Saiph jolted awake when she heard the footsteps of someone other than the skeleton conductor and his skeleton team. She blinked her amethyst eyes rapidly to clear her blurry eyesight. In front of her, she saw a blond young man dressed in a black tunic with red embroidered borders who seemed to be around her age. Judging from his clothes, he looked pretty rich.
The young man said worriedly, "Miss, there is a spirit of death around you! I am not here to scam you, but this young master is sincerely worried for this miss's safety."
Saiph blinked in confusion. She thought that he looked weird and talked weird too. This isn't a wuxia novel you know!
"How can I get rid of this spirit of death then?"
If he said that he could banish it or baptize it in exchange for some item... Well, Saiph would know it was a scam and he would suffer the consequences of lying. The last time someone lied to her, her response was all but nice.
The man sighed and shook his head sadly, "Spirits of death can't be banished or sent away, they have to go away of their own free will or be replaced by a holy spirit."
"Don't worry about the spirit."
"But it cou-"the man started before he was interrupted.
"No, seriously, don't worry. I have my own way of dealing with it."
"How do you deal with it? It might feed on your soul."
Saiph smiled wickedly, "I deal with him by feeding him. "
He stared at her and shivered, "How do you know the spirit is a guy?"
"I can see him, as for how..." she held a finger to her lips.
<><><><><><>
The train's speed began to decrease and the chugging of the engine began to slow. A cool voice that came out of nowhere spoke," We have arrived at Bluestone Valley Lake, please do not leave your belongings behind, for they may be eaten by the cleaning Abyss snakes."
The skeleton conductor walked to the doors and slid them open. Saiph walked to the door with her bag on her shoulders and jumped out into the temperate, light blue crystal clear water. She quickly swam to the shore and dried herself off on the shore's fine pale sand.
"Well, I'm off to do my job. I'll see ya later deary," said Siwang as he started to fade.
"Bye."
<><><><><><>
Saiph marveled at the huge Bluestone Valley. It was bustling with different types of people. There were many shops and towering buildings. There were many different races everywhere with different clothing and culture. Some wore bright colors and showed off their figure, or wealth, some wore cloaks that covered everything and masks that hid their faces. People were speaking in different languages, and the atmosphere was pleasant. In the distance, she saw a large columned building made of white stone.
She asked a passerby, "What is that building in the distance?"
The young lady wearing a blue dress stopped, "That's the illustrious Dalane Academy. Today, the test to become a student begins. I'm heading over there to try my luck, do you want to join?"
Saiph nodded in response, "Yes, my name is Saiph, thank you for your kindness."
The girl giggled, "No problem, my name's Lavender. I hope you pass the test."
"You too."
They began to walk together to the academy in the distance. On the way, they chatted. Saiph found that Lavender was the same age as her and was from a moderately wealthy merchant family like the rest of the 50% of the population in Bluestone Valley. Bluestone Valley was a hot spot for people who wanted to buy, sell, or trade. Dalane Academy was the most famous school in the kingdom of Danae. The students who attended the academy were young geniuses and nobles. The princes and princesses of Danae were talented otherwise, the academy would not allow them in. The reason the academy had the right to do so was because of their powerful and influential headmaster. The headmaster was a mage that was the 29th ranked in the entire continent. The mage was powerful and rich. His name was Waldo and he had many connections. He had some personal disciples that were ranked higher than him. He was far more powerful than the king of Danae. Only one person on the continent could order Waldo around. That was Arthur, the emperor of the Blackwing empire. Danae was one of the hundred kingdoms under his rule.
The distant building drew closer to the pair as the walked while chatting. When they finally arrived, Saiph looked at the majestic structure in front of her. The academy was built like a castle and gave off a feeling of power and might. They walked towards the large gates at the entrance of the academy. Next to the gate was a large group of youths. "There's the group of people that are going to take the test," Lavender said as she pointed at the group. They had just joined the group when a tall burly man yelled, "Follow me for the test."
They followed him to the testing grounds. Each person was given a number. Groups of ten went into a mysterious purple door. Many went in and came out disappointed. Over 20 groups of people went in, but only 5 succeeded and went to a separate section to wait for the others that passed. One was a mysterious youth in a black cloak with 2 swords strapped to his waist.
The second was a young pale boy who looked very feminine. He seemed slightly lost, making people unknowingly lower their guard. He wore a plain blue t-shirt and jeans that did not dampen his delicate, feminine beauty.
The third and fourth were two beautiful twin girls. One wore red while the other wore blue. The one in blue seemed kind and innocent while the other seemed cunning and mature.
The last one was a prideful lady that was a fiery beauty dressed in an embroidered delicate red dress. She gave off a domineering aura.
Finally, Saiph and Lavender's group was called. Saiph noticed that the young man from the train was in the same group as her as they walked toward the purple door. It swung open and the group walked in one by one. Saiph walked into a vast white room and turned to see the purple door close with a click.