"I think we should stop here," Athan replied.
"What? I have so many more questions." Archie could not believe it after discussing it this far, and now he suddenly wanted to end the conversation on a cliffhanger.
"What will you do with the information? Are you capable of hunting them and avenging your parents now?" Amos, Archie's grandfather, said on the other side.
"There is nothing that we can tell you that will trigger your emotions further, causing you to go berserk."
"And hiding information from me is a much better choice?"
"We are not hiding from you; we are actively trying to provide information one at a time; besides, most of the information we have was merely a guess."
"If you want to do detective work, you need to learn how to control your mana and work your way up in order to face them."
"Your uncle is right. You cannot be blowing up like a pufferfish each time you meet a wraith. You will end up exhausting yourself and eventually running out of mana."
"So, just relax."
"Relax? You two old goats have been sitting in your comfort zone waiting for God knows what, while the dark creatures are still roaming freely out there, perhaps finding ways to open another portal and attack Middle Earth once more."
The twins stayed quiet. Both of them didn't say more in fear of Archie's outburst. To them, he is still a toddler who has just discovered that he has mana, and any outburst will trigger him to unleash catastrophe in the space he is occupying.
Archie caught on to Athan's resignation as he was getting furious and realized he didn't like this temperament. He took a deep breath, and he calmed himself. Archie's willingness to calm down surprised his grandfather, Amos.
"Alright," Archie said, finally coming to his senses. I will join the academy and learn what I need to do to avenge my parents.
The twin's faces lit up, and they were satisfied with Archie's answer.
"So, you will enroll in the academy next week."
"Tomorrow. I will join tomorrow."
"Archie, you need to rest. You faced the harpy and ward of the wraiths yourself; that was pretty impressive."
"At least let me train in combat."
Athan looked at the golden bowl, facing his twin, who was on the other side. His twin nodded, allowing his grandson to train in Astral.
"I will ask Aurelia to give you a tour around Astral."
Archie nodded in agreement. He made a mental note to find a library and the dwarves residents.
---------------------------------
After he said goodbye to his grandfather and his grand uncle, he left the conference hall. His brief call with his grandfather suddenly made him change his mind about going back home. He left the building and stood in front of the entrance overlooking the sun set across the horizon.
'Perhaps a tour would be a good way to get my mind off things. '
The astral hall that perched on the hill offered an unobstructed view of the horizon. Archie watched as the sun dipped towards the night. The air held a gentle warmth, as if it had exhaled itself. The once serene blue sky in the afternoon has now transformed into a symphony of warm colors, merging seamlessly. The amber hue of the golden sun blended with the bright blue sky slowly turned coral, vermilion and rose within seconds. The clouds, like candy floss and icing spun together, turned the flossy clouds into cotton candy pink.
"There you are. So how did it go?" The wind, as if conspiring with the sun, swirled around her, lifting the edges of Aurelia's white, flowing dress. The fabric billowed like a cloud touched by dusk as she stood there, looking at Archie, waiting for him to finish and guide him back to his room.
Archie was stunned by how beautiful she looked. The golden sunrays played peekaboo with her features, weaving through the strands of hair that cascaded like molten silk. Her skin held the warmth of summer, kissed by the affections of the sun. Her eyes held the color of amber, flecked and glistened.
Archie remembered that he vented his frustrations on Aurelia earlier for abandoning her, and knowing now that he was deeply affected by the surge of memories of the past coming at his most perilous moments, he walked closer to her and said,
"I am sorry for all the things I said yesterday."
"Oh, don't worry about it. I was wrong to just blow you off too. And for that, I am sorry as well."
There was an awkward pause between the pair. As the wind teased the tendrils of Aurelia's hair across her cheekbones, revealing the delicate curve of her jaw, it did not make it any easier for Archie to concentrate and think straight.
"So, shall we go back to the room? Dinner will be served later at the cafeteria and you get to meet other students who are studying here before your enrollment."
"I would like to look around for a while, if that's ok?"
"Oh, I thought of giving you a tour around Astral tomorrow, it's pretty late right now."
"I would like to walk alone. Don't worry, I will find my way around and get to the cafeteria eventually. I just need some time alone."
Aurelia looked a little disappointed for being rejected the offer to have a meal together. She thought maybe Archie didn't really forgive her for abandoning him before, but apologized out of courtesy.
On the contrary, Archie didn't think so. He was thinking of doing a fast tour of the place and getting into combat training tomorrow instead. He didn't want Aurelia to know his full intention, because the last thing he needed was someone to report his every move to the councilmen.
So, Aurelia relented, giving in to Archie's request as he walked down the pantheon stairs that led him right into the oasis square. Her hands, slender and graceful, hung at her sides, and her forehead creased with worry. But there was nothing for her to worry about since they are safe in Astral now.
In that fleeting encounter, Archie realized that maybe having Aurelia to show him around wasn't a bad idea. So, he turned around and was surprised to see that Aurelia was still standing there above.
He gave her a smile and said, "Would you like to show me around for a while? Then perhaps we can have dinner later."
Aurelia's eyes brightened at the invitation and she walked down the stairs to introduce him to the first place to go.