ELORY ACADEMY
Eline was walking in the main alley of the academy, gracefully gliding among her peers. A lot of them were turning over as she passed by, admiring their new fellow student who succeeds in winning the favor of the Director of the academy in her first week.
She had quickly become the muse of the academy, her gentle beauty mixed with her talent making a lot of young men and even women dreaming about knowing her.
After exiting the wilderness four months ago, Eline hadn't actually find Almach city right away, she had wandered at the outskirt of the forest, trying to find pieces of information on her whereabouts, meeting people in the little hamlet sprinkling the Almach region.
She was surprised by the much numerous population of this region. They were clearly more adapted to their perilous environment which they tamed by a strict hierarchy in the way the villages and hamlets were implanted around the main city. There was a complex road system allowing a free flow of merchant or reinforcement.
Five academies were training the young generation for free, supported by the taxes of the Almach region. They were free to enter but a selection was done to make sure the resources were given to people able to help the region.
In fact, the academies had to protect their region and help it in its development. Each one was more or less specialized with time having slowly separated their functions.
Elory academy was more directed toward the understanding and the development of The Art explaining why Eline didn't truly wait before trying to submit her application.
She didn't really search what the others had to offer, knowing Areth academy was military oriented and Thot academy was more directed toward scholars. The other two were less spoke about so she had made her decision to try firstly Elory academy.
Eline was walking toward the training sphere, a peculiar structure allowing Art master to use their prowess in a controlled environment, prevented wild Emanation or tiny energy flow to interact with complex constructs.
She had already seen a Tourbillon, the name given to these spheres. In fact, she had seen a gigantic one, suspended above the entry hall of Elory academy. It was used by professors, the Director or sometimes a powerful Art master guest. The student had to rent a smaller one, in the Tourbillon's chamber where dozens or so were gathered.
It was called a mechanical complication which by its perpetual motion when activated was allowing the little room in the center to be free from any interaction. Even gravity wasn't present, changing the way to build the matrix, energy lines having difficulty to remained straight when under the gravity force.
The room was actually a gigantic boulder emptied at its center, suspended by three metallics axles. The first time Eline saw the main one suspended in the hall, she was at a loss of words. Its stone, a precious blue gem of twenty meters, was shining with soft light, reverberating the ambient one with its facets. The golden metal circles were turning over and over in a complex motion similar to the one seen on the astral model of the planet.
Entering the Tourbillon's chamber she spotted the professor in charge of the room and began walking toward him, a little smile illuminating her beautiful face as she recognizes him.
-"Professor Tiss, I didn't know you were actually here. Since I was accepted into the academy, I didn't have the chance to thank you properly for what you did. I am really grateful for your guidance and benevolence that allowed me to be part of this wonderful school!" She did a graceful bow, her long hairs stroking the marble floor.
-"Oh, if it isn't Miss Degolderis, such a pleasure indeed to meet you. You don't have to be this ceremonial with me, what I did was perfectly normal, it's the work of an academy professor after all to identify genius and brilliant people. I just did my job to let you perform your beautiful Art in this little competition...".
His eyes were shining, looking at this beautiful young woman with deep anticipation. He was actually not too old, a thirty years old or so professor, quite a unique sight in the academy. His short blond hair was framing his square face where two gentle blue eyes were gazing as if knowing the secret of the world.
-"You didn't have to help me all along, I know now more than before that you indeed favored me a little against other students. I didn't even have the time to know what you are teaching here Professor..?
-"Don't mention it! I know a promising person when I saw one! I actually teach the history of The Art in our Almach region and in the Vaux country. I 'm actually here today because there is a shortage of teachers in the academy for a few days due to the apparition of a Magical Beast at the Ductile level at our border. Not being a powerful combatant, I choose to substitute my colleague. But I diverge, why are you here, not to just thank me I think?"
Smiling, the young professor wasn't the bit bothered having revealed non disclosed information to a new student. He believes in a more open way of teaching, a bit against his older colleague's one.
-"There is actually such a thing? Fortunately, with the different academies mobilized, it won't probably take too much time! Actually, I'm here because I made an appointment to use a Tourbillon today for one hour!"
-"Hmmm let's see... Eline Degolderis ! Here you are, indeed, the number eleven at the end of the corridor! Remember to stop before the hour is finished if you feel a little headache, the air consumption can actually vary from people to people and it depends on the effort you are furnishing. Here, take this card, we will continue our conversation later, some of your comrades are approaching! Good training!"
-"Thanks, Professor Tiss, I will be careful!"
Eline walks away respectfully aware of her luck to have a backing to enter an academy without even doing anything. Some people were actually saying behind her back of the shameful things she must have done with him to be in his good grace but she didn't care, you always ended up attracting the envious gaze of others when standing out too much.
She was walking toward the five-meter tourbillon at the far end of the corridor. The sight was mindblowing for her, having lived all her life in small construct made of bricks and wood. Twelve constructs made of stone and metal were linked to a metal bridge getting from on end to the other of an enormous room.
With the void under the thin bridge, small vertigo was threatening to seize her mind. Luckily it wasn't too far a distance and soon she was next to the spherical Tourbillon, walking on the thin like paper metal axle which was in their resting place, horizontal. A hole with a door allowed for access in the room, the whole construct lighted by the natural shining stone.
When she entered, a little claustrophobic feeling wash against her. She would be inside a sealed little room where even air couldn't penetrate. She has just the volume present at the beginning, normally sufficient for an hour. Closing the door, the mechanism automatically activates, rotating first slowly then more and more quickly to finally steady itself at cruise speed, the metallic circle disappearing from the eyes.
Inside, Eline was floating in the center of the room in a pale brown light. She then began to mobilize the small amount of energy stocked in her cells, being a middle Evaporation level, she didn't have yet a vast reserve of energy.
Intricate lines were appearing from her finger as if she was weaving complex clothes in three-dimension. The energy was attributeless, being a construct for testing her theory but the matrix created was incredibly ingenious. She was weaving as if painting, not really thinking of the logic behind her moves but more of the beauty of the design she was trying to make intuitively.
It was this instinctive beauty that had impressed her peers and even the Professors when she performs before an audience. She was naturally dancing with the weaving, moving gracefully with the line appearing from her finger. The audience had understood this particular day why The Art was named as it is.
__________
TELLAMA VILLAGE ( a week later)
Alix was walking side by side with Méline at his right and Lor at his left. Their mother was opening the march, walking at a brisk pace, clearly wanting to arrive at the village as soon as possible. It had already been one month since they visited the village and they were beginning to be a little short on most expenses with an additional mouth to feed.
They took advantage of the delivery of the fortification's door made by Erik and Alix to make a small trip. Erik already went in the morning lifting the enormous doors as if a child toy and his family were slowly joining him for noon when he would have finished his dealing.
The village was approximately an hour away in walking. The trip could have been made much quicker if they decided to run with their level but Meline was just an early Evaporation level without Alix's powerful body, she would be unable to follow.
They were now close to the vast fortification project surrounding what could be guessed as rooftops. The fortification was made of cut stones at the bottom up to five meters with a three-meter wood fence above. The project was truly ludicrous compared with the small size village visible from their point of view.
-"Wow, I didn't know your village was this strong, why don't you live in it, it should be much safer ?" Alix was genuinely surprised, his curiosity piqued.
He was then hit by Méline's elbow who furtively glanced at him as if to shut him down.
-"Hmm, we were not really in security in this village... Erik and I by mutual agreement decided to depart for a more isolated place where we could... Raise our children in peace..." Cylis was troubled, not really answering but Alix had understood the signal and stopped his questions.
-"Mom, mom, can we go to the market alley please?" Méline was trying to change the subject and profit a little of the situation at the same time.
-"Shh, OK but don't go alone, take Alix with you to show him the village and don't split! Lor you go with me, you have to register for the new year at your school! Let's join again in an hour at the Polk restaurant, I will go fetch your father."
Méline instantly jumped in joy, grabbing Alix's arm and running toward the entrance while laughing. The opening was just made of wood boards, the door not having been installed yet.
-"Tsss, these kids... They always get the better of me..."
"What will they become... And Alix, is he planning on living with us? Not that it will bother us, especially Méline, I saw how she looked at him, my mother instinct can't be wrong and she is of age now... But he will have to register to school too, I must talk to him about it today. Aaaah, these youngsters, it reminds me of when I was eloping with Erik... I must keep track of what they do...And now they are just the two of them...Aaaah, how could I have been this naive!?"
Her thoughts were jumping from one conclusion to another, difficult to follow but perfectly on point.
-"Everything is alright, mum?" Lor was clearly a little perplexed seeing his mother's face passing by all these emotions.
-"Yeah yeah, keep going, don't worry..."
As they were walking after Alix and Méline who had already long disappeared in the village, they failed to notice the man watching them, hiding at the outskirt of the forest.