My eyes flutter open at the sight of Justus Amin, the Vice-Principal Keeper, sitting on a bench, reading a book in the hospital room. As I sit upright in my bed and stretch my arms, he looks up from his book and closes it with a soft thud.
"I am glad to see you are well-rested," he says to me as he watches me get up from my hospital bed.
"Like the doctor said, take it easy for the rest of the night and the entirety of tomorrow. The reason is that the day after tomorrow, your first official day of noble classes starts. I suggest you hang out with a friend tomorrow."
"You can even leave the campus with my permission with that friend after you are done with the campus," Justus says as he gets up and follows me out the door.
"Before you start your classes officially, I want you to learn more about the world around you, as it will be extremely important later down the road. There is a bigger world out there besides the academy. The world is even larger beyond Tarondar and the entire continent of Glozaria."
"This will all make sense shortly. If you trust Ivy enough tomorrow, then the next day when I send you back to your parent's house, you can bring her along," Justus says to me with determination.
Before I can give back a proper reply, he is already gone.
So much for that, I think to myself.
It is nighttime already since I slept a good bunch. Thankfully, though, my headache is gone. I walk back to my dorm and jump into my bed. I can't sleep right away since I just took a nap, so instead, I stay up binge-reading Magic and Emotions until I fall asleep.
The warm breeze feels nice as I wake up the next morning.
The sun shines brightly outside my window as if greeting me to start the day right. I have been so focused on my goals that sometimes I forget to appreciate the outside world. Keeper Academy is a special place to be, floating in the sky, making us closer to the sun and the birds. I get up from bed to brush my teeth and throw on some good clothes.
I am extra happy today because, while I was in the middle of reading Magic and Emotions last night, I got the courage to close my book, find her at her dorm, and ask her to hang out with me tomorrow. Not as a date, of course, just as a friend.
Though I wouldn't mind the first part if it was one.
I check myself in the mirror and head out the door. Ivy is going to meet me at a building called Sky Point. Sky Point is the building primarily used to teach wind mages. It towers above many other buildings. When it isn't being used for training, people can go up the tower to take in a beautiful view of Tarondar down below.
The only con is that it doesn't have an elevator. Why this school insists on being old-school about their technology beats me, I think to myself as I climb the steps two at a time. Before I know it, I arrive at the viewing platform level.
The building, though it looks old-school, still is majestic in its own right. Classically made giant columns line the platform all around with intricate patterns on them.
If you look up at the ceiling of the platform, there is illusion light magic cast on it to make it look like birds are flying around the clouds. It honestly is beautiful.
However, it isn't as beautiful as what I see next. As I stare at the ceiling like a freak, I feel a tap on my shoulder.
"Huh?" I turn around quickly.
There, standing before me, is none other than Ivy McKinley. The girl who brings some light into my life from the very first day. Is what I feel about her romantic? Who knows? One, I hardly know who I am, which makes it harder to understand exactly what I am feeling.
"Hey, Nico! Over here, come on!" Ivy laughs and says to me as she runs toward the balcony viewpoint. I am confused by all the excitement for a moment. My legs pick up speed, and I rush over to the balcony.
Now, the view I see is more beautiful than just any simple words can do justice.
Keeper Academy floats above in the sky in the Kingdom of Tarondar. The exact location of Keeper Academy is quite near the royal palace down below. That is another reason the academy is so prestigious. I mean, the King of Tarondar is called "Keeper King" for a reason.
Beyond the royal walls of the Tarondar Royal Palace is a city called Stonelight.
Stonelight is the city belonging to the House of Grey. The city was going to be given to another noble household, but because Ignis rose to the top, the Grey family can keep managing the city.
Down below from our fortress in the sky, we notice many small dots moving around the city at a quick pace. If you squint, you can see children playing together or people shopping at the farmer's market.
Many smiles, and many laughs. Some are crying, and some are sad. Down below, our bubble of privileged magic is a whole other life of struggling and surviving.
If it isn't for Keeper Academy inviting me or, more like forcing me to attend, my life would be so different. Even though I hate being here, some part of me can't change the fact that some things here aren't so bad. For example, making friends with Leena and Ivy has been a great start to the year. I haven't even begun classes officially, so hopefully, I will make more friends there.
As the cool breeze ruffles our hair, I glance at Ivy.
Her hair flies beautifully in the wind. Her eyes sparkle against the sunlight, and her smile lifts some weight off my back. If being here means anything, I am just happy I can witness happiness on someone's face like that. Ivy turns toward me, startling me.
"This is such a beautiful view! It was fun looking at it. Let's check another place out on campus I want to show you," Ivy says to me, smiling as she skips down the steps. My footsteps echo on the stairs as I follow her out of the Sky Point tower.
The next stop isn't a building but a beautiful garden with several magic water fountains in the center of it all. The water fountains are magical because dolphins made of water jump in and out of the fountains. If you throw a coin into the water fountain, the dolphins perform a "dance," which is pretty cool.
The Frost noble family graciously donated the Garden of Watersia. The Frost family of nobles is the exact opposite of the Grey family in the sense they gain prestigious power by going along with the Keeper King's policies.
Whether they agree with the Keeper King is another thing entirely.
Ivy tosses a bronze coin into the water fountain.
Splash!
The water fountain comes to life with dolphins and birds made of water, jumping in and out of the various water fountains in rhythm like a dance. Ivy laughs as the water fountain dance ends. The dance even makes me giggle a little bit.
Being here with Ivy distracts me from the entire world, the entire illusion the Keepers have been lying to everyone about. This fake paradise can become a real one once I unmask the Keepers as Eradicators and exterminate them.
"Hey Ivy, are you ready to explore Stonelight and see my town that's further out in the woods? I am from Mistfall, if that helps at all," I say to her, hoping she knows where that village is located.
Mistfall is a small remote village in Stonelight's surrounding Forest. The village and forest are always almost in constant mist because of waterfalls and nearby rivers, so few travel there unless you are local. Not even the Keepers care about being there, mostly.
"Yeah, I heard of Mistfall! Many water mages live there from what I remember. I can't wait to visit," Ivy says gleefully. With that, Ivy and I walk toward the main building to go to Justus's office. Funnily enough, though, he beats us to it by approaching us in the garden.
I hope he lets us explore Stonelight and my hometown.