After their first day at Floating Air Barracks, the team was assigned a mentor from among the seniors, a girl named Cassandra, who was already in her final year of studies. The Athamanas, after the previous day, when someone had just come up to them to show them around, had not expected that the girl would defend them so passionately against even the slightest discrimination.
"You sure it won't be a problem that you yelled at them?" Citar asked, when after breakfast their mentor sent another senior boy to hell with his nonsense if he dared to tease his team.
"Ducan is an idiot." The girl snorted. "He won't do anything, he's just jealous that he didn't get you." The girl grinned with her hands on her hips, then blew a big breath. "So Razvan, right? I'm still learning your names." The girl turned to the team leader, and her question was answered with a nod. "What's your first class?" She asked, and Razvan looked down at the paper in front of him and then turned it towards Rahul.
"Oh, for f... You can't read." Rahul muttered under his breath. "Logic." The boy finally said to Cassandra.
"Is there something wrong? I didn't understand what you said earlier." The girl blinked in surprise, but Rahul just shook his head.
"Nothing we can't solve in a week." He waved.
"I understand, if you need any help, let me know, I'm here to help. So you say Logic. First-year Logic class, first-year Logic class." The girl thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers. "Ah, it's in the old building, you enter through the door in the corridor on the right and it's room 22." She nodded. "Should I accompany you?" She asked with a kind smile, and the team looked at each other. From the outside, it seemed like they understood each other without words, but in reality they were discussing the situation on their shared communication system.
"Thank you, but there's no need. We'll find it ourselves." Razvan finally replied with a smile, which made Cassandra nod.
"It's okay if you think so. I like it when the newbies are independent. Then I'll meet you at lunch, I'll be curious to know how your day went. Oh, and if anyone says even one bad word or makes fun of you, I want to know about it. I'll beat the shit out of them." She looked seriously at the team, who all started nodding. "Have a good day, guys." She smiled again and waved to the team, then left them to find their watches.
The Athamanas naturally found the right classroom without any problems and, although each team member was different, they were eagerly waiting for their lesson. After their first lesson in Floating Air, they followed the other students to the other lessons. At noon, as they had agreed, they met Cassandra to tell her how their day had been, and after school they returned to their separate small circle-based peaked-storey house.
However, instead of resting, Rahul gathered the boys together and began teaching them to read without him. Fortunately, since Floating Air Barracks is a school where you can come from any part of the Itaguyn state, they speak the common language, only writing down the words according to the Itaguyn script. So in the following days, after school, the Athamanas learned to read and write from Rahul.
Then, on the last day of school of the week, their last new lesson arrived. During the week, the Athamanas had heard from here and there, and even from Cassandra, that the new Summoning teacher at Floating Air Baracks, who had recently started was quite a strange character and that you had to be careful not to get too carried away with him, and that he almost always just grumbled. So they were all really excited to meet the teacher.
"So when are we going to start our real work?" Suk asked as they walked to the Summoning room. "Just because I hope we don't want to stay here for long. I fall asleep during every class except history." He rolled his eyes.
"Probably not for a while. It would be best if we didn't make any more trouble than we already have." Razvan said seriously. "If we want to know anything, we have to get to know the place first." He explained.
"We can't do anything until they let us go more freely, now we could literally have Cassandra in our necks at any moment. We'll be closely monitored for another month. At least at home they told us that they hold the hands of the new recruits very tightly for a month." Rahul took over the explanation.
"Then we have to watch where we go for another month?" Citar whined and grimaced.
"Better than having to do it for a year." Rahul cut back.
"Well, you're right. It's really better. I take it back." The Bolacsuk boy raised his hands.
"Rahul, does everyone in the West really start studying so terribly late?" Benkó suddenly asked.
"It depends on a lot of things, but usually yes. Most people will only have enough money to send their children to the big city after a long time. Of course, the richer ones start younger. The youngest I've heard of was twelve years old." The boy thought for a moment, then nodded just for you.
"Twelve?! I was already sent on moonwalks by then!" Achilleus was outraged, which made Rahul start blinking at him.
"But you guys also have a level measurement at the age of twelve." Rahul was confused, and Razvan started to chuckle.
"By the time our level measurement takes place at the age of twelve, almost everyone without exception has already received the basic training. They all know the techniques that every tribe knows by then. At the age of twelve, the hegin's kí subsides, and it is easiest for Riki to determine how much potential a person has. Usually after the level measurement, if the young person does not have abilities typical of their own tribe, they can go and study with another tribe. From then on, the hegins begin to concentrate their kí on one type of ability." The team leader explained.
"I see, but when do they start your education then?" Rahul scratched his head.
"Usually at the age of six, but for the chieftain's children it starts earlier." Citar chirped.
"You have six years of general education?" Rahul blinked heavily.
"Yes?" Suk looked at him in confusion. "At the age of twelve, there is a level assessment and after that you are still considered a student until the age of eighteen. When you reach eighteen, the age of adulthood, you can do whatever you want after that." The boy put his hands behind his back.
"And those who don't have enough kí to become a hegin, they also learn general education from the age of six to twelve. Writing, reading, reading a map, riding a horse, wielding a sword, playing the flute, tracking, and such." Citar continued.
"And recognizing summoning circles!" Teveli suddenly spoke up, who was just about to put out his hand in front of Suk, who was about to stomp into the Summoning room, and was looking at the floor on the other side of the open door with narrowed eyes.
"What do you see, Tev?" Benkó asked.
"Ah, a protective field." He finally waved and his features softened. "It only burns a little if you step on it. Beginner level." He added.
"That explains the students in smoking clothes." Rahul nudged the left side of the group, where there was indeed a group of first-year students in smoking clothes.
"Even a six-year-old can easily get through this." Teveli rolled his eyes as he simply entered the door. "Well, look what we have here. Guys, there's more!" He shouted back over his shoulder, before gracefully dodging or neutralizing the summoning circles and reaching the first row of benches. Of course, the rest of the team also made it through the obstacle smoothly, and when the big clock on the wall made a tinkling sound, the summoning circles drawn on the floor flashed.
"The field is clear, you can enter!" Teveli shouted out into the corridor to the other students, and when they all took their seats, they began to wait for the teacher to arrive. There was silence in the room for long minutes, then the young people began to grumble, when a summoning circle flashed in a bluish-purple light on the floor in front of the teacher's table, in which a hatted figure appeared. The students gasped in surprise, the Athamanas' eyes widened, and Teveli immediately jumped up and leaned on the table. "Uncle Tete?!"