Chương 1: The Day I Stopped To Be Someone
Genova Academy, one of the most prestigious training centers for aspiring beast masters.
It was the roots of hope and ambition for everyone in the town of Grushia. Students here followed rigorous courses in various disciplines, including a special program dedicated to beast taming.
For Grushia, Genova was not just an academy, it was a dream, a gateway to success in the competitive world of Beast Games, where tamers and their beasts battled for fame and fortune.
But for Eratz Pandora, the academy had become his personal nightmare.
The classroom buzzed with whispers as Eratz stood frozen at the front, every eye diving into him. His heart pounded violently in his chest, but outwardly, he stood still, frozen on the spot.
Next to him, Professor Rowan, his mentor in the academy, trembled with disbelief.
In front of Rowan, a young woman with sharp black hair and glasses held a small black crystal ball in her hand, her expression cold and merciless.
"Well, I think that settles everything, Professor Rowan," she said, her voice slicing through the air like a knife.
Rowan's face contorted with confusion.
"This… this is a joke. This has to be a joke…" His head turned slowly toward Eratz, his eyes wide with desperation. "Why are you silent?... Tell me this is a joke, Eratz!"
Eratz's mind raced, but no words came. He could feel all eyes fixed on him, the murmurs, the sneers, the looks of disdain.
His throat tightened as his gaze traveled around the room, catching glimpses of students whispering to each other.
"This is enough to confirm our suspicions," the woman spoke, holding up the black crystal. "Karinite 4, a magic device that amplifies power. And we've found it in your possession, Eratz. The 'genius' student, nothing more than a fraud."
The whispers grew louder, and some of the students couldn't hold back their contempt.
"So, he was cheating the whole time…"
"I knew something was off. He's a joke."
"Ishtarians… always using tricks."
Eratz's fists clenched at his sides. The word "cheater" echoed in his mind, reverberating like a death knell. But then, one voice cut through the noise, a voice from the worst person imaginable,his voice.
"I told you all he wasn't what he seemed," Kenny's smug tone dripped with satisfaction.
Eratz's heart twisted as his gaze found Kenny, standing at the back of the room, smirking. Eratz's fists clenched as he fought back the urge to lash out.
Rowan grabbed Eratz's wrist, his grip shaky with emotion.
"Tell me it's not true! I trusted you, Eratz!" His voice broke, tears glistening in his eyes. "I believed in you. How could you deceive me like this?"
Eratz felt his throat close up, his knees weak under the weight of it all.
"P-professor… I didn't… this is a setup, I...."
"Then how did it end up in your bag?! You were the only one who knew where I kept it!"
The old man's fury was palpable, but underneath it was a raw pain that hurt Eratz even more. Tears welled up in Eratz's eyes as he lowered his head, words failing him.
He could feel the truth suffocating him, but no one would believe it. Kenny had played his cards perfectly.
His eyes fell on his bag, from which he could see a pendant necklace shining under the sun, and achieving his will to defend himself.
"… I'm sorry," Eratz whispered.
"Eratz Pandora, you are suspended," the woman announced coldly, her final judgment as she sealed the crystal in a black box.
The room erupted with voices, accusations flying through the air like daggers. Eratz could barely breathe. As the students' sneers and insults swirled around him, he felt the world closing in.
A star had fallen.
**********
Months passed, but the wound in Eratz's heart never healed. Once the top student of the first years, praised for his quick understanding and skill, Eratz was now a ghost haunting the halls of the academy.
Three months of expulsion had stolen his reputation, and upon his return, he was forbidden from training with the other students.
The library had become his prison, a quiet place where he could disappear, drowning himself in books and bitter memories.
During lunch break, Eratz sat at his usual table, an apple in one hand, a book in the other. The soft sound of pages turning was the only noise he could bear.
The solitude of the library was his only refuge from the whispers and mocking stares.
But even his isolation wasn't immune to intrusion.
"Come on, why is he being so stubborn?" Crystal Reiss, the student council president, stormed in with her usual fiery determination. "I've tried everything to get him to talk to you!"
Eratz looked up, half amused by her persistence.
"Crys, you know it's better like this."
"No, it's not!" Crystal snapped. "Kenny's the best tamer of the academy now. If he talks to the director, they might let you back in!"
Eratz's grip tightened around his apple. "Kenny, huh?" His lips twisted into a bitter smile. "Why do you even bother? I told you I was fine like this."
Crystal didn't catch the venom in his tone.
"I'll bring him here again. You two were friends once, right?"
As she stormed out of the library, Eratz stared at the apple in his hand, his reflection barely visible on its surface. "Friends? I'd rather die than asking for his help."
The memory of that day played on a loop in his mind, how Kenny had turned everyone against him, how Lisa, his childhood friend, had looked away, silent and complicit. They had taken everything from him.
Later that afternoon, he walked in the corridor, head down, avoiding eye contact. He'd gotten used to the insults, the whispers that followed him everywhere, but it didn't make them less painful.
As he passed next to a window, something stopped him in his tracks, a familiar scent, a perfume he knew too well.
He looked up and saw Crystal standing there, staring outside, lost in thought. Curios, Eratz followed her gaze, but what he saw made his blood run cold.
Under the shadow of a large tree, Kenny and Lisa stood close, locked in a passionate kiss.
The world seemed to tilt as a wave of nausea hit Eratz. His fists clenched, nails digging into his palms. His vision blurred with fury.
"Lisa?!"
The academy buzzed with the news of Kenny and Lisa's relationship. For most, it was just another juicy rumor, but for Eratz, it was a fresh stab to the heart. She knew.
She knew everything, how Kenny had betrayed him, how he had taken the fall for something he didn't do, and yet, she had chosen Kenny. His enemy.
Lisa had always been close to Eratz, sharing a dream of becoming a great beast master.
While Eratz excelled, Lisa struggled due to her lack of natural talent. Her family's financial struggles only added to her desperation to succeed.
One day, Lisa saw an opportunity when Eratz accidentally left the black crystal device outside Professor Rowan's office while cleaning.
Desperate, Lisa decided to steal it, hoping it would finally give her the edge she needed, however, Eratz discovered her and, instead of exposing her, offered to help her improve her skills honestly.
He planned to return the device and asked Kenny to distract Professor Rowan while he did so.
However, Kenny betrayed him. Instead of helping, Kenny spread a false story that Eratz had stolen the device to cheat.
Kenny's deceitful plot led to Eratz being framed and his reputation destroyed, and it was what was more painful.
Of all people, Lisa sided with the one who threw him under the bus, she who knew the whole story.
But the worst blow came soon after.
Rumors began to swirl that Eratz had tried to assault Crystal. They'd spent time alone in the library, and now whispers of misconduct spread like wildfire.
At first, Eratz had laughed at the absurdity of it but when he saw Crystal sobbing in the director's office, clinging to Kenny, the laughter died in his throat.
Crystal, the one person who hadn't turned her back on him, was now standing in the director's office, sobbing, her clothes torn, her face buried in Kenny's chest.
"I never thought you'd fall this low, Eratz," Kenny sneered.
Eratz stood in the center of the director's office, his fists clenched at his sides. The room, heavy with tension, was dimly lit by the afternoon sun streaming through the tall windows.
Crystal sat next to the nurse of the academy, her eyes downcast, avoiding Eratz's gaze.
Kenny stood by her side, his arm draped protectively around her shoulders, wearing that same smug grin that made Eratz's blood boil.
On the other side of the room, the academy director, a stern woman with graying hair, sat behind her large desk, her expression unreadable.
Several teachers lined the walls, their faces a mix of curiosity, disdain, and, in some cases, barely concealed hatred.
Eratz's heart pounded in his chest. He wanted to scream, to demand answers, but the weight of the accusations and the eyes of his peers didn't let place for explanation.
"Well, Pandora," the director finally said, her voice cold and formal. "The accusations against you are serious. This academy cannot tolerate such behavior. Crystal has already spoken, and we need to hear your side."
Crystal's eyes remained fixed on the floor, her hands fidgeting in her lap. Eratz's throat tightened. He had trusted her, relied on her, and now she was the one dooming him.
"Crystal…" Eratz's voice trembled as he looked at her. "Tell them the truth. You know I didn't do this. We were friends. Why won't you look at me?"
Her silence was deafening. The weight of betrayal settled heavily on his chest. She wouldn't even acknowledge his presence, her eyes glued to the floor.
One of the teachers, a tall, thin man with slicked-back hair and a sneer on his face, stepped forward, his voice dripping with disdain.
Professor Melcin. He had always been silently critical of Eratz, but now the malice in his tone was unmistakable.
"Ishtarians," he spat, his lip curling in contempt. "Always playing the victim. Always thinking the world is out to get them. But we know your kind, Pandora. Cheating, manipulating, causing trouble wherever you go. You've been a stain on this academy from the beginning."
Eratz's heart burned with anger, but he held his tongue. He had heard this rhetoric before.
Ishtarians, people with dark skin and white hair, his people, were often treated as outsiders, savages and insulted often as animals. It had never bothered him as much before, but now, with everything crumbling around him, it felt like a dagger twisting in his gut.
"You don't know anything about me!" Eratz finally snapped, his voice rising. "This isn't about where I'm from! This is about the truth! And the truth is, I didn't do anything!"
Professor Draxen chuckled, a low, condescending sound.
"The truth, Pandora? What would someone like you know about truth? You come from a race living alongside beasts. Sexual assault is probably in your blood."
"Enough," the director said sharply, cutting through the rising tension. Her eyes flicked toward Melcin with a warning, but the damage was already done.
Kenny, sensing an opportunity to twist the knife further, leaned in closer to Crystal, stroking her arm as he spoke.
"It's pathetic, really. How low you've fallen, Eratz. First you cheat to stay at the top, and now… this." He gestured toward Crystal, who flinched under his touch but still said nothing. "I always knew there was something off about you. Guess I was right all along."
Eratz's vision blurred with fury.
"This was your plan all along, wasn't it, Kenny? You set me up! You put that crystal in my bag, you turned Lisa against me, and now you're using Crystal too!"
Kenny's smile widened, but he didn't respond.
"Crystal," Eratz's voice cracked as he pleaded with her one last time. "Please… tell them the truth. You know I didn't hurt you. Why are you doing this?"
For a brief moment, Crystal's eyes flickered upward, meeting Eratz's. There was a glimmer of something there, guilt, maybe regret, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.
She lowered her gaze again, her silence cutting deeper than any words could.
Professor Melcin snorted.
"Look at her. She's terrified of you. And why wouldn't she be? A beast tamer like you, an Ishtarian no less, using your power to intimidate and assault. Disgraceful."
"I didn't touch her!" Eratz shouted, his frustration boiling over. "She's lying!"
"And why would she lie?" another teacher chimed in, this one a younger woman who had always been skeptical of Eratz's talents. "What does she have to gain by accusing you?"
Eratz opened his mouth, but no words came. What could he say? Kenny had orchestrated everything so perfectly, and now, with Crystal's silence condemning him, there was no way out.
The director sighed heavily, rubbing her temples.
"This is a serious accusation, Pandora. Until further investigation, you will be expelled from Genova Academy, effective immediately."
The words hung in the air like a death sentence.
Eratz's chest tightened, the room spinning around him. He had lost. They had won. Crystal's silence, Kenny's manipulation, Draxen's racism, it had all led to this moment.
As the teachers began to file out, Crystal finally stood, her face pale and strained. For a fleeting second, she glanced at Eratz, her lips trembling, but she said nothing.
With Kenny guiding her by the arm, she walked out of the room, leaving Eratz standing there, broken and alone.
"Eratz," the director's voice was softer now, but it didn't matter. "You can gather your belongings and leave by the end of the day."
Eratz didn't respond. His body felt numb as he stood in the empty office, the weight of betrayal and injustice pressing down on him.
Melcin's parting words echoed in his mind.
"Ishtarians… always the same."
Later, Eratz stood alone in the his bedroom. He collected his few belongings with a mechanical precision, each movement a reminder of the life he was leaving behind.
Stepping out of the room, he walked through the empty corridors of Genova Academy.
The murmurs and sneers of the students seemed distant and hollow. The evening sun cast long shadows, painting the campus in hues of orange and gold.
Reaching the academy grounds, Eratz paused, a red orb materialized and danced above him, the fire spirit he had bonded with, offered by the academy the first day.
Its warm light casting a gentle glow in the encroaching twilight.
His gaze followed the spirit and paused upwards. The sky was a paint of vibrant colors, the sun dipping below the horizon whilr the first stars began to emerge.
As he watched the fire spirit dance in the air, something shifted within him.
His green eyes began to change, the vibrant hue fading into a fierce, glowing red. It was as if a transformation was taking place, mirroring the shift in his mindset. His chest tightened, each beat echoing with intensity.
The stars above captivated him, their beauty and the vast expanse of the night sky seemed to ignite something deep inside him.
The endless possibilities they represented were a stark contrast to the narrow, confining space he had been forced into. Inspiration surged through him, as powerful as the fire spirit's glow.
Eratz's breath quickened, his heart pounding with a new tempo. The injustice and betrayal he had suffered burned within him, fueling a singular desire: Revenge.
He looked at the fire spirit, feeling its warmth and energy as it floated beside him. The transformation in his eyes and the pounding of his chest marked the beginning of a new chapter.
With a determined gaze fixed on the star-filled sky, Eratz whispered to himself.
"This isn't over. I'll show them. I'll destroy everything they put on my way, and I'll shake this world."
His steps were lighter, his resolve steeled. As he walked away from Genova Academy, the fire spirit's glow accompanied him.
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