The trip to the academy would take a few days by carriage. They would only be making short stops along the way to ensure that they would be able to be there for the opening ceremony. If they slept in the carriage for the two nights they would be able to spend the last in an inn to clean up for their first day.

A lot had changed since the group of six had started on their journey through the Warping Forest and their growth in body, mind and interactions showed. Currently Jien sat between the ever cheery Rosalind and stoic Barret. Still, just from their interactions one could see how they had matured. Though Rosalind was still cheery and full of energy her actions themselves had become more refined and controlled. She no longer jumped all over others, nor did she try to be the loudest voice in the room, in fact starting to act rather shyly, though everyone noticed this was most true when Jien was around. Barret on the other hand while still being a man of few words appeared more amiable if only in the amount of attention he paid to the conversations around him, willingly answering questions with more breadth than he had used to in prior years, though only to this small group.

While their social interactions had had some small changes, this was an understatement for physical growth. Much like Jien, Barret had grown to have a lean athletic build, his skill set directed to a combination of agility, flexibility and stealth, as opposed to Jien's own aiming for momentum, flexibility and balance. Rosalind had perhaps grown the most of the six. She had been the tallest of them back at their first meetings, only Bernard keeping up with her in relative stature at the time, but she truly did take after her father and his mountainous build. Each inch of her form seemed to be packed with compacted muscle, accentuating just how much power she was able to wield in each action. Despite this she acted like a lady of her status, the long skirt of her uniform draped over her elegantly crossed legs. Her overall form had grown a fair amount more voluptuous, which seemed to have grabbed Bernard's attention over the years but much to her dismay this change didn't seem to elicit any extra responses from Jien despite her subtle advances.

Bernard himself had grown as well, maintaining his rank as the second tallest of those around. His form had grown broader, packing on plenty of extra muscle. He was beginning to carry the same feeling of bear-like physique as Rosalind's mentor Johnathan. This had earned him the approval of the mentor in question as a vanguard for the young group. It took a lot of strength to handle the harshest blows for the team and their time facing off against their mentor's had proven just how much the body could adapt to the structure needed to survive. He was not only more muscular but the muscles had been trained to the point that a blow against them would feel like striking stone. His uniform seemed to strain slightly against his form and he appeared ever so lightly uncomfortable having to wear it.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

The last two Olivia and Lesley were showing just how much their social interaction had changed over the years. Where once a pair of bickering kids had once stood, now sat Olivia with her svelte, yet powerful form, her arm wrapped around Lesley's and her head resting on his shoulder. Their fingers were intertwined and a slight blush could be seen on their cheeks. Lesley was looking out the window of the carriage as if trying to ignore what was happening, his lithe form just as powerful as the others, if anything was slightly different it was that he arms seemed to be stronger than the others, the muscles not as think as Bernard's', but coiled like powerful strings from pulling back on increasingly powerful bows.

Everyone knew that though he was acting like he was ignoring Olivia that his mind most definitely was not. This had been the case for years now. They would bicker like children at times but at almost every other moment of free time they would be seen together in some romantic situation that made the other feel a mix of awkward and ready to puke sugar. Out of the entire team they were the only ones to become a couple, not for lack of Rosalind dropping hints, which Anuva made sure to point out in Jien's free moments for her own amusement.

During the several day ride the atmosphere was calm and casual. They had conversations, slept and ate, occasionally stopping to stretch their legs for short periods of time. This trend continued until the group of teens finally saw the changes they had been informed of. In the distance they saw a vast swathe of sparkling greenish blue that ran into the horizon past a large city built of pale brown stone. It appeared to be built on a downward slope toward the sea and off in the distance to the left they caught the vague silhouette of their destination, a massive mirage like shadow running the entire eastern side of the port city of Alruesta, separated by what could only be described as a blinding white desert.

They had finally made it. They would get one night's rest at an inn in Alruesta before heading to their final destination.