Chapter 16 Farewell!
The day dawned early, twin moons clinging lazily to the dimming night sky - one hovering slightly lower than the other against a warm, violet glow seeping over the eastern horizon.
Northern had finished packing in anticipation of his impending departure to join Rughsbourgh.
Needing to meet the former Principal at an early hour to ensure they didn't miss their transport, he reasoned there was no such thing as too premature a start time.
Or perhaps his eagerness to finally leave the Everonian countryside was making him restless.
That errant thought brought a pang of guilt, for the prevailing mood since the announcement of his Academy enrollment had been distinctly somber - these past few days painted in melancholy hues.
The village folk had turned out in force, bestowing him with an array of parting gifts and well-wishes.
Among the items was a seemingly ordinary cross-body bag blessed with the miracle of infinite space - whether woven by a skilled engineer or retrieved from the depths of a rift, marvels like this were not uncommon in their world.
Thanks to its boundless interior, stowing his newfound trove of gifts proved a simple task, though Northern candidly discarded a few more "useless" offerings while urging his mother to remain discreet about the minor ingratitudes.
In addition to the cross-bag, his belongings found themselves neatly packed into a sturdy leather travel satchel, for Eisha had insisted he maintain at least a veneer of dignified formality - they wouldn't have the world thinking her son some slovenly vagabond lacking even a proper set of clothes.
By the time the daystar crested the horizon in all its radiant glory, banishing the twin moons with its warm, golden luminance, Northern, Shin and Eisha stood together outside their humble abode. Eisha's expression was pinched, her lips pressed into a taut line as she struggled to restrain her turbulent emotions.
Stepping forward, Northern took her hands in his, offering a reassuring smile before leaning in to place a tender kiss upon her cheek.
A furious blush stained Eisha's features at the tender gesture, prompting Shin to glance away shyly.
"Hmm, so only your mother gets a goodbye kiss?" he huffed in feigned indignation.
Northern's lips quirked upwards in a half-smirk as he scoffed lightly at his father's antics.
Turning his full attention back to Eisha, he spoke in a soft, conspiratorial tone, "I hope it's a girl...and I want her name to be Silver."
Eisha's eyes went comically wide as the implication sank in. "You knew the whole time?"
"Since the very first day," he admitted with a faint nod. "I had my suspicions, but only confirmed them today. If you'd simply denied it, maybe I would have thought myself mistaken."
"See?" Shin exclaimed, elation and pride writ large across his features. "You were totally had by our son's cleverness!"
It was a rare delight to be on the other end of Northern's acute perceptiveness for once.
Shin's momentary triumph was short-lived, however, as Eisha shot him a withering glare that instantly robbed him of mirth - he knew better than anyone just how apt she was at literal 'fireball discipline.'
Eisha's expression softened once more as she returned her gaze to Northern, gracing him with a warm, sunlight smile.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it sooner. I wanted it to be a surprise."
Leaning in close, Northern murmured with all sincerity, "I really do hope it's a girl."
Pulling back, he lifted his leather satchel with a remorseful smile.
"I should get going now...Mother."
Eisha blinked rapidly to dispel the sheen of unshed tears as she pulled her son into one final, bone-crushing embrace, whispering farewells and well-wishes against the crown of his head.
As the emotional farewell drew to a close, Shin guided Northern away, the pair coming to a halt a respectable distance from the cottage.
"I packed the soul cores from that black beast we encountered into your bag," he said gruffly. "Was going to just sell them and pass the proceeds on to you for spending money...but had a change of heart. The cores of a beast-rank monster command a hefty price - you'll see when you get to the Academy. The three of them should bring you a tidy sum to use as you see fit."
He pulled Northern into one last, fierce hug, the words emerging as a rumbling rasp against his son's ear:
"Send letters home, and don't be a stranger on the holidays, you hear? Visit when you can."
Northern nodded solemnly, watching in silence as Shin slowly retreated back towards the cottage and the waiting, tearful form of Eisha.
There would be no need to travel all the way back to the village - Rughsbourgh's missive had assured him transportation would arrive to spirit him away once his preparations were complete.
'He said my ride would come to collect me when I was ready,' Northern mused, shifting his weight awkwardly from foot to foot as he scanned the surrounding fields and roadways for any sign of the promised conveyance.
Fishing the parchment from his pocket, he unfolded it once more, reviewing the brief instructions:
The time must be in the early hours of the morning. Once prepared to depart, simply step away from your dwelling - your transport shall arrive without fail.
Frowning slightly, Northern glanced over his shoulder at the small cluster of watching villagers, their continued scrutiny only exacerbating the awkwardness of the situation.
Why wasn't anything happening yet? He'd followed the directions to the letter...
As his eyes raked over the contents one final time, the inked words suddenly blazed into shimmering luminescence, the parchment slipping free of his fingers to hover suspended before his startled face.
White-hot flames erupted from the hovering square, hungrily consuming the fluttering note in a spiraling vortex of mystical fire.
In the next instant, Northern found himself utterly enveloped in a blinding pillar of coruscating light.
For a fleeting moment, confusion reigned - how was this even possible? He'd never witnessed or learned of any ability like-
Whatever questions sprang to his lips swiftly fell away as the searing radiance intensified, banishing all from Northern's senses as reality itself seemed to splinter apart around him.
"That's an S-grade teleportation spell!" Shin made to lunge forward, only to be stayed by Eisha's firm grip. "Only an Evanescent rank could even attempt something like that! In order words... a grandmaster."
'He imbued an activation trigger directly into the letter itself?' she marveled, shaking her head slowly as husband and wife watched the towering pillar of arcane luminance ascend skyward, consuming Northern's form completely before winking out of existence entirely. 'Books hardly do justice to his true mastery...'
For several long, somber moments, the pair stood in respectful silence, gazing heavenward at the empty skies where their son had so unceremoniously departed their lives once more.
Only when the last ephemeral traces of the spell had fully dissipated did they turn as one, retreating into the solitary confines of their home to await whatever tidings the future might bring.
Northern's eyes slid open, only to be immediately greeted by the sight of rich, crimson upholstery - a small but exquisitely-appointed cabin aboard what he could only assume was some form of airborne transport.
Seated opposite him were two identically-garbed women with sharp, obsidian tresses cropped in chin-length bobs, their piercing gazes giving him the overwhelming sense of vipers lying in wait for unsuspecting prey.
Another feminine figure occupied the space beside them, long vermillion locks obscuring her features as she dozed with a quiet snore.
Closest to him, ensconced in the plush accommodations, reclined a grizzled, brawny man Northern instantly recognized as Gilbert - now sporting a slightly-askew set of reading spectacles as his eyes traced the pages of some weighty tome.
As if sensing the weight of Northern's scrutiny, the fellow glanced up with a curt nod and perfunctory smile.
'What in the everloving...?' Northern's mind spun as he drank in the bizarre scene laid out before him.
This...this was certainly not what he'd envisioned when picturing his journey to the Academy!
Had Rughsbourgh enacted some clandestine scheme without his knowledge?
The slightest of frowns creased his brow as he swiveled to regard the silent figure of Gilbert.
"Excuse me...where exactly are we headed?"
Gilbert paused in his reading to turn his full attention upon the confused young man, the edges of his mouth quirking upwards in a reassuring smile.
"Why, where else? We're bound for Milhguard Academy itself. This transport will bear us straight to its colossal walls."
Northern could only gape as his gaze drifted to the window, watching the scattered clouds whipping past in an indistinct blur of greys and whites.
"We're...we're flying?"
The scarcely-voiced question escaped his lips in a dumbfounded murmur.