The spacious corridor of the skycraft, as big as it was, was packed full of some one-hundred-and-sixty first-year students trying to find themselves a cabin. Many pulled their luggage and belongings hither and thither, searching for an empty cabin or a cabin that wasn't full; others who were fortunate to know the interior arrangement of the skycraft were quick to find a niche spot for themselves near the back. This was Elwin's first ever experience riding a vehicle of this kind – the Founders forbid, he'd only ridden the steam train some months ago, and never before in his life! Getting to Aeternitas gave him a barrage of opportunities for new experiences that made him grow; each widening the scope of his own little world as of yet.
The crowd eventually thinned as Elwin made away from the entrance, and he cautiously peered this way and that behind the clear-glass windows framing each cabin. Most of the cabins were full already – many full of unfamiliar faces, some like him, some intimidating, some timid – a boy with green hair, freckles, and round spectacles –
Elwin reeled his neck in surprise.
The two boys met each other's eyes – Isaac in Elwin's, and Elwin in Isaac's.
Isaac bolted up and threw open the door of the cabin that it rattled in its frame. The two stood in silence for a bewildering moment – then finally broke into joyous greeting.
"ELWIN?"
"ISAAC!"
Elwin and Isaac threw their arms wide open and gave each other a mighty embrace, patting each other's back in the joy of reunion.
"Oh, oh, the FOUNDERS bless us. You made it! How can this be?"
Elwin took a close look at his friend. It was Isaac indeed – the same eyes, the same spectacles, the same boy who'd bravely taken Elwin past Mr. Kruger.
"It's been quite the journey, and I can't wait to tell you all about it."
"Let me help you with that thing – ow!" said Isaac, as he buckled under the mass of Elwin's luggage – "dear MAHA, what's in this thing?"
"Oh, sorry, my bad, just a lot of memories of home," said Elwin apologetically, holding up the other side of the luggage, heaving with strength.
"Hold on a sec, I think I got this. Okay, one, two, and three –" said Isaac, as he blew up a powerful gust of wind and the luggage rolled over the baggage holder at last, coming to rest securely with a heavy thud.
"Whew, that was work." Both of them looked at each other, then broke into laughter.
"Seriously, if you hadn't told me what was in there, I would've believed you'd brought your pet rocks in that thing," said Isaac, jokingly punching his shoulder.
"Yeah haha, I think I overpacked. It's my first time traveling for real, after all. Thanks for the help."
"Not a problem," said Isaac, sitting down.
The two boys exchanged stories of their lives since that fateful day at Cita de Lumière. Elwin shared his own of searching for a place at the Naval Academy, at least until his unexpected admission to Aeternitas. He pulled out his acceptance letter to show Isaac.
"'Your commendable qualities of personal conduct and character, as well as your outstanding courage in the face of adversity, were witnessed by the members of the admissions committee.'" Isaac read, word by word.
Isaac's eyes glistened with tears. He wiped it away with his sleeve.
"Spoken truly. You saved my father back then. I'm glad someone saw it and recognized you for what you did for me. The truth is, a lot of people who saw you run out that door were impressed. It must've entered the consideration of the admissions committee."
Isaac didn't tell Elwin that he sent in letter after letter describing Elwin's deeds that day to the admissions committee. He never got a response to those; but he kept trying and trying through all summer. Isaac simply did what he felt was right – and there was no need to bring it up for Elwin to praise.
"I am blessed to see you again, Isaac. And not just for one moment, but to share the next four years at Aeternitas! But –" he continued, with concern in his voice, "but what about your father now? Does he have someone now to bring him medicine?"
Isaac nodded.
"Over the summer, I had an opportunity to look after a patient. Only that patient's name was Mr. Alexander Heriz."
"Alexander Heriz?"
"Yes, the industrial Archon of the Republic of Illium. His daughter Katherine – our year actually – heard my story while I was working and convinced her father to help me in return. I was able to bring my father to a nice roomlet in the hospital, where the doctors now bring him the medicine. I don't have to work there anymore to pay for it!
"That's amazing! So he's going to be fine while you are away!"
"Yes! And by the way, Katherine wanted to meet you if she had the –"
Suddenly, there was a knock, and before any of them had time to turn their heads, the door slid open with a force. In the frame stood a girl their age with a hair of burgundy, swept sideways into a sharp fringe with most of her forehead visible, tied impeccably into a hurricane ponytail at the back.
"Finally! Found you at last, Isaac."
Isaac was bewildered. "K – Katherine?"
"I told you to look for me on the platform instead of going alone, psh! I wanted us to find the best spot," she admonished him.
"I'm sorry, please excuse my manners. I'm Katherine Heriz," she said, extending her hand for a firm handshake towards Elwin.
There was some consular stature to the way she spoke and shook his hand that commanded respect; it was similar to Dr. Hana Reiss he remembered from months ago. Just like that time, he felt poorly dressed; Katherine had an elegant white blouse and a wine mariner's tie, compared to his plain taupe jacket, though it was his father's.
"I am Elwin Eramir. It's nice to meet you, Katherine."
Katherine cocked her head. She had a sharp, handsome nose, and a balanced oval face that, if Elwin was more in tune with the artistry of hairdos, he would have recognized that Katherine was one of those blessed who could look impeccable with any style of hair. But of course, there was a reason as to why Katherine preferred her present hairdo – it drew attention to her eyes, which commanded power. They were colored a rich burgundy-wine, beginning round but sharpening outwards like a wing; she narrowed them at first as if to ponder Elwin's name, and threw them wide open in recognition.
"Elwin Eramir... the Founders forbid, hair of orange cream, eye of amber, and an eyewrap – you must be the Elwin Eramir that Isaac was talking about in his letters!"
Elwin looked at Isaac, then back at Katherine, rather taken aback at the warm recognition he very seldom received.
"I reckon that's me indeed!" he said, fixing his eyewrap to look more presentable.
"Katherine said she wanted to meet you if there ever was a chance, Elwin. She was impressed to hear of what you did back at the examination hall," clarified Isaac, finishing his sentence at last.
"That's true. I had finished my examinations early and left before I could witness any of it. But Isaac here told me all about you."
"To think that you are here with us on the skycraft to Aeternitas! It's a great pleasure. Ah, please allow me a minute," paused Katherine, as she grabbed her comically large luggage just outside the door.
Both Elwin and Isaac approached her to help, but before they could even take a step, she hoisted the boulderlike baggage with great strength, and with a bellow of fire threw it onto the overhead compartment. It clunked and rattled with the sheer mass.
Both Elwin and Isaac stood with bewilderment, who thought she'd need help.
"Whew," she continued, dusting her hands, "glad that our skycrafts use solariton and not hydroton. Otherwise we'd all have gone bye-bye."
"Just a moment," as Elwin turned to the window and poked Isaac, whispering, "Did she just lift the entire... bag? The sound it made... it looked heavy."
Isaac whispered back, "Yeah, there's a lot more to her then she lets on. She's the daughter of an industrial Archon, after all."
Katherine grabbed both of their shoulders and leaned in.
"Oh, don't be so surprised. What's up, you two? That's... rhetorical, by the way."
"Ack! It's nothing. It's – you're – really good with fire and all that..." said Isaac, rubbing his sore shoulder.
"Is everyone at Aeternitas going to be – how do I put it – superhuman?" asked Elwin, rubbing his shoulder as well.
"There are no superhumans," declared Katherine. "There's only people, and how much time and practice they put into something."
And with the ice fully broken, the three exchanged tales of their lives; Isaac brought Katherine up to date with how his father was doing, and Katherine told them of her recent adventures to other republics, following around her father on business. Katherine's Maht was Fire, she said, but it only manifested just a year-and-a-half ago, and not younger as Elwin and Isaac's had for water and air, respectively. Despite that, both of them saw Katherine's unusual aptitude with it.
Elwin himself told the events at the examination hall from his perspective – and his experience of the shadows of Lumière. Katherine nodded, and her expression seemed to darken in some forlorn recognition. They were all so deep in conversation that they didn't realize the skycraft was passing the outer bounds of the capital city.
Suddenly, the brass announcement tubes came to life above them.
"Ahem, ahem, testing, testing." A booming voice, friendly and jovial, repeated over the tubes. Isaac and Elwin, alien to the skycraft experience, jolted in surprise; Katherine sat with her arms crossed, impeccably cool.
"Greetings from the bridge, ladies and gentlemen. I am Captain Hugo, the captain of this skycraft to Aeternitas. I welcome you aboard, and would like to congratulate you on the journey you've embarked on. Our journey to Aeternitas will take two more hours, give or take."
"While you are on board, please bask in the glory of the skies and of our land down below. Out on the... starboard side, you'll see the great Aienriver and the industrial suburbia of Cita de Lumière – on the port, you will be able to see the Redhorns, which splits the Lumière Republic from Ascension."
"Redhorns?" Isaac whispered.
"It's the mountain range that runs to our west. The Lumière Express from Ascension had to go north and through the pass around it to get to the Capital," clarified Elwin. It felt good to use the knowledge he gleaned from his father's maps in front of his friends.
Katherine looked at Elwin with a hint of curiosity, but said nothing.
Captain Hugo continued over his brass speaker. "We have closed the main outdoor decks on the port and starboard during cruise due to high winds, but our rear garden deck is open for your viewing. The winds are still strong back there, so please don't climb the railings or break them if you will, unless you don't mind what it's like to fall facedown from six-thousand feet," topping off his informational with a tangerine twist of humor.
"You're all students of Aeternitas. We have high hopes for your conduct." The brass speaker clicked close, and there was no more sound.
"Say, would you like to view out the rear deck?" asked Elwin, excited to see what the world was like from this height.
"Sounds good to me. Katherine?"
"Not every day you ride a skycraft. Let us go!"
And so the three of them raced to the rear in eager anticipation. Elwin, especially.
The rear deck was spacious and wide, some twenty yards across in a semicircle of sorts; plenty of space for every inquisitive student for their share of view. Elwin and Isaac approached the railings, and looked out towards the union of the sky and earth.
Cumulonimbus clouds, billowing brilliantly like anvils in the warm afternoon sun, painted the heavens white, the bridges of SERA beyond them embracing the earth like a jeweled ring on a finger; below them stretched hills of gold and forests of green, the gleaming marble-white of the City of Lights and its bustling coast retreating for nature. Limestone roads and footpaths chalked the board of deep green country, the travelers and inhabitants of scattered villages and cottages looking tiny as ants; the occasional railroad here and there ran like rivulets, and from afar, small trains looking as toys puffed out a trail of steam and smoke on their busy way to another city, to another republic. Up here there were no sounds of the earth; only the ruffling of the winds, and the calls of the heavens. Elwin would cherish this sight in his heart many years later.
"Seeing the world up here never gets old," said Katherine, looking out into the landscape. "It's the same no matter where in the Republics you are. The feeling of togetherness..."
"Yeah," said Isaac. "All of our problems seem so small on this grand scale. It's strangely comforting."
Elwin stood there, speechless. These were some of the sights that his father had witnessed; and there were probably sights even more beautiful than this. It was here for the first time that Elwin thought the world was not so big as he thought, after all; that the same hills and forests blessed all parts of their Republics, and perhaps even beyond; and the same sun was seen in every sky of their world, no matter how far. What he thought so big, he now felt he could hold it all in the palm of his hand, to cherish and protect it. His eyes glistened with emotion; but they dried just as quickly as they did so, in the winds of the sky.
As Elwin turned towards his friends, he saw a single figure sitting huddled by a far-off corner of the deck, inconspicuous and alone.