The car soon came to a giant Wall that rose several metres into the air. The wall ran in both directions, stretching farther than the eye could see on both sides and completely devoid of points of entry.
The part of the wall barring the car from proceeding started rising, a small plume of dust puffing out from underneath the rising part of the wall.
If not for the road, that went straight into the wall, finding this part of the wall would be nearly impossible.
Soon enough a large tunnel allowed them access to the wall. No matter how many times Arthur had seen it, he never got used to it. The wall wasn't only tall and long… It was very thick as well.
So thick that the Cadillac was driving through the dark tunnel with only its headlights lighting the way forward for a little under a minute.
"I've always wondered how they got this wall to be this thick," Trevor wondered, finally breaking the silence within the car.
"Well, they have Warlocks on their side. Magic seems capable of accomplishing some unbelievable things," Gray replied, looking to the sides of the wall that rose on both sides.
The wall was made of pure stone… or was it concrete?
Taking a closer look made it look like the wall was a combination of all strong materials that were known to exist…
Like someone had decided all the strong rocks and adhesives were required to build it. Its appearance wasn't just for show either. This same wall was known to be much more durable than it looked, capable of withstanding seismic explosions powerful enough to level mountains.
Of course, a lot of that strength came from much more than simple engineering genius. The wall was also reinforced with a plethora of magic circles that gave it the protective qualities that allowed the humans to forget the dangers outside of it.
The car finally went through to the other side and was covered by deep shadows cast by the thick cover of canopies. The road at this point was concealed at the top by a thick blanket of greenery.
The Cadillac's lights stayed on, the light hum of its magic core engine disrupting the tranquillity of the humble forest.
"Conceal your Flame Cores. We are about to breach the Phoenix barrier," Prince Gray announced.
Arthur closed his eyes and performed the routine check on his Flame core. It wasn't that he needed to check on it. This was second nature to him at this point.
The phoenixes had grown so used to concealing their supernatural presence that they didn't need to be reminded of it.
They were so used to staying hidden that they spent most of their time like this even when they were home at the Phoenix Castle.
Nevertheless, it was a protocol that they performed a routine check before breaching the Phoenix barrier that protected their kind.
This also reminded them to remain cautious in the presence of other members of the Supernatural Society. Even when those members were humans.
Arthur looked into himself and perceived the weak glowing white core of flame. The flames coming from it were so insignificant compared to what he imagined a phoenix to have but who was he to know better?
To him, his core looked like a great orb floating in the sky, abandoned by everything… floating still in nothingness with a few tongues of flame coming off it. It gave almost no heat to the surrounding nothingness.
While it seemed weak, to him, it was sublime and perfect. The one part of him that separated him from the rest of humanity. It made him a phoenix.
Focusing on concealing his core, the little flames stopped flickering all at once and were extinguished, leaving behind a white orb.
The little boost in strength that his flames had offered him vanished and he was left nearly human. A dull ache started to form in his muscles.
"Arthur, did you…" Gray stopped mid-sentence, eyeing his brother through the driving mirror. The second prince met his gaze for a moment, "…never mind."
The Cadillac soon broke through the cover of the trees and joined a road that went between two rundown buildings and an old rusting Warehouse before joining a major road in the human settlement, Alcove.
As soon as they joined the good road, the phoenixes felt a shift in temperature. It was as if the car had gone up a few degrees before dropping back to the normal temperature it had been.
Going through the Phoenix barrier felt like being sprayed with a stream of hot dry air. It also told them that they were no longer in their territory. This far from the Phoenix Castle, they weren't protected by the power of the Phoenix barrier that kept their kind safe from their enemies… especially the Red Dragons.
Arthur didn't have time to dwell on that though. He'd crossed the Phoenix barrier plenty of times before.
His mind was already soaring to something else. He was going to Barthlorn School of the Supernatural. This fact alone excited him more than anything.
Of course, he couldn't let the other phoenixes in the car realise how excited he actually was.
'Mask of Gloom and Doom… Just like Conrad called it,' the prince internally chuckled, donning an expression he'd grown used to wearing.
It was a surprise that he could pull it off when he was this happy to go to Barthlorn.
The Cadillac eventually came to a stop and the doors clicked open. "You know the way to the terminal from here. Keep your ID card close by and get into the car that's gathering your lot of First Years.
That's where all the groups of humans that don't come from some family of Nobles or High Ranking Specialists go to get to the Sorting. Don't be late and make sure you have your ID on you at all times. It's the one thing we have going for us to keep our act."
Gray finished his speech as Arthur stepped out of the car, facing the direction he was supposed to be going. The prince slung his bag onto his back and asked one more question, "Shall I always have to make this trip like this?"
"Oh… not at all," Grey snickered.
"Then how will I make the journey to Barthlorn tomorrow without knowing which way to go?"
The Crown prince leaned back in his seat and smirked, "Well, I guess you'll just have to do it the same way as I did back when I was in my first year. Figure it out on your own.
One more thing. Don't think of communicating using HeatWaves. The last thing we want is for the dragons to grow paranoid.
Good luck with the Sorting."
The window rolled up and the Cadillac screeched down the road, leaving two figures staring at the black beauty as it disappeared.
"Looks like I'm stuck with you again. Sooner than I would have liked," a familiar male voice interrupted Arthur's thoughts.
Arthur sighed heavily, 'Just great… I had to get stuck with him.' The prince rolled his eyes at Colton and started walking away.
"Hey, you don't have to act like I'm a nuisance, you know."
"But you are."
"Ohoho… Always quick with that smack talk, Snow."
"Only Gray gets to call me Snow… and you enjoy the smack talk," Arthur replied.
"Whatever you say, Snow."
'Kill me now.' Arthur could practically feel the excitement being drained out of him. His 'Mask of Gloom and Doom' was suddenly much easier to wear.