Chapter 2

I head on over to the car to reach for the door–

He gently nudges my hand out of the way, briefly grazing his fingers over my own. He reaches for the handle himself, “Your Nan would have a heart attack if she knew I didn’t open your door.”

I lug my bag off my shoulder and onto the floor of the car.

“I thought your Nan told you I’d be attending the school along with you.” He grins, he clearly saw my face when I’d first seen him.

“She told me you were a kind young fellow,” I smiled in return, “So, no she didn’t.”

I glance towards him, noticing his hair is very neatly combed into place as if he were expecting my Nan to greet him.

I take in his appearance from head to toe as he drives, his hands on the wheel and his head lays back, resting against the headrest.

“Where are you from?” His looks deem him to be somewhere from the north with his tan skin, but he could live in Akira himself.

He opens his mouth, then shuts it just as quickly. He stutters before the words come out of his mouth, “Eternal.”

He keeps his eyes focused on the road as we merge into green, lush forests.

“Woah, you’re a Vampire?” How is he even out in the daylight, and he’s way too tanned to be one?

“No, no I’m a Witch, or Wizard if you like.” He smirks.

“I was questioning everything I knew about vampires.” I laugh and he joins in. No wonder I suspected him from the north, his whole appearance is representative of the north’s specialities.

“I’ve just recently moved, I’m originally from Veraxia.” That would explain why he was stuttering, but it still seemed strange considering how well he spoke to my parents.

Veraxia is known for the witches, it's filled with dark green trees and houses that are only built out of wood. It’s one of the smaller realms, but it’s rather breathtaking, so I’ve heard. I’ve never been, but I’d love to travel through all the realms one day.

*

Our car slowly comes to a slow and my eyes flutter open. “We're not there yet,” Jrue says with a grumble.

“Where are we?” I look around frantically, the area looks bare, very wet and rainy. Everything around us looks grey and drab.

“We’re just entering Aquilo.” He says quietly. I must have been asleep for a few hours because his voice had grown croaky from not talking.

“It’s so –”

“Depressing?” He stifles a small laugh.

“No, not at all. It’s just a lot darker than I'd imagined.” I look around to the grey trees with just hints of green scattered across them.

“That would be because it’s the Ashen season, notoriously known for its rain. You’ll be lucky if you get one day of sun.” He yawns, while his eyes remain steady on the road, clearly I’d been asleep a while.

“The season only lasts for one month. Thankfully.” He takes a quick sip of his water and the car starts to slow down. We head towards an opening in the forest. The road is big enough for only one car at a time.

“We’re almost there. I’m guessing another hour, as long as we don’t get stopped.” I look out the window expecting to see something.

“Don’t look so confused. Sometimes the magic holding out the rest of the myths can interfere with us. Especially for first years like yourself.” He slows the car, and we bump around avoiding the potholes in the worn road.

The trees surround the car, swirling around, almost grabbing us. They look alive, everything here looks alive.

“Everything looks alive, why is that?” I look towards him.

“That’s because it is alive, everything here, like you know was made, everything has a mind. These roads change daily to keep intruders out.” He keeps his eyes focused on the road as if it’s about to change. He turns up the music, not wanting to continue our conversation. Jrue focuses on the drive, while I sit back and watch the landscape come alive.

*

We arrive at Etheria an hour later. Jrue hands me my enormous suitcase which makes me stumble once I grab hold of it.

“I’ll see you around Elle.” He gestures towards the magnificent castle-like building. I’d seen pictures, but this, wow. I would have never imagined it would be this spectacular in person.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

I lug my suitcase up the trillions of stairs that are currently in front of me. I look up between each set of stairs and I sigh. I can’t believe I’m finally here. In Aquilo. At Etheria. This school is breathtaking, it's hard to take in everything as I look around.

The castle is built by limestone bricks, there are at least four turrets that I can count and there are flowers and vines scattered all across the walls of Etheria. Ahead of the staircase are four arches, all leading to what I assume are the dormitories.

I turn around noticing Jrue still at the bottom, signing his car off, letting it drive away on its own with no one in it. I’d always seen the newer cars being able to have minds of their own, but this was such an old car it’s hard to believe it. This is the only place where this kind of magic can roam free, in most realms it's contained for our safety, but here we have to endure it, and learn about it.

The landscape is rather drab, but as Jrue says, it’s Ashen season. I’m told everything comes to life during the season of Luminescence. The plants go through the stage of rebirth and come out even more lively than before.

Just then a more up-to-date car rolls into the entryway. I’m already quite a way up the stairs which makes it tricky to tell what car it is, but all I can see is that there is no one driving that car.

The magic of this world is slowly revealing itself to me as I look in every direction, from the mesmerizing energy that is flowing off the old limestone castle, to the pinkish aura surrounding the turrets of the castle. The energy here is nothing I’ve ever experienced before. How is it that this place seems to look like a fairytale at every glance?

I look around noticing that more than a few people have started to surround the car. Trying to sneak a look at whoever might be inside. Just then, the door flashes open and a girl steps out. She appears to be wearing an old-fashioned uniform. Ones that would be worn for royalty, not for everyday use. Only one myth comes to mind when I see that uniform, Angels.

The girl steps out of the cream-coloured car, her auburn hair flowing around in the wind, covering part of her face. Her wings appear to be tucked into her personally tailored uniform, but the tips stick out through the top, giving me the idea that they are brown. Only the royals have colour-tipped wings, to every other Myths eye they appear brown, but to them, their wings are the colour of gold. She isn’t just any ordinary myth, she’s a royal.

The Angel myth is the hardest to kill among all, that was originally the reason the Angels became royalty to begin with, but since then that has been lost since almost everyone has access to dragon fire and a blade, which would kill them just as easily as any other Myth, but they still reign over the world.

The girl moves out of the way, her tanned skin standing out against her drab background. She grasps her luggage and heads towards the millions of steps before her.

I turn back around looking up at the never-ending staircase that stands before me. I groan, picking my suitcase back up and beginning my ascent. The castle seems to be getting bigger with each step I take, the turrets on top of the castle are becoming more pointy with a pink aura surrounding each of them. I stare up for a second longer, looking at the pinky tone, wondering what could cause it–

“That’s just a protection spell. Pretty simple if you know the formula.” I jump back, whipping my head around to see the auburn-haired girl standing directly behind me. She wears a floor-length white skirt, with a orange-hued corset.

“I’m Lucinda, but call me Indy.” She stares at me, awaiting my answer.

“I’ve never heard of that, I’ve always loved reading about spells, but I’ve never found a protection spell of any kind,” I say back, still shocked to find a royal has spoken to me. Protection spells are strictly forbidden, considering not everyone can possess this power. Only the most important locations can be protected, there isn’t enough power to protect everywhere at once.

I look up towards the turrets again, the colour has changed to a dark purple.

“It’s the most secure spell there is, no one but the elite is allowed to know about it.” She laughs, “But that’s because that spell is the only way to undo the protection,” she smiles.

“That’s why I’d never heard about it,” I pause a moment, “I’m Eloise, are you a first year too?” I must admit she looks far older than me.

“Yup, my brother is a second year though, he adores this place, every time he comes he gets wrapped up in its energy, he’s wanted me to join him for years now.” She turns to face me.

“So, where are you headed?” She tilts her head just slightly, giving me a glimpse of her glowing gold necklace.

Jewellery is sacred here in Etheria, each student will be blessed with a piece. Each stone will give unique powers to the person who wears it. They also supply us with common power, every student who has ever attended this school will have a power of some sort. Although these are inanimate objects, they choose who they wish to bind to. It’s never the myth’s choice.

“I’m not sure yet, just trying to make it up the stairs” We both laugh, but I keep looking towards her necklace.

Not just anyone can own these necklaces, it could potentially be an heirloom of some sort passed down through her family.

“It’s my late grandmother's necklace.” She smiles, bringing the necklace out from underneath her shirt. The stone is amber with gold accents surrounding the gem. “It’s an heirloom, and it’s no longer in use. My grandmother wanted me to have it for my piece.”

Pieces aren’t usually passed down, but when they are, it’s a special occurrence, and it’s not taken lightly around here.

“That’s incredible,” It looks to almost be the same colour as the one and only-

“Is that the Duchess of Amara’s necklace?” It looks almost identical to the one she wore for centuries, it was and still is the only amber piece. Only the royals would be able to wear an amber piece, especially a necklace.

She passed about a year ago, that would make Lucinda- “Was your grandmother Duchess Priscilla” It can’t be, she had no heirs.

Only one, but she died within weeks of being born. “Shhh, I didn’t think you’d piece all that together from a necklace.” She looks around making sure no one has heard me.

“No one just owns a necklace like that!” I continue to stare at the amber gem looped around her neck.

“Do you mind not telling anyone? I’ll owe you big time. There are at least three amber pieces throughout the realms, it’s not unlikely that I have one considering my title.” She tucks away her necklace hiding it from the people around us. I should hold my tongue around a royal, but something about Indy makes me want to blurt everything out.

“Well it doesn’t help that I admired the Duchess, so I know everything about her” I laugh, “I won’t tell anyone.” I smile at her as she heads towards the northern entrance, leaving me alone in front of Etheria.