Morning light filtered through the curtains when Axel stepped into the living room. Thorngage was already there, standing stiff with a tablet in one hand and a folder under his arm. He looked like a man about to deliver either a military briefing or terrible news.
Axel tilted his head. "Why are you standing like that?"
Thorngage cleared his throat. "Lord Axel… we need to speak."
Axel frowned. "Did another Riftshroud appear?"
"No." Thorngage shifted nervously. "This matter is… different. And far more delicate."
Axel's eyes narrowed. "Then say it."
Thorngage inhaled deeply, like he needed courage. "We've decided… that you should attend school."
Axel blinked. "School? What rank of monster is that?"
"It's not a creature," Thorngage said quickly. "It's a place. Children and young adults go there to learn."
Axel's expression stayed unreadable. "You intend to send me there?"
"Yes. Starting today. This morning, in fact."
Axel stared at him in silence long enough for Thorngage to start sweating.
Thorngage pressed on. "You've awakened in a world a thousand years ahead of your own. Your knowledge, though formidable, is… outdated. And the Council wants you to learn how this era works. Social behavior, technology, culture."
Axel folded his arms. "And you think throwing me into a building full of strangers will teach me this faster?"
Thorngage nodded with the seriousness of someone offering a tactical plan. "It will be… immersive."
Axel's brow twitched. "So this is not a mission."
"No, my lord. This is education."
Axel sighed and looked away, as if weighing the life-or-death implications of sitting in a classroom. "And you planned all this without telling me?"
Thorngage winced. "We feared you might refuse if warned too early."
Axel walked past him, steps heavy. "You were correct."
Thorngage let out a shaky breath. "Forgive us, Lord Axel. But we believe this is the best path for you in this era."
Axel paused at the doorway. "Fine. I will… attempt this 'school' of yours."
Relief washed over Thorngage's face. "Thank you, my lord. The car leaves in ten minutes."
Axel turned. "Ten minutes? You expect me to prepare for this… 'academic battlefield' in ten minutes?"
Thorngage offered a small, hopeful smile. "We have a uniform ready."
Axel stared at the folded clothes on the table like they were a trap. "So this is the armor I saw some boys and girls wearing that I thought they were also venturing into an Ecliptic rift. Don't worry I'll get ready"
Then he muttered, "This era is strange."
A few minutes after he'd gone into his room with the uniform he was already out again neatly dressed in his black blazer, inner white shirt and silver lining around the edges with sharp. The school's insignia which sat one the left chest: a stylized crescent fracturing a star, symbolizing Resonants and rifts.
He wore dark trousers with matte black boot-like school shoes and a thin silver chain in his belt. He looked just like a king in his outfit.
In the living room four other teenagers waited, two boys and two girls, all dressed in the same outfit Axel wore. They stood at attention the moment he stepped in.
"What's going on here?" Axel asked, brows tightening.
"They'll follow you to the school," Thorngage said. "As guards. Since the rest of us can't move around with you."
"Guards?" Axel shook his head. "I don't need any."
The four teenagers immediately dropped to one knee, fists pressed to the floor.
"Lord Axel," one of them said, voice steady, "this is the least we can do. Let us be useful."
Axel let out a slow breath. They weren't going to budge.
"Fine," he said. "But there are rules."
All four lifted their heads.
"One," Axel continued, "no weapons. Not even hidden ones."
They exchanged quick glances.
"Two, none of you interfere if I get into a fight. Ever."
Their eyes widened, but they stayed silent.
"And last… everyone keeps at least fifty meters away from me at all times."
Thorngage blinked. "Fifty?"
Axel nodded. "If you insist on following me, then you follow my terms. Also, no one should call me master when outside. It still feels weird to me."
The room went quiet, the kind of quiet right before a battle theme starts playing.
The four teenagers bowed their heads again.
"As you command."
"I'm Kade Rennick." A tall boy about 6 '4 with deep blue hair introduced himself.
"Jalen Morrow." The boy who'd asked Axel to make them useful also introduced himself. He was slightly muscular with pitch black hair and height of 5 '10.
"You may all stand up." Axel announced.
"I'm Siena Vale." One of the girls with white hair stood with an easy confidence, her medium-sized frame balanced and athletic without being overly slim or broad. There was a calm spark in her eyes, the kind you see in someone who's trained long enough to forget they're dangerous.
Beside her, the blonde haired girl shifted her weight and offered a polite nod.
"Call me Aria Thorn." She carried herself lightly, almost floaty, but there was a coil of precision in the way she watched the hallway, as if every corner posed a possible threat.
"Does that mean there are others who don't attend these schools you mentioned just because they're guards?" Axel asked, his voice carrying a hint of disbelief.
"Yes," Thorngage replied, "but they receive an education similar to what the formal schools provide."
Axel studied him for a moment. "So they're taught… but separately."
Thorngage nodded. "Their schedules, lessons and training are structured around their duties. It isn't the same environment, but the knowledge they get isn't any less."
Axel leaned back slightly, absorbing that. "I see."
There was a soft shift among the four kneeling teenagers, almost like they were relieved he didn't push further. Unfortunately, he continued…
"Since I'm up now, I want all of them to attend the schools the same way I'm going to," Axel said.
Thorngage hesitated. "That isn't possible, my lord."
Axel's gaze hardened. "I said I want it that way."
The room seemed to tighten around his words. Thorngage lowered his head, the weight of Axel's authority pressing down on him.
Thorngage stayed frozen for a moment, then slowly raised his eyes. "My lord… the system wasn't built with that in mind. Guards have rotations, duties, restrictions. They aren't allowed to mix so freely with the general students. It's been that way for generations."
Axel didn't look away. "Then change it. And about the fees, we can find rifts to raid after school to earn money."
The four teenagers stiffened, unsure whether to be shocked or hopeful.
"My lord," Thorngage said carefully, "even if we start the process today, it will take approvals, restructuring, training adjustments—"
"That's your problem," Axel cut in. "Not mine."
Thorngage swallowed hard. "If that is your will, I'll begin the preparations immediately. But the transition will take time."
Axel nodded. "Good. Make it happen."
The four teenagers exchanged glances, eyes brightening just a little. For the first time, the idea of being more than shadows at the edges of Axel's life felt real.
"In fact, once you're done with what I just told you, we'll need to revise how everyone behaves around me," Axel added.
Thorngage bowed his head. "Yes, my lord. I'll see to it."
A soft chime echoed from outside, and one of the teens glanced toward the entrance.
Thorngage straightened. "For now… your cars have arrived."
"Don't worry about those carriages that move you around. I prefer walking."
"Yes, my lord." Thorngage didn't want to argue anymore.
"Let's go." Axel signaled to the four teenagers.
****
Axel stood at the entrance, shoulders squared like he was entering enemy territory. The school gates weren't fortified steel. They were just ordinary metal bars painted blue, but he still scanned them as if they hid a trap.
Students streamed past him. Some held books, others clutched phones, but almost all of them stared. A tall guy with a sword-like posture wasn't exactly subtle.
"You guys can go now." Axel said yet the teenagers still stood refusing to leave. "It's an order." He added. It was a new trick he'd adopted after mentioning "order" when he was speaking with Thorngage the day before and Thorngage reacted like the words were absolute.
Inside the hallway, the noise hit him like a shockwave. Steps, chatter, lockers slamming. It felt chaotic, but not dangerous. More like a wild market with no rules.
Axel's eyes darted from one strange sight to another.
A bell rang above him. He almost reached for his blade on instinct.
A girl near him laughed. "You're new, right? That's just the bell. And you might want to keep your weapon out of reach of others."
He nodded slowly. "It sounded like a warning signal."
In class, it only got worse.
He sat at a desk, poking the chair like it was some odd relic. The screen in front of the room flickered to life and Axel flinched.
A floating image without magic felt wrong.
The teacher started writing on the board. Axel watched every movement, trying to figure out the "combat style" of this world's scholars. When the teacher asked him to introduce himself, he stood up like he was reporting to a commander.
"My name is Axel. I am… adapting."
The class burst into laughter. He didn't understand the joke, but he noticed no hostility, so he relaxed a little.
"I guess you're the jokester of the class." The teacher said with a smile.
During lunch, he stared at the cafeteria food like it was some experimental potion. The noise was overwhelming, but he also found something oddly comforting in it. People living their lives without fear. No beasts. No alarms. Just normal chaos.
For the first time in a long while, Axel felt something he hadn't expected.
Curiosity.