The Ancient Genes

Max looked at the time. It had almost been an hour. The horrifying screams that were resounding a while ago had stopped. If Max didn't know what was going on, he might have misunderstood it for pig being slaughtered inside. When the flashes of lightning finally stopped as well, Max finally reached out for the door.

He slowly opened the door and saw Lear knocked out dead cold. Axel sat beside him and was applying first aid to him. It seemed that he had come back to his senses.

"Who is he?" Axel asked in curiosity as he glared at Max in anger. He felt a bit bad doing something like that to a stranger and could only glare at Max.

"Don't worry, he is a friend. I am sure he would understand." Max smiled as he waved it off.

"Help me here." Axel said as he pointed towards Lear.

Max nodded and went forward to help. He caught Lear's feet with both his hands and lifted him up. Axles on the other hand, caught Lear's hand.

They carried Lear to one of the rooms and placed him on the bed before leaving him to rest. The guy had enough for today.

"Now will you talk or do you want me to get it out of you?" Axle asked as he cracked his knuckles.

"I will talk." Max raised his hands in surrender. He began to recount his experiences in Orena and the days of his survival. Obviously, he said what could be spoken and hid what was meant to be hidden.

"I see...anyway it's fine as long as you are safe." Axel said with a smile. He was relieved to see Max.

"Where are the other guys?" Max asked as he tilted his head towards the hallway. The doors of the other rooms were still locked.

"No one is here…" Axel said with a sigh.

"Hmmn? What happened?" Max asked with a frown.

"Well many things happened when you were gone…" 

"August had to urgently leave after a month of our arrival here. It seems something had happened back at home. But he wasn't keen on sharing it and I didn't force him too."

"Wilson is suspended for now. He beat the crap out of a bunch two weeks ago and had received a suspension for a month. His father seemed to have called him back to the family after that….well he should be back by the end of the month," Axle spoke with a helpless expression.

Max frowned. Wilson was the son of the Lord of Scarlet House. Did they suspend him for such a trivial reason? How did he beat them to end up getting suspended?

"What about Kevin? Where is he?" Max suddenly realised that he was missing as well.

"Well, he is in the Academy but not here in this dorm." Axel said with a calm look.

"What do you mean?" Max asked with a confused look.

"Well, it seems that our useless fatty was not actually useless. He is a big shot as well. He lives in the places of big shots." Axle said with a laugh. He still found it hard to believe.

"Well, I don't know if you know about it or not, but there are 12 Families with a lot of power across the entire continent called the 12 Noble Houses. Fatty seems to be the part of one." 

"It seems that even that lump of mass had greater value than us." Axel added.

Max was surprised. Kevin shared the same last name as one of the Noble Houses but he had never expected him to be a part of it. He hadn't even heard of his name.

"You mean the Zen family? Is he part of the mainline?" Max asked in curiosity.

"So, you know about it." Axles said with a surprised look. Even he had to spend a lot of time in the capital before being able to figure this all out.

"He is not from the mainline. They are just raising him as a talent." Axle added.

Max nodded. It was common for noble houses to be funding and raising talents.

"Wait! That guy is talented?" Max suddenly asked. He seemed to have never seen any talent in Kevin except for being able to wipe dishes clean.

"That is what got me laughing. I wonder if they are raising him to clean their dishes." Axel joked and laughed it out.

Max couldn't help but break out in a smile as well.

"We can meet him later. He lives in the dorms where the students from the high class society and these 12 families live." Axel said with a carefree look.

"No wonder! I was thinking why the dorms were shabby. These guys are playing favoritism…." Max smiled in disdain.

"Well it isn't even the beginning. You have seen nothing yet. The discrimination and favoritism knows no bounds here...status is very important…. I can only thank God that the Academy is interested in me."

"Due to the fact that the way I use my Formations are unheard of, a professor has taken me under his wing. It has made my life easier here." Axel grinned. He could imagine how difficult it would have been for him if not for this.

 "Many students have even quit because of it…" Axel further added.

"I can tell that...i didn't see many students in our Academy block on my way here." Max replied with a nod.

"Well, after the incident, the Arcane Academy was shifted to Capital. Many students dropped out at the thought of Capital. Feeling that it wasn't a place they belong to."

"As for those who came, there are only a few who are left. Not more than 200, I guess." Axel said calmly.

"But you don't need to worry. Just stick with me, if any trouble comes. You can count on me." Axel said with a proud look on his face as he pointed his thumb towards himself.

"Anyway, pass me those guys numbers….I will inform them of my arrival." Max said as he shook his head at Axel's statement.

"I can give you Wilson's but I am not sure about August. He doesn't pick calls. Just try to message him." Axel replied.

"Will do." Max said with a smile as he received the number and began typing the message.

Axel looked at Max before suddenly speaking, "You have changed."

"Well, people do I guess." Max said as he looked at Axel. He could feel that he had changed as well.

The guy who was once so much agitated for the revenge of his brother's death was not what Max was currently seeing in him.

"Well, I guess. Realizations bring changes in people," Axle spoke with a sigh. Only after coming here did he realize how big the world was. He still hadn't given up on anything. He just changed his priorities for now. He had been working hard on developing his new style of using formations. He knew that it was what could bring him the things he wanted.

Axel had already been contacted by 4 Noble Houses to join them. They were even willing to fund him and raise him to an important position in future, but Axel had refused them. He had his plans.