Chronicles of the Serpent (ON HOLD)

Chapter 1 Darkness

"Are you okay?" says the man besides Chirs sensing the boy may be ill since out of nowhere, he stares blankly into space and is afraid of something invisible.

"Yeah. Just... A headache." he replies. After a few seconds he regains his composure and sat down with the rest of the graduates. Still, he is bothered by what he just saw. The young lad can't tell if it was even real.

"Well then, now that the pledge is over, it is time to award the students who excelled in the academy!" Indigo declares. "Come up the stage and accept your award."

No one knows who accepts which awards until graduation so everything comes as a surprise to the students. Chris doesn't care much about distinctions like these.

"To start things off, I call on..." a brief pause for excitement from Indigo."Lithius Morben! Winner of the inventor's token!

Lithius is a goblin, of course. From the famous Morben family of goblin inventors, everyone knew he would win this award. An air of arrogance surrounds him not fit for his small size. To compensate, he rides some steam-powered machinery the size of an adult human to receive the award and show off his inventive talents. He took the medal, bowed in front and left the stage and went back to his seat. A round of applause was heard from the audience.

"Next up... Na'al Thur! Congratulations for achieving the warrior's token!"

Now this comes as a shock to everyone. Normally, Humans or dwarves win this award. It's even more shocking since the winner is a Bayawak. They are warriors but of a different kind. They like stealth rather than face an enemy head on.

Chris smiles and claps for the awarded. He knew him, he sparred with him from time to time and thus, he respects him as a warrior. Na'al uses his natural agility as a Bayawak to evade his opponent's attacks and place a precise blow with his axe. The green skinned lizard thanks Indigo humbly and bows for the crowd.

"Next for the Strategist's token: Mina Ironwood!"

A female elf with long blond hair and one of the best strategists Chris know thus far. She looks strict with her eyeglasses on and always seems to talk professionally with no hint of emotion. Rumor has it that she once beat Indigo at a game of chess- which is an impossible feat. She does have a habit of using unnecessary complex words to make her look more intelligent but when it comes to planning attacks and missions; you can count on her to pull out the great plans. She walks slowly towards the stage and receives her award. She tries to put a mask of indifference for the crowd but receiving the award and bowing with honors makes her tear up a little.

"The next award is the blacksmith's token. Rodin Smith will take it!"

Rodin smith, the Blacksword. He got his nickname for the feat he performed when he fused a normal sword with dark energy. The blade became as black as the night sky but was destroyed in a matter of seconds. Still, he is the only one who successfully fused dark energy  to a weapon plus his very young age, he shows a lot of promise. He took his award graciously and bowed.

No one really knows much about dark energy- even those who devote their lives studying it. It isn't an elemental magic nor is it scientifically understandable. They say it's the energy left by an evil god.

"And now, The Alchemist's token is awarded to... Milfer Grennings!"

Now that's a surprise, a human alchemist winning the token. Even Chris was shocked this time. Milfer is an awkward boy with sea green hair. He always speaks softly and was bullied by the others. Chris doesn't know him too well since alchemy was never his interest. He stumbles towards the stage and stammers thanks to the headmaster. He bows in an awkward manner due to his stage fright. Only a couple of claps could be heard since most of the graduates doesn't even know who he is or what he did to deserve the award.