The carriage rowed along, tracking dirt as it jerked from side to side over the rocky road leading to the estate.
The events of the day, piling up in my head as I stared out the window.
We arrived soon after, the smouldering intensity of the sun ,blazing at my face the moment I stepped out.
Spring was fast approaching; the season when the weather becomes warmer, leaves and plants start to grow again and flowers appear, blooming endlessly across fields.
According to this world's calendar, we were in the third quarter of the year and in two months time, Milo would celebrate his birthday.
'Which means there's not enough time huh' I thought, walking towards the main house as I stared at the maids in front of the garden, bowing to pay their respects.
According to the family doctor, who also happened to be a skilled mage, the deep stage of the first activation of Sundra's third eye was bound to happen by the time I crossed fifteen.
And truthfully speaking, I didn't know what to expect.
"Young master, your mother has been searching for you" Martha explained, walking towards me as soon as I entered.
I nodded, before walking towards Vicky's room.
Her attending maid stood at the door, beckoning on me to enter as I arrived.
"Mother, you called for me?" I inquired, gazing at the red curtains and furniture that surrounded her bed.
It felt strange addressing someone a year younger than I formely was, mother, but it was all just a mind play.
"Yes, Milo. I prepared something for your trip" she replied, smiling at me as she tapped on the space beside her.
I sat, withstanding the urge to turn her request down and tell her I was her senior and deserved to be treated as such.
Milo's mother was prodigal in her expenditures and it reflected in her luxuriously decorated room and furniture.
The linen used for the curtains were awfully radiant, and you could tell just by looking, that they easily costed a fortune.
The painting on the walls; with the fancy wall frames that hung on them, her wardrobe lined with the finest material, make up cabinets with jewelries peeking out from a box; all resonated to show the brilliance of her wealth.
"Aren't you going to open it, Milo?" She asked, cutting my observation shut with her words.
I stared at the box which I held, hesitant to open it and be amazed by more elegance.
CREAK
I finally got the urge to, after she tugged me gently smiling suspiciously at me.
It was a locket, lined with a hard outer material and inside it, was a rare mana gem brimming with energy as I lifted it towards my face.
"I had them craft it specially for you, its an automatic defensive gem that can withstand up to B-rank spells and magic" she commented, pulling me towards herself in a tight hug.
Her warm bosom was comforting to lay on and even though I had initially intended to shrug off her advances, I perished the thought immediately.
"Thank you mom, I'll wear it at all times" I comforted, running my fingers through the case.
******
The day for my departure finally came, with two carriages drawn for me, one loaded with all sorts of supplies like, food, clothes, books and other things.
Natasha would ride with me in the other carriage, with an extra guard in front with our guide, while Mark and another attendant, rode in the loaded carriage.
My mom and sister were at the entrance, waiting to say their goodbyes and strangely enough, Jem was crying.
Ranting endlessly about wanting to follow me, so Martha took her back in when I said goodbye.
"It's just six months, I'll see you when you get back" Vicky assured, hugging me as she called Mark before giving him an earful of warnings.
We finally departed, riding straight through the main road as we passed farmers and children on the way.
The journey to the riverine city was a six days event, meaning I had ample time to work on my mana control and even train my swordsmanship with Mark along the way.
We stopped at the twins cottage, where I picked up Sabrina, who had already packed and waited for us at the entrance.
Natasha was shocked by her presence but refrained from impulsively speaking since it would be her, overstepping.
"Natasha this is Sabrina, she'll be traveling with us to the trade union". I explained, keeping the introductions as simplistic as I could.
"And may I ask what affiliation she holds with you, young Lord" Natasha questioned, looking Sabrina in the eyes quietly.
"I-"
"The young Lord saved my life, so I'm repaying the debt with it" Sabrina answered, smiling proudly.
'Doesn't saying it like that makes it sound more suspicious!! Huh, Sabrina'
Surprisingly though, Natasha stopped prying, nodding her head in approval as she stretched out her hand for a handshake, gleaming with a smile.
"I'm glad to make your acquaintance"
"I'll be in your care then"
The both of them stated, chuckling suspiciously as they both stared at me.
'This won't blow up in my face huh' I asked myself, already getting an icky feeling from their introduction.
The rest of the day went on quietly as I could not even sleep a wink throughout the entire journey due to the ladies, gossiping about me.
'I'm literally in the same carriage as you guys'
We stopped when it got dark, with Natasha and Nia- the other attendant- setting up the tent, while Mark stood watch.
Dinner was omelettes, folded around freshly smoked ham.
After I ate, I decided to take a stroll to an opening a few minutes ahead of us, so I could watch the evening sky.
Stargazing had become my most prized hobby as I couldn't seem to miss a single night where I didn't stare at the beauty, painted above us.
Sabrina joined me too, as we talked all night long about her background before retiring for the night.
******
{Five days later}
"We're here, young Lord" The coach man announced, tapping gently on the wooden wall of the carriage as he spoke.
"Finally!" Sabrina sighed, relieved by the end of our journey. The past days seemed to have been rough on how, judging by how much time she had tirelessly worked, crafting spell after spell in practice.
I too felt relieved by our arrival, praying even for our stay to last shorter.
The carriage stopped at the gates for a routine search, and we all stepped out.
The huge looming black gates of the entrance, was surrounded by even mightier walls, stretched around the acclaimed largest coastal city in the continent.
"They say the Ethos sea is the largest in the world" Natasha quoted, staring at the wide blue sea that spanned across our entire view.
"Move along!" One of the knights shouted at the coach man, as we all borded the carriages and rode towards the gate that had been flung open.
The buildings surrounding the entrance were few in numbers, placed awfully far off from each other. As we slowly approached, a young girl in a blue dress, stood in front of our carriages as she waved for it to stop. A young knight was also accompanying her, offering to sit beside the coach man for directions.
Her brown eyes anx brown hair were fairly noticable about her appearance, but the only eye-catching factor that kept her face, edged in the back of my head for the next few months, were her short pointed ears.
She was an half elf.
"Hi, I'm Rosemary. The mayor sent me to pick you up, you must be the young Lord, Milo right" She greeted politely, bowing softly and she tilted her haid slightly.
I could tell the pretense just by staring at her, since she made no efforts to hide them from my gaze.
"The pleasure is mine, shall we then" I replied, pointing towards the empty space beside Natasha for her to seat.
"But I'm curious about how you knew we've arrived" I inquired, already knowing the answers to the question.
They definitely had some sort of surveillance system surrounding the entrance.
Since it was a trade city it was only mandatory.
But I had to play the role of a curious, and fairly ignorant fifteen year old so as not to draw unwanted attention.
"We have a surveilling system in place" She answered, the smile on her face crooked at one point as she forced herself to keep smiling.
The sound of people screaming the names of their merchandise was now audible enough, as we passed by the city center.
I peered outside curiously, greeted with the hustle and bustle of a lively city square, similar to Earth.
Traders lined up the road, advertising their products to passerbys as carriages plied the streets endlessly.
A nostalgic feeling enveloped me, forcing a smile out of my face as I stared at how similar the scenery around us.
"Welcome to the city of Ethos" Rosemary announced finally, leaning towards me.
My next six months of hell started at that very moment.
'This is gonna be a mess!'