IMPERIAL ACADEMY

Secrets in the dark

"Hey… Alex… You're alright?" Someone suddenly called out to Alex, and that broke the effect that the darkness had held on him. Alex quickly looked and saw a plump teenage boy with ginger hair and freckles on his pale skin, staring at him. The voices were gone now, but Alex couldn't help but wonder why he heard them in broad daylight.

The voices usually came in his nightmares! Why now?

"My name is Bruno. I'm your roommate," the boy introduced himself and smiled while showing Alex their names that were written on a magical tab. "They gave me this tab as soon as I was assigned to a room," Bruno added.

"Okay. I'm Alex," Alex replied as his eyes kept scanning the place.

"Yeah, I know. Everyone does now. Dude, you're special. Your light almost blinded all of us. You might be the greatest Knight this school has ever produced, even greater than Master Orion," Bruno said to Alex, but Alex scoffed.

"There's no one greater than Master Orion. He's the only knight in the world that has mastery over all four elements. Master Orion is a legend. I just want to spend the next four years training so that I'll become a knight and get a job as a Diplomat. That's all I care about," Alex said to Bruno, who chuckled.

"Yeah. That's what all legends say at first. When you start saving the world, don't forget I believed in you first," Bruno replied with a smile. Alex returned the smile as they trudged to their Wing.

The fire wing was large, and was painted with red, white and golden colors. One could feel the heat coming off the walls as well. Beautiful chandeliers lit with varying colors of candles adorned the hallway. Bruno opened the door to a small room. There were two beds inside with two tables and chairs. The room wasn't painted, and could easily pass for a servant's quarters.

"I thought the room would be bigger," Alex replied with surprise. Bruno let out a sigh as he settled into one of the beds.

"Well, we got the last room. They said since you're low-born, you should get a place that is befitting," Bruno replied to Alex. Alex felt a wave of guilt come upon him as he gazed at Bruno.

"I'm sorry, Bruno. I dragged you into this," Alex apologized.

"It's okay. I never cared for such things. Let's become amazing Knights, shall we?" Bruno said with a grin. Alex chuckled.

"Yeah. Let's do that," Alex replied, and they returned to the great hall for the orientation. All through the orientation, Alex's presence disrupted the event because students constantly whispered about him. But Alex didn't care about that anymore. He knew that if he was to thrive at this Academy, he had to develop thick skin.

"Who's that?" Alex asked Bruno as he settled his eyes on a young girl with long dark hair. She had sky-blue eyes, and wore a necklace with a blue stone. The girl had a very striking face, and her body stood perfectly still in the flowing white dress she wore.

"Oh, her? That's princess Aurora. The High King's only daughter. She just turned sixteen, but her magic manifested even before her birthday. No one knows why," Bruno replied to Alex.

"How do you know all this?" Alex asked with curiosity.

"My mum works in the palace. She's a court lady. Hence, the gist. Aurora is in Blue House. So, don't even get any ideas. Water and fire don't mix," Bruno replied to Alex. Alex's eyes were still on Aurora while her attention focused directly on the teacher addressing them.

"But I'm not a Fire Mage, am I? I don't even know what I am," Alex said and sighed. Bruno shot him a look of sympathy.

"It's okay. You'll figure out who you are eventually," Bruno replied. Alex was still gazing at Aurora when she suddenly looked back. Alex quickly averted his eyes and pretended to be focused on the speaker. When he gazed at her again, she had already returned to focus.

The City of Oak was one of the three cities in the country that was under the High King's leadership. While other countries had presidents, there was a monarchy system there.

When the orientation ended, the students proceeded to start organizing themselves for their first class the next day. Alex and Bruno returned to their room and started cleaning. It was so filthy, and the stench was terrible.

"Yuck…" Bruno groaned as he parked a dead rat's carcass off the ground. Alex did most of the work. Doing dirty work was not alien to him.

"Oh, look, a dirty room for a dirty servant." Kevin suddenly said to Alex while he stood at the door. With him were three other boys, all looking mean and rough.

Alex ignored him.

"You don't belong here, Alex. Enjoy the night because it might be your last here," he added, but Alex still ignored him, and that made Kevin furious. He approached the thrash bin and picked it up.

"Hey, Alex! Catch!" Kevin yelled and threw the thrash bin at Alex. The dirt spilled on Alex's body and on the ground as Kevin and the other boys laughed. Alex fumed while he gazed at the boys. His heart twisted with anger, and the energy building up within him started spreading to his limbs.

"Do it Alex… destroy them! Show them who you are…" the same mysterious voice said in a whisper. Alex started to feel the pull of his magic, and the voice was relentless.

"Do it, Alex! Kill them all!" The voice yelled at Alex, but Alex quickly let go of his anger.

"No!" Alex groaned, panting.

"Weirdo," The other boys commented and walked away. Alex turned to Bruno, who was too stunned to speak. He began to clean the room all over again.

Nighttime soon came like a thief, and after dinner, Alex settled into his bed. Bruno barely lay his back on the bed before he slept off. As Alex lay awake, excitement and fear rushing through his veins, he remembered his sweet mother and the promise he made to her on her deathbed.

"I'll be a great knight someday, mother. I promised," Alex whispered to himself and closed his eyes to sleep. However, the same eerie voice called out to him again.

"Come to me, Alex…" the voice called in a whisper. Alex slowly got up from his bed and opened the door. Bruno was still fast asleep.

"Follow my voice… feel my energy…" the whisper came again. Alex's heart thumped as he followed the energy that seemed to guide him through the hallway.

Alex soon arrived outside the red wing, and headed for a place that looked like a tomb. It had a gate that was chained to keep it shut.

"Open the gates… " Said the whisper again. Alex touched the gate and felt his energy flow. Suddenly, the chains heated and melted, and then fell to the ground with a clank.

"Oh… my…" Alex was amazed by what he did. The gate slowly opened and Alex walked through.

"Down here…" said the voice in a whisper. Alex began to descend a staircase and finally arrived at a room where lots of old artifacts were stacked together and kept.

"The painting. Find my painting," the voice said again, and Alex began to scramble through the artifacts. It took a while until he found a painting of a terrifying looking man. Alex could sense the energy coming off the painting, but it didn't feel right to Alex.

"Hello, Alex," a voice suddenly said to Alex from within the painting and Alex dropped it in a panic.

"It's you. You have been calling me," Alex said to the voice in the painting.

"Yes. When you turned sixteen, I knew your time had come. I have been trying to guide you towards your destiny, Alex," the voice said again.

"What is this? Who are you?" Alex asked.

"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is that I am your only friend in this place. You can't trust anyone, especially Master Orion. They cannot possibly fathom the extent of your abilities," the voice said again, but Alex was confused.

"I don't understand," Alex cried out. The voice was silent a moment before a ghostly whisper followed.

"The world as we know is destined to come to an end someday. And you, Alex, are The Dark Knight, the one destined to destroy the world…" the voice said to Alex.

"What? I don't want to destroy the world," Alex rebuked him.

"It is your destiny, Alex. You cannot run away from it. From the ashes, you shall raise a new world and rule for all eternity. You will need me by your side when that time comes. Which is why you must release me from this prison," the voice said again.

"What prison?" Alex asked.

"Master Orion imprisoned me in this painting decades ago, just because I got hold of forbidden magic. But you can break the spell, Alex. You can set me free!" The voice said to Alex again.

"I… I… I don't know what to do… I don't understand any of this…" Alex said to the voice as confusion flooded his mind. He had a destiny that made him sound like some sort of monster. Or was it a lie? Was it all a lie? Alex was still contemplating when a familiar voice suddenly snapped him back to reality.

"Alex! What are you doing here?" Master Orion yelled at him.