CHAPTER 25: WELCOME TO CINDRALOCK

Cyrone nodded, "Your parents were the very best we ever had... two S-Ranked students that were a couple, it doesn’t get any better than that!"

"Ten years ago, they went on a mission inside a gate and they disappeared, without a trace. Officially they were considered dead after so many man hunts in subsequent gates, but two S-Ranked Reapers don’t just disappear into thin air... there more to it than meets the eye but I can’t just put my finger one it."

My mind raced instantly, my parents had disappeared when I was just a boy, and the officials had always told me they were dead.

Although I had good memory, I never really remembered much about them, and I had no relatives to tell me otherwise.

Now, someone from a forgotten RAA school was telling me a different story.

"You don’t know much about your own background, do you chap?" Cyrone asked.

"I can tell you everything I know about your parents, but only if you agree to join RAA: Cindralock and meet some requirements."

I stared at Cyrone feeling my emotions stirring inside of me. I had always wanted to know more about my family, but I had never imagined they were connected to something like this.

"Tell me what it is you want from me..." I said with a firm tone.

Cyrone’s face grew serious almost immediately. "Cindralock was once the best academy in the country, but many years ago, we fell from grace and into the grass."

"There is a dungeon gate location at the academy that no one has been able to clear for over fifty years..."

"Many have tried and failed, including your parents... and for some reason, the dungeon gate hasn’t broken and released its monsters into the world, which is very puzzling to think of..."

"So, we just left it there hoping someone would be strong and willing enough to clear the gate and also hoping it doesn’t break before we find that person..."

"Levi my friend, if you can clear the dungeon gate, not only will you bring honor back to RAA: Cindralock, but I’ll give you access to every piece of information we have about your parents and their time in Cindralock"

"Not to mention the publicity you will pull, a student that cleared the half a century old gate by himself... that will ultimately catapult you to Number one in the entire country"

I didn’t respond immediately because I was thinking critically, a dungeon gate that no one had been able to clear in half a century? Is that even something I can accomplish on my own?

"Alright," I said with a huge nod, my resolve hardening. "I’ll join Cindralock but only if you hold your end of the deal..."

Cyrone smiled, sensing my determination. "You have my word chap. Welcome to Reaper Association Academy: Cindralock Branch!"

"You will begin the admission process when you get to Cindralock..."

»»»«««

I returned home that night with a mix of emotions. My dream of joining the top academy was now in shreds, but in its place, a new and far more personal landscape had formed in my mind.

I had uncovered a clue about my parents, a mystery tied to the school that had fallen from grace. As I lay in bed, staring at the crooked wooden ceiling, my thoughts turned to the future.

When I wake up the next morning, Cindralock will be my new home, a place where I would uncover secrets about my past while striving to become strong enough to face the greatest challenges yet to come.

Cindralocks’s RAA branch was once at the top of the pyramid, but now it has fallen, but with my arrival I hope it would be a new Chapter in its history will be unfold.

But before that, there are other matters to handle.

"Percy... Jackson... we will be moving tomorrow," I said, turning toward my siblings, who sat at the beds doing all what not.

"We’ll be moving by tomorrow," I repeated. "We are heading to Cindralock City, the city where my RAA school is located."

"Cindralock? Isn’t that the city not too far from the capital city Londonia, where all the strongest awakened people live?" Jackson asked with his eyes wide with excitement.

I nodded, "Yes, the strongest awakened all live in the capital city to ensure the city is safe"

The strongest awakened people were the five top S-Ranked awakened in the entire country, they were collectively known as The Vanguards.

Because of the presence of the strongest awakened individuals, it wasn’t uncommon for dungeon gates to open frequently in and around the capital city which created an ironic dilemma.

The Vanguards were bringing problems just so they could solve it as dungeon gates are more likely to open where there is a high concentration of Arcane energy.

"And we will be close to you...right?" Percy said.

"Of course Percy," I said, striding over to there bed and placing a hand on my brother’s shoulder.

"I’ll make sure we get a place to stay that is relatively close to the academy in Cindralock, and you’ll be safe."

"Plus, I want you two to get in the best schools once you’ve reached awakening age..."

The past few weeks had been good to me, relatively speaking. Through missions with the Border Cleanup Group, and the sale of the Anti-Arcane stones we had gathered from countless Shadow creatures, I had amassed a savings of 200,000 Urns.

And, another 90,000 came from donations the town gave us for the good work we have been doing. The sum was adding up to a total of 290,000 Urns and it was more than capable of buying a house in Cindralock City, where a decent home wouldn’t cost anything more than 200,000 Urns.

I had already told Cyrone to scout a house for me with the criteria that it would be near the academy and have enough space for all of me and my siblings and is in a secure district that didn’t have much dungeon gate interference.

With the pricing, we still had enough left to get settled after purchasing the place to stay.

"It sounds perfect, I can’t wait to see it." Jackson smiled.

Before the sun could rise the next morning, I made sure my siblings were ready for the transition. Double checked anything because I knew we would probably never be returning back to this town ever.

My siblings, although they were young, they had this adventurous nature to them so this transition was more of an adventure than an inconvenience.

Immediately the sun got up, we moved and arrived at Cindralock City’s sprawling metropolis before the sun came down. This fast transition was made possible because we travelled to Drakensport initially then taking an Arcane powered train specially made for travel to the city of Cindralock.

The city was a sprawling metropolis with towering structures, ancient architecture and a constant flow of awakened individuals, some of them cloaked in auras of immense energy.

The air its self seemed charged with energy.

"Wow," Percy whispered, gripping my hand as we stepped of the station and into the streets. "This place is... different."