Toil Vash's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Toil Vash stood at the edge of the university grounds, watching students stream toward the great hall. He had traveled for weeks to get here. He had pictured this moment a thousand times — walking through those doors, becoming the kind of person who could undo what his father had done. But now his feet wouldn't move. The great hall rose before him like a castle from a storybook. White limestone walls climbed toward battlemented towers. Silver and blue banners snapped in the wind. Through the enormous windows he could see chandeliers already lit, waiting. This was where heroes were made. This was where he was supposed to start becoming one. The sword at his hip — silver with purple gems in the hilt — felt heavier with each breath. He'd bought it with the last of his savings to prove he belonged here. Now it just reminded him how badly he wanted to run. He turned away from the crowd and found a courtyard behind the hall. A willow tree hung over pale stone planters filled with white roses and blue irises. The parterre was empty. No one to watch him. No one to see his hands shaking. He sat on the low stone border and pressed his palms against his knees. The ceremony would start soon. Voices echoed from the hall — bright, confident, unafraid. He could slip inside once everyone was seated. He could stand in the back where the shadows were thickest. But even thinking about it made his chest tight. A bell rang from somewhere inside the hall. Three long chimes. The voices grew louder, then faded as the doors closed. Toil stayed under the willow tree, watching the petals on the roses tremble in the breeze. He had made it to the university. That was something. That was more than his father ever thought he could do. Tomorrow he would try the doors. Tomorrow he would be ready. He pulled his robe tighter and told himself that starting tomorrow still counted as starting.