Chapter 56: Fortress city.
(A/N Big thanks to everyone for the Power stones and Golden tickets, they mean a lot. As usual, please don’t hesitate to comment or drop a review. ENJOY)
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Their journey continued for the next few days, without rush, both father and son bonding and trying their best to make up for the time they won’t be seeing each other.
They soon arrived at their destination. After a long climb up, the carriage crested a hill and the academy came into full view.
At first glance, it looked less like a school and more like a fortress-city. Vast stone walls rose higher than any castle Orion had ever seen. From here, he could make out a large building with four magnificent towers attached to it.
It was the tallest building he could see, and he could already predict how important it would be, most likely the school grounds themselves.
"It’s giving me the vibes of Aion’s ward," Orion noted.
"It’s far older," Erevan commented.
That actually impressed Orion; the history and importance of such a place couldn’t be understated.
But his mind settled on something crucial.
"Unless my memory’s failing me, I seem to recall the academy having only four years," Orion said with a raised brow.
Erevan chuckled.
"If it’s the size you’re worried about, I can assure you, it’s perfect for the number of students being admitted each year", Erevan explained.
At the front of the city like school, was a large contingent of carriages most likely coming from all quarters of the Chronos estate.
He could also make out people arriving on large wagons with numerous boarded or even on foot, signifying the academy wasn’t only open to the wealthy or influential, but the commoners were also permitted entry.
Their carriage was slowly getting closer to the gates. He could see guards diligently working to sort out entries; some passed through the gates and didn’t come back, and others passed through to return with dejected expressions.
That was odd to him.
"Are we going to be tested here?" Orion asked.
"Yes, your age has to be appropriate as well as your affinity for mana; we can’t just accept anybody in, if we do, even this city wouldn’t be enough," Erevan replied, looking outside.
"I understand the mana aspect, but why the age?" Orion asked.
"Orion, the academy isn’t simply about learning; it covers a wide range of activities and functions. This is the first meeting point for future leaders of the Chronos family; the age doesn’t have to be specific, but it must be appropriate and reasonable," Erevan replied.
Orion nodded before looking out again.
He could see various children with smiles on their faces, excited at the prospect of joining the academy.
Another remarkable observation was the deviation of their hair colour from the usual silver stereotype of the Chronos; he’d noticed it in his first outing, but it was profound now that he could see thousands with different shades of colour.
It still didn’t fascinate him as much as he expected, for some reason, their lack of silver hair made him uncontent and somewhat frustrated, as though they were blemishes; he was proud of the silver and gold, the Chronos were known for.
But he stopped that thought process; it was dangerous. His pride wasn’t beyond looking down on people; he’d long accepted that, but not for such a petty reason, there, of course, had to be hidden gems among them. He was familiar with the underdog troupe; if this were fiction, he’d be the villain or the overconfident young master.
That thought brought a chuckle out of him.
The carriage soon started drawing the attention of people; the design and the entourage surrounding it already suggested the importance of the people within.
A few guards soon stepped out of the passage, forming an orderly rank before moving towards them before they could even arrive at the queue.
The guards didn’t even bother to exchange words before they were led away from the majority towards another entrance, most likely reserved for the really important branches of the Chronos.
They moved into the passage, and Orion was preparing to get down and be tested or examined.
"No need," Erevan said simply.
That brought a smile to Orion’s face.
’It really pays to be privileged, ’ Orion thought.
But he wasn’t really surprised; they really couldn’t expect the patriarch of the Chronos to follow regular procedures.
Their carriage passed through the entrance, the dark pathway opening up to the bright view of the academic grounds.
It was breathtaking, Orion couldn’t resist looking around like a child, being cooped up in one mansion could make life unbearable.
Erevan smiled at his childlike behaviour.
It wasn’t beautiful or breathtaking as in clean or modern or efficient, but it was awe-inspiring in the ancient and unique kind of way.
The aesthetic was pleasant to witness, as though moving into a unique medieval world. He already knew the place was old, but he expected renovations or upgrades, which wouldn’t have been bad, but leaving it the way it always has been seemed far more palatable now.
It wasn’t clean, far from it, weeds and moss grew on cobblestone buildings, the ground was aged and grinded evidence of the millions that had moved on it, a true piece of magnificence.
The streets were wide and clean, paved with grey stone that caught the afternoon light. Lamp posts lined the main avenue, each crowned with a faintly glowing crystal, though most remained dim in the day. The stillness was striking. Where one might expect chatter and movement, there was only the occasional sound of a distant bell or the faint murmur of the wind threading through banners.
Their carriage slowly moved, as though the coach was aware of Orion’s need to take in everything.
He half expected students to be moving around, but he wasn’t too surprised; they were probably restricted for today, thousands were going to be admitted after all.
They continued their excursion, and Orion could sense other carriages not too far from their destination; they were probably on a different path.
After a while, they were greeted by another wall with an entrance, this one not as magnificent as the first and surprisingly, another carriage being admitted in.
’Another privileged,’ Orion thought, amused.