Right this mont, The airships carrying Belsorth Academy’s final years flew above Grayfort City towards their designated camping area.
Ethan let out a long sigh as he watched the view of the city.
Frankly, it was only this morning that he had fully decided to attend the camping trip at all. He had spent most of that ti convincing himself it would be a waste of his precious training hours.
But in the end, two things had changed his mind.
First, there was the possibility that he might find sothing of worth during the trade or auction events.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, were the multiple pleas Percival had sent via text over the past few days.
"Co on, man. It’ll be fun."
"Don’t leave alone with these people for three days 😭😭😭"
"I need my best friend there. Please🙏😭"
The werewolf had been relentless.
Speaking of whom—
"Show so excitent, Ethan!" Percival said, appearing at his side and nudging him with an elbow."This is going to be fun!"
Ethan turned toward him with a flat expression. "It’ll be a grandiose waste of my precious ti. Nothing more."
Percival laughed out loud, drawing a few glances from nearby students. "You and your fancy words," he said, shaking his head.
Ethan allowed himself a small smile, then said. "By the way, Hayley ca by the manor yesterday."
Percival’s excited deanor changed into mild surprise, then he sighed. "Of course she did."
There was a pause.
"Look," Percival said, his tone becoming more serious. "If she’s going to be a problem, I can tell her to back off. Just say the word."
Ethan shook his head. "When has your sister not been a problem?"
They both chuckled at that.
"But no," Ethan continued, "you don’t need to do that. I’m not trying to be that guy who runs to a girl’s brother every ti she shows up. I’ll deal with Hayley myself."
Percival shrugged. "Fair enough. Lowkey bitch move too"
"Mm-hmm" Ethan nodded in agreent.
Percival then added, "But don’t let her get too far into your space, alright? Historically, you’ve never been able to resist my sister."
Ethan reacted with genuine shock. "That’s a lie."
"It’s not," Percival said with a scoff. "Before you were a Beatrice simp, you were a Hayley simp. I an, co on—my sister’s much better than Beatrice, obviously, but a simp is still a simp."
Ethan slamd his palm against his face. "Oh dear God."
He shook his head slowly, then dropped his hand and said, "Well, that was the old Ethan."
Percival shrugged again. "If you say so."
——
Eventually, the airships began their descent into The Ainzbern Reserve.
It was a gated forest with tall watchtowers erected at different points along its periter, manned by elven sentries who kept watch over the protected land.
The reserve was located sowhere near the border between Dynadale City and Grayfort. It was owned and operated by the Ainzbern Family, a lineage predominantly composed of elves who had made it their life’s mission to preserve natural surroundings without letting modern developnt overtake them.
As the airships drew closer to the landing zone, there was an elven man standing on the ground and waving a glowing stick in precise patterns, directing them on how to approach and where to dock.
The airships descended, then one by one, students began filing out onto the ground.
Ethan stepped off the ramp and took in his surroundings, then glanced around at his fellow students as they disembarked.
And although he wasn’t exactly counting heads, he couldn’t help but notice an absence.
Lucy Hargreeves wasn’t here.
Well, given recent events, it wasn’t hard to piece together what might be keeping her away.
She was probably at ho with her family. Grieving? Celebrating? Processing?
He didn’t know for certain, but he understood enough to respect her absence.
A loud rumble pulled him from his thoughts, and when he turned his head toward the sky, another airship ca into view.
And this one was different.
The vessel descending now was much more modern compared to Belsorth’s aging wood of an Airship.
This was the Vanguard-T330 one of Stark Industries’ more recently manufactured models.
It had only been released onto the market two years ago, and was mostly purchased by the Enforcers, the Dinsional Security Bureau(DSB) and a few top guilds.
A small smile of approval crossed Ethan’s face as he watched it land smoothly. At least one academy knew how to spend its money properly.
The boarding ramp extended outward, and students began descending; Mallory High’s final years.
Unlike Belsorth’s students, who wore civilian clothes, Mallory’s students were dressed in an academy attire that practically scread discipline and prestige.
The boys wore tailored black blazers with sharp red highlights running along the collar and cuffs. Each blazer bore an embroidered red "M" over the left breast, which was Mallory High’s insignia.
The girls wore similar blazers paired with black skirts that barely reached their knees. Their white blouses were neatly tucked in, and like their male counterparts, they had the sa red "M" stitched onto their blazers.
Honestly? It was starting to make sense why so people questioned how Belsorth held onto its No. 1 ranking when Mallory High looked this polished.
Mr. Kieran stepped forward from Belsorth’s side of the landing zone just as an elegant woman descended from Mallory’s airship.
Miss Hana.
She wore a hat, and had gloves on her hands as she adjusted the strap of her structured leather bag over one shoulder.
"Mr. Kieran," she greeted with a polite smile as she extended her hand.
"Miss Hana," Kieran replied as he shook it.
Her gaze drifted past him toward Belsorth’s airships and she smiled just a bit "I see your academy is... holding onto tradition."
Kieran noticed the subtle shade but kept his expression neutral. "We believe in function over flash."
"Of course," Hana said before releasing his hand.
It wasn’t just the students who disliked their counterparts at Mallory High, the teachers from both schools had their own rivalries in a way.
Kieran had dealt with Hana before during inter-academy etings, and every interaction left him with the distinct impression that she believed Mallory was simply better.
Behind Miss Hana, several Mallory students had begun laughing amongst themselves as they pointed subtly toward Belsorth’s airships.
"Look at those things," one boy muttered. "They belong in a museum."
"Do they even pass safety inspections anymore?" a girl added with a smirk.
"Probably held together with spit and prayers to the wheel of fortune," another chid in.
The laughter spread quietly through their ranks, along with condescending whispers that carried just far enough for those with enhanced senses to pick up every word.
The werewolves and vampires among Belsorth’s students heard every single remark, and their faces darkened into scowls.
Both schools had barely arrived at Ainzbern Reserve, and already it was giving off serious cat-and-dog energy.
Ethan glanced over at Percival beside him and noticed his friend had this wide grin plastered across his face while staring far too intently toward Mallory High’s group of students.
He then followed Percival’s line of sight until he spotted what, or rather who had captured his attention so completely.
It was a werewolf girl from Mallory High, who had the sa devious grin as Percival’s as she locked eyes with him from across.
She had short auburn hair tied back into a ponytail. This was the one Percival wanted to settle a score with.
"I think we should proceed forward as we agreed in the eting," Mr. Kieran said.
"Oh, yes," Hana nodded in agreent.
In their prior eting, both academies had discussed what part of the reserve the students would stay at, how they would share space to avoid unnecessary conflicts, and the schedule for events.
Kieran then turned back to address his students. "Gather around, everyone!"
Miss Hana did the sa, gesturing for her Mallory students to co closer as she prepared to explain how they would proceed.
Then suddenly, reality cracked.
The sound was like glass shattering in slow motion, and everyone’s gaze turned toward the disturbance forming several ters ahead of both groups.
A streak of red lightning burst forth from the crack. Then another followed, and the crack separated further, tearing open even more.
The air around it distorted, warping and bending as the rift expanded.
A breach zone had just randomly ford right in front of them.
And every single person stared in absolute shock at the swirling portal.
——
Hey guys, kindly consider leaving a book review if you haven’t. They go a long way in suggesting to new readers to give this book a try
Toss your tickets and powerstones while at it, there are bonus Chapters accrued to them.
Thank you
User Comments
0 comments from readers