The disciples walked across the icy bridge, the occasional torrent of water from the river crashing against it, shaking it slightly.

Zayne and Rea walked at the end, moving toward the opposite end with a measured stride.

"Excuse me, do you know Mr... Solomon...?" One of the students asked as he approached Zayne and Rea.

Rea nodded, "Yeah... You're a freshman, aren't you?" Rea glanced at the copper emblem on the young man's chest.

The young man smiled, "I've been here a few months, and this was my first practical class!"

"Oh, you don't look scared at all like the others." Rea was slightly surprised.

The young man scratched the back of his head and took a step back, "Well, I was scared, actually, but it's all just as pretty exciting, isn't it?"

Rea sighed, "Looks like breaking you won't be easy at all. You won't back down from any hardship, right?"

"Yeah... I am..."

Crackle.

Suddenly the edge of the bridge broke off as the young man lost his balance and fell, unable to keep still.

"No!" Rea exclaimed, looking at the powerful currents that could have easily taken someone's life.

Something gripped the young man's wrist tightly as his eyes went wide, and he looked up. Zayne held him with one hand, managing at the last moment.

"Hey, let's get to safety first. You shouldn't be so careless, I've already paid for it." Zayne glanced at his wounds, then he clenched his teeth tightly and with a sharp movement pulled the young man out of the water, returning him to the bridge.

"Thank you..." The young man muttered, breathing heavily, "Damn... If I were to die now after everything that happened, it would be a real shame..."

Klaus who walked ahead smiled, "That's exactly what I'm talking about. I'm sure picking up a grown young man with a wounded arm was extremely painful, but that didn't stop him."

...

After crossing the river it was very easy to get to the academy, all they had to do was walk across the field and head for the entrance over one of the four massive bridges.

"Here we go." Klaus smiled as he stopped.

In front of the massive gate stood two huge stone golems. They looked at the group, then stepped aside and opened the passage.

"Mr. Klaus... Mr. Solomon... and Mr. Byron... Welcome back..." The golems said slowly.

"Well, well, with defenders like that, there's nothing to worry about." Klaus smiled as he stepped forward.

Zayne was the last to pass through the gate, and a gleam appeared in his eyes.

[You have entered the territory of Zexiton, Academy of the Arcane Power!]

[Your mana regeneration is accelerated by 30%!]

[Under the action of the crystal, your defense increases significantly! The effect depends on your overall power!]

[All skill related training is sped up by 5%! All spells related training is sped up by 10%!]

[As long as you are close to the main spire, your mind will be protected by a high-level spell!]

'Wow...' Zayne's eyes went wide with a dazed expression, 'I thought the barrier was enough to make this place great, but it turned out much better inside.

"It's much more efficient to train and learn under these conditions than anywhere else, isn't it?" Rea said as if she knew what Zayne was thinking. She smirked with crossed arms.

"Yeah... That's impressive." Zayne gulped.

Byron stood up ahead and said confidently, "Everyone, follow me and Mrs. Kaira. You need to rest, but before you do, we need to make sure you're all right."

The students nodded, they were tired, but they didn't worry anymore since the academy was the safest place.

"See you later." Byron looked at Solomon and Klaus before leaving. Solomon nodded, Klaus waved his hand.

"Zayne, Rea, follow me. I'm going to show you what I've prepared for you." Solomon looked seriously at Zayne, then he turned to Klaus, "Would you like to join us?"

Klaus shook his head, "I'd rather wait a week to see what he can accomplish. See you later."

"Wait...!" Zayne exclaimed, "What are you going to do?"

Klaus made a thoughtful face as he touched his chin, "Well, I think I'll get something to eat first. That soup I made wasn't bad, but there's always room to grow, isn't there?"

Zayne wanted to say something else, but Klaus just turned and left, disappearing behind the nearest building.

"Damn... He's still so weird, just like two years ago..." Rea muttered with a confused expression.

"Klaus has always been like that, but he used to invent the most complex spells and participate in large-scale expeditions... but... now he is only interested in cooking." Solomon shook his head, "He was an excellent teacher, but his last student ruined everything."

Zayne stared at Solomon, "I heard the same thing from Mr. Klaus... Mr. Solomon, please tell me about it!"

"Yeah... I'm curious too." Rea nodded.

Solomon sighed as he looked at one tower that was quite close to the center of the academy, "Fine, let's continue in my office."

...

The amber liquid filled two glasses with ice, bringing with it the pleasant smell of hard alcohol.

Solomon closed the bottle, set it aside, and handed one glass to Zayne.

"Hey... Father, I want one too!" Rea exclaimed as she puffed her cheeks.

"You're still too young for that." Solomon waved his hand.

"Actually, I've had plenty of alcohol in Red Feather City before, even very strong!" Rea objected as she slammed her palms down on the table.

Solomon looked at her, then sighed and opened the bottle again.

"Well... About the last Klaus apprentice..." Solomon muttered as if gathering the strength to begin his story.

"He died?" Zayne asked, looking intently at Solomon.

Solomon shook his head, "No, he betrayed Klaus's beliefs. I mean, at one point, his view of the world became completely opposite, I don't know all the details since Klaus doesn't like to talk about it."

Solomon took a sip, "However, one thing is for sure, he's still in the Lax River Region."

"What's his name?" Zayne asked with a curious expression.

Solomon tapped his glass, looked out the window at the bright sun, and said, "Nydan... Nydan Roth... to be exact."