"Are you ready?" Arthur asked, with a steady and low voice.
Arthur's boots groaned on the wooden floor as he crossed the room, halting just before Caden, who stood by the window. The morning light poured through the frosted glass, casting a soft golden glow that enveloped the room. It brushed across Caden's face, making him appear both older and younger in that fleeting moment. A boy caught in between two converging worlds.
Caden nodded with will rather than confidence then turned to Arthur, there was a glint of uncertainty flashing in his stormy-grey eyes but he was aware and ready to take the first step.
Arthur faintly smiled. He was proud of Caden but also… sad.
"You won't be the same person you are now once you return," he said, placing his hand gently on Caden's head. Then slowly patting his head he said, "But that is not something to fear, is it? No matter what happens, never let you head down son. Be proud of who you are! Make your father proud."
The sharp rattle of the wheels and the sound of hooves marked the coming of the carriage. The time was up. Arthur and Caden won't be meeting again until the next vacation.
Caden took a deep breath, calming the storm inside.
"I'll become the most powerful magic user in world and protect the people I love," he whispered.
"You already have," Arthur replied.
Without uttering any words, he fastened it across his chest, his thick cloak with the deep blue fabric rippling like a river. He gazed one final time at the home which had sheltered him for the short time which felt so long, the warm hearth, the enormous halls. Then he stepped through the door, into a world that would demand everything he had perhaps more.
As if the heavens were themselves torn between day and night, the morning sky bled into hues of deep gold and faint violet. The wheels of the carriage carved fleeting scars onto the thick mist which cling to the ground. A lonely carriage rattled down a frost bitten road.
Caden sat inside the carriage, trying to settle himself. The feeling of uncertainty kept gnawing at his insides. He could hear the soft rumble of the horses' hooves, he could also hear the clatter of the wheels but his thoughts were drifting far away. He wandered if he was truly prepared for what is to come? For the academy and the training, the expectations which lay on him, the expectations he put on himself? He always dreamt of this moment, his father and mother sitting beside him, seeing him off at the academy but the reality was dim. He was alone.
The faint hum of the movement of the horses and the flicker of cold morning light outside could barely reach him. Was he ready to leave behind everything? And to face the world head on?
Caden Starhaven settled, his hand resting on his knees, pulling the fabric of his hose as he felt confused from the unfamiliar road he tread on.
"What is this place? My father and I went to the academy yesterday but the road wasn't like this. Where are you bringing me?" said Caden with panic and fear in his voice.
"Worry not child. The academy you saw yesterday was for knights only. The Magic academy is similar to that one so your father brought you there but the actual Magic academy is situated in far east of the capital. These stallions are one of a kind, they are the strongest in the nation so don't worry, we will reach there within a day. Otherwise with any normal horse, it would easily take more than two!" said the coachman.
Today was the day when Caden's life was about to change.
The academy of Lunaris. A revered cradle for magic, loomed beyond the towering mountains in the frostborn valley, east of Nightsreach. Beyond the veil of morning fog, it was waiting for him.
A place not only for learning, it was a place where legends were born. It was a place where forgotten truths slumbered beneath the black stones, or hidden away in the millions of books in its gargantuan library. To those thirsty for knowledge, it was a sanctuary. To others, it was a battlefield disguised in grandeur and to some like Caden, it was a doorway to the unknown.
As the carriage came to a halt, Caden's body jerked and he woke up from the nap. The soothing calm of the morning paired with the thick misty forest and smell of fresh and invigorating pine needles and fur trees, mixed with cold and antiseptic freshness of cold could make anyone fall asleep.
The coachman, cloaked in furs gave a small nod.
"We've arrived, lad."
Caden stepped down onto a path paved with dark and glistening black stones. His breath misted before him. Tightening his cloak around his shoulders and his heart beating a slow and steady drum in his chest, he moved forward. As he did, the fog gradually shifted revealing the majestic, Lunaris academy.
Before him rose the academy from the mist like a fortress of dreams. The towers spiralled into the sky, some were sharp and spindly while others heavy ancient and crowned with banners of the seven teachings of the saints which fluttered against the winds. The statues of Gargoyles perched on the edges of arched bridges. Enormous iron gates stood before Caden with the simile of the ten Arcane families engraved in them.
It was larger than any castle Caden had ever seen, older than any temple he had ever read or knew about. And somehow, it all felt alive to Caden as if the stone remembered every soul that had ever walked past those gates.
For a moment, Caden hesitated.
Beyond those enormous gates were countless others who dreamt as Caden. Heirs of noble houses, prodigies from across the world, descendants of heroes and villains alike, heirs of the arcane families. All as strong and as prepared.
And yet… none would be like him.
Drawing a shivering and a slow breath, Caden stepped forward.
The gates rumbled open, responding not to any touch or command but perhaps Caden's sheer determination and willpower.
"I will not be forgotten, I will avenge my father." The words repeated in Caden's mind as he took the first step inside.
The academy welcomed him with open arms and silence that felt loud, with the words etched on in the building in front of him,
Upon these hallowed stones, ye tread,
Where wisdom's light doth guide thy head.
Thy heart, thy soul, doth seek the flame,
Of truths that none may dare to claim.
In shadows deep, the mind shall grow,
And from the frost, bright rivers flow.
Thou shouldst not falter, nor take flight,
For here, the stars do meet the night.
Seek not the shallow, but the deep,
In secrets hidden, knowledge sleep.
Let thy hands grasp what others dare not dream,
For in this place, the world doth gleam.
In winds of time, the echoes call,
Of lives once lived, of fates that fall.
E'er onward, through thy heart, thee climb,
To learn, to rise, beyond all time.
And when the night of ages falls,
Know that light from darkness calls.
In perpetuum noctis, souls entwine,
A cycle unbroken, by design.Upon these hallowed stones, ye tread,
Where wisdom's light doth guide thy head.
Thy heart, thy soul, doth seek the flame,
Of truths that none may dare to claim.
In shadows deep, the mind shall grow,
And from the frost, bright rivers flow.
Thou shouldst not falter, nor take flight,
For here, the stars do meet the night.
Seek not the shallow, but the deep,
In secrets hidden, knowledge sleep.
Let thy hands grasp what others dare not dream,
For in this place, the world doth gleam.
In winds of time, the echoes call,
Of lives once lived, of fates that fall.
E'er onward, through thy heart, thee climb,
To learn, to rise, beyond all time.
And when the night of ages falls,
Know that light from darkness calls.
In perpetuum noctis, souls entwine,
A cycle unbroken, by design.