Shards: Intro- Part 1 (old)

Chapter One: Disembark

At long last, our Gargantuan Skyliner; The Aether, was hovering over the river that led to our destination. I leaned over the rail to admire the first familiar view of our entire journey back south.

The windy river we were flying over didn't branch off into the ocean as a delta, but into a massive semi-circle shaped valley that housed the water-town of Scendit.

As The Aether descended through the moist clouds, I could hear the cheering getting louder. There were kayaks, rowboats, and yachts surrounding the docking port. Homemade sky lanterns were being released from multiple locations below me. To my amusement, a couple of them burst aflame a minute or two after being released.

A few Sky-Morpher wards were flying beside the ship. They were making sure other Sky-Morphers didn't get too close. Even if they were family and friends of the returned, they were expected to wait at the docks like everyone else.

To right, one of the boys I trained with seemingly recognized one of the Morphers flying a safe distance from the hull; a Hippogriff by the looks of it. That boy; Efron, demonstrated the ability to morph into a Hippogriff as well. So that must've been his sister flying in front of us. He talked all about her during Beta-Phase. Efron got her attention and pulled out an orb-encased Shard boasting a sky blue glow. He pointed at it in excitement and his sister chirped likewise.

A large Wyvern ward flew up to the Hippogriff and clicked in the Nether-Tongue. Probably telling her to wait at the docks. She nodded in understanding and shot Efron a wink before flying down to the city below.

I Wish I had a family, or at least one that regarded my existence. Just like my family is too large to care about me, my family's too large for me to care about them. Given the lack of attention I received from anyone who isn't a housemaid or a servant, the difference between my previous home and a flat-out orphanage was minimal.
What's worse? This journey was supposed to change that—give me an identity.

I mean.....I know I can perform small incantations with a wand. But who cares? That only means I'm just like almost everyone else. Yet I learned nothing about my individual purpose in society.

I momentarily envied Efron, but got over it quickly. No need to wallop in self-pity over what can't be fixed.

The ring on my left hand suddenly made a small hum, sending small vibrations through the hand bar where my grip was. It's been doing this for the past few hours, and I was getting tired of it. I raised my left hand and placed it on my hip to stop the vibrations. Our ship still hasn't landed after 12 minutes of floating around the whole bay.

"Good lord above, can we please just land already?" I muttered.

*ATTENTION, ATTENTION. ALL GRADUATES ABOARD ARE TO MAKE FOR THE GRAND ASSEMBLY TO RECEIVE CLOSING REMARKS FROM CAPTAIN LANCE*

Huh....another prolonging dramatic speech. Trying not to visibly sulk, I turned around to follow the other students to the stairwell. Before I left the top deck, the whole bulk of the ship buckled as we made contact with the bay water. The Aether's port side was exposed to face the shore, signifying the start of the docking process.

There were shouts and shoves coming from all around me as virtually the entire populace of the ship made way for the assembly; where the captain would give his speech. On the staircase, it took me 10 minutes alone to bypass just three floors.