Stuck with a dragon.

A deal with a dragon.

It was just another normal day for Miren, a boy who had almost no sense of mana. He was doing his end-of-term exams or pretending to because none of the questions made any sense to him, and with his other academic knowledge being so weak, he was closer to the rubbish in the trashcan at the corner of the classroom than a student with a bright future.

Miren looked around the room, seeing his classmates giving it their all, gritting their teeth and their hands shaking with anxiety, they were all scared of failing. That was obvious. This was Aldoria in the linguistics sense this meant the golden crop, meaning this school was for the children, who are part of the elites, to use their powers to make a significant change to the future. Their abilities were honed and perfected to keep the world moving in steadfast progress, whether they were gifted with mana or other skills didn't matter they would be able to flourish in this school where even the rich couldn't buy their kids seats. However, Miren knew that he was not some burned-out kid, he was not someone with latent potential so how did he get in? Money can't get you in, but connections certainly can.

You see Miren was not from here he was not a part of the Ambris empire, in truth he was part of the Volkel Republic they were adjacent to the Ambris empire and had been in good relations with each other and Miren's father was a detective in the Volkel republic's capital, Gevil, and over the years he gained some powerful connections even though he was not a rich man he got Miren, his only child into Aldoria school and just to rub salt on the wounds he got his son a scholarship. Of course, it did not mean he loved his child; this was just another matter of pride.

"Okay class you have 10 more minutes before the test is handed in, please remember that if you fail to submit it then your test will be disqualified," announced the teacher, her face unchanging, making many wonder did she ever have any emotions in the first place. Everyone squealed and gasped all except Miren, he looked around again to see his fellow classmate's emotions now rawer and stronger, some had tiers and others had rage their eyes said many things, if they were bulging then it meant that they were high in adrenaline trying for just one more hoorah before submitting the paper or if their eyes watery they had more or less given up and just followed the norm of righting more words telling themselves they would get 'more marks').Somehow, in Irony they had written the most but would hold on to the paper the hardest when the teacher would come to collect the test. Deep down they know that their paragraphs and paragraphs, which they equaled to their effort were effectively just annoyance that the teachers would only skim through.

Miren stared, he started hard and thought for longer. Don't these people know this is not the end all be all? There is another term, another year. And if they get kicked out the school getting in is such a huge achievement that just about any business that wants to survive the next 5 years would take them in. They were the golden crop after all. Moreover, beast roomed the world these animals or creatures, sometimes alien sometimes familiar existed, they would use mana, The energy used by all life for harm or good, but most of the time for survival, a gift by God to overcome hurdles that were simply impossible, the beast attack people for the sake of evolving to become better to reach a certain level of God hood most people would believe. Miren had a thought a really scary one, but not for the reason you might think.

What if just by chance? A beast crashed through the windows and ran amok? would his classmates move an ich to survive? to dodge the claws or block the rabid bites of the beast with its teeth razor sharp that could shred their muscles easily, Miren can't imagine them doing so and that's the scary part. Even if he ran out the room in full sprint and the teacher would tell them to evacuate immediately, they would not budge and succumb to being livestock, they would rather become dead then fail this test, dare I say that some wish this would happen no matter how impossible. They all were hooked on something...to some out there it's drugs others follow their lust some need attention for Miren's father it was pride, and his classmates were no different. Remember this school does not guarantee a good life, by whose ever definition it may be even still they were all hooked to the name and to Miren this was disappointing.