"Missy, we have reached." Ah Heng's frantic knock on the carriage entrance, woke Lanying up from her slumber.
Reflexively she turned her head searching for the intruder. To her surprise, there was no one except her inside the carriage. Her eyes fell on the small letter on the seat opposite her. A small key was kept on top of it.
"No need to be grateful for having the crown prince himself escorting you. If we are fated we will see each other again."
She could vividly imagine the cocky smile on his face when writing this. Suppressing the mild irritation, she crumpled the paper into a ball, throwing it away from the window. She pressed the small key against the door to open it.
"Missy, are you awake?" Ah Heng shouted again after getting no response from her.
Before he could shout again she stepped outside promptly. Clutching her belongings she stared at the magnificent entrance. The archway was illuminated with radiance. The intricate patterns seemed to be carved with ice by the master artisan from the heavenly realm. The blinding light shining through the entrance prevented one from fathoming the mystic existence on the other side.
Lanying moved a step forward. It was as if the light was beckoning her to enter inside, to discover the hidden, to unveil the cryptic nature of Brightstone.
"I am afraid I am not permitted to enter inside." Ah Heng said.
"You can leave. Let Mother know that I have reached safely and tell her to not worry."
A bit apprehensive, she showed the admission pass to the entrance. Almost instantly, she was pulled inside by an intense invisible force. The dazzling light made her unable to keep her eyes open. After a few minutes or so, feeling the force disappear, she slowly opened her eyelids.
A majestic floating castle rising against the backdrop of the night sky came into her view. On top of the gateway "BrightStone Academy" was engraved in elaborate bold golden letters. Hundreds of turrets towered over the landscape, bathing in a surreptitious glow. A water fountain suspended right in front of the noble floor appeared to be an engineering marvel. She could spot new confused faces like hers in the tower rooms. Realizing the lack of stairs, she was lost.
How is she supposed to enter? She is unaware of a levitation skill powerful enough to support a human being. Is this some kind of test she needs to pass in order to qualify to be able to enter this academy?
She can't just give up now that she is so close to the secrets. With her knees bent and legs on one side she gracefully sat sideways on the marble floor. Lanying fumbled through the lot of elixir inside the baggage.
'Maybe something can be of use?' She thought to herself.
"Perfect" Her eyes shone.
'Phoenix Flight Elixir and Phoenix Wing Fragment'
She held the elixir and crystal together in her palm. Carefully loosening the vial lid, she consumed a single droplet, while clutching the fragment in her fist. At that very moment, she closed her eyes and gathered all her willpower she aimed towards the palace entrance.
"Heh, impressive jump. Monkeygirl."
An Lanying furrowed her brows. Blinking her eyes open, a young man, who seemed to be around her age, came into her view. His silver hair coupled with a boyish grin made him appear like a hooligan.
"Monkeygirl?" Lanying repeated, confusion evident on her face.
"I mean, I have never seen a human being able to jump so high."
"How else did you enter? You are also a new apprentice, right?" Her curiosity was piqued. How else did he expect her to come up? By growing wings?
"Pfft" He burst into laughter. After laughing for a while, he seriously faced her. Looking at her raised brows and widened eyes, he couldn't help but laugh again.
"You were just supposed to wait! It takes a while to register each student to their respective classes and while one student is being registered, new ones aren't allowed to enter. I know the Brightstone Academy is mysterious and all but it doesn't mean they expect humans to grow a pair of wings at their convenience and fly, ok?" He explained, a hint of a smile still on the corner of his lips.
"Ah!"
Xiao Fei found himself in a trance, staring at her registering his words with slightly parted lips.
"So, should I just wait here now? Or enter? or should I just jump down?" She asked, about to step her right foot into the air.
"No, no, no need! Just wait here. The representative will come here to receive you."
"Representative?"
"Yes, every year a representative is chosen from the batch of students entering the academy. Actually, the previous year's representative, Senior Rui, was supposed to welcome us. But apparently, a crown prince had decided to join the academy. So the authorities decided to select him as the representative for this session, in advance." He toned down his voice when voicing out the last part.
"Oh, here he is!"