MTLNOVEL Chapter 10: Veldris
The carriage rocked gently as it rumbled down the cobbled path, the sound of the wheels creaking and the faint whistle of wind through the trees keeping the two travelers company. Rune stared out the window, lost in thought as the world passed by. The sage sat across from him, looking as unbothered as ever, though there was a slight twitch in his brow every time he adjusted his position.
Finally, after a long stretch of silence, Rune's curiosity got the best of him. He turned to the sage, his tone casual but with an undercurrent of earnestness.
"Hey, if I go to this academy, can I get stronger?" he asked.
The sage shot him a sideways glance, still a little put off by the way the bargaining had gone down earlier. He rubbed his chin in mock thought, his voice thick with playful annoyance.
"What's this, you wanna get stronger, you brat?" The sage chuckled, though it lacked warmth. "I don't even know your veil signature since you're a voidborn, but you can't get stronger if you can't even respect your elders." He squinted at Rune, pretending to be offended. "A kid these days—no manners at all."
Rune clicked his tongue, irritation flashing in his eyes. "Tch. Entitled old man."
The sage froze for a second, his brow furrowing. "What did you just say?"
Rune, not backing down, smirked with a mix of defiance and amusement. "Nothing. I'm going to sleep. Wake me up when we're there."
With a grumble, the sage leaned back in his seat and folded his arms, content to let the kid nap. Rune settled into the corner of the carriage, closing his eyes.
But as soon as he did, the image of his destroyed village flashed in his mind—his parents, his sister...gone. The thought made his chest tighten. He wondered where she could be, what happened to her, if she was okay. Maybe, if he hadn't...if he'd just done something differently...
His thoughts were interrupted as he drifted off, the world around him fading.
In his sleep, Rune found himself in a place that was neither here nor there. It was vast and expansive, filled with layers of shimmering threads that seemed to pulse with life. He felt them, but not in a tangible way. The veil.
The sensation was indescribable—a vast web of essence that connected everything, yet he remained on the outside. Distant. Separate.
He tried to reach for it, but his hands seemed to pass through, never quite touching. The more he tried to grasp it, the more the veil seemed to recede, as if mocking him. A feeling of isolation gripped him, and for a brief moment, he felt like he would be lost in that endless sea forever.
But then, the dream shattered. Rune gasped awake, his chest tight with the same unease that had gripped him in his dream. He took a sharp breath, sitting up quickly and looking around.
The sage's voice broke through the haze of his confusion.
"Oh, looks like I didn't even need to wake you up." The sage's voice held a certain dry amusement. "We're almost there. Try not to sleep again, alright?"
Rune blinked, his thoughts still rattling from the vivid dream, but he nodded silently, trying to shake the feeling of isolation lingering in his chest. He stared out the window again, but this time, he didn't see the road ahead. Instead, his mind lingered on the veil—on what it was, and why it felt so familiar yet so distant.
As they neared the gates of the city, Rune leaned out of the window to get a better look, his mouth slightly agape. His mind couldn't process the sheer size of it all—everything was so different, so grand.
When they reached the border, the carriage slowed, and two guards approached. One glanced inside and immediately froze, his gaze locking onto the old man sitting across from Rune.
"Headmaster," the guard stammered, clearly startled. "What are you doing in this random carriage?"
Rune blinked in confusion, glancing between the two of them. "Wait, you're... Headmaster?" he mumbled under his breath, his mind still trying to piece together what was happening. He had no idea that the man sitting across from him held such a title.
The old sage didn't seem fazed. He raised an eyebrow, giving the guards a sharp look. "Huh? What do you mean? Are you implying I'm not allowed to leave and do what I want?"
The guards exchanged a nervous glance, quickly shaking their heads. "No, sir, of course not... carry on." The first guard called out to the other, "Let them through."
The gates opened, and the carriage began to roll into the capital. Rune sat back in his seat, still in awe of what he was seeing. Everywhere he looked, there were people—people rushing from one place to another, voices mingling, laughter and shouts filling the air. It was overwhelming, like stepping into a new world. The buildings towered above them, not just in height, but in sheer volume—gigantic structures made of stone and glass, almost unnerving in their scale. Some of the streets seemed to be built at higher levels, with more buildings stretching up from below, as if the city had layers upon layers of life.
Rune's eyes were wide with amazement. He had never imagined anything like this. "This is... incredible. There are so many people! And so much—" His voice trailed off, his thoughts too scattered to form coherent sentences. "How do you even live in a place like this?"
The sage, who had been watching Rune's expressions with an amused smirk, chuckled. "You're just a country kid, huh?" he teased. "Don't worry. You'll get used to it."
Rune pouted a little, clearly not appreciating the teasing. "Well, sorry I'm a country kid" he muttered annoyingly, still in awe of everything around him.
The sage's face softened slightly, though there was still a hint of humor in his voice. "Don't worry. I was born in a poor village, too. I can understand."
As the carriage continued through the bustling streets, the sage turned to the carriage merchant and called out, "Stop ahead. We've made it to the school."
Ahead of them, Rune could see a massive structure looming in the distance—larger than anything he had yet seen in the capital. The grounds seemed to stretch endlessly, with large, imposing walls surrounding multiple buildings. Some were even higher than the rest, towering above them, each one connected by winding pathways and bridges.
The school was massive—far bigger than anything Rune could have imagined. It looked almost like a fortress, but instead of weapons, it seemed to be armed with knowledge and potential. Rune felt a sense of awe as he looked at the sprawling campus. "This... this is the school?"
The sage smiled, clearly proud of the sight. "Yep, this is Veldris Academy of Arcane Arts. This place has been around for centuries, training the most promising students in the continent. And, of course, some of our graduates end up serving as knights for the country." He paused for a moment, studying Rune's reaction. "You'll fit right in, I'm sure."
Rune didn't know what to say. The reality of everything that had happened hit him again—his past, his sister, his parents—and now he was here, standing in front of this giant institution. He wasn't sure what was next, but he knew one thing for certain: he had to find out more about his abilities, his fate, and what the future held.