Unmotivated Deity

It took three hours in the carriage to make it up the gate that was installed in the solid stone wall. The trip up the road had been boring but one thing that all of the teens noticed was the sudden increase in temperature. The shade of the row of palm trees on either side of the stone road did absolutely nothing to protect against the sweltering dry heat that invaded the carriage as soon as they escaped the shade of the port city buildings. Still, despite the heat they toughed it out and were driven into a roundabout just outside of the gate thick wooden gates that were currently opened.

Before the gates were a line of soldiers in the standard navy blue uniform of the academy, hands on their weapons and stern looks on their faces. They appeared fully focused and ready to intervene at the smallest sign of trouble. Before the gate was a simple long desk manned by about twenty similarly dressed people, however they seemed to have a more welcoming aura to them.

As soon as the carriage pulled up to the far side of the loop a soldier opened the door quickly and spoke with a stern voice. "Exit the carriage quickly and proceed to the desk." The tone of the soldier did not allow for any argument and his cold expression made it clear that his patience was likely at a minimum after having been at this for some time. As such Jien and his group disembarked in an orderly but quick fashion, allowing the soldier to close the door behind them and knock on the side of the carriage twice, signalling it to take off.

The carriage took off and finished going around the roundabout, leaving the group of six on their own, surrounded on either side by the row of stern soldiers standing stock still in the burning light of the sun. Jien didn't say a word as he took the lead toward the desk near the gate. The others lined up behind him without any orders or any need for communication, following in his path as he approached a plain looking woman with short brown hair that his hints of grey and blue eyes.

When Jien finally made it to the desk the woman smiled at him warmly. "Hello and welcome to Orsythe Academy. Before you can enter you will be asked to participate in the mandatory oath of secrecy. You are not allowed to reject nor are you allowed to leave under penalty of death. Please read over the terms and draw some blood upon the contract to complete the oath. Do note that if there is any trickery or manipulation on your part in signing this oath that is backed by the gods that your mind will be destroyed and your soul extinguished."

Her tone was cordial and almost cheery despite the topic of discussion being a forced contract with a penalty of death. However, this was the truth of the Elitrix empire. Every child that was remotely able was conscripted at the age of fifteen regardless of status and forced to sign an oath that very well could mean their death before being trained as future soldiers.

The oath itself was simple in what it stated but complex in how it stated it. The gist of the long scroll that was presented to Jien was that one was not allowed to share any knowledge gained during the academy or any related information. An added clause stated that no summoned familiar, beast companion or any other contracted being could share said information either without risking that both they and their contractors souls would be extinguished and their minds destroyed so as to prevent any others from probing the mind of the dead, apparently a skill possible with the right knowledge.

Jien, knowing that there was no escaping this without losing his life and destroying the honor of the Losler family, read over every detail before taking a provided pin and drawing blood from his thumb with a slight hiss of pain before pressing it to the scroll. The scroll itself seemed to burn with a crimson color until it dissipated into thin air. After it had faded Jien felt something press on his mind, like a rope net had been dropped on his head in a metaphorical sense. The sensation was bizarre but he did his best to ignore it as the woman allowed him around the desk.

Jien waited patiently on the other side of the desk for the others to finish signing their souls away to their empire while observing the others. He saw many groups approaching the desks or currently working with the soldiers there. He noticed that like groups tended to stay together.

He noticed some who were the sons and daughters of nobles, likely from the capital. Though they all wore the same uniform as someone else he could see it in the way they held themselves. Their egos showed through to the world with ease, looking with disgust at the groups made up of commoners.

Those that were commoners seemed to have minor cliques of their own. Some appeared to be children of soldiers or guards, having been trained strictly and holding themselves much like the soldiers that surrounded them. Some were sons and daughters of merchants or traders of varying levels. Though they weren't allowed to carry any of their families wares they were happily talking about their varying trades.

There were those that were laborers in varying fields. Some nervous, some calm, some unsure how to handle the situation. They had only ever worked in the same field as their parents, never having time to train for this day while trying to make ends meet.

There was even a group of thuggish children that were likely the children of bandits and criminals. They wore the uniform but often didn't do so tidily, nor did they seem comfortable in it at all. They did not hide their criminal nature but also didn't make any moves given the level of surveillance around them.

One of the last groups he saw that had just walked up was a group of about ten teenagers, all seemingly well trained in combat by the way they held themselves. Each had a sword of varying types to their hips, though they were all one handed for a reason that became obvious upon inspection. Each member of the group only had one arm, the second arm of their uniform hanging empty to their sides.