I'm sorry for the lack of releases these two days. I'll try to be more consistent. The chapters will get longer too gradually. Thank you.
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In Tarin I saw something I can not explain. In the dept of the Arch church of Enlightened, in the feather pool, I glimpsed another life, another world. I think it was heaven. A god was there, but it might had been a demon now that I think of it, I am not sure.....
But I saw a woman crying in the vision, the world in a horror of a war against devils, with fire and steel, in the background.
Yet another woman was plotting, plotting for doom to all, pulling hideous puppets in the dark.
I don't know who the woman plotting was, but I know for sure the woman crying was me.________
Rea Firelock recounting her experience to Scars Swornhalf. The Diagram recorded it.
Arc six; Tarin
The King's road
In the blink of an eye one month went past, it was time for the school excursion. The way the teachers and seniors explained it, was that the whole school were going in groups of their dorm houses past the forests and mountains to the ancient city of Tarin. Tarin is the capital of the Teizers region, the region controlled by the Vest family, one of the six great noble houses in Crystalis. We were expected to travel there on mounts but no vehicles as we march our horses like soldiers out on a campaign.
Even though the academy is called the magic academy and take in foreign students, it's in truth a military school and expects its students to learn basic knowledge about a campaign in case they need to be deployed to war in the future. And so I found myself in the stables along with my dorm mates preparing our horses to set out.
The Kaitlyn landing house had set out yesterday and the Heroes house the day before that, so Celestine had most likely gained quite the distance from here. Tomorrow Sin and the Pius house would follow, next is the Makers and at the last day Rea and her Dragon house would set out.
Thinking that I mounted my horse, my brows furrowed in thought. Across the stable and over the other students, I could see Nuni Woodtalk securing her pack on her horse. She looked depressed and wouldn't meet my eyes. Did she know she was possessed? I wondered. Now questing her mind I knew that she wasn't possessed the whole time she trying to talk to me before the clone mistress made her move. But I was too cowardly to face her at the time. What had she wanted to tell me?
I sighed and shook my head as I reined my horse towards the gate after the others that started out, and caught up with Relda. The Crystalis princess was wearing a blue cloak embroidered in silver, with white furs in the collar, atop her usual house captain uniform. Her blond hair was held in a ponytail and her pretty face was red with some powder.
"Pretty day," I said as I drew close to her side. Looking up at the sky breaking with morning sun.
Relda looked at me then nodded. "It might darken in a blink and rain though,"
"That'd be unfortunate," I agreed. "But maybe not as much as it should, someone in the party got to have something that could shelter us from the rain,"
"Jina, she could control weather, probably Hein could do something but I'd rather it did not come to that, I hate rain,"
"You were born in summer?" I asked.
"Autumn, you winter?"
"Spring,"
"So your birthday is close?"
"In a fortnight,"
"Oh, You look more like a winter person..." She muttered shaking her head.
In this world a person's behavior is attributed to the season they are born. A summer person like Celestine is bright and cheerful, an autumn person is noble and stoic, a winter person is cold and cunning, while a spring person is moody and quiet. I don't know what she thinks, but I think I fit the spring description perfectly.
The Doom Hide house went out of the academy through the main gate, a different gate from the one linked to the Rank halls. Bailey the house prefect was holding up the flag of our house, a black flag with a spear in the center, as he rode at Relda's other side. Everyone was looking at us as we rode through the city, some were cheering, while others were trolling.
The school houses in Crystalis are like sport teams on earth; there have loyal fan bases that roots for them. Most if not everyone in the country has a house they are supporting, with the Heroes and Dragon houses having more fans. Things like this excursion were competitions. The magic academy school year lasts for nine months; roughly the three months of winter and spring and summer. But it in truth has one month of fall and only two of summer. Each term is three months and at the end of each term is an exam or competition between houses. The first term's inter house competition was the campaign or excursion, the second term is the inter house battles, and the end of the third term is forest exploration where everyone has to explore the devil forest in search of devil seeds.
This time we have to get to Tarin before three days and cast our flag atop the arch church of enlightened. Which was not an easy tasks as the road was famous for its dangers from spirits and beasts. Teachers from the academy would follow in the shadow in case we are overwhelmed but that would mean we had failed the test and at least five of us are dead or seriously injured.
To make haste we took to a trot on the King's road after we left the city. The King's road is a famous highway that spanned every great region of Crystalis like a great serpent. We rested at noon for lunch but aside from that we were on the road for most part of the day.
Night found us setting camp under the moon light, it was a full moon again. I sat before the tree beside my tent and took out a book from under my pack to read as I watched the other party members trying to cook diner. "Is a camp fire advisable?" I asked looking at Relda and Gris that were directing the 'potential disaster'.
"Not sure," Bailey said grinning at me as he walked into camp hugging a bundle of fire wood. "Wezs has a way to conceal the light and smoke,"
"Uh," I snorted and leaned back against the tree.
"Can I sit here?"
I looked up to see Kara smiling down at me with her hands on her waist. She didn't seem to know she was ever possessed and had tried to kill me. "I don't mind my lady," I replied.
She grinned sitting down next to me. "What are you reading?"
"How to steal a ladies heart,"
"Suave you womanizer, wouldn't that 'sister' of yours get angry?" She stressed the 'sister'.
I lifted an eyebrow and looked at her like I had no idea what she meant. "Why would she be angry?"
Kara just smiled at me and said nothing. Even though she had been possessed and almost took my life in the process I still ended up becoming friends with her as she wouldn't leave me alone. Though I wouldn't eat her food anymore which dissatisfied her greatly but I didn't care. I did rather see you die of upset than risk to my life to please you, little girl. We continued talking together till it was time for dinner.
In the morning as I was tending to my horse Nuni approached me with a glare, but instead of looking threatening she instead looked more depressed. "Stop going about with that Kara she will only bring you harm," she said then quickly left. I was stunned for moment as I watched her walk back to her horse then mounted my horse as we set out.
I fell in thought. I had a feeling this excursion is not going to be pleasant.