Vash made his way out the threshold of the temple in his humble dark brown coloured car that was encumbered in a died-out cigarette smell, with Caelum seated next to him. Caelum had the window on his side slightly lowered, allowing for a fresh breeze of wind to flow within the car’s interior. Vash took a stop right in the middle of the driveway, and reached for his music player in the background—

—It was an old, portable small cassette player he placed on the counter. Before turning it one, he asked Caelum with a friendly tone,

“Mind if I put some music on?”

“I don’t,” Caelum said, raising his right hand. “No worries.”

“You’ve probably never heard of this artist,” Vash smiled, as he turned the machine on, followed by rustling static noises. “His name’s Niwashi. He used to be extremely well-known throughout all of Deneve. Many of the artists you listen to today are highly inspired by that man.”

Caelum nervously concurred with his sentiment, causing Vash to sceptically frown his eyes.

“Don’t you listen to music?”

“Not really,” he chuckled. “I’ve only listened to a few songs here and there.”

“I’ll assume that none of your family members enjoy listening to music, then.”

The cassette player finally began to begin the first tune. It was a soothing, slow, and melodic jazz song; It started with a mellifluous saxophone sequence, which was then superseded by an assemblage of leisure drums, alluring piano loops, and a prevalent bass guitar in the background.

“Ever attended a music festival?” Vash asked; his voice seamlessly mending with the music as he began driving. “They’re almost as big as the ship’s festivals.”

“Just once. Declan was finally able to drag me and Vaelen into one of those gatherings. If I’m being honest, I wasn’t even able to focus on the music. All we saw was people getting drunk, kissing, laughing… simply causing shenanigans…”

Caelum couldn’t help but chuckle inside after realizing what he said.

“That’s the fun part,” Vash smiled, his gaze fixated forward. “You’ll find out about that soon if you decide to be a little more open.”

“Oh, but that I am!” Caelum exclaimed, raising his right hand in protest. “I’m as open as… y- yeah! I’m a very open person!”

“Open as a what?” Vash laughed loudly as he glanced at him over his shoulder. “Stammered over your own words aye?”

“Oh, shoot,” Caelum frowned. “I bet you’ve had your share of fun times when you were my age, haven’t you?”

“Heh, definitely. Had lots of fun at just fourteen.”

“H- hey! I didn’t need to know that!” Caelum shouted, visibly flustered.

“Though, it just so happened at a music festival. So you kind of needed to know just how prevalent the hookup culture is there.”

Caelum sceptically squinted his eyes that were glued onto him.

“…You really seem like an entirely different person now.”

“Oh, come come! I’m only letting you know about how things really run here. I’ll wear my professional hat when I need to,” Vash smiled. “Anyway, what are you feeling? We could stop by The Pearl if you’d like?”

“Oh, yes! Let’s go there!”

[Western Ventoria: Catering industry terrain]

The morning sun shone gracefully on the medieval-esque terrain. The streets were mostly vacant, with a few pedestrians passing through—vendor owners preparing their spots, and shop owners unlocking the front doors of their properties for their approaching work day. Chirping birds and distant sounds of airships amalgamated seamlessly with the tranquillizing atmosphere.

Luckily, The Pearl had morning services, which meant that the two gentlemen were able to invigorate themselves there. After Vash parked his car a good end away, both he and Caelum traversed the beautiful town of Western Ventoria.

“So, how did you end up becoming a Master?” Caelum asked.

“Well, it’s a long story, but I was thankfully chosen by the Administrative Office after I ‘proved myself’, somewhat.”

“You told us this was your first time ever mastering an Inquisition. I can only imagine how stressful this role must be to you.”

“A lot of mental preparation, kid,” Vash sighed, as he gazed at the sky. “But it’s paying off well.”

***

Meanwhile, back in the Inquisition, Vaelen had recently woken up, but didn’t bother taking care of himself before making sure his brother was safe and well. After quickly clothing himself in a dark green gown, he traipsed his way barefooted through the corridor. He then gently pushed the dark brown wooden door leading to Caelum’s bedroom open, just to find out that he was not present.

…Ah, right. Vash must have picked him up.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

I guess I’ll have a look at how he’s doing.

***

Ten or so minutes passed. Vaelen, now donned in his regular loose white blouse with black pants, walked through a vast open space that seemed like a large stone circle platform, with on the right side, the comforting mountainous view coated by the sunset. With the academy in sight, Vaelen took a deep sigh as he reminisced about his “episode” last night.

He seemed to be in his own world, silently walking forward, unaware of a second presence that approached him and gradually closed the distance between them from behind.

“Top of the morning, Vaelen!”

He stammered awake and followed the source of the feminine, and playful voice.

“…Ah, Qlint.”

He was dressed in his median gray waistcoat over his dark brown, sleeves-uplifted blouse, which sided well with his dark gray pants.

“What are you doing up so early?”

“I could ask you the same question,” Vaelen responded. “Yesterday has been quite the intense lecturing procedure, don’t you think?”

“If that’s the case, then we’re both individuals possessing a great mental capacity,” Qlint chuckled. “Though, it is understandable that the Masters have given us more than enough time to properly rest and rejuvenate our minds.”

He then tilted his head to the left, his curly white hair flowing along the motion.

“Come to think of it, ever learned why your brother wasn’t present yesterday?”

Vaelen closed his eyes and sighed, as he continued his march towards the academy, with Qlint following his trail next to him.

“Something happened during the Initiation Ritual. He basically collapsed during the process, which caused him to miss the first day. However, he was thankfully given permission to ‘catch up’ with yesterday’s lecture, which I believe is currently happening.”

“Ah, I see… Mind if I tag along?” he smiled. “I’m feeling quite bored this morning, anyway.”

“Bored? Then why did you arise?”

“I tend to wake up a lot earlier than the others. I am someone you could consider an early bird. The dorm felt a little too confining for my liking this dawn, so I felt like taking a little breather.”

“Understandable, I presume.”

***

“By the way, how did you get here?” Vaelen asked. “I don’t think we’ve ever met before at the university.”

“Totally reasonable. Which prefect do you come from?”

“Cowright’s, you?”

“Ah, that must be why,” Qlint nodded. “I come from the Lavender prefect. Compared to yours, we’re considered inferior.”

Vaelen took a short sigh as he closed his eyes.

“I understand that the Cowright prefect may seem a little imposing, but, all prefects fall under the same university. Your enrollment and graduation should be a testament to your capabilities.”

“But, let’s not forget that not only Ventoria University, but every other education institution within Deneve falls under the Monlay Assembly—which is being governed by the Cowright Family,” Qlint chuckled. “Can’t blame outsiders for feeling somewhat intimidated when put against prefectures of a higher echelon, right?”

“…I presume so.”

“But, hey, I’m glad that we don’t have to deal with those pesky teachers anymore,” Qlint sighed as he gazed at the sky. “I’ve lost count of how many times I considered just quitting school because of a few individuals who made my time spent there a lot harder than one could normally expect.”

“What did you study?”

“Firearm Anatomy,” he smiled. “You may have guessed it from my attire, but I come from a household of gunsmiths. Guns and all sorts of firearms are our passion. I thankfully kept that passion inside me, which definitely played a big role in helping me bite through the educational onslaught.”

“Oh, interesting. That means you must be interested in joining the Zephyr Assembly, no?”

Qlint drew a sceptical smirk on his face; squinting his left eye.

“…To a degree. I’ve had my internship there and was commended for my practicality during my service. If I wanted to, I could use both the internship certification, as well as my diploma, to become an official member of the assembly. However, I have a different life goal in mind.”

“That being?” Vaelen asked curiously.

“To be the Terra Firma of firearms. My father owns a medium-large gun shop in Southern Ventoria. Our life was never lacklustre; we have wealth, prominence, and a good status. However, I think I am greedy and selfish enough to think that this is not enough.”

“A medium to large emporium…” Vaelen muttered. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the assembly ever contacted your father in regards to firearm production. Even though this occupation is largely government-based, they’re well known, just like Luria, to leech off of independent companies.”

“That’s what they always do,” Qlint replied. “It’s indeed similar to how Luria operates with Terra Firma. They provide them raw materials and Luria turns them into working ships. Since Terra Firma is the single, most prominent construction resource provider, Luria has no need to depend on other institutions.”

“So you basically want your father’s company to be just like how Terra Firma is to the Luria Assembly?”

“Exactly,” he nodded enthusiastically. “If Phineas Leander was able to do it, then, so do I.”

“Phineas? You mean the face of Terra Firma?”

Qlint chuckled as he squinted his eyes.

“You didn’t know? There was never an actual ‘leader’ of Terra Firma besides him. For reasons even I fail to understand, he distinguished himself as the commercial face of the company whilst owning it. Okay, well, perhaps this may sound logical, but I, for one, expected a company as big as Terra Firma to be led by a group of shadow-y people.”

Vaelen remained silent in response, as Qlint continued.

“Anyway, he brought this ‘lie’ so far that even high-ranking members within all three assemblies in Ventoria knew him as just a commercial mascot.”

He then turned his attention back to Vaelen, who held his head lowered.

“You seem awfully placated, knowing he is the Head Master of this Inquisition.”

Vaelen took a sudden stop, prompting Qlint to look back at him.

“…What?”

“You didn’t notice?” he asked. “The man who named himself Roderick Clinton. That was Phineas.”

“Huh?”

“I assumed he was required to use a different name for some shady reasons. I fail to understand because millions of people know what he looks like, so for him to blatantly showcase himself in an obviously different name… It could be his Holy Name, for all we know.”

That… was Phineas…?!

What did Mother say about him again…

…Why would he be here? I don’t understand…

“Ehm, Vaelen?”

“Ah- sorry. Let’s head inside.”

“Got a little stammered, heh? Excuse me if I annoy you. I tend to be talkative over things that interest me,” Qlint smiled nervously. Vaelen shook his head, and continued his march onto the academy.

“Don’t worry. Let us go.”