"Hey hey.."

"Hey, eigh.."

"Eigh.. eigh.."

A kid's voice kept calling a certain name. His voice gets louder and louder, and the owner of the name didn't mind it and continued reading her book.

"Eigh, have you eaten breakfast?"

"..."

"When did we leave the village?"

"..."

"What time will the instructor come, eigh?"

"..."

"What will be our lunch?"

Still, her eyes are on her book, but her eyebrows are already about to cross.

"Hmm, I'm craving Lacque. Okay, that will be my lunch."

Eigh took a deep breath and continued reading again. Hence, the persistence continued as well.

"What happens if an immovable object meets an irresistable force?" Eigh mumbled as she read what she was reading.

"Eigh, what are you reading?"

The two had their own worlds. They are inside their classroom, waiting for their instructor to appear at the exact time. In the room, there are other kids as well, their classmates. They are around 20 in total. The classroom is small, but it's enough to fit them all. Pictures and paintings hang on the wall, as do other parchments that are pinned to the board.

The kid who's reading has such white skin that you would wonder if she ever basked under the sun, a tall nose, and wavy black hair. These characteristics are also present in other kids inside the room, especially the one that has been bothering her since earlier. These stereotypes are considered the norm for their race, the Taw't tribesmen, who live in the south.

Everyone inside the room is also wearing very thick outerwear that keeps them warm from the chilling air. Their outerwear has a design and logo on their left chest, showing their affiliation as students of the academy.

For some, the thick clothing is not a necessity as their bodies are already used to the extreme coldness. But they still wear those because they might catch a cold if they are not careful about their temperature. And for some other people, they also use thick clothing to get used to the heat, so when they leave the south and go to places near the equator, it won't be that hard to adjust to the temperature.

Eigh continued to mumble, but for some reason her mumblings started to increase in volume. Her mumblings started to get louder and louder, like she's reciting an evil incantation to send the demon beside her away. Or maybe summon a spirit being to kick the demon away.

The kid, on the other hand, was oblivious to his future. impending doom.

"Ahh!! Eigh! Have I told you what happened yesterday? You know you know."

But his words were cut off, and Eigh's incantation stopped as if it had failed. Next thing they knew,the demon was sent flying across the room, too fast for their eyes to catch on. And there you have the actual representation of what Eigh is reading, but in reverse.

The demon.. Kid, hit the lockers outside of the room and catch everyone's attention. Followed by awkward silence, confusion, and eventually, terror.

Everyone in the room felt the coldness as chills ran down their spines. The source of this terror is none other than the little kid that stands near the door, huffing as she closes the book she is reading.

Everyone in the room started to whisper about what they were seeing.

Eigh turned towards chattering, glaring as if asking,

"Who wants to go next?"

Everyone fell silent afterwards, in fear for their lives. They turned themselves the opposite of where there was Eigh seating, which is at the back of the room, in the last row of seats.

"Oh, hey, Ford! Are you okay??"

A worried voice from a mature woman gave everyone in the room relief, thinking their savior had come. She also has the Taw't tribe's stereotypes, except for her blonde hair. This change can be for two reasons: she's a mix of blood or she dyed her hair to alter its color. She also wears very thick outerwear, but its length is much longer than that of the students as hers reaches her ankles. Her outerwear also has a logo, but it has a small distinction from the students, one that is only for the teachers and instructors.

"Ugh, yes, ma'am. But... can I ask for help? My face is stuck."

"What?! How can your face stick in there? What happened to you?"

The woman helped the demon, or we can just call him by his name now, Ford, get out of his position.

"Ughhhh. Uhh! Woooohh! Finally, I'm free. Thanks, ma'am."

"It's okay. But how in the name of God did you get stuck and nearly wreck this locker?" She was surprised by what she just saw. "I doubt it would even dent if I punched that," she whispered to herself.

"Uhhh..." He looked at the culprit, and the culprit glared. He swallowed the words he wanted to say. Sometimes silence can save your life. The wise words of his father rang in his head. Overpowering the nagging voice of her mother. 'Yes, father, I understand you now. Forever will I hold onto those wonderful words.'

"Uhhh, I tripped."

"Good job, son." An imaginary voice praised him.

"You tripped?" The teacher repeated what Ford said but asked. She knew there was no way that could happen. "Hmm, okay, go inside the room now; we have to start the orientation."

"Yes, yes!!" Ford went inside the room, kind of limping, holding his hips in place. And using the wall as his guide.

The teacher can only shake her head in disbelief.

After she came inside the room, she felt the awkward silence. Her students were quiet yet shaking in their seats. It is an indication that these kids knew what happened.

"Kids, what happened to Ford?" she said in a very calming voice.

Everyone kept their silence to keep their lives intact, hoping to be spared.

But in your typical hero story, there will always be a one-of-a-kind person who will fight against all odds.

A boy stood up from his seat, proudly raising his chest for everyone to see. He has been envisioning this moment since the time he heard the teacher's voice. This moment to shine, and now that he finally got this timing, he will never let this opportunity get wasted. "Ma'am, he..."

His voice was cut off when he saw a cold look from the perpetrator. His bladder nearly opened at that glance, but he quickly closed it to just spill a little.

"He was so stupid earlier; he wasn't looking where he was going."

After those words, the cold glare turned into a smile. A smile tells him he's being watched by an apex predator. He can finally relax in his seat after the pressure has been relieved.

The teacher saw the theatrics from the front of the class, but she could only shrug off the idea of punishing or making peace after realizing who the actors were.

Her tenure at this school can be said to still be miniscule. She started only around a month ago as a substitute for a teacher who was on maternal leave. When she first came into this class, she heard from her colleagues about the fight that happens between Ford and Eigh. At first, she didn't buy the stories, which were unimaginable. For one time, Eigh threw him from the third floor of the tower balcony. No one could survive that for a normal person, yet Ford, who got stuck in the metal locker, was almost unscathed from it. And just like her colleagues said, let them be. So she decided to just move on and start the agenda for the class today.

"Class for today, if you may not know, is one of the most important days of your lives. For one reason, your parents or elders might have talked to you about this in regards to their experiences, but we are here today to give you an insight in regards to this upcoming event.

In a week, the mountain veil will lose most of its power, and a normal person is now allowed to come inside the deeper parts of the snow mountain range, Mantali. We, the Taw't Tribe, are fortunate enough to possess the strength that the mountain has bestowed upon us. If it weren't for the divine snow, our tribe would never have produced such powerful warriors throughout history.

Before I start the discussion in regards to the things that will happen during the event, does anyone have any questions in regards to the history itself? "

There wasn't a single kid who was interested in asking anything, as they weren't even interested in what the teacher was saying. But there's just one kid who was interested in asking about some things—none other than Eigh.

"Yes?" The teacher pointed to her as a signal for permission to speak.

"Teacher, according to the book I read, the Mountain Veil was always closed all year round in the past."

"Yes, you are right about that," the teacher replied.