"Welcome to The Tarrion Academy, where the Blessings of the Dragons shine the brightest. I am going to be your teacher for the first two years. Xilohe Aevorah, Xilo for short."
"Aevorah?"
She paused, waiting for the murmurs to die down.
Xilo stood on the podium with a relaxed posture. Her blonde hair fell down her back in a smooth flow. Her face held a sharp, pretty look, with a round framed eyeglass. She looked around twenty-five. Her expression stayed light but her eyes tracked everything in the room.
Zahir leaned in. " That's the Legendary Sir Margareth's Daughter."
I froze. "No way… Does that me—"
Zahir continued. "So she's Captain Eimira's older sister."
Wryo pitched in. "It's pretty cool to be taught by a descendant of the Legendary Last Knight."
A small smile tugged on Xilo's face as she stepped forward. "I was going to pass an announcement... but someone who doesn't usually like to address the public convinced me to let her do it."
The class leaned in.
"So give your attention to the Captain of the Lost Aegis Vanguard, and my cute little sister." Xilo stepped aside and raised her hand to the door. "Eimira Aevorah."
Eimira walked in with Feona and Ryona behind her. Eimira looked a bit shy. Well I was sure I was the only one that noticed that.
Eimira scanned the class with her eyes and our eyes finally met. She smiled. Feona leaned in and whispered something to her ear.
She cleared her throat. "Good day everyone. I am Eimira Aevorah and I have personally come to welcome everyone to the Tarrion Academy. Getting into the Academy wasn't an easy feat, but you pushed through and that just shows that you earned it."
Eimira spoke with such grace and elegance that it captivated everyone in the class and even had some guys falling. Zahir was probably planning a future in his mind with how aloof he looked. I could feel that she was a bit shy so she looked at me.
She continued. "Most passed the entrance trials and tests, while some were transfers from another academy to further the growth of their Blessings and Strengths. And to fully welcome you, The Academy will be holding a welcome ceremony for the new students tomorrow night."
Everyone had noticed she had been staring in the same spot for a little too long so they began to look back.
"I said give your attention to the captain, is there a void at the back or what?" Xilo said, her voice stern and cold.
The students shrieked and they all faced forward. I breathed a sigh of relief because some were already looking at me.
"Everyone should be neatly dressed in their uniforms as important officials of the Academy are also going to be there to welcome you all." She concluded and stepped back.
"Did you all get that?" Xilo asked.
The entire class nodded in agreement.
Xilo turned to Eimira. "Is that him?"
Eimira nodded. "Y-yes."
She placed her hand on Eimira's shoulder. "Ahh, I can't believe my little Eimira finally found someone."
"Stop it, sister. It's embarrassing." Eimira said, brushing off her hand.
"With that cold attitude, he's going to leave you, Hmph!"
Feona stepped behind them. "Uhm, Eimira, it's time for us to leave. It's training time."
"I wonder what they are talking about." I asked.
"Probably telling her how beautiful her words were." Zahir murmured, still lost in his own world.
Wryo opened his bag and brought out snacks. "You guys want some?."
"Yay, snacks." Zahir came back.
"The usual suspect." Wryo said.
And we both laughed.
"I don't know who's worse, you guys or my bullies." He said as he grabbed a handful of the little chocolate wraps Wryo had in his bag.
"Oh come on, stop whining. We know you love us." Wryo teased.
"Shut it." He tossed a chocolate in his mouth.
Thud! Thud!
Xilo slammed her sheathed sword on the podium to grab the attention of the students.
"I didn't see her bring it in." I said, confused.
"Xilo is a high level Holder of Terra, and also an experienced explorer. So her having a spacial storage box isn't a shock." Zahir said.
"Spacial? First time I've heard of that." I said.
As soon as she got the students attention she returned her sword back into the storage box.
"Alright everyone, let's bid farewell to Captain Eimira and her Vanguard, and let's begin the class." Xilo showed Eimira out.
"Alright. Everyone bring out your Arcstones." She said.
Everyone reached into their bags and pulled out a rectangular crystal cube, similar to the one Eimira gave me,but was much smaller and less fancy.
"You there!" Xilo called out to someone.
I looked up to see that she was pointing at me. My heart raced.
"What's your name?" She asked.
I stuttered."U-Uh.."
"I'm not hitting you, just speak." She said
"My name's Zandren." I answered.
"Of which family or nation are you from?" She asked.
"I'd rather not say here."
She nodded. "Alright. See me after this class."
As I was about to sit down she called out to me again.
"Catch..."
She tossed me an Arcstone.
She smiled. "...She said to give it to you."
"Oh? Oh… okay." I stared at the arcstone and took my seat.
"Alright everyone. For today's class, I will be telling you the path for this year's terms so you can prepare ahead."
She paced back and forth on the podium.
"After the ceremony, there will be a weapon selection event, where you will be picking the weapon type of your choice. And if you are not satisfied by what you see, you can submit a design of what you want to me and the Academy will handle it."
A pause.
"And by the end of the year, after countless training and practical training, you will be tested and would have been assigned to a Vanguard, via the tournament. Those who have blessings or awaken during this year will be chosen by Captains. And if there are multiple Captains, the student would be asked to decide which Vanguard they'd like to join. As for those without blessings, they will be assigned to the Shield units."
"Alright, now that that's settled..."
Xilo summoned her sword, stomped the ground and coated her sword with the rubble, which transformed the shape from a sword to a mace.
"Let's talk about Blessings and how they came about."
She stepped off the podium and made a seat for herself directly in front of the students using her Terra.
"Long ago, the land of Caramien was filled with chaos, death and despair. Every day was a battle of survival in a world of countless voids we call the Dark Forest. No one knows how those Voids came about but they existed. Then one day... Two suns appeared, crashing through the skies together and suddenly they vanished. The people who were lost in the voids lost all hope till one day Four Dragons appeared. Each making a settlement in the midst of this chaotic void. Something no one has ever done."
She stood up and started walking on the stairs which lead to the back of the classroom.
"The people of the Dark Forest all found their way to each Dragon, but the Dragons turned them away, not wanting to interfere in the matters of a world they don't belong to. But they couldn't bear the screams every single night. After each night people come again but the Dragons turned them away every time they did.
"Then one day the Dark Forest began to grow once more, in the settlements of the dragons. It was a force they themselves couldn't fend off without each other. So they came together and decided to form a mutual trust with the people of the Dark Forest. The Dragons give them the Blessings and in turn they protect, defend and expand each settlement."
She settled for a bit to let the words sink in. Her words carried so much weight that the once murmured filled class became dead silent.
"The Dragons bestowed upon the people of the Dark Forest their powers, The power of the Element of the world. Terra, Emberia, Aqualis, Aeris. And then a great war started between the voids of the dark forest and the Elementals. Even with the help from the dragons they still fell behind. Until the Dragon of Nymirel, Cel'Nyseria came up to suggest.
"What if we put a fraction of our consciousness in some of them? So we can fight through them, lending them our full power"
Xilo continued.
"At first it felt like a good plan but the Dragon of Ardor, Bur'Ignisia was against it. "What if they turn on us?". The Dragon of Sylphaeris managed to convince her with the great Dragon of Terraka, Theron."
She went back to the podium.
"And that kiddos, is how Bearers and Holders came about. Any questions?"
A girl from the back raised her hand. Xilo gave her the go ahead.
"How did we know this?" She asked.
A boy pitched in. "How do we know it's not a made up story?"
Xilo laughed. "I was expecting that."
"Well we have the Writers to thank for that."
Everyone gasped.
In all of Terraka Writers are considered dangerous and no one knows why, even mentioning them is forbidden.
Xilo spoke more quietly. "Writers are what we call Anomalies. They started appearing after the Dragons departed Caramien. They possess the power to pass information through the past, present and future, and sometimes outside Knowledge. From a writer of the past to the writer of the present and to the writer of the future. Vice versa. And that's why we have the Arcstones and Aurastones."
"Any more questions?" She asked.
This time Wryo raised up his hand.
"Where... Did the dragons go?" He sounded different.
Xilo stared at him for a bit before answering.
"What Blessings do you possess?" She asked.
"I am a holder of Aqualis." Wryo responded.
"And who is the Dragon of Aqualis?" She asked again.
"Cel'Nyseria..."
"There you have it. The dragon is within each and every one of us." She paused. "Well that's enough questions for the day."
She took a seat. "I divided everyone into groups of five, you'll receive information about your teams on your Arcstones. You will be facing each other after the Weapon selection which will be the first phase of the tournament. With that I end today's class here. Enjoy the rest of your day."
Everyone began to leave, but I stayed behind since Xilo asked me to. I already said my farewells to Wryo and Zahir. Few more minutes passed and Xilo and I were left alone in this massive hall that was once filled with students.
An awkward silence.
It was just me and her.
"Hi?" I waved slightly.
She stood up, removed her glasses and slowly made her way towards me.
I was nervous and anxious about this.
She came to the row I was on and sat beside me.
Suddenly.
She placed her head on my shoulder.
"What? What? What the heck is going on with her?" I panicked.
"I see." She said, then stood up. "You are warm. Just the right temp for her."
"Eh? What does that mean?." I blinked.
"She probably didn't tell you, but ever since Eimira was brought home. She had always been complaining about the cold. She'd say. "I'm cold. I'm cold." Repeatedly."
"It went on for a long time. It bothered me at first but I got used to it as time passed. The best healers we had couldn't even diagnose what was wrong with her."
She began playing with her fingers.
"Every time she came home, she'd always say that it was cold. My Father got worried. But then. She came back home recently, after her exploration, but this time, she wasn't cold."
She turned to me. "I was confused. This girl who was cold for twelve years is suddenly not cold. I wondered if she found a cure in her recent exploration or something. I just had to ask her. How? Do you know what she said?"
"What?"
"She said, she found someone whose warmth melted off the ice in her." Xilo smiled.
"Was that why she was always clingy and always told me how warm I was?"
"I can truly see that you are warm... Well not in the way Ei feels it but one could tell." She laughed.
She continued.
"These little ones are finding love so easily. Great Dragons, why have you forsaken me." She joked.
I laughed.
"You are welcome to come to our house anytime. It's outside the Academy campus but not too far. I'd talk to Eimira about it. Since our Father isn't home... You can even stay the night hehe." She said.
Well, she's the type to hit you when laughing, for I have been attacked multiple times now, but I didn't mind.
"Their dad... Would it be ok if I ask?"
As the laughs died down, I spoke up.
"Uhm Xilo.."
"Yeah?"
"You wouldn't mind if I asked you a few questions right?"
"About?" She blinked.
"Your Father... Sir.Margareth."