"Also... my name is Grendel. I am a professor of Dark Magic in the academy. If you are in my classes, I will see you soon. If not, I wish to never see any of your faces"

He stared forward with half-closed, uninterested eyes, as the the two curtains met in the middle. On the other side, Grendel disappeared into a dark dust, soon vanishing from the area.

The examinees were left a bit confused. Lyrian expected people to begin whispering their worries to each other, as per usual of groups. He stood up and began walking over to the ship without hesitation. Alten, Leon, and Rylan followed him over to it.

Before long, the other examinees did the same, to Lyrian's surprise. He then realized that the group he was with wasn't just some random individuals. They had passed the entrance exams just like him, and this fact stood out even if they took the easiest or hardest path.

They were better than the average crowd. More determined, confident, and able. Everyone boarded the ship by pulling themselves onto it via rope. Lyrian noticed a few lay down, their heads against the walls of the ship, as they took a nap. 

Others stood around, performing their own personal activities, such as taking care of their weapons and so forth. Most began making conversation with each other, and Lyrian was a part of this group.

Rylan was the first to talk within his group.

"I guess this is it guys, the last time we see each other. After we reach the academy, I will book a ride straight home. That is, after getting my certification of passing. I'm sure that will land me some sort of good job near my parent's home."

He said while scratching the back of his head. Still, the team could sense a hint of sorrow behind his awkward smile.

"Hey... lighten up. You've already made the decision, don't worry about it."

Alten said, patting Rylan on the back.

"Let's not feel tension about anything, not until we actually get those certifications."

Alten followed up. With this, Rylan took in a deep breath before speaking.

"Yeah... I'll be alright. Man... I've got a shit habit of bitching about stuff huh?"

He said in a comedic tone.

"Ah well, whatever. I'm not waiting long for the entrance ceremony by the way. You guys will get your certification of passing there, but I'll get mine from a counselor and be on my way back home in no time."

With this, Alten and Rylan began to continue conversing, while Leon and Lyrian did their own things. Leon began sleeping, his hand on the hilt of his blade, as Lyrian explored the ship.

The first time he entered a ship, back when he was coming to the dome, there were so many people that he felt a bit of tension to freely explore. Now, he was far less anxious to do so, mostly because his confidence had grown from back then, and also because there barely was anyone on board.

After a few seconds, the ship began to float in the air. Before long, it was already moving. Lyrian observed the magical ship. He couldn't help but feel slightly taken aback in awe. The technology of the ship intrigued him.

'Is there even a driver for this?'

He thought to himself, entering the wheelhouse below the front deck of the boat. Inside, he was slightly surprised to see a man with his hands on the wheel.

"So a person is driving it."

He said as the man behind the wheel turned to look over his shoulder at the boy who had just entered his room. The man was somewhere in his mid-60s, with a short gray stubble and a slightly chubby build.

"Huh? Of course, there is. You think we got auto-driving technology or something?"

The old man said in a coarse voice.

"Actually, yeah. I would expect that for an academy like Anaviotis."

Lyrain replied as the man paused for a moment.

"Listen... you would need some sort of great wizard, or a bunch of strong mages, to be able to command a transportation vehicle like this for so many miles. You fool, do you think the professors of Anaviotis are readily available to perform such activities!?"

The old man got slightly defensive, his tone rising towards the end.

"Ah... I see. I didn't know it would require that much magic. But, miles you said? How far is Anaviotis anyway?"

The captain looked forward as he heard this. At that moment, the ship left the transparent blue dome and entered into the orangeish-blue sky.

"It will take this ship around an entire day, flying nonstop. We are going around 100 miles per hour, so do the math. Now get out of here, brat."

Lyrian was shocked by this. That was 2400 miles of travel! From What he remembered, that was nearly the width of the US, and all to reach an academy that was sitting in the middle of three separate kingdoms.

He imagined how big these kingdoms would have to be, just for this to be possible. After leaving the wheelhouse, Lyrian returned to where Leon was and sat down, beginning to use Gale.

'This'll be a long trip. I have nothing else to do but this... maybe I'll get some more mana up here in the sky.'

[Gaining 0.000013 mana per second]

'Huh... not by much.'

He was disappointed.

The ship captain thought of the peculiar boy for a moment after he left.

"What an odd kid. His bright blue eyes remind me of that Helnish brat."

***

<24 Hours Later...>

The sky looked similar to what it had looked like when Lyrian and the others first entered the ship. An orange horizon, along with a bright azure sky. Now, however, the ship began to descend.

Examinees threw themselves towards the edge of the ship, looking below with eager expressions and excitement flowing through their blood as the ship tore through the clouds. 

At last, the clouds parted, revealing a breathtaking sight: an immense academy, or rather, it resembled a miniature kingdom, nestled in a remote, secluded location.

Thousands of miles of endless green forestry surrounded an immense seethrough dome, inside of which was the city-like academy. The only way Lyrian realized that the sphere around the academy was actually there, was because large yellow runes traveled across it, making one able to see the immense magic that pulsed within.

Along with that, a tall wall encompassed the entire area, made of pillars of white marble. As they neared the sphere, Lyrian noticed two other ships next to his. They looked nearly the same, but he couldn't tell how many people were on the other boats. 

He didn't pay any mind to that, however, as the sight in front of him stole all of his intrigue and focus. Upon passing through the dome's barrier, a surge of fresh air enveloped them, and Lyrian could sense an intensified presence of magic in the atmosphere, as though he had stepped into a Mana Alcove.

Beneath them sprawled a plethora of structures, towers, shops, markets, intertwining paths, diverse creatures, an energetic flow of people, and countless other wonders. At the epicenter of this bustling environment stood a colossal institution. As their ships descended, Lyrian could distinguish two distinct segments of the school.

The first structure lay outside an outer ring, encircling the inner one. Although not physically connected to the inner ring, it exuded grandeur and magnificence, showcasing exemplary architectural finesse. The inner structure, even more awe-inspiring, took the form of a massive palace, constructed from stone and marble.

Their ships soared over another, shorter wall before finally touching down in the massive courtyard that greeted them outside of the the outer academy.

"Now that I think about it..."

Lyrian looked over at the other two ships. He was certain that even in the dome in the exam, there weren't any more than 20 passing examinees.

"Those ships... are they examinees as well? Possibly from separate exams?"

With haste, the examinees from all three ships jumped off and began walking forward. 100 feet in front of them was a brief flight of stairs that led to the primary entrance of the academy.

Just beyond the stairway was an expansive doorway that was opened up, resembling the entrance to a majestic royal cathedral of sorts. The stairway initially led to a small platform encircling the school. Atop this platform, numerous pillars supported an elegant marble canopy.

As they took a few steps forward, a warm smile greeted them—a young man in his mid-twenties, dressed in a formal uniform consisting of blue pants and a blue and white vest. He had short brown hair and a pair of glasses on his nose, appearing innocent and simple.

"Hello, everyone! Welcome, I hope you all had a good trip here. My name is Jalls Silandra, the professor of Transportation Magic here at the academy." 

He exclaimed with enthusiasm.

"This may sound abrupt, but the entrance ceremony has already been prepared. To be honest, the entire school is waiting for you all! Let us not make them bored."

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers, as an odd feeling enveloped the examinees. It felt as though their bodies had lost gravity for only a split second before they suddenly appeared in an entirely different setting.

One second ago, they were standing outside of the academy, and in the next, they were seated, looking up to a large stage, on top of which were teachers, school councils, and even students. 

To the sides of the massive assembly they had just been transported to were rows of seats all around, craving deep into the walls, and full of hundreds of students.

Where they were, however, was at the bottom of it all. About 50 kids in total, the passing bunch of this year's entrance exam.

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