Veritas was walking on the busy streets of Copper Borough. He was heading to the all-familiar Beast Master Den. He wore a black outfit consisting of a long-sleeved turtleneck shirt, black slacks, and black boots. His hair was also black, and his eyes had a shade of crimson red.
If one were to glance at him, they would not know that he was the elegant royal Prince of Elrod. Additionally, the crimson red eyes of his masked Eye of the Kraken.
Thinking about the past events from yesterday, Veritas could not help but feel relieved. It was fine now after all, he had nothing to worry about.
Veritas made his way to Beast Master Den, but this time it was not to gamble.
He was told by his Father to help the brothers in handling their paperwork and legal documents.
In any case, once he arrived in front of the establishment, he immediately saw the brother's with deep black hair. One had long-silky hair, and one had messy yet fine hair. Both of them were wearing a formal attire.
Bello wore a fitted black suit, a black tie to compliment it, black trousers and a fitting black shoes.
As for Alune, he was wearing a casual white suit with a blue tie inside, his trousers was beige, and his boots were oak brown.
Veritas noticed that Bello was not wearing his usual extraordinary get-up. It made sense due to the three of them heading towards the Golden Borough.
They had to dress formally!
Both of them brought big pouches that seemed to contain their belongings and clothing.
As Veritas got closer to the two, Bello took notice of him and stared at him with annoyance.
"You're late scumbag"
"Yeah. Yeah."
Bello clicked his tongue on Veritas' indifference to the situation.
"Are you both ready to go? Have you said your farewells to the people here?"
Alune blinked his eyes and replied to Veritas.
"I don't really know that many people aside from the farmers in the outskirts. I've already notified them of our departure. As for Bello.."
Bello looked straight at Veritas and smirked, as if he found something funny.
"Veritas! You should've seen Volitzer's face! He was so surprised when I told him the news!"
"Really? Damn! I should've arrived earlier."
"That's what you get for being late."
After the two of them made fun of the scrawny young man, the laughter had died down and Bello looked at the skies as if he was longing.
"Aah- I'm gonna miss those people."
With that, Veritas grinned at the two of them with grace.
"Shall we go then?"
"Let's go.."
"Yeah."
So, the three of them walked around for a couple of minutes before reaching the main road leading to the Silver Borough. Veritas then signaled for them to wait for a couple of minutes.
After that, a luxurious red carriage could be seen heading towards them. Veritas tilted his head towards the direction of the carriage as if saying "That's our ride."
The two's mouths went agape, and their look of surprise made Veritas laugh loudly.
A few seconds passed and the luxurious carriage was upon them, Veritas talked to the driver and he signaled the two to get inside.
With the three of them sitting inside, the carriage went on its way towards the Silver Borough.
Inside, the two brother's sat side by side while Veritas was on the opposite seat.
"Bello, why'd you remove your whole clown outfit?"
"It's not a clown outfit!"
Bello calmed down with a sigh and continued.
"First of all, we're going to the Gold Borough.. I have to look my best of course. Secondly, I guess I finally grew out of it. Since we're leaving our former home and all, I thought that I should change too."
With those words, Bello smiled wryly as if remembering a painful memory.
"But, I'm changing my whole makeup into a tattoo. I've been thinking of getting one since we went home this morning!"
"What do you think about two star tattoos on my cheek?"
Upon hearing Bello's question, Veritas brought his hand up to his cheek and looked like he was thinking deeply. After coming to a conclusion, Veritas looked at Bello dead in the eye.
"Looks ugly, don't like it."
"You-"
Bello clenched his fists but pushed aside Veritas' dumb statement. He then thought more on what his tattoo would be. It needed to be something that befitted his character.
"You're thinking pretty hard huh." Veritas commented.
"Of course I am, dumbass."
After a few seconds passed, Bello still hadn't thought of anything. Due to that, Alune stepped in the conversation and suggested some things of his own.
"Why not do something related to your Path?"
"My Path.." Bello said while pondering.
With his brother's enlightenment, Bello's eyes shone and he immediately felt like he had just gotten a great insight!
"I know! I'll do eagle wings on my neck!"
Veritas was curious as to why Bello had chosen wings as his tattoo.
"Why wings?"
"Cause it like.. symbolizes freedom or something.."
"Eh- that's so corny. But, I guess it suits you."
Veritas agreed with Bello's decision and Alune nodded in approval.
As the time went by, the conversation between the three got deeper and they didn't notice the change in the scenario at all. The three of them talked about the people from Beast Master Den, the people from Copper Borough, the outskirts, the three academies and many more!
They did not notice that they had already arrived at the Silver Borough. The streets looked clean and refined. There are people that wore suits, looking like they were going to work. There are also people in casual clothing that are living their normal lives. Some people were wearing school uniforms and attended an academy.
In the Central City, there are three academies that are specialized in specific fields.
First is the Knights Academy where those of age could enter and train to become a proper knight.
There are two categories to being a knight.
One, is the mundane knight that has yet to reach upon their Souls. They are tasked to guard the city and alert their higher ups when trouble arises. They can also be considered as peace-keepers that prevent crime around the city.
Then, the Pathbearer knights, who are considered to be a special group. They deal much more frequently with the mystical aspects of the world. These Knights face the Unanchored and other creatures from the depths.
To simply put, an Unanchored are those that have lost their sense of selves and identity, would then be taken over by their Soul and turn into a monster. If an individual did not know the role of their Path and Attunement, ascending their Soul could potentially make them lose their sense of selves.
Many Pathbearers stay as Impure due to this. As individuals that bear a Path, one must know how to act accordingly to it.
For example, an individual with a Warrior of Earth Attunement and a Path of Unyielding Stone, would then act as an unbeatable warrior while utilizing the given Attunement.
After doing so, the Soul would be enhanced further causing the individual to gain the chance to advance. Most Paths do not require a ritual to ascend, but that also depends on the Path Rank.
Aurelium, who bore the Seraph Rank, needed a ritual in order to ascend.
While, a normal individual that has a Mundane Path, would usually only need to enhance their Soul to advance.
But, as the Soul becomes closer to the divine, rituals may be needed to progress further.
With that, most mundane humans could not hope to face off against the Unanchored. So, the Pathbearer knights otherwise called as Wielders, have to deal with matters relating to the Soul.
In the Knights Academy, many Pathbearers that have an attack-type Path would enroll.
The Second Academy is called the Intelligence School of Knowledge.
As the name suggests, this academy focuses more on developing the mind and gaining knowledge. Many individuals from this academy develop certain technologies using their utility-type Path.
The lampposts, newspapers, magic devices, light devices, and many more technological advances were developed by the Intelligence School of Knowledge.
If not for this academy, Elrod would've been stuck on using steel swords and bows, instead of the weapons developed by the Intelligence School of Knowledge.
Although they have not advanced quite far yet, Elrod has made significant contributions in the technological field for the world to use.
The final Academy in Elrod is the Explorers and Research Academy.
This one is pretty simple, they focus more on unveiling past histories and uncovering the mysteries around the world. The renowned scholars that Veritas knew and loved came from the Explorers and Research Academy.
This Academy is quite famous due to its given freedom towards the students, and their enjoyable activities.
As a history and mystery lover himself, Veritas is quite interested in this Academy and plans to join as soon as the enrollments open.
There are no specific Path-types that are prevalent in this Academy as they are very well-rounded. That said, there are only a number of Pathbearers in the Exploration and Research Academy, most of its students are normal individuals.
This Academy has made many breakthroughs in piecing together the lost history of the world. It is considered as an important element in developing the growth of Elrod.
The three Academies were located inside of Gold Borough. To give an equal opportunity to the people, the Academies have designated dormitories and living quarters for people that lived outside of the Gold Borough.
The long conversation between Veritas, Bello, and Alune passed by in a flash. Soon, the carriage arrived at the entrance to the Gold Borough.
Bello took notice of this, and saw the morning landscape of the Gold Borough. He saw the distinguished nobles walking by the streets, the luxurious carriages dragged by the highest quality of horses, and various places to eat that seemed very expensive.
He had already seen the empty streets of Gold Borough last night. But the speed on which he and Veritas traversed was not enough to admire the grandiose aesthetic of the area.
So, in the morning, Bello could see the Gold Borough at its best!
Alune too was mesmerized by the beauty of this place. His crystal blue eyes shined in elegance, further enhancing his pretty face.
Veritas stared at the two and smiled warmly.
"Welcome to Gold Borough.." Veritas said with comfort.