[Present time: The Gaian Academy]

The two young men, Vaelen and Qlint, stood still next to each other in one of the many corridors, resting their backs against the wall. The sun began to grow more prevalent, which beautifully illuminated the already elegant-looking hallway. Vaelen appeared defeated, as he surmised places where his younger brother could have gone to. This was until a third figure approached them from the other end of the corridor.

They both turned their heads to the left, as they saw Eunice, draped in a layered dark green robe, that contrasted sharply against her short, groomed white hair. Her slim and defined harmonious face glimmered gracefully in the sunlight, as she asked them with a loud, but friendly tone,

“What finds you here so early, boys?”

“Ah, Eunice!” Qlint exclaimed, standing before Vaelen as he tried to explain the situation, only to stumble over his words. Vaelen sighed, and stepped next to him, grasping the initiative.

“Pardon our boldness. We were searching for my brother, Caelum, who was supposed to have his early training at this moment.”

“Ah, you mean Caelum and Vash,” she muttered, nodding slowly. “Their training had already started; they are currently taking a break in main Ventoria. It had been a little ever since they left, so I expect them to be back soon.”

“…I see,” Vaelen responded solemnly. “Do you happen to know where they went?”

“Sadly not…” she said, as a sudden playful glint crossed her eyes. “Actually, why won’t you both aid me in preparing for today’s training procedure? The classroom we planned to use for today won’t be available for use today.”

“What happened to the servants?” Qlint asked, slightly tilting his head to the left.

“They performed their endeavours yesterday. They’re not around on Tuesdays.”

She then turned around and looked at them both over her shoulder, a bright smile etched on her beautiful face.

“Come, it will be a good way to kill time while waiting for your brother.”

“…I don’t mind,” Vaelen sighed, looking at Qlint. “Will you accompany me?”

“Of course,” he nodded enthusiastically. “Can’t afford to abandon you now. I brought myself into this.”

She led the way through two more corridors until they arrived at a large, polished wooden gate. She slowly pushed it open with both hands, the sounds of the doors opening emitting a slight creaking noise, as a grand, Gothic hall materialised before them.

The Gaian Academy always had a distinct “mystical” feel, and it seemed that this single grand hall was the very source of it. It looked very magical-like, despite appearing quite barren. It consisted of three long rows of wooden pews, a large, ornately-made chandelier hanging from the high ceiling, a small hallway to the right, protected by arched stone pillars, and finally, a large, arched stained glass window situated at the very Northern of the hall, depicting the Gaian Goddess, Valeria, draped in an ancient, dark green layered robe.

Their footsteps echoed throughout the entire hall, punctuated by Qlint, who scanned his surroundings with awe painted all across his face.

“Woah, is this where we’ll be staying today?”

“Indeed,” Eunice nodded. “We originally planned to do the work outside the training field, but there’s a rain expectancy of around sixty percent. We thought it would be best not to throw you all into a nightmarish trial on the second day already,” she chuckled softly, closing the gate behind her.

“Then, I assume we will be training indoors, too, no?” Qlint asked again.

“Indeed. The room next to this hall will be used for that purpose.”

Vaelen seemed noticeably less “awestruck” than his acquaintance. He held his hands on his hips, as he asked Eunice about the nature of their purpose being there. She responded with a carefree tone, stepping towards the rows of pews.

“I’ll need some help with polishing the pews, that’s all.”

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“Ah, nothing more tedious than doing cleaning work,” Qlint sighed. “I understand why you wanted us to help now.”

She chuckled with closed lips, crossing her arms.

“The handkerchiefs are ready to be used on the wooden counter you see in the corner. If you don’t bother about the time for now, it will go faster than you realise.”

“That is fine,” Vaelen said as he rolled up his sleeves. “Let us begin, Qlint.”

“Ay, aye, Captain!”

***

Around ten or so minutes later, the grand hall seemed a lot more “occupied” than before. Whilst the two young men were busy polishing the pews, Eunice had embellished the entrance with various objects that ranged from three large tables with old, symbolical engravings on it, white-coloured mannequins, and three separate wooden decks that she placed on one table she put in the middle of the three.

Qlint eventually finished his task and decided to aid Vaelen with his after he insisted on providing his helping hand. As they were polishing the last three rows of the pews, Qlint took a short stop and raised his posture, asking him with a curious tone,

“How’d your first day go?”

“It went fine,” Vaelen responded, following Qlint’s suit as he took a seat before him. “It was quite a lot of information to digest in a single day, but that’s what happens when you only have one week before the real Inquisition begins.”

Eunice was still present, and she could hear their conversation. After settling up some miscellaneous items on the tables, such as books and quills, she took a deep sigh and chimed in.

“It is done so deliberately, according to the Administrative Office. These people always had a high expectancy of others, seemingly worthy individuals. In their eyes, failing to understand and master the basics of Hexery in a week’s time is seen as incompetency.”

Qlint smiled nervously, his face forming into a cringed expression.

“Seems a little harsh, no?”

“Well… yes, I agree,” she said. “Though, the Inquisition will allow for more freedom of exploration. I always see the beginning part as a chance to discover yourself and the actual Inquisition letting you explore yourself. It is why I adore the Great Eastern Forest so much; It allows for endless exploration of oneself.”

Qlint nodded gracefully.

“Personally, I’ve never seen a place as significant as that forest. It is said to be so large, that it spans three entire continents. Encapsulating the East, North, and North-Western corners of this world.”

“Indeed,” she confirmed. “It is highly regarded as the single most resourceful root of agricultural professions in the world. Not only that, but it is where most known Earthen Beings reside. Nobody knows what the exact centre of the forest is, nor has anyone ever found it before.”

“Ah, yes, I’ve read something about this, somewhere in Ventoria’s main Library,” Qlint responded. “I vaguely remember the name… something akin to… Darius?”

“The Concept of Darius, yes, you are correct.”

Vaelen nodded as well, as he chimed in.

“I’ve read about it too. He was a close confidante of Gaizer, someone who also had a great interest in the nature of Earthen Beings. However, during the third Age, when he was met with the forest, his aspirations changed, and he became an officially-certified explorer; paid by the government for exploring the forest and gaining newfound knowledge for the sake of Deneve. ‘The Concept of Darius’ itself is the title of the biography novel he wrote, where he depicted his experiences there.”

“Correct,” Eunice assured. “He is also the only person known to have been the closest to the center of the forest. The term ‘concept’ derives from his theory of the differences in the laws of nature within the forest.”

She raised her right pointer finger in the air as she continued.

“Firstly, he assumed this because of the overarching presence of Earthen Beings, but he gradually came to this conclusion after having failed numerous times to find the centre of the forest, even after arriving at agreed-upon geographical locations, where most people assumed the centre would be situated at.”

“That painting…” Qlint murmured. “It still seems extremely convincing to this day. I’ve come to believe that he really did have a glance of the actual midpoint of the forest before it was suddenly lost in the depths.”

“He called it ‘A vast, circular platform made of old stone’,” Eunice added. “That was all he could discern through the trees and structures. It almost feels as if the forest wants to be discovered, but by someone who is deemed worthy enough.”

Worthy enough, you say…” Qlint murmured, as Vaelen contemplatively stared into the distance. “Then, what would the requirement be in order to find one’s worth?”

A close smile tugged at the corners of Eunice’s lips as soon as she heard his words. The illustration of Valeria disturbingly seemed as if it was eagerly listening along in silence, as the chandelier’s quietness, too, seemed to anticipate what she was about to say. It was a strange, and sudden change in atmosphere, yet it appeared to have gone over the heads of the two young men. They raised their heads to meet Eunice’s figure, silently waiting for her words of knowledge.

“The forest itself is foreign enough to be considered its own world. If it will be discovered, it will have to be done so by someone, who, too, is foreign to this world, or at least considered to be not one of ‘us’. An outcast, an evil omen, but a Human.”