Chapter Text
There were days when Kodya still couldn’t quite believe he’d woken up inside the fantasy romance novel his friend had loaned him. He’d read it on a whim one afternoon and dozed off just a few chapters before the end. Then, the next thing he knew, he’d woken up in the body of one of the side characters, a young man from a small village who just happened to share his first name.
From that day on, he’d lived the life of Kodya Karevic, a simple hunter who worked hard and lived alone in his cabin on the outskirts of the village.
For the most part, he very much enjoyed his quiet, simple existence. It was a far cry more peaceful and rewarding than his humdrum life back in the real world. People were kind, work was honest, and if he wanted to do something, he simply did it.
But he knew with each day that passed, he drew nearer to the events of the novel that were supposed to culminate for him in a grizzly end at the hands of his master, the Lord Masiosare, the tyrannical ruler of the kingdom they were in.
But Kodya wasn’t about to simply accept such an ending for himself. He knew how the story would play out, so it would be easy enough to avoid the events that would lead to his death. It was as simple as not staying in the village where his character was supposed to meet the Masiosare and become his loyal protégé. The man couldn’t kill him if they never met, so as soon as Kodya felt he was ready, he set off for the capital city to try out for the knight’s academy.
Growing up in the real world, he’d had always been fascinated with stories of knights in shining amor, charging in on horseback to save the day and going on noble quests to help those in need. Not only would being a knight provide him with a good steady job, but this was his chance to make those dreams a reality. Besides, once he passed the entrance exams, he’d be assigned a knight to serve under out in the field, far, far away from the kingdom’s capital and its dangerous ruler.
And so, roughly a week’s worth of travel later, Kodya found himself waiting with a bunch of other hopefuls as they were ushered through the doorway to the trainee’s barracks.
The line moved relatively quickly and soon enough he was in front of the tables, filling out the form with his name, age, and where he came from. Then he was handed a key and pointed towards one of the hallways that led towards the barracks. He was to be sharing a room with three other people, at least for the next few months until the exams rolled around. Hopefully, his companions would be pleasant—or at least tolerable.
He pushed open the door and found himself facing all three of his new bunkmates. There was a tall man with dark skin and dreadlocks tied back in a ponytail, a pale, heavyset blonde man who glanced his way nervously, and a bald man with a black X tattooed across his forehead who eyed him with suspicion.
“You our fourth?” the man with dreadlocks asked, crossing his arms.
Kodya nodded. “Yeah, I’m Kodya Karevic. Nice to meet you all.”
“Cool,” said the man with dreadlocks. “I’m Anan Jelani. This is Olimedes,” he indicated the blonde man, “and Xinju,” he pointed to the man with the tattoo. “That’s your bunk.” He pointed to the one above where Olimedes was sitting.
Nodding, Kodya tossed his pack up and climbed after it, intending to unpack his things. Sadly, he didn’t get the chance, as the bell sounded that summoned them all to the evening meal. Heaving a sigh, Kodya clambered back down the ladder and followed Anan and the others out into the hall.
Oh well, he thought. Better get used to it. Because for the next four months, I’m going to be doing whatever the person in charge tells me to do, no matter how much I don’t like it.