Chapter 7: Entrance into the Academy
It has been 4 days now and he has been flying to west since then while ocasionally resting. He usually stops flying at night to rest. As for landing? The first time was rough.. No, it's better to say it was wet.. to land on his first time he actually used a river to cushion his fall.. and he was forced to dry his clothes in a campfire while he sat in the middle of the forest... Completely naked and alone..
The next few landing practices was rough.. there were times he even rolled a few times across dirt and grass.. at least he learned that his wings were quite sturdy through it.
But the next few landings were a bit better.. the third was a slow fixed landing where he flew up straight and slowly flew down landing by slowing his descent like what he did back in the under city..
Then the next was the moving-to-fixed-landing. Where he flies forward and stops his progress by beating his wings not down..but instead forward to stop his momentum..and used the same process in the fixed landing where he slowly descends by using gentle wing flaps to slow his fall.
Then.. the hardest landing which he named dynamic landing is where he doesn't stop his momentum but instead slowed it down.. so that he could land gently on his feet and instantly switch to jogging or a run.. it took a few tries because he sometimes would land to rough or too fast making him trip and roll around.
And he just kept practicing those landings until it became instinctive or at least habitually.
And.. as for food .. well he mostly hunts for it.. and that too, took a lot of practice. At first he hunted for fish.. flying over a river or a lake and diving down when he saw a fish slightly on the surface.. not only did the fish instantly reacted to him it was hard for him to cancel his dives making him plunged head first into the river.
Through this.. he learned how to take off while his body is floating on the water. And to also cancel his dive.
But despite the improvement he just couldn't catch a damn fish.. Not even close. So he switched target. Which was birds.. since he was confident that there's bird that could out speed his wings.
And he was right..he could easily catch up to the birds.. but he still couldn't catch a single one because of the sheer agility they have.. they could twist and turn in the air. He saw aerial maneuver that he didn't even thought was possible.. he learned a lot from those birds. And he only managed to copy a few maneuver because the others are just too complex for a beginner like him..
And he also switched target into small critters, like bunny, and forest rodents.. which he easily caught because of the stuff he already learned from the previous targets. And since then he have been hunting for all kinds of small game hunts.
While traveling he also started practicing the minimum energy flight which relies on the wind's current, small but accurate wing flaps that go along the wind.. and lots of gliding.
Although it only works at a quite high altitude where the wind is strong enough. But that's fine as well.. maybe this way he'll get used to the thin air.
And with that a week has passed and because he was flying he arrived in hus destination two weeks earlier.
In front of him a couple of miles away he could see it . An entire group of islands suspended in the air. With the center island housing a magnificent and gigantic building akin to castles and mansions.
With that he stopped gliding and began flying faster. He was about to land when he was only a few kilometers away into a secluded forest to hide his wings.. Only to spot a person flying.. But unlike him the person's lower and arm is engulfed in flames.
While another was flying without anything on him.. just him.. in the air..
With this.. Arteus thought that he doesn't need to hide his wings since people around here are not normal.. just like him..
Smiling excitedly he flaps his wings and flew faster and went towards the grand building below the island.. right on the surface.
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Now that he's just a few meter's away from the building he realized that there are more people than he thought.. some are coming from a carriage.. some on foot.. some are flying like him..some even appeared out of thin air.
Though he noticed something.. he's the only one with wings... As he flew by over them some people yelped and held on to their hats or skirt as the wind blew against them. Then he slowed down into a dynamic landing with a small jog before he began walking with his wings casually tucked behind his back.. it wasn't tightly folded into a cape but more casually folded.
Many eye's landed onto him.. specially on his back... But he didn't pay much attention to it.
Then he followed everyone else and began walking into the building Arteus doesn't know what kind of building it was.. but to those more knowledgeable in architecture it resembles a colosseum with a dome instead of of an open roof.
There was only one guard standing guard right beside the gate. And the guard looked at him.
"Hey kid! Please dismissed your wings.. it's you might hit someone with that!" The guard spoke enough for him to hear it.. so did the people around him. Some sneered and laughs thinking that Arteus was showing off like some entitled brat.
"Sorry..but I can't! I've tried everything since it manifested a few weeks ago but it won't go away." He said loud enough for the guard to hear.
"Ah really?..... i see.. go on then.." the guards seem to be surprised from his answer before letting him go.
"T-thanks"
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Inside he stood in line for a few minutes as people one by one enters a room .. then after a few moments it was his turn.. he stepped forward and opened the door and inside he was greeted by a young woman behind a desk.
"Visit Or Returning?" The woman asked she have a visibly bored look on her face her voice low and dull.
"Uhh...is it possible to enroll?" Arteus asked.. not hearing the option of enrollment.
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'Damn.. why do I have to be put in here.. it was just a simple prank! Those bastards! Aren't they being too harsh with their punishment?' Sellia lament in her mind. When her eye's suddenly landed on a young boy
'Look at this show off.. he's not even dismissing his Dream .. how childish.. but.. he does seems to be a child.. so that's fine...I guess. Maybe he's returning from a quest outside the academy.. or maybe a visitor? A relative of a student?'
"Visit or Returning?" She spoke as the boy finally arrived in front of her.
"Uhh...is it possible to enroll?" Suddenly the boy spoke.. completely out of her expectations.
'wait... enrolling? But he already manifested his Dream?.. is he a legacy child? But wings? Is there a legacy with a wings manifestation? '
"Uh.. can I ask you last name?" She asked uncertainty.. with now a better tone on her voice.
"Uh..none.. I'm just a commoner" A reply came making her even more surprised.
'A commoner and he's already in manifestion?'
"Uhm.. how long has it been since you conceptualize?" She asked her voice now carrying a tone of respect.
".....sorry...what?" The boy tilted his head in confusion leaning the side of his head so that his ear right ear so he could hear her better.
"....."
'Dont tell me he's one of those people? A Desperados'
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"Ah.. please wait.." the gril spoke and she reached down below the counter and pulled out a rectangular crystal.
"Please put your hand over the crystal and state your name and your purpose.. and answer the questions it will ask." The woman instructs.
'questions it will ask?..this crystal?'
Despite the confusion.. Arteus did what was asked.. placing his hand over the crystal he spoke loud and clear.
"Arteus... Enrolling.. please" and suddenly he felt his hand get colder and a sensation of his Palm's getting sucked and glued into the crystal tablet came.
He almost panic only to realize the woman seems to be .. just smiling.. 'it's normal i guess..'
He thought as he calmed himself down.
"Arteus, when did your power appeared?" The crystal spoke, the voice cold and unfeeling makinng the interaction awkward.
"Uh..a-around a few weeks ago?" He answered sweat forming on his temple.
"....Did it appear out of nowhere? Or after or during an incident?" The same voice came out and asked.
"During an incident... i guess" He answered. And suddenly the suction on his palm disappeared and he can finally let go of it.
"All done.. please check your ID for your class information and proceed to the next room." Sellia the lady on the counter spoke and motioned towards the door on her right.
'..w..what? Just like that? no test or anything?' confused and hesitantly he slowly began moving towards the next door.
'And what ID? I didn't get anything!' he talked to himself, he was debating if he should ask or not but decided against it..
And instead checked his palm. When suddenly his eyes landded on a strange dots on his wrist..
Its like three horizontal dots across his wrist just like • • •
Unconscious his run his other hands thumb across it thinking it'll be rubbed away. When suddenly a flash of light got protected out of his wrist like some sort of hologram.. he probably doesn't even know what a hologram is though...
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Arteus
1st year - class 2B
Dorm - B2F4R16
•Desperados•
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