Hierrse School Uniform [https://i.imgur.com/L7b7sNN.jpeg]
Hierrsé Academy's Uniform, as worn by the 13th century student. Inspired by
formal garbs depicted in ancient Aisenstadt murals, this revived asethetic boasts a form-fitting
attire seen only in the Jury of Ilaçel's standard. Its most promienent feature is that of the twin capelets, one which displays
the student's assigned House.
Although once particular to this region of the world, this dress became the standard for all
distinguished schools of learning. Due to the capelets cumbersome weight, and their propsenity for
snagging onto hooks and corners, designers have carefully designed this rendition's capelets with silk in mind.
While little remains known of Aisenstadt, scholars believe they were once a learned nation who imaprted their
wisdom to the world. When they dared glimpse beyond the Desolator's corpse, they found only a distant, foreign light.
And it blinked.
----------------------------------------
“And over there’s the cafeteria.” Sierez gestured to the door on their right.
Taní aimed his sights towards the cavernous room. Most mess halls were spacious enough to grant Juneacão and their squires appropriate seating, but this? It was like someone had hollowed out an entire Monastery!
Extravagant tablecloths littered the cafeteria, depicting one of three emblems. A mighty, star-devouring serpent from Déqoish legend, a twin-headed dragon with a scabbard in one maw and a blade in the other, and a fierce bird guarding a star.
While the sumptuous tables boasted a cushioned bench, the smaller ones boasted luxurious dining chairs. Sporting a delicate arch, they—
Wait.
Taní peered.
Are those armrests?
This place really did have it all.
The handful of students present enjoyed a lonely supper at their respective tables. They bore matching shoulder capes. Did that make their table assigned seating?
He meticulously scrutinized the emblems. A dark, scale-speckled serpent lay upon a field of fine white silk, sinking its fangs into a dark orange star. The twin-headed dragon possessed lustrous off-white scales and bright green eyes draped against a violet background, and the vigilant bird sat alone in a void blacker than space. Its orange plumage nurturing the nascent star nestled in between its light-riddled wings.
“Hey, Sierez,” Taní said, keeping his voice low enough so that those nearby didn’t catch it. “What do the pictures mean?”
“You mean the emblems?”
“Yeah.”
“Those’re showing their allegiance,” Sierez said.
Taní folded his arms. “What’s that mean?”
Sierez continued down their path, prompting Taní to follow him. “You see, Taní, being a Juneacão is about knowing who to pledge your heart to.” His cane clicked against the reflective tiles lining the endless hall. “It doesn’t matter who it’s to, or why it’s so. Just that you have something you know you’ll fight for.”
“I know already know that.” Taní caught up to him. “It’s why people become Grazers and Preservers.”
“Yes. They say it makes you more loyal.”
“But it doesn’t.”
A dry laugh escaped the graying Juneacão’s lips. “Don’t tell the youngins that. Some just like pledging to the highest bidder. Nothing wrong with that. More vines means a longer life. At least in theory.” Sierez’s grip tightened about his cane. “No harm in granting our students a glimpse of what that world can bring. Infighting, scheming, forming alliances… Squires think they have life figured out. That once you get money and a title, it’s all good.” His brow creased with thought. “A Juneacão doesn’t live long fighting for what they love, but that’s better than the alternative, no?”
Taní gripped the hilt of his sword. “What’s the alternative?”
“Standing around wondering why you’re doing nothing.”
They passed several snickering students, though their mirth swiftly died down as they turned to greet Sierez. The old man called them by name, then continued guiding Taní down the ever-winding path.
“Students have access to the first two floors of the academy,” Sierez began. “Classes are held at the base level, as well as training facilities, the cafeteria, study hall, and the dueling ring.”
Taní leaned in conspiratorially. “Dueling ring?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty popular among first-years. Most squires never get the opportunity to spar. Juneacão training being solitary as it is. Bit of an old tradition, really. Blood’s personal, and we don’t like mixing it. Might dilute.” Sierez grunted. “Doesn’t make much sense when you think about it. Sure, we might master everything we’ve been taught, but limiting our resources means we limit our potential. That’s why the dueling ring was made: Because if we can share what made us stronger, then we’d be better for it.”
Taní nodded, though he wasn’t really paying attention anymore. “Can anyone fight?” he asked.
“If you’ve got the SG.”
“SG?”
“Oh, yes. That’s the academy’s currency. Stands for ‘school gold,’ who could’ve guessed?” The clicking of Sierez’s cane became infrequent. “Students earn SG through a variety of means: volunteer work, academic performance, physical excellency, and general acts of charity.”
“Charity?” Taní said, confused. “Couldn’t some people lie about that?”
“Which is why it’s the one we often pay the most attention to. It’s easy to lie about doing something good, and I don’t mean sharing your reedprinter with a neighbor or buying someone a treat. The hearts are pitchers. Spilling more than it ever intends.”
Taní flashed him a wry grin. “Sounds painful.”
Sierez wagged a finger.” But it’s the most lucrative, too.”
“So… How expensive is a duel?”
“Around fifty SG. Slightly more expensive than a deluxe meal, but cheaper than a book.”
A tide of disappointment doused Taní’s excitement. “Wait, so we have to choose between eating or fighting?”
Sierez laughed. “No, standard meals are free of charge. So are uniforms, house capes, laundry, school supplies, cards, and basic necessities such as water and produce. The only choice you have to make is if you’re willing to spend money on losing.”
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Taní blinked thrice. Was he in paradise? Sure, the trade-off was a little steep. You paid a little, probably lost, but at least you have a meal to go back to. fair yet humiliating trade-off. What a world.
“Do a lot of students still use the ring?” he pressed.
“Plenty. Some even spend every last SG they have till they win. It’s always ‘one last fight to break the streak,’ never realizing they’re on their tenth lost.” Sierez’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know why they do this to themselves…”
Taní came to a slow stop as they reached a hall entirely constructed of glass overlooking the dark ocean. Sprays of black water painted the air, and though it was bright inside, the light didn’t spill into the outer world. Just perfectly contained within their paradise, as if that was all that mattered.
Taní pressed his hand against the window, but the moment his fingers grazed the paper-thin material, a shock of heat traveled up his arm. Flinching, he drew his hand to his face and inspected it.
There was nothing.
Taní focused on the transparent veil separating their realities, but this time, he found “scratches” violating it. The longer he gazed upon them, the more they wavered and re-stabilized. Like a flickering flame in the wind.
Bewildered, he turned his attention to the sky. Thousands of pinpricks dotted the Desolator’s hide, and there, beyond its vile reach, was her retreat: the moon.
Its pale green light hummed an unforgettable lullaby, caressing Taní’s senses with fervent notes as smooth as silk. And she sang them for him. For the one she could not cherish.
A sweltering wave of heat swept through his chest like a Sun’s Peak storm, and yet sorrow could not rightly describe it.
His feet carried him to the edge, where the gregarious presence of his Mother could shine through. There was something different about it here, though. More so than in the wild. He could see her palace all the same, but…
Yes. He could hear it, a divine plucking not dissimilar to a renuw. Resounding, clear. A harmonic frequency matched only by the gentle crunch of fresh snow.
It was her voice.
With each incomprehensible murmur, Taní shuddered. The Cycles of their world laid bare before his undeserving eyes. His Mother…
A swell of grief ensnared his heart.
His Mother…
Taní’s lips parted, and without thinking it, he recited a single lyric of that beyond ancient melody. One written for his ears, and his alone when their world had been naught but a singular prism upon an infinite coast of starless light.
“…ivix….”
Hers was a name sweeter than a mug of nightsip infused with vanilla and cream. Warmer than a crackling fire on a snowy Frostfall day, and twice as comforting. Thinking of it now, though…it only made his chest feel tighter.
“…elar…”
<<
“…unending…dream my dream. If only once, sweet dreams my dream.”
Cycles, nine. Heaven made reality. Pure. Wrong. Iterations. None survived. Festering within the stone-laden networks they called labyrinths. No sword, no key. Treasureless.
Alone.
Dead, but all for one. She would follow suit eventually. Alone, too. The realm doomed to chaos.
Something pressed on Taní’s shoulder, jolting him from his trance. He blinked, strained his ears in hopes of catching another lyric, but there was nothing. When silence reigned supreme, he stared at the silvery keep. Desperate to be with her once more.
<<
<<
“Taní? Are you well, my boy?” Sierez asked, his voice laced with concern.
Taní nodded, though he refused to tear his gaze away from the divine satellite. Her grip was powerful, and though she was the might of Creation made manifest, her strength had failed him.
“Taní?”
He nodded again.
Waves crashed against him, their every roar a concern, but they were meaningless. Much like the spray that splashed against the jagged coast of northern Coratão. The tide drew him along, his stiff legs refusing each stumbling step.
Taní’s blood chilled without the presence of his Mother, but her memory… Yes, her memory. The Towers, the Solanarium, their half-gnawed roots. He didn’t know what it meant, and yet…
Darkness consumed the world, broken by flashes of radiant-white jaws that seared the stars, and her smile. That final, tender smile.
It was devoured.
†
Taní came to upon a bench. He was staring at the wall, Sierez sitting beside him. His mind failed to comprehend the series of visions, and after telling the old man about them, he brushed it off as him having an overactive imagination. Maybe that bump had done a bigger number on him than he’d anticipated.
After catching his breath, the Deputy Headmaster showed him to his classes. The rooms were empty, but his schedule went as followed: Literature, Introduction to Government, Introduction to Juneacão Histories, Mathematics, Introduction to Sedd, and Introduction to Art. Strangely enough, Art was adjacent to the dueling ring.
Other classes existed outside of this base curriculum, though Sierez referred to these as electives. Taní had, unfortunately, joined too late to sign-up for any of them.
Sierez handed Taní a scroll with a series of directions and words he couldn’t read. It was his schedule, though he could only make sense of the numbers. God…he’d be starting the day with Literature? Thrilling.
Sierez mentioned a seventh “class” which he referred to as grace. A time where students from each House spent an hour hanging around. Most, however, did so in their grand halls. These were located towards the center of the second floor and made up entirely of pseudo-rooms aligned into a maze. Sounded like a great place to play a game of chase.
As for being sorted into a House, that was dependent on one's strongest attributes in relation to the founders.
There was House Vlasalisk, home to the courageous and righteous. Recognized as the most talented duelists on campus. Then there was House Dragonfang, home to the clever and swift. Their fame stemmed from their unparalleled use of Toem. Finally, who could forget House Fadénix, home to the resilient and true.
To Taní, they sounded the least impressive of the three, and judging by how the others distanced themselves from those wearing her colors, they weren’t popular. Much like their founder, they specialized in little, excluding God's Fire.
“Sierez?” Taní interjected, cutting the man off mid-explanation.
“Yes?”
“They sound like a bunch of losers.”
Sierez’s lips quirked. “To some, maybe.”
“They can’t even use God’s Fire.”
“Taní,” Sierez said, his voice stern, “didn’t Danza ever tell you that you don’t need Sedd to be a true Juneacão?”
Taní rolled his eyes. “All the time.”
“Well, he…”
As Sierez lectured him on the “foundations of being a Juneacão,” Taní briefly entertained the notion of familiarizing his head with the Academy’s foundation.
Finally, they came upon the second floor after being transported via an odd, silvery device that appeared like a landing bird. Or something reminiscent of one.
Three wings divided the second floor. The northern half being dominated by Vlasalisk, the western being Fadénix, and the east being Dragonfang. Dorms were peppered throughout the entire floor, though members of each House weren’t strictly confined to said wings. Only their great halls were located there.
Sierez led him to a series of dorms in the eastern wing, and after procuring an odd dagger, pierced a too-smooth door. The dagger didn’t shatter as Taní had expected it to. No, it slid right through the door as if it were nothing more than sand adjusting to its protruding shape. A soft click came from the door before the thing completely disappeared from view, revealing a barren but clean room.
Taní entered the room without permission, eyeing the simple kitchen, then the door on the right. A closet? Opening it revealed dozens of changes of the school’s uniform and winter attire.
A slim hall led out from the kitchen and into a modest bedroom. The bed was enormous. More than those single-sized beds the Monasteries offered. There was also a desk, a calendar, and a window revealing the shimmering scales in the sky.
Taní poked and prodded at every piece of furniture in the room, enjoying the new, clean smell.
“And here’s a washroom,” Sierez said, opening up the last door in the bedroom.
Taní peeked inside and found a large porcelain tub and a strange stalk with a metal blossom hanging from the wall. It was, however, the dashing toilet near the entrance that captivated Taní’s eyes. It looked so shiny. Was that normal? And the golden lever! That sleek design as if it had been produced by a master artisan…
“Right. Breakfast is served a little past sunrise, lunch is midday, and dinner is served during moonrise.” Sierez offered him a dagger and belt. “Keep these on you.”
Taní accepted the item with a thankful nod. “What’re they?”
“Your class dagger, but most students call them Brands. Grants you access to your dorm, restrooms, and other facilities. Even keeps track of your SG and rank.”
“Rank?”
“Academic ranking. Just for clout, really, but if you play your cards right, even something worthless means something to a stranger.”
“Wow…” Taní brought the dagger close to his face. “This does a lot of things. Wait…”
He squinted. T. Z. D. His wedged-shape initials carved into an orange orb. The dagger’s pommel.
“Oh, and since none of your Housemates are here to give you a proper hello…” Sierez extended his arms in a welcoming gesture. “Glad to have you in Fadénix. You’ll fit right in.”
Taní blinked. “What?”
Sierez unveiled several shoulder capes with the House’s emblem and laid them neatly on his bed. “You’re a perfect fit, Taní. More than you know.”
A rushing tide of panic prompted him to scramble towards the capes. Hoping it was a joke, Taní squeaked. “B-But isn’t there a process or something? Or maybe I can pick?”
“Usually, there is a little process, but that’s during registration. Had to go with my gut on this.”
“T-Then maybe I can go somewhere else! Like Vlasalisk! They sound cool.”
“Nah. You wouldn’t fit in there.” Sierez limped down the hall.
“Dragonfang? They’re swift and clever, right? Sounds like a great place!”
“Are you kidding? They’d eat you up.”
Taní wanted to growl, but it came out as little more than a strangled laugh. “Maybe we can talk about this tomorrow? We don’t have to decide now.”
Sierez waved. “Get comfy while you can. Oh, and take a bath. You reek.”
“Wait, there’s been a mistake—”
“Oh!” Sierez turned around. “Cuz of your good deed, I loaded your Brand with an extra two-thousand SG. The most anyone’s ever gotten in one day, really,” he grinned. “You’re one lucky kid, y’know. No one can make her happy. Not even the king.”