'Why was he blessed with that red system? Why did he get it so late? And why did he change so much? Didn't they say that Humans only receive the blessings of the Holy Goddess Gaia? Lyla pondered, so many questions and no answer.
"Ahem… Miss, please come out of your daydreams and focus. This is important". Mona said, displeased.
Lyla came out of her thoughts and glanced toward Mona.
Mona scanned her without wasting time.
[Lyla Anderson]
[Level 7]
[Strength: 16]
Mona nodded and looked toward Lyla's system panel.
She gave her steel blue shimmering tag.
[Iron Rank]
Inscribed on it.
Lyla nodded and moved out of the line.
She looked toward Victor, who was talking to Zara, and both seemed happily chatting with each other.
She sighed with a heavy heart and moved to another corner of the hall.
After a little while, all the cadets were ranked, and Mona led them out of the Elarion School.
The Military Academy was at the southern border between the Holy Empire and the Sun Empire. A dense forest surrounded it.
Victor and Zara walked side by side, following Mona with the other students.
They reached a train platform.
Victor looked around the empty platform; there were only some soldiers in uniform.
Mona looked around, her eyes scanning carefully, then she relaxed a little bit.
She glanced at the train tracks and toward her right side, from far away, a blue train with black wheels appeared around the corner.
She looked back at the crowd of students behind her and shouted, "Get ready, our train is approaching."
In the Neero world only way to travel from one place to another is by train. Magic Trains were made by dwarves.
Chuuu! Chuuu!
A black and blue colored train stopped before the students. The door opened, and soldiers came out forming the line.
"Everyone enter at once!" Mona ordered
Everyone stepped inside the train bogies, and they moved from one cart to another. As Victor stepped inside the train, his eyes drifted toward blue colored steel walls that shone with intricate golden glimmering patterns. Compartments were on the right side, with a glass door. Victor found the seat in one of the compartments, and he sat down, followed by Zara.
Zara closed the door behind her as she entered and sat down right across Victor.
Victor looked outside the window at the platform.
The train slowly started moving.
Chuk, chuk!
Sound echoed.
Knock, Knock!
Victor turned his head and found Lyla standing at the compartment door with her crossed arms.
He stood up and opened the door.
"Yes?" Victor asked with confusion in his eyes.
But Lyla didn't respond, she entered the compartment, and slid near the window seat.
Zara frowned at her action but was unable to say anything. 'What is she doing here?' she yelled in her mind.
Lyla, on the other hand, ignored both of them and looked out of the window. Victor's eyebrow rose at her weird action.
He sighed, shaking his head, and sat down at the other end of the same seat. Lyla turned her head and glanced at him with narrowed eyes, but Victor just ignored her.
He knew her nature. She had a very sharp tongue.
Victor leaned back on the chair and closed his eyes.
As the train passed through the forest, the compartment became dark with only blue dim light coming from the roof. Lyla, sitting near the window, turned her head and glanced around the compartment. The cushioned brown seats, long and comfortable. And the luggage compartment above them.
Zara was sitting opposite her, head leaning back with a bored expression on her face.
Victor was sleeping on the same seat, with his face covered by his black hat and long black overcoat wrapping around him, and his hands were also covered in black gloves.
Lyla stared at him a little bit longer, her eyes were peeled on his pale face. She exhaled, turning back, a flash of sadness apparent in her eyes.
'I have to become a Holy Paladin as soon as possible, and find the one who killed my brother.' A new resolve filled her eyes. She clenched her fists and looked outside at the dense and dark forest.
Chooo!
The train's horn rang, piercing the compartment's peaceful environment.
They have arrived.
Victor opened his eyes and stood up. He picked up his backpack, moving out of the compartment. Zara followed behind.
Lyla had a neutral face as she stood up and took her luggage, following behind the two.
As students came out of the train, they saw that the platform was empty. The railroad ended here, and there were only some benches on the stone platform in the plain without a roof. Sky had already turned dark, with purple light slowly turning dark.
Lyla felt a chill run through her body. The air here was colder than the Elarion City. It only took them half a day to reach here, but the weather was quite different.
Gasps echoed in the crowd.
Lyla, confused, turned around.
Her eyes widened.
Right before her eyes, a mountain-like castle stood, with small spires clustered around the larger, which further surrounded the largest spires.
And in the center, only one tower peak like a spear stood proudly.
Every student around her looked at the Academy for a moment longer than expected.
"Come on, let's go," Mona shouted.
Students came to their senses, lowered their heads. They followed Mona like little ducklings.
Mona guided them off the platform and moved through a stony path; on either side of it was dense forest.
Path slowly ascended. After one hour of walking, breathless students found the gate at the end of the path.
The Gate was simply made of black iron bars, and large torches burned at both sides on the pillars.
Mona stepped toward the gate, extended her hand, blue layer shimmered at her touch, and the gate opened wide.
They walked through a road surrounded by small plants and soon reached another gate leading inside the building.
As they stepped inside, they appeared in a wide hall with high ceilings, lit by the warm yellow light of the torches burning on the dark grey walls.
In the middle of the hall, there were three long tables, starting from one end of the hall to the other end. The cadets sat with blue and gold uniforms on the two tables. And there was a small part of the students sitting on the third table in the row wearing black uniforms.
Cadets looked at the new students curiously. The one wearing a blue uniform smiled, but the one wearing a golden uniform frowned and looked at them with clear hate in their eyes.
A Man wearing a blue uniform with three golden stars on both shoulders and chest, like Lieutenant Mona, stood at the end of the platform. His hair was completely grey with a grey mustache, and stern, small eyes scanned the new students.
"1st Lieutenant, I heard there was a problem at the Elarion School?" Man's words reached from the end of the hall to them standing at the gate.
"Major!" Mona saluted first and then replied in a respectful voice, "Affirmative, we were attacked by a Level 60 Chaos Alien, Sir."
Gasps echoed in the hall.
All heads turned toward the new students. Even the least interested one in the black uniform looked at them.
Major nodded, without much change in his face, "Guide them to the assigning office. They'll guide them further."
Mona saluted and turned to her right side small door.