At that time, Leox didn't understand what the men had seen when they looked at him, or how they had done it.

  It was common knowledge that an awakened could somehow see the strength of their fellow awakened in limited amounts, but Leox hadn't figured out how to do this yet. He guessed it was due to his young age, and lack of proper education.

  Most people would awaken when they reached their teen years, but he was only twelve.

  ...

  After speaking to the collectors, Leox returned home and gathered his things. As he did, his father entered his room. From the look on his face, Leox knew that he could tell where the conversation was going.

  "The collectors have accepted you then?" His father asked sadly.

  Leox nodded his head.

  "That's... That's good."

  His father slowly made his way over to him and pulled him into a hug. It was a tight hug filled with lots of emotions. Leox could tell that his father felt sorry for the secrets he had hidden from him. Truthfully, Leox didn't care.

  His mind was so focused on the future that he didn't care about the lies told to him in the past. As long as if he was given a way to discover the truth, that was what he would focus on.

  They broke away from the hug, and his father ruffled Leox's hair with his hand.

  "Will you say goodbye to your mother?"

  She isn't my mother.

  "No," Leox responded without hesitation.

  "Heh. Thought so."

  There was nothing for Leox to say to her. She hated him, and he had slowly started to hate her. It would be best for them to avoid each other.

  ...

  With that, Leox left his father and made his way over to the Everhurst Church. He hoped to pay one last visit to Ivy.

  She was asleep, unfortunately, but Leox had already told her his intentions the night before. She knew where he was heading and, hopefully, wouldn't be surprised by the time she woke up. Still, he wrote her a note. It said that he would wait for her in the Undying City, when she reached the age of thirteen.

  Finally, Leox returned to the chariot, where the knights and Collector Meruvio were waiting for him. The man's wounded mouth twisted into a smile when he saw Leox. Then he looked him up and down.

  "You're a mess. We'll have to clean you up when you reach the capital. Don't worry about it for now, though. Hop inside."

  Do I really look that bad?

  Without saying a word, Leox entered the chariot. He had never been in one before. It smelled like flower fragrances and the cushioned seats were softer than his bed.

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  Eventually, Meruvio joined him, taking a seat opposite him and folding one leg over the other in a distinguished manner. When he clicked his fingers, the chariot began to travel down the cobblestone path.

  Leox looked out of the windows and watched as Everhurst Village faded away in the distance. For the first time, he was leaving the home that he had known his entire life. Yet for some reason, he didn't feel any sadness. If anything, it was quite the opposite.

  ---

  There wasn't much chatter as they travelled down the cobblestone pathway. Collector Meruvio had eventually fallen asleep, so Leox used the opportunity to enjoy the scenery as it passed by.

  Despite the threat of the end of the world, their country, Varadna, was beautiful. The towns were well-developed, and only grew more lavish the closer you got to the capital.

  Leox could see the Undying City far in the distance. Its impossibly tall walls surrounded the city, blocking the view of whatever lay inside.

  ---

  An hour passed before the chariot stopped. Leox had fallen asleep at this point, but the sounds of shouting outside woke him up.

  As he opened his eyes, Collector Meruvio was no longer in front of him.

  Leox peered out of the window. He spotted the three knights standing with their swords drawn, as they circled themselves around Meruvio, seamlessly entering a shield-like defensive formation.

  What's going on? I should have never fallen asleep!

  They were parked by a body of water. A large lake that seemed to be a few kilometres away from the capital city. The knights had their eyes on the lake. A ripple was travelling from the water towards the shore.

  It all felt familiar. Leox had been in this situation before. He stepped out of the chariot, and Collector Meruvio turned his head towards him.

  Despite the uneasiness in the air, he had a slight smile on his face.

  "Leox, good timing. I want you to see this. One can never have too much experience."

  Meruvio nodded his head towards the lake. The ripple had finally reached the shore.

  Suddenly, a foreign being emerged from the water. A being that could not be described as human. Its shadowy body was covered in green plants that came from the lake. It was around the same height as Leox, but incredibly thin, like a malnourished man.

  Not its right arm, though. That singular arm was large and sharp like the fins of a shark, or perhaps even sharper. The beast dragged it across the floor like a sword, as its skinny limbs helped it make its way towards the three knights.

  Leox's heart started racing. Meruvio, on the other hand, seemed completely unbothered. He turned to face Leox again.

  "Young Leox, do you know where the demons come from?"

  At first, Leox couldn't answer. The beast was now close to the knights. Meruvio leaned his back against the chariot and watched as though it were a theatre performance put together for his amusement.

  "The ground, the seas, and the sky. No matter where we go, the demons will always find us."

  The Knights charged. The three men in black descended on the beast with their swords. They moved at speeds Leox was unable to comprehend with his untrained eyes.

  One of the knights used a gust of wind to dash forward, another used a burst of flames, and one seemed to be struck by some sort of lightning that hastened his movements.

  Their swords descended on the demon before it could even attack.

  Meruvio chuckled, whilst Leox stood there and watched in awe.

  "It is our job to make sure that they do not reach the civilians. The Awakened can protect themselves. The Unawakened cannot. We must protect, especially as the apocalypse darkens."

  The shadowy beast was no longer 'whole'. It was now diced into tens of pieces. Each limb had been dismembered and sliced into smaller shapes, reduced to victims of the blade.

  The beast's remains fell to the ground.

  Could I even return from a death like that?

  "That demon was as weak as they get. You'll learn all about the ranks and types of demons during your time in the academy, so I won't go over it in detail right now. Just know that with time, these monsters will grow larger and stronger."

  The knights sheathed their blades and returned to their horses without saying a word. Collector Meruvio patted Leox's shoulder and began to make his way back inside the chariot.

  "The end of the world is coming, young Leox. It's our job to try our best and make sure that it doesn't happen."