Chapter 2: A regular school morning

Griffin Academy for Young Scholars was a school for everyone. From the children of commoners to nobles, it even had a history of housing and raising a few members of the royal family over is long history. Including all of its buildings, the training facilities, the library and the forest where only students had the privilege to hunt it spanned more than seven hundred and fifty square kilometers (two hundred and ninety square miles).

Mrs. Elizabeth Parker has been a teacher for the past twenty-five years in charge of a new class with a particularly mischievous boy, who was too eager to learn. In recent weeks he hadn't brought it up even ones which is what worried her the most. She was thinking about him as she watched over the school's garden as the students were making their way to a new day of learning.

The garden is a picturesque wonderland, brimming with life and color. As you step through the gates, the fragrant scent of roses and lilies fills your nose. The sound of running water draws your attention toward the center of the garden, where a magnificent fountain stands tall, spouting water high into the air.

Around the fountain, there are clusters of flowers in shades of red, pink, and purple. Delicate tulips sway in the breeze, while daffodils and hyacinths carpet the ground in a riot of color. The towering sunflowers reach towards the sun, their golden faces turned toward the sky.

This was the first thing both parents and children saw as they entered the premise of the Academy, it was such a pleasant experience that some parents even prolonged their journey to the academy so they could have an excuse to stay a little longer in this serene piece of haven. Camille was no exception as she simply adored the experience of walking on a path filled with flowers, with her son in hand as they headed to school.

What really put a smile on her face though was the fact that Ciaran also seemed to love their morning walks. He was a naturally curious child who loved looking at the scenery, always asking his mom about the species of flowers, trees, the different tiles, and even interesting-looking rocks. Sometimes he would even find minute differences in flowers of the same kind.

"Be a good boy today Ranny, don't cause your teacher trouble, and bring back mommy a new art piece if you and your friends are up to it." She said with a gentle smile on her face, before giving him a hug and a kiss on the forehead.

"Don't make a scene mommas-boy" said a girl with short black hair giving the mother and son duo a nasty glare before her mother pulled her ahead while scolding her.

"What an unpleasant girl" Camille said with a frown.

"Yeah" replied Ciaran trying to say as little as possible and avoiding eye contact with his mom.

"See you after school," he said and ran ahead

Camille smiled helplessly, she had told him many times to be nice to his classmates. One too many it had seemed if one small comment from her side made him run off like that. She was thinking it through while looking around the garden, imagining her son's adventures.

To the right of the fountain lay a huge hedge maze, intricately designed and trimmed to perfection. Tall hedges provide a natural barrier, and the winding paths lead you on an adventure of twists and turns. It seemed perfect for the exploration of young adventurers.

On the left side of the garden, there is a small petting zoo. The petting zoo is filled with friendly animals, including fluffy horned rabbits, gentle giant goats, and soft electric sheep. Visitors are welcome to feed the animals and pet them, bringing joy and happiness to both children and adults alike. Since day one of Ciaran's Academy days she never had a day where she had not been bombarded with stories of the wonderful creatures it holds. It was safe to say that it was her son's second favorite place, outside the Library of course.

As she continues to wander through the garden, she saw even more treasures. There are clusters of bright, cheerful daisies, elegant snapdragons, and fragrant lavender. The garden was a celebration of life, a place to escape from the worries of the world and bask in the beauty of nature.

As his mom was making her way out, Ciaran was making his way to his classroom, where his classmates needed to gather for the first lesson of the day: Geography. He got to the room assigned to his class and was one of the last kids to make it. He quickly got in and sat next to his friends, not forgetting to have a glare off with Clara the girl who insulted him prior. Appearances had to be kept after all.

The tension was broken up when their teacher Mrs. Parker walked in. She looked at her young pupils and observed that all of them were neat and tidy for a change, something that deeply worried her, because, in her experience when everything looked to be perfect, something horrible was about to happen. She stopped and observed them for a minute, they were all in uniform.

The girls wore a white collared shirt with gold buttons, a gold vest with blue piping, a pleated blue skirt, white knee-high socks, and black Mary Jane shoes. Some of them even complemented the look with a blue ribbon. The boys on the other hand wore a white collared shirt with gold buttons, a gold vest with blue piping, khaki pants, white ankle socks, and black dress shoes.

This uniform combines the elegance of gold and white with the freshness of blue, creating a unique and stylish look that is appropriate for young students. The uniform is comfortable, practical, and easy to maintain, while also instilling a sense of pride and discipline in the students who wear it.

She loved seeing them dressed for success, yet usually, there were countless little flaws with their attire. Some wore trinkets on their hands some had their shirts all messy, and some just ruffled their hair before classes even began. Her class was quite special, as it was almost completely evenly divided into three- two rival gangs and the suffering "civilians". One gang was led by Clara Victoria Alexandra Montague, the daughter of a Duke. The girl was very rule-abiding and led the "militia" who took it upon themselves to police the troublemakers in their rival gang. They were led by Ciaran Clades the son of one of the most successful merchants in the Novarion Empire.

The two rival gangs were always bickering with each other, sometimes it even escalated to physical fighting. As bad as it got no one ever got injured which was why Mrs. Parker still tolerated their antics. She was even a little guilty of being biased towards Clara, not only because she was always snitching on her fellow classmates to her, but also because the little girl was always polite and looked like a doll.

On the other side stood Ciaran – he stood about one hundred and twenty-two centimeters tall (4 feet) and weighed about twenty-three kilograms (fifty pounds). He had a slightly chubby build, with limbs that are still growing into their proportions. His nose and ears were still relatively small in proportion to his face, and his teeth were a mix of baby and permanent teeth. Overall he looked like a normal kid, which was fine but given the circumstances she had allowed herself to view him in a negative light.

The two leaders never fought, but always quarreled, which got so bad that sometimes she just let them do so as long as she was far enough that she would not hear them. She thought about how she was not acting professionally, shrugged, and gave a greeting.

"Good morning class," she said with a smile

"Good morning Teacher/Mrs. Parker/Mrs. Elizabeth" not a synchronized response, this put her mind at ease. Even the fact that the little hooligan called her by her first name, something that usually raised her blood pressure, strangely enough, calmed her down today. That being the case, she couldn't just let him do as he pleases, yet she couldn't lower herself to his level so she had one option left, use the resources at her disposal, namely Clara.

"Class representative Montague could you please tell me if there is anyone absent today," she asked knowing full well what that title represented for the children. When they held the election she had told them that among them only the best could bare it. There was quite a lot of push for Ciaran to be selected but, because of his antics, which got the whole class punished a few times, ultimately Clara won. A fact the little girl held over his head to this day.

A part of the class smiled, another scoffed, and a third didn't really care as the girl reported that there was no one absent.

"If everyone is here shall we begin with our first lesson today? We shall learn about our neighbors and the borders of our Empire." She said with a stern expression on her face.