Ch 2: City of Learning

Upon a floating island, in a city founded by a mysterious benefactor, Lorem Academy awaits in all it's glory. Grey feels everything he ever wanted is right here, but can he go on like this?

            As the hover buses arrived at a small building with some kind of air lift set up outside it, the bus drivers pulled the vehicles onto the large platforms and brought them to a halt. Looking out the window at the building and the machinery, Grey asked, “What’s going on? What is this place?” Nonchalantly, Pyro said, “It’s the lift to academy grounds. How else do you expect to get to a floating island?” Poking his head out the rolled down hover bus window, as the lift started up and the platforms began traveling along a set of energy rails generated by the machines outside the building, Grey followed them up with his eyes. Catching sight of a large piece of land floating in the sky a ways off in the direction the rails headed, Grey quickly exclaimed, “That’s a school?!” 

As he pulled his head in, Marcyl said, “Well, there is a surrounding forest and a city district where all the workers and teachers live.” Rummaging through her bag and retrieving a piece of paper, Pyro once again turned around in her seat and unfolded it before Grey. It was a map of the Academy and the city district, and pointing to it she said, “Yeah, this area over here on the southeast edge of the map is the residential area. Across from it over on the southwest corner is the shopping center. We get a lot of goods straight from the capital, Xandaris. The capital is full of people who hate on half-breeds and anyone who associates with them, but Lorem Academy has a sort of agreement with them set up by our mysterious founder, so the merchants of the capital aren’t allowed to refuse to do business with us. There are also local stores that sell their own goods, and they usually contribute some of their profits to the academy to help with funding.” 

Somehow managing to listen to the conversation despite clearly bobbing his head to his music, Tory said, “Spark’s Sweets has some pretty good stuff, but don’t tell Johnny I said that…” Raising an eyebrow questioningly, Grey said, “Johnny?” Pyro seemed less than enthusiastic as she muttered, “Yeah, how should I put this? He’s this guy in our class, a self-proclaimed big shot who thinks he’s the definition of cool. He’s on the other bus right now, but I’d brace myself if I were you man. Showing up out of the blue and getting everyone talking about you like you did, he’s gonna be up in your face trying to show everyone he’s cooler than you.” Sighing, Grey muttered in frustration, “I didn’t ask to be the center of attention.” Then Marcyl nudged him with her elbow and said, “Don’t worry! Don’t worry! Johnny can be a bit noisy, but I think he just wants people to notice him. He doesn’t have any friends…” Rolling her eyes, Pyro muttered, “Gee, I wonder why?”

            Rising into the sky and reaching the floating island, as the platforms arrived, the hover buses set off once more down a path through the trees. After a short while they came out of the treeline and into a large field, the academy city coming into view. Entering the city gates and making their way through the streets, the hover buses headed towards the actual academy itself as Grey stared out at the urban setting, shops and houses catching his eye one after another. At last they arrived at the main campus grounds, coming to a halt just inside the gates. As all the students gathered their things and began to disembark, Grey followed after Marcyl as he poured over the map Pyro had given him, Pyro herself lagging behind with Tory. There was a wide array of facilities available to students in addition to the main school building, which was north of the plaza in the center of the campus. There were two cafeterias, one on each side of the plaza itself. The dorms were in the southwest corner of the campus, just south of the art studio. To the north of the studio was the observatory, right next door to the science lab. The school infirmary was across the campus from there in the northeast corner, and to the south of it were the various athletic facilities, which included a field, a gymnasium, and a pool. Further south was the library, nestled in the southeast corner of the campus. Grey also noticed something called a spell training field behind the main school building. 

Stepping out of the hover bus with his nose buried in the map, Grey heard someone say, “Ahah! Hold it right there!” Looking up from the map, Grey uttered, “Huh?” Standing before him with a cocky grin on his face was a male half-halman student with spiky, short blue hair and orange eyes, wearing a sleeveless blue and black coat, blue pants, and black boots. He also wore a black and blue shoulder guard on his right shoulder and pair of black gloves. Looking Grey up and down a moment, he said, “Heh, so YOU’RE the mystery man everyone’s talking about? You don’t look like anything special to me.” Lowering the map with a sigh, Grey looked over at Marcyl standing next to him and said, “Johnny?” Nodding, Marcyl said, “Yup!” 

Overhearing, Johnny’s grin widened as he said, “Oh, heard about the great Johnny Spark already have you?” Stepping out of the hover bus and walking up next to Grey, Pyro said, “Lay off him before I torch you Johnny!” Laughing mockingly, Johnny replied, “What, you already part of the new guy’s fan club Pyro? Your newspaper club not enough for you anymore?” Raising her hand as though to snap her fingers, Pyro replied, “I don’t need your permission to make friends with someone!” Suddenly Tory came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder, and as Pyro glanced back at him, he simply shook his head. Pyro lowered her hand and muttered, “Yeah, yeah, I know! He’s not worth it…” With a smirk, Johnny said, “Smart move! I wouldn’t want to have to go and show you up in front of your new friend here!”

            Suddenly, Grey said, “Just shut up already.” Looking at Grey, surprised by the look of quiet anger on his face, Marcyl said, “Grey?” Surprised as well, Johnny said, “Huh? You got something to say to me?” Stepping forward, Grey said, “I don’t know what your problem is, and I really don’t care. Just shut up and leave us alone.” Narrowing his eyes, Johnny said, “Think you’re hot stuff huh? Acting all cool in front of your friends?” Grey simply replied, “At least I’ve got some.” Johnny’s eyes went wide, and he fumbled for words as he said, “Why you… W-what do you know?! It’s not like…” Then from behind the crowd of students who had gathered to see what was going on, Elizabeth called out, “Alright, whatever’s going on over here, break it up. Everyone make your way back to class with Professor Cortez. Grey, come with me please. We need to hammer out a few details.” The students began to disperse, and before Johnny could find the words to retort, Grey walked past him. Left standing there by himself, Johnny clenched his fists and muttered, “So… my fated rival has arrived!” 

Walking with Grey up to the main school building, Elizabeth said, “Sorry for that. As I’m sure you can guess, Johnny can be a troublesome boy.” Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Grey said, “What’s his deal anyways?” With a sigh, Elizabeth said, “Ever since his days at the supplementary starter school down in the residential area, he’s always been a bit rowdy. However, he got much worse after his father passed away. His mother still lives in the city’s residential district, running the Spark’s Sweets store in the shopping center during the day, but after his father’s death, he requested to live in the dorms. Lorem Academy is a boarding school, and even though we’re far from being renowned throughout the world, the dorms are reserved for students from abroad. Families of teachers, staff members, shopkeepers, and soldiers of the city guard all live in the residential district. After assessing Johnny’s situation though, I made an exception. I realized he simply would have run away from home if we didn’t put him up. He loves his mother, but living in the house where he’d been together with his father was just too much for him.” As Grey took this in, he thought of what Marcyl had said about Johnny. With a guilty conscience, Grey thought to himself, “D****t. He was being a total jerk, but… maybe I said too much…”

            The main school building was a very wide three story building colored in gray and gold. It was lined with decorative pillars and archways, giving it the feel of a castle. The front doors were tall and wide, set inside a grand archway. Grey and Elizabeth made their way inside, and Elizabeth led the way through the red carpeted halls to her office on the third floor. Opening one of the double wooden doors, they stepped inside. The room had red carpeting and black walls, the walls themselves lined with shelves and display cases holding various treasures Grey assumed she had come across studying ruins. There was a large curtained window on the wall opposite of the door with a long wooden desk in front of it, and the nameplate resting on the tabletop read, “Headmistress Elizabeth Wormwood.” 

Gesturing to one of the chairs in front of the desk as she moved to take her seat in the cushy swivel chair behind it, Elizabeth said, “Sit if you like. I don’t think this will take all that long.” Pulling up a chair, Grey said, “What won’t take long? Deciding my classes?” Smirking, Elizabeth said, “Oh I’ve already decided to have you take classes to develop your abilities as an energist. As for general education, you look around eighteen to me, so unless I’m mistaken you’ll be placed in one of the class sets that cover curriculum for students between the age of fifteen and eighteen. Since Marcyl seems eager enough to show you the ropes, I might as well just put you in her class set if you’re alright with that.” Blinking in surprise, Grey said, “Classes for an energist?” 

Leaning on her desk with her elbows and resting her head in her hands, Elizabeth stared at him and said, “I have talent both as a magic user and an energist, and I am very good at sensing those abilities in others. You have a little potential as a magic user, but what really struck me was the powerful aura of EDE around you. Whoever you were before you lost your memory, you might have been quite a skilled and powerful warrior.” Grey looked stunned, but Elizabeth gave him no time to think about this, continuing on, “We don’t teach people to use their abilities just so they can go out and start fights with others Grey. We teach our students in order to help them come to understand themselves better and to give them the strength to protect what’s important. I was hesitant of bringing in someone like you, who for all I knew once abused the powers we teach our students to respect. However, I must say I’m reassured by the way you handled your confrontation with Johnny. Rather than lashing out in anger, you controlled yourself and fought with words. As long as you show the same restraint in using them, I see no problems with having you attend classes to master your abilities. It may even help restore your memory.”

            Exiting the Headmistress’ office with a list of his classes and his assigned dorm room, Grey looked back and said, “Thanks again Elizabeth.” Smiling, Elizabeth replied, “Feel free to come to see me if you ever need help or advice. Oh, and pick up a set of clothes from the student supply store on the first floor of the main building. You’ll need something to wear until we get your old clothes fixed up. I’ll call it in for you, don’t worry about paying for them.” With a nod, Grey said “Ok.” As he shut the door, a familiar voice called out from down the hall, “There he is! Hi Grey!” Coming down the hall with Pyro and Tory, Marcyl waved merrily. Surprised they’d suddenly shown up, Grey said, “What are you guys doing here?” Flashing a grin, Pyro said, “Marcyl wanted to show you around.” Smiling and giggling, Marcyl said, “Yeah, you’ll need to know your way around so you don’t wind up late to class!” Smirking at these words, Pyro said, “This coming from the girl who’s almost always late anyways.” Turning to her with a pouting expression, Marcyl said, “Ouuuuuu that’s mean Pyro!” 

Unable to suppress a laugh, Grey said, “Well, maybe I can help her get there on time from now on. It seems I’ll be in her class set.” Whirling around, Marcyl’s eyes sparkled as she said, “Oooh! For reals?!” Seeing the paper in his hand, Pyro said, “So you got your class list huh? Let’s see it!” Grey handed the list to Pyro and she started reading it, Tory and Marcyl peeking over her shoulders. After reading one of the classes, Pyro looked up from it and said, “Wait, you’re in my energist training class too?” Snatching the paper from her, Marcyl looked at it closely and said, “What?! Does that mean Grey’s an energist?!” Looking at Grey expectantly, Pyro said, “You remember something about your past? C’mon man, don’t hold out on us now!” Shaking his head, Grey replied, “The Headmistress says she thinks I might have been a powerful energist, but I still don’t remember any of it…” 

Crossing her arms and closing her eyes in thought, Pyro said, “Hmm, the plot thickens! A mysterious altar in a forest of legend, a cloaked figure who disappeared into a magical portal, and a boy with unknown powers who lost his memory… There’s a juicy story in there somewhere, I can smell it!” Adjusting his headphones, Tory took the class list and looked it over as he said, “Watch what you say. Do you want to start more rumors?” Pyro simply shrugged, while Marcyl giggled and said, “It’s kind of fun though, imagine if Grey turned out to be some kind of legendary hero!” Turning red, Grey laughed nervously and said, “Me? No way!” Shooting him a sly look, Pyro said, “Oh? Too bad, I was hoping you could save me from my history teacher.” Everyone burst into laughter, and once they were through, Grey said, “Well, I’m up for taking a tour if you guys aren’t busy, but first I need to pick something up at the student supply store.”

            Rushing up to the edge of the race track around the large grassy field used in various sports activities, Marcyl looked back and said, “Here’s the athletics field! I’m not too good at sports, but Tory’s in the athletics club!” Following after her with Pyro and Tory, now wearing a gray blazer with the school crest sown into the front of it, a gray t-shirt, black pants and black and white tennis shoes, Grey whistled and said, “Nice. You could host an inter-city match with a field like this.” Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Tory looked at him approvingly and said, “From the way you speak, perhaps you were a sportsman Grey. We do sometimes have competitions with students from Loralu.” At the mention of Loralu, Grey felt as though he were on the brink of remembering something. Looking lost in his thoughts, he muttered, “Loralu?” 

Becoming enthusiastic at the topic, Pyro said, “Not familiar with it? I’ve written a ton of articles on Loralu. Both Lorem Academy and the city of Loralu were founded by the same person apparently, and most of our academy’s students these days were raised in Loralu. Both Lorem Academy and Loralu are considered by most as a refuge for half-breeds and exiles, but the founder’s intention was said to have been to create a place where all are welcome to come and seek an education to hopefully improve their standing in the world. Lorem Academy provides general education, but it’s mainly a school for energists and magic users, while the school in Loralu is focused more on academic education. Both accept just about anyone willing to learn, although the Church of Light has lately been trying to cover up the fact that such places exist at all. Despite having one of their stupid churches right here in town too…” Noticing now that Grey looked as though his mind was somewhere else, Pyro raised an eyebrow and said, “Something wrong?” Shaking his head, Grey said, “I just felt like I almost remembered something about Loralu, but I think I lost it.” 

Rushing to his side, Marcyl said, “Did you see like any images or anything? Like could you draw a sketch of someone’s face or something?” Rubbing his forehead, Grey muttered, “It was more like a feeling I guess. I can’t really think of how to describe it…” Seeing his frustration, Tory said, “There’s no need to rush it.” Taking a deep breath to calm down, Grey shook off his frustrations and grinned as he said, “Yeah. Right now I just want to try and enjoy my school life here with you guys. Ever since getting my classes I kinda feel excited!” Smiling back, Tory nodded and said, “As it should be.” Smiling as well, Pyro said, “Jeez, enough of all this serious stuff! Let’s hurry up and finish the tour before curfew!” Having completely forgotten, Marcyl quickly said, “Ah, right the tour! We haven’t shown him the library right?”

            As the others started to lead the way to the library, Grey followed after them, thinking to himself, “I don’t know about running away from who I am, but for some reason I feel like everything I ever wanted is right here. Would it be so wrong for me to want it to continue like this?” Pausing in his stride, Grey thought, “But what if Pyro was right? What if there’s friends and family somewhere out there, all waiting for me? What if the things Masquerade talked about will end up putting Marcyl and the others in danger? Living happily in ignorance… It’s just something I can’t do!” 

Suddenly a girl’s voice said within his mind, “Are you there?! Grey is that you?!” At the same time images began pouring into his mind, a burning manor, a dark figure with short white hair stepping through a doorway. Clutching his head and trying to will the images away, Grey heard the girl’s voice saying, “Alexander, I think I’m getting through!” Then the voice of the girl faded as a creepy laugh echoed through his mind, and as the laughter faded, a voice said, “You just couldn’t let it go, could you?” Whirling around, seeming to sense the presence of the person speaking within his mind, Grey looked up at the roof of the gymnasium over in the direction they’d just came from. 

Standing there staring down at Grey was a dark figure with a pointy black tail, wearing a black mask and a gray suit and pointed hood. The voice rang out again, saying, “You’ll only have one chance to live this life you know. The normal life you’ve always dreamed about…” Noticing he’d fallen behind, Pyro turned to look back at Grey and saw him staring up at the roof of the gymnasium. Looking up as well, as she saw the dark hooded figure, her blood ran cold and she thought, “W-what the hell?!” Then she heard Marcyl shout, “Oh no, Grey!” Turning her gaze back to Grey momentarily, Pyro saw he had collapsed on the ground. Before rushing to his side with the others, she looked up at the gymnasium roof again to find the dark hooded figure was gone.

            Stepping out the infirmary doors with a bottle of medicine in hand, Johnny muttered to himself, “Jeez, I’m never having the super burrito from the cafeteria again…” As he started on his way, planning to head back to the dorms, he spied a group of people rushing towards the infirmary. Pausing in his stride and squinting to see who it was, Johnny said to himself, “Isn’t that Pyro’s bunch?” Seeing Tory carrying Grey on his back, he wondered what was going on. Putting on a confident grin as they drew near, he said, “Fancy meeting you all here!” Nearly bowling Johnny over as he ran past, Tory said, “Not now Johnny!” As they rushed into the infirmary, Johnny followed after, saying, “Hey, hold up! Nobody ignores Johnny Spark!”