Two weeks had passed since the start of the academic year at the academy. The weather had grown colder, and leaves were falling heavily from the trees surrounding the stone buildings, forming yellow-red carpets along the pathways. The students were beginning to settle into their daily routine: lectures, training, meals, and sleep. But Ryan knew this quiet routine would not last.
He knew it because he could feel something in the air. Something had changed in the professors' gazes, in the way they evaluated the students, in the weight that now surrounded every word they spoke. The academy was not a place of comfort. It was a place of testing. And these tests were beginning now.
Three days ago, Professor Darius had entered the Combat Strategies hall with a more serious face than usual. He did not begin the lecture as he normally did. Instead, he stood before the students and fell silent for a moment, as if giving them time to absorb that something different was about to happen.
he said in his deep, rough voice.
"Students,Two weeks have passed since the start of the academic year. You have learned the basics, and you are beginning to understand how this academy works. But it is time for you to taste a piece of reality."
He looked around, his grey eyes scanning the students' faces slowly, as if reading their thoughts before they could speak.
"The day after tomorrow, an expedition will depart. Not a pleasure trip, not ordinary training. It is a journey to the Northern Shadow Forest, where dangerous creatures live, and where you can test what you have learned in real conditions."
Whispers began to rise among the students. Some looked excited, others looked worried. Ryan remained silent, waiting for what the professor would say next. He knew there was always a price for things in this academy.
Darius raised his hand to call for silence.
"But there are conditions. Anyone who wishes to participate in this expedition must sign an agreement. The professors will protect you, and we will not leave you to face danger alone. But everything you find—every resource, every treasure, everything you obtain during this expedition—will belong to the academy."
He paused for a moment, letting the words echo in the students' minds. The silence in the hall was heavy, as if everyone was trying to absorb what that meant.
"Everything you bring back will be evaluated, and its value will be converted into academic points. These points allow you to obtain various resources from the academy: rare books, special equipment, even individual training with some professors."
Darius looked at the students with his piercing eyes.
"But you should know something. The academy does not make everything available to you. The truly valuable things... it keeps for itself. It will give them to you only if it decides they are worth giving."
These were the words that truly caught Ryan's attention. He had noticed last week that the points system was limited. Some things were simply unavailable, no matter how many points he had. And now he understood why.
The academy took everything, and decided whether to share it with the students or not.
Ryan read the agreement twice when it reached him. The wording was tight, as if written by a lawyer, not a teacher. Everything you find, everything, belongs to the academy. In return, points that may not buy you anything except what the academy allows you to buy.
He hesitated for a moment. He knew this agreement could be a trap. But he also knew that real opportunities did not come without a price. He put his pen to the paper and signed.
Darius raised a stack of papers. "Those who wish to participate, step forward and sign. You have until tomorrow to decide. Those who hesitate may stay in the academy. No one is forced."
The lecture ended after that, and the students left, discussing among themselves. Some were excited, others were looking for an excuse to withdraw.
*********
And now, three days later, Ryan stood before the main hall's door. The morning air was cold, carrying the scent of damp earth and fallen leaves. He felt the weight of the small bag on his shoulders—not because of its weight, but because of the expectations it carried.
Edan stood beside him, looking somewhat tense, but determined to come as well.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Edan asked in a low voice, his eyes shifting nervously among the gathered students.
Ryan looked at him. "I signed the agreement. No backing out now."
Edan looked around, then lowered his voice further.
"I know, I know. But...I heard some upper-year students say these expeditions are not what they seem. They send you out there, leave you to face whatever comes, then take everything you find."
Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that exactly what Professor Darius said?"
Edan hesitated.
"Yes, but...They say the professors only intervene if your life is in real danger. But if you get injured, lose your equipment, or fail to bring anything back... that's your problem alone."
Ryan was silent for a moment. That made sense, in a way. The academy was not a place of comfort. It was a place to forge warriors. And warriors learn from failure as much as from success.
Ryan asked.
"What do you suggest?That we withdraw?"
Edan shook his head. "No. I signed too. I'm just... warning you."
Before Ryan could respond, Professor Darius appeared at the hall's entrance. He wore his field uniform, his sword hanging from his belt. He looked different from his image in the lecture hall—he looked as if he were ready for war.
The students gathered, about twenty of them, and stood in a row before him. Among them were Ryan, Edan, and Valeria, who stood at the far end of the row. She glanced at Ryan for a moment. She did not smile, but her eyes spoke of something he did not fully understand. Then she turned forward, as if she had not seen him.
Darius looked at the group, then spoke:
"We will walk for a full day to reach the Northern Shadow Forest. There, the real mission will begin. You will be divided into teams of four. Each team will have a designated area to explore. You have three days to collect what you can. After that, we return."
He paused, then added in a more serious tone:
"Remember the agreement you signed. Everything you find, everything, belongs to the academy. Do not try to hide anything. We have ways of knowing. And whoever breaks the agreement will face severe consequences."
Ryan looked at Edan, then at the forest looming on the distant horizon. He knew this expedition would be different. Not just exploration, but a test. A test of ability, patience, and honesty.
He whispered to himself as he followed the group toward the academy gate:
"It seems scoundrels are everywhere..."
But beneath that whisper, there was something else. Something he did not even admit to himself. He felt excitement. He wanted to see what that forest hid. He wanted to test himself, far from the academy's safe walls.
He did not yet know what he would find in the Northern Shadow Forest. But he knew one thing: this journey, no matter how it ended, would not return him as he was.