Changed Fates: Crola - Chapter 1
Changed Fates: Crola
By Crola_the_Snake
Chapter 1: The Graduation
Crola woke up that morning, unaware what day it was. He reached for his glasses, only to push something off the end table. He cursed to himself as he stood up to pick up three books: a green one, which was about alchemy, a purple one, dwelling in the field of rune linguistics, and a blue one, tackling the subject of astrology.
After he neatly stacked the three books on the messy table, he picked up his glasses, which luckily, didn't crack. Crola wiped off the dirt on his glasses before wearing them.
Crola was fifteen years old. Medium complexion and black hair.
He walked across his room, papers scattered all over the floor. He opened the door that led outside his room and walked down to the bathroom.
He sighed and sat down the toilet, which was just a seatable bowl with a portal made of a teleris rune transporting the waste to the septic tank. The portal was too small for a human to fall through.
After he was done, he stepped in the already full bathtub, likely prepared by his mother, and sat down. The water used for the house was transported here also by teleris portals. Waste goes to the septic tank through another set of teleris portals.
After Crola was done, he went back to his room and dressed up in a green robe, the uniform of the Mage Academy. Then Crola placed his books and notes inside my bag and headed downstairs.
"Why do you have that bag?" a woman greeted him as she was bringing out plates.
"These are my books, Mother," he replied.
"Don't you know what day it is?"
Crola sat down, "Saturday?"
"Graduation day, my child." The mother placed a well-done omelet on the student's plate, "Don't you remember?"
"Oh, right. I forgot."
"What were you doing last night, anyway?"
Crola took a bite of the omelet, "Studying."
His mother sat down next to him, "For an exam you already took."
Crola took another bite, "I wasn't listening when the master spoke of the graduation."
"I still can't believe it has been three years now. You're father will be proud."
"Yeah, he'll be proud that his son might die in the battlefield."
"Don't speak about your father that way. He died helping our country Serpenstaff in the war against Lionblade."
I stood up, "The war that started 40 years ago?! Too many have died in this war, both honorable and cowardly deaths. The great heroes in the earlier years of the war have either retired or died now. Hell, the kings of both countries when the war started have already died and got replaced. Why keep fighting?"
"Crola, I appreciate your desire for peace, but there's nothing you could do right now," his mother said, "If you loathe violence, why attend the Academy?"
"Father enrolled me in the Academy before he went out there. I can't let my father's efforts be in vain."
"I'm sure he wouldn't mind as long as you're safe."
"Too late, anyway. I'm about to graduate today." The mother smiled, "I'll head off now."
"See you." Crola went out of the house without his bag and walked along the town market. Crola passed through here everyday to get to the Academy, which stood a few hundred meters away from the city walls and on a hill. Since living in a dormitory was expensive, most students had to walk to the school everyday. A few steps outside the gate that lead to the Academy, Crola came across someone.
It was a boy with white skin and brown hair. His blue eyes standed out among the rest of his body.
"Hey, Crola," the boy greeted.
"Hey, Serid," Crola greeted back.
"Excited to graduate today?"
"Sure."
"Me too. I hope they assign us somewhere safe."
"That's too bad, because they'll do the exact opposite of that."
"But I don't know. Maybe we will be the heroes that will end the war."
"You know that's unlikely."
"But just think about it. Surviving the battles and returning home with fame."
"It'll be overwhelming."
"If you don't like what we are about to do, why attend the school?"
"You know the reason. Father enrolled me in the Academy and I continued attending until today."
"Of course, I, your best friend, motivated you to survive."
Crola chuckled, "Nah, I can survive this school without you. Your efforts were never needed."
"Wow. Harsh. Say, do you have any plans at all after graduating?"
"No. Why?"
"Just asking." They continued up the hill for a few minutes without speaking.
"Hey, Crola, " Serid called, "What exactly is the war about?"
"Don't you read?" Crola complained.
"I'm sorry. I can't exactly recall everything I read."
Crola sighed, "The war began when Gerard, late king of Lionblade ordered an attack on a town in Serpenstaff. The king claimed no reason for the invasion. Then a lot of stuff happened resulting to heroes rising and falling and the borders of both countries in ruins.
"By the 25th year of the war, Gerard died of old age and passed the title to his son, Zando. Lionblade declared a ceasefire, but our country remained tense because we might get caught unprepared. Nine months of silence passed.
"Then Tahan, our late king, died of old age. Prince Silas, currently our king, was blinded by grief and attacked Lionblade. Then the war continued like no ceasefire ever happened. Then we've reached today."
"The other countries never got involved?" Serid asked.
"Wolfshield allied with us, but Dracarch remained neutral and never involved itself in the war."
"Why?"
"The banner of Wolfshield bears a blue wolf carrying a shield on its back while walking across a snowy field."
"The Shield of Loyalty, eh?"
"The point is, Wolfshield represents loyalty, protecting its people and others. Since Lionblade started the war, Wolfshield allied itself with Serpenstaff."
"What about Dracarch?"
"The banner of Dracarch bears a red dragon holding a bow in the midst of a mountain of gold. The bow, as we know it, is the Bow of Wisdom. Dracarch represents wisdom and it is folly to be involved in a pointless war."
"Why isn't it doing anything to stop it, then?"
"Dunno, but maybe the king doesn't involve Dracarch in the war because the war doesn't currently affect the country right now."
"Speaking of banners, what does the banner of Lionblade bear?"
Crola sighed, "It makes me wonder how you managed to get here in the first place. The banner of Lionblade bears a golden lion with a sword on its back roaring in the midst of a bloodied field."
"Blood?"
"Yeah. Blood. The sword is supposed to be the Sword of Courage."
"The staff in our banner is supposed to be the Staff of Knowledge."
"A green snake wrapped around a staff in the darkness."
"Wow, our banner sounds worse than Lionblade's."
"Yeah." The two continued their walk uphill and soon reached the Academy.
The Academy was the largest of all mage schools in Serpenstaff. It had six buildings: one by the gate, two at the left, two at the right, and another at the rear of the school. The three schools at the rear represented the three schools of magic: Sorcery, arcanery, and astrology. The three buildings at the front were non-classroom buildings, the left one being the dormitory and the right one being the library.
There were 3 levels in the academy: pupils, acolytes, and finally, partisans. All the partisans were gathered at the center of the school, in the middle of the six buildings. There were nine classes of partisans, each class with an average of twenty students. Each class was gathered together and waited for the headmaster to give his speech. A one-meter-high wooden platform has been placed at the front, a podium at the center. After a few minutes, an old man climbed up the platform and approached the podium.
The old man took off his hood to reveal his white hair and wrinkled face. His old hands, the left replaced by a metallic one, were tightly gripped on a staff he was carrying.
The headmaster made a gesture with his right hand, and then, an orange circular circle appeared floating in front of his mouth. It was a colosa audis ward, made to broadcast his voice all over the Academy. The pupils and acolytes already looked through the windows to see what's gonna happen.
"Another year has passed," an acolyte muttered under his breath as he looked from the second floor of the astrology building.
The acolyte had red hair as vibrant as his eyes.
"Just one more..." He continued.
"Aren't you the guy who skips class all the time?" A voice said behind him. The acolyte looked to see a female student from his class.
"I am. What do you want?"
The girl retracted flustered, "Say, do you have any plans to graduate?"
"Why do you care?"
"The way you look at the partisans. It seems like you are grieved by something."
"Yeah." The acolyte continued to look at the square.
"Partisans, welcome to your future," Andriel said, "You all have worked hard these past three years, learning magic forming bonds. Now, the world will open up to you, giving you millions of choices. You might be overwhelmed, but remember this: The Great Serpent fought the darkness with her staff and knowledge. Through her guidance, you will find your destined role in the biggest story in the world.
"Three years, three schools of magic. Sorcery, the manipulation of the world through the use of magic. Arcanery, the performance of feats through the ancient language. Astrology, the seeking of wisdom from the old spirits. These three schools are the foundations of magic. Without one, the other two will weaken and soon crumble.
"Using your knowledge in all three schools, you shall contribute to the greater good and make the world a better place. For us adults, for you children, for the next generation. Thank you." Applauses roared throughout the entire Academy.
"And now," the headmaster continued, "We will award the ten people who excelled among the rest of you." Names were called, all people who dedicated themselves to their studies and scored the highest in the final exams. They were given scrolls, proof of their hardwork and skill. A member of Crola's class, going by the name of Lissandrea, got called as the eighth exemplar. It was no surprise, given that Lissandrea, or Lissa as her classmates would call her, was the smartest in the class. She also excelled in performing different types of magic.
"And now, the tenth exemplar," Andriel said after he handed the ninth his scroll, "The last exemplar this year would be," he squinted at the paper, then muttered something under his breath. What he said next surprised the entire academy.
"Crola Redarac."
Everyone was surprised, Crola the most. As far as he knew, he just got lucky passing the exams.
"How the hell--?" Serid whispered to me.
"Hey, I'm surprised, too," Crola whispered back.
"Come forward to receive your scroll," Andriel said, as if unsurprised. Crola looked around him, all eyes staring at the partisan.
Anxiously, he stepped forward and climbed up the platform, hand reaching out as the headmaster gave Crola a scroll he doesn't deserve. He then walked across the platform and stopped by the ninth exemplar, in a line like actors at the end of a play. All eyes turned at each of the exemplars, but they stared the longest at Crola, as it was unusual for someone like him to be up there.
Then suddenly, the world warped, tinted in purple. The expressions of the partisans in front of Crola changed. He was about to take a step forward, but the dissolved to darkness.
Serid looked at the empty space next to him. He felt that something was missing, but he shrugged off the feeling.
"And now," the headmaster continued, "We will award the ten people who excelled among the rest of you." Names were called, all people who dedicated themselves to their studies and scored the highest in the final exams. They were given scrolls, proof of their hardwork and skill.
The redheaded acolyte walked away from the window.
"Where are you going?" the female acolyte asked.
"I've seen the first ten exemplars already," he replied without looking back, "I have no interests to the other ten."
"What do you--" the redheaded acolyte already exited the classroom. The female acolyte returned to the window, wondering what the redhead meant.