Chapter 16 Ascendant Arcane Academy

Hundreds of red caps flew into the air as cheers sounded throughout the field. As they crash-landed into the ground, a hand went down to pick up one of them. He lifted it and smiled as he stared at the bright red cap. Alaric put the cap back onto his head as he clutched a rolled-up paper in his hand.

"Congrats on getting your diplomas graduates! And you are now free to go!" As the announcer spoke. more cheers rang out and the hundreds of senior students filed out of the football field and began to meet up with their parents or other family members.

Alaric stepped along the field, his eyes tracking the people to find his own family. He felt the grin never leave his face, as his steps became more urgent. His eyes landed on a pair who he recognized all too well. "Mom Dad!" He shouted as he sprinted forward to greet them fully. They opened their arms and the family went in for a hug. "I'm so proud of you Alaric..." His mother said, her voice horse and raspy. "I am too son." His father said as well, rubbing his son's hair, as he smiled bigger.

His mother grabbed the diploma out of his hand and rolled it open. "Oh my gosh," she said, feeling a wave of emotions wash over her again. Her eyes began to have unshed tears in them as she hugged the boy again. "I'm so proud of you...!!" Alaric gave a small laugh, and sightly stiffened under his mother's embrace. His eyes darted around, worried that she was making a scene. But as he saw her expression, he didn't say anything and just simply hugged her back.

"I love you so much!" Alaric felt his eyes face heat up, and his eyes heavy with emotion. His vision was slightly blurred and watery. He closed his eyes and hugged her tighter. "I love you too..."

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The night fell as Alaric and his family finally arrived home. It was a long day for Alaric he did a lot. Firstly of course was his long awaited graduation, which he definitely worked hard for. After all, he had to go through eighteen more years to get here. But in the end, it was worth it. He was able to make his parents proud of him.

Secondly, he had went to a graduation party. He was a bit hesitant to attend, but figured it wouldn't hurt. While he was there, he learned quite a bit from his fellow seniors. Things such as their goals, ambitious, plans for the future, it was pretty interesting to hear. During the end of the party, he was egged on by his class to give a speech. He declined multiple times but just went with it. He didn't even know what to say. So he off the top of his head gave speech about his own experiences, and how he wants to live a life that fits him, one that goes with his wishes and desires. And surprisingly, it was well received. They actually liked it which surprised him. Maybe it was because he spoke from the heart and it was how he truly felt. He didn't know, but he liked that everyone loved his speech.

After the graduation party him and his family went out to eat, he got his favorite food he used to eat all the time back in his pervious life, chicken tacos. The entire day was honestly a treat, one of the best days of this life. It would definitely be engraved in his memory for the rest of his life.

But, he was extremely tired so once they arrived home, he went straight to his room. Once he entered the room, his eyes became heavy. Sky floated around his bed. It noticed him enter and immediately glowed, excited to see him. Alaric got out of his gown and put his cap away, laying down with a heavy sigh. The bed creaked under his weight, the soft mattress engulfed him as he sunk into the cushion. His muscles relaxed and he stared up at his ceiling. His legs throbbed slightly from all the walking and standing he did all day. His head looked over at sky, who was bouncing happily beside him.

A smile grew on his face, but his eyes scanned the desk behind the cloud. It was filled with various different things, paper, pencils and pens. It was rather cultured. But, one thing stood out beyond all those random items. A blue galaxy style envelop sat against his gray laptop. It was originally sealed, but was opened.

Alaric rose from his comfort and stepped closer to the desk. His hand reached out for the envelop. He flipped open the small flap and pulled out the paper that was inside.

The words spelled out what he had learned earlier, "You have been accepted into Ascendant Arcane Academy." Below were things that came with being a student, which he already knew before hand. He had received this letter a week after he did the entrance exam, and honestly he wasn't surprised. He passed the second and third stage, though his first stage exam results were still a mystery... But it didn't matter. He got in.

Not to mention, he also got a sweet uniform for his time at Ascendant Arcane Academy. It was a galaxy blue shirt with a black tie and black pants. It was pretty plain but the galaxy shirt was the selling point of the entire uniform. His eyes trailed down the paper and it revealed the date his time there would start. After his graduation, in the August. He placed the paper back inside the envelop and laid the message down onto the table.

He turned back to face his bed as he stepped forward and laid back down, letting the cushion envelop him. He yawned and closed his eyes, stray tears at the corner of his eyes. His mind slowly began to stop thinking and began to shut off, darkness surround his vision as he began to drift to sleep, 'It won't be long now, only two months, and everything will be in the palm of my hand...'

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Alaric heard an alarm sound in his room, the ringing vibrating his ears. His crusted eyes forced open and he placed his palm against his phone. As he checked the time, he sat up, feeling his tiredness wash away. He rose to his feet and grabbed a pair of clothes as Sky rested on the floor. He walked inside his small bathroom.

A small bar hung above his toilet, which he uses to hang his clothes. He threw his clothes on the bar and began to strip naked, before hopping into the shower. As the water brushed off his body, his mind raced, today was a day unlike any other. Water dripped from his face as he closed his eyes, and began washing himself.

He stepped out and dried off before dressing in his uniform. He looked at himself in the mirror, his snowy-white hair now a bit shorter barely reaching his cheeks. He shook his hair, his strands and bangs waving as he did so. He stopped and exited the bathroom, as sky was now up and about. Glowing with excitement, it definitely knew what day it was. He smiled and began to exit, sky following closely behind. He made his way to the living room, as a smell hit his nose.

The smell of breakfast waved through the air and into his nose. He went to the source, a plate of food resting on the table, steam flowing off it into the air. His mother and father were already waiting for him. He pulled back the chair and sat down.

He bowed, "Thank you for the meal." he said, as he was ready to dig in. His mother smiled, "You're welcome Alaric. Eat up, I know you're probably so excited you can't sit still." She said as he began to eat. He chew slowly as his parents began to asked him questions, "Do you have everything? You know where to go right? You know what you have to do?" And of course, Alaric knew all the answers. He even had a to-do list made for his first day. It honestly made everything a bit easier and less overwhelming for him. He laughed at him at all their questions, but it was nothing but them worrying over him, which he appreciated.

He wanted to eat as fast as he could so he could go much, "I'm really going to miss having you around Alaric..." His mother said, as this paused Alaric's meal. His eyes trailed up to look at her, "You're growing up, I know. And you can't rely on us forever, but...I'm going to miss having you around the house." She said, her voice slightly breaking, and Alaric knew what this meant.

He didn't want to see her cry, it would make him cry as well. "Mom, don't worry." He said, as she looked at him, the unshed tears visible in her eyes. "I'll be fine, I'll miss being here too. But, you know this is what I want to do, what I have too." She looked down, "I know, and..." His father placed a hand on her shoulder, "Come on, you don't have to worry so much. Our son is strong, he can handle himself." He said, as he began to ruffle Alaric's hair. He laughed a bit, before getting up, "Alright, I think it's time I go." He said, as he picked up his plate and moved towards the sink.

His mother sped after him, pulling him into a tight embrace. He stood still, his mind flashed back to his graduation. The emotion he wanted to bottle up, his sadness for having to go. "I love you...okay?" He smiled and quickly sat the dish down before hugging her back. "I love you too."

The two separated. "I know you don't need to hear this, because I know you will. But, make us proud." Alaric nodded and turned towards the door, ready to depart. With one last goodbye, Alaric exited the house and sat atop of sky. With a breath, they took off into the air and soared.

Alaric felt sad, but a smile grew on his face as he began to think about his future. He pointed ahead and sky increased it's speed, blasting at super speed.

"Time to Live!!!"