"…" Ancestra looked at her reformed self in the mirror, with two messy side braids and one half braid for her back hair.
"I look better than I thought." She admitted, surprised.
"I'd date me." She admitted again, turning around and checking how the main braid looked like.
"Thank your mother's looks for that~ Alright, let me just…" Haruka turned around to head for the door, with Deb entering said door. They almost bump into each other, with Haruka tripping a little from her kimono for Deb to catch.
"You alright?" Deb flashed the foxgirl his usual smile.
"Y-Yeah. Thanks, Deb." She stuttered a little, before getting off the male quite hastily.
"I was wondering what was taking you guys so long… Ancy, you look amazing~!" Deb looked at Ancestra's new outfit and hairstyle in delight, basking in her new appearance.
"T-thanks! I wasn't sure how I'd look with these clothes on, it's my first time wearing a… skirt…" Ancestra fidgeted slightly while pushing the skirt downward, her plump legs squishing into each other, and with the added appeal of the thigh highs, it was a delectable sight. Until you remember she's underage. She didn't even need to push it downward since its length was just above the knee.
"Mmm! Very good! You'd be a hit on the boys for sure. Let's freshen ourselves up, and get going!" Deb nodded appreciatingly, and as if to make his words come true, the fragrance of morning flowers wrapped the atmosphere in its calming and invigorating smell, dousing everyone in the vicinity. As well as Elspeth who was waiting for them outside the room. No one wasted time and made their way out of the inn, which was Guild Senida's second floor. It was also the reason why the three could visit Ancestra so easily.
"What kind of school is the Academy?" asked Ancestra who pocketed her hands into the coat she wore. They walked the main road that branches to most parts of the city, including the way to get to the academy.
"It's famous for mages to be recognized. Heroes of the Old Earth work there as teachers for magic as alumni, including us three." Haruka explained.
"Old Earth? You three are a part of the Old Earth?" asked Ancestra.
"No, not that. We're alumni by the virtue of the current Queen's recommendation as alumni into the Academy." Haruka explained.
"Way to go on dodging that question." whispered Deb to the woman, who was given an elbow to the stomach.
"The Old Earth, as the name suggests, is the old version of Earth, a lush green planet that once housed life. A percentage of people here in Ensteris are actually humans, like that driver who you paid fare to bring you in Guild Senida. Some say humans are conversely weakest and the strongest race in history. They're incredibly plain, some are even worthless, but a select growing few exhibit greater qualities above their own, sometimes even above gods or other races." Haruka explained.
"Humans, huh… I can't really judge them until I've seen them." Ancestra pondered to herself.
"A good few examples of this are the current Queen of Ensteris, Senadia C. Efanatica, late King of Ensteris Mikael Z. Pandemion, Ye Qiu, his parents Long Xuanyuan and Shao Xiantian, and Adam Ingrid Cain." Deb deliberated on a few famous names.
"Queen Senadia, King Mikael, Ye Qiu, his parents, and Adam Cain." Ancestra made sure to remember those names for future reference.
"What about Cassandra? She isn't human?" asked Ancestra.
"If you consider her former race prior to becoming a Phoenix, then sure, she's also a good example of a human." Haruka assisted the male.
"Huh…" Ancestra nodded to herself. Before she could ask anything else, they arrived to a small waiting station with a sign showing a horse with wings.
"Why does the horse have wings?" asked Ancestra again.
"In the Old Earth mythology they're called Pegasus, if they're a group then Pegasi." Deb explained.
"Ah, here comes one." Haruka looked towards the skies, to see a chariot come and pick them up. There were two pegasi with inverse coloring, one pearl while the other a dark gray. They had harnesses strapped onto them pulling a stagecoach, or more accurately a chariot. They had no driver, as any normal chariot would suggest, and had the people riding them be said drivers.
"I'll get us up there~" Deb proceeded forth, taking the reigns of the pegasi with the other three holding on tight. After double checking if everyone's in, Deb directed the chariot upward with a running start.
"Hiyah!" And in an exaggerated manner, Deb exclaimed sharply, the horses neighing in response. Haruka and Elspeth sighed, fed up with his farce this early in the morning. Shortly after, the pegasi pierced the clouds, the wideness and infinite reach of the sky making Ancestra breathless in response. She looked around as much as she could, fastening her grip on the chariot for security. Though at the moment, she doubted she could get hurt from this height, since she believed that Deb was much stronger than mere gravity. Not that she knew what gravity was in the first place.
"Look alive, ladies!" Deb shouted, mainly for getting Ancestra's attention glued to the beauty of the skies above the clouds. She snapped out of her reverie and looked at the white mage confusedly. Soon enough, her eyes widen again, not from the sky. This time, a large floating island easily two-thirds the size of Ensteris as an entirety greeted her vision, with floating crystals around its vicinity. The tall castle and mansion-esque estate didn't look like an academy, but an extension of the kingdom.
"Welcome to Blazing Magic Academy, Ancy!" Haruka and Deb greeted her in unison, with the foxgirl giving her a headpat on the head. Like the child she still was, she smiled with glee. The chariot entered the large iron gates, with them stopping for a bit for the guards to show their status first. After that, they pass a visible magic barrier.
"What was that for?" asked the girl, looking around the field as they travelled the chariot inside the Academy. There was a city inside the castle grounds like Ensteris. The aesthetic of the city inside is much similar to the city in the kingdom, but the atmosphere here felt a little more regal and refined unlike the casual normality down below.
"It's to check if you're a recognized student in the Academy's database. It will reject your entry if you aren't." Haruka explained. Ancestra patted herself down.
"Any items with you will be carried over, unless it's contraband or deemed dangerous by both kingdom and the Academy." The foxgirl replied.
"My arm's still here, surprisingly." Ancestra chuckled, moving her bandaged arm.
"It hasn't been deemed dangerous. Yet." Haruka laughed softly.