Chapter 2 : A Noble with a Golden Heart

After waiting until all the apprentices had their time putting their hands inside the basin. Master Grondor shivered and smiled weirdly, "Ah that's nice. Thanks, everyone. Welcome to the Shoal Blue Sea Academy. Oh yeah, I almost forget.

"Make two lines! Follow your senior apprentices to join our academy." Master Gronder smiled and walked away from the clearing finishing his work.

Vega followed the instruction following the shorter apprentice with curly hair. Her skin was beautiful brown color from living under the sun too long. She had a sash strapped on her shoulder that moved when she turned back facing the line behind her, "Follow me. If you leave the line, the academy will turn you into ordinary slaves." She pointed at the line of the failed apprentices. She stared at each of the people following her making her order clear. She harrumphed, turned back, and started her walk leading the new apprentices.

Vega felt the hot sand under his feet. Even though he used to walk barefoot on the stone pathway before, the soft sand felt hotter than he was normally accustomed to. Looking around the so-called academy was nothing more than a beach with some palm trees shading him from the sun. He passed several buildings on his way but the apprentice still walk passing the buildings greeting her friends and complaining.

The building around couldn't be called a building because it looked more like several wooden shacks built just for the sake of shading the people from the environment. Even the biggest building he headed to looked a little sturdier because of the reinforcement from several wooden poles keeping it to stand without falling.

Then, the apprentice stopped and said, "Here, one by one, you're going to register and get what you need. The Shoal Blue Sea Academy is one of the best academies around the islands." The apprentice showed them a stone plate as big as her hand. "Don't lose your medals." She showed the symbol. Three fish and three curly lines. "It'll help you to go around the academy without getting attacked by the guardians. Every Wednesday, there will be a free workshop by the hall."

Someone in the group raised his hand bravely but screamed from the invisible thread that knocked his hand.

"Remember equivalent exchange! There are some books in the free section of the library if you have questions. Good luck, and may the souls prevail!" She left them without any idea what to do and all the newly appointed apprentices looked at each other and shrugged.

Vega looked around and saw some of his friends were confused, but some stood confidently. Someone opened the curtain closed the window and called the apprentices to step forward to collect their things for the academy.

"Excuse me, my name is Vega," he tried to give his best smile. "You looked nice." Vega noticed the boy standing in front of him that looked like a noble. Even though he hated them, at least the noble will know more about what is happening. The first rule to making friends is don't ask. Just give a compliment. Vega remembered the teaching his old man told him while holding the magical water pouch on his waist, feeling nervous.

"Thank you, my name is Dionalente Brighthorn. Just call me Dion."

"A weird question, are you a knight?" Vega asked Dion because he showed a mannerism similar to the knights he had seen guarding the mayor's estate. Vega hated making knights even more. The only thing he was good at, pretending to be nice and smiling. He faked himself to get anything he could from the noble in front of him.

"Ah yes, my father taught me. Even though I'm the fourth in line, I must learn to defend myself. How about you?"

"Ju.. just a common man." Vega scratched his head, embarrassed.

"Nah, it's fine. My place doesn't really differentiate between the common men and the nobles. We, in fact, live together harmoniously."

'Nobles live together with ordinary men. What a crazy idea.' He scoffed inside remembering the still-fresh memory of being chased around like a thief.

Dion was very talkative, and mostly Vega listened to him to get any information about the strange land he was now in. His new 'friend' mentioned an island governed by the wizards. Nobles there act as the messenger. The test was a typical day for them, having a yearly gathering for kids their age to get their talent tested for Night Haze Academy. On the way, Dion got intercepted by Shoal Blue Sea Academy. The initiates had to fight between themselves, and luckily because he was a knight, he survived the fight. Even though he lost the battle, he was brought together to join the Shoal Blue Sea Academy, where he was now.

So, this is not the only academy. I need to get close to Dion because he definitely has some strength. Vega remembered another lesson from the old man, "befriend a dragon. Even though you're ants, you live like kings". Vega touched the pouch on his waist reminiscing about the old man who saved him from living on the streets and turned it better.

The line of the apprentices shortened. At the end of the line, Vega received a bag full of simple things. One flask of questionable liquid, three glittering stones the size of a thumb, a simple robe, and the medal symbolized an apprentice of the Shoal Blue Sea Academy. While Vega was still rummaging through his pouch, he felt something brush his fingers.

He drew his hand fast and screamed.

"Sush!" The apprentice in charge of the building glared angrily at him.

Embarrassed, he opened the bag wider and peeked inside. Ah, it's only just a paper. Silly me. Taking it out, Vega looked at the pictures and frowned. Some drawings with lines and squares on them with writings showed Vega a poorly-drawn map of the academy. Even I can draw better than this. He sneered but decided to study the map. He looked over at Dion who had just finished taking his things too.

"Let's go! We need to find where we live," Dion smiled inviting him to do his first duty as an apprentice.

"Yeah." Vega followed the knight looking left and right. He stepped on the harder sand and followed the knight. He enjoyed his view walking behind a noble at that. He smiled walking straighter feeling like an important guess led by a knight. He was enjoying his time too much and felt shocked when Dion stopped and looked back at him.

"I think this is where we are going to choose where we live, right?"

Vega shrugged, "Probably, the map is ugly. I don't even know where we are."

Dion chuckled and led the way talking to the apprentice in charge of the living area.

Based on the information, Vega can choose between three areas for apprentices. The difference from the area was their mana quality. The higher place could help him faster to improve the glowing red blue orb inside his mind that he knew as the source of his magic.

Vega stretched his neck looking at the price. '1000 golds. About 10 mana crystals, right? That's expensive.'

"I don't think I can afford that."

Different from the first area, the third area was more affordable. He could use one stone to stay there for a contract of two years. The middle area could only make him stay for a year. Knowing that the place would be his first 'home' after living on the streets, he didn't care about the price and signed a contract.

Dion heard what his friend uttered, and offered, "I have some money with me. Do you want to share living in the first area?" Dion asked him, pointing at a couple of buildings that fit more than one person.

Vega looked at the price and frowned. Why is it more expensive to live together? Sharing the price makes it cheaper, right? He shook his head and rejected the offer.

Vega decided to choose the chapter room and gave his medal to the apprentice-in-waiting. The apprentice did something and made the medal glow a little and offered it back to him.

"Okay, then I think I better get going. I can't wait to take a shower and change into my robe. Should we meet after that around, there? Ah, don't forget to use your medal to find your place. It will tell you where you live."

"Alright. Thanks, Dion."

Bidding his goodbye, Vega followed the medal that now was glowing. The glow stopped, and he looked at the house in front of him. Confused, he looked back and forth at the medal and the door.

He forgot to ask the apprentice how to unlock the door. He was too fascinated with the whole thing happening around him. The door facing him was basically plain wood. No keyhole, no handle, just a plain wooden door. Then the memory of when he received his medal went through his mind.

-"Don't lose your medals." She showed the symbol. Three fish and three curly lines. "It helped you to go around the academy without getting attacked by the guardians. Every Wednesday, there will be a free workshop by the hall."-

Vega thought back to the first time he arrived here. The apprentice told him that the medals were basically a master key for everything. He tried touching the medal to the wood, but nothing happened. Moving it around the door only tired his arm, but nothing happened. He attempted to…. basically, he tried everything, but still, nothing.

A crease started to appear around his forehead. Feeling distressed, he gave up and walked back. He shrugged and chose to wait for Dion at the place they had agreed upon. Strolling to the spot, feeling the sun on him, a smile emerged on his face.

"Hi there, why you're not changed?"

Vega looked at Dion who stood proudly wearing the new robe he had got. For someone who was supposed to go to another academy, he sure seems proud of his new one.

Dion felt the gaze, "What? What's wrong? Do I have anything on me?"

Seeing the dread on the knight's face, he laughed. "Hahhahaha, no… nothing is wrong. Forget about me, let's just eat first." Even though Dion offered to help him, Vega didn't want to increase his debt to the noble.

Dion shrugged and led him together to go visiting a huge building that looked better than any building he had seen before. The shack they called the restaurant was huge, different from his knowledge of a simple wooden cottage. He looked around and found that a lot of apprentices filled the place. Most sat together or in groups.

"Not bad," Vega said.

"Of course not. I chose it myself." Dion felt proud of the comment. "Where do you wanna sit?"

Vega's eyebrows raised upon hearing the sudden informal tone the knight used. "Anywhere. Your choice."

Dion brought them to sit by the bar. Looking at the menu, Vega frowned at the restaurant's many choices. Salted salmon, green turtle, cured meat, a lot of seafood choices. We're on the island. What else besides seafood... While trying to decide on something, he felt a tap on his shoulder and looked over.

A beaming smile from the knight greeted him, "What do you want to order?"

For the first time, Vega felt the need to be honest, "I've no idea." Looking at the choices on the menu, he didn't have any idea facing many choices at once. He never had to choose before.

"Okay, let me help you. You're okay with sea creatures, right? How about Humunael?"

"Humunael? Okay, now I sound stupid, but I never heard of this fish." Vega scorned, I think he is like the other nobles. 'Taking advantage of my stupidity and offering something with a weird-sounding name.'

"No, no. Sorry. Don't be angry. Humunael is a beast that is known for improving your mana retention." Seeing the frown, Dion explained. "You know what mana is, right? So, as an apprentice, when trying to meditate for the first time, it'll show you how much mana you can have. Humunael is known to give you a mana boost the first time you eat it, which benefits you."

"Okay, I believe you." Vega decided to trust Dion. So far, the knight hadn't steered him wrongly, even though deep inside he still hesitated to believe Dion or not.

After ordering the food, Vega decided to ask him the most crucial question.

"So why are you helping me?"

"Nothing in particular." The knight answered, "But, being the fourth in line, my life was not easy. I don't have to work hard like my brothers and sisters, but I also can't let my parents think I'm useless. I decided to train hard, and finally, my father recognized my hard work and trained me himself. You reminded me of my youngest brother. He looked similar to you."

Vega frowned, not understanding the correlation. He let the knight speak more.

"You know, because I trained too much, I missed the birth of my youngest brother, but he always followed me around. Even though I never paid attention to him, he followed me. Until one day," Dion took a deep breath. "my father told me to get an off day which never happened. I asked everyone why and discovered we needed to go into a mourning period." Dion's voice cracked.

Vega knew where this was heading. "I'm sorry to hear that. Thank you for being honest. You know that I'm not your brother, right?"

Dion sobbed but finally regained his composure, "I know, but you look just like him. I felt guilty for not spending time with him more.

The food came interrupted them. Vega chose to be quiet because he never dealt with someone showing emotions for him outside of disgust or scorn. The only emotion he understood was the smile the old man gave him. Feeling conflicted, he chose to eat his food before dealing with the sudden sadness of losing the old man. The food tasted like a blessing from heaven after living too long eating something that barely can be considered food.