PH1RE'S P.O.V
The morning was fresh, the air filled with the scent of morning dew as the sun began to breach the horizon as we headed towards the gate.
"Urggh!" Aiden and I groaned as we heaved a huge crate into the carriage, the wood scraping against the floor of the vehicle as we struggled to lift it.
"Careful, don't break that!" Maya called out, her voice laced with concern.
"Shut up! Why aren't you helping anyway?" Aiden snapped, breathing heavily as we finally managed to shove the crate into place.
"I'm taking inventory," she answered, waving a clipboard in our direction.
"Lucky," Aiden grumbled under his breath.
"Loid, make sure that crate is secured tightly," Sister Claire called out as she passed by.
"Yes, Sister," I replied, hastily tying down the ropes to keep the crate from shifting during the journey.
"And be careful while you're carrying the boxes, If you were to get injured who knows if I'm capable of healing you" she said with a tone.
'So she's still holding that against me?' I thought while smiling wryly.
The morning of our departure was chaotic. Kids running around, Sisters trying to keep order, and everyone double-checking their belongings while some of us loaded them into the carriage. Since we were seventeen kids that were headed for Revelation we were taking two carriages.
The headmistress gathered us in the courtyard, while she sat down in the center drinking tea and watching the kids running around with a smile on her face. I'm not sure if she was happy about the kids having fun or she enjoyed the situation it put the nurses in, but either way her smile was Ethereal.
'Elves are something else'
"Loid, stop daydreaming and help me with this!" Aiden's voice snapped me back to reality as he struggled to lift another crate on his own.
"Right, sorry," I said, rushing over to grab the other end.
Together, we lifted the crate into the second carriage, both of us grunting with the effort. The morning sun was beginning to climb higher in the sky, and with it came the warmth of the day, making the physical labor all the more exhausting.
"You two are going to break something," Maya teased as she ticked something off her clipboard. "Or yourselves."
"We're fine," Aiden huffed, wiping the sweat from his brow. "But I'm starting to think you have the easiest job here."
"I'm just better at delegating," she replied with a smug grin.
"Is that what you call it?" I muttered, but there was no real annoyance in my voice.
Finally, after what felt like hours but was probably only one, the carriages were fully loaded, and the chaos began to settle.
The younger kids gathered around to say their goodbyes, a mixture of excitement and sadness on their faces. They were all still a few years away from their own Revelations, and the thought of us leaving must have been both inspiring and a little scary for them. Of course chances are we would be heading right back; 'However' I thought to myself staring at Aiden.
Loid" a small voice called out, tugging at my sleeve. It was Elly, her wide eyes looking up at me with a hopeful expression.
"Elly, you're awake!" I exclaimed.
"She's meant to be resting but she insisted on seeing you" said Rupert coming to a halt probably from catching up to her.
"Loid, thank you. For, saving my life. I'm really sorry for-"
I held my hand out to stop her; "What are you talking about? There's no need to thank me, I'm just happy you're alright"..
My words caused her face to light up; " Um! Loid, you're going to come back, right"
"Of course," I said, ruffling her hair gently. "I'll come back and tell you all about the capital"
"Promise?"
"Promise," I said, extending my pinky finger out of habit, only to realize too late that she probably didn't know what it meant.
"Um, what are you doing?" she asked, staring at my pinky in confusion.
I quickly pulled my hand back, trying to hide my embarrassment. "It's nothing," I said, walking away before she could ask any more questions, my heart beating a little faster.
"Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in your lives," began the headmistress, her voice calm and reassuring.
"It's been a pleasure watching you all grow over these years and now seeing you grow even more at this very moment, I hope the gods smile upon you, and may you come to a wonderful Revelation"
'She really likes speeches'
The carriage started moving, the orphanage slowly disappearing from view as we set off towards the capital.
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Teleporting to across vast distances in Raize was an easy procedure, . It was how players in the game moved from one major area to another without spending hours walking, although that didn't mean there weren't cheapskates who did that anyway.
I hadn't been in a carriage in seven years, and let me just say—it's an experience. The constant jostling and creaking of the wooden wheels over uneven ground, the way my back protested against the hard wooden bench—it was uncomfortable, to say the least. The thought of spending hours, maybe even days, like this wasn't exactly thrilling.
This is going to be a long trip," Aiden muttered, echoing my thoughts as he shifted in his seat, trying to find a position that didn't aggravate his aching muscles.
"Complaining already?" Maya spoke from her spot across from us, somehow managing to look perfectly content as she read a book.
"You've got the right idea," I said, nodding towards her book. "Any chance you brought one for me?"
"Ask Diana," she said, pointing at the blood-red-haired elf beside her.
"Di—" I started, but she silently handed me a book without even looking up from her own.
"Thanks," I said, taking it gratefully.
"Can I ge—"
"No," Diana interrupted Aiden before he could finish.
"Huh! Why?" he asked, sounding genuinely offended.
"Because the last time I gave you a book, you returned it covered in honey."
"Where am I gonna get honey?" he protested.
"You'll find a way," she replied, her tone final.
"Then what am I meant to do!?"
"Sleep."
"Sleep? In this?" he complained, but at that point, Diana simply pointed at Gideon, who was sound asleep despite their argument.
"You've got to be kidding me," Aiden groaned.
While most towns had waypoints, we had to head to one with a large enough portal to accommodate carriages. The journey took two days, with us spending nights at inns and occasionally stopping to stretch our legs and give the horses a break. But eventually, we made it to the waypoint town, and I couldn't have been more relieved
"Thank the gods, it's over," Aiden said, nearly falling out of the carriage in his haste to get out.
"It wasn't that bad," Gideon said, stretching.
"Speak for yourself," Aiden shot back.
"Yeah, sorry Gideon, but spending eighty percent of the trip asleep completely invalidates any of your opinions," I added, slightly envious of his ability to sleep so easily. Whether it was the carriage or my own thoughts, sleep never came easy to me, and I despised both sleeping and the inability to sleep.
"Gather around, everyone," Sister Claire called as we disembarked. She did a quick headcount, making sure no one had gotten lost in the crowd.
"Hold hands," she ordered as we began to walk through the crowded marketplace.
Eventually we reached the waypoint, it was a tall stone archway covered in glowing runes. People went back and back and forth through it but due to Revelation there were a lot of kids our age headed to the capital.
Sister Claire handed each of us a small token with runes etched into them which she had bought earlier.
One by one, we stepped through the archway, holding our tokens. Aiden went first, and for a moment, nothing happened. Then, the runes on the archway began to glow, and he vanished in a flash of light.
"Your turn, Loid," Sister Claire said, her eyes encouraging.
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and stepped through the archway. There was a moment of weightlessness, a strange pull, and then I was enveloped in light. When the light faded, I found myself standing on the other side, my heart pounding with the rush of the experience and the Token missing from my hand.
"Pretty cool, huh?" he said, clearly thrilled by the experience.
I nodded, still marveling at the feeling of teleportation something impossible in my previous life. It was exhilarating and a bit disorienting.
One by one, the rest of us appeared from the other side, Sister Claire arrived last, her calm presence grounding us.
"Well done, everyone," she said.
After another hour of taking care of customs on this side we finally left, not that I was complaining we had left quicker than people who got there before us. Honestly I was very impressed with Sister Claire.
After several hours on the road, the city walls of the capital finally came into view. They were massive, towering over us as we approached.
"Wow," Aiden breathed, his eyes wide with awe.
"Halt!"
The carriage stopped at the main gate, where we were met by a group of guards. They checked our papers, and after what felt like an eternity, we were allowed inside.
"Welcome to the capital," one of the guards said as we passed through the gates.
The city was a maze of streets and alleyways, filled with different people, merchants shouting their wares, adventurers clad in armor, and nobles in fine clothing. I marveled at the buildings which looked like they belonged from an entirely different time period, even if I hadn't seen that much of this world it looked like it looked far too advanced. And in the distance was the castle, it's spires stretching to the sky with the visage of different Gods atop of them.
"Wow," Aiden whispered again, this time more to himself than anyone else. His eyes were practically sparkling with excitement.
"So, you excited?" I asked.
"Yeah!" he answered.
"I'll see you soon, brother"