“I knew you’d be here.”Hadjar was sitting on the edge of a cliff, his feet dangling in the air. There were clouds below him, and birds and other, much stranger, winged creatures occasionally flew past. Behind him stood a black passage in the mountain that served as the entrance to Underworld City.Two months had passed since his conversation with Rahaim. During that time, he’d become accustomed to his new abilities as a Heaven Soldier. He’d managed to grasp his new power, and the sharper senses that came with it. Even the odd change to his thinking was something he’d learned to deal with, for the most part.Nowadays, while looking at an object, Hadjar’s thoughts would often stray and turn into some deeply philosophical musings. Even the simple flight of a bird could make him wonder about the depths of the Sword Spirit’s and the Wind Spirit’s path for hours.He pondered Rahaim’s claim that, whatever he did in the future, he would never be able to return to the Wind Spirit’s path. Ther

“You don’t look like you can afford a piece of my elephant’s dung, let alone a seat. Get out of here!”Hadjar and Einen looked at each other, shrugged, and demonstrated that they had the necessary funds. The guard grumbled something and directed them to a person responsible for the sale of passenger seats. By nightfall, the formalities were settled and the friends had a private coach at their disposal. Unlike Rahaim’s caravan, it wasn’t drawn by desert mules. In fact, nothing pulled it at all. It rested on the back of a huge elephant.***A journey that might’ve taken at least two years in a simple caravan lasted only a month and a half. On the morning of the fortieth day, after descending from their coach, they found themselves on the border between the desert and the Eastern provinces of the Empire.After thanking the caravan driver for taking care of them, they untied their desert ravens and rode toward the hills to the west. The sand was gradually replaced by dry ground. Small bus

Upon hearing the herald’s words, people started moving toward the gates. The elf girl soon disappeared into the crowd. Hadjar decided to hold off on asking Einen about the elves for now. They had far more important issues to deal with first.After shaking off the dirt (which only ended up staining their clothes further, making the friends’ appearance even more unpleasant), Hadjar and Einen joined the crowd. ‘The Holy Sky’ School allowed spectators to attend the exam as well. In fact, it even encouraged it: each spectator was someone who might go on to spread the word of how the best of the best of the younger generation had come to their School to participate in their trials. After all, you could never have enough prestige.“Watch where you’re going!” Hadjar was shoved in the shoulder.“Master, you’ve been dirtied by the masses.”A white silk handkerchief was handed to the young man who had pushed Hadjar. He wiped his hands carelessly, and, after throwing the handkerchief away, he mov

Mentor Jean was right: Markin didn’t want to waste his precious time on menial work, and neither did dozens of other Mentors and inner circle disciples. That was why the school recruited so many pseudo disciples. They weren’t allowed to attend lectures, visit the libraries, the Treasury, or the Armory. They couldn’t even walk around the School grounds freely. Only a faint hope kept these wretches from abandoning their hopeless pursuit.Those who became ordinary disciples almost never progressed further. It was impossible for people of their level of power and talent.Suddenly, several people caught Markin’s eye. Despite the fact that Dalit was already using seventy-five percent of his maximum power, about a dozen examinees were still able to stay on their feet and seemed to be fighting against the pressure.Every year, some modestly talented people came here, only to perish in the Forest of Shadows or the Valley of Swamps.“That’s enough, Dalit.”The personal disciple of one of the Sc

Many people flocked to Dahanatan. They were all wildly different, but united by one common feature — most of them disappeared without a trace.The new ordinary disciples passed through the stone archway. It took their breath away. A few hours ago, they’d climbed up to the school, but they hadn’t seen all the school buildings. Only now did Hadjar realize that what he’d seen had been just the tip of the iceberg. The vast expanses of ‘The Holy Sky’ School included not only a tower, an arena, and several other premises, but also vast fields, forests, hills, and parade grounds. And everywhere you looked, training sessions were in full swing.Spurred on by the harsh shouts of Mentors, hundreds of disciples were fighting on the parade grounds. Others, sitting atop the hills, were deeply immersed in meditation. Waterfalls cascaded down onto their shoulders. They flowed down their hands and into a lake. Some were having philosophical lessons. They were sitting in a semicircle around a Sage, wh