Two days have passed since Arthur got the envelope from Cardinal Academy and today is the day of the entrance ceremony. He woke up early and got ready.
He put on a blue shirt, brown pants, and his favorite black jacket. He then tied his hair down with a black band.
Arthur took Ghost in its black scabbard and attached it to his belt. After this, he left his room
Downstairs he saw that Justin and Stella were already awake and having their breakfast.
"Morning Arthur", Stella said as she ate her cereal.
"Morning.", he replied and sat next to Justin. George put a plate of sausages and eggs in front of him. "Can't believe you woke up early, Justin.", he said as he dug into his breakfast.
"Well. I have to see you off and besides, the Adventurers academy starts today and there is an entrance examination.", Justin replied with his mouth stuffed. He got smacked on the head by Stella.
"Please don't talk with a full mouth dear brother.", she chided as she offered a glass of water to a choking Justin. She then smiled sweetly at Arthur, and a chill ran down his spine. Stella is scary.
"Why do I always see Justin almost dying the first thing in the morning.", Alice sighed as she climbed down the stairs.
She is wearing a light blue long coat with silver shoulder pads over a blue and white sleeveless shirt, white leggings with gold embroidery, calf-high white boots, and blue gauntlets.
Her blonde hair was tied back with a blue bow and her white sword in a grey scabbard was strapped to her hip.
"Hey sis, you look good.", Arthur complimented.
Alice smiled warmly, "You look excited Arth. Excited about joining?", she asked. He nodded and asked.
"Is Allistair still asleep?"
Alice nodded as she sat down opposite him, "Vice captains don't have to come and he had a long mission up north."
Soon Jack came over to the table and sat next to Alice, who blushed slightly.
He was wearing a black long coat with silver shoulder pads over a formal grey shirt, black pants, brown leather shoes, and bluish-black gauntlets. His dark blue sword is strapped to his back.
"Aren't you supposed to be with your sister, Captain Raven?", Justin asked.
"She can take care of herself, and besides, she would kick me off the carriage saying I would embarrass her.", Jack replied with a sigh.
"Well, she isn't wrong.", Arthur replied matter of factly. The others laughed and Jack smiled sheepishly.
After breakfast, they packed Arthur's bags, which isn't much, into the back of the carriage.
"Hey, Arthur. I bet you'll be pretty popular with the girls in the academy.", Sophia said as she shut the trunk.
"You think so?", he asked.
"Yea, but if they ask you, just say you're already taken.", Sophia replied.
"By whom?", he asked. Sophia winked at him.
"Very funny. You should try standup comedy."
"You think so?", Sophia's face brightened.
"Jeez I was being sarcastic.", Arthur rolled his eyes."
"Of course you were.", Sophia laughed. He sighed.
George tethered the mechanical horses to the carriage.
Uncle John was already at the warp gate with Aunt Sylvia. "You guys ready?", he asked. Arthur, Alice, and Jack nodded.
"Very well.", John turned around and faced the warp gate. He placed his hand on a rune on the pedestal and streamed magia into it.
The other runes etched on the black marble began to glow blue and pulse. The space between the gate started to distort and twist.
With a small flash, it connected to another warp gate near Crystalis City.
Arthur saw the huge walls of the city and could even see the birds circling the many guard towers on the other side.
"Looks like we'll meet after some time.", Aunt Sylvia hugged Arthur.
He waved at everyone as he entered the carriage followed by Alice and Jack. George activated the horses and soon they passed through the warp gate to Crystalia.
Arthur looked behind the carriage and saw the warp gate closing. They reached the city gates. The guards bowed slightly when they saw the insignia of the Night family on the carriage. Soon they were inside the city.
Despite coming to Crystalis City numerous times in the past, Arthur is still amazed by the architecture, diversity, and different businesses in the city.
He saw people from many races walking around, sitting on the stone benches, looking at items in the shops, and many other things even though it is just morning.
Trees lined the paved roads of the city. He saw an elven woman open up her flower shop, and a dwarf blacksmith starting the furnace at his forge.
Newspaper boys running around with the latest stories. He even saw some new students walking in the direction of the academy.
The aroma of different varieties of food from the many restaurants and food stalls crept up his nose. Suddenly he felt hungry even though he just had breakfast.
"Crystalis City never ceases to amaze me.", he remarked.
Soon they reached a park. George stopped the carriage among the carriages from other Arken Families. To conceal their Family ties, students from Arken Families walk or take a normal carriage to the academy from this park.
Arthur recognized the coiled red dragon insignia of the Dragnia family. He saw the insignia of the Callen family, a hammer and battleax crossed over a flaming anvil.
The three of them got off the carriage. Jack looked around and saw what he was looking for.
"Ah, there it is.", Jack said pointing at a carriage with the insignia of the Raven family, A raven perched on an oak branch.
"Looks like I'll be going from here. All the best Arthur.", he gave Arthur a thumbs up and went towards the carriage he previously pointed out.
Alice looked at him, "Do you need a carriage?", she asked.
"Nah. I'll walk.", he said casually.
"Alright then. The ceremony will be at ten. Don't be late.", Alice said as she got in the carriage again. George nodded at Arthur and rode the carriage in the direction of the academy.
Arthur stood at the edge of the park. He looked at the clock, it showed 9:15. "Forty-five minutes. Enough time for me to explore.", he smiled.
He was about to head out when he heard a shout, "YO ARTHUR!".
He turned around to see a boy and a girl of his age coming towards him. The boy was energetically waving at him while the girl smiled coldly.
Arthur smiled back. They are his best friends: Ray Callen and Minerva Raven. The three of them are childhood friends.
Ray can be described as the most hyperactive guy Arthur has ever met. He has wild dirty blonde hair, tanned skin, electric blue eyes, and an infectious smile.
He's only 5 feet tall due to him being a dwarven half-blood and also has a slightly athletic frame. He is extremely talented at crafting and inventing new things.
Minerva is completely different from the hyperactive Ray. She's calm and calculative and is often the mastermind behind the schemes the three of them did in high school, which earned them the name 'The terrible trio'.
Like her brother, Jack, she has long straight black hair that faded to a dark blue color, a slender frame, and bright green eyes. Her pale skin, due to her being indoors most of the time, makes her look like a vampire.
With her fierce intellect, Minerva easily became the highest scorer in the entrance examination.
Despite not passing the attribute exam, Arthur became the second-highest scorer. But he was positive that he would lose in a battle of wits against Minerva by a huge margin.
"Hey, Arthur. Haven't seen you for a long time!", Ray yelled as he did a tackle hug at him. Arthur swiftly dodged it and Ray fell face down onto the pavement.
"OW!", he yelled.
Arthur sighed, "Why can't you just greet me normally you electrically charged dwarf?", he asked. Ray has the lightning attribute, which Arthur says is the main reason for his hyperactivity.
"Half Dwarf!", Ray yelled from the ground. "Whatever.", Arthur rolled his eyes.
"Stop teasing him Arthur, you know he's sensitive about his height.", Minerva smiled as she stood beside him.
He looked at her, "Your brother told me you are in my class.", he said. "Special class A?", she asked. Arthur nodded.
"Nice.", she grinned.
"You guys are in Special class A? That's awesome. Me too!", Ray said excitedly from the ground.
"I kind of understand why they put you in Special Class A.", Minerva looked at Ray on the ground.
He got up and dusted his pants. "Well since the three of us are in the same class, I bet it's going to be fun."
Arthur agreed and said, "Who cares if it's a losers class, as long as we become strong Cardinal Knights, it will be fine."
"Indeed.", Ray said. The three of them started walking toward the academy as they chatted with each other.
Cardinal Academy is to the north of the city, outside the city walls. Even though it is outside the walls, people can only access it by the northern gate of the city.
Soon they reached the northern gate. "So this is the gate of the academy?", Ray asked as he looked at the huge arch in awe.
"No, Ray. That's the city gate. The gate of the academy is a few hundred meters away.", Minerva said. "We have more walking to do?", Ray complained.
"Hey, you three! Move out of the way!", someone shouted behind them. They turned around and saw an extremely ornate carriage, so extreme that Arthur felt slightly woozy.
He felt sorry for the heavily decorated horses pulling it. There's no doubt, this carriage belongs to a noble.
The driver of the carriage glared at them, "How dare you get in the way of Master Damien from the McLeon family!", he said with contempt.
The three of them calmly moved aside. Arthur tilted his head forwards, "Sorry for blocking the way.", he said calmly.
The driver humphed and urged the horses to move forward. Arthur got a glimpse of the noble inside the carriage as it passed them. He was of their age and looked down on them with a smirk.
Ray stamped his foot in anger, "That guy has some nerve. I doubt he will be smirking like that if he knew who we truly are!"
"Calm down Ray. Some nobles are like that. They don't think about their actions.", Minerva said.
"I hope he will not be in our class. But if he does become our classmate and turns out to be a complete jerk, well, I hope our pranking skills haven't grown rusty", Arthur said with an evil grin.
Minerva and Ray looked nervously at Arthur.
"You're scary.", they both said together.