Tii wakes in the Bond Realm floating above a lake of soft blue essence.

  Nyx lies beside him, one paw on his chest.

  Tii stares at his hands.

  Still shaking.

  Still grey.

  Nyx rumbles.

  “We leave soon. You tapped something old. Something sleeping.”

  Tii nods.

  He gets up.

  Quiet.

  Heavy.

  And walks toward the next path — toward the academy, toward the human cities, toward the next arc.

  The walls of the Human Capital rise like a gleaming spine of white stone, clean and polished — nothing like the poverty towns or raider-ravaged settlements Tii has walked through.

  Tii whistles.

  “Damn… humans really went all-in on shiny rocks.”

  Nyx snorts from his shadow.

  “Shiny rocks distract prey.”

  “Yeah, well… it’s working on me.”

  They approach the outer gate.

  Two armored guards cross their spears in front of him.

  “Papers.”

  Tii blinks. “What?”

  “Identification. Entry clearance. Access stamping.”

  Tii stares blankly.

  “…What language is that? Is this a spell?”

  The guards exchange a look of gods help us, then burst into laughter.

  “You serious? And where exactly are you traveling from, kid?”

  Tii answers honestly:

  “Isles of Mu. Exchange student. Here by request.”

  Silence.

  Then the guards laugh harder, doubling over.

  “Oh gods— hahahaha— you almost got us— Mu? You? Sure, little savage, do you think we’re stupid?—”

  Tii narrows his eyes.

  “… yes. I do think you’re stupid.”

  The laughter stops.

  He steps forward, fist tightening — he is one awkward joke away from dropping these two.

  Falcon Staff hums sharply on his back.

  Its ancient voice whispers through essence:

  “Back pouch. Small leather case. Use the card.”

  Tii reaches in, pulls out the leather case, and extracts a metal ID card stamped with the Mu seal and the official international sigils.

  He hands it over.

  The guards’ faces drain instantly.

  “…oh.”

  “…shit.”

  “…he’s real.”

  They look at him like a ghost is speaking to them.

  “Well… hah… uh… welcome to the Capital,” one guard mutters.

  As Tii walks through the gates, he hears them whisper behind him:

  “…I thought Mu kids were supposed to be animals?”

  “…I heard they drink blood.”

  “…He looked like he could kill us both with a spoon—”

  Tii smirks.

  “I heard that.”

  They shut up immediately.

  Inside the city?

  Nothing like he imagined.

  Not dirt huts.

  Not dying children.

  Not hungry families.

  But:

  ? flying carts gliding above the streets

  ? hovering transports

  ? huge glowing screens

  ? massive floating advertisements

  ? humans wearing shimmering clothes

  ? handheld devices sending blue holograms into the air

  Tii’s eyes widen until he looks like a startled cat.

  “HOW— what— why is that rock FLOATING?!”

  Nyx pops his head from the shadow.

  “It’s… glowing.”

  “NOT HELPING!”

  People stare at him.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Some whisper.

  Some point.

  Tii doesn’t notice — he’s too busy poking a street lamp to check if it’s magic or metal.

  Falcon Staff hums.

  “Focus, boy. You have a task.”

  Tii groans like a child dragged from a festival.

  The Academy walls are taller, polished white, decorated with banners of gold and blue.

  Students stroll past wearing refined uniforms and smug expressions.

  Another pair of guards stops him.

  Tii sighs. “Alright. Let’s get this over wi—”

  “Name?”

  “Tii Alpha’leo.”

  “Purpose?”

  “Exchange student.”

  “ID?”

  He hands them the card.

  The guards glance at it… then burst into laughter.

  Not mocking laughter — relieved laughter.

  “Oh thank the gods, we thought you were another lost tourist.”

  “You realize you’re three months late, right?”

  Tii freezes.

  “……I had a TIME LIMIT?!”

  “Yes! Enrollment began three and a half months ago!”

  Tii’s eye twitches.

  Falcon Staff hums in amusement.

  Nyx mutters: “You’re bad with calendars.”

  “THERE WERE NO CALENDARS ON THE OCEAN!”

  The guards laugh, then gesture him through.

  “Go to Headmaster Vaelor. He’s expecting you — eventually.”

  The Headmaster’s office smells like old books and fresh tea.

  Vaelor sits behind a desk covered in scrolls and hologram screens — a tall, calm, gentle-looking human with sharp eyes that miss nothing.

  “You must be Tii Alpha’leo.”

  Tii bows out of Mu respect.

  “I am.”

  “You’re late.”

  “…yes.”

  Vaelor chuckles softly.

  “Well, at least you’re honest.”

  He slides across:

  ? a class schedule

  ? a map of the campus

  ? a badge

  ? a small black bracelet for scanning in/out of buildings

  “You may rest today. Classes begin tomorrow.”

  “You will begin in Foundation-level courses.”

  Tii lifts a brow.

  “Why? I passed all your written tests on the boat.”

  “Protocols,” Vaelor says simply.

  “But I doubt you’ll stay there long.”

  Tii shrugs. “Your funeral.”

  Tii leaves the office and wanders the academy like a clueless forest creature seeing civilization for the first time.

  Students stare.

  Whisper.

  Laugh.

  “Is that the Mu savage?”

  “He looks like a street thug.”

  “Why is he barefoot?”

  “Are those tattoos? On a child??”

  Tii snorts.

  “I forgot humans are scared of art.”

  He reaches a forested section of campus — quiet, untouched, nature thick and soothing.

  Falcon Staff hums.

  “Your dorm room is in Section C, building—”

  Tii interrupts.

  “Nope. Not living in a metal box with strangers.”

  He rolls up his sleeves.

  “I’m building a cabin.”

  Nyx approves instantly.

  “Finally. A den worthy of us.”

  Over the next two nights — while students sleep — Tii constructs:

  ? a compact Mu-style cabin raised on thick roots

  ? a mini-forge made from volcanic stone he brought from Mu

  ? an alchemy table carved from enchanted driftwood

  ? a hammock bed of woven beast-leather

  ? a water purifier powered by a lightning sigil

  ? a cooking pit

  ? a training mat area

  ? a shadow-anchored sleeping space for Nyx

  The whole structure hums with Mu craftsmanship — Beastman durability, Dwarven structure, Elven flow.

  By dawn on the third day, it looks like it grew from the earth itself.

  Students passing by whisper:

  “…is that a house?”

  “…is that LEGAL?”

  “…who the hell BUILT that?”

  Tii walks out with a toothbrush.

  “Me. Now shut up.”

  DAY 1

  Tii enters Foundation Magic Class.

  Teacher begins:

  “Today we review the basic principles of mana circulation—”

  Tii raises his hand.

  “Your third diagram is wrong.”

  The class gasps.

  Teacher stares.

  “…Excuse me?”

  Tii walks up, takes the chalk, and redraws the entire board in thirty seconds flat.

  “There. This is the proper sequence. Yours would cause backflow essence collapse. Probably why half these kids look exhausted.”

  Class: silent.

  Teacher: “……Please leave.”

  Tii: “Did I—?”

  Teacher: “LEAVE. You’re above this class.”

  Tii shrugs and leaves.

  He is moved to D-Class.

  Then C-Class.

  Then B-Class.

  Then A-Class.

  All within three weeks.

  Students hate him.

  Teachers adore him or fear him.

  Nobles despise him.

  He doesn’t care.

  One afternoon, a group of high-status noble kids blocks his path.

  “Tii Alpha’leo, right? The little swamp savage from the fog lands?”

  Tii smiles kindly.

  “Oh, look. A pile of privilege and insecurity molded into one shape.”

  Gasps from the hallway.

  “You think you’re stronger than us because your ‘islands’ trained you like animals?”

  “No.” Tii replies. “I think you’re weak because you only learned ONE type of power.”

  He pats them on the head.

  “That’s why you’ll be dead long before me.”

  The nobles stiffen.

  Tii walks around them.

  Nyx whispers from the shadows:

  “You are making friends.”

  Tii grins.

  “Yeah, I know. I’m great at this.”

  ? ACADEMY ARC —THE GENIUS OF MU ?

  Tii’s first three weeks at the Academy were… chaotic, to say the least.

  The professors thought he was a feral child with tattoos and forest-boy etiquette.

  The students thought he was a lying savage with a fake ID.

  The nobles thought he was beneath them.

  By week four?

  Every high-IQ clique in the Academy whispered his name like a myth.

  “The Mu boy solved the ten-year unsolved equation in eight minutes.”

  “He corrected Divine Essence Theory… casually.”

  “He submitted four assignments the day he enrolled… all perfect.”

  And the nobles?

  They were livid.

  Some believed he was cheating.

  Some believed he was sabotaging the learning curve.

  Some accused him of using “primitive island magic.”

  One claimed Tii bribed teachers with “shiny rocks.”

  That noble is still recovering from the hardest Mu-style backhand the school infirmary has ever documented.

  Tii didn’t care about the rumors.

  He only cared about one thing:

  Training.

  His cabin in the Academy forest became a secret landmark.

  A place where no one dared approach.

  A place where teachers whispered about “the shadowed spirit boy” living in the woods.

  A place where two guards once heard howling and nearly quit their jobs.

  Inside the cabin?

  Nyx lurked within Tii’s shadow.

  Falcon Staff rested by the forge.

  And the Mu prodigy devoured knowledge faster than anyone had ever seen.

  It was Nyx who noticed the juvenile thunder falcon first.

  They were training behind the cabin in the early morning haze.

  Mist clung to the grass.

  Lightning crackled faintly in the air.

  Nyx’s ears perked.

  “Above.”

  Tii looked up.

  A young thunder falcon perched on a branch — feathers shimmering blue-white, electricity flickering down its wings, eyes bright with untamed arrogance.

  Small, but proud.

  Falcon Staff hummed with ancient knowledge.

  “A juvenile Rai’ten. Rare. Young. Unbonded. Perfect age to tame.”

  Tii’s eyes lit up.

  Nyx studied the falcon’s movements for hours.

  Its hunting patterns.

  Its arrogance.

  Its flight rhythm.

  Its juvenile mistakes.

  Finally Nyx said:

  “He is fast. But predictable.

  Use smoke.

  Make him choose wrong.”

  Tii grinned.

  Tii set his trap — simple, elegant Mu-style:

  ? Three branches

  ? One shadow-anchored net

  ? A single paralysis smoke marble

  ? A decoy insect lure

  The falcon dove.

  FWIP.

  Straight into the smoke.

  The paralysis took effect slowly — too slowly to hurt the bird, just enough to stun it mid-flight.

  The net collapsed, catching him gently.

  Tii approached, crouching low, speaking the ancient Beastmen tongue of Mu — the language of bonds, promises, and chosen family.

  “Walk with me.

  Fight with me.

  See the world with me.”

  The falcon stopped thrashing.

  Lightning settled.

  Feathers flattened.

  Then, in a crackle of air and essence, he pressed his head to Tii’s hand.

  Bond accepted.

  His name echoed inside Tii’s mind:

  “Rai’ten.”

  Nyx pulled the falcon into the bond realm through Tii’s shadow — an instinctive act among bonded beasts.

  And the moment the bond sealed:

  Tii changed.

  ? His vision sharpened into crystal clarity — Thunder Falcon Vision — 30 km of visible detail as if the world were painted in light.

  ? His mobility tripled — the world felt slower.

  ? His air movement became weightless — he could “step” into wind.

  ? His lightning essence tripled in affinity.

  Tii flexed his hand.

  “…Holy shit.”

  Nyx chuffed.

  “Welcome to speed.”

  Headmaster Vaelor knew talent when he saw it.

  He also knew how to exploit it.

  He summoned Tii to his office with tea, snacks, and the fakest “grandfatherly smile” Tii had ever seen.

  “Tii, my boy,” Vaelor began sweetly.

  “You are an exceptional student. A marvel. A once-in-a-generation genius.”

  Tii narrowed his eyes.

  “…you want something.”

  Vaelor cleared his throat.

  “Well… yes.”

  He slid a golden envelope across the table.

  ACADEMY SELECTION TOURNAMENT

  Choose 6 champions.

  Represent the Human Academy.

  Hosted at: THE CONTINENT OF AZURA’LUX

  (capital of the Demon Light Faction)

  There would be academies from:

  ? Elves

  ? Dwarves

  ? Orcs

  ? Light Demon Faction

  ? Human Kingdom

  ? and a special guest academy representing the Highlands Coalition

  Vaelor leaned forward.

  “If you enter… we might actually win this year.”

  Tii tilted his head.

  “So you want me to beat up nobles.”

  “Yes.”

  “And break their pride.”

  “Yes.”

  “And crush the hopes and dreams of your enemies.”

  Vaelor’s eyes sparkled dangerously.

  “YES.”

  Tii grinned.

  “…you should’ve just said that.”

  Tii excited, now has a goal to achieve...