The sound of rapid muffled footsteps and the muted banging of a door vibrating my senses, caused me to sit up slowly from a refreshing night's sleep. I had gone to bed the night before, sluggish and tired after an entire day of packing and preparations for my transition to school. My bags had been moved downstairs to the foyer, and my room was just as bland as it had been when I first moved in.
I was taken aback by the abrupt swing of my room door flying open in front of me and my father standing there, eyes open in frustration as he turned on the lights in my room causing me to wince.
“Elex, for the love of Arcinose, get up from that damned bed. We’re running late,” he shouted. With the lights now turned on, I could see he was halfway finished getting dressed into a suit. His lower half was covered with black trousers, socks, and a silver lining belt sitting tightly around his waist, while he continued to button a white shirt over his chest and sort out his disheveled hair. “Hurry up,” He said while storming out.
Damn it, I overslept. I should never have stayed up late last night. Reading books about the academy in my excitement as the clock turned to midnight would be the reason I show up late. I can't let that happen, not on my first day.
Getting up from my bed I ran to the bathroom, scrubbed myself down in the shower with cold water to wake myself up, brushed my teeth, and headed back to my room where I had laid out my uniform on top of my desk the night before. Surprisingly in my haste, the clothes slipped on smoothly, and didn't resist as I rammed my legs through the holes of my trousers and the sleeves of my shirt. I finished by tucking my pendant necklace down under my clothes, hidden mostly by the thickness of the tie, and left my room a vacant cubicle.
As I closed my door and ran across the landing to the stairwell, I could smell my grandmother’s self-made scrambled eggs that I asked her to make for me last night for this big day. I cursed to myself under my breath in anger that I hadn’t woken up sooner. As I descended the stairs and turned into the kitchen, my father and grandparents were all dressed in their formal garments while Lydia stood by the side of the room wearing her usual attire. They all turned to me as they stacked their plates together on the counter of the kitchen. A plate that had been left for me was next to theirs, still full of food that was getting cold.
“So you do want to go to this school after all,” My grandfather said sarcastically. He had a childish grin on his face while he kissed his wife on the cheek in thanks for the meal. “ but I don't know if you have enough time to eat your breakfast, boy,” He said while staring at the grandfather clock at the corner of the room.
“I’m so sorry grandmother, I completely overslept. The fault is all mine” I said with flushed cheeks. I knew she would forgive me, but the fact that I asked her slave away at this early hour in the morning, and not even show up, made my heart feel heavy.
“Oh, it's all right, Elex,” she said with a comforting smile. “Your grandfather here would still be snoring in bed as well if I had screamed at him for fifteen minutes to wake up.” She laughed with a hand covering her mouth as my grandfather smiled with embarrassment at the rest of us.
Lydia cleared her throat excessively to gain all of our attention and said, “I'm sorry Mr. Boldwick, but we should begin to take our leave now. It's nearing two o’clock, and I estimate it will take us roughly forty minutes in the carriage to make it to our destination.”
My grandfather clapped his hand and straightened the front of his suit, whilst clicking the black soles of his leather boots together and said, “best be on our way then.” He took his leave from the kitchen while we all followed briskly behind as he led the way toward the front door. I stretched my hands out onto the plate of food that was made for me as they left, and took a piece of now-cold toast to eat as we walked into the foyer.
Packing all of my bags in the back of the carriage, we set off in the night of the city to the destination the academy had instructed us to meet. The journey was calming, as I leaned my head against the side of the carriage window, looking outwards at the buildings and the many stars above while we rode through the dark of the city streets. My father and grandparents spoke to each other the majority of the way, but to me, their voices were a muffled squabble in the back of my head while I rested in thought. I could feel my mind slipping in and out of consciousness, and once again I damned myself for not going to bed sooner.
Around thirty minutes into our journey, we were caught amidst a traffic jam, as carriages and vehicles alike were clogging up the streets. All the vehicles seemed to be heading in the same direction, and my father suspected that they were all filled with students and their guardians for the opening ceremony of the school year. We were held there, stuck in the long queue of carriages for fifteen minutes, as we slowly crawled and made our way to a large parking lot surrounding a huge building with the Haulburn academy symbol resting at its peak. Our driver was instructed by a man on the outside telling him where we should go to find space amongst the many other carriages to rein in our horses.
After we found a spot, we got out of the carriage and followed the crowd of parents and children wearing their most stylish clothes and accompanying their kids dressed in school uniform. The school building was not as big as I had imagined it to be in my head, and I somewhat felt disappointed. However, it then dawned on me. From all the books I had read and the way I’d heard people speak about the school grounds, I was surprised I had never seen it before from within the city. My pondering mind was brought into focus once again when I saw the cacophony of people marching their way into the building and filling its walls. However, they just kept on going in. It didn't seem as if the building was overflowing with people at all, it was more like it swallowed the entire crowd of bodies by the second.
My questions were answered as we passed the grand double doors ourselves and entered a pristine room filled with families lined up together in a single file. Two guards were standing at either side of a grand arched portal where I could see through that it led to another lit-up pathway on its other side. I was in complete shock. Teleportation gates were extremely rare and expensive devices to have and were only ever used by dignified individuals. Then again, this was Haulbern Academy.
My father called and led us all to one corner of the room, where he could talk to us before we continued, “Are all of you ready before we head through the gate?” He asked us while looking around our group. My grandparent nodded in agreement and before I could do the same, I realized I had left something in the carriage.
“Ah, damn, we left my bags in the carriage.”
“Well hurry back and go get it Elex.” my father demanded. He was slightly irritated at my forgetfulness, and he didn't hide it well.
Leaving my family to wait for me, I stepped outside and ran back towards where we left our carriage among the other hundreds of vehicles stationed together. It was only after I retrieved my bags and started to head back that I noticed an overwhelming crowd of people huddling and fighting around each other in hopes to see something. The horde of people were shouting and budging at one another as they slowly moved towards the doors of the building before guards could create some order.
‘What's going on over there?’ I thought to myself. Almost tempted to go and see what the commission was all about as well. But my father's voice rang in my mind and I knew that I should get back quickly before he came out after me.
Running back and entering the building before it was swarmed by the throng of people, I regrouped with my family and headed over to an area just next to the portal where students were dropping off their own luggage in separate areas.
“Excuse me!” A male staff member approached us. “If your child is transitioning to our school today please tell me your name so I can take your bags from you and place them in your allotted spot.” The man said, holding up a clipboard to our faces.
“Uh, Vinspear. Elex Vinspear” My father said.
The man took his time flipping through the pages until he found my name. “Ah, yes, Mr. Vinspear. Please let me take your bags from you” he said whilst holding out his hand.
I gave the man my bags and he left us, walking through a door leading to a backroom.
“How will I get my things back?” I said to my family.
“Don't fret, boy. The school will have everything covered. Now let's head through that portal to the next area.”
We headed back into the line towards the portal gates before the volume of the talking crowd could increase from its immense numbers of people now clogging in through the finite doors.
As we passed through the gate, we stepped onto a long cobblestone pathway that led itself through thick oak and aspen woodlands. The trees and the path were separated by a small carved and delicately decorated girthy wooden fence that followed the pathway as it turned and changed its direction up ahead. The path was lit from above by a banister that arched and hovered over the walkway, emitting light from its tips with magic. Families and groups of people made their way ahead of us and some followed on from behind as they traversed through the portal themselves. As I looked ahead, past a thick grove of trees, I could see a colossal building in the distance, which sat upon a higher part of the land. Its green tiled roof complemented the shimmering accented glints of gold being reflected off of a light coming from within the structure towards me. A multitude of smaller peak towers edging out from behind its face hinted that there was more behind the building's main body, and I could hear the gasps of the other onlookers as they gazed in awe at the beauty of it all.
“It's gorgeous” grandmother said aloud
“Sure is,” grandfather replied. He turned back to look at me and my father, as we walked closely behind them with Lydia next to us. “Well, what do you think, boy.”
“I have to admit,” I said with a smile of excitement plastered on my face, “It really is something else.” My father nodded in agreement.
We continued walking along the path enveloped by what I could only assume to be a forest due to the sheer endless depth of the trees. As we approached closer to the school, a large perron staircase stood before us leading up to the front of the building at the top.
“By Arcinose, I'm getting too old for this” My grandfather groaned
“Would you like me to hold your jacket Mr. Boldwick?” Lydia asked my grandfather. “Or even you, my lady. Would you like me to carry your purse?” She spoke to my grandmother.
“Why yes please, darling.” My grandmother said and handed over her purse to Lydia behind her. Shortly after, I raced on ahead to begin my climb of the magnificent stairwell and my family followed after me.
As we ascended the steps, I chuckled to myself as I could see some of the larger individuals take breaks to catch their breath, as thick sweat patches formed on their backs and seeped through their clothes, while their family members urged them to keep walking in embarrassment.
I was the first to reach the top of the staircase as my excitement couldn't be bottled up, while my father and grandfather summited shortly after me. I looked down and I could see Lydia walking by my grandmother some twenty steps below and I shouted at them to pick up the pace. My grandmother replied,
“Hold on you impatient boy, can't you see my back is almost giving” A laugh came out from all of us as she slowly made her way up step by step. They reached the top and we continued to follow the group of people heading past pearly silver gates towards opened large gold double doors. Four men in matching uniforms stood at the gates and further ahead at the doors, instructing people which way to go on ahead.
Past the gates, we walked across a mini garden-like area with a large selection of flowers to observe, where I could see some people stop and take a moment to gaze at petals or to bend over and inhale their intoxicating scent. My grandfather noted to me that he used some of these flowers and herbs when making elixirs, but it seems that there were none of the rarer flowers he would usually get imported in from places across the continent for the more potent potions. As we approached the double doors where the next two men were standing, they instructed the large group of oncoming people, including us, to walk inside the building and follow the first left corridor we met towards the auditorium.
Our new large group followed their instructions, and we reached the end of the hallway and met a larger group of staff in an antechamber telling the students and guests to split up and go two different ways.
“Looks like this is where we separate. Guess we will be seeing you later then, Elex” my father said while putting a hand on my shoulder.
“We’ll try and find seats where we can see you, ok,” My grandmother said after him. She then came down to me and took me into her embrace. I welcomed her arms and hugged her back.
“Ok, I'll see you guys later too,” I said while I pulled away from her.
They all turned their backs on me and headed up a stairwell, where other kids and parents who weren't wearing the school uniform followed a staff member to another area. Myself and a cohort of other students that looked to be my age, were led by another of the female staff members through the doors into the main auditorium.
My mind went completely blank as I gawked like an idiot at the stupidly immense size of the hall. ‘Surely all of this isn't necessary’ I thought to myself. However, my thoughts had been corrected as I saw the sheer number of students sitting in the spacious room. Gasps of admiration and shock filled all our faces as we made our way into the theater hall. There were thousands - no, tens of thousands - of students filling out one huge hall, sitting uniformly side by side and occupying the main chairs that filled the room. As my eyes swept over the students nearest the entrance from where we walked, I gazed back towards the hundreds of feet behind them and watched as the bodies sitting within the seats slowly blended into a sea of black and green uniforms. Looking upwards I could only somewhat see the upper balcony where I assumed my parents and other guests would be watching us from. There was no way my family was going to pick me out amongst all these other students from way back there.
Our guide stood out in front of us and called out loudly “New first-year students, please follow me to your designated seats. Stick close to someone within this group and don't stray far. If you get lost, I will not be responsible and you will surely stick out like a sore thumb” Despite her shouting, her voice could be compared to a whisper as it was completely overwhelmed by the chatter of the audience next to us.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
The group began to move and we followed her down one of the center rows to our allocated seats. As we walked down the black carpet-covered floor, I realized this was the first time I had been in a place where it felt like all eyes were on me, whilst I also felt I could have been as insignificant as the person in front of me. I prayed in my head that we wouldn't be walking all the way to the back of the room, as I was confident that it would at least take us more than ten minutes to get there - maybe seven if we jogged. Luckily, our guide had stopped around thirty rows back from where we entered and she turned to speak with us again.
“New first-year students, please enter this row in a single file. Please refrain from getting up and meandering around the theatre and do not sit in a seat that has not been allocated to you. The seats have been specially organized so that the first years would sit near the front while the higher year groups would be further at the back.” She stood at the edge of our row and waited for all of us to enter until she headed back towards the entrance to grab the next group of first years.
We were sitting in the middle orchestra at the front of the theater. There were already students similar in age to us that had taken their seats prior to our arrival and I was taken aback at the pure number of them. There had to have been at least four hundred people in this section of new students alone, and there were still hundreds more to come. The members of my group sidestepped our way into the empty row that our guide had taken us to. As we took our seats, a sea of heads in front of me filled the bottom half of my vision as I observed the grand stage above with my top half, which stretched from one side of the hall to the other.
I was greeted by some of the other kids who sat around me, and I caught a few new names that I would most likely forget. As we spoke amongst ourselves, other groups of kids entering the hall were led by guides and filled out the many rows of seats behind us. It was only after the doors had been locked and the auditorium lights began to dim, that I knew everyone was here, leaving the stage to be the center of attention as the thick and loud murmur of the crowd slowly started to settle. My heart traveled to my throat as the pressure and the silence were building up anxiousness in my chest.
The main theater lights turned on, beaming down upon the stage and capturing everyone's attention as they darkened the entire auditorium. Five figures walked out across the stage and I could hear members of the audience murmur amongst themselves as to who they were.
They spread out, evenly spaced amongst themselves and a man in the middle stepped forward and stood in the center of the spotlight. His long auburn hair flowed freely down to his shoulders and rested upon his lavish black robe garment that draped down to his legs. As he stepped forward, the silk material of the decorated green and golden accents on his cloak reflected the light from above and the Haulburn academy symbol stood out boldly on his chest.
“Distinguished guests, Ladies, and Gentlemen.” He began. His voice had been altered with mana to reach the far corners of the auditorium. “I am very pleased to welcome you all to the one hundred and sixty-first opening ceremony of Haulburn Academy '' he said enthusiastically. The crowd began to erupt into a deafening sound of applauded cheers and high-pitched whistles, until shortly after the man raised his hand and the audience took a moment to silence themselves.
“My name is Harrison Cutlass Saundont - the headmaster of Haulburn academy for the past decade. I am honored to have this opportunity once again to say a few words at this opening ceremony of another school year.” he paused as he spoke, moving slightly to another area on the stage, as he showed no fear in facing this enormous crowd.
“This is indeed an important occasion for all of us, especially for the new first-year students who will be spending their academic time studying at this esteemed school” he waved his hand over the sections where the new first years were sat. “I'm sure all of you have been eagerly waiting for this day,” he said with a smile as he looked down at us.
“As have I,” he continued. “It is always with great pride that I take the opportunity of leading the future of our generation and molding them into fine citizens of the kingdom of Sunderland - better yet, our continent. The board of directors and I are extremely pleased to see so many talented youths coming to join our school this year,” he said while looking back at the four individuals behind him.
“With that being said, I want you all to take something from here today. I want you to carry these words I'm about to share with you and keep them in your heart throughout your stay at Haulburn Academy.” he walked across the stage again.
“We should enter this new school year along with new hopes and dreams to achieve. It doesn't matter how limited we may be, we should all attempt to fulfill our goals. If I asked you who was the first man to summit Mount Eros, I'm confident that I would get many answers.” the audience began to murmur, as people were answering the question themselves.
A girl in front of me whispered to the person next to her “that's easy, it was Tuvidon Gwin”
“Hower, if I asked you who was the second man,” Headmaster Saundont continued, “ I'm a lot more positive that many of you wouldn't know the answer.”
The people began to murmur again, this time louder, as it seemed his question had really engaged the audience.
“The reason for this is because, traditionally, we tend not to value second or third place as much as we ought to. After all, did they not also climb the same mountain that the first man did? Did they not also go through the same trials and tribulations as the first person before them? And if so, why is it that only the first man is given any notable status? What I'm trying to say is, each and every one of us deserves praise and admiration for the hard work and effort we put in. Because essentially, we all fight and shed tears to reach our own goals” He took a moment to let his words sink into the crowd.
“So don't give up on your dreams just because someone else has already done it, or because you won't receive the popularity, fame, or attention you yearn for. It doesn't matter if people don't admire the things you have achieved. You should take pride in your own accolades, because, as I said, we all deserve the praise, and if no one around is to provide you with that praise, then praise yourself, because you earned it”
The crowd seemed to be still as he finished talking, until what seemed like the simultaneous earthquake of clapped hands and cheers overwhelmed the auditorium's walls and reached my ears. All the students and even staff members in the corner applauded the speech he gave, and continued to do so for five minutes until he raised a hand to calm their yelps and cries of joy.
“However folks, it does not end there,” he said with his hand still in the air. “This is a special year for Hualburn Academy, because this year, amongst the new first years, for the first time in the history of our school, we will be joined by Sunderland's very own royal family,” he exclaimed.
The crowd gasped and whispered as the people started to gossip amongst each other. The fact that somewhere amidst all these kids that surrounded me, I was sitting in the presence of a royal baffled my mind. A true royal, one of the members of the house that had led this kingdom for as long as our history records go back. I couldn't comprehend that there was a chance that I could attend a lecture in the same room as a royal.
I turned my head in all directions in hopes of finding the individual in question. Unsurprisingly, however, it seemed the many thousands of students had been doing just that as well, ultimately blocking me from seeing further than twenty feet ahead.
“I know that this isn't a regular custom. Even I myself was surprised when I found out that the princess would be attending our school. And yet, we welcome them with open arms. Everyone, please give it up for Your king, Solomon Porlov ” Headmaster Saundont said. He stretched his left hand out pointing to the side of the stage where a man - the king - appeared and made his way into the center of the stage as the audience bellowed and called for his name.
I had never seen the king before, or really any of the nobility for that matter. Only heard the stories of those who spoke of them. So, I wasn't too surprised to see that he was a pudgy man. As he walked, his undergarments sat tightly around his torso - which looked suffocating - but had been crafted in a way that made him appear somewhat bulky instead of inflated. His long under-tunic was clearly made of the finest silk and embroidered with golden threads. Over his shoulders rested a cyan-tinted black wolf fur cloak that draped down to his legs and slightly brimmed the floor as he walked. Upon his head, rested the gilded ornament that was a part of his attire. The Fontorion Crown - that was the name it had come to adopt, since it had survived the battles on the Fontori plain more than a millennium ago and had been passed down from each ruler to their kin as the centuries went on, unshaken. The crown's main dark jewels blended with his charcoal locks and its golden base complimented his accented attire. Just from appearance alone, he was surely a bold man.
He finally spoke once the crowd's noise had died down. “Thank you, Harrison, my friend,” King Solomon said while shaking the headmaster's hand.
“I am very grateful to give my daughter, Christina, this opportunity to join the most renowned magic school in the kingdom. It puts a smile on my face, knowing she will be educated amongst the kingdom's finest of children and this country's future in the years to come.” He spoke similarly to headmaster Saundont with an enthusiasm that displayed his self-confidence as he moved around the stage.
“This is most likely the first time in our history that a royal would be attending a public school, and with that in mind, I pray that you can accept us within your ranks as if we were family. I care for this kingdom just as much as I care for its citizens. To me, all of you are like family, and in this time of peace that we have obtained since the two-hundred-year Royal War, it is time that our family, as a country, should be closer than ever. Thank you.”
The people "awed" and held their hands to their hearts at what seemed to be the authenticity of his words. Tears shed and the erratic sniff could be heard from somewhere in the audience, but for me, I simply couldn't relate. The crowd clapped and held their hands out, calling to the king when he finished his speech as if he were Arcinose himself - descended from paradise to grace us with his presence. Maybe it was my father's words that rang in my head. ‘Don't trust the nobility, Elex, there's always an ulterior motive to their actions.” Or maybe it was my own conjecture that I had painted around him due to the books I had read on previous rulers with power. But there was just something about him that made his sincerity feel… fake. Despite the air about him, his posture, the way he conducted himself, and the charitable deeds he had done for the less fortunate in this city, I simply didn't buy it. He said it himself, that this isn't a normal custom. So, then why would Princess Christina attend a public magic school when she could learn from her comfortable seat as a royal in the palace? And yet, the people of the crowd seemed to overlook this underlying fact, blinded by the - oh so-generous King Solomon.
Maybe I was overreacting. I cannot deny the fact that I was excited myself when the headmaster mentioned royalty. But after further inspection, it didn't really make much sense, simply due to the fact that there was no reason for it. However, I suppose I waste my energy pondering on things like the presence of a royal. It's not like that will affect my aspirations. I didn't come to this school to find a rope that will pull me into the upper echelons of this kingdom. I had much more important goals.
Stepping back, and placing himself amongst the school board directors who gave him slight bows of admiration, the king allowed headmaster Saundont to once again take the stage.
“Thank you, your grace. I'm sure we are all more than just honored to be gifted with Princess Christina’s presence,” he said whilst looking back at the monarch.
“However, we have one last thing to do before this ceremony comes to a close. All new first-year students. I will call your name up and you will come along the stage from the left and shake the hand of each person on stage, as a sort of welcome to your new school. So please pay attention when your name is called as we will most definitely not wait on anyone who does not show” He said with a smile. “And hopefully, that would answer your question as to why we hold the opening ceremony so early in the morning,” he said jokingly, and the audience responded with a chuckle that - if it came from a smaller group of people, it would have sounded like a light-hearted joke had just been told, but from this behemoth of a crowd, all the voices merged together to form a guffaw of a noise.
“Let us begin, shall we? First, Eve McRose! '' headmaster Saudont yelled. Heads turned in the crowd and shortly after her name had been called, the girl in question could be seen walking briskly to make her way up to the side column of the stage where a set of stairs had been temporarily placed for this specific moment. The audience clapped as she walked across the stage, shaking the hands of each and every person there and she especially seemed to be a bit jumpy when approaching the king.
The headmaster spoke again, whilst the girl was still making her way through handshaking everyone “Kell R. Fuan” he yelled again.
This time a boy much closer to me got up and made his way to do the same as the girl before him, and as more names were called we all followed and copied the person before us. I had heard some interesting names, some were extremely long and strenuous, while others seemed difficult to pronounce. The headmaster continued to say names one after another and kids kept going up in turn making their way onto the stage. Hours passed until the audience reacted more exuberantly to the next name the headmaster called out.
“Christina Vescent Porlov.” he said.
And just seven or eight rows from behind me, everyone turned their head in the direction of a dark-haired girl who stood up as her name had been prompted. I struggled to get a good look at her as she passed by my row, students all around stood for her as she walked past to make her way to the stage. Even through all the commotion as she reached the final step of the stage to greet the headmaster, I could barely hear my own name being called after hers.
“Elex Richard Vinspear,” the headmaster said. His voice was still detectable in the colliding noises of cheer but could be compared to a whisper.
I apprehensively made my way up onto the stage where I met eyes with the headmaster who shook my hand firmly and directed me to the next person. As I looked to my right at all the people, I was overwhelmed with the sight of thousands of eyes potentially all facing me - judging me. I thought for a moment I was going to vomit atop the stage floor, but I turned my head to face forward once again to greet the next person.
I paid no attention to the middle-aged woman as we clasped our hands for a brief moment in time. All my focus was on the king, and my hands became wet with sweat as I approached him hesitantly. Others before me had shaken his hand - gone face to face with him - but I was still undoubtedly nervous. When I was close enough to make contact with him I could smell a sweet-nutty scent emitting from the man and my senses were completely intoxicated. He gripped my hand and gave me a nod while he loomed over me, staring me in the eye. I returned his firm grip and held my ground. He wasn't emitting his aura, although it felt like I was under immense pressure, as I stood there with my legs feeling soft.
“Your Grace,” I said as confidently as I could.
I don't know why I expected him to say something back, but instead, he gave an indifferent smile and then released my hand to prepare for the next student. I left the king behind me and finished greeting the rest of the board directors until I made my way back down to my seat. The princess was still walking ahead of me back to her own, and once again, I couldn't get a glimpse of her face.
It was only in my state of scrutiny that I noticed one of the clips holding her hair escape from her head and topple to the floor by her feet as she walked on. Despite the crowd's constant gaze in her direction, it baffled my mind as to how not a single person noticed. The clip was decorated with precious crystals that glistened as it hit the floor, and my eyes were now staring down at the accessory until it reached my own feet.
I bent down and picked up the pin, holding it in my hand to look at it again. In haste, I raised my head to find the princess to return it to her, but it seemed she had already taken her seat amongst the many other thousands of students, and her now distinct posture was lost in the sea of people.
I took to my own seat, and let the pin rest within my pocket. I hadn't realized the gravity of the situation then, as all I thought was when I would be able to return it to her - though, just the thought of doing that was somewhat nerve-wracking. I simply put the thought to the back of my head and continued to watch the never-ending call of students.
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The ceremony had come to an end hours later and everyone was let loose back out to the front section of the school, to meet with our families to say our final goodbyes. Naturally, most of the students that were in the auditorium were second-years and above, and they had gone into a deeper part of the school past the main foyer, where the rest of the guests and first-years were located. However, some of them remained in order to take snacks that the school had provided for the thousands of people who had attended the ceremony.
At first, I was worried I wouldn't be able to find my parents before all the guests were told to leave, but to my luck, I found them in the garden section of the entrance to the building where we had passed before to get in. Lydia and my grandmother stood by some alluring flowers and my dad and grandfather stood by accompanying them. The sun was just rising along the horizon, and a clock that was perched up high on the wall within the foyer building told me it was nearing seven O’clock in the morning.
“Father, I’m over here!” I yelled.
“By Arcinose that was really something, I must admit” Grandfather exclaimed
“Yeah, almost a five-hour ceremony, and on top of that, the king was here. Elex you better not cause any trouble at this place. ” My father laughed while pushing my shoulder teasingly.
“Haha, I’ll try not to,” I said
“Well… you can try a bit” Grandfather spoke again “I mean, if the Princess herself is really going to be in your year… then who knows. Maybe you could be the bridge that links this family to royalty. If you know what I mean” He said cheekily.
“Oh come now, Richard,” My grandmother said. “ This is hardly the time for that, we're about to send our grandson off to school. We won't see him for a while so let's try and make sure we leave him with good memories of his grandparents” she sighed.
“Agh give me a break woman, I'm only badgering the boy. ” he laughed “I mean, after all, he isn't exactly ugly”
“Thanks to me,” my father interjected. They both chuckled to themselves and my grandmother shook her head in disapproval.
“Oh enough of that you two,” she said while approaching me to embrace her. “Elex you know we love you, so we hope you have the most brilliant time at this school.”
My grandfather walked up beside her and ran his fingers through my hair. “She's the right kid, we want the best for you and this school is what the best brought. Like I said before, don't waste any opportunity given to you, and learn to never second guess yourself, because you can't improve if you only make moves with caution. Keep a cool head, but don't be afraid to let your guard down - when appropriate, of course. And above all else, just enjoy yourself.” He said with a comforting smile.
“We best be on our way back down Mr. Boldwick, it seems they are asking the guests to leave,” Lydia said. “And I wish you a good stay at the academy, Mr. Vinspear,” She said to me with an ever so slight curl on her lips, knowing that I detested it when she called me that.
“You're right Lydia, let's go, team. Raja, you coming ?” my grandfather asked.
“Yeah, just give me a second to speak with Elex. I’ll catch up with you,” my father said as we both waved them away, descending the stairwell.
“So, you remember what I told you?” he asked
“Of course, I won't use it,” I replied.
He sighed and then turned to face me fully. “Look Elex, I just want you to be safe, but at the same time… it's ok if you want to show off a little. I know you will, even if I tell you not to.” he said with a smirk. “I…I just wish your mother and brother could have been here to see you. You're still so young, and yet, you're maturing so fast. I don't want you to spend your childhood training in order to gain revenge.” He said, looking down at my feet.
“Elex, don't think that I'm not mad at their deaths, because I am, believe me on that. It's just that if your mother were here, she wouldn't want you to lose your childhood over her. So, keep that in mind, okay” He said, hugging me tightly. “I love you”
“I love you too, father,” I replied.
“Well, I better go catch up with you grandparents,” he said, now turning and walking away with the rest of the leaving guests. “Have fun!” he shouted backward, as he waved and walked away.
That's right, I do love you father. I too also wish that my mother could be here to see me. However, unfortunately, I don't think I care anymore about what she would want if she were here. Because the truth is, she isn't, and there is only one reason for that. I'll make sure to use my time here wisely, and I’ll gain power beyond belief in order to make her killers experience the most painful deaths you could imagine. No, my motives haven't changed at all.
And they won't any time soon.