A new morning was on the horizon as Lucifer woke up from his sleep, yawning.
He got off the bed and stepped out of the room to find the old man sitting on the sofa with a packed bag.
"You already prepared everything? You're in a hurry to get me to leave, aren't you?" Lucifer asked as he rolled his eyes.
"Not at all. I'm not fast; it's you who woke up late. It's already eight in the morning, young man," the old man answered as he pointed towards the clock.
"Take a shower and get ready fast, or we'll miss the only ride to the city of the day."
Lucifer walked back to his room and picked up a few clothes before he stepped inside the shower.
Only after getting dressed did he leave.
"I'm ready," he told the old man as he left the room again.
"That's good. Let's leave them." Grandpa Chi stood up with a bag and left the house with Lucifer.
As they left, they found all their neighbors standing outside, waiting for them.
"Aunt Velma, Uncle Luci, Uncle Joe, Uncle Dona, why are you all waiting here?" Lucifer asked in surprise.
"Alex, we heard you're going to the Academy? We came here to bid you farewell since it's a huge deal. You'll become a hero if you graduate from there and make our small village proud. We wanted to wish you luck and thank you for everything."
The leader of the Village replied to Lucifer.
"Not at all. I should thank you instead. All of you are so nice. I can't tell you how happy I am that I was born in this village," Lucifer answered as he bowed respectfully.
Hearing his words, some people couldn't help but look elsewhere. They just remembered that it was all a lie that Lucifer was believing. He wasn't born here, and they had lied to him while keeping him in the dark. Unfortunately, he still hadn't gained his memories.
"Come, let's leave," Grandpa Chi patted Lucifer's shoulders as he started walking. "We'll be late."
Under the watchful eyes of villagers, the two left the Village, disappearing into the horizon.
...
Lucifer and Grandpa Chi were waiting on the main road, which was quite some distance from the Village.
They had to walk for two hours straight to get here. Unfortunately, they had no other choice since their village was very poor.
None of them had any vehicle, and if they wanted to get to the central city, they needed to catch the bus from here.
The bus had a fixed time of two in the afternoon, and it only came once a day.
…
The weather was too hot as the sun was right above their heads when Lucifer and Grandpa Chi reached the stop. They were already sweating as they waited for the bus.
Fortunately, the bus wasn't late this time. It arrived right on time and stopped before the two.
The doors of the bus opened, letting Grandpa Chi and Lucifer enter. They found empty seats and sat near each other as the bus started moving again.
"Alex, you're going to live in a new place and meet new people. You must always behave properly and never hurt anyone, alright?" The old man asked Lucifer after a moment of silence.
"I won't, grandpa. I'm going there to learn. Why would I hurt anyone?" Lucifer asked, smiling.
His smile seemed entirely natural and made him look so charming. Before his new life here, he rarely smiled, and his smile was always sad, but it genuinely seemed happy now.
"That's better," the old man acknowledged. "One more thing. I'm sure you know it, but you must never take your gloves off, alright? No matter what anyone says, never take your gloves off!"
"I won't. I know I have that rare allergy. I know all the rules, Grandpa. Don't worry. I won't hurt anyone, and I won't take off my gloves," Lucifer agreed.
The bus kept moving for twelve hours straight before it finally stopped at its destination.
The Capital City of the Island Nation of Maltia. It was the city of Hellia, the central city of this nation, which had anything a person could ask for.
The most memorable thing about this city was the Academy for Gifted Variants, which was commonly known as AGV.
It was the only Variant Academy that was in this nation, and Lucifer was going to study here. It was also the place where Lucifer's future was going to be written.
As the bus stopped, Lucifer stepped out with his grandpa. They took a cab which further took them to the entrance of the Variant Academy.
Standing before the massive entrance doors of the Academy, Lucifer couldn't help but look up.
The Academy... It was so huge yet also so beautiful. It seemed to be made of the purest of white marbles and looked no less than a giant palace.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" The guards at the gate asked Grandpa Chi as they approached him.
"Ah, this is my grandson Alex. He got admission in the Academy," Grandpa Chi informed the guard.
"Oh? This kid got the admission?" The Guard exclaimed as he observed Lucifer. "He is really lucky, it seems. He must also be a really gifted Variant."
"Yes, he is," Grandpa Chi replied proudly.
"May I see the Admission Pass?" The guard asked as he reached out his hand. "That's the protocol. Without that, I can't let him enter."
"Here is his pass. I brought it with me," the old man replied as he opened the bag and brought a file out of the bag.
He gave the file to the guard.
The guard opened the file as he read the first page.
"Alex Alaric, age fourteen. Admission status passed—batch assigned twenty-four. The class assigned, A? What? He's in class A of his batch?" The guard exclaimed as he looked at Lucifer in surprise.
"Is Class A special?" Lucifer asked, curious.
"Special would be the understatement of the century. Only really gifted Variants get admission there. The Academy must believe in your potential, I think. Not bad, kid. I think you'll have a good life here," the guard nodded as a pleasing smile appeared on his face.
If Lucifer was in Class A, it meant he had the potential to become a high-class Variant in the future. It was always a good decision not to offend them.
"Alright, Uncle. This checks out. I'll take him to his room. As for the orientation, it'll be tomorrow. You can leave," the Guard told Grandpa Chi as he kept the file back in Lucifer's bag.
"I can't take him inside?" the old man asked the guard. "I was thinking I could help him settle in his room."
" I apologize, but you can't. These are the rules. No guardians can enter. The only time you're allowed to enter is if you get a special appointment and a pass. I'm sure you should know about it. After all, for his admission, you must have entered the Academy with a pass, didn't you?" The guard asked.
"I did, but I didn't know that I'd need a pass even now, only to leave him inside. But if these are the rules, I understand," Grandpa Chi replied, sighing.
"Grandpa, can't you take a pass now? Come with me," Lucifer told the old man, unwilling to leave him so soon.
"I can't, Alex. To get an appointment, you need to apply ten days in advance. Don't worry, next time I come; I'll come with an appointment. You can go inside with him. No one will harm you," Grandpa Chi replied.
"But Grandpa?"
"No, but. What did you promise before? Remember. You'll follow the rules of this academy in any case. So go inside!"
Being scolded, Lucifer looked down in disappointment. "Fine. I'll go in."