Cherry Vanilla, Rum Raisin, and Red Hot Cinnamon
Title: A New LIfe
Author: d353r7r47
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,772
Challenges: Cherry Vanilla #3 (That Fateful Day); Rum Raisin #12 (Guide); Red Hot Cinnamon #7 (Over an Open Flame)
Summary: Jhera and Gharak are brought to The Academy for the first time.
A/N: feel free to comment!
It was three days later and Jhera and Gharak had just been ushered through The Academy's main gates. The sun was shining bright and there were very few clouds in the sky. A handful of people could be seen walking through the school's grounds in the same uniforms worn by Jhera and Gharak. Some seemed to be with family, some were alone, and some were along, and some were formed into small groups with other students. Overall though, there didn't seem to be too many students at the school this early in the morning.
They looked around at the large stone buildings that formed a semicircle around a large grass area in the middle. Jhera couldn't help but think that the buildings were gorgeous. Their walls were older in style, but they had obviously modern upgrades such as the windows and the doors which were made of large panels of glass framed by metal.
"We will be going into the Administration Building where you will meet the Academy's Dean and where the bonding will take place. After that, you will be taken on a tour of the grounds and will be shown to your rooms," Warden Sebright said. "Any questions?"
Neither of them answered, so he started off toward the Administration Building as they followed.
~~~~~~~~~~
Once they entered the office, Warden Sebright looked to the Dean who motioned Jhera and Gharak into the two seats on the other side of his desk.
"They're all yours."
"Thank you, brother. I will call you later to give you the report," the Dean told the Warden.
Brother? Jhera thought, looking at Gharak who had also picked up the Dean's choice of words. When she looked away, she saw the Dean's name tag on his desk. It read: Dean Sebright. Great, this is just what we need. Another Sebright to deal with.
"Welcome to The Academy Jhera and Gharak. I am Dean Sebright and as you probably caught, I am the Warden's brother. Today you will be bonded to the school and shown around the grounds. The majority of your fellow first year students will be arriving early tomorrow morning.
"There are a few first years that have come early and there are a couple upperclassmen that are also here already. The rest of the older students will be arriving tomorrow afternoon. For the first years, tomorrow afternoon will consist of a series of tests to see what kind of elemental magic you will be focusing in. You will receive your schedules at dinner tomorrow night and the following day will be the start of your classes.
"Your bags have already been taken to your rooms, so if you don't have any other questions, we will perform the bonding."
They both nodded and the Dean opened up one of his desk drawers and pulled out two large gold rings.
"Before we start, there are a few things you need to know. The first is that these will be placed around your upper right arms and you will not be able to remove them. The second is that they will bond you to this school's grounds so you will not be allowed to leave them. Third, is that if you do choose to leave the grounds, the rings will inject poison into your bloodstream and you will die within a few days.
"This kind of bonding is very easy to conduct. All you have to do is put them on and they will stay in place since your measurements were taken into consideration when they were made."
The Dean passed the gold rings to them and they put them on.
When they were finished, there was a soft knock on the door and an older student walked into the office. "It appears that your guide has arrived, so I will let you go with him," the Dean said as he motioned toward the door.
~~~~~~~~~~
As they left the Administration Building, their guide started talking as they walked.
"This road circles around the majority of the grounds. As you know, the building you were just in is the Administration Building and is not one that you will be going to very often unless you get into serious trouble."
They walked around the building along one of the many paths through the grassy area in the middle of the buildings. "This area is called the Greens and is where students often come to study if they want to be outside.
"These four buildings are the main academic buildings with each being designated to a different element. That is where your lectures will be held and each has its own library that contains most of the school's material on that element. You are allowed to use the libraries in other buildings to do research, but if you are looking for a quiet place to study, you must use your own building's library."
Jhera and Gharak followed their guide to the other end of the Green where a larger building sat. "This is the main building where your combat courses will be held along with the practical parts of some of your other courses. Your professors will go over the rules for this building in the first few days of school."
They went around the left side of the main building and crossed the road to a smaller building. Their guide brought them inside and continued to talk, "this building contains the housing for the first years. The building next to this one is the third year's housing and the one on the other side of that building is the one for the second years."
They walked through a set of doors as their guide said, "this is the dining hall, each year has their own and it is open at all hours of the day for snacks. Breakfast is served at 7 am, lunch is at noon, and dinner is at 6 pm. Each lasts for an hour."
The guide brought them up to the third floor where they stopped at room 307. "This is your room Gharak, your roommate does not seem to be here yet," they continued down the hall, "Jhera, this is your room and your roommate doesn't appear to be here either. The floors are divided in half by gender with a third year in the center that is there if you have any questions. Each side of the hall has a bathroom for its respective gender.
"Since it is already after 1, you won't be able to get a meal until 6, so I suggest you go down and get a snack if you're hungry. You are free to do whatever you wish to settle in until your testing starts tomorrow right after lunch. It will take place in the main building." And with that he was gone, leaving Jhera and Gharak by themselves.
~~~~~~~~~~
At 6, they went down to the dining hall to eat dinner. They had spent the afternoon exploring the campus and talking about what they thought their time here would be like.
They hadn't known what to expect when it came to the food that the dining hall served and were surprised when they saw that they were given a few different options. Considering how poorly they were fed in the jail, they both ate a lot, but stuck to the options that were more bland. The food that they did try was amazing though.
As they ate, Gharak noticed Jhera's hands shaking and could tell that she couldn't wait any longer to release the excess magic in her blood. He also noticed her slipping a steak knife into a pocket in the inside of her uniform jacket and did the same, but also stashing his empty cup.
Tonight, Jhera thought, while there still aren't many students here yet. If I don't do this before the testing tomorrow, I'm going to snap. She looked at Gharak who nodded and surreptitiously opened his jacket to revel the knife and the cup. She gave him a sad smile and whispered, "not until much later," and he nodded slightly.
~~~~~~~~~~
Midnight found Jhera standing on the roof of their year's building, staring up at the moon. She stood like that for nearly an hour before Gharak shook her out of her thoughts.
"It's time," he said quietly.
"I know." She sighed and looked at her friend who nodded back.
She looked up at the moon one more time before muttering "fierna" under her breath, as a fire started on the roof in front of her. She breathed in deeply as the power coursed through her as she used some of her magic for the first time since before they had been caught.
She then pulled the knife that she had taken earlier out of her jacket and raised her right hand with the palm facing up. She could sense the power flowing through the veins of her palm as she cut along one. Rotating her hand, she held it over the fire and let the blood drip down into it.
As her blood hit the flames, it was destroyed and the magic that had been building up was released. She slowly closed her eyes and remained in the same position for a while before she felt that enough of the power had been released. She turned her hand back over and licked the wound clean while the remaining power closed up the cut.
This was one of the advantages of blood magic. If you had enough power in your blood, it would heal any wounds you had at an accelerated rate. She let the fire burn for another minute before muttering the word again to make the fire stop.
Gharak put a hand on her shoulder before handing her the cup with the other. He had filled it with his own blood while she had been releasing the power using the knife he had taken from the dining hall. She reluctantly brought it to her lips and started to drink.
She hated the taste, but she had to replenish her blood levels and this was the only way available for her to do so at this point in time. It would be a lot more effective if she could inject it directly into her blood stream, but that required needles and that was an amenity that she would not be allowed while she was at The Academy.
When she had finished, she handed it back to Gharak who refilled it before handing it back to her.
Once she had had enough, they sat in silence for many long minutes before heading back to their rooms.
Author: d353r7r47
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,772
Challenges: Cherry Vanilla #3 (That Fateful Day); Rum Raisin #12 (Guide); Red Hot Cinnamon #7 (Over an Open Flame)
Summary: Jhera and Gharak are brought to The Academy for the first time.
A/N: feel free to comment!
It was three days later and Jhera and Gharak had just been ushered through The Academy's main gates. The sun was shining bright and there were very few clouds in the sky. A handful of people could be seen walking through the school's grounds in the same uniforms worn by Jhera and Gharak. Some seemed to be with family, some were alone, and some were along, and some were formed into small groups with other students. Overall though, there didn't seem to be too many students at the school this early in the morning.
They looked around at the large stone buildings that formed a semicircle around a large grass area in the middle. Jhera couldn't help but think that the buildings were gorgeous. Their walls were older in style, but they had obviously modern upgrades such as the windows and the doors which were made of large panels of glass framed by metal.
"We will be going into the Administration Building where you will meet the Academy's Dean and where the bonding will take place. After that, you will be taken on a tour of the grounds and will be shown to your rooms," Warden Sebright said. "Any questions?"
Neither of them answered, so he started off toward the Administration Building as they followed.
~~~~~~~~~~
Once they entered the office, Warden Sebright looked to the Dean who motioned Jhera and Gharak into the two seats on the other side of his desk.
"They're all yours."
"Thank you, brother. I will call you later to give you the report," the Dean told the Warden.
Brother? Jhera thought, looking at Gharak who had also picked up the Dean's choice of words. When she looked away, she saw the Dean's name tag on his desk. It read: Dean Sebright. Great, this is just what we need. Another Sebright to deal with.
"Welcome to The Academy Jhera and Gharak. I am Dean Sebright and as you probably caught, I am the Warden's brother. Today you will be bonded to the school and shown around the grounds. The majority of your fellow first year students will be arriving early tomorrow morning.
"There are a few first years that have come early and there are a couple upperclassmen that are also here already. The rest of the older students will be arriving tomorrow afternoon. For the first years, tomorrow afternoon will consist of a series of tests to see what kind of elemental magic you will be focusing in. You will receive your schedules at dinner tomorrow night and the following day will be the start of your classes.
"Your bags have already been taken to your rooms, so if you don't have any other questions, we will perform the bonding."
They both nodded and the Dean opened up one of his desk drawers and pulled out two large gold rings.
"Before we start, there are a few things you need to know. The first is that these will be placed around your upper right arms and you will not be able to remove them. The second is that they will bond you to this school's grounds so you will not be allowed to leave them. Third, is that if you do choose to leave the grounds, the rings will inject poison into your bloodstream and you will die within a few days.
"This kind of bonding is very easy to conduct. All you have to do is put them on and they will stay in place since your measurements were taken into consideration when they were made."
The Dean passed the gold rings to them and they put them on.
When they were finished, there was a soft knock on the door and an older student walked into the office. "It appears that your guide has arrived, so I will let you go with him," the Dean said as he motioned toward the door.
~~~~~~~~~~
As they left the Administration Building, their guide started talking as they walked.
"This road circles around the majority of the grounds. As you know, the building you were just in is the Administration Building and is not one that you will be going to very often unless you get into serious trouble."
They walked around the building along one of the many paths through the grassy area in the middle of the buildings. "This area is called the Greens and is where students often come to study if they want to be outside.
"These four buildings are the main academic buildings with each being designated to a different element. That is where your lectures will be held and each has its own library that contains most of the school's material on that element. You are allowed to use the libraries in other buildings to do research, but if you are looking for a quiet place to study, you must use your own building's library."
Jhera and Gharak followed their guide to the other end of the Green where a larger building sat. "This is the main building where your combat courses will be held along with the practical parts of some of your other courses. Your professors will go over the rules for this building in the first few days of school."
They went around the left side of the main building and crossed the road to a smaller building. Their guide brought them inside and continued to talk, "this building contains the housing for the first years. The building next to this one is the third year's housing and the one on the other side of that building is the one for the second years."
They walked through a set of doors as their guide said, "this is the dining hall, each year has their own and it is open at all hours of the day for snacks. Breakfast is served at 7 am, lunch is at noon, and dinner is at 6 pm. Each lasts for an hour."
The guide brought them up to the third floor where they stopped at room 307. "This is your room Gharak, your roommate does not seem to be here yet," they continued down the hall, "Jhera, this is your room and your roommate doesn't appear to be here either. The floors are divided in half by gender with a third year in the center that is there if you have any questions. Each side of the hall has a bathroom for its respective gender.
"Since it is already after 1, you won't be able to get a meal until 6, so I suggest you go down and get a snack if you're hungry. You are free to do whatever you wish to settle in until your testing starts tomorrow right after lunch. It will take place in the main building." And with that he was gone, leaving Jhera and Gharak by themselves.
~~~~~~~~~~
At 6, they went down to the dining hall to eat dinner. They had spent the afternoon exploring the campus and talking about what they thought their time here would be like.
They hadn't known what to expect when it came to the food that the dining hall served and were surprised when they saw that they were given a few different options. Considering how poorly they were fed in the jail, they both ate a lot, but stuck to the options that were more bland. The food that they did try was amazing though.
As they ate, Gharak noticed Jhera's hands shaking and could tell that she couldn't wait any longer to release the excess magic in her blood. He also noticed her slipping a steak knife into a pocket in the inside of her uniform jacket and did the same, but also stashing his empty cup.
Tonight, Jhera thought, while there still aren't many students here yet. If I don't do this before the testing tomorrow, I'm going to snap. She looked at Gharak who nodded and surreptitiously opened his jacket to revel the knife and the cup. She gave him a sad smile and whispered, "not until much later," and he nodded slightly.
~~~~~~~~~~
Midnight found Jhera standing on the roof of their year's building, staring up at the moon. She stood like that for nearly an hour before Gharak shook her out of her thoughts.
"It's time," he said quietly.
"I know." She sighed and looked at her friend who nodded back.
She looked up at the moon one more time before muttering "fierna" under her breath, as a fire started on the roof in front of her. She breathed in deeply as the power coursed through her as she used some of her magic for the first time since before they had been caught.
She then pulled the knife that she had taken earlier out of her jacket and raised her right hand with the palm facing up. She could sense the power flowing through the veins of her palm as she cut along one. Rotating her hand, she held it over the fire and let the blood drip down into it.
As her blood hit the flames, it was destroyed and the magic that had been building up was released. She slowly closed her eyes and remained in the same position for a while before she felt that enough of the power had been released. She turned her hand back over and licked the wound clean while the remaining power closed up the cut.
This was one of the advantages of blood magic. If you had enough power in your blood, it would heal any wounds you had at an accelerated rate. She let the fire burn for another minute before muttering the word again to make the fire stop.
Gharak put a hand on her shoulder before handing her the cup with the other. He had filled it with his own blood while she had been releasing the power using the knife he had taken from the dining hall. She reluctantly brought it to her lips and started to drink.
She hated the taste, but she had to replenish her blood levels and this was the only way available for her to do so at this point in time. It would be a lot more effective if she could inject it directly into her blood stream, but that required needles and that was an amenity that she would not be allowed while she was at The Academy.
When she had finished, she handed it back to Gharak who refilled it before handing it back to her.
Once she had had enough, they sat in silence for many long minutes before heading back to their rooms.