Saga Legacy

Akira's eyes widened, and he responded with irritation. "What do you mean, in an hour? And what am I supposed to tell my parents?"

Hakuren waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about that. We have people handling it. Your parents are being informed you got accepted into an exclusive, impossible-to-enter school."

Akira narrowed his eyes. "And what if they look up this school?"

Mikage shrugged, smirking. "They'll find it. We've taken care of everything."

Hakuren turned back to Akira, his voice firm. "Now, go pack your things. We don't want to be late."

A car pulled up to drop Akira at his house, and as he stepped out, his parents hurried over, beaming with pride. His mom hugged him tightly. "We're so proud of you!" she exclaimed, then pulled back, noticing his disheveled appearance. "What happened? Why do you look so dirty?"

From the doorway, Hakuren responded calmly, "He was in a fight."

His mother nodded, surprisingly unbothered, and turned back to Akira. "Go on, honey, pack your things."

As Akira made his way to his room, he clenched his fists, muttering under his breath, "How did they fall for something so fake?"

A few minutes later, his father came upstairs to help him pack. As they folded clothes and filled Akira's bags, his dad glanced over, noticing his son's tense expression. "Is something wrong, Akira?"Akira looked at him, hesitating, before forcing a small smile. "No, Dad… why do you ask?"

His father placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Because I know when something's bothering my son," he said softly. He paused, then continued, "If you ever want to leave this… place, just call me. I'll come and get you, no matter what."

Akira looked away, his throat tight, and nodded. For a moment, he felt a flicker of reassurance amidst the whirlwind his life had become.

As Akira finished packing, his mom came upstairs and knocked on the door. "Your teacher is waiting for you," she said with a smile.

Akira paused, confused. "Teacher? What teacher?"

His mom tilted her head. "What do you mean? Isn't it Hakuren?"

Akira blinked, quickly covering his confusion. "Oh, yeah… Hakuren."

From downstairs, Hakuren's voice carried up the stairs. "The car's waiting for us. Let's not waste time!"

Akira's parents helped carry his bags down to the waiting car. As they placed the last of his luggage in the trunk, his father suddenly stopped him. "Wait," his dad said, stepping closer.

Akira turned, watching as his dad unbuckled his watch. The older man held it out to him, his face warm but serious. "I've always wanted to have a family heirloom," he began, his voice steady. "So, I bought this watch a long time ago. I've been waiting for the right moment to pass it down. And now… I'm giving it to you."

He gently placed the watch into Akira's hand, holding it there for a moment. Akira stared at the watch, his emotions swirling. "Dad…"

"Take care of it, okay?" his father said, giving him a reassuring smile.

Akira nodded, slipping the watch onto his wrist. As he climbed into the car, he glanced back at his parents, a pang of guilt and longing hitting him as the door closed.

As the car drove away, Mikage glanced at Akira with a smirk. "You've got a nice family," he said casually.

Akira gave a small smile. "Thanks. What about yours?"

Mikage's expression darkened slightly. "You don't need to know," he replied, turning his gaze to the window.

Breaking the silence, Hakuren leaned forward from his seat. "Do you know how to fight, Akira?"

Akira nodded. "Yeah, I've trained in mixed martial arts."

Hakuren sighed in relief. "Thank God. At least I won't have to teach you that," he said, leaning back and closing his eyes. Within seconds, he was asleep.

Akira blinked in surprise. "That was… fast."

Mikage chuckled. "Yeah, Hakuren's old. He just turned 200 yesterday."

Akira's jaw dropped. "Two hundred?! How long do you people live?"

Mikage shrugged. "It's hard to say. Most of us don't live long enough to find out." He paused, his tone turning somber. "The monsters take out most of us before we hit 50. If someone lives longer than that, they're either insanely strong or just really lucky."

Akira stared out the window, processing the weight of Mikage's words. The world he was stepping into felt more dangerous by the second.

Mikage broke the silence. "We're sorcerers," he said.

Akira raised an eyebrow. "Hmm."

Mikage smirked. "It was obvious you didn't know what to call us."

Akira shrugged. "So, you can pull rabbits out of hats, then?"

Mikage rolled his eyes. "Don't compare us to those fakes."

Akira chuckled. "I know, I know. But what if you guys use gadgets to cheat?"

Mikage shrugged. "We use them… when it's necessary."

Akira leaned forward, curious. "Sooo… use fire now."

Mikage sighed, clearly unimpressed with the request. He extended his palm, and flames erupted, dancing around his fingers.

Akira's eyes widened in amazement. "Whoa! Doesn't that burn you?"

Mikage grinned. "Nope. Fire users like me can only get burned if the fire's hotter than what our bodies can handle."

Akira leaned back, still staring at the flame. "That's… insane."

Mikage smirked, extinguishing the fire with a flick of his wrist. "Stick around. You'll see crazier things soon enough."

Akira turned to Mikage, curiosity evident in his voice. "So, where's this school located?"

"In the UK," Mikage replied nonchalantly.

Akira's eyes widened in amazement. "Wait—you speak English?"

Mikage smirked. "Only a little."

Akira frowned. "Then how do you even talk to people there?"

Mikage tugged at his collar, revealing a small glowing magic circle etched onto his neck. "This," he said. "It's a language charm. It Let's me understand and speak any language."

Akira leaned closer, eyes gleaming with fascination. "Wow, I want one!"

Mikage chuckled. "If you're accepted, you'll get one. Maybe."

Before Akira could reply, Mikage's expression turned serious as he glanced outside the window. Something had caught his attention. His eyes narrowed. "The car," he muttered. Then he shouted, "Akira, duck!"