Chapter 17: Yula pt.2

Right in the center of the plaza was one of the most amazing things Evan had ever seen. A tall man wearing a large top hat with bright long purple hair and a black suit was showing off his magic.

Fire was being wielded into beautiful creatures, such as dragons and unicorns, all the way to tiny cats and other creatures Evan could not recognize at the moment. The fire itself wasn't simply orange, no it was all the colors of the rainbow. The amount of discipline and self-control necessary to create those images spoke of abilities at a level only achievable through being an MAH graduate.

Evan got as close as he could to the fire, wanting to understand the magic itself. He didn't quite understand where his sudden attraction towards the fire magic came from, but he simply couldn't help himself. The man had noticed him and slowly walked towards him, a gentle smile visible on his face.

"Hello there, my name is Noya Holland. First class fire magician at your service." He bows slightly, his smile turning up just a bit more. Though Evan was supposed to feel somewhat welcomed, he instead felt creeped out by him. On another note, Evan felt as though he recognized that last name and once it clicked, Evan wanted to run away. The guy in front of him was not the crown prince but was clearly related as the royals last name was exclusive to them.

Cautiously, Evan introduced himself, "Hello Mr.Holland, my name is Evan Renelli, a future academy student." With his introduction said and done, Noya seemingly brightened up. He assumed that saying he was a future academy student somewhat broke the ice per say.

"Ah! That's great, please call me Noya. I'm glad to meet a future student of MAH, it's a wonderful school that brings out the best in us." Noya pulled Evan into a hug, who was far too shocked to do anything. It didn't last long, but Evan disliked the fact that his personal boundaries were violated per say.

"Alright...Noya." Evan was still wary of the man, as anyone from the royal family of Astoria could bring him back to his country, where his family could face death. He needed to be far more careful. The two continued to make small talk of sorts, with Noya asking Evan what he was most excited about when going to the academy, aside from unlocking his magical nodes.

After at least 10 minutes, Noya said his goodbye with an ominous whisper, saying they'd meet again. As Evan watched Noya walk away, he felt as though he'd see him soon and that brought nothing but shivers to his body.

He walked back towards his parents, who had managed to get a dessert that must've been ice cream between the two of them. "Hey champ! Who was that?" His father asked, proud of his son for taking charge for once in a sense. Evan sighed before explaining his unfortunate encounter, "That was Noya Holland...an academy graduate whose also a fire magician..."He slowly trailed off, noticing his parents pale the second they heard the last name.

In order to reassure them, he stated how he gave him no information aside from his name. His hair, nor his features, ever showed so they should be ok. His parents were still a bit skeptical and his mother seemed especially frightened. Unlike his mother and father, he didn't quite face the same amount of discrimination they did as a couple while in Basteti. He grabbed his mother's hand and told her that they could still have fun, so that is exactly what they did.

They continued to explore Yula as much as they could within a single day, finding new trinkets here and there that were fairly cheap to bring back home. His parents had surprised him by getting them matching flip phones. It could only really text and call, but it was perfect as he wouldn't be near them till the end of the Elemental month. That was at least four months, the academy technically started in the Gravity month, while the first large break was at the end of the fourth month.

He would miss his parents, but for now he'd rather focus on getting a nice dinner and relaxing with one another.

Finally, they had found a cute little restaurant known as Wooly&Tills, which primarily sold noodle soups of sorts. They were similar to ramen noodles back on Earth.

When they arrived inside the store, they were quickly seated near the back as the place was already pretty filled to the brim. It took a few minutes before a waitress came by their table. She was tall, at least 6'1" and had long teal hair that reached her calfs. Her eyes were grey in color and in all honesty, she was fairly intimidating.

"Alright, whatcha want?" She asked, not politely but not rudely, almost in the middle if he were being honest. His parents wanted to order themselves two alcoholic drinks, while he got a carbonated drink that was supposed to taste like a mix of grapes and cherries.

With their drinks on the way, the three of them took a look at the menu, searching for the most delicious options. Evan found a spicy mushroom soup with noodles, eggs, and blue lettuce. His parents on the other hand both decided on something known as the Wooly special. It consisted of noodles, tons of greens, mushrooms, and some secret sauce. He wasn't sure if it were in the broth or not.

It took about 3 minutes to get their drinks back and boy, Evan was not disappointed. Somehow both berries mixed so perfectly with one another. The drink itself was called the Fairy Berry and in reality, the fruits used weren't called grapes nor cherries, it just helped Evan to remember them if he named the taste with what he knew them as.

The food itself took at least 30 minutes but it was a wait worthwhile, as his dish tasted amazing. As Jacob, he had loved ramen to a degree as being in college made him more frugal, despite having the funds. He also found that when one was working at 2am on an essay, sometimes having a bowl of cheap ramen was just nice.

His parents were also enjoying their dinners and he was glad that they were less tense than earlier. Despite the popularity of the place they chose, much of the meals were cheap which really benefitted them. Once they finished their meal, the tall waitress came over and took the right amount of coins. As she left, his mother left a fairly generous tip of 1 silver coin and 7 copper coins, before they left the restaurant.

Soon, they were on their way back towards their motel, all dead on their feet. It was a long day, full of exploration and unnecessary stress because he found himself attracted to the fire.

With room 103 in sight, his mother used their key card and opened the door, sighing in relief at being back. Evan found himself running to hop into the shower and quickly get himself clean, finishing his shower in record time. The towels from the motel weren't the comfiest but they did the job and he slipped on his boxers, shorts, and tank top.

He slipped back into the room and let his parents take over the bathroom, before laying on the bed furthest from the door. The bed wasn't the greatest but the pillows were a soft as marshmallows.

He could hear his parents exit the bathroom before quietly speaking to one another. They'd most likely change rooms as he was leaving tomorrow for the capital of Noar, Holu. He'd be flying by himself so tomorrow was sure to bring tears from all of them.

His parents gentle speaking slowly lulled him to rest, excited for what tomorrow would bring.