Episode 6.1

Within a few minutes, I arrived at the meeting place where the King of the Heavenly realm brought his men to announce the decree. I silently walk towards the rest area with the soldiers. Like the first time I saw them, they are still wearing their armor like they are about to enter a war.

Moments later, a man who was wearing silver armor stopped me from walking. “Who are you?” he asked rudely. His voice is deep, and his tone is somewhat barbaric. I pouted at his question. “I’m here to enter the academy,” I answered him and gave him a smile. His brows furrowed while staring at me intensely. I feel like he’s weighing my answer.

“Wait, here,” he ordered and walked over to the old man. I think he’s already in his forties. He is still wearing the long white hat. He looks dignified and well respected by the others. I am not sure what they called him. But honestly, I don’t care. All I want is to enter the heavenly realm free.

He signaled me to go in their direction and to my surprise, I saw our professor along with the group of other male Foxes. Each of them has two large pieces of luggage in which they probably store their personal belongings. I felt numb as if my feet were rooted to the ground. I am contemplating whether to back out with my plan or continue. My legs are shaking because of the intense anxiety I am feeling.

I gulped hard when I reached their location. Each of them is staring at me, which makes me even more nervous.

"What's your name?" an old man in a hat asked me.

“Er… A—”

‘Don’t worry, mother. They won’t recognize you so please don’t be scared. As long as I am here, I’ll protect you.’ I heard Snow White whisper to me. I am also certain that it is only me who can hear it. She said something that made me smile, but then the voice of a man interrupted me.

“What?”

“Moon. Yes. My name is Moon,” I introduced myself while scratching the back of my neck. I really hope I won’t cause any trouble or I’ll bid farewell to this world.

“Which family do you belong to?” He asked again. The question made me feel a little nervous. I don’t know what to say.

I bit my lower lip. Why is it so difficult to enter the heavenly realm? Do I really need to get interrogated? This man never told us earlier that he was going to ask us so many questions before we can finally enter the academy. “I have no family. “ I answered honestly. I can’t tell them about Popsy. He will probably beat me if he knows. I’m taking a dangerous adventure while risking my life. It will do no good if my Pops knows about this.

Our professor walked in our direction. “Do you know this boy? His name is Moon. Do you have a student named Moon?”

Our professor looked at me and started inspecting me from head to toe. He even pursed his lips while staring at every inch of my face and body. I started sweating. I don’t like what’s happening right now. I gripped the railings of my shoulder bag which is hanging on my right side. “I don’t know him.” I heard our professor mutter. "I suspect he is one of those boys who skips school and doesn't attend my classes. He must have heard of the decree and decided that he wanted to enter the academy. This is actually pretty cool. Almost all my students wanted to join but sadly, it is only the male population who can enter the competition.” He continued. I breathed out the air I was holding. I immediately look at his face and am surprised that he doesn’t recognize me. I didn’t expect this! I sweetly smiled and nodded repeatedly. “Yes, professor. I really wanted to go to the heavenly realm and be the emperor’s apprentice!” I exclaimed excitedly. My voice is too loud and full of confidence. With what I just said, everyone started laughing at me.

I pursed my lips. There’s nothing funny but everyone seems to laugh at what I said. I am telling the truth. To become the apprentice of the emperor of heaven has always been my dream. Why? Is he that old? Omo~ they might think that I have a crush on him. Or is it because they think that I am a woman? No. No. No. Impossible.

“No. I don’t have a crush on the emperor of heaven. It’s just that I really admire him as my role rule model. I only want—”

“That’s enough. Please sign your name in the log book to appear on the list of participants. When the sun is set, we will fly to the heavenly realm,” the man wearing a hat told me as he exited himself.

I did what I was told. I wrote my name on the list of the students and I saw that almost all the boys in my class were present too. Wow. This is going to be exciting! I’m really looking forward to the heavenly realm and I’m excited to see my savior. Wahh~ I let out a soft chuckle as I put my pointing fingers on my chin and started thinking about what the heavenly realm looks like. Does their food taste better when compared to the human world? I snickered. I can’t wait to taste their food! I am certain it will be delicious! Perhaps the taste will linger in my taste buds!

I looked at my left side and saw the eunuch. I think he is in that position based on what he wears. I read about it in an article and it said that the king’s personal eunuch wears a long hat which symbolizes they are personal servants of the king. Around twenty soldiers accompany the eunuch and they ride massive clouds. I couldn't believe what I saw when I saw other Foxes bringing their luggage with them and riding the clouds, too. I hurried towards them and set both of my feet on the fluffy white thing.

The clouds started moving and we flew high up in the sky. The view up here is really fascinating. The mountains, as well as other kinds of landforms, are clearly visible up above. The human world can also be seen from here. I spread my arms to feel and savor the fresh breeze of wind which I think is too serene.

“Wahh~ this is really amazing!” I shouted with so much excitement. I can’t help but smile. I am heading out on a new adventure and I hope to meet several friends here.

The clouds we were riding stopped when we reached the entrance of the heavenly realm. In front of it is a gigantic gate with two men guarding it. I can see that there are innumerable students from different tribes that are present. There is no doubt that they will also participate in the competition. This is actually a great opportunity for everyone since anyone can enter the academy. It's a good thing I have Snow White with me, who helped me enter.

We are riding through the clouds when the eunuch steps out. After this, people from my clan started stepping out too. I am the last person to exit the cloud before it finally disappeared into thin air.

I can’t help but be amazed at what I am seeing. The whole place is surrounded by a number of male participants who arrived earlier than us. My train of thoughts was interrupted when the eunuch told us to fall in two separate lines.