Sol examined the man at the door. He appeared young yet wise. From his gaze, she couldn’t feel hostility nor amicability. Stepping forward, Sol introduced herself. “Hello, I’m Sol Drant. Please take care of me.” Though polite, Sol didn’t differ her pride towards the man, giving him a good impression of her.
The man nodded his head then turned his attention to the boy behind Sol. “This Lord is Oliver Drant.” Sol’s eyes widened for a moment. So his name is Oliver? He doesn’t look like an ‘Oliver’. The young man nodded his head once more.
“For our trip, you can refer to me as Jay. If you’re accepted into Heavenly Demon, then we’ll have a proper introduction. Right then, have you said your farewells? If so, we will head out now.” Jay unclasped his hand and magic surged into the item within.
He tossed the item onto the ground and Sol caught the slightest of mana reverberations slip into the sky. Her eyes moved to the clouds and saw a shadow break from the white puffs. Its figure dived until it was only a few meters from the group. It was a massive eagle and its wings spread wide to break its fall.
Jay moved to pet the side of the bird after it gulped down the snack he dropped. “This is Tori. She’ll be our transportation this time. Introduce yourselves to her then ask for permission before you mount her.” Sol’s eyes were glowing at the eagle that was nearly 5 times her height. Her glittering eyes revealed her excitement as she introduced herself.
“Hello Tori! I’m Sol. It’s nice to meet you. Would you mind if I hitched a ride on your back?” The eagle twisted its head looking down at the girl who lacked an ounce of fear towards it. It nodded its head and Sol jumped with glee onto its back. Once atop, Sol buried her face into Tori’s feathers causing the eagle to shiver for a moment.
Jay watched with a wry smile before his attention turned towards the boy. Unlike Sol, Oliver couldn’t hide his fear of the beast. Perhaps ignorance was bliss in this scenario. Sol had nothing to fear as she didn’t know Tori was considered a Tier 3 Saint Beast. Without an Assembler around the Adapt Solid Stage to control the creature, it was liable to attack and kill as it pleased.
Oliver shivered while he introduced himself. Despite his fear, his arrogance and pride prevented him from losing too much face. “T-This Lord is Oliver Drant! P-Please allow me passage.” The bird lost interest in the man and only nodded its head. Jay took the situation into consideration and his gaze returned back onto the girl snuggling Tori’s feathers with curiosity.
With the two members aboard, Jay tapped Tori’s side and issued his order. “Let’s head out, Tori. Back to the Drant main branch.” Tori squawked in reply, then stretched her wings out. Sol felt her body drop for a moment followed by a massive gravitational pull.
Wind rushed past her and her sense of hearing failed for a few moments. After regaining herself, Sol’s spiritual awareness explored the situation and her eyes instantly snapped wide open. With little preparation, Sol lifted her torso to view the world from an eagle’s perspective.
It was impossible for her judge how far she could see as the horizon failed to limit her vision. All she could tell was that mist, rain, fog, smog, and the air in general distorted distant images before anything could get in the way. For a moment, Sol felt as if she were gnat and a wave of powerlessness covered her heart. For just how long was she in that forest? Was her weeks of travel nothing in the grand scheme of things? Her efforts?
Though she understood the thoughts were only from being overwhelmed, her heart still took a hit. Soon though, she moved past those emotions and a sense of wonder filled in its place. There was no end to the world and her view was unobstructed. She found mountains and lakes in the distance as well as other villages.
She no longer knew where she came from and looked back in hopes of finding home base. As if to understand her worries, Jay calmly pointed it out. “You don’t have to worry, your village is over there. Look for the red flag. It’s considered a border village, so the red flag denotes the territory line.”
Sol looked to where the man gestured and saw a small red flag gradually distancing itself. Sol funneled a burst of magic into her index finger and pointed towards the town. Magic erupted from her body and launched the ball of magic towards the town. Though it wasn’t perfect and was unlikely to cover the full distance, it was enough for Sol to use as a tracker later on if she had to find her way back.
That being said, her confidence diminished as Tori flew further and further away. Soon, Sol found herself unable to detect the marker anymore regardless of how much she concentrated. “Think of it as a motivator. I can sense your marker from here easily. As long as you grow powerful, you’ll be able to find your way home with ease.”
The comment made Sol’s eyes jump. Was she not provided a way home? She distinctly recalled Lillica telling her that disciples are allotted vacation days to visit home. How was she to return if she was still weak? She voiced her concerns. “Can I not ask Tori for help instead?” “Hahahaah!” Jay laughed at Sol’s innocence. “I’m sure your parents told you that there were vacation days allotted every year. Didn’t they tell you that was contingent on you having the capability to make the trip yourself?”
Sol blanched. She remembered Lillica’s smile after Sol said she’d visit every year. It was a helpless smile that confused Sol. She passed it off at the time, but hearing Jay, Sol understood that Lillica and Arnold were aware of the extra conditions. Did they not tell her so she wouldn’t let it affect her decision? Sol’s gaze remained on the diminishing town with complex thoughts.
Despite the speed Tori traveled at, it still took the group nearly two weeks to reach their destination. Sol focused on her meditation for the bulk of the trip. During minor breaks of boredom, she’d consult Jay on various aspects of the world. Though he was curious about the young girl who lacked the most basic common sense of the world, Jay enjoyed his conversations with Sol.
At the very least, she was a better conversationalist than the stoic Oliver who only glared at Sol and provided insulting quips along the way. Once at the edge of the city, Jay asked Tori to land and the trio alighted. As she flew off, Sol waved and thanked Tori before returning her attention to the behemoth city walls.
Erected to an impressive 90 meters tall and made of polished marble-like material, the city walls encapsulated the city with ease. From her aerial view, Sol could barely make out the remote edge of the city. Her mind was exasperated at the feat of engineering and material requirements to accomplish such a task.
“Impressive, isn’t it? The city was built inside one of the largest mountains ever discovered. Over time, the mountain itself was excavated and turned into the material to build the wall. The city retained the mountain’s name in honor of its sacrifice. Well then, let’s go. I’ll take you to the main branch's estate.”
Sol followed behind Jay while remaining flabbergasted at the scale of the city. ‘This was once a mountain? How massive must it have been to provide so much material…’ Her senses slowly returned and she tilted her head. “Jay, what was that mountain called?” “Oh? Did I not mention it? It used to be called Mt. Plausa. By transference, this is Plausa city.”
“Plausa city…” Sol mumbled to herself as they neared what Sol assumed to be a massive iteration of a portcullis. The gate door itself was thick enough to make Sol wonder what marvel of engineering technique was required to stitch it together.
The trio entered without much effort due to Jay’s identification. Sol noticed the card and asked. “Jay, would I be able to get one of those cards?” “Hmmm? You don’t have one? That’s surprising considering you’re Arnold’s kid.” Sol shrugged her shoulders at the comment. “I was adopted after they found me in the forest. I have no identification.”
Jay’s brow raised at Sol’s nonchalance. ‘Was this kid really only 11?’ The truth is that Jay had already met with Arnold and Lillica prior to stopping by their house. The couple explained Sol’s situation without hiding anything in order to avoid issues later on. In fact, he had already planned to help her establish an identity in Plausa. Since she brought it up first though…
“Adopted? Then who are your real parents?” He asked without much concern. “Your guess is as good as mine. My memory has been on the fritz ever since I woke up. There are flashes now and then, but nothing I can use to start a search.” Jay hummed in reply. “Well, that doesn’t matter much to me. Arnold and Lillica adopted you, so they’re your parents. Treat them well. I’ll help you get an id after we settle in.”
“Thanks. Don’t worry about mom and dad. This Lady isn’t so insufferable as to betray those who showered me in such kindness.” Her voice lowered to a murmur towards the end, but Jay caught the entire sentence. He became even more curious about Sol’s backstory. Her wordage was as if it were common for her to use it. ‘Lost nobility? Well, it doesn't matter… Not my problem.’
Jay tossed the trouble to the back of his mind. On the side though, Oliver looked at Sol with a new found sense of distrust. Just like Jay, he considered Sol likely belonged to the upper echelon. A lost daughter who was chased to the forest maybe. Regardless, there was now an extra reason to remove Sol from the Drant family. The family already had their own enemies, there was no need to take on another noble’s ire as well.
“Here we are.” The trio arrived in front of a massive arc way with stylized fencing projecting from either side. Atop the arc was a stone plaque etched with “Drant Headquarters”. The lettering was filled with gold and lined in silver giving off a very affluent feeling. Flashing his card once more, the guards at the gate allowed the group entrance onto the inner compound.
After another hour of walking, the group found themselves in front of a massive facility. “Sol, you’ll be staying here for now. We’ll leave for the Heavenly Demons Guild after the remaining contestants arrive.” “Contestants?” “Hmm? You didn’t know? Only those who pass the tryout can enter. Multiple contestants are gathered just in case those selected initially fail the tryout.”
