We arrived at a beautiful building a few minutes later. If not for the sign reading 'Peregrine Inn', I would have thought it was some rich families summer mansion. The thing was old, but well maintenance. The luscious green grass and bright, colorful flowers were perfectly maintained. I gazed in wonder for awhile, taking note of the warm lighting above the pathway, illuminating the pathway. The building gave off a very Tudor style. A picturesque manor in the countryside, vines crawling up the walls, as if trying to climb through the window.

Now this is some nice design, I thought, mentally applauding the architects of old. Inside the lobby was a large mahogany desk, where behind sat a kindly grandmother.

"Hey Mrs. Foster, nice to see you" Jin waved in greeting while Anise nodded.

"It's nice to see you kids again. And without your parents, look how you've grown!" Mrs. Foster smiled," Oh, and who's this?" She asked, seeing me for the first time.

"Hello, my name is John. Do you own this hotel?" I know it was abrupt, but I was curious. "I love the landscaping outside, how many people does it take to maintain?"

"I'm glad you like the place so far. The garden is my favorite part as well, it's so peaceful." She said with a pleased look. " As for your questions, my husband and I own this hotel. It used to be one of our homes till we retired and decided to convert it. Also, my great-nephew has a friend who loves gardening, so I hired him to help me. I must say, he's been doing a great job."

"That's really neat." I replied.

"Thank you dear. By the way, your room is where your parents usually stay, you kids know the way."

"Thank you Mrs. Foster." Jin said before motioning me to follow him upstairs. After taking a right and heading to the back of the hotel, he opened a door to the room.

Or should I say rooms. There was a main living room area that looked refurbished and had a kitchen, as well as a dining room. There was a hallway with 3 bedrooms and a bathroom at the end of it.

"This place is huge," I said in wonder. "I've really got to find some way to pay you back."

"Again, it's no problem. You can pay us back if you feel you need to but don't worry. This is what friends do." Jin said, smiling kindly.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Still, once I get a class and make money, I'm using the first paycheck to buy the 2 of you a meal." I stated firmly. It still felt weird talking about having a class.

"What if you get a destructive class and you have to join the military?" Jin asked, curious.

"Huh? Military?" I was confused. But in my defense, classes aren't exactly common knowledge.

"If you get a combat class or an unknown class, you have to got to the school and learn how to control it so you don't cause damage." Jin told me. "That's where I'm hoping to go. I'm hoping for a combat class. I never really grew out of those stories we heard when we were young about dashing heroes saving the princess."

"After that, you have to go join the military and help out for a few years." He told me.

"What! How long is the school?"

"4 years, then you join the military as a lieutenant or carry on with your life if you're deemed non combat capable." Jin told me.

"4 years! No one told me this!" I yelled, my nerves getting the best of me at the thought of leaving my family for 4 years. I can't do that to them! I started to panic.

"Yeah, but it'll all turn out ok. On the off chance you get a combat class, or maybe even a new class, I and possibly Anise will be there with you and help you out".

I did some deep breathing and tried to focus on my surroundings to distract myself.

5 things I can see: The wood floor, the pillars providing support for the building, Jin trying to calm me down, Anise looking at me concerned, the table with four chairs.

4 things I can touch: The soft cotton of my shirt, my hair, the backpack straps, my skin.

3 things I can hear: My breathing, the fan whirring, the AC humming.

2 things I can smell: Nothing, my allergies are acting up today.

1 thing I can taste: My saliva.

My breathing starts to even as I calm down. This kind of thing happens a lot and my friends know that I don't feel comfortable talking about it. I thanked them and went into my room to calm down and tried to sleep.

----------------------------------------

I woke up the next day feeling much better. After taking a well needed shower, I went to the living room and greeted my friends. Apparently Jin was going to meet up with some old friends and Anise wanted to go talk to the gardener about... something.

She wasn't very clear on that, so I let it go. Jin told me the gardeners name is Matt and Anise has liked him for awhile and always talks to him when they're here. I found it kind of funny imagining a talkative Anise and Jin found it funny as well.

We parted ways and I decided to explore the city and maybe stop by the library to see if they had any cool books I hadn't read before. I wondered if they had blueprints to the castle.

The castle was a magnificent building in the center of the city. It looked like it was designed to mimic the byzantine era. It had a square base and four arms making a large plus. Above the square base was a huge dome. I once heard that the underside of the dome was covered in murals and could hold over a thousand people. That was the ballroom for social gatherings of the most influential nobles. Around the castle were the large towers I was thinking about earlier. I swallowed reflexively.

I was way out of my league.