Path of Ruin: The Dawn of a New Era

21. Éna 1317 of the solar calendar, the capital of Rout Nitis-Rout-en

Luke runs through dirty alleys with a fat man chasing him. His emaciated, weak body, low stamina and great hunger do not help him much in his escape. He weaves his way through the city and eventually arrives at the marketplace, where the boy hides among the men.

He walks through the marketplace before getting lost in the alleys again. He is slowly approaching his destination, the slums. He holds the bread tightly in his hand and watches his surroundings carefully. Enough. that he flinches when a rat runs under his feet. It will get faster. Fortunately, he meets almost no one and those from whom he runs.

They will reach their destination successfully. It is a small narrow house with a few rotten beams and moldy thatch. Debris is the best word for it. There are three more waiting for him here, two boys and one girl. They are also around twelve, like Luke. When they see him, they greet him and are happy that he is safe. There are a total of six staying here, but three always go out for refreshments while the others keep watch.

"Mia and Eon haven't returned yet Arthur?"

"No, not yet, but I think they will be here soon, I hope. I'm glad you're here okay."

“Ha ha, I think I made quite a bit of money today. I got fresh bread from old Duma." They all laugh. They are happy. Today they will have something to fill their stomachs. But the laughter soon passes when a cold wind blows. They quickly huddle together and try to keep warm. Their clothes full of laces and the hole won't help them much.

Not long after Luke arrives, he sees Eon coming. He too was successful. He brought some eggs. Everyone is smiling, but the mood quickly drops again. The last member of the group Mia has not arrived yet.

Luke is nervous, so he looks around at the others. He looks at Eon first. Long matted black hair, tired green eyes, emaciated body, ripped sleeveless t-shirt and pants ripped at the knees. He then looks at Ezra. She has dirty messy blond hair, sunken ice blue eyes, a longer nose. The girl's name is Sara. She has curly brown hair and beautiful blue eyes, but the fabric hangs over the others and hides her baby face. When Luke looks at her, she blushes subtly and looks away. Luke also gives a genuine smile before looking at Arthur with a serious smile. Auburn hair, brown eyes and a serious expression that doesn't suit him at all at his age.

She is the most nervous of them all. He has always loved Mia above all else and fears her the most. He is constantly clenching and unclenching his little fist, pacing back and forth around their dwelling.

The sun will soon set below the horizon. Luke and the others sit in silence, looking outside to see if they can see Mia. They grow increasingly nervous before being interrupted by a melodious, albeit breathless voice, “I'm sorry everyone, you had to worry about me. I…"

"Mio!!" She surprises everyone when she speaks and they rush to her screaming and surround her." A little girl stands in the doorway. The youngest of the group. Messy red locks. Azure eyes. Skinny body.

Luke stepped back and the others quickly followed.

“I'm glad you're okay, we were worried about you. Eon says and Luke adds, "He's right, we were worried about you." Mia, unlike Eon and Luke, was not successful. From her words, Luke and company learn that she also tried to get some food, but failed. She was caught in the act. She barely made a successful escape but was lost.

After some time, while running, she arrived at a large square. Many people walked around and huge markets were held there. She immediately realized that she was in the eastern part of the city, the area of the rich. On Minervské náměstí, where the market is located all year round and countless shops attracted customers.

She said this as she looked around and a new royal decree caught her eye. After reading, Mia, who was taught to read by her grandmother before she died, learned a very important message. This news can change their life.

It read, “Any person, boy or girl, who is younger than thirteen winters but has lived for more than eleven winters, of any status, from orphans to the wealthy, can participate in the selection for the newly established Meridian Inquisition Royal Academy.

160 people with the highest potential in magical power will be accepted into the academy to study here. From the 28th of Éna to the 9th of Via (10 consecutive days), anyone within this age range can come and take the test. The test will take place directly in the academy, which is located on the north side of Minervské náměstí.'

After hearing this from Mia, Luke has a look of shock on his face. This announcement means too much to them. Mia is right when she says that it can change their fate. If they take part in the trials and succeed, they leave behind not only poverty, but can become the highest existences in the kingdom. In most cases, only very talented nobles or very rich people study to become mystic warriors.

It is therefore almost unbelievable that the kingdom would decide on such a huge project. Definitely very resource intensive.

Arthur snaps Luke out of his thoughts when he speaks, "What do you think we should attend as well?"

“I think they should. Luke then speaks and the others share their opinion. In the end, only Eon said nothing, so Luke asks him, "What do you think, Eon?"

"It's worth a shot, but why did they pull it out all of a sudden?" This silences everyone and puts them into contemplation. Luke also thinks and realizes that he recently overheard a conversation between two richly dressed gentlemen.

In this conversation, they discussed the strained relationship between their native Root and the neighboring country of Axia. There he learned that a rare mineral had been discovered in the borderlands, which the kingdom was not going to give up. One thing is for sure, Rout is probably going to war and plans to win with the help of the cadets.

After realizing this, they immediately tell the others about him and they also think that entering the academy is probably the same as entering military training. After this happens to them, they will think again about attending the exams.

They never had much faith in their kingdom. As orphans without families and relatives, they live a life of poverty and barely survive. Under such conditions, they did not build much confidence in their country.

Their choice is ultimately clear. Their current life is suffering and they have a chance to escape it. Even if they have to risk their lives, they have to do it or they will regret it for the rest of their lives.