A man with long dark hair, with a few grey strands slipping in due to his aging, could be seen standing in front of a huge oval-shaped window. Two thin bangs of hair hanged loosely over the front of his face, his dulling yellow eyes shining in the light of the currently rising sun off in the distance. This man also wore a multi-colored robe that was decorated with copious golden crosses.
Suddenly, a door with a frame identically shaped to the window opened, revealing the figure of a nun wearing a black and white tunic, a silver rosary around her neck, and a black veil around her head to match her attire.
The elder gentlemen turned around slowly, spotting the young nun at the doorway. "Ah, Sister Rosaline. What a pleasant surprise. Is there anything that acquires any assistance?" He proceeded to speak in a welcoming tone with his hoarse voice.
The nun, Rosaline, shook her head gingerly, a small smile gracing her features. "No, Father Laurence. I just wanted to inform you of our guests' arrival." Rosaline's voice was significantly softer than Father Laurence's
Father Laurence nodded briefly, turning back to face the oval-shaped window once more. "Good. You may notify the warriors to grant them access to the village. Tell them that they're the students from Buraun."
Sister Rosaline nodded, reaching for the door's knob. "Will do, Father. Have a blessed day."
And with that, the nun gently closed the oval-framed door, leaving Father Laurence alone again, giving him time to sit in thought. His wrinkly eyes wandered down towards the ground through the window, spotting a forest beyond the walls of his village. 'This could prove to be helpful for our current predicaments. Let's see how Buraun can handle the unknown.'
Father Laurence retained a tiny smile on his face as he walked away from the window, leaving space behind him. 'Perhaps Gabriel can get acquainted with some of the students.'
XXX
"HOLY CRAP! IT'S ALMOST AS BIG AS BURAUN!"
Starting off with Akogare's energetically shocked voice, we can currently view as Classes 1AB and 1AR reunite, halting at the entrance of Ryakudatsu. Mr. Oshieru and Akushon can already be seen walking up to the gates of the village, being immediately spotted by warriors in armor that was designed differently than Buraun's.
A gloved hand was held up to prevent any of the instructors from Buraunmajikku from uttering a word to the warriors. "Buraunmajikku academy, yes?" One of the warriors inquired. The noticeable difference was in their significantly lighter armor, which was tinted royal blue with a golden cross as the crest on their chest plate.
The two instructors nodded concurrently, answering the Ryakudatsu warrior's question. The warrior turned back to look at his fellow warriors, sticking up a gloved thumb, receiving a nod from their quiet, but explicit order. The gates to the village started opening slowly, a loud sound ringing in all of the people in the vicinity's ears as the golden barred door creaked.
The same warrior then glanced back at their guests, sticking up the same gloved hand and gesturing the people from Buraun to enter through the now opened gates. "Have a nice day. We hope you have a pleasant stay."
After the warm welcome from the warrior, the two classes and aiding warriors from Buraun ventured into the foreign village, some of the students waving as they entered Ryakudatsu.
XXX
"Alright, considering that we have the whole village mapped out, courtesy of our council, we all should begin our travels to the head of the village. The Montgomery Church."
With all of the students, instructors, and warriors being able to walk right into Ryakudatsu, Mr. Akushon of the red aura class took the liberty to pull out a map from his pant pocket, jabbing a finger in the direction of the Montgomery Church he spoke of.
"This village is governed by their church, ay? Not many do that anymore. Hell, most villages are converting from their typical monarchs to aristocrats." Oshieru mumbled absentmindedly, glancing at the wrinkled map in Mr. Akushon's clutches. 'This place is huge.'
Mr. Akushon cleared his throat loudly, folding up the map and stuffing it back into his pants pocket once more. The black and blonde-haired instructor then looked towards the direction he pointed to. "Alright! We're going now! Stay with the group at all times!"
As the academy students followed their instructors, they had the perfect opportunity to look all around them, spotting multiple flags of crosses and clenched fists with imprints of abilities surrounding the fists. The village seemed so different compared to Buraun. Ryakudatsu appeared to be more tightly governed, with barely any trash littering the ground or compacted pathways of copious amounts of villagers in any part of the seen village.
Suddenly, most of the students could hear a chorus of singers outdoors, standing on a wooden stage, reading a book as they sang to wondrous tunes. The majority of the phrases they sung consisted of the 'Great Gods Above' and being grateful for what humanity has today. The overall atmosphere at Ryakudatsu was certainly a friendly and welcoming one. Perhaps a little too friendly and welcoming.
Meisei, of Class 1AB, suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder. Glancing over to spot the cause, he saw the familiar loud-mouthed blonde, Akogare, looking at him with a look of wonder and joy. "Isn't this so cool, Meisei!? We never know when we'll be able to go on a school trip like this again! Do you think the church will be cool? Maybe it'll be like the ones in those books I read about warriors traveling all over the nations! What do you think Meisei?"
Meisei gained a look of annoyance as Akogare rambled on hysterically. "I don't know, Akogare. The most I really got out of that was the fact that you can actually read."
Akogare's expression went from one of joy to one of an injured puppy. "That's mean, Meisei. But still, it is refreshing to be out of the village for some time." the long-haired blonde continued to sigh, his left armored arm making rattling sounds as he raised it to scratch the back of his head.
Before any more conversation could be made, a loud and stern voice broke the silence. "Here we are! The Montgomery Church!" Mr. Akushon yelled in his usual commanding tone.
All of the students' eyes widened as they looked up and spotted a humongous building, towering over every other building in the village. It was of the color white, possibly being made out of quarts. Copious amounts of windows were also seen on the exterior of the giant building. But among the walls and windows, a giant golden cross that shined in the sunlight stood tall at the very top of the church.
"Woah!" Was the typical response of all of the first-year students, who of which marveled at the sight before them.
The church's main doors began to open without warning. As the door opened wider, a blinding white light from the interior escaped through the crevices, generating suspense. Footsteps can then be heard across the vicinity, with a shadowy figure emerging from the church's door. The white light suddenly dimmed exponentially, slowly revealing the individual exiting the Montgomery Church.
Mr. Oshieru was the first to speak up. "Are you Father Laurence?"
The figure, who was gowned in heavy robes of multiple colors, with greying hair that also allowed two bangs to hang over the front of his face and dulling yellow eyes, smiled mirthfully at the blue-haired instructor. "Indeed I am. And before anything else, let me welcome you to our graceful village, Ryakudatsu!"
XXX
Kind of an abrupt ending for a chapter, but the next one will be coming soon! Stay tuned to find out more!
Have a Good Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_