"Fate, a predetermined destiny assigned by an all-knowing being, is just a blatant claim meant to bolster one's drive towards a goal," a male voice rang out, his words devoid of emotion. "I don't believe in any that,"
A yellow bus drove through a dark tunnel on the highway, barely visible despite its bright colors. At the back, a male student gazed out the window, his fist pressed against his cheek, elbow resting on the worn frame. His light gray eyes were emotionless, his hair waving in the autumn wind.
He stared into the darkness, detached from the excited students in front of him. Their enthusiasm for the trip held no significance for him. He remained neutral, showing no hint of joy or excitement, in stark contrast to their energetic demeanor.
Unfazed by the noise around him and the cold autumn wind, he barely reacted when bright light pierced his eyes as the bus emerged from the tunnel. While others shielded their eyes, he hardly moved. He wore his uniform with minimal customization, opting for a black coat over it despite the academy's allowance for personalization.
The autumn air revealed vast greenery outside. Trees with thick trunks and various leaf shapes dotted the landscape. Several houses passed by, and peaceful creatures like foxes and birds roamed the area. More aggressive creatures, like giant toads and wolves, showed aggression but were taken down by adventurers in coordinated attacks.
It was as if he purposely wanted to remain in the background, a mere passerby, someone who avoided attention and preferred to ignore or be ignored, creating a distance between himself and the world around him in Stracia.
Meanwhile, a girl with hair as yellow as sunflowers sat beside her friend, whose hair was as bubbly pink as cherry blossoms. Lost in the pages of her brown journal, a small smile brightened her face. She twirled her pen, contemplating her next entry, her eyes shimmering with excitement and a hint of nervousness as she anticipated the unknown events that would follow.
The brisk autumn wind swept through, tousling her long yellow hair around, slightly blocking her view and annoying her. Despite the closed window meant to shield them from the cold wind, the stubborn insistence of students left her feeling the cold September wind of autumn.
It was September 11, 958 S.E, 5:30 in the morning, as the bus drove across the Stracia Outskirts, its destination: an awaited airship bound for their ultimate destination. The era was otherwise known was the Starlight Era, marking a period of prosperity and peace represented by the stars, following a devastating cataclysm marked by widespread bloodshed.
The blonde-haired girl instinctively brushed away strands of hair that the wind insisted on pushing into her eyes. Despite the constant rumble caused by the bus's tires hitting rocks and various bumps, she couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. After all, who wouldn't? She was about to embark on a journey to one of the most prestigious academies in their continent of Stacia, and perhaps even in the entire Luminora. Her excitement mirrored that of her best friend beside her, who pressed her face onto the bus window with unabashed anticipation.
"Come on, I figured joining the academy would teach her a bit of decency, capisce?" she quipped with a playful smile, nudging her friend gently.
She muttered to herself, a playful grin tugging at the corners of her lips. Glancing at her friend, she twirled her pen between her fingers, a quirky habit that never failed to amuse her. She watched with affectionate amusement as her friend eagerly pressed her face against the bus window, her enthusiasm contagious.
"Then again, can't say the students around us are setting a higher bar," she quipped with a chuckle, her voice laced with gentle teasing as she nudged her friend playfully.
With a shrug, she giggled, her hand pressing against her mouth in a playful gesture before she let it drop with a smile. Returning to her diary, she closed her eyes, narrating her thoughts in her head as she composed a message to her mom within the pages of her diary.
"Hi Mom, it's been a while since you gave me this diary. It's been hectic, but I'm finally here! I joined the Celestial Sword Academy, just like you. Oh, and about the bow you gave me, Tearful Embrace – yes, I finally named it, capisce? Took me a while, didn't I? Well, that's just me, after all and I also have your rapier, after all, I want to follow in your footsteps...
Anyway, back to the topic. I've heard great things about this academy from my middle school. Heroes attended here, and my best friend and I have been waiting our whole lives for this moment. She's very excited, as usual. Before coming here, though, I ran into a bit of trouble. Maybe more than a bit. Okay, maybe a lot, but it wasn't intentional, I swear!
But, um, let's not dwell on that," she interjected quickly, her voice tinged with a nervous laugh. "It's finally happening, and I don't want to ruin the excitement. Besides, maybe it's for the best not to think about it too much." Her pen hovered over the diary, poised to continue, but then she paused. Suddenly, a wave of unease washed over her, freezing her hand in place. It felt like there was something she couldn't, or perhaps shouldn't, remember. So she let it go, pushing the unsettling thoughts aside, convincing herself it was better not to dwell on them too much.
"Claire! Look! It's freaking gigantic!" Her pink-haired, mischievous best friend exclaimed, her voice brimming with excitement as she pointed towards the reddish airship with a hint of white in the distance, carried by the wind.
"What is gigantic?" Claire asked, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she closed her diary, her pen carefully nestled between the pages where she had left off.
She is Claire Aihara, a student at Celestial Sword Academy, driven by a desire to become a hero like the characters she admired in books and the shows she watches. Her mother had been one of those heroes, a legacy that shaped Claire's aspirations. Her best friend, Stella Rose Haruka, brought an infectious energy and occasional mischief into her life, but her loyalty and kindness were unwavering. Claire wore the academy uniform like the other students, bearing the school colors of blue, white, and yellow. She customized it with a slightly longer blue skirt than the other female students, who often chose very short skirts. Her long-sleeve buttoned-up white blouse had a touch of yellow on the sleeves and buttons, unlike some of the other female students who wore cropped blouses and shorter sleeves to show more skin. Rose, meanwhile, wore a similar uniform to Claire but added small touches to make it cuter, such as hearts on her sleeves and shirt, along with a hint of pink. The academy emblem, a sword stuck in the ground held by a silver celestial figure, adorned the shoulder of every student's uniform, symbolizing their school, the Celestial Sword Academy.
The sight of the airship filled Claire with a profound sense of awe and anticipation, her mind racing with the surreal reality of it. This had been her dream for as long as she could remember, a dream her mother would have wanted her to pursue. Influenced by the heroes she admired, Claire was determined to carve her own path. Rose shared this ambition, not just out of a desire to be like Claire but out of an unspoken commitment to follow her, no matter where it led, even if it meant facing the end of the world together.
The sight of the airship filled Claire with a profound sense of awe and anticipation, her mind racing with the surreal reality of it. This had been her dream for as long as she could remember, a dream her mother would have wanted her to pursue. Influenced by the heroes she admired, Claire was determined to carve her own path. Rose shared this ambition, not just out of a desire to be like Claire but out of an unspoken commitment to follow her, no matter where it led, even if it meant facing the end of the world together.
"You know what I'm talking about! It's obviously the big airship! I've only seen one on the internet and TV, and now both of us are gonna be riding on it!" Rose yelled in exasperation, her voice tinged with excitement and impatience, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Rose's frustration was evident in her tone, but beneath it, Claire could sense a bubbling excitement. As the bus drew nearer to the airship, Claire couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation herself. She carefully stowed her diary in her luggage before rising from her seat, her gaze following Rose's towards the looming airship outside the window.
Despite intermittent obstructions of trees, buildings, and passing vehicles, the anticipation in the air was palpable. The bus came to a slow halt, signaling their arrival at the destination where the majestic airship awaited, ready to transport them to the eagerly anticipated academy.
Taking a deep breath, Claire's eyes widened at the sight of the colossal airship before them. As other students began gathering their belongings, Rose seized Claire's arm, urging her to move. Claire clutched her baggage, bow, quiver of arrows, and a large object shaped like a huge flat hourglass, ready to walk into the unknown alongside her ever-energetic friend, like a child facing the darkness for the first time.
"Come on, Claire! Hurry!" Rose's urgency rang out, infused with a mixture of excitement and impatience, urging Claire forward.
Rose's urgency both amused and exasperated Claire, but she couldn't help but smile at her friend's infectious enthusiasm. With a giggle, Claire followed Rose's lead, though the throng of first-year students slowed their progress, much to Claire's chagrin.
Unfortunately, the large population of first-year students blocked their path, and Claire couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for being too slow. Although, it might be a bit of indecency on her part.
The frustration of the situation weighed on her, overshadowing the excitement of their impending journey. She resolved to find a way through the crowd, determined not to let her momentary lapse hold them back any longer.
"Geez, how are we supposed to pass through this!" Rose's frustration reflected Claire's own, and together they wrinkled their eyebrows in shared annoyance as the crowd continued to block their way.
Claire's thoughts echoed Rose's sentiment, her mind racing with frustration and a hint of resignation. The sea of bodies seemed impenetrable, each student absorbed in their own world, oblivious to the traffic jam they were causing. Claire couldn't help but feel a twinge of hopelessness creeping in. How were they supposed to navigate through this mess?
"Come on!" Rose's voice rang out with determination as she scanned the crowd, searching for a path forward. Standing on her tiptoes, she navigated through a crowd of heads, each forming a unique but annoying obstacle in their path.
As Claire scanned the crowded hallway for a way through, she took a few steps backward, hoping to find a path. But her attempt to navigate the throng of students took an unexpected turn when she accidentally stepped on someone's foot. Before she could react, she felt the force of a hard chest behind her, causing her to stumble and hit her head on the floor. Her vision blurred momentarily before regaining focus.
With a groan, Claire slowly pushed herself up, her long hair mussed from the fall. As she glanced behind her, she met the stoic gaze of a black-haired student. His dark eyes betrayed no emotion, despite having fallen alongside her. His attire stood out among the crowd of customized uniforms—while his uniform was barely customized, he covered it with a black coat.
He uttered no words, but his frustration was evident, as if something heavy was weighing on him. Claire realized his expression conveyed more than he intended.
"What's with that look? Um, was he implying that I'm heavy?" Claire's mind raced with a jumble of embarrassment and irritation as she dusted herself off, trying to process the encounter.
His seemingly rude look lingered, stirring a blend of discomfort and frustration within her. Claire's cheeks burned with self-consciousness but before she could retort, the mysterious black haired male vanished in an instant. Claire blinked several times in confusion, wondering if it was his unassuming demeanor or something more that allowed him to disappear so effortlessly. Despite her irritation, she couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity that lingered in his absence.
As Claire stood up, a whirlwind of confusion swirled in her mind.
"I know him..." she thought, but the memories remained blurry with a glimpse of a man in a black cloak, waving across the wind, standing with his back truned
Just as she began to recall her memories of regret, Rose's urgent tug on her uniform snapped her back to the present.
"Look! We can get through!" Rose exclaimed, her excitement contagious as she pointed towards the dwindling group of students blocking their path.
Claire allowed herself to be pulled along, her thoughts still lingering on the enigmatic figure she had encountered. A chill crept up the back of her neck as she caught sight of him once more. Memories flooded back, tinged with guilt and regret. It was her fault, she knew, but the sight of him stirred up emotions she wasn't quite ready to confront.
As they reached the exit, the mysterious figure vanished from view once again, leaving Claire to grapple with the weight of her past actions. She couldn't shake the sense of unease that gnawed at her, her mind swirling with questions and doubts. As the bus rumbled on, Claire found herself lost in contemplation, searching for answers in the depths of her own thoughts.
Claire's mind briefly drifted to the image of the mysterious figure, his determined gaze fixed ahead as he wielded his sword. Before she could dwell on the memory, Rose's pinch jolted her back to reality.
"Ow! Why'd you do that?" Claire exclaimed, a twinge of pain shooting through her hand as Rose's action snapped her out of her thoughts. Glancing at her friend, Claire found a perplexed expression mirrored on Rose's face.
Shaking off the remnants of her reverie, Claire found herself standing at the entrance of the airship, surrounded by a flurry of activity as students bustled around them.
"Hello, Earth to Claire, come on! Remember, boarding the ship?" Rose's voice cut through Claire's thoughts, urging her to focus on the present moment. Claire glanced around; the sight of students with their luggage boarding the airship prompted a flood of conflicting emotions.
Uncertainty gnawed at Claire's mind. Was she supposed to forget? To bury the memories beneath a facade of normalcy? But she couldn't burden Rose with her inner turmoil, not now. With a forced smile, Claire nodded in agreement.
Although she felt excitement, the presence of the large airship awaiting them made her heart pound. Excitement washed over her, but there was also nervousness about what might lie ahead, which was trumped by her excitement. Rose made her momentarily forget about her recent guilt.
"Right, right... The airship!" she replied, her words tinged with a hint of uncertainty. Rose's cheerful demeanor contrasted with Claire's inner turmoil, but she couldn't let her friend down.
"Geez, let's go! Come on, the airship will take off if we don't board soon," Rose urged, her excitement contagious as she pulled Claire towards the awaiting vessel, their baggage in hand.
"Alright, geez, I'm going, capisce?" Claire said, her tone full of excitement.
"Uh, sure... 'capisce,' whatever that means." Rose blinked, her confusion evident. She grinned, pulling Claire forward. "Now come on! The airship's waiting!"
Claire's heart pounded with a mix of excitement and apprehension. Despite her doubts, Claire couldn't deny the thrill of embarking on a new adventure. As they boarded the airship, Claire's pulse quickened with anticipation, marking the beginning of their journey into the unknown.
"As I walked with Rose, I felt my heart skip a beat. It was pounding like crazy. I guess my excitement was getting to me; I wouldn't call that a bad thing. This moment just felt so unreal, like a dream—except it was real, at least I thought so. I couldn't wrap my head around it, but there it was, right in front of me. Geez, I feel like I'm narrating the start of some grand adventure. Well, actually, I think it is—for me, at least," Claire thought as she walked with Rose, emotions swirling—excitement. "Wait for me, Mom, capisce?"