Draeyer Academy
Drae Skyland
Northeastern Space

Alec stiffened again when he felt a small object paw at his back. When it was gone, he resumed cooking the dough-wrapped bananas in the batch of molten brown sugar. It was supposed to be chocolate like Areisha asked but he couldn't find it in himself to obey her as of that moment.

He felt it again and this time there was small "meow" from the creature he feared since he was five. He turned off the fire and whirled around. However, he slid to the other side of the counter when Areisha shoved the little beast at his face once more. He was thankful for its wings were still small for its body and he didn't have to worry about it flying around him much too soon.

Another irritating laugh came from Areisha.

"I'm serious!" he yelled. "If you don't stop I'll fry it alive in cooking oil!"

Areisha's dark blue eyes widened in fear and she took steps back with the kitten to her chest. Alec noted that Lux the cat looked a little uneasy from the thrusting and jerking Areisha had been doing to it. A part of him kind of felt sorry for the animal.

"You're so cruel. Lux is only a kitten. He hasn't even done anything wrong to you! Why are so afraid of cats anyway?"

"You're the cruel one. You've been moving it around like an object and now it looks like it's about to throw up."

With that, Areisha quickly sat Lux on the floor. True enough, the kitten swayed on his legs for a few moments as he walked. Alec looked away and later heard gagging on one corner of the kitchen. "You're cleaning that up," he said.

The kitchen doors slammed open and Solana came crashing through with a grin on her face. "Who's afraid of cats?"

"No one," he answered much too quickly.

"Oh, it's you then." He silently groaned at that and used continued with finishing the rest of their dinner. He was never going to hear the end of it.

―――

"Alec, you really need to cook more often," Ceiver said. "You're better than me at it." The boy had a gleam of satisfaction in his brown eyes, and he could see it through the glasses he wore.

"Even River likes it more than he would show," Knox said as he dabbed his lips with a napkin.

"I do not!" River cried. But right after, he took the last piece of their dessert and dug his teeth through crispy syrup-covered bread and into the banana. They all chuckled at him and Alec took the moment to look at them all. I wish we're always like this, he thought.

"I don't want to Ceiv," he said. "I like your cooking better."

Ceiver froze and stared at him first. Not soon after, he broke into a grin at him. "Thank you Alec!"

"Grandpa's here!" Solana suddenly yelled. She jumped out of her seat and disappeared behind the dining room doors. Small smiles formed on their faces when they noted that she resembled an excited little girl.

They all stood, leaving the table and deciding to tidy later. It was considered impolite to keep the headmaster waiting. As they reached the lounge though, Alec scrunched his face when he saw the sour mood Solana was in.

"Hey guys!" His eyes fell on a familiar redhead and he understood why Solana was in such a mood. Rei sat near Headmaster Donovan, Erin and Gael. They all greeted the four a good evening before they chose seats to occupy.

"Are you all still eating? I was wondering if we could join you?" the old man asked.

"I'm sorry Headmaster. We just finished," Areisha said. "They ate everything."

"Alec cooked!" Ceiver said.

Donovan smiled and his grey eyes looked around the dormitory for a couple of moments. "Everything seems tidy here. Looks like you don't need a replacement for Muriel."

"It isn't really hard to clean, Grandfather," Knox said. "But it would be nice if we don't always have to wake up early on schooldays to prepare breakfast, if you please?"

"Noted," Donovan said.

They talked of a few more matters before the headmaster opened a different subject. "As you know, the Annual Sky Games are coming up. But this year, the seniors aren't the ones participating."

Sky Games, Alec thought. He could recall watching one of the events in the competition when he was younger. Alen had taken him and he remembered himself sitting on his lap as they watched from a bleacher in the arena of Icefall Academy. Being so young, his memory was a bit hazy. His attention shifted when Erin stood and rolled out a brown parchment. He spoke and read something from the paper.

"Council of Heavens Educational Decree Number 342," he said. "I, Justo Dwervin Tullan, and members of the Council of Heavens, hereby declare that all participants for this year's annual Sky Games, be Sentire Students of their respective Academies. The event shall be held in Icefall Academy of Arktis Skyland, from the 20th of Aurion to the 2nd of Serion. Seven Sentires are to join, mandatorily."

Gasps came from the two girls, while the rest had wide eyes at the announcement. When Erin continued reading aloud, they turned their attention back on him.

"The purpose of this order is to oversee the progress of the students, and whether or not the Academies are fit to educate future generations of Sentires in usage of their abilities. The events and the schedule of each shall be announced three weeks prior to the designated start of the Sky Games. Train well. Work hard. May the gods bless you all.

"Signed. Justo Dwervin Tulan, High Councilor for Education. Revesto Oushan Eleen, Head of Kosmiks Branch of Education."

An earsplitting silence followed as Erin rolled up the parchment and sat back down. River decided to speak up and he had a frown between his brows. But unlike his usually frown it was filled with anger and worry.

"We're all first years, Headmaster," he said. "The seniors have been preparing for it all year. Do Zak and the other chosen seniors have anything to say about it?"

Donovan stared at him before he sighed. "I have already spoken to this with the fifth years. To tell you honestly, most of them were thrilled. None of them really wanted to participate in the Games. Besides, they all believe that you will be able to defend the Academy's title of undefeated."

"Great. Pressure. That's exactly what we need," Solana said as she threw her hands into the air. Then her eyes narrowed at Rei who raised a brow at her. "I am telling you in advanced that I don't want to be teamed with him."

"You'll also be doing this so the Academy would be able to teach Sentire Students in the future. I'm counting on you all for that."

Groans followed the headmaster's words. An especially loud one came from Rei. Donovan massaged his wrinkled forehead with a deep sigh. "You're not the only first years who'll be participating. The ones in the other two Academies are ecstatic about being able to join this early. I somehow expected the same from you all."

"The Finals are coming up, and I don't want any distractions," Knox said. The rest, except Alec, nodded after him.

Donovan blinked. All of a sudden, he smiled and shook his head. "I can't believe I'm complaining in my head right now about students who are way too academics oriented," he said. Erin and Gael chuckled after him while the students stared on. "All right, you'll be exempted from your Finals. Now do you still have reservations? Because whether or not you still have another, you are all obligated to join. Council's orders."

A heavy silence fell on them. Solana's happy yell broke it, and laughter from the rest soon followed it. "Just don't think about the pressure. Think of enjoying yourselves. I remember when you were all little you said you wanted to visit Arktis?"

Solana's eyes lit up and they fell on Alec. He sighed when he realized what her next words were. "Alec what it's like there?" His friends' curious eyes fell on him, and his pale blue ones met each one. He scratched his head.

"Well," he said, "it's cold, dangerous, freezing, perilous, chilly―" he didn't get to finished. Throw-pillows landed on his face and torso, and continued raining down on him until he was trapped underneath the pile. He pushed all of it off him when he heard the deep laughter coming from the three men. True enough the Headmaster was cackling while the other younger men had their shoulders shaking and a hand over their mouths. Meanwhile, his friends we're glaring at him.

"We're serious," Solana grumbled.

"All right, I'll tell," he said. He took a deep breath and thought of the things he liked in his homeland. "The climate is harsh, but Arktis is beautiful, especially in the morning when the sunlight is bouncing off the snow. Mountain ranges divide the three countries, and the ice peaks would shine during noon. Most of the animals are white and they are very gentle. The people are...well...hospitable to guests from other Skylands I suppose."

He ignored the way their brows rose to their hairlines after the last sentence. Looking down at the floor, he suppressed another sigh from escaping. He maintained his silence after that.

Gael's emerald eyes locked on to his pale blue ones. He smiled and spoke up for the first time since they arrived. "Aren't you excited Alec? You're visiting home. We'll be stopping in Gelun before we head for Icefall City."

"Yeah, we can't wait to meet your friends there!" Solana said. After stiffening for a few moments in his hunched position, he looked up and stared at them with solemn eyes.

"Excuse me," he said and stood. "I'm going to go get some fresh air."

His Draelings shot after him, and he allowed them first to exit after opening the main doors. He never looked back at the silence and stares directed at him.

The cool night greeted him and he inhaled some of the fresh air. Using the moons' light and lamp-crima posts as his guide, he made his way to the lake. Whenever he was there, he felt at peace. It was his favorite place―after the library of course. Meanwhile his Draelings were silent as they threaded close to him. After a while, he soon found himself standing close to the Detrian Lake. He sat cross-legged on the grass and looked up at the blanket of stars above him.

There, away from the eyes of the others, he allowed the worry and fear he felt about leaving Draeyer Academy. He wasn't afraid of Herce or Beuen. He was afraid of the possibility that he and Areisha would endanger other people in such a prestigious event. The Eimion was after them for a reason he still didn't know and it was driving him crazy. Headmaster Donovan himself said that they couldn't leave the safety of the Draeyer Academy's grounds. He groaned.

When he closed his eyes, he heard a set of footsteps approaching him. Entiny turned her head, and he knew who it was that caught the Draeling's attention.

"Are you all right, Alec?" Gael asked. The man sat next to him and his grey Draeling almost immediately jumped to his lap and begged to be petted. "The security in the Sky Games is very high, since the Council of Heavens would always be present. Kreis promised the headmaster that he would send a few of his men to watch out for you guys from the shadows once we start traveling. I guess you can allow yourself to relax even just a little, okay?"

Alec sighed after giving Gael a long hard stare. "You read my mind again."

Gael laughed and pulled out the Sentiral Stone hanging around his neck by a metal chain. It was a clear crystal color, proving Alec wrong. "I just know you well enough I suppose. You're secretly a worrywart."

Grumbles resonated from the back of his throat before a hand on top of his head made it stop. It moved and messed around with his pitch black hair. Even though it was a small gesture, he felt his mood lift by a lot.

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I suck at making formal documents...first time trying that out