Chapter 134 - First Step

The group continued their approach toward the fog shrouded forest until the trees truly towered before them. They were just outside of the range of the escaped fog when the group of mentors halted their steeds and dismounted. The group of noble children soon followed suit, stopping and leaving the back of their horses while gazing at the ominous forest ahead. None of them were able to make out anything between the dark trees, even from this far up close. It was as if there was a veil over the entrance even more prominent than that of the white fog.After everyone had gathered up it was the mentor who was built like a mountain of muscle that spoke up, his voice deep, as if trying to reverberate within their very bones. "My name is Johnathan and as you may or may not have guessed, I am Miss Rosalind's mentor." He folded his arms over his steel breastplate and stood with his back straight as he presented himself, fully armored in a set of immaculately cared for heavy steel armor, that though lacking in beauty still held the air of fine craftsmanship. Everyone was wearing armor today, as the forest they were about to enter wasn't known for being safe."I will be informing you about some of the details of this training exercise before we enter the forest." Here he paused for a moment to make sure that he had the full attention of his charges. "First off, this is a four year long venture, yes, but that does not mean that you will be able to build a single fortress and hunker down in it. The forest itself is shrouded in a different space, which you may have noticed from different factors ranging from the color of the sky to the fact that you can't make out any distinct details from outside.""The moment you step foot in the forest you will be sent to a random location. To ensure that all of us end up together we will be using these." With that the towering man pulled a number of manacles connected by chains. "While the barrier between the separate space and the outside world would normally separate you this will ensure that we end up together upon entry. To ensure no mishaps we will all enter at once.""Now, as you can imagine, even if you build a sufficiently safe area in the first year, after we leave it is likely that you wouldn't be able to find it again once we return. This is a good thing as it will train you in adaptability." Johnathan could almost hear the internal groans of the children at his statement but in reality, all of them had kept their silence. "Once we enter your training will begin immediately, pertaining to finding a location for your first camp and teaching you how to set a basic one up. However, after the first week of hand holding you will mostly be on your mind beyond lessons from us."While making this last statement he had swept his hand across the group of mentors including himself to prove his point. "While we won't be taking away the supplies you have put together know that we will be teaching you how to use what is around you primarily. You should keep anything you may have prepared for emergencies rather than general use."With all this said Johnathan picked up the end of the long chain of manacles and clasped the first on his own wrist. "We only have so much daylight and this is not going to be easy on you all so lets get the first step over with promptly." With that said each of the mentors clasped one of the manacles to their wrists, followed hesitantly by the children. Lastly the horses had one clamped to their saddles that were double checked to ensure that they wouldn't get separated.With everyone firmly bound to one another they began the walk toward the invisible but unignorable barrier to the forest. As they took the first step into the area where the forest's fog had yet to dissipate Jien felt the cool water vapor caress against his skin. As they approached the barrier the silver feathers of Anuva's owl form seemed to flare up. Her leg had been bound to Jien's free wrist since she had been adamant on not taking the form of an accessory like some of the other demons.As they came within a few feet of the wall of seemingly distorted air Anuva leaned in and whispered in Jien's ear. "I have a bad feeling about that barrier, but I don't know what the cause is." Unfortunately, before Jien had a chance to reply, Johnathan's deep voice resounded one more. "On the count of three. One, Two, Three!"With that the group of six youths, six instructors and twelve horses stepped into the barrier of distorted air.