Oh, so this is how I die, Ayran thought as he and his sister plummeted from the sky, the spinning earth racing towards them. He'd had an uneasy feeling this would happen. Gayle had been pushing herself since Serul, using her Art and her sheet to propel them through the sky. Mostly, it had gone smoothly, but still he couldn't shake the feeling she would run out of Aether at the worst possible moment—probably while they were still hundreds of feet in the air. Ayran wasn't convinced he could see the future, but his instincts concerning danger had yet to fail him.
"Gayle, do something!" he shouted. Miraculously, he still clung to their bags.
"Yeah, I know. I'm on it," she yelled back, grinning.
Who grins while they're about to splatter? Ayran had a running list of terrors, and splattering held a solid spot on that list; number 36, to be exact. His sister's nonchalance, bordering on excitement, only seemed to confirm his suspicion of the past fourteen years that his twin was indeed insane.
Gayle!" he shrieked.
Gayle waited until they were mere feet from the ground, then aimed her palms at the earth below them and cast. "Wind Emission: Gale Burst." A blast of air erupted from her palms, decelerating their fall. Gayle landed with a roll, bouncing back up with a wide grin, while Ayran collapsed on the ground, embracing the soft, wonderfully steady grass. His head still reeled from the baleful winds that had roared past his ears moments before.
"One of my better landings, don't you think?" Gayle said, extending a hand towards him.
"Unfortunately, yes," Ayran conceded as she helped him up.
"Thanks," Gayle laughed before retrieving one of their small bags and turning toward the road. Ayran grabbed the other and trailed her. The fact they were still alive meant they had to continue their journey to Gran Akademos. Just great.
Around them, the fabled Geford Forest teemed with life. The afternoon sun painted the sky, casting brilliant beams of light on a majestic ivory tower visible in the distance. As typical of the last remnants of the summer months, the sounds of various animals and insects filled the air with a continuous, soothing hum. Birds trilled as they fed their young ones, and squirrels scampered about, chasing each other up and down the towering trees. Deeper into the forest, a few deer with dazzling chestnut coats grazed languidly on fresh grass. Ayran found it ironic that things were so peaceful during the month of Bel—the Deva of warfare and chaos—but he wasn't complaining. All was calm, and Ayran liked calm.
The road near the forest's edge bustled with travelers. Some rode in horse-drawn carriages, but most journeyed on foot. Among the throng was a baffled-looking boy. He stared at a roughly sketched map in his hand, rotating it repeatedly as he tried to decipher it. After a few minutes, he gave up, scratching his disheveled black hair.
A short distance behind him was a woman accompanied by her young son. The duo seemed to have returned from a foraging expedition in the forest, as evidenced by the large basket the woman carried. Her son, considerably less encumbered, held a bouquet of peculiar flowers.
"That's the place, isn't it, Mommy? That's where the super-cool magic people are?" the young boy asked, pointing towards the imposing tower in the distance.
"Yes, dear. That's the Tower of Akademos," the woman replied, repositioning the hefty basket on her hip. "That's the school where the greatest mages are trained."
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"That's so cool," the young boy said, his eyes gleaming. "Mommy, do you think I can go there one day?" he asked, excitedly tugging on her sleeve.
She smiled at him affectionately. "Of course you can, honey; I'm sure you will one day."
"I'll go to the magic people's school, and I'll be super strong," he sang, miming fantastical spells at imagined adversaries.
Ayran watched as the woman indulged her son's playful antics, occasionally partaking in his mock battle with her own pretend spells. The scene stirred a bittersweet feeling within him. In flashes, he recalled the profound silence of a two-person household, the kindness of innumerable strangers, and a longing for the fleeting presence of those called family.
"I'm sorry," Gayle said beside him.
"Sorry? What for?" Ayran asked, then he recalled their near-death experience. "Oh right, you almost killed me. Again."
"And yet, somehow, you still survived," Gayle remarked. "No, I was apologizing for not getting us all the way to Akademos. But at least we're close enough to continue on foot and still make it in time for the entrance exam."
"Are you sure you didn't just run out of Aether?" Ayran probed.
Gayle faced him and conjured a miniature whirlwind in her hand. "Does it look like I ran out?"
"No, but—"
"But?" The gust in her palm intensified. Ayran could almost feel its bite stinging his skin, having withstood many of his sister's relatively harmless threats.
"I mean, my deepest gratitude to you and the gods. I am profoundly appreciative of our near-safe arrival at our destination," he parroted robotically.
Gayle smiled, and the wind dissipated with a soft swoosh. "That's more like it."
Ayran sighed. "I can't believe we're really going to that madhouse of an academy."
"I know, it's unbelievable. We're actually going to enroll in the Gran Akademos. I'm still surprised we were invited."
Ayran shot her a baffled look. "You're surprised? Given that Ari teaches there, we were practically guaranteed an invitation."
There were, indeed, other, safer educational alternatives the twins could have chosen, but Gayle had been adamant about Akademos—the most reckless choice—citing Ari's presence at the school as her primary reason.
"Sure, but that's not what I was getting at. You've read her letters; there are going to be some seriously powerful students there—the A-Rank first-years, the S-Ranks, and of course, those exceptional four at the pinnacle of the school, the Tetrarchs. I can't wait to meet them all," she gushed, eyes glazing over dreamily.
At Gran Akademos, students were ranked based on their current mastery and aptitude with their Arts. The ranks began at D and progressed to S. The S-Rank students were the elite among the student mages, possessing abilities that far outshone Ayran's and his sister's.
"The Tetrarchs and the other S-Ranks make sense. After all, if you survive in a school as chaotic as Akademos for over a year, you're bound to become immensely powerful," Ayran reasoned. "But a first-year student starting with an A-Rank? That's just bizarre. They're only first-years, so why are they so strong? If you ask me it's because they're freaks."
"Amazing, right?" Gayle grinned. "You think we'll have one of them in our class? I wonder what they'll be like."
"I hope I never find out."
"Why? Are you scared?" she taunted. "Don't worry. Your big sis will protect you."
"Who? Ari? I don't think she'll be allowed to help us mu—"
He was cut off by Gayle, who blasted him with a gust of wind. The impact sent him staggering into a group of passersby who all laughed good-naturedly at the two siblings. So, it isn't just Gayle who finds my pain amusing. I've entered a country of terrifying sadists. Ayran shuddered.
"No, you goofball. I meant me. Who knows? I might be this year's A-Rank." Gayle conjured another pair of whirlwinds in her palms and grinned. "I'm pretty powerful myself, you know. After all, I did earn an invitation to Akademos."
"Sure. But you're not older," Ayran retorted, and she playfully sent more gusts of wind his way.
Suddenly, screams erupted behind them as a shiny metal carriage burst through the trees. The driver was frantic, nearly running over a group of travelers as he sped toward the tower. A girl with amber-red hair looked out of the carriage's window, her eyes wide with terror—and for good reason. Chasing the vehicle was a nine-foot-tall, humanoid creature with sickly green skin. It resembled the monstrous offspring of a boar and a gorilla. Ayran's heart skipped a beat as he recognized the rampaging beast—number 32 on his list—an ogre.