Morning came quicker than anticipated, there was no way to gauge the passing of time within the dimensional space. The rift provided a perfect and isolated environment, Hana got dressed and cleaned her wings.
"Master, I leave for school. Could you please show me the way back, you travel quite fast." It was a very fair question, Lu Sha looked his disciple over.
"I can take you to the outskirts but no further less you choose to reveal your Teacher against my wishes. Keep your eyes on the path, there will be no second lesson on this matter." Lu Sha contracted his wings, walked out of the portal and opened the door to the shack.
Leading Hana through the skies, she watched as he stayed low to the ground and hidden in the trees. Following as close as possible, she did her best to memorize the path between the Sect and the shack outside of the school grounds.
"There are things I will not tolerate, I do not have patience for most matters outside of training. Learn, grow and return. Today, I will go out and hunt, returning with meat in the evening." Master Lu Sha looked at Caoimhe and said, "You should release your drake to fend for itself while you train, summoned creatures won't run away but they require training themselves and will come when called. She will remain close by, put this bell and collar on her. It bears a summoners crest, our people and guards will not interfere with summoned creatures when identified.. You will be responsible for her actions."
"That sounds like its going to be a handful, but I understand, Disciple thanks Master." Hana bowed and watched her Teacher disappear back into the trees.
The gates were not far, she walked up to the gates and made her way to the sect's castle grounds. The Inner Sect and Core disciples would be taught by the sect on many matters and return to their masters and private teachers mid-afternoon. It was a busy schedule, long hours were meant to temper the bodies and minds for the missions and life ahead.
Hana waved at a few people that looked familiar but she felt awkward looking for Jeannie, she wasn't even aware if she got into the sect. Directly after passing she had been banished into the tent, unable to enjoy the remaining matches.
There was a group of students wearing uniforms, they walked toward a central building on the Castle Grounds. It was wide and tall but did not cast a shadow on the Castle itself. The Tower stood across from the training grounds, it was divided into three sections, one for each level of disciple. She watched students performing basic cultivation, moves designed to enhance the body. It all looked like exercise, complicated but easy, repetitive strength and agility training.
There were entire groups of people in the outer sect working to train themselves. Some worked on spiritual attainment, some worked on understanding their abilities and putting them into practical use. Among the many students, Hana couldn't find a trace of her friend. Many Nyankin were present but none of them resembled Jeannie's tribe.
"You there." An instructor came up and felt obligated to stop her. Hana wasn't wearing the uniform. "You cannot come in, this is for inner sect disciples only. Show me your token." he held out his hand.
Hana passed the token over.
"You could have just pulled it out." Examining it, the instructor flexed his jaw. 'Hmm' "Well, You should consider getting the proper uniform. I am sure you will hear of this a few times today, your class is located on the seventh floor. Head there directly." He tossed it back, scoffed and left.
'I don't understand, what's the big deal? Can't I just wear what I want?' She signed inwardly and ran into the building.
Three times up the stairwell Hana was stopped for the token, 'Security is tight, this is different than I imagined.'
Approaching the seventh floor hallway, another guard stood by the main doorway. His weapon gave off the aura of great wisdom but his body gave off the aura of battle. Stopping Hana once more he saw her clothing and shook his head. "This will not do. Come." he walked her to a room and sized her up. "There is a room to change right here, this uniform should fit." He passed a girls uniform that seemed a big larger in the back, it had two cuts in the back to accommodate her wings. "When you're done, return and I will escort you to your Instructors."
Hana was shaking her head and wondering why she had to wear a uniform. Then she remembered her Master's words, she didn't want her actions to reflect badly and quickly got into the uniform. Her wings rested comfortably in the slits but there was a change, the weight of the clothes was far greater than she originally thought. 'Heavy,' she tossed them around on her body a bit to get comfortable and found the guard. "Thank you, please, lead the way." Politely and respectfully, she thanked the guard.
"Think nothing of it, our disciples are the future. You should visit the tailor districts and get uniforms.." He led her to a room, it had a bar that ran across the inside, blocking the teacher in the center, forty rooms stood around the stage in the middle. Like Skyboxs at an arena, every room had a clear view of the teacher and was slightly isolated. In the center of the room on the stage was an Elderly Woman, she stood waiting for the five new core disciples.
Hana was the last to arrive, her actions during the entry exams had been the focus of many people's attention. She was not late, the classes and instructors would not begin for another few minutes. Instructor Melar broke the silence. "You five, your tokens.." Holding her hand out, she used her spiritual sense and scanned them. 'Hmm, interesting. He's really taking a disciple? Well, at least I won't be so bored this year.' "Go and get into open room and consider it your assigned space for the future."
There were thirty Core Disciples, then ten open spaces left room for expansion. Each found their spot, Hana found one near the three o'clock position, giving her a left handed view of the instructor. It wasn't perfect but it wasn't looking at her back either.
Arching her back, Instructor Melar stretched and kicked at a stone that was laying loose on the paved floor. It sailed across the room and slammed the door shut, grabbing everyone's attention. "We have five new disciples, Shut up." Things took a sharp turn, no more speculation was being spread about the new students.