The class resides outside of Prospera Academy's gates, equipment strapped to their backs, magic staffs and other weapons alike, ready for their expedition, their cheers and excitement evident as they compete with the crickets and the frogs singing their early morning song. The sun is just setting itself up for the day as it slowly raises into the sky.
'It's finally here! You guys excited?' Kaluar asked, stars in his eyes as he marched in place, getting rid of his excess energy.
'Yeah! Let's go!' Celi shouts, cheering them on, her fist in the air as she resides in Kaluar's hair.
'I can't wait,' Mirai mutters, giving a weak smile as he stared down the path they've yet to cross. The technology of Prospera still holding strong to this day, its golden-hour shine never yielding to snow or rust.
Kurai kept quiet, his hands folded to his chest, something seemingly on his mind, his gaze to the floor, not acknowledging what Kaluar said or anyone else for that matter. Kaluar notices this, turning his excitement down a bit, his eyebrows furrowed in concern as to what could be up with them.
'I'm sorry for being late, everyone!' Kaisen walks up to the group of kids with a soft smile.
'As some of you will already know, I'm Kaisen; I'll be the one to see you to the start of the expedition, though after that, you're on your own.' His happy expression quickly makes way for a serious look. 'Now remember, this isn't a normal test; you can actually die here; we're not going to hold your hand through it, and we're not going to help you either.'
The tension around the class grew as he spoke up; it was clear he wasn't joking. The excitement that once grew with the class soon turned to nothing but dread and fear.
A boy raised his hand amongst the silence, his long cyan hair done in a man bun, blue stary eyes staring back at Kaisen waiting for his response.
'Yes Sahar?' Kaisen signaled him out from the crowd, two people standing by his side, a girl with long black hair and purple eyes, the look of skulls residing in her pupils, and a dragonborn with white scales and yellow eyes.
'How dangerous is this test really? ' Shahar asked, 'I mean, do we have to be on our toes always, or is it just a stupid slip-up can kill us? I'd like to know, so I, including both Riya and Trax, can prepare.'
'I have no idea!' Kaisen laughed, his voice echoing through the crowd's concerns, 'An adventure is unpredictable; there's no way of measuring it. Sometimes freak accidents happen that are out of your control, and you lose a friend, or an arm maybe both, but in my opinion, that's the thrill of adventuring.'
'Now, I'm even more excited!' A boy with hair just like Kaluar's spoke up, his emerald green eyes burning with the desire to complete this expedition, a scar on his jaw.
'You're too easily excited, Rai.' A girl commented by his side, her hair a light brown and her eyes black, her hair had a weird hairpin in it, not one anyone but her recognized.
'Oh, come on, loosen up a little Kako! You're always so serious,' Rai said with a playful grin, nudging at the shoulder of his friend.
'Well, someone has to be level-headed to watch a hair-brained idiot like you-' She remarked, her hands folded with a stern look on her face irritated by his advances.
'What did you say?!' Rai retaliated, glaring at her as they butted heads.
'You heard me!' She shouted back, glaring at him.
'Ok, calm down you two; with all this bickering, we'll surely fail.' A Kenku around their age splits the fight between them, his black feathers peaking out of his uniforms in certain places.
'Now now, Tengu has a point; you need to cooperate more.' Kaisen stated, dwelling their anger towards one another only for a moment.
'Whatever,' They both muttered at once, their arms crossed with sour faces etched on their faces, avoiding each other's gaze.
Kaluar smiled, seeing everyone so lively even after the warning of their possible death, making him want to start as soon as possible. His eyes light up with silent flames of excitement that not even water magic could extinguish.
---
Everyone got on to the train; its golden hue shining the brightest under the sun, a well-kept tourist attraction, connected with every city and village in Prospera. Kaluar looked around, his awe evident, his eyes sparking with pure excitement; he couldn't wait.
The train is filled to the brim with their classmates, their excitement not dwindling even to this moment, talking with their partners and fellow friends on other teams, excited for the challenges ahead.
'Listen up, everyone,' Kaisen spoke up in the center of the train, 'Before we go on the expedition, I have to explain the rules.'
'First off, each team will be separated into different parts of Elvendoria and search for an item for their mission. Once you find that item, the expedition is over, and you'll take the train from wherever you are and go back to campus.'
'However,' He continued, 'If you're caught taking the train before you're finished, you will be disqualified from the expedition and have to retake it next year.'
'Sounds easy enough,' Kaluar smiled, looking at both Kurai and Mirai, 'We got this, right, guys?'
'Of course, we got this!' Mirai smiled, causing Kurai to do the same, nodding at his question.
Kaluar smiled back, a sense of warmth spreading across his chest. He felt like he finally found the team he wanted to make after so long, but he knows it wouldn't last.
'Kaluar, Mirai, and Kurai,' Kaisen spoke up, their hearts almost leaping out their chest at the sound of their names, 'This is your stop.'