(BOOK 1 in the Ermand Chisel series)
Since the time he had remembered, Ermand had to frequently encounter a series of sinister and blood-curdling dreams, and they weren't merely nightmares. When he receives an invitation to join Agledon Magic Univer...
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"They will. After all, they say we look for those who think, so proudly before the blink of an eye. For those who put their hopes in themselves, will always stand on top of ourselves..." The boy sang the last part as his eyes glimmered with hope. He seemed confident that he'd be selected despite his low grades.
"Oh, Airella. Look. That boy with the golden hair!"
Ermand pivoted to the direction of a chilling, girlish voice. He found two girls staring at him.
"He looks so different!" The other girl giggled. Both of their fingers were entangled in each other's.
Ermand's cheek turned crimson in response to their comment. He immediately turned back, sighing. Ermand always caught people's attention when it came to his looks. The thought of this reminded him of his relatives during short gatherings. None of the Chisels' family ever maintained a close relationship with him. They'd always eyed him in an eerie way, and he knew why. He was not a true Chisel. If he wasn't one of them, what was he? He didn't know, and didn't want to know.
He ambled to a large painting about the size of a huge bookshelf hanging on the polished wall.
It was a landscape of two hills. The colours used to paint the hills sparkled in different colours as Ermand gazed at the painting from each angle. He could even hear the sound of the smooth water currents of the river in it. A sentence in italics at the bottom of the painting caught his attention. The brave will live, the cunning will kill.
The phrase was partially clear to him. He sensed someone approaching him.
"You enjoy paintings?" Timothy asked.
"I don't fancy paintings. It's just that this painting looks somewhat familiar."
"Of Course! It's the famous painting, Darker hills by the notable artist, Gideon Qorder, five hundred years back. It's everywhere, we have one at home too. But this... must be the original."
The original, Ermand chanted in his mind, gazing at the painting before him.
"How did you come to know about Agledon?" Ermand asked.
"Well. It's like the tales of the bards, only that the story is completely true."
Ermand frowned.
"You don't know the story behind this university?"
"I didn't know it was-"
"For goodness' sake, you're a Tawarnian and you don't know about the tale of the building situated in your country?" Timothy brought his palm to his forehead.
Ermand shrugged, shaking his head.
"We'll pass the time until our interview with the story then. I live to narrate because I was fascinated about the story since childhood."
