After putting my things away, I decided to ask the principal bravely if I could change my school uniform to wear trousers. To no surprise, he heartily replied "Of course, I'll send it to your dorm tomorrow in the early morning."
"Thank you, Sir." I chimed in relief.
The principal was quite a friendly person who was approachable despite his status and age.
I walked out of his office, bouncing jovially with each step, the soothing spring breeze seemed to amplify my mood.
I decided to take a walk around the school to memorise the routes to each classroom, taking a pencil so I could draw a map.
I decided to go to the East Towers where the herbalist and botany lessons about roots and plants we needed to farm would be.
This is where we would learn about the optimal growing conditions for these herbs and how to harvest them, and how to find the ingredients stored inside the plant.
In the distance, there was a colossal artificial biome, shrouded with plants of every kind. I couldn't go inside but marvelled at the view from outside.
Right then I saw him on the other side through the layers of towering plants and glass. Jun.
Though I couldn't see him very well.
All of a sudden, within a millisecond he disappeared, I wondered am I seeing things or if was he really on the other side.
When I left the area, slightly off put by what I just experienced I went to the South Towers which is where the extracting of ores and pill/elixir-making takes place.
This is also where we would learn about creatures and monsters who rank from low to ultra-level ingredients inside of ores which are stored at the center of their hearts.
This is one of the main reasons why people hunt these beasts down. Likewise, the school has a secluded relatively small forest at the back of the school in which they rear and collect beasts in their forest.
Apparently, when you become a second-year student, they begin to teach you how to counter beasts, faeries and all types of monsters or creatures which have these ores.
These ores are crucial for pill and elixir-making, as well as here were levels to it. Low ores were commonly found in wild plant roots and other plants and even some trees had medium-level ores.
However, to get high, ultra or even rare or unique ores they existed upon specific species of creatures and particular habitats.
In the world that I had created, monsters were not monsters in the novel which had come from the underworld to destroy humanity.
They hadn't come to destroy the world at all, these creatures and species had existed long before humans.
God had created humans not to rule but to live in peace with these species, I distinctly remember writing this wishing a world where peace between creatures of the deep and the land and the sky united with humans in peace.
However, I'd changed it since for there to be a story of martial abilities and cultivation there had to be a source. So chaos had to take place to restore everything back to the equilibrium I wanted. But back then it was just a PDF, a piece of fiction. But now it isn't.
Going back to the story, the creatures of the land, the deep and the sky had seen how kind the humans were and agreed to share their land with them as they had taken a liking to them.
They even granted them gifts and certain abilities, which unknown to them would become sources of power and greed.
Nevertheless, some beasts were not in agreement and treated humans ruthlessly, slaughtering whole nations. This only led to a bigger rift between the species.
These ancient creatures lent them their kindness, land, food, and water and even taught them the laws of nature.
However, some humans rebelled, wanting more power, this is what created the different states, splitting the world into fragments.
Unfortunately, a war ensued, and humankind only grew stronger as they unearthed more knowledge and power.
The formidable beings that once roamed this world had faded into history, leaving their descendants unable to match their predecessors might.
The humans had taken so much to the point of inevitable defeat.
Despite their strength, the creatures fought back fiercely. Yet, humans unleashed their full might, and the creatures eventually succumbed to it.
Ultimately, it ended in utter devastation, then amidst the chaos the realm of immortality, a path to eternal life. It became a reality shrouded behind the forces of nature, an ability so unachievable many went to great lengths to try and achieve it.
Too many attempted this path of cultivation, many eager to discover the borderline to martial mastery and Qi refinement.
So just like that human life was elongated, and humans managed to extend their lifetimes more and more as time passed.
As well as that, as centuries passed, creatures lost their wisdom, knowledge, and rationality. They evolved back into brutish beings, unable to discern good from evil.
Evolution turned them into a species thirsting for human blood, as if the hatred for humans was ingrained into their very genes.
Nevertheless, in other realms, faeries flourished though few, ancient creatures of wisdom and flight, their wings akin to an elephant's feet.
Initially, I had contemplated an unconventional approach, depicting faeries as malevolent beings of mischief. Yet, my vision shifted.
Faeries, regardless of world or narrative, were meant to embody elegance and benevolence. Once giants, they evolved into smaller forms, similar to birds.
Only a few of these faeries remained, they were said to still possess immense powers and the ability to command the earth itself.
They governed the laws of ecosystems, but in the war, humans resorted to dark arts, stripping them of their strength.
As the author, I knew otherwise, for my brother befriended one—an ancient and powerful faery—who aided him in his quests and battles.
Smiling to myself, I reminisced about the countless hours spent crafting this aspect of the tale and how it all unfolded.
Standing in the South Tower classroom, engrossed in a board detailing the history of ingredients and ores, I was interrupted by a faint creak.
Turning, I found no one there. Yet, the strange occurrences in the school left me wary.
I hadn't actually sought permission to explore, unaware that guards patrolled the building. So I became slightly more cautious.
Turning to my left, I noticed a boy, Jun, with hair so dark blue it appeared black, standing five meters away. He was glaring at me, not with hostility, but with a silent intensity.
For the first time, his silent lips parted. "You seem curious. This isn't a place for you," he remarked with a crisp, chilly tone, audible but restrained.
Uncertain how to respond, I replied curtly, "I was just exploring. It's not a crime to be curious. Aren't you curious too?"
"Not everyone. You might not know, but the principal doesn't appreciate nor tolerate curiosity kindly," he stated bluntly.
It seemed he had a history with the principal, one not favourable.
"Fair enough. I'll head back then. But what about you? Do you see yourself unapplicable to the rules or do you have a connection with the principal which allows you to?" I countered calmly, yet with a hint of interrogation and assertion.
His face tensed slightly, stiffening, eyes avoiding mine in a reluctant manner.
While I appreciated his warning out of concern, it felt like he knew the school and its secrets, advising me to not delve too deeply.
I wasn't one to let others act as though they could tell me what to do, while disregarding the rules themselves.
Whether he had connections which allowed him to defy the rules, be they good or bad I'd prefer if he didn't take an interest in my curiosity.