The journey

Argenius was about to shut down his computer when he received a reply to his message to Professor Marzestra. He quickly read through it:

Dear Mr. Atilas, I'm glad that you and your sister have accepted our offer. In response to this message, I have tickets for a ship that will take you over the main stream from Tulli to Kujek. From there, a driver will take you to the Academy in the Great Forest of Unk.

Sincerely, Hanna Hamago Teresa Marzestra

Argenius was surprised that his sister had also received an invitation and had accepted it. He opened the link attached to the message and found two tickets for a ship that would depart from the port of Tulli in two weeks.

Argenius turned off his computer, left his room, and went downstairs to the living room where Elina and their mother were sitting. Argenius joined them, and a brief silence filled the room, which Argenius broke with a cough. "We have received an invitation to a good academy," he began, and their mother simply nodded. "And if I read correctly, we both agreed," he continued.

Again, their mother nodded, and another short silence ensued. Then Elina and Argenius' mother said, "If you think it's the right decision, then I have no problem with it." Argenius was relieved then his mother asked, "Which academy is it?" At that moment, Argenius realized they didn't even know the name of the academy. "I don't know the name, but the director's surname is Marzestra," he replied.

Their mother looked up and murmured, "Mar," absentmindedly, then nodded. "In that case, I support your decision." Argenius was curious and asked, "Why? What does the syllable 'Mar' have to do with it?" His mother shook her head and said mysteriously, fluttering her eyelashes, "You'll find out." Argenius left it at that. His mother was the most stubborn person he knew. Once she set her mind to something, it was impossible to change it.

"When do we leave?" asked their mother. "In two weeks, a ship will depart. The professor sent me two tickets for me and Elina," their mother nodded again. "Then pack your things and say goodbye to your friends," she said, yawning, "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

In the next 13 days, Elina and Argenius prepared for their departure. When Elina said goodbye to Johanna, tears were shed. Argenius quickly wrote a message to his friends. Then the time came. Argenius and Elina had everything sorted out, and their mother drove them to the port.

There, they searched for the ship. Once they found it, they said goodbye to their mother and boarded.

The ship looked very luxurious, and many teenagers were standing on the deck, waiting for the captain who stood on another slightly elevated deck. The captain greeted them with a warm smile and said in a gruff voice, "Tickets, please."

One by one, they approached the captain and handed over their tickets. When it was Argenius' turn, he stepped forward and handed his ticket to the captain. The captain glanced at it briefly, then gave Argenius a key. After everyone had handed in their tickets, the captain addressed them again.

"You have all received a key. Four of you will share a cabin. We will depart in 10 minutes, so please proceed to your rooms. The journey will take approximately 4 days." Argenius and Elina were assigned to the same room. When they looked at their key card, they saw the number 001.

The two took their suitcases and searched for their room. It was located at the very end of the corridor on the top floor. Argenius opened the door, and their room wasn't very big. There were two beds against the walls, and a door led to a small bathroom. Two wardrobes were placed at the foot of each bed. After Argenius and Elina unpacked their things, they felt the ship start moving, so they went to the deck. There, a girl and a boy were already standing. They glanced at Argenius and Elina briefly, then looked away. "Hello," greeted Elina. Her extroverted nature didn't allow her to stand next to someone without speaking to them.

"I'm Elia, and this is my brother Argenius. And who are you?" she fired off. "I'm Johannes, and this is my childhood friend Sophia," the boy replied. The girl remained silent and blushed slightly. "How are your rooms?" he asked after a brief pause. "Comfortable. It's not very big, but it's cozy," answered Elina. "But we're only two in one room, although the captain said there would always be four couples." "Really?" Sophia suddenly became interested. "We have to share our room with three others. Fortunately, we were divided by gender. I don't think I could handle sleeping with three boys," she blurted out. "Do you have any problem sleeping in the same room with your brother?" she asked. "No," said Elina. "It wouldn't be the first time." The two girls seemed to get along well. Argenius looked at Johannes, who seemed to have the same thought. This journey would be long.

After 4 days, they arrived in Kujek. Elina and Sophia had dragged Argenius and Johannes all over the ship to deepen their friendship, according to Elina. Meanwhile, the two boys had also become friends. When the four of them disembarked, a man in a suit approached them. "I'm looking for Argenius and Elina Atilas. Can you tell me where they are?" he asked. Argenius raised his hand and said, "That's us." He pointed to himself and his sister. The man nodded and said, "Please follow me. I come from the academy on behalf of Professor Marzestra and I'm here to safely escort you to her." He pointed to a small path that seemed to lead to the street. The siblings said goodbye to Johannes and Sophia and followed the man to a parking lot where he led them to a large car. The three got in, and the man drove off, crossing the road through the forest. Argenius and Elina looked out the window. They saw trees and clearings, with cows and sheep grazing on the fresh grass.

After some time, the man began to speak. "Both of you are our honor students this year, which means you didn't enter the academy through the usual selection process but through your performance in the personal tests conducted by the directors. However, this also means that good performance is expected from you. If your desired performance fails to materialize, it could lead to expulsion from the academy." When he finished speaking, he hit the brakes, and they looked out the window. There stood a castle. The man turned to them and said, "Welcome to our beautiful academy."