"So your theory is because the Regalia are shattered remnants of my former power... they could somehow restore me to my 'former glory'?" I asked, carefully tracing Michael's line of reasoning.
He inclined his head, lips curved upwards in approval. "As bright as always, Lord."
From the sides, I felt the weight of two gazes—Gabriel and Uriel. Their eyes shone with something close to reverence, pride etched not so subtly into their features.
Come on you two... Isn't pride a sin?
I glanced between them. "Assuming this works, wouldn't I need to be exposed to the energy inside the Regalia?"
Gabriel's hands abruptly slammed against the table. "That's far too dangerous!"
His sudden outburst startled me. He'd clearly caught onto something I hadn't yet seen.
"Gabriel, calm yourself." Uriel's voice cut through the tension with her usual composure. "The final decision rests with the lord."
I frowned. "Am I missing something here...?"
Michael leaned forward, elbows resting on the table. "Mythoria Academy. The Regalia school. It trains young human adolescents to master their dormant powers."
A flicker stirred within me—hope. It caught quickly, flaring fast and bright. A school? Could my life-long dream of living a normal life finally come true? Would I finally know what it felt like to make real friends? To laugh over shared meals, to spend afternoons studying at someone's house, surrounded by warmth and trivial worries?
I shook off the thought. "Why would a school be dangerous?"
"The power that leaked from your Avatar weakened the dimensional boundaries," Gabriel said gravely. "It acted like a beacon—an irresistible lure for beings across creation. Eventually, rifts began to open in the human world—giant fractures across the sky. From those rifts poured wave after wave of monsters. The schools were created in response, to train those capable of repelling them."
Dimensional tears? Endless monsters? My heart sank. What kind of world have I been thrown into? Are my dreams of normalcy already slipping away—after only just surfacing from the depths of longing?
"That's precisely why I chose Mythoria," Michael said firmly, cutting through the gloom.
Gabriel shot him a look of cold disapproval. His lips twisted, but he said nothing.
Michael didn't let the silence settle. "Unless… perhaps you doubt our Lord's capabilities?" he asked lightly, the smirk in his voice unmistakable.
Despite being an angel, Michael's words were beautifully cunning. He was deliberately playing on Gabriel's reverence—twisting that unwavering loyalty just enough to steer him into agreement, rather than open defiance.
Gabriel stiffened, eyes flashing. "I would never suggest such a thing!" he stammered, clearly rattled. Michael had successfully struck where it hurt— his unwavering faith in me.
I cleared my throat. "Excuse me, but I'm quite intrigued by this plan. How exactly does Mythoria Academy affect my safety?
Michael turned to me, victorious, while Gabriel quickly buried any signs of earlier resistance.
"Mythoria Academy is the most prestigious Regalia school on Earth," Michael explained. "It's built on Aetheris Haven, an artificial island created specifically for the academy. Only staff and students are allowed entry. The campus spans residential quarters, commercial districts, and countless training facilities—all accessible to its inhabitants."
The sheer scale of it hit me like a gale. It was almost too much to believe. The moment I tried to picture it, my head spun with fragments of imagined sights, my thoughts spiralling as my mind raced to keep up.
"And, quite fascinatingly, the entire island is powered by a neutron star," Uriel added, smiling sweetly.
I blinked, unsure if I'd misheard the angel. "I'm sorry, did you say a neutron star"
"Correct."
"Wouldn't that, like... I don't know—obliterate everything around it? The school? The entire planet?"
Uriel chuckled softly. "As sharp as always, Lord. To prevent such a catastrophe, Lunaria of the Stellaris family—often referred to as the Starbinder—used her family's innate Regalia, to tear open the fabric of space itself. She placed the star in a separate dimension, where its gravity holds no effect over their world, yet its energy remains entirely usable."
They say such things like they're normal... I stared blankly. "She sounds... incredible. A human capable of containing a neutron star? That sounds impossible."
"It should be," Gabriel said. "But she's an anomaly—even to us. She has elemental mastery, angelic physical capabilities, and near-perfect control over Stellaris. And she's only twenty-four, quite young for a human."
His words only deepened the awe stirring within me.
Uriel stepped forward, her smile warm. "Lord, may I bring the discussion back to Mythoria?"
"You may," I replied, still lost in the image of the noblewoman who had bent stars to her will.
"Aetheris Haven is protected by an invisible barrier known as the Nebula Veil," she said. "It's continuously sustained by the neutron star's energy. Only monsters classified as 'Catastrophe-class' or higher could hope to break through."
"Catastrophe-class?" I asked, intrigued. "There's a ranking system for monsters?"
"There is," Michael answered, "but you'll learn about it at the academy. For now, let's keep this conversation focused."
Uriel nodded. "Should you choose to enrol, Gabriel will secure your placement as a transfer student. Michael will handle your housing and funding."
I opened my mouth to ask about her role, but she beat me to it.
"In the meantime," she continued, "while they make the necessary arrangements, you and I must determine whether you've retained any powers. Michael and Gabriel hold great influence in the human world, but without at least one identifiable Regalia, things will become... complicated."
Extra Info:
Monster Classes!
1. Lesser Tier
Class F: Weak creatures that wouldn't pose a threat to the weakest of Regalia users. At most they could damage a few buildings and harm regular human civilians.
Examples: Lesser Elementals, Pebble Golems, and Lesser Sprites.
Class E: Slightly more dangerous but still easily manageable. Could cause minor damage to small towns, afflict severe injuries to civilians, but are not a threat to larger communities.
Examples: Common Goblin, Slime Horde, Giant Rat, and Wild Boar.
2. Mid Tier
Class D: Monsters considered moderately dangerous, capable of causing significant harm to individuals and small groups. Left on there own they could cause significant damage to towns and minor damage to cities. With decent training one regalia user is enough to defeat most monsters of this class. They could propose a threat to Regalia users who are not prepared / unaware of their attack.
Examples: Giant Spider, Troll, Gargoyle, Minotaur, Basilisk, and Dire Wolves.
Class C: Significantly more dangerous then monsters of Class D, with the ability to cause widespread destruction across cities or even entire regions. These creatures often require a group of well-trained regalia users.
2. Higher Tier
Examples: Manticore (Alpha/Ancient), Wyvern, Behemoth, Frost Giant, Dire Chimera, Drake, Lich, and Gorgon.
Class B: Highly dangerous creatures capable of wreaking havoc and chaos in multiple regions, often you will need a party of experienced regalia users to take down a single monster of this class. While these monsters do not have world-shattering abilities they are not a threat that can be ignored, often toppling entire cities.
Examples: Lesser Dragon, Hydra, Lich King, Higher Elemental, Lesser Demons, Griffin Lord, and Nightmare Beasts.
Class A: Incredibly powerful creatures capable of destroying entire nations. These monsters are a formidable threat and are taken with the utmost seriousness. No regalia user should fight these monsters alone unless rated above the tier of the monster. The regular group number is usually above 10 depending on the severity of the monster.
Examples: Dragon, Ancient Hydra, Demons, Elemental Titan, Void Beast, and World Serpent.
3. Extreme Tier
Catastrophe: Cataclysmic entities capable of wiping out humanity. These creatures transcend traditional levels of power, being capable of not just destroying civilisations but entire species. These creatures aren't bound by the usual class system, instead being labelled as 'natural disasters,' able to end the world as we know it.
These monsters should not be fought.
Only one of these monsters was ever recorded defeated. A Void Wyrm, capable of tearing holes through space, was defeated by Lunaria Stellaris.
Examples: Celestial Dragons, Greater Demons, Vampire King/Queen, and Void Wyrm.
Armageddon: Beings of unfathomable power, capable of challenging and defeating angels. They exist beyond the bounds of space and time and are thought only to be a myth by the humans. Their abilities can defy the laws of physics, and they stand at the pinnacle of all monsters.
Examples: ...