Aethelos: The Bastard of Light

The next day, the academy corridors were relatively calm. Joseph Ville Light was walking at his usual pace when, turning a corner, he collided with someone. · Lygar stepped back, irritated. · “Watch where you’re going, you—” · The sentence died in his mouth when he recognized the director. His face hardened for a second, then he slightly lowered his head. · “Sorry, Director.” · Joseph looked at him calmly and gave a small smile. · “No problem. Maybe I should have been more careful, Lygar.” · Lygar raised his eyes, surprised. · “You know my name?” · “Shall we take a walk?” Joseph asked instead of answering directly. · Lygar hesitated. · “Okay… but I hope they don’t give me trouble for being late. That professor hates me.” · “Don’t worry. I’ll take you to Professor Lito’s classroom. He won’t mark you absent.” · The two of them began walking side by side. · On the other side of the academy, Eli and Yana were sitting on an isolated bench in silence. The weight of the last few days was still present. · “Do you think we trusted Brock too early?” Yana asked quietly. · Eli looked at his own hands. · “I don’t know. But Lygar… he could have spoken differently. Now it feels like we’re the criminals.” · Before Yana could reply, a familiar voice echoed: · “Hey, hey. Where’s your captain?” · Layonel approached with his hands in his pockets and the usual smile. · Eli lifted his head, his tone sharper than usual. · “We don’t have a captain, Layonel. We’re a group and we make decisions together. What do you want?” · “Calm down, Eli. I just wanted to know about Lygar. For some reason he wants to fight me… and today I really needed a warm-up.” · Yana crossed her arms. · “A warm-up for what? Aren’t you the captain of your own team? Train with them.” · Layonel placed a hand on his chest, pretending to be offended. · “Enemies of my friends are my enemies. You don’t even know me and you’re already attacking me like this?” · Eli stood up at once. · “Okay. You want to train? I’ll be your opponent.” · Layonel raised an eyebrow, interested, and smiled. · “Now we’re talking.” · Meanwhile, Joseph and Lygar continued walking down a quieter corridor. · “Yes, I know your name,” Joseph finally said. “Because you remind me a lot of when I was younger.” · Lygar glanced sideways, suspicious. · “Similar to you? Look at you… and look at me.” · Joseph kept his calm smile. · “I simply grew up. I went through situations that shaped me into who I am today. But I want to ask you a favor.” · Lygar immediately closed off. · “Ah, of course. There had to be something in return.” · “I want you to be more restrained,” Joseph replied. “You act too much on impulse. Sometimes it works. But it’s not the only way to live.” · Lygar stopped walking. · “Director… I’m even moved that you think I’m similar to you. But our stories are different. I suffer prejudice all the time. And you are part of the people who act that way.” · Joseph didn’t react. · “If that’s true… why are you at the academy? Why was Solaris one of the first to show interest in your potential on Captation Day?” · Lygar was left speechless. His mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. · Joseph continued, more quietly: · “The same way you see Eli and Yana as friends, even though they’re different from you… there are other people who can also be your friends. And they will be different from you.” · Before Lygar could answer, a deafening explosion echoed from the other side of the academy. · Both of them turned their heads at the same time. · The fight between Eli and Layonel had begun.