“So how was your little play date with the princess yesterday?”

“It was fun. She’s going to show me something really cool tomorrow.”

“Can’t believe it’s been a year since you two met. Maybe in another year you two will get married!”

“Matt!” The little boy whined and stomped his feet on the grassy knoll outside of their house. “I bet you just wanted me here today to tease me!”

“No no lil bro,” Matthew patted his brother’s head, much to Luke’s disdain, “Next year you’ll be going to school. You need to know where to go since I can’t take you there; My school will start at the same time.”

“Why can’t dad take me?”

“Dad’s got missions, he’ll be gone most school days. Besides, do you really want dad taking you to school? Wouldn’t you rather look like a big boy?”

Luke kicked the grass next to him, silently admitting Matthew was right. Maybe if he looked tough, no one would know about his ‘little problem’.

“I know the castle is south from out house, and the sun rises in the east” The little boy pointed toward the east, where the sun was slowly crawling toward the apex of its daily journey, “and the west is where it sets. So, north is that way!”

“Yeah, you got that down pretty well, but you still don’t know where the schools are exactly.”

The older brother began making his way down the road next to their home, a road that led to a forked path, one way leading around the ring, the other leading into the town. Holding their heads level, the two boys could see the northern gate of Lumina several miles away. As the two walked down a sloped road, Matthew stopped to point to the left and right, keeping an eye on his brother to make sure he was following.

“You see these buildings to the left and right? They’re part of the upper ring, where rich people live. Don’t worry about these places until you’re older.”

Luke tilted his head, wondering why his brother mentioned them if they were pointless. Moreover, he felt curiosity welling up inside, daring him to part from his brother and go explore the urban wilderness. However, he knew better than to make Matthew angry, especially since it could lead to making his father angry, and that was a terrifying thought.

Matthew and Luke continued down the path, a floor’s worth of stairs separating the upper ring from a new area.

“This is the middle ring. It’ll be the most important area. You know how there’s East and North? Well there’s Northeast too, and that’s where we’re going.”

The young sibling trailed behind his brother as he darted left, a task that became increasingly difficult as the road flooded with people. His heart beginning to pound in his chest, Luke found himself gaining more and more distance from his brother. Luke ran through the crowd as fast his little legs would allow, duking and swaying around the people frantically until he was shadowing Matthew.

“You okay Luke? I’ll slow down so you can keep up.”

Holding his brother’s hand as he brought his pace to a near crawl, Matthew kept his eyes glued to the left.

“You see that? That’s the trade school.”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

With a forceful shove, Luke managed to turn his gaze to a tall, shabby building. The school was crammed between two non-discreet buildings, looking like it would be crushed at any moment. The walls were an ugly, inconsistent red brick with splotches of brown and various other colors, from green to purple.

“Some people grow up to do daily tasks in cities or towns; this building is where they learn how to do that kind of stuff. Stuff like fix the sewers or make roads.”

“And what if I don’t.”

“Well, then you only have to go to two schools. There’s nothing wrong with being a daily worker though.”

Luke’s heart began to race again when he felt Matthew tug at his arm, his mind still fixated on the school building’s poor condition.

As the pair had made their way halfway around the northeast sector of Lumina, Matt had stopped again, this time peering at a far more pristine looking building. The colors of the walls were a vibrant white, the building taking up enough space for ten while only being a floor tall, and having a nice, welcoming sign.

“This is the beginner’s school. No matter who you want to be, this is where you learn all the basics. Math, language, and most importantly: how to use your mana. You’ll go here next year, for three years.”

“So this is where you used to go?”

“Yep. It’s where I met Adriana.”

“What about that jerk Brian?”

“Uh, apparently he goes to the northwest school. Why is he jerk by the way?”

“I just don’t like him.”

With a shrug, Matthew continued heading to the east gate, holding his brother’s hand secure as to not get lost in the still-increasing volume of the crowd. The number of people began to fill the passage, making it near impossible for the older brother to navigate. More pressingly, the rambunctious citizens made it impossible for Luke to keep hold of his brother.

No sooner had Luke lost sight of his brother he had also lost sight of the cobblestone road, being swallowed by t-shirts and shorts and bodies of every size, though none as short or shorter than himself.

Pushing and shoving, Luke couldn’t get any of the adults or teenagers around him to budge an inch, not even a centimeter. The crowd would move around him, but so packed together were the people that the gaps left between them were impossible for the seven-year-old to squeeze through.

Trying to remain calm was impossible for the boy when tears were already paddling their way down his face, his only hope was for Matt to not forget about him. Just as things seemed terrible, they got worse as Luke felt his body being shoved jarringly to the left by a force he couldn’t identify.

When Luke felt like he was about to suffocate from the ocean of people, a familiar filling touched his wrist before gripping and yanking him through the crowd.

“Out of the way! Out of the way!”

With hard elbows and powerful roars, Matthew managed part the sardines long enough to rescue his little brother, pulling him for a tight hug. Before the hug was over or had even really begun, Matthew began a shoulder charge toward the east, the citizens scattering to avoid being knocked over.

Luke held on for his life, feeling as though his brother was never going to stop running. In due time, Matthew began to slow down. When the younger brother could open his eyes again, he saw the people were far and few between, a refreshing and calming change of scenery.

“You okay Luke?”

Luke found himself nodding instinctually. He wanted to say no, but he was too exhausted to correct himself or even care.

“Take a breath” Matthew inhale and exhaled, “and breathe out.”

Following his instructions several times, Luke’s heart was still racing, but had begun to ease back into its natural state. With his heart calming down, his eyes beginning to dry, and his senses returning to him, Luke could see another pristine building with a similar welcoming sign on the outskirts of the property.

The building was near identical to the previous one, though it traded some of its width for a second floor, this one possibly taking up eight buildings worth.

“And that, that is the middle school. Or if you’re like me, the high school. For warriors, it’s where we train and learn how to work in groups. For the daily workers, it’s where they learn what they want to specialize in and how to work with others.”

“So, both daily workers and warriors learn to work with people?”

“Well, workers work with different teams while warriors work with the same team. I think.”

“Oooh” with that one bit of knowledge, Luke felt as though he were ten times smarter. “Is it always this bad?”

“No,” Matthew shook his head, “Only during Lunch hour.”

As if signaling a trained animal, the two felt their stomachs rumble in unison at the mere mention of food.

“Speaking of lunch, let’s go home and have some. Don't worry Luke, we're almost back home already.”