"The light is bright as their journey begins"
Previously on Novus Magus: The semi-finals of the tournament is over, and now we head directly toward the place of our dreams, Nine Petal Academy! Get ready Xeleria, a new star will soon be born!- Lei.
*Lei*
"I see it," I called out to everyone. The train was heading toward an island. A mountainous one with a five-story white castle standing in the southern central area of it. 'Am I dreaming?' was the first thing to have struck my mind when it actually came into full view.
I hadn't expected there to be a castle, despite having known that the institution itself was centuries old. The castle and the geography of the island weren't the only things I could see. I could make out more buildings despite still being miles from the center. Most seemed to be dorms, but there were also what appeared to be shops and even houses. Surrounding the castle were several two and three-story buildings separated by gardens of blooming cherry blossoms. As well as giant arenas, one close to the bridge we were speeding toward the island on.
As if this were not enough, there were several different kinds of trees with lush green auras peeping out from in between the field of pink. The falling cherry blossom petals over the white castle created such a mesmerizing scene that it felt as if I were in heaven.
I glanced over at Iah to see how he was reacting to all this, but he wasn't even paying any attention. Instead, his focus was on the island's waters, which were surrounded by a thirty-mile radius barrier that nearly seemed invisible except when the light hit it just right. "Why is the school surrounded by a barrier?" Iah wondered out loud.
"That's to avoid any attacks on the school," Eien said as he climbed to the dome on top of the bullet train, which gave one a 360 view of their surroundings.
'Here's our guide,' I thought to myself and laughed.
But even so, there was one doubt I couldn't voice out. I looked around and found Nyima staring at the barrier as if thinking the same thing I was. Protection from what? Had the school been attacked in the past?
'An attack... thinking about it, it did feel as if something similar happened in this country long ago. Was it when I came to visit this country years ago with my family?'
"By the way, once we arrive, I'd like to introduce you to my mother, the former queen of Kyuu Seishin," Eien's voice brought me back to reality. "I mean if she's around."
Iah smiled upon hearing those words. "So I'll finally get to meet the former ruler of Kyuu-Hyaku Clan."
"You mean your rival clan?" Eien pointed out.
To this, Iah gave him an impish smile. "I wouldn't go as far as to say that. I don't hold the grudges of my mother's clan, at least not very strongly. Well, I don't hold those of my father's either."
"Is that so?" The second prince watched as his home country got closer. "Then you don't hate me either?"
"You're annoying, but I would not say I hate you. I know it might be a cliche, but 'hate' really is a strong word," he said, walking away.
'Ah, do they have to be so serious?' I thought to myself, but I knew that the three of them being like that couldn't be helped. Well, more so Nyima. She was always so stern.
I spectated as Nyima grabbed Iah's arm, pulled him to the side, and leaned in closely.
"I don't trust him. You saw how he reacted when Lei asked him about having a demon in him, not to mention how he enjoyed seeing Zelde being controlled by the spirit within her," she whispered.
"Me neither," he whispered back.
She smiled. "So that's the type of person you are."
I really didn't understand what to make of Iah, especially in regard to his relationship with Adela. But I'd better steer safe. I nodded to myself.
"What do you mean?" Iah said, blinking.
'As if asking her that would do you any good.' I chuckled to myself.
Nyima let go of him and walked toward the edge of the deck. "You and I are the same."
'She replied?' I wanted to pinch myself and see if I were dreaming. That girl since the day we met always gave off an indifferent aura to me. Well, except for when I got hurt. Hmm, maybe she wasn't as indifferent as I made her seem in my head after all.
Iah laughed. "You really think so?"
Eien walked over and placed his arms around their shoulders. "What are you two talking about? You aren't gossiping, are you?"
Nyima nearly bumped her head against the light blue dome. She rose the sea water outside. "We were talking about a rematch. Hey, Eien, we never got to see you battle."
"Well, that's because I'm not an exchange student."
"Still, I'm curious about you. How about we battle? I'd like to see how strong you are."
"You sure?" he said, with an impish smile. He put his left hand forward as its nails turned into black claws. "If you really want to, then I'll give you what you want." Flames formed in the center of his transformed hand.
I pulled Adela away—who had been watching the island with interest— so that she won't look at the fire.
Nyima shielded herself from the flame with water. A warm fog formed around us.
"Stop, you two," Zelde said, getting in between the two. "You shouldn't fight outside of the arena, especially when we are about to enter the island's barrier zone."
'There's someone who is sensible here too!' I gave a sigh of relief as the fight came to an end.
'Though, I kind of wish that I could fight Eien.'
I still hadn't completely forgiven him for what he had done the other day.
Eien looked back at the barrier and took out a white piece of paper. The paper emitted a red glow that hit the barrier, causing it to open a hole big enough to let us pass. "Thanks, almost forgot to lift it."
"We're here." I jumped up and down in excitement. I was talking like a crazy person but I did not mind. "Yes, we're finally here!"
"You're bouncy," said Adela, snickering.
I stopped, blushing from embarrassment, though at least Adela finally smiled. On the way to the island, she seemed out it. "You look a little down, aren't you excited?"
"I am," she said, glancing at the sea around the islands. "It's simply..."
The train finally stopped at a station big enough for only this one train.
"Time to get off," Eien said, glaring back at Adela.
She looked down and jumped into the ground below as the dome vanished from around us. I looked down as she ran toward the school by herself.
"What's her problem?" I asked.
"No idea," Iah said. "You should know though, aren't you her closest friend here?"
I looked down. 'Damn, if only I knew. What can I do if I don't know anything?'
"I wouldn't say that we're close. I've actually only met her a few times."
"That's true," Yen said. "I didn't even remember her until just now."
Eien pushed us forward. "Ignore her, she just doesn't seem to have a favorable view of Kyuu Seishin."
Sis blinked. "Why do you think that?"
His eyes turned fox-like. "Stop asking questions and get out, the less time we waste talking here, the more time we'll have to practice magic."
I shivered at the sight of his icy blue fox eyes. The guy wasn't normal. He was certainly hiding something, but what?
"We'll go on ahead," Lucette said, waving. "Take care of the first-years!"
"I will," the first prince said, nodding.
'Making the princes into our tour guides? That seemed rather odd, but welcoming.'
We followed Eien and Boukyaku out of the station and headed straight for the castle. Like tour guides, they gave us a rundown of the various facilities on the island. The skyscrapers were research facilities while the houses themselves were dorms for students as well as teachers. Though most lived on the larger complexes spread throughout the island.
"Ah, we're here," the first prince said.
Boukyaku stopped by the cobblestone plaza in front of the school, which was surprisingly empty. "Now that we're in a small group, it'll be better to introduce ourselves properly. I'm Boukyaku, first prince of Kyuu Seishin."
"At last, we can finally talk without too many people around," Adela said, coming up from behind some bushes.
'What is this girl up to?'
Boukyaku looked confused. "And you are? Uh... your name skips me."
"Adela Xiān, I'm the priestess of Xiān," she said, glaring at him. "I was the one who fought Nyima in the second round."
"Oh, right, Adela! Why do you stare at me with those eyes? What did I ever do to you?"
"You haven't done anything, but your mother and your country has." She formed a sword out of vines and raised it at the prince's neck.
"Adela," Wanikiya said, grabbing her sword hand. "Stop, don't antagonize them."
"Oh, this is interesting," Eien said, grinning.
"It sure is," Hal said, nodding.
Zelde helped him by grabbing the other side of the sword. "Calm down."
"Yeah," Yuzuki said, stepping forward. She was the only proctor besides Boukyaku and his friends who had accompanied us on the train. "Take a deep breath and step away."
Adela took in a deep breath, and dissolved her vine sword. "Fine. Please pardon my actions."
Boukyaku sighed and turned away. "Good enough. I accept your apology. And sorry for forgetting who you were. I mean, there's just so many of you."
She glanced down at the soil. Looked like she had misjudged him based on the actions of his fellow countrymen.
"I'm truly sorry," Adela said, shaking her head.
"It's fine." He snickered. "I'm kind of used to it by now. Come, follow me, I'll lead you to where the other first-years are."
"Used to it?" Yen asked.
Iah hummed. "There are a few other upperclassmen of ours from Mina and Xian . Maybe they weren't so nice to him when he first met them?"
I nudged Adela forward. "We're finally here. Let's try to enjoy our stay," I said, smiling.
She nodded.
The inside of the school was decorated with portraits of important people in Kyuu Seishinian history. Around the front lobby were white statues of animals starting with the tanuki to the left, and ending with the fox on the right. The white streaked marble floor made the school feel more like a fancy church than a school.
Boukyaku stopped when he noticed a fair-skinned, pink-haired girl taking some notes by a statue of a dog. "Wait here for a sec. Hey Lucette, we've arrived."
Lucette jumped. She slowly turned around. "I've been waiting for you! You took longer getting here than I'd expected." She looked over her friend's back. She smiled and waved at us. "We've finished putting the final touches for the entrance ceremony. Vita and Haroun are waiting for us."
"That's great," he said, with a slight blush.
"Who is she to him?" Iah whispered. "His girlfriend? He did blush around her before."
Nyima grinned. "I do get the impression that she must be quite special to him."
"That's right," Eien whispered. "Don't tell anyone I told you this, especially not her or my brother, but she's the one my brother likes."
"You brother has good taste," Iah said with a grin.
"Good, just in time," a voice vibrated across the lobby as someone in a black silk cloak approached us. The figure removed its hood revealing a boy with messy white hair. It was Haroun.
Vermeil smiled as she looked her brother up and down. "Uh, why the change of clothes?"
"It's all part of the ceremony. Hurry up, we're about to start the procession."
"Nice job," Boukyaku said as he high-fived him. He lowered his hand as he glanced around the lobby one more time. "Wait, where's Vita?"
Haroun motioned for his friend to follow him. "She's already waiting at the auditorium."
"Wait, where are you going?" I asked, looking at the crowds of students congesting towards the center right of the school.
Eien followed his brother and his friends. "They're going to the same place as us, to the 'Court of Dreams'."
"Court of Dreams?" Arima asked.
Hal laughed. "Do people sleep there or something?"
"That's the name of the auditorium, its name has a special meaning. Think you kids should be able to guess what I mean. If not now, then after the entrance ceremony," Boukayou said. "Oh, yeah, if you have any questions, feel free to ask us."
"Dreams, huh," Iah said, folding his arms. "Let me guess, it represents all the hopes and desires of the students here."
Boukayou clapped his hands together and grinned. "You're a smart first-year!"
Iah glanced over at us. "Why do I feel like I was just made fun of? I mean, he did say it should be able to guess."
"Well they are third-years, they probably think they're better than us," Nyima said.
"How annoying," I said, also crossing my arms. I hated getting bullied like that, though this wasn't the first time, so I was kind of used to it by now. Well, at least Boukyaku meant it in a joking manner, or at least it seemed like it.
"Yeah," Adela said, glaring at Boukyaku. She probably was changing her mind about him again.
"Are you coming?" Wanikiya called to us, he and the others were five meters away.
"Wait for us," I said, chasing after them.
"Yeah!" Kun yelled. Surprisingly, he'd stayed quiet all of this time. Had something been bothering him? Usually he liked to quip as much as Hal did.
"Hey, don't run!" Nyima and Sarah yelled.
We slowed down. "Uh, okay," we said in unison. 'Were those two girls lost twins or something?'
**Solar Note: What do you all think about the change of perspective from 3rd to 1st? Did you like 3rd better?**