Somehow, the academy was even grander inside than out. The walls were made of the finest chiseled bricks and marbles, the masonry design something of art in and of itself. The ornate pillars holding up the many overhead walkways, the frills and arches stretching from wall to wall, the statues, standing stalwart beneath the vibrant silk tapestries and oil paintings, like men of marble.
The building was centered around a grand hallway, which turned to either side at the far end, staircases and rooms branching and curving out at even points. Even from where he stood at the base, Trenton could see the clear order of it all, the purposeful, intuitive construction, designed to both optimize space and stand as a testament to human artistry.
“Woahhhhh,” Millie breathed, stumbling forward, arms outstretched towards the nearest, clothed, statue.
But before she could get very far, Trenton grabbed her by the collar, hoisting her up onto his shoulders, “I don’t want you wandering off. This place is large.”
“But-”
“No buts. You can walk around with me.”
“...fine,” she pouted, arms crossed.
“Think of it like a guided tour,” Kiva added, splaying her arms wide. “You get all the best spots without any of the hassle.”
“It’s not the same as exploring myself,” Millie said.
“It’s even better,” Kiva prodded.
“Bleh,” Millie stuck her tongue out at Kiva, Maria giggling at the two of them.
“C’mon, what kinda parents are you? Offer her ice cream or something,” Maria said.
“Parents!?” Kiva shouted astonished, drawing a gaggle of eyes from the crowd rushing about all around them, messy stacks of books and papers in hand.
“Ice cream!?” Millie also shouted.
“Believe it or not, parenting isn’t exactly my specialty,” Trenton said.
“Then it’s high time you learned,” Karfice tapped Trenton on the forehead, walking off in a random direction further into the building. “On your own, though. I don’t know either. Ice cream’s not a bad start. It always worked on Mar,” he turned the corner disappearing from view.
“It did not! Hey, don’t walk away from me!” Maria bolted after Karfice, disappearing in tow.
Avardis’s eyes darted back and forth between Trenton and Kiva, brow creased, “...you have bore no children.”
“It’s a metaphor, bud,” Leo said
“Elaborate.”
“They weren’t saying he’s literally her father, just that he acts like it,” Leo explained.
“...I do not understand.”
“Alright,” Leo sighed, taking Avardis by the shoulders and leading him away from Trenton and Kiva.
“What’s on your register? Anything on your mind?” Trenton asked once they were solidly gone.
“Plant stuff, mostly. I want to find their apothecary. I was,” Kiva put her hands together, lifting one leg into the air and leaning towards Trenton, “also thinking about planning a date, perchance, but something about the college house just isn't doing it for me. So you’re gonna have to wait a little,” she tapped his nose with the tip of her forefinger, “longer.”
“Y’know, I was just thinking the same thing. I’ve actually got an idea in mind, if you’d humor me,” Trenton said.
“Oooh, what a charmer you are. Don’t keep me waiting,” Kiva giggled, running off through the crowd of people, disappearing without another word.
“Gross,” Millie spat out.
“You’ll understand one day. Come on, let’s go see if we can find some ice cream.”
***
“Well, a metaphor kind of…alludes to something else, but it’s not literal,” Leo clarified, long tired of this conversation.
“Then it has no use. Such ramblings are confusing and unnecessary,” Avardis said.
“You don’t say,” Leo sighed.
He gazed out the grand set of windows lining the hallway wall. Somehow during their wanderings, they’d managed to wrap completely around the castle, finding themselves overlooking the mighty Thalian range from a uniquely elevated position. The mountains almost looked placid from there, stalwart structures fading far off into the distance, their tips lost above the clouds. Leo could even see a gentle fog settling around the lower sections of the mountains, a meteorological phenomenon one of the teachers could probably explain, but which left Leo absolutely clueless.
“If you want a better explanation, you’re free to find a language teacher. I’m sure they’ve got one around here somewhere,” Leo said, stopping to appreciate the view from one of the windows.
On the other wall, little alcoves with tables were carved, hidey holes for students to watch the mountains and chat during their breaks. Some even had faint spatial bridges extending over to the windows, towards identical alcoves in between the main set of arched windows.
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Not only did this add to the overall architectural complexity of the whole place, but it showed clear care taken to ensure the students had places of privacy to mingle and rest. Spots like this were scattered all over the complex, each room having its own little secret, almost like a game. And with how small the academy was as a place of living, one large building compared to sprawling urban megacities, it was a nice little bit of comfort.
“...Avardis?”
Leo snapped out of his daze, suddenly noticing the odd silence left in the wake of his last comment. Sure enough, Avardis was nowhere to be seen, the sprawling mass of shifting students, and a couple teachers, making it impossible to see where he could’ve gone. Well, this was sure to have consequences. Leo continued back down the hallway, being sure to look for any signs of the boy's presence as he continued to ruminate.
With any luck, he’d find Avardis before he got too far, but Leo wasn’t particularly confident. The hallways were crowded and noisy, and it wasn’t like Leo could just fly overhead like all the air and graviturgy mages floating about. Using fire would only insite panic, only adding to the surrounding chaos. Maybe if he-
Leo’s body flew to the side, suddenly jutting into a side room as if grabbed by a massive invisible hand, the door gently shutting and locking behind him. The room was simple, a windowless lounge area covered in plush couches and small magical trinkets atop tables. All around him, seven boys stood grinning madly at him, one on either side of his body pulling him with graviturgy, one locking him with condensed space around his feet, hands, and torso behind him, and 4 others hovering by the door.
Immediately, Leo wanted to panic and struggle, give in to the rising well of fear in his chest, but he knew better, he had to. He’d been traveling the plains for, what–half a year now? He couldn’t allow himself to succumb to fear the moment danger arose anymore. There was too much at risk. He needed to embody his inner Trenton, stay calm, rationalize, react.
The magic binding him wasn’t particularly strong, far weaker than Garrote’s gravity, yet he got the distinct impression any struggle would only worsen the situation. 7 on one weren't odds he was particularly fond of.
“I don’t believe my eyes. Leo Fairfelt. Hard to believe someone like you is just wandering all alone around the academy. Here I thought you’d be nipping at daddy’s heels, waiting for today's allowance,” one boy mocked, getting nice and personal with Leo, a rusty dagger pressed up against his throat. He had wavy blond hair and stark blue eyes, a rugged build Leo hadn't expected to see from a schoolboy.
Immediately, anger flared within Leo’s heart, his body temperature rising a dozen degrees in a matter of moments, but he caught himself, pressing his magic back into his core. They were just trying to intimidate him, goad him into doing something stupid. He wouldn’t, he couldn’t, fall for it.
“What do you want?” Leo spat out.
“Patience, patience, I’m getting there. And while I’m getting there, search his pockets. I bet he’s got some goodies on him,” the boy nodded at two others standing by the door, who immediately jumped to action, sifting through Leo’s deep pockets as the first boy continued on. “Let me make this clear. You don’t belong here. I don’t care if Era invited you, I don’t care if you’re Walibeld’s favorite little boy, and I certainly don’t give a damn you’re a traveler. The academy is a fine establishment, suited for only the world's most gifted. And you, my friend, just don’t fit the criteria,” he said, pausing to take a look at the growing pile of miscellaneous goods next to him. “Nothing but junk. Gods, you can’t even have anything good in your pockets, can you? What a disappointment.”
The boy lowered the knife, beginning to pace about the room to blow off some steam, “Y’know, you travelers really do tick me off. We get your types every now and then, people who wander the plains and find their way here instead of being formally invited. And everytime, every godsdamned time, they always think they’re so much better than everyone else. They think that just because they’ve gotten to see real combat, they’re automatically superior. It’s infuriating! Like I, like we,” he gestured about, “mean nothing, like our studies are just little kiddie toy distractions while the adults go out and have the real fun! And you,” he pointed at Leo, getting far closer than he had any right to once again, “are the worst yet! At least the others have to pass an entrance exam. But not you! Not the world's most specialist boys! You can just waltz up with the golden pass without even an ounce of the work, and blood, and sweat, and TEARS that we’ve put in! That I’VE PUT IN! And don’t even get me started on that Trenton kid! Oh, when I saw him walking in I wanted to wring that little throat of his. So pompous, all that bravado. If I had him here I’d shove it-”
“You, have no right,” Leo breathed, strands of fire leaking from his body, licking the air before him. The boy stepped back, wide eyed. The heat was infectious, practically bringing the air to a boil, runes lining the furniture the only thing keeping them whole. “Trenton fought harder than anyone to be here! He’s had everything ripped away from him, time and time again, no matter how desperately he fights! Do you have any idea what it's like to watch everyone you love brutalized in front of you, your sister burning to death before your eyes! DO YOU!?!?”
Leo ripped his right arm and leg out of the gravity, taking a step closer to the boy as his flames rose to the ceiling. “He walked miles on shattered legs to drag my bleeding body to the nearest healer!” Leo ripped his left arm and leg out of the gravity, fully freeing himself of the restraints. He took another step towards the boy, relishing the fear in his eyes. “He ran hundreds of miles across the desert for half a week straight to get one of our friends back! He has ripped grown men if half to protect us, and never ONCE faltered, backed away, or yielded. Can you even imagine what that’s like? Having everything you love torn to shreds before your eyes and getting back up!?!? I’ll show you.”
Leo placed his right hand on the boy’s cheek, gripping his right arm and twisting it until it snapped. The boy’s screams were lost beneath the roar of the fire as he struggled desperately to get away from Leo, away from the searing agony burrowing into his flesh, but he was powerless to stop him. Instead, he crumpled to the floor, the tears streaming from his eyes evaporating in the intensity of Leo’s fire. His lips moved, probably a plea for mercy, but Leo didn’t pay any mind.
Leo cut the fire enemating from his body, watching the boy wallow on the ground for a moment in a pool of his own filth. Around him, the others stood pressed to walls, too frightened to raise even a single hand against Leo.
“Get up.” Leo spat, looking down on the boy with a furry he’d never before known.
“Please, I’m sorry,” the boy wept.
Leo slammed his foot into the boy's chest, light enough not to seriously injure him, but certainly hard enough to hear the pleasant crack of a couple ribs, “If you don’t stand, you die. Your friends die. Everything you know and love, gone in an instant. Get. Up.”
The boy curled up into a ball, shielding himself from further punishment, “I’m begging you…please…”
Leo sighed, letting his anger fade away as he watched the pitiable form of a boy that could very well have been him in another life. Regret, too, started to seep in, panic that he’d gone too far, that someone would find out. Oh gods, what had he done? Rough him up a bit, sure, but snap his arm? Shatter his ribs? Melt half his body? That wasn’t like him. That wasn’t like him at all. It’d be astonishing if the boy walked away from this without some long term mental trauma, or scars. Leo quickly stepped over the boy's body, eyes darting this way and that as he slipped out of the room, no one within daring to follow him.