Fate closed the church door behind him, saying his goodbyes to Old Man Travis once more as the elderly man jaunted down the road to his shop. Fate glanced around, finding the Guard leaning on the wall at the church's corner, and went over to him.
"I'm ready," Fate said.
"Are you sure?" the man asked. "The teleportation to Hetforn is free, but if you leave anything, the traveling expenses will come out of your own pocket."
"I'm sure." Fate didn't have anything he could call his own, besides the clothes he wore now, and another two shirts at his house.
Those shirts were so riddled with holes they were more like a handful of old rags sewn haphazardly together, though, which wouldn't exactly paint him in the best light at the Academy. He figured he'd spend one or two coins at the city to get himself a new set of clothes, inwardly praying to the Ascended that the prices wouldn't be outrageous.
"Very well, then. Follow me." The Guard pushed off of the wall and led Fate behind the church and into the woods.
In that direction, following an old, grassless path, was a clearing that held the teleportation pad. No one in the village besides Old Man Travis ever used it or was even capable of such a thing, but the Empress had long ago mandated that all villages have a nearby pad in case bandits or goblins attacked.
Soon they were in the clearing, and the Guard instructed Fate to stand on the pad. Fate stepped up onto it, the pad only raised about two feet off of the ground, and stood in the middle as the Guard closed his eyes and aimed his arms at it.
Fate, his senses now capable of detecting the traces of Mana thanks to his Awakening, felt the Mana gush out of the man and flow into the pad. Fate's surroundings turned blurry and muted, growing more distorted as time went on.
"When you get there, tell the Guard of your Awakening, and they will take you to the Academy," the guard said. Fate could barely make out his words, fuzzy and indistinct as they were through the haze around him.
Then his world shifted, and he was standing in a town square surrounded by tall buildings on all sides. They were taller than he even thought was possible, rising into the air for at least ten stories. In the distance, he could see even taller buildings, and in the center of the city was what could only be the Royal Palace.
It was as large as a small mountain, the white structure's golden accents catching the sunlight to appear to be a miniature sun, brought down to earth by divine hands.
He stood there in shock for a moment, before being snapped out of his daze by a shouting Guard in blue armor.
"Hey, kid! Get off the pad so other people can use it!"
Fate looked down from the platform, finding a line of people dozens strong, all gazing at him with annoyance, and in a few cases, rage. Fate hopped off the edge of the platform sheepishly. His teleportation pad, he noticed, had stairs leading down, unlike the rough-cut chunk of stone he had used to get here.
Fate made his way to the Guard, who was currently waving his arm and shouting "NEXT!" As the next three people in line strode up the steps to the pad, Fate waited patiently as the Guard did the same as the previous Guard did, raising his hands and closing his eyes.
Fate said nothing as the group on the pad vanished, nor did he speak when the next group was teleported either. Or the next… or the next.
Finally, after the fifth group left, Fate decided he needed to take action, or else he'd be here all day. "Sir?" he asked. The Guard glanced at Fate out of the corner of his eye before continuing his duties. "I was told to tell the Guard that I was Awakened recently."
The man gave him another once-over, pointing to a small wooden building down the street as he used the other arm to wave the next group forward. Fate thanked him, receiving no response, and moseyed over to the building.
The door creaked as he opened it, evidently needing oil, and he found himself in a room that took up the entire interior. Half of this space was taken up by the bars in the middle of the floor, a jail cell. Within was a haggard-looking man with thick clothes and rosy cheeks, sitting cross-legged with three empty brown bottles scattered around him.
He had long brown hair and an even longer beard that piled in his lap. His bushy eyebrows rested over his closed eyes, his bigger-than-average ears poking through his curtain of hair. With all the hair on him, Fate was hard-pressed to determine the man's age. He deduced the man must be no older than thirty, as he couldn't spot a single wrinkle on the man's forehead or around his eyes.
"Pay no mind to Hubert," a voice to his right said.
Fate turned to the sound, greeted by a green-clad Guard with brown eyes and blonde hair. The man seemed almost as young as Fate and was leaning back in a wooden chair, propped against the wall to keep from falling.
"He's just sleeping off his latest 'study.' Last week it was 'how many cakes can I eat before I throw up?' This week it's that, but with beer. The fool threw up on Lady Remen's blouse, so we put him in here before he could screw himself over even more. Anyway, what did ya need?"
"I was Awakened earlier today," Fate said, not knowing what else to tell the man, or how much he could trust him.
"Ah, an aspiring Mage, eh? Alright, follow me and I'll take you to the Academy." The Guard leaned forward, placing all four legs of the chair on the ground, and stood.
"What about him? Doesn't someone need to watch him?" Fate asked, motioning to Hubert.
"Nah, he can leave whenever he feels sober. The door isn't even locked. C'mon, let's get you to school."