Chapter 17: what the people saw

Umbra stood at the edge of the Academy grounds, staring at the towering gates. The noise of students milling about, preparing for the trials, buzzed in the air around him, but he barely noticed. He felt like an outsider in a world that was so unfamiliar, a world that seemed to demand something from him that he no longer cared to give. His body was tired from the never-ending circle of reincarnation, his soul drained by the hopelessness that clung to him like a second skin.

Yet, for some reason, he had come to the Academy. He didn't know why. Maybe it was just another test, another challenge to face, to survive through. Or maybe, deep down, there was still a shred of something-something that refused to be extinguished.