It's almost time for the Rich Coast High summer vacation and part of my plans for this vacation is a well-deserved summer break with my three bros: Rory, Viktor, and Bud. Rich Coast High was founded for nobility a century ago. It was opened to all classes which pissed some nobles. I was born here, in a small town called Tambella; which is one of the subcolonies of Oxon.

Rory had invited us to join him at his family home in Elkwood to spend the summer break. I was thrilled by the news since I'd never stepped out of my town Rich Coast is the capital and I'm a student of Rich Coast High. Dad says the Freys have graduated from this institution, and I should be honored since I was the only one in my family who managed to get back after three generations of my family failing to meet the requirements of the school.

I'm not well off but the rich history of my family being part of the first settlers of Rich Coast still swells me up with pride. In the past, we were a great family, but the family has declined over the years and since I'm the most fortunate to meet the qualification dad pins the revival of the family on me but blames himself for failing to revive the family's rich legacy. He also feels sorry for the amount of responsibility at such an early age.

Mom fell ill and died when I was 9 years old; my younger sister Ali was barely five. Mom's death took its toll on dad, making us fear we would be orphaned at a young age. It has been 4 years now, but he hardly talks about her now. My name is Aiden Frey, and this is my adventure.

On March 23rd, 1875, Rory asked Victor, Bud, and me to go on a summer vacation at Elkwood. It is still the dark era for people like myself since my skin color tends to make people isolate themselves from me but as long as I have these trio nothing in the world matters.

The journey to Elkwood was very tiring and painstaking since the captain wouldn't let us board economy class and made us stay in the cabins where they kept the ship's wine, but we eventually made it to the coast of Elkwood.

On arrival, we went to drop off our luggage in our various rooms so we could get a well-deserved rest but something bizarre happened. The chariot had brought us the house late in the evening and since there were no maids, we had to do it ourselves. Rory's parent prefers him to be self-reliant despite their wealth and he isn't that bad compared to the other rich kids I know from school who are overbearing.

As I stepped inside the house, I felt an energy shift. At that moment I was attacked by this insane creature with damp cold skin. It had a weird head shape like that of a gecko with slime covering its entire body. I tried to get out but was cornered and since my friends were yet to come in, I was all alone fortunately for me I was rescued by this giant cobra. The battle between the snake and the geckozoid was intense and terrifying but my rescuer eventually emerged victorious. I was excited and scared to the point I didn't know what to do.

The snake was badly hurt so I did the logical thing humanly possible, I ran!!

I did this not for the sake of a lack of appreciation for my life being saved but rather because of the intense fear I felt at that moment. Trust me you'd do the same in my shoes. She called out to me and said, "Quickly get here before the threshold closes." I felt the sudden urge to go back and upon reaching this badly hurt reptile I disappeared in the blackness.

It was very dark, and I couldn’t see what was right in front of me. I turned to look around and found pearly black eyes sparkling in the dark. I felt cold scales throbbing around my body and there I knew what situation I was in. I'd just escape the hot rods of doom and land straight in the jaws of death. It was still dark, and I still had no idea of our current location. Seeing the snakes spread her majestic hood out I felt that meant dinner time; for her and I was the meal.

She puffed out a green gas and that knocked me out. I saw a light. Was I dead!? Is this heaven!? I pondered silently as I rose from my deep sleep.

She seemed to have been waiting for my awakening. When I was fully awake, she introduced herself as Willow. I was shocked and dumbfounded to see an animal talking. It seemed like a dream I couldn't seem to wake up from. She told me she chose me because both our realms were colliding and only, I could stop that from happening. She spoke about a prophecy I was supposed to fulfill and that it was my responsibility to take up arms and prepare for a great battle.

Hearing all that scrambled my brain so much that I could only start at her in shock. I told her she was mistaken but she insisted the four main descendants of the first settlers of Rich Coast bared a responsibility we needed to uphold and to do that we each needed our own master and also create our path towards defeating the divine warlord to become one of Rasbonia's Lords.

I told her I had no interest in fighting any divine warlord to become a lord myself and shouldn't the 'divine' be good? This was a trick, I said to her, but she angrily tossed a bag of clothes and told me to make a tent, training starts immediately after I was done.

I was pissed and scared. All my life I've never camped out before, so I didn't know how to put up a tent. I insisted on not staying and try leave where we were but found myself returning to the same location over and over again. She said she had created a pocket dimension to hide my aura from the Divine Warlord and so my movement is restricted to where she permits me.

This serpent was getting on my nerves, but I could only weep internally and accept my fate. She guided me through building a tent and immediately we set off to begin my training. The first was basic survival training. She explained time moved differently in both our worlds and that I shouldn't worry about missing anything because I'd be returned where and when I was taken. I felt relieved to hear this and dived into my training. I was taught tracking and hunting mostly because if I couldn't hunt then I wouldn't eat. This was so frustrating. My training regimen went on like this for six additional weeks up to arrival till she decided it was time to take my training up the notch.

She told me I had a high affinity for mana and in this world that allowed them to perform magic. She said I wasn't ready for any spell yet, but I had to learn to hide my aura. I asked her the reason for doing that and she said once this pocket space dissipates, I will be the target for the Divine Warlord, and it was the main reason for survival training in the first place.

She asked me to close my eyes and dig deep into my soul. I would see a light and that light was my soul lamp. The brighter it was, the more powerful I'd get and the harder it would be to hide my aura. When I found the soul lamp, she whispered that I try to shrink it. My soul lamp was a blazing inferno and I had no idea how to shrink something the sun's size. I practiced aura masking for an additional three days then she said it was time for step two however she was not equipped to train me. We had to find my next master.

"What was step two?" I asked Willow but she just hissed and slithered away. I followed behind slowly trying to figure out what training she had in store for me. We went deeper into the forest afterward she turned to face me and said find your way back to camp.

Just when I was about to ask what she meant by that she vanished. I was now all alone in the middle of this god-forsaken jungle. I heard a howl, then a screech and then it felt like the darkness had eyes and was staring at me.

I got freaked out by that sight. I tried remembering all that I had learned up till now but all that I could hear we whisper of the wind and my heart thumping loud. I couldn't hear myself think as I was now drenched in a cold sweat. I tried to soothe my mind and curb my wild imagination. I sat crossed-legged and started to meditate. It was then I realized I could sense the entire forest for a hundred miles long. I could see that bird dozens of miles away as I could see the little critters hiding in the damp soil.

I opened my eyes, and I felt a sudden rush of euphoria. The current I was different from the scared little boy who got dragged into this kingdom. I felt I could do anything. Something within my soul acted as a guide as a rush straight back to the camp. I was swinging through trees and gliding in the air. It felt so amazing till I sensed a sinister aura.

"Quickly hid your aura," I told myself as I hid behind that tree with huge leaves. I waited for a brief second then proceeded slowly toward that sinister aura I sensed. There I saw a huge wolf right in the middle of our camp with Willow looking helpless and cornered.

I went behind, sneaking as I approached slowly. I hid my aura the best I could. To my utter dismay, the wolf turned on me and then pounced. I dived sideways barely escaping its huge paws. It fell heavily on the ground but quickly recovered.

Just as I was preparing to get back up the wolf made its second strike. This time the paw came straight toward my face. I raised my hand and grabbed his paw strike, but he hit me immediately with the second paw sending me flying. I hit a tree and landed heavily on the ground. I couldn't believe I was having my *** handed out to me.

He came at me with his fangs snarling at me as he licked the saliva off his lips.

At this moment I felt a warmth in my pants. The wolf pounced again but something different happened. I felt his aura clearly and it seemed I could vaguely see his moves. I dodged the pounce then he came at me with a paw strike. I managed to dodge that one as well but as I smiled celebrating within, a paw strike came straight for my face. I was bashed heavily into the ground and for a moment there I thought I died.

Rushing up immediately I barely escaped his sharp claws gaining for my throat. I knew I had to focus because at that moment this wasn't a game. I kept dodging, keeping my defense up as I waited for my chance to strike but it seemed to never come until I was able to go underneath this wolf which was near twice my height. I struck him below the throat, then the ribs. I was preparing for my third strike when a massive blow came at me. Boom! I was sent flying a second time.

I got up and wiped off the blood leaking from the corner of my lips. This time I was determined to take this crazy wolf with me to the grave. I went straight on the offense this time going for every blind spot I could, but this guy amazingly didn't have any. Then I realized those strikes were handed to me. Almost like he wanted me to find them. I knew then something was off with this matchup.

This guy was stronger, faster, and more experienced and had the chance to kill but never made any lethal moves. We went on for hours till I dropped from exhaustion. The wolf immediately shifted his attention from me to my master. Shit! Was all this fighting for nothing? Couldn't I at least return the favour by protecting the creature that saved me from that terrifying monster before? I started having scary imagination till the wolf got right in front of Willow and said she trained me well. Well, I lacked in stamina, but I made up with speed and agility in a serious battle he feared I won't last for the first wave.

I realized something then. Was he my next teacher? Why did he try to kill me? Willow hearing my thoughts said he was indeed going to take over my training because she won't be with me for long and where she was going was too dangerous for me to follow.

She added she would be leaving after my training with this demon wolf began. I felt a shiver down my spine. Was this crazy wolf indeed my next mentor?