enveloped by a strange energy coming from that sinister mana; I don't know whether to call it dark or not, but while I felt some awe in front of the professor's strange ability, I felt no danger coming from it.

Instinctively, just before I ended up engulfed by that purple energy, I closed my eyes for a few seconds. As soon as I opened them again, I was shocked to discover that at that moment I was no longer inside the training room, instead I was standing in front of another building; the latter was a large 10-story, pink-colored building with a well-maintened infrastructure; this building, moreover, was located in a beautiful setting, which was a garden with a lawn landscaped to the smallest detail and an expensive-looking fountain.

Of course, it was nowhere near the castle I lived in, but at that moment I couldn't help but admire that beautiful landscape.

I looked around carefully, and all around me I saw many girls of different ages wearing the academy uniform, in a mix of red-purple and black colors; those girls, the moment they saw us suddenly appear before them, started to look at me with eyes full of surprise, which was normal, given the flamboyant way in which the professor and I arrived there.

"This is...the dorm?"

"That's right, this is the women's dorm. From here to the next 5 years, you will live here." said Durmuss, who without wasting further time, walked towards the entrance to that beautiful palace. "Come on, follow me."

As we walked toward the dormitory, I kept looking at those girls; at first, I thought their looks were at me, at the newcomer who was there to steal their spotlight; but then, as I looked more carefully, I realized that those looks were not at me at all, but rather, they were at the professor; their looks were a mixture of disbelief, surprise and confusion.

I wanted to ask why they were looking at him with those intense stares, but at the same time it was none of my business at that moment, and I had to focus only on one thing.

Upon entering the palace, we found ourselves in front of a lady sitting in front of a table, who, although we had entered, did not pay much attention to us, concentrating on reading a magazine;

The lady in question was an elderly woman, with gray and long hair, held with a rubber band. Despite the now wrinkled skin, she still had her own charm, and she wore red glasses that looked just right in hand. She wore a long black burgundy skirt, accompanied by a light white shirt and a mustard yellow button sweater;

"Hello, Mrs. Agatha." said Durmus, making a slight bow as a sign of respect.

The old lady rolled her eyes slightly, and after recognizing Professor Durmus, a smile appeared on her lips.

"Oh, Professor Durmus! How nice to see you!" said the lady, who energetically got up from her table, heading towards us - "I haven't seen you around here in a long time!"

"You are right, Mrs. Agatha. I've been busy lately, that's why I couldn't come here to enjoy your strawberry cakes!" Durmus replied, with a slight smile on his lips.

I was a little amazed to see that smile on his face; when I first saw him, he had seemed to me a very stern and cold man; but now, seeing how he acted, I had a new opinion of him, namely, of a man who posed as a tough guy, but who in reality, hid a sweet side. 

The old lady turned her gaze towards me, and after observing me for a few seconds, she smiled a little. - "Are you sure that you can talk about your vices in front of this girl?" said the woman in a sarcastic tone.

The man immediately recomposed himself, returning to a more serious expression, although his cheeks were slightly reddened from embarrassment.

"E-Ehm-Ehm! ... Anyway, this girl's name is Lucy Blazestorm, and from today she will be part of our academy."

"Oh..." - The woman looked at me again, this time more carefully – "If you personally brought her here, it means she has a very good talent, doesn't it?"

"..."

"I will take your silence as a yes!" - replied the lady who, approaching me and taking me a little by surprise, took me by the hand pulling me – "Come on, miss! I'll show her her room!"

"W-Wait! My suitcases-!"

"Don't worry about your suitcases! They'll take them to your room later! Follow me!"

*****

Mrs. Agatha, full of energy, shows me every corner of the dormitory in the smallest detail: inside the dormitory there was a small canteen, with the possibility of going even at night to eat; a study room with a small library inside, shared bathrooms and a small swimming pool;

After doing so, she finally took me to the eighth floor, where my room was located; Mrs. Agatha took me to the last room at the end of the left corridor, thus opening the empty room that would become my home for the next 5 years;

The room was pretty and minimal, with the walls colored pink, the floor made with fine wood and a view that gave way to the beautiful garden of the dormitory;

"I hope the room is to your liking!" said the lady who, in the next instant, left the room to go to the ground floor.

"Wait!" - I exclaimed, wanting to ask him some questions; - "Is there any dorm rules I should watch out for?"

"... No, there are no particular rules... The important thing is to respect your surroundings and your neighbors, and most importantly, don't use magic outside of the training rooms or in areas outside the academy's predetermined zones!"

I was a little surprised by that answer; I believed that, an academy with such prestige, had some iron rules like curfew or something similar, and yet there was none of that.

"You seem surprised by my answer..." - said the woman, who noticed my perplexity. - "Well, i think is pretty normal for the newcomers to be puzzled about the rules of the academy; many believe that in this academy there are extremely strict professors, or that there are very harsh rules. In truth, there is none of this, since according to the Principal, magic is synonymous with freedom and creativity. Restricting students, in this case, would be equivalent to limiting their creativity, and consequently, also their evolution into real wizards."

I looked at the woman with a little skepticism, not really agreeing with this line of thought.

"But aren't y'all afraid that some students may abuse this freedom? Don't you think that by doing so, they can stay on their laurels?"

The woman sketched a smile, shaking her head slightly – "We believe that the real wizards, are the ones who learn from mistakes, Miss Lucy. Instead of imposing strict rules, we try to cultivate personal responsibility. The students who are here are the best, and we trust that they will be able to honor the trust we place in them..."

What I felt was a totally new way of teaching; although I was a little wary of this method, I thought of the fact that this was the best academy in the world, and that perhaps this was the secret of their fame.

"It's really... A unique way of thinking. Thank you for your time, ma'am."

"No problem! If you need me, I'll be at the front desk! Have a good rest!" said the woman, cheerfully heading for her workstation.

I closed the door, and after observing the room well, I threw myself on my bed, which I found pleasantly comfortable. I thought about everything that had happened lately, and despite the hard, indeed, terrible moments, I finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel...

[Mom... Dad... I will avenge you soon, so that you can rest in peace. Wait a while... Wait...]

Slowly, my eyelids became heavy, and a few moments later, I fell asleep,this time, without thinking about any danger.

*Elaine's P.O.V. End*

*****

In the meantime, in the training room...

After the initial state of euphoria, Erwin felt excruciating pain in the center of his chest, forcing him to fall on his knee.

Slowly, all the adrenaline in his body dissipated, and the wounds caused by the two punches to his sternum flared up heavily, to the point that the boy had difficulty to breathing; it was almost a miracle that he had not ended up knocked out, and at that moment he felt very lucky to have managed to beat his opponent, somehow.

As he let himself anad to the ground in pain, he thought back to the technique he had just used; he did not use instinct, as he had done against Rudolf or Elaine, but used his past experience with Ron, reproducing the same technique that proved crucial to emerge victorious from that fight.

During the last instances of that fierce battle, Erwin had no absolute certainty that he could replicate the technique to perfection, nor was he sure of its success, but the moment he analyzed Arnold's last attack, he saw a more unique than rare opportunity to try that move.

[... Is that what he meant when he said I was just a little bird?] Erwin thought with a small smile, finally beginning to understand Ron's words when he was little.

Leonard, who saw the boy in trouble, got up of his own free will, then approached Erwin.

"Let me help you!"

The professor reached out his hand towards Erwin, and suddenly, from Leonard's palm, a strange golden mist came out, which went to cover Erwin's entire body;

The boy did not immediately understand what the elderly man in front of him was doing, but suddenly, he noticed that the immense pain that had pervaded his body, began to mitigate, leaving room for a strange feeling of warmth.

"For the broken bones, I can't do anything about it because I don't have the right tools here, but I can relieve the pain you feel..." - said the professor, looking at the boy with satisfaction, after his incredible test. - "Can you get up?"

Erwin tried to get up, and although he still felt sick from his cracked bones, he was definitely better at that moment than he was before.

"What was that thing?" curiously asked Erwin, who was incredulous to discover that such magic could exist.

"What I used with you is a skill called "Mana Sync", and it allows me to use my mana to cure other people! You know, in addition to be a professor of this academy, i'am also a Chief Medical Director of the hospital of this academy!" - replied Leonard proudly, slightly inflating his chest.

"Oooh..."

Erwin at every minute that passed in here, he discovered things that made him happy; he was aware that there were many things to discover, but certainly, he didn't expect to see so many interesting things in a single day, and this was nothing compared to what he would discover from here on.

Leonard, after making sure that Erwin was all right, went to treat Arnold, who was in even worse shape than Ron's student; Arnold was still lying unconscious on the ground, and Leonard noticed from the boy's twisted expression that although he was unconscious he was still in terrible pain.

Leonard immediately began to check the hip that had suffered Erwin's violent punch. The doctor lifted the boy's shirt, and was surprised to see that in addition to a severe purplish-colored hematoma, all the ribs on that side were destroyed, leaving the man completely dumbfounded. 

[... What kind of strength does Erwin have?!] thought the professor perplexed, incredulous that Erwin, with a single punch, had managed to create this kind of damage.

Without wasting further time, Arnold passed his mana to the boy, as he did with Erwin, and after just a few moments, Arnold regained his senses.

"...ARGH!"

Arnold had attempted to get up, still confused by what was happening, but the moment I tried to move, a terrible pang pervaded every corner of his body, thus risking putting him offside again.

"Don't make abrupt movements, Arnold. I've relieved your pain, but some of your ribs have suffered a bad fracture, so try not to move too abruptly..."

After that, Leonard helped the boy get up, then slowly heading to the jury of professors.

"I take the boy to the infirmary, he needs immediate care." Leonard said with a serious look. 

"Okay, his health is more important..." said the principal, looking at his student almost with a sorry look.

The two then headed towards the exit, with Arnold staring at Erwin for a few seconds before leaving the gym; the two looked at each other, with Erwin wanting to say something to console his "enemy", but at the same time, he thought that everything he would say at that moment, would be felt as a mockery.

Arnold was visibly frustrated by the defeat he suffered, since, in addition to having lost to a mere freshman, he had lost to an opponent who could barely move; however, this did not change the fact that, unlike Erwin, he was really inferior in terms of the use of martial arts, and this made his defeat less painful, although anger and regrets were still present, since he knew that this defeat would have serious repercussions for him.

"... You know, about what you said before... You're right, your fighting skills are formidable."

Arnold then turned around, leaving the training room helped by Leonard, no longer looking back.

Erwin watched his opponent leave; in his eyes, he could see the sadness in his eyes, but at the same time, he saw in his expression a strange note of relief. It was strange what he saw, but he didn't pay much attention to it, as at that moment, he was more concerned that, in all likelihood, he would never see him again.

[I'm sorry...]

"Erwin, could you get closer to us?" Professor Martha suddenly asked to a distracted Erwin, who responded a few seconds late.

"Oh... Immediately" – said Erwin, who approached the jury of professors with decisive steps.

"Listen, Mr. Eda." - the principal began in a calm voice, looking Erwin straight in the eye – "Right now, both Professor Leonard and Professor Durmus are missing. So if you don't mind, is it okay to know the outcome of your exam later?"

Erwin was displaced by this request, but at the same time he understood the reason for this choice, since in fact, there were only three professors left.

Even Brenin, who had remained impassive until then, was puzzled by that choice, as for him, his admission to the academy was obvious.

"Oh, Ok. I don't have any problem..."

"Well then!" replied the principal, who then turned his gaze to Martha – "Professor Martha, why don't you accompany Mr. Zephyr* to the men's dormitory, so that he can be placed in a free room, so that Mr. Eda can also rest, while waiting for the outcome?"

*Zephyrius is Brenin's last name*

Martha looked strangely at the principal because of that strange proposal, and for a few seconds she didn't answer.

"Martha?" said the principal, perplexed, who noticed the woman's disay;

"Oh... Oh! O-Of course, I will personally accompany him to an empty room!"

Slightly embarrassed, the woman quickly got up from the chair, then headed for the boys; " Follow me!"

The two boys nodded, and followed the woman to the men's dorm; as they walked out of the gym though, Erwin, out of the corner of his eye, saw a strange expression on the principal's face, with his eyes turned right towards Erwin; it was as if at that moment, the academy principal was sorry.

The moment the principal crossed his gaze with Erwin ,so as not to increase doubts in the boy, he immediately changed his expression, sketching a forced smile. Erwin had a strange feeling, but did not pay much attention to it, thus averting his gaze from the elderly gentleman.

Yilenia, for her part, waited for Martha and the two boys to leave the room, before saying a word;

"Mr. Principal, I'll get straight to the point: I think that guy is hiding something from us... Why didn't he show us his element?" Yilenia said dryly, with a very serious look.

The principal began touching his beard, taking on a slightly more serious and thoughtful expression this time, worrying Yilenia slightly.

"It's the same question I asked myself..." -finally said the old man, rising from his chair and beginning to stretch slowly. - "...And I came to the conclusion that in truth, it's not that he didn't want to show us his element, he just couldn't."

"He couldn't? .... But wait, then...!!"

"That's right, the boy is unable to control any magical element" said the principal, touching his beard again;

Yilenia was shocked by this response; throughout the fight, despite Erwin demonstrating an out-of-the-normal ability, she continued to wonder why the kid did not use his element, even at the most critical moment for him. He believed that perhaps, that was his way of rising in front of the professors. But she would never have expected that kind of reasons.

"Excuse me, Mr. Principal, don't you think you are wrong? The boy, besides having enormous talent in martial arts and an incredible strength, the quality and quantity of his mana are remarkable for his age.... It is impossible that he does not possess related elements.... Those without elements cannot possess that kind of mana."

The principal gave a small sigh, expecting such a reaction from the teacher; "You see, over the years, I have managed to refine my mana to levels that for me, until 30 years ago, was unthinkable to reach; when you reach this level, everything becomes clearer around you, and you see everything in a different light... It's like reaching a second awakening..."

"... What does this have to do with Erwin?" asked Yilenia, who saw no logical link between the two matters.

"Ohohoh! Let me finish!" The principal burst into a small laugh – "You see, since I have attained this sort of 'second awakening,' I can perceive the mana around me differently: for example, in Brenin's mana it is possible to sense a breeze and apparent calmness, characteristic of those who control the wind element; in contrast, in Lucy I sense compactness, coldness and maleability, characteristic of the water and ice element..."

"Can you really understand all this... just by reading the mana of others?" 

"Yeah! It's like when, through mana, we manage to understand the intention of a person in front of us. It's the same thing, but i'm able to feel more stuff, i guess" – replied The Principal, trying to make a comparison as similar as possible – "However, as for Erwin... In his mana I did not sense any of that. I wasn't sure if he was really without an element, however, I had my answers after seeing him fight."

"If this is the case, then the choice should be easy, right?" - said Yilenia suddenly coldly, who at that moment, in addition to being convinced by the principal's words, had lost all the interest she felt in that boy, despite his talent for the fight was remarkable. - "We can't accept an elementless. Not in our academy. There is no point in wasting time and money breeding a defective product."

"Don't you think you're overly tough?" replied the principal in surprise, who certainly did not expect this sudden change of attitude;

"No, I am a realist, Mr. Principal. Although there is no rule against their registration, it is now well known that the wizard without the ability to control the elements have no future in this world."

The principal looked at the woman with an indecipherable expression; an expression that made the woman uncomfortable, which became a little restless. Then, however, the principal sighed, then heading towards the exit of the gym.

"...Really? I don't think so..." whispered the principal, who despite the doubts he felt, seemed amused – "Ms. Yilenia, I will the only one who will decide about the boy's future. I will communicate my decision in the late afternoon."

Yilenia did not particularly like this choice, since in this case, none of the professors had a say; but she trusted the principal, and therefore hoped that, after careful reflection, she would make the most appropriate choice.

"Okay, Mr. Principal. I hope your doubts will be resolved."

*****

In the meantime...

Martha, followed by Erwin and Brenin, headed to the male dormitory, which would become the home of Brenin and perhaps also of Erwin; While the aspiring magic knight was very quiet and enjoyed the wonderful landscape that the academy offered, Erwin instead was tense, as time passed; he believed he had gone well, he believed that he would be admitted without a shadow of a doubt, as the professors seemed satisfied with his test.

But at the same time, the principal's gaze created a strange feeling inside him; a strange feeling that increased more and more and that he tried to not think about it, until it became impossibile for him. He had been the one to say in the first place that he didn't mind waiting a little longer for his outcome, but he had already regretted it, because now the desire to know his future was killing him inside.

Brenin noticed the emotional state of his "new friend", but decided not to say anything, as, according to himself, he was not very good with words and comforting students.

But neither did Martha, who, in addition to the fact that she hated having to wait to know Erwin's future, she was bothered by the fact that Erwin was so tense.

"Hey! Can you stop being sad?! Your future has not yet been decided!" The woman exclaimed, giving Erwin almost a blow, who backed down a few steps.

"I-I'm not sad! I'm just... worried, that's it!"

The woman frowned, not understanding the reason for Erwin's concern;

"What should you be worried about?"

"Of the outcome of my Exam! I still don't know if I'm admitted or not, and the wait is driving me crazy!" replied Erwin, who at that moment looked like a pressure cooker ready to explode.

Martha looked at Erwin for a few seconds, until she released a loud laugh, which echoed in the air for a few seconds.

"EH! You're just like me, you know!? I don't have patience either, just like you!" Martha said, and then put her arm around Erwin's neck, as if they were longtime friends;

"Don't worry, you're talented enough to be admitted to our academy! I'm sure you'll get comforting news soon!"

"... I'm not sure about that."

"Hey, you're just a student! What do you want to know about how exams work?" said Martha, annoyed by those words.

"Little, in truth" – Brenin replied calmly, as they continued to walk – "But just think back to his struggle to understand why the principal postponed his outcome."

"W-What do you mean?" Erwin said intriedly, as he took off Martha's mighty arm, also intrigued by the boy's words.

"...I'll be frank with you, because I like you as a person." - Brenin began, looking seriously at Erwin – "Why didn't you use your element during the fight?"

Erwin was taken by surprise by the question, suddenly shaving. Martha, on the contrary, only realized at that moment what happened during the fight, finally beginning to understand the reason for the principal's proposal.

"At first I thought you didn't use your element because you were sure you could win without it, but thinking about the fight against Arnold, and thinking about what kind of person you are, I don't think you're the kind of person who will not gave it all against someone, especially in this context. So I came to the conclusion that you... You're not able to use any kind of element. Am I right?"

Erwin wanted to deny, but by now it would have been of little use to nothing: if a little boy like Brenin had noticed this, then he meant that the principal had also noticed this deficiency of his;

"Yes... I'm an elementless..." replied Erwin. Although at that moment he was sad, at the same time it was as if he had taken a weight in his soul, thus feeling almost happy at the same time.

[Damn... I hoped he would deny it...] thought with a slightly sad look Brenin, who began to take in sympathy with Erwin; he remained sad to discover this deficit of his, since in all probability, Erwin would not be admitted to the academy, also due to the fact that the without elements were not seen with a good eye.

"So... are you an elementless?" Martha suddenly asked, looking with a serious look at Erwin, who, slightly frightened by that look of fire, nodded without saying a word, expecting the worst.

"Eh... EHEHEH!" The woman burst into a fat laugh, taking Brenin and especially Erwin by surprise, who expected the woman to give a glow.

"Incredible! Really Amazing! I can't believe a kid like you managed to beat a sophomore without any elements! You are amazing!"

"O.. Oh, thank you..." - said pleasantly impressed Erwin, who expected everything but compliments at the time; - "But, even if you think I'm amazing, I don't think others think like you, Professor Martha..."

Professor Martha remained silent for a moment, starting to think about the reactions of those present;

"In fact, you're not all wrong: in many academies, as soon as they find out that you are without an element, you automatically fail the test, and this also happens here... however, if the principal has taken time, there is probably some chance, don't you think? Perhaps, the fact that you showed that incredible talent of yours, caused the principal himself to be struck by it!"

"Well... does what you say make sense?" - Brenin nodded – "This means there's still hope, isn't it?"

Erwin, thanks to the words of Brenin and Martha, felt slightly relieved, and at that moment, I remember Ron's words, that is, to give his best;

At the same time, however, he was disappointed in himself; it had nothing to do with the fact that he could not use any elements: by now he had gotten used to this little deficit of his, and somehow he was sure he could find a compromise so as not to fall behind the others.

No, his disappointment came from the fact that for the first time since he could remember, he had never felt so out of place, nervous and brooding as he did today. It was something that bothered him, something he wanted to control but could not, no matter what he did. And not being able to control this only made him even more nervous, and he knew that if he wanted to move forward, he should not let all these feelings control him.

So, catching Martha and Brenin off guard, he hit his face with both hands, almost as if by that gesture, he wanted to give himself a wake-up call. 

[It's not with this inept mentality that I will be able to follow my dreams! I knew what was waiting for me coming here, it's not the time to be a whiner!] Erwin thought angrily that, the moment he struck himself, in his eyes there was a new light in his eyes; new light that Professor Martha saw, being pleasantly impressed; [His expression changed... Now I like it more!]

"Okay, I feel better now!" Erwin said with a smile, who was ready to face any challenge decisively.

Brenin found that change of behavior strange,forced, but he was a little happy that Erwin no longer held that long face he had from the moment they left the gym.

"Solved this point... I'd like to know one thing from you guys: what's your dream?"

Brenin noticed that the question asked to him now, was the same one that the Principal asked Elaine at the time she was admitted to the academy;

"I noticed that the principal asked Lucy first... is it that important?" Brenin asked with a careful look, thus anticipating Erwin who, for his part, was already ready to answer.

The woman was slightly perplexed by Brenin's question, which almost seemed to be on the defensive;

"Well, it's a simple question, which helps us understand who we have in front of us: for example, you may have noticed that the principal asked Lucy the same question, right? Here, she probably did it because she couldn't frame the girl well."

"It doesn't make sense..." countered Brenin, who inexplicably seemed to be still on the defensive.

Erwin noticed this strange attitude, but he didn't pay much attention to it, as Brenin didn't seem 'agitated' or 'nervous' at that moment.

"It makes sense instead. A person's dream tells much more than just a desire, but also who we really are. When we manage to understand the dreams of others, we can also understand the essence of a person and his deepest self."

"So... are you saying that knowing the dream of others, is like reading between the lines of their lives?" Brenin asked in a skeptical tone of voice, who, however, seemed a little interested in the woman's words;

"That's right! Or rather, this is what the Principal believes! Obviously I'm not saying that what he says is wrong, but I believe there is a way to better understand a person!"

The professor quickly extended her fist, stopping it a few centimeters from Brenin's face; the movement was swift and unpredictable, to the point that Brenin became aware of the gesture only at the moment when the woman retracted her fist, leaving the boy dumbfounded. - "The fists are the best tool to understand a person. Am I not right, Erwin?"

Thinking back to Martha's words, Erwin realized how by fighting hand-to-hand against an opponent, it was much easier to understand their feelings or intentions; it had not happened to him many times, since in his entire life he had only faced 4 people, but thinking about the fights he had had with Rudolf, Elaine, and Arnold, he realized that at certain times he could sense their feelings through their fists. 

"Probably, you're right..." 

"I'm always right!" said the woman in a cheerful tone of voice - "So, what is your dream, Mr. Brenin?"

Brenin did not believe a single word that came out of that teacher's mouth; yet, in the boy's heart, a small, tiny doubt was established, which however made Brenin's spirit, which until then was calm, waver.

[I don't believe in a single word that woman says, it's not possible to find out so much with so little information.... But if it were to be true.. then would she find out anything about me? No... impossible] Thought Brenin who, despite that annoying voice in his head, decided to answer.

"My goal is to become the strongest magic knight in the world..." said Brenin, looking at the woman with firm eyes.

[mmh... He said goal, not dream...] thought the woman, who found the words used by Brenin interesting. - "It's a difficult goal of yours... I hope you succeed!" said the woman, who decided not to sink into the matter, as she had the feeling that by doing this, the boy would close in on himself.

"And you Erwin, what is your dream?" said the woman, looking at Erwin, who did not hesitate for a second in responding.

"Well, in truth I have many dreams... the first, is to enter the academy; then, to become the number one of this academy and to become an official wizard; finally, I will enter a Guild, and I will follow my true dream, which is to become the greatest of the Gifters and travel around the world!"

"A Gifter? It's an interesting dream!" - the woman continued, seeing in the boy's eyes a determination to achieve this dream of his – "And tell me, what kind of Gifter do you want to become?"

Erwin, excited to share his true dream with someone for the first time, wanted to answer, but when he remembered a not small detail;

"Well... in truth... I don't know exactly what a Gifter is or what they do... I just know they travel..." replied Erwin embarrassed, who in the meantime, cursed Ron for not explaining who or what a Gifter was.

"I hope you're kidding me !?" countered the teacher in disbelief; in fact, it was impossible for her to believe that a person could follow a dream without actually knowing what exactly he's trying to realize.

Brenin, for his part, found what Erwin said extremely stupid so much so that he wanted to hit him on that pumpkin that he considered empty, but at the same time, he was curious about what prompted him to become Gifter, looking at that boy, so different from him, with even more interest.

"Well... in truth, I only know that Gifters travel a lot around the world! So I want to travel the world and become famous too!"

"... It doesn't really seem like you're kidding..." replied Martha, who just looked at Erwin's excited expression to understand how serious he was about his dream.

"Ahhhh! At least let me explain what a Gifter is, ok? A Gifter is essentially a 'title' that is given to official wizards who manage to become a member of a Guild; to be clear, guilds are associations that deal with various missions scattered around the world through official requests. Is everything clear so far?"

Erwin nodded, thus giving Professor Martha the green light to continue her explanation.

"Then I'll continue. Missions are divided into different categories according to the required task, and different types of Gifters are commissioned for these missions according to the needs: the types of Gifter in question are the Gifter Guardian, that is, guardians who are chosen to protect goods from the priceless value; Gifter Inquisitor, Gifters who investigate criminal activities or security threats; Gifter Archivist, those responsible for the preservation and protection of ancient manuscripts; Gifter Slayer, a type of Gifter specialized in hunting a wide range of creatures; Gifter Buonty, specialized to hunting and capturing criminals; finally, the Gifter Explorer, that is, those who are specialize in the exploration of Dungeons, territories strangers and in the recovery of ancient artifacts or lost knowledge.. from what you told me, I guess you—"

"A Gifter Explorer... Yes, I want to become a Gifter Explorer!" Erwin exclaimed, not giving the woman a chance to finish his sentence. Yes, that was the path he wanted to follow, so that he would become like his father.

"... Can I ask you something?" Brenin suddenly said, capturing the attention of his peer.

"Yes, of course..."

"Why do you want to become a Gifter Explorer? Why not a Gifter Slayer, or a Gifter Bounty? It suits a fanatc like you better..."

"In fact... you're not entirely wrong, boy..." Martha followed closely, intrigued by her motivations.

Erwin obviously couldn't say that he was doing all this for his father, as, in addition to revealing his true identity, he didn't know what the reaction of others would be. For a moment, he even risked spilling everything, except biting his tongue in extremis. He didn't like to lie and didn't know how to do it, that's why he said a half-truth;

"Well... When I was little, I met a person; I don't know his name... but I know he was a Gifter, and he was an amazing person... the most incredible person I know! I want to become like him one day."

[I understand... he doesn't want to become a Gifter to make his dream come true, but he wants to become a Gifter to look like his idol.] thought the woman, who finally understood why Erwin didn't know anything about the Gifters. However, she didn't seem entirely happy with what she learned.

"It's not very cool to chase someone else's shadow..." said the teacher, making a grimace of disappointment.

"Uh? What do you mean?" Erwin replied in a calm voice, but with a smile that, slowly, disappeared from his face, leaving room for a sudden slightly annoyed expression.

Before Erwin could receive an answer, however, the three, without realizing it, finally arrived in front of the male dormitory, similar to the female one, but much larger due to the greater number of male students.

"Well, we're here." said Martha who didn't pay attention to the boy's mood swing – "I'd love to keep talking to you, but I have my stuff to do. If you go inside, there will be the dormitory caretaker who will entrust you with a room... Here, take this Brenin" concluded the professor, who gave a strange pin to the boy, who didn't know what to do with it.

"Give it to the caretaker, he will understand" - the woman continued – "Well, now I can go. Keep in mind what I told you... I hope to see you again soon."

The woman walked away, thus leaving the two boys alone in front of that gate; Erwin, whose expression seemed normal, felt inexplicably hurt by those words; for him it was all about becoming like his father, what was wrong with that, he thought.

"That woman... She's unbashed!" - said Brenin, who noticed a small change in the mood of Ewin. - "You should not focus about what she said earlier, do what you want...Better to chase something, than not to have any dreams, or am I wrong?" said Brenin, trying to give some support to the boy, who had now taken in total sympathy, making Erwin happy, who at that moment, did not expect those words.

"So, shall we go in?"

******

*P.O.V by Erwin*.

After Brenin gave the pin to the caretaker of the dormitory, he took us to make a visit to that immense place; the visit lasted a few minutes, where he showed us the various important places in the dormitory, and where we met some boys who, having never seen us, squared us from head to toe; when we entered here, the boys did not look at us in the slightest, but since they saw us walking with Professor Martha, they began to scrutinize us...

The caretaker took us to Brenin's room, which in addition to being 1000 times more beautiful than my room in Hakvill, was equipped with 2 beds, thus giving me the opportunity to lie down on the bed, since, despite the pain I felt was no longer so intense, I still needed rest.

Brenin didn't think twice, and once he saw the bed, without even talking to me, he catapulted himself into the bed, sleeping in the next instant: that boy was really strange! How was it possible to fall asleep at such a speed?

I was so alone, looking at the ceiling, and I moulsed about what happened in the last few days; it was all so crazy, with some funny situations, like when I faced Arnold, and some nerve-wracking situations, like when those stupid guards wanted to arrest us, if not kill us.

At that moment, thinking about everything, I did not regret leaving Hakvill to come here to the academy and try my fate; of course, I had practically one foot out of school, but I had put myself on the line despite everything, and I could be proud of this: if I had been rejected, then I would have followed my dream using other ways!

As I thought about all this, however, Martha's words came to the surface in my mind: several minutes had passed, but I still didn't understand why she said that sentence; what was wrong with chasing the steps of my father? I wanted to become like him, what was wrong with that?! My father was a hero, and for me, there's nothing cooler than becoming like him. The subject started to get on my nerves, and I simply decided not to think about it.

I got out of bed and began to do some exercises to kill time, waiting for the principal to give his verdict;

After a few minutes, however, I heard a knock on the door; believing that it was the caretaker with our bags, I headed in a state that was not very presentable towards the door, and only when I opened it, that I found myself in front of the principal, who scrutinized me from top to bottom.

"M-Mr. Principal..." I said surprised, not expecting him to be here after such a short time;

"I see that you have settled in..." said the principal with a relaxed air, who without too many pretensions, entered the room, sitting in an empty chair.

"What are you doing standing there? Come here and sit down?" said the principal, who behaves like it were his house, leaving me a little stunned.

"Ok..."

I sat in front of him, and for a few seconds, we looked into each other's eyes; those seconds seemed endless, where his look so deep and decisive, made me a little agitated, increasing the tension in the room.

After that, he finally started talking, thus breaking the ice;

"How do you feel? Do your ribs still hurt?"

I was a little blown away by the question, expecting him to tell me something else; after a little period of dissagment, I i bent a little to the right and a little to the left, to see if I was still feeling pain.

"Mhh..I feel a bit of pain, but it's bearable."

"Oh, I'm glad..." said the principal, sketching a slight smile. — "What do you think of your opponent, Arnold?"

I thought a little about my fight against that guy, trying to analyze every characteristic of my opponent;

"Well... Arnold possesses considerable power, and his rock 'armor', made it harder to hurt him..."

"Is that all?"

"No... He had a lot of power, but he didn't know how to handle it and there was no technique behind the way he was trying to attack me. That's why it was easy for me to dodge most of his shots without any problems..." I added, seeing how, for much of the fight, I had a good advantage over him.

"You're right... apart from those two/three shots, right?" said the professor in a sarcastic tone of voice, pointing precisely to the center of his chest.

" I-I got distracted..." I said embarrassed, starting to scratch my head and looking away from the principal, who made a little amused grimace.

Then thinking about Arnold, a question immediately arose in my mind: what had happened to him? Had he been expelled just as Brenin had said? 

"Mr. Principal, sir... What happened to Arnold? Is he okay?"

The principal looked at me with a slightly astonished air, and only after a few moments, he replied; "Mr. Arnold is fine. Unfortunately, as a result of your victory, he was expelled, and has already left the dorm. It's the policy of our academy..."

"Ah..." I knew the answer, but anyway, inside me, I was hoping to be wrong;

"Are you sad?" the principal asked me.

"A little... but if I hadn't won, now I wouldn't have a chance to hope for my own admission, I'm right?"

"... You're a very sincere guy, Erwin" said the principal, slowly touching his beard, making me slightly embarrassed.

For a couple of seconds, the silence dropped again; the seconds seemed to become minutes, and as the principal watched me, I felt the pressure skyrocket; I kept thinking about when it would give me the results;

The principal, he breathed a small sigh, finally breaking the silence that had been created.

"I'll get straight to the point: You're an elementless, right?"

The principal looks at me with an attentive and sharp look, ready to find any lie I would have said at that moment; that look made me a little agitated, but I had decided not to be influenced by this problem of mine anymore.

"That's right professor... I'm an elementless."

Amazed, the principal was remained silent for a few seconds, looking at me with a perplexed look; then he smiled, as my answer amused him...

"Oh... I didn't expect you to admit it so easily" said the principal, touching his beard.

"Well, It doesn't make sense to hide it, it just puts more pressure on me and doesn't make me think straight"

"Mh... you look slightly different..." The principal answered, looking at me carefully; I was a little surprised to hear them say the same words that Professor Martha said; I didn't know exactly what they meant by that, but at least, it didn't sound bad, judging by their almost satisfied expressions. 

We remained silent and watched each other for a few seconds; I didn't understand what he meant by that sentence, but from the way he said it and from his tone of voice, he seemed almost happy with this 'change' of mine;

"I admit you're smart boy." - the principal started to speak again – "You have a great talent for martial arts, and your instinct for the fight is formidable."

The principal paused, starting to ruminate about something;

"The problem, is that you are an elementless, and as you well know, we don't take elementless. I'm very undecided about what to do with you, because taking you would put both you and me in trouble."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said." replied the principal, with a strange smile that appeared on his face – "Obviously, some professors will not be happy with my choice, and will come to me personally to discuss it; as for you instead... Because of how the elementless are seen, I do not rule out that more than one person can create you some problems. What's more, you're from a poor district, so I think it's going to be tough for you, very hard. Also—!"

"I already know that it will be tough for me here." - I replied decisively, not letting the principal finish the sentence, who looked at me with astonished eyes. - "I didn't come here thinking it would be a walk in the way. I'm ready to do anything to achieve my dreams."

The principal looked at me with watchful eyes for a few seconds; then he burst into a fat laugh, leaving me blown away and perplexed at the same time, wondering what I had said about so much fun that I made him laugh like that.

"Oh oh oh... You're really disrespectful, you know?" said the principal in a sarcastic tone, referring to the fact that I didn't let him finish what he wanted to say.

Mortified, I bowed slightly - "E-Excuse me...";

"Oh, it doesn't matter...Professor Martha has the same character as you, I'm used to it now" replied the principal who, with a serene and calm look, got up from his chair, then headed for the front door.

"Welcome to the Academy of a Thousand Magic Arts, Erwin. In the evening, in addition to bringing your things, you will be assigned your section ... Well, I hope you can make your dreams come true, boy."

The principal, after announcing those words that I so long waited to hear with trepidation, went out the door without adding anything else;

I was speechless, sitting in that chair and staring into the void in front of me; the way things had turned out a few moments earlier, I really believed that I was now a doomed Instead, I had managed to get into the Academy of a Thousand Arts, just as Dad had done.

"What is that pathetic expression on your face?" Brenin asked, yawning, as soon as he woke up.

"Eh...eheh... I have been admitted to the academy!" I replied, still in disbelief; at that moment, I didn't know what kind of expression I had on my eyes, but from Brenin's annoyed expression, it had to be just clumsy.

"Well, Martha told you that, right? Congratulations." said Brenin who, giving another yawn, turned to the other side of the bed, falling back asleep the next moment;

Only at that moment, I finally realized what I had done: I had managed to get into the academy, damn it!

*Erwin's P.O.V.End*

*****

"Anf! Anf! Anf!"

I was running through the alleys of Veras, running away to save my life; I believed that after being expelled, I would no longer have anything to do with him; instead, now he was chasing me, ready to snatch my life without hesitation. 

At that moment I wanted to run as fast as I could, but the wound in my ribs certainly didn't help, with excruciating pain slowly radiating all over my body; every fiber in me required me to stop, but if I stopped, I was sure I would die. Therefore, I gritted my teeth, and ignoring every signal given by my brain, I ran against the pain, in a vain attempt to save my life.

Somehow, I had managed to sow them in the narrow and wet alleys of Veras; normally, no one would do such a stupid as it is dangerous thing in the capital, yet in that damn place where I ran non-stop, there were no magic cameras or patrols; I knew that every second that passed would be essential, and that therefore, if I didn't want to die, I had to get out of those alleys immediately and alert people to danger.

For a couple of seconds, I believed that, somehow, I had managed to escape the danger, as I no longer felt any presence behind me; but then, when I turned the corner for the umpteenth time, I stopped abruptly, with a shiver that went down my entire back.

In front of me, immersed in the fog of those dark alleys and slightly illuminated by the light of the street lamps, a left figure appeared, covered by a long black tunic and his face covered by a white mask.

"N... No..."

The man in front of me approached in slow steps and I, by instinct, began to step back slowly. As he came out of that fog, I noticed in his hands two small sickles, which he began to rotate slowly, increasing the speed every second.

At that point the panic took over my body, and i tried to turning around and escape from that bastard. Strangely, the man behind me did not follow me, and only after a few meters, I realized why; behind me there was another man, with clothes similar to those of the sinister figure armed with sickles, but this man had a much more massive physique than his colleague; the imponent man carried with him a huge bat, with a metal head that had numerous anvils.

I stopped suddenly, sliding on the wet floor of that alley. I quickly looked around, looking for any way to get out of here, but I immediately realized that it was impossible for me to escape those two assassins.

"Damn, it took you some time to come here, you pig!" said the man armed with scythe, with an annoyed tone of voice.

"Uff.. Ugh... sorry, X. You know that endurance has never been good." the man with the powerful physique replied with difficulty, trying to recover from that frenetic run.

"Tsk!"

The man armed with the sickles, like the most terrible God of death, approached me, ready to end my life for good.

"Why...why?! I did everything you asked me!"

The man, uttering those sentences, stopped for a few seconds; then, like the most sadistic of criminals, he began to laugh out loud; his laughter echoed through the alley; united with the darkness of the night, the fog and that uncaring robe, he made his figure even more sinister, paralyzing me from the fear.

"Are you really wondering why? And yet, you should know! For us it is a risk to leave you free. You know too many things about us and our misssion, so we have to kill you. And for the record, if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being expelled by an idiot smaller than you. And yet, you took the drug to empower yourself, didn't you? Tsk, you're such an inept!"

It was enough to look at his body language to understand that he was really serious about killing me. I absolutely had to look for a way out of that situation.

"W-Wait! I won't say anything! I will work for you again! And then, if you kill me, my parents won't be silent...then? What do you say?"

Through the two holes on his mask, I could see the eyes of that bastard, who looked at me like I was shit; I hated that look, but if I had to go through scum in order to survive, then I would have done it.

"Well... that's not a bad idea." - said the man, who stopped suddenly his walk, making me believe that for me the worst had passed. - "But you see, unfortunately for you... Ahhh... I don't know how to tell you, maybe it's easier if I show it to you."

The man raised his dark, heavy tunic; attached to him, there were three full sacks, which gave off a nauseating smell. I didn't know what was inside of those sacks, until, from one of the bags, I caught a glimpse of something dripping; I looked at that bag well, and with horror I realized that what was dripping from that bag was nothing but blood.

"H-Hey... what's in there?"

The man did not answer, throwing that sack at me instead, which, touching the ground, made a strange noise; the sack, which was open, let out the contents inside, and as soon as my frightened eyes saw what came out from that sack, I entered a state of despair and terror.

"T-T-T-This is...No....No!!"

"Ehehehe... what's up, don't you recognize your father's head? Here I also have your little brother and your dear mommy..." said in a sarcastic tone the bastard with the sickle pointing to the bags he was carrying, amused by that macabre situation.

At that moment, all my certainties had definitively collapsed; at the same time, at that moment I realized that those bastards would never leave me alive, no matter what I said, I was fucked this time.

"Tsk! Don't you even do a little resistance? Aren't you pissed at me for cutting your parents' "hair" badly?" he said provocatively the bastard in front of me, who was trying in every way to make me nervous.

Not receiving an answer, the man was enraged, and to my surprise, he put the sickles away.

"B, you take care of it. The bastard made me not want to kill him no more..."

At that moment, in the midst of all that despair, I saw a glimmer of hope; the fact that he had put the sickles away, gave me one more chanche to somehow break through his 'line', and to be able to escape from that damn alley. I didn't know if I could make it, but I knew I would die anyway, if I failed.

I jumped up, and covering my body with a thin but resistant layer of rock, I loaded with all my might the bastard named X.

Unexpectedly though, he moved away from my trajectory, freeing my way.

"H-Hey X! What are you..."

"Hey, I told you, I lost interest in this idiot...You take care of it."

At that moment, I remembered that B took much longer than us to reach each other, believing it was slow. A small smile appeared on my face, as by now, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel as close as possible to me.

But suddenly, I saw a huge shadow darken me; I raised my eyes, and with surprise, I saw that energumeno, carrying that huge bat with him as if it were made of paper.

Before I could even say or do anything, that huge bat violently hit my skull, causing me to violently bang my head against the hard, paved ground.

Incredibly, in addition to not having lost consciousness, at that moment I did not feel any pain; strange, I tried to touch my head, but realizing that I could not move my arm; indeed, at that moment, I realized that I could not move any limb of my body, leaving me completely scared.

Only after a few seconds, I realized that I had lost a huge amount of blood, to the point of finding myself inside a puddle of sticky blood.

"Wow! I can see his fucking brain!" B exclaimed, happy with what he did. Damn, if it was as he said, then I was really doomed. I started crying, cursing myself for bringing misfortune and ruin to my family, choosing, because of some money, to smell their shitty drugs.

"B, hurry up, there's no time to waste...."

"Yes, yes...I know, relax."

B began to turn that incredible hammer at an absurd speed, thus showing me all his physical and athletic abilities. Then, with one hand, he stopped the hammer; he raised his arm, and like the cruelest of the hitmen, he let his deadly weapon down to my head. At that moment, I saw my life flow before my eyes like a movie, realizing that I hadn't done anything special in my 16 years of life. Then, my only memory was that kid... Erwin... The way he fought was really cool, and in his eyes, the moment he defeated me, I caught a glimpse of the determination to face everything; I didn't know him, but I would have liked to be his friend.

"Maybe, if I hadn't taken this bad road..."

The cold hammer ended his rapid and unstoppable run against my skull, thus putting an end to my young life...

END OF CHAPTER 14 – Goals

I ELEC NEW CHARACTERS.

1. Professor Martha Smith - Teacher of the Academy of a Thousand Magic Arts, she is in charge of the course for Magic Fighters of Sections A, or the section with the best talents of the academy. She is 37 years old and is a class III soress, among the strongest in that category of wizards. Manipulate fire-type magic.

2. Yilenia Draconia. - Teacher of the Academy of the Thousand Magic Arts, she takes care of the course of the Magic Knights of Sections A. She is the same age as Martha, and is a class III soreress, just like her colleague.

3. Durmus Dorchadas- Teacher of the Academy of a Thousand Magic Arts, she takes care of the course of divination and evocation of Sections A. He is 35 years old, his class is unknown to most, and moreover he is one of the strongest and most fearsome wizards in the kingdom of Mykotos. Unlike most professors, he possesses an arcane magic that allows him to control the shadows.

4. Leonard Benevolus - In addition to being the physician and director of the academy's private hospital, and the teacher of the B-sections divination course, he is in charge of the Section A and some of the B Sections's Healer course. - He is 60 years old, and is a Class II Healer. (Healers are considered arcane wizards)

5. Principal Laurien - Principal and co-founder of the Academy of the Thousand Arts, who has been standing for more than 80 years. His age is unknown, as is his class of belonging or the type of magic he uses.

6. Brenin Zephyrius - 15-year-old boy, freshman of the academy of a thousand arts; controls the magic of the wind, and is an excellent swordsman, inserted in section B (Small spoiler not relevant).