Unmotivated Deity

The days after Jien and the others made it back to their homes were peaceful. Jien had never had as much of an appreciation for the peace that had surrounded him in his youngest years until these most recent years of struggle had occurred. Now, as he sat in the manor garden, sipping on a cup of warm tea that Runa had served him, surrounded by mixtures of colorful flowers and sweet-smelling herbs while casually flipping through a book he felt what a true sense of peace was.

He never wanted to leave this feeling, this comfortable warmth, like being wrapped in a warm blanket on a cold winter's day. Yet, he knew it wouldn't last. He only had a few months at most before he would be shipped off to the academy. There was no escaping this fate, not for any of the children of the Elitrix Empire who would come of age.

They were all registered at birth, even if a parent did not register them themselves. Only those at the highest level of the empire would understand how this occurred, but no child had ever managed to escape this military draft. Even those that tried to run would be dragged back in chains, maybe able to delay their entrance into the academy a week, but never being late for the opening ceremony of the year.

Jien and the others knew better than to try and ignore this directive. Not only was it a standard for noble families, but their actions would also then reflect on their houses as a whole. Their merits would be their family's merits, and their failures would be their family's failures. This very system had led to the rise and fall of many noble houses and was not bound to stop anytime soon. As such Jien and his group of friends knew they couldn't run, and that they would have to give their absolute best to bring the future of their households.

The days passed quickly, and Jien and the others got back into a more average daily routine. They no longer had to hunt or scavenge for their food, nor struggle against enemy attacks at all hours of the day. Yet those years of training did not suddenly fade into the background. The habits carved into their bones remained, leaving their families impressed with their growth. The vigilance they had built into their everyday lives would serve them well and their improved skills would be likely to put them a step ahead of others at the academy, though they would still have a long road ahead of them.

Sooner than Jien or the others would have liked the day of their departure approached. They gathered once more at the Losler manor, intending to head toward the academy together, as they had experienced the last years. It was on this day that Jien dawned his uniform, a standard provided by the academy itself in a set of three.

One uniform was a simple starched white button up shirt, a vest navy in color with a matching overcoat and pants, black leather boots and belt that had been polished to the point that they could reflect images like a mirror and a simple standardized steel pocket watch. This was the standard uniform for daily life at the academy. Everyone was to wear this if they were attending courses unless otherwise specified.

The second 'uniform' if is could be called that was a simple linen shirt, pair of brown pants, light brown boots and a matching light brown jacket with several pockets lining the chest. This uniform came with a liner that could be buttoned into the jacket, a hat with a slight brim to protect from the sun and a pair of rough leather gloves. This unfiform was meant for any course that required physical activity or training exercises that were outside academy grounds and physical in nature.

The last of the three was a dress uniform that was much like the first in color and style but bore silver epaulettes and lining in simple yet elegant patterns of vines crawling at the edges. This uniform also included a simple pair of white gloves and was meant for ceremonial purposes. This uniform would hardly ever be used, or so it sounded like since they would only wear it if they were before the royalty of the empire or at a celebration.

Other than the brown uniform the accomplishments and increases in rank would be represented on these uniforms in the form of varying pins, medals and decorative additions, but as a new student Jien obviously lacked any of these. Even the fact that he was the son of a lord would give him no advantage other than potentially better training before his entrance. Still, that advantage would only hold for so long as long as the other students put in the effort to catch up.

What wouldn't betray them was the instincts they had burned into their very souls the past few years. It would take real battle experience to understand and acquire those, something that Jien predicted would only likely become a reality for those in the third and fourth year. Still, this didn't mean that he would be allowed to rest on his laurels, though he would love to do so. His primary interest was the same as always. The academy had to have a better library than even his father, and he looked forward to gaining access to it.

He stepped out of his room with his spacial bag hung on his shoulder and his rapier and dagger on his belt. Not much was allowed to be brought with them, their provided clothes, a bag of some sort to carry them, whether normal or arcane in nature, and their weapons. Though it was likely that their weapons would also be replaced for standard issue weapons so as to ensure that those who were richer did not get an advantage in this manner.

Waiting for him were all the members of the six families, their children dressed similarly and the adults looking at them with tears in their eyes. This was the beginning of one of the biggest steps in their lives and each of the parents were filled with a joy that their children had made it this far. Even Barret's often stoic mother couldn't help her eyes becoming faintly misty.

It was time for their children to finally fully leave the nest. Whatever would happen they wished them the absolute best and the safest journey their and back.