The wind from the northern ice regions started to bring heavy clouds above the capital city and the nearby major cities, snow fell like a silent whispers at night, blanketing the city in a soft hush the air feels clean, sharp, and moist.
Taika drifted awake, she felt the cold air on her face, and stayed in bed, enjoying the quiet before the day began.
Maya reached out the door with tapping it three times.
"Taika, goodmorning, can I come in?"
A voice called out from behind the closed door.
Taika: "Maya?"
A few minutes later.
Maya reached out behind her inside her small back was a paper with a written symbol on it.
Taika: "What is that?"
Maya: "Yesterday, you saw a [staff member] writting something at the training field floor, right?"
Taika: "Yeah, I thought it was just normal so I let it."
Maya: "Have you noticed something this morning?"
Taika: "It was cold.. Strange..i thought we're in the middle of the year..should it be, warm right now?.."
Maya: "That is the case, that man who wrote that symbol on the floor was responsible for the sudden winter."
Taika: "Hold up?, Winter!?"
Taika opened her window.
The cold glass touched her fingertips, making her gasp.
Taika: "---!"
Maya: "What do you think we should do?..."
Taika: "Lets get our winter uniform, we should report this to the office."
Taika's winter uniform was just the usual white long sleeve white uniform that is made from the rare [mana silk], Taika just wear a longer red skirt and a fluffy black scarf hugging on her neck, she wears a long black cape with red inside of it and finish off with a long brown snow boots and gloves.
Maya's winter uniform is a white down jacket as the second layer and a T-shirt as the first layer. , she also put on a scarf that hug her neck and a soft headgear made with Mana silk, she grabbed a pair of gloves and put it on her both hands, she put on her winter boots and finished it with a light tap to her hills.
A few hours later...
They slowly pushed the door open, they saw Sky sitting on the office chair, a teacher was supposed to be sitting there.
Sky lifted his head, looking at both of them.
Taika: "H-hey... Can we report our complaints about the situation?"
Sky: "Why certainly."
Maya: "Taika saw a suspicious man with the cleaning team before the practical exam, she saw that someone writting something on the floor, the man was anxious, something about that man feels like he was doing something dangerous."
Sky: ".. And did Ms. Taika immediately called out to report that situation?"
Taika: "--------"
Maya: "Please forgiven her, she didn't mean harm."
Sky: "....Okay, I'll let it for now, now I'll give both of you a task, only the two of you."
Taika: "--?"
Sky: "I want both of you to find the man who wrote that symbol and bring that man to me personally, and I want the sigil to be erased as soon as possible, now that I gave the word, you shall start now."
The wind was howling, the snow falling intensely, the snow is piling, the storm started a few minutes ago.
Taika: "So, how can we do the task now?, I'm sure you have ideas up your sleeve?"
Maya: "Should we pause the task for now?"
Sky: "------"
Kaya closed her eyes for a moment, then open it again.
Maya: "I can't even use my scent magic because the cold make every color shade of the scent trail white..."
Sky: "That man was smart isn't he..?"
Raiden came in contact with Taika's mind using telepathy.
Raiden: "Where are you, and Maya?, where are both of you?"
Taika: "We're currently inside the [office of reports] and we're stuck here because of the snow storm."
Sky: "---?"
Raiden: "I'm glad you're both safe..i believe that ,Sky, is in there with you?"
Taika: "Yeah and he given us a quest about the snow storm that is happening, he said that we should find the cause of it...well he did not said it that way, though that's how I understand the situation."
Raiden: "I figured, that's why you went there, okay, I'll be fine here, we'll do anything to help you find that [trouble maker]."
Raiden's voice faded in Taika's head.
Maya: "Who was that just now?"
Taika: "Brother... He just check up on us if we're okay and said that they will do anything to help us."
Sky: "I believe that was telepathy, am I correct?"
Taika: "Yes, and why'd you ask, President?"
Sky: "Nothing, I just realised how much you've grown..."
Taika: "what do you mean..?"
Sky: "Back then I thought you'd fail being our student...want to know why?"
Maya: "Since its snowing outside, we could use a story time."
Taika: "How much I improved....huh..?"
Sky: "please both of you, sit down and let me tell you the history of the [Great Soleil war]..."
Taika: "Wait, are you... Serious?..."
Maya: "That war...."
Taika: "The seven mystics...against the great dragon, itishree..."
Sky: "In the land of Arden, thirty years ago, the dragons have attacked all major cities that is controlled by our kingdom, the dragons have made us humans look weak and magic became useless. The king of that era was [Hrabar Tudor]..."
Taika: "Both of you are..."
Sky: "Related, yes, we're from the same clan."
Sky continued.
Sky: "Hrabar tried to ask for help from the far way nations, but no one dares to even touch the lands of Arden...That made Hrabar made the important decision, he gathered seven powerful students from the Royal army school, now known as [Galdur academy]."
Maya: "Galdur academy was used to be a school for our military?!"
Taika: "I didn't read the whole book about their history... Galdur academy being a military school was something unreal..."
Sky: "Want to know why Galdur academy was chosen?, simple, because they have no choice, if the nations won't help, and the citizens are obviously no match against the dragon... They choose the military."
Maya: "Well yeah, but isn't military supposed to be defending the kingdom?"
Sky: "Because, back then, the military back down immediately after realising they're no match against the growing empire of dragons."
Taika: "What a coward!"
Mya: "---!!"
Sky: "Indeed, but, may I ask you something?, what will you do if you find out that your kingdom is about to fall in the hands of dragons?.."
Taika: "I'll simply use all of my magic to stop them."
She said straight forward. .
Maya: "----?!"
Sky: "Impressive..., now lets continue the story...After gathering all seven students, Hrabar didn't train them, he simply know they can defeat the dragons just by looking at their mana, all of their mana spread through the air like invisible wild fires. Together they fought bravely, magic to magic, there's no doubt that there was hope, the moment the dragon fell in the ground, everyone celebrated, finally, there's the light that they've been wanting to see since the beginning of the Soleil war."
Taika: "I wanna ask.. How did the Soleil war started?, why did that all happened?, is there a turning point?"
May: "---"
Sky: "forgive me... But that's the only thing that I can say right now.. My family forbids us for telling that part of the history."
Maya; "You know too much then why hide it?"
Taika: "-----*
Sky: "-----"
Sky couldn't look at them in the eye, he avoided eye contact.
Maya: "no words huh?, fine, we're not gonna force you."
Sky: "Very well then, I make myself clear."
A soft sound of a foot steps walking down the wooden staircase, a man that wears the academy's high rank robes.
???: "Greetings, it's seems like Saky has a visitor...wait a minute, is that?--"
He saw Taika.
Taika: "---?"
Maya: "Goodmorning Vice principal.."
The Vice Principal changes his attention to both of them instead.
???: "Maya sieg, and Taika Zeit, what are both of you doing here?"
Slay: "Sir, forgive me but, are you aware of the snow storm?"
???: "Snow storm, eh?...who caused this?"
Sky: "You see...."
Sky explained everything that is happening since this morning.
???: "I see now... I guess I'll just have to----'
He walked outstor, approaching the howling winds of the snow storm, he lifted his right arm and with one swing..
Maya: "---?"
Taika: "----!"
???: "Disturb!---"
The force of mana around the academy begins to fade, the weather slowly became stable and calm, snow slowly melted after a few hours.
???: "Now go, find that man and bring him back here so we can ask him some questions."
Maya bow with her waist as an act of respect towards the Vice Principal.
Taika did the same, but with elegance.
The vice principal waved at them as they walk away slowly towards the academy courtyard.
They changed direction and looked for the sigil at the training field that is been written there since yesterday.
Taika: "I found it!"
Taika gets closer to the sigil.
Maya: "What are you going to do?..."
Taika: "Erase this curse from this world, I declare this spell, no more!"
The sigil faded slowly along with a trail of mana.
Maya: "you really just did that?"
Taika: "Isn't cool?, I learned this just by reading the whole incantations without proper training!, but it still force me to train it."
Maya: "we never saw you train alone?"
Taika: "it's because I do it every morning before I even do anything else."
Maya: "That was impressive!, wait, Raiden have to know this!--- "
Raiden was already behind them.
Raiden: "Know what exactly?"
Maya: "Heh!!, stop popping out of nowhere!, geez.."
Raiden: "The wuest is still not finish, I can see you broke the curse, but the mastermind isn't here.."
Taika: "Hey, brother, will you help us?"
Raiden: "That is why I'm here."
Maya: "I think I can use my scent magic now..."
Maya closed her eyes, her position was steady, she sniffed the air, in her vision, she saw one specific scent trail that curve straight to outside the academy.
Maya: "He's outside the academy, maybe at the main city..."
RaidenV "Do we have any permission to go outside the academy?"
Taika: "For this quest? , maybe we should ask the vice principal for permission."
Maya opened her eyes.
They went back to the office, as they enter the front door, the vice principal was there signing important papers.
Maya: "Can we have a permission to leave the academy?"
Vice principal looked up to see them clearly.
???: "I allow it."
Raiden: "We thank you, sir."
The three of them bow on their waist.
???: "But emember this..if there's a sudden dragon attack happened while the three of you in there, I want the three of you to fight the."
He said it, as if he knows it will happen.
It leave them staring at the Vice Principal for a second.
Taika: "----?"
Maya: "----?"
Raiden: "------"
???: "Why that look?...No! No!, I didn't mean to scare the three of you!, forgive me but I'm just worried."
Raiden: "W-we understand..*
Taika: " Don't worry Vice Principal....we'll take care of this."
Maya noticed something in the distance that quickly disappeared.
Maya: "----?"
???: "Oh, and one final thing, the three of you are excused for the final written exams, but, the three of you must take the exam after this task."
As the day turned into night together, the three of them leave the academy and walk around the capital streets under the moonlight.
Maya: "Maybe we should find a nice cozy shelter for us to rest and continue this for tomorrow.."
Taika: "Do you have enough money to rent a room?.."
Raiden: "I do have enough for three person only.."
The counter area of the inn was cold and chilling, the room was air conditioned, a sigil was marked up the sealing, the symbol in the middle of the magic circle was the [wind magic] symbol, the signs outside surrounding the center was eight arrows,four from left and four from right,pointing in the opposite ways, each of the arrows are apart from each other, in the middle of those arrows was the [ice symbol], this represents that that the wind will blow and spread across the room while the ice symbol will keep the air that being spread cold, and the circle that closes everything is to keep the cold fixed and not too overwhelming.
The man in front of them was the keeper of the inn, they are separated by a long wooden counter that is shiny and polished.
Taika: "how many available rooms are there, sir?"
Innkeeper: "there's currently zero unavailable rooms, where ever you want it's alright, just look at our map and tell me which room and what floor."
The innkeeper shows a paper with the building's map drawn on it, the map shows five rooms each floor, there was five floors in total, each rooms have different sizes depending on how many people gonna be in one room.
Innkeeper: "As you can see, there's rooms for one, and there's a room fit for three to five person."
One specific room caught Taika's attention, it has enough space for at least two to three people, separate beds, one bathroom, one kitchen area,one dining table, one window and one door, it was at the second floor, it was located at the left corner.
Taika: "We'll take that room at the second floor at the left corner."
Taika saw the price poster one golden dragon coins per-peraon.Golden dragon coins [1]are the main currency used inside the kingdom of Arden and the four major cities.
Raiden: "I currently have ten Golden dragon coins in my wallet right now.."
Innkeeper: "---!?"
Taika: "---??"
Maya: "No way you're richer than me!??"
Taika: "That is way too much to have as a student..."
Raiden: "Come on!, I earned by taking a job at a blacksmith shop."
Taika: "Since when?,was that before we even met?"
Raiden: "It was..hold up?, why are you guys confused now?, was having ilegal now?"
Raiden wasn't mad at either of them.
They enetered the room after giving the innkeeper the three Golden dragon coins.
Taika: "This is nice."
Raiden: "Good, the pillows and blankets are already provided."
The room was Wide enough for a three person, three beds, one kitchen area, one bathroom, one dinning table and a space to walk around, estimated to be seventy-two cubic meters. [2]
Raiden: "I'll cook the dinner for us, surely there's ingredients provided here in our room.."
As he expected, there was enough ingredients to cook for a good and delicious healthy dinner.
Taika: "Can we help?"
Maya: "I'd love to help but I'm not in for cooking tonight.."
Raiden: "No need for help, I can cook."
After dinner, Raiden locked the door and closed the window curtains, Raiden lay down on his bed in the middle of other two beds where Taika and Maya are sleeping. The moon was brighter tonight than it used to be thirty years ago.
[1] In real-world value, 1 Golden Dragon Coin is worth about 200 USD.This means if someone in the kingdom of Arden owns 10 Golden Dragon Coins, it would be roughly equal to 2,000 US dollars in modern terms.
[2] Imagine a college dorm suite or a hotel family room.