Chapter 21 – The Academy's Shadows and The Eastern Invasion
It was Elric's first official day at the Academy of Arcane and Beast Arts, and he was already lost.
Literally lost.
He stood in front of a massive spiraling tower shaped like a claw holding a crystal and muttered, "This definitely isn't the cafeteria…"
Behind him, Zap, the newly hatched lightning cub, perched on his shoulder and let out a smug crackle of electricity. Peep chirped angrily from Elric's backpack, jealous of the new golden fluffball. Shadow the fox silently stalked behind, clearly plotting something. Pudge the bear? He was chewing a map Elric was supposed to be using.
"Great. One eats paper. One bites toes. One spits lightning. And I'm their leader." Elric sighed. "Why do I feel like a babysitter instead of a hero?"
> [System Notification]
Reminder: The cafeteria is west, not north. You're heading toward the Cursed Wing.
Also, Zap is chewing on your collar.
"Of course he is."
---
Meanwhile, behind the academy walls, the instructors were not so clueless.
A meeting was taking place in the lower sanctum, hidden behind layers of barrier spells.
"The beast egg has hatched?" a man with silver-rimmed glasses and dragon scales whispered. "A Thundercub... inside him?"
"Confirmed. He doesn't know what it means yet," an old woman said, her eyes glowing green. "And we're not to tell him."
"But the Eastern Races have moved," the headmaster interrupted. He was an old, tired-looking man with one arm and too many rings. "Scouts from Blackfang Ridge were spotted near the Barrier Zone."
"A full invasion?"
"Not yet. But soon."
Silence.
Then the dragon-scaled man leaned forward. "Should we awaken the Shepherd Class?"
"No," the headmaster replied. "The system sealed it for a reason. He'll awaken it only when the world breaks… or when he breaks first."
---
Back in the open courtyard, Elric finally stumbled upon a class in progress. Students surrounded a large sand arena where two beast tamers faced off—an arrogant noble with a flaming wolf and a sharp-eyed girl with a crystalline snake.
He stopped to watch, amused.
"Come on, burn her down!" the noble shouted.
The girl snapped her fingers. Her snake blurred forward, wrapping the wolf midair and slamming it into the ground. The arena roared.
"Oof," Elric muttered. "Remind me not to mess with her."
Zap growled in agreement.
Then a shadow fell across the arena.
Everyone looked up.
And froze.
Descending slowly from the sky was… a dark-skinned humanoid with furred limbs, clawed feet, and eyes glowing like moons. A Beast-skin warrior. A scout from the Eastern Worlds.
> [System Alert]
Unregistered Dimensional Entity Detected.
Warning: Village-Level Protection Active. Academy Defense Protocols Disabled.
Elric blinked. "Wait. That last part—disabled?!"
The beast-skin scout landed, cracked his neck, and bared his fangs.
"I bring a gift," he growled. "A message to the humans and the false gods."
Then he reached behind him and threw something onto the ground.
It was a human head. Still warm. Branded with the mark of a fallen noble house.
"War is coming. And your shepherd… is late."
The ground cracked beneath Elric's feet as a strange power surged through his chest.
His vision blurred.
A voice whispered in his ear.
> Wake up, Elric.
The world won't wait for you to catch
Chapter 22 – Secrets Under the Arena and the Whispering Flame
The arena fell into chaos.
Instructors shouted commands. Students panicked. Beasts howled or cowered. But Elric… stood still.
The beast-skin warrior's words echoed in his head: Your shepherd is late.
Zap growled on his shoulder—not out of fear, but irritation, sparks flickering off his golden fur. Peep fluttered upward with nervous chirps. Shadow the fox silently circled Elric's feet, ready to pounce.
None of them were bound by contracts. None of them needed to be. They stayed because they chose him.
Because he was strange. Weak. Hopeful. And something inside him whispered promises of change.
Elric stepped forward.
"Hey, furry face," he called out to the intruder.
The beast-skin warrior turned slowly.
"You throw a head into our lunch hour, and you expect a polite welcome?"
The scout sneered. "I came to deliver a message, not fight."
Elric raised an eyebrow. "Then why do your claws scream punch me?"
> [System Alert]
Unstable power building beneath the arena. Unknown source detected.
Energy signature resembles… ancient flame?
The ground beneath them trembled. Cracks spread from the center of the arena, glowing with red light.
The beast-skin warrior looked down. "What—?"
A massive glyph blazed beneath his feet.
> [System Update: Hidden Dungeon Entrance Unsealed – Whispering Flame Trial]
With a boom, the arena floor collapsed, dragging the warrior and half the sand pit into a spiraling abyss of molten light and shadow.
Gasps echoed around the courtyard.
Elric, of course, leaned over the edge.
"Hmm. Glowing red hole. No safety ropes. Obviously dangerous."
He glanced at his beasts.
Zap's fur sparked excitedly. Peep buzzed with curiosity. Shadow gave a silent nod.
Pudge the bear? Still trying to eat a wooden post.
"I'm gonna regret this," Elric muttered… and jumped.
---
The fall was fast.
Heat licked at his face. Symbols on the walls spun past like flickers of memory. Then, suddenly—silence.
He landed on smooth obsidian, surrounded by a circular chamber. Torches lit themselves one by one, revealing ancient murals of flames, phoenixes, and a burning world.
A voice echoed in the chamber.
> Who dares enter the Whispering Flame… without even a class awakened?
> You are early, Shepherd. But the world is already late.
Elric blinked. "Okay, first off, rude. Second, I didn't mean to enter. I fell. Third—wait, you called me Shepherd?"
The flames on the walls stirred. A ghostly image appeared before him—a giant burning bird with eyes like dying stars.
> You will not survive what's coming with jokes, boy.
"Wanna bet?"
> You have no proper class. No title. No master. No throne.
"Sounds like freedom to me."
The flames swirled around him.
> Then prove your worth. Carry this trial's heat without dying… and I may show you the truth about your world's war—and your place in it.
Elric clenched his fists. "Bring it on. But… can we get some water in here first? It's hot enough to fry Pudge's brain, and trust me—there's not a lot to cook."
---
Back at the academy, chaos reigned.
Grandpa arrived moments after the collapse, carrying a metal flask and looking mildly annoyed.
"Who broke the floor?"
An instructor pointed. "Your grandson jumped into a cursed fire pit after taunting an enemy scout."
Grandpa sipped his drink. "Hah. That's
Chapter 23 – Trial by Fire, Truth by Flame
The flames didn't burn Elric's body. Not exactly.
They whispered.
They tested.
They remembered.
Around him, images swirled in molten light—worlds in ruin, skies torn open by portals, insect-like queens marching through cities, mechanical gods rising from oil-covered dungeons, and undead kings howling beneath black moons.
> These are not dreams, Shepherd.
These are warnings.
Elric stumbled forward, sweat pouring down his face. Not from heat, but pressure—like the world itself had grown heavy.
"Listen, flaming ghost turkey…" he muttered. "If this is some motivational campfire nightmare, can we skip the trauma slideshow?"
The phoenix flared brighter.
> You are unworthy.
You have no class, no command, no creed.
Why did the gods choose you?
Elric grinned through the pain. "Because I'm not special. I'm not noble. I'm not powerful. I'm just the idiot who keeps getting up when everyone else runs."
The flames paused.
Then—they accepted him.
One by one, the fire peeled away, revealing a stone platform surrounded by symbols—seven sigils for seven unknown classes.
In the center: a fading mark that pulsed softly.
> [Hidden System Menu Unlocked]
– Shepherd Class: [Still Locked]
– Current Status: Trial Survivor – Tier 0
– New Access: System Shop Unsealed
[God Coins: 1]
A jingle sounded.
Elric blinked. "Wait, I get currency now? You're telling me I survived a firebird lecture to open… a shop?"
The system chirped cheerfully.
> Welcome to the Divine System Store!
– [Mystery Beast Egg – 1 God Coin]
– [Collar of Obedience – 1 God Coin]
– [Beginner's Luck Potion – 1 God Coin]
– [Fluffy Socks of Unknown Use – 1 God Coin]
"…Why do I want the socks?"
Zap growled in warning.
"Right, right. Egg it is."
He pressed purchase.
The coin vanished. In his hand, a small glowing egg formed—cracked with blue lightning veins. A second spark-beast?
"Guess I'm building an army after all," Elric whispered, a grin spreading.
---
Meanwhile, Above…
The instructors were in chaos control mode. Students whispered rumors of war. The Eastern scout had vanished. And Grandpa?
He was casually fixing a fence outside the collapsed arena.
One instructor stormed up. "Why aren't you panicking?!"
"Kid fell into a fire god's mouth. He'll be back."
"How can you be so sure?!"
Grandpa looked up, one eye glowing faintly gold.
"Because I raised him. And because he's not the one you should be worried about."
---
Deep Underground...
In a different realm, across one of the many Eastern worlds, a massive war tent filled with generals and queens glowed with war maps.
A shadowy figure placed their hand over a glowing rune.
"The Shepherd lives," it said. "The gods made their move."
An insect queen chittered. "Then it is time for ours."
The invasion would not come t