The portal house in which I found myself was no different from the previous one, all the walls and floor were painted dark gray, there were no windows at all. At the age of twelve, I was fond of spatial magic for some time and read all the books available in the orphanage library on this topic. Whole two. From them, I learned that a dark gray color, close to black, is used to suppress the so-called noise, which knocks down the settings and distorts the transfer route. In addition to stationary arches, there were also disposable portable portals that cost a fortune. It was extremely difficult to use this, because in order to transfer to a precisely given place, you need to find a dark room or use it only at night. Not very convenient, especially for the money. If these rules are not followed, then at best you run the risk of being many miles away from the right place. In the worst case, when moving, a part of a person, for example, an arm or leg, may be lost.I rushed to the exit and a

AidenAfter repelling Caster's direct attack, I regrouped and managed to shackle his right arm with darkness before he could attack again. Today I am on the defensive, and according to the rules I cannot use attacking techniques. The caster is strong but too slow for me. Having neutralized his other hand as well, I threw him to the ground with a sharp movement, and, sitting on top, imitated a dagger put to his throat.“Okay, Aiden. Caster, as always, you lacked speed, you think too long between attacks. Against a man with a greater reserve, you have no chance, summed up the combat trainer and my uncle, Lord Salt Culver. Within the walls of the academy, he allowed himself to be addressed without a title and simply by his first name. Coach Salt not only trained the dark ones, he was also responsible for the selection of applicants for the Order of Darkness."But I'm not going to fight against brothers in arms," ​​Caster said defensively. In vain it is, it is better not to argue with you

I stood in front of the gates of the academy and thought that I still have the opportunity to turn back. I will return to the estate and wait for others to win the right to life for me. I wonder if Augusta Reed was ever afraid? Or was she not only unaware of this feeling, but of the word itself? Would she despise me for my cowardice? I squeezed the pocket in which the artifact ring lay and headed to the dean's office.There were not so many people in the courtyard, most likely, many aristocrats had gone home for the weekend.When I reached the dean's office, I knocked decisively. There is no way back. She pushed open the heavy door and entered. The secretary's desk was empty, so I decided to sit on the sofa. With every minute my resolve melted away, and the ring with incredible force pulled the pocket to the ground. The door, over which hung a sign with the dean's name, opened, and a woman stepped out. She went to the secretary's place and only then looked up at me with narrowed eyes.

After dinner, the dark one helped drag the given textbooks and manuals from the library to my room and left on his own business. Until dinner, I sat over my books, trying not to think about the upcoming test. I chose my specialty for a reason, because archiving involves access to the most extensive library in the kingdom. I had a glimmer of hope that Marner the First and his men had missed something, and that proof of his treachery lay somewhere on the dusty shelves.Aiden was very surprised by my choice of major. It turned out that there are almost no girls at the Faculty of History, they most often choose easier professions. Especially for them, the Faculty of Music and the Faculty of Arts were opened. It is not surprising, because it is not customary to work among the aristocracy, and girls come here for the sake of a profitable marriage. Still, the old man was right.Dinner time was approaching, I put down a very interesting textbook on the history of military affairs and began to

The next three weeks flew by like one day. I regularly went to classes and generally behaved like an exemplary student. Anika disappeared somewhere, at least she did not appear in the dining room again. Besides me, there were only two girls studying archives, and there was not a single dark one among the guys. With rare exceptions, they preferred military and political directions. For Aiden and Roland, this was the last year at the academy, they both graduated from the Faculty of International Relations.I spent every breakfast and dinner in the company of dark people, and more and more often I found myself thinking strange thoughts. If we discard all prejudices, then the dark ones were not so bad people, or rather, they were too ordinary for those whom they used to hate and fear all their lives.Aiden continued to gently tame me, light kisses were replaced by passionate caresses, in which it was so easy to lose oneself. He was a very attentive gentleman, several times this week I fou