Free Web NovelChapter 9: Portal to a great Start
It was morning, the first day of the academy.
Finn had packed his things into a single luggage, since he did not have much to take aside from his sword, which was strapped to his waist, and a few clothes in his luggage.
He was all set.
After that, he left home, giving his mother his final farewells and trekking back down the long road toward the bustling city in the distance.
While he moved, he kept a clear mind, and most importantly, he hardened his resolve.
’This is it.’ Finn thought in his heart, stopping in his tracks.
Right before him was a whole escort of Knights, most of them random guards, wearing the ancient crest of the Gravemont family. Without a doubt, they were here for him...
Probably.
The leading knight walked up to Finn, his lips folding to one side as he stared around a few times before landing his gaze back down on the young lad.
"Are you Finn Vaywill?"
Finn nodded slowly. "I am."
The guard, hearing these words, sighed as his tensed appearance grew more relieved.
Probably exonerated by the thought of having gone so close to the Corrupted Forest barrier.
And from the looks of the others in the escort, they were frightened by it too.
"I thought I would be picked up in the capital?" Finn added.
The guard swallowed. "Yes, but as a gesture of good faith, we are to pick all candidates of the year from their homes. You were specially specified."
"Specified?" Finn furrowed his brows in curiosity.
However, the guard simply shrugged, swallowing hard once again. He probably only received the order without knowing which of his superiors had sent it.
Still, Finn’s chest tightened at the scenario of being watched by someone, and for what reason.
What feats had he shown to acquire the liking of someone?
Whatever it was, Finn needed to be careful.
He turned to the guard once again and tilted his head. "So what now?" frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
The guard jolted out of his thoughts. "Well, we will have to take you in repose, sir."
As soon as the words were mentioned, one of the escort—a man in a black robe from head to toe, hunched and extremely old with wrinkles formed almost everywhere on his skin—stepped out.
The old hooded man walked over to Finn, sticking his hand into the devouring darkness of his cloak and pulling out a black pill.
He stretched it out to Finn.
Finn hesitated, his gaze staring into the darkness of the hood above the man’s probably bald scalp.
He could not see anything there. Maybe it was the absence of proper lighting, or perhaps this particular man did not have a face.
He did not know.
"Take the pill..." The wet gurgle of the hooded old man left the darkness of his hood with a tone that sounded like a somber plea.
Finn took the pill from the man, feeling its soft, warm surface, then placed it onto his tongue and swallowed.
At first, nothing seemed to be happening.
Although... that changed fast.
Very fast.
Everywhere suddenly became a blur, colors mixing with colors, images mixing with images.
Before Finn knew what was happening, his body crashed down into the leading guard’s arms, who caught him.
His entire world went black as he was quickly ushered into a cold slumber.
This was it...
This was the start of his journey.
***
For what felt like an eternity, Finn’s mind felt like mush, unable to think, unable to dream, just unexplainably scattered.
This was the effect of the black pill, which dulled all senses of any that consumed it, making them fall into a deep slumber that lasted for who knew how long.
The effect of the pill soon wore off from Finn’s mind. His eyes sprang open as he grappled at the air, as though trying to hastily keep himself from falling—an action that appeared useless as he was not falling and...
He was definitely nowhere near the fields anymore.
"Whoa, what the hell is that?" Finn’s eyes grew wide in shock, his heart racing at what he saw.
He was in a large dark hall, rested against one of its many large dark pillars, and in front of him was a large enigmatic swirl of light blue energy moving with shining, deliberate lights coursing through its tides.
As though a whirlpool, but just floating in mid-air like a human-sized door.
’I have read about this before, but this is the first time I am seeing one...’ Finn thought.
This was the first time he was seeing a real-life portal.
Unlike the textbooks, it was even more undoubtedly stunning in person.
’Words are never enough to fully describe what the author sees in his mind.’
Aside from the portal, Finn could see a number of people his age walking towards it.
Some people of which he could recall having seen during the awakening ceremony and others he did not.
"What are you sitting down for? We better get into the portal fast."
A strong masculine voice called out from Finn’s side, catching his attention.
He turned around to see a boy a bit older than him, with blonde hair, a striking figure, wearing a brilliant smile on his face. He was dressed in a black pair of jeans trousers, a black T-shirt, and a yellow jacket to go with it.
"Excuse me," Finn said, rising to his feet, which was not as easy as he expected it to be, given his body was sore from who knew how long he had been knocked out.
The blonde-haired boy, seeing how calm Finn was, grabbed him by the wrist in urgency and pulled him into a sprint.
At first, Finn was reluctant, keeping up with the blonde boy’s speed while trying to pull him to a stop.
But the blonde-haired boy was stronger and certainly forced Finn to run right by his side.
Seeing how he failed physically, Finn resolved to using his words. "I don’t understand what you mean."
The blonde-haired boy gritted his teeth. "We both woke up late—"
He then pointed at the portal. "I learnt that the sides of a portal distort from being linear the moment it’s about to close... Look!"
It didn’t take Finn a telescope to see what the blonde-haired boy meant.
Come to think of it, they were currently the last ones in the room at the moment, wherever this place was.
At this moment, Finn did not need to be pulled to run anymore. He began to race at his top speed in a hurry to reach the portal before it closed.
However, as though bad fate had come back to have its revenge on Finn, the portal itself seemed to be shrinking at a speed that caused both boys’ hearts to drop.
"We are not going to make it in time!" The blonde boy managed to mutter in heavy breaths.
"No... we are!" Finn snarled, opening his left hand and summoning a crude sword into his grasp while increasing his firm clench on the blonde boy’s wrist.
All of a sudden, Finn’s speed doubled in a burst, only for a brief second.
But that second was all that was needed as Finn leapt right into the portal, dragging the blonde boy right into its embrace alongside himself.
The two boys, Finn and the blonde, vanished with the portal.
A moment later.
Two thuds could be heard as Finn and the blonde-haired boy exited out the other side of the portal.
The blonde-haired boy crashed onto the polished marble ground a few feet off, while Finn had a much more precarious fall.
"Hahaha, we made it," the blonde boy celebrated, still lying on the floor, his excitement clear.
For Finn, it was different.
All he could do was swallow hard and hold his breath in terror.
’What was that saying again? Huh? Jump out of the frying pan and into the... Bowl? Plate? Fire, yes, fire...’
"I’m cooked."
Finn was lying not on the floor, but on a particular person he had crashed into.
And that person was Antigonous Frey. He had crashed into the genius daughter of one of the most powerful houses in the world.
