Chapter 62: Radiant ones

The next morning came far too soon because Thomas had not slept.

Whenever he tried to close his eyes, Instructor Voss’s parting words echoed through his thoughts. The system had explicitly labeled her as an apostle of Neher Khepri, revealing the possibility that more than one person knew his secret. Although the system had labeled her an ally, Thomas did not trust her one bit. He had spent this whole time learning to keep his mouth shut to survive, and a system notification was not enough to make him drop his guard.

He adjusted his collar and walked out onto the assembly grounds, noticing the structural changes in full view. The gold lineage trims and house crests were dead. Every student stood in the exact same dark school uniform, their jackets black with the official academy crest stamped on the breast pocket.

But a line still separated the elite. Because Thomas and Julian were part of the horsemen, they had special armbands that were red on their jackets to show their status as members of the horsemen. The red armbands had an intricate, embroidered crest of a headless horseman, marking them to the rest of the freshman crowd.

"Scared?"

Julian’s voice brought him out of his thoughts. They were standing outside by the academy grounds, waiting for the transport that was going to take them to the Marshlands. Thomas had thought it was going to be the new form of transport he had heard the High-bloods talking about, a vehicle capable of moving alone with the help of mana—a mana carriage they called it.

SHRIEK!

They all looked up, eyes wide with shock. A large bird was swiftly approaching the academy grounds, and the bird seemed to get bigger the closer it got.

WHOOSH!

As it landed and they all got a closer look, they noticed that the thing might have resembled a bird, but it was far from being a bird. Up close, the sheer density of mana it radiated was enough to encompass the whole academy. The giant bird-like creature looked more like a lizard with wings, its scaly skin shimmering with a greenish hue. Every single freshman appeared to be entranced by the huge lizard.

"What the hell is that?" Ryan asked, his voice cracking.

"That’s a Dragonling," Julian spoke matter-of-factly, his voice level. "It is a tameable mana beast that is mostly used as a mode of transport in harsh lands where standard carriages can’t travel."

Thomas nodded and eventually took his eyes off the mana beast. "So I am guessing we are going to use that as our transport?"

"That is correct, Thomas. You are a very observant child."

Thomas looked back and saw two people dressed in golden cloaks with their hoods drawn completely low, walking towards them. Behind them, the instructors were also approaching. Thomas noted the respect and slight fear in the instructors’ eyes, and he deduced that these two were most likely the deacons.

A deeply unsettling, creepy feel instantly radiated from their golden cloaks, an icy current that made the skin on Thomas’s neck go completely cold.

"Greetings, O radiant ones," the rest of the High-blood students said in unison, cupping their hands and bowing deeply, including Julian. It was only Thomas and the other lessers from alternative classes who remained standing, slightly confused at what was happening.

"Greetings, children of the Sun," one of the deacons responded, his voice carrying a hollow, creepy cadence that lacked any human warmth. He threw his arms wide open, revealing his palms. He had a tattoo of a sun on one hand and an eye on the other, the eye seeming to stare directly through Thomas. "As you must have all heard, we will be accompanying you on this excursion. Let us all get along."

"We thank you for gracing us with your presence," the response was in unison, as if it were something they had been taught to say their entire lives. Then they stood upright, but they dared not look at the two newcomers.

Thomas followed suit to keep his mask and whispered to Julian. "I’m surprised you can bow your head."

"You are lucky we are in the presence of divine servants, otherwise you were going to regret those words, lesser," Julian spat coldly, his jaw clenching tightly.

Thomas remained quiet as he had felt the irritation in Julian’s voice. It appeared as though the boy was not quite fond of the Holy Church, but why?

"Alright, students, since we are all here, let us not waste time and board the Dragonling," Instructor Sterling’s voice came from atop the mana beast.

Heavy rope ladders were cast down from the beast. This was going to be a new experience for Thomas and the rest of the lessers, and judging by some of the High-bloods’ expressions, the experience was new for them as well. The instructors went to work and had the five freshman classes line up. There were twenty students in their class, but the same could not be said for other classes. So about one hundred and fifty students were going to be on the Dragonling’s back. No wonder why they used the beast for transport; it was humongous.

Since the arrival of the deacons, Thomas could not shake off the creepy feeling of being watched from all angles. Right before it was his turn to climb the ladder, Cecilia called out to him, surprising everyone present

."Thomas, catch!" Cecilia called out, her gold-trimmed cloak snapping in the wind. "Peter said to give you this. Stay safe out there."

She threw a sleek, high-level runetech communication device straight through the air. Thomas raised his hand and caught the polished obsidian relic cleanly before offering a firm nod. Cecilia quietly left the grounds without another word, her boots fading into the corridors.

Thomas scaled the ladder, and when he reached the summit, his jaw almost dropped. The beast had five different cabins lined up on its back, and standing at the entrance of each cabin was said class’s homeroom instructor. On the far end was his cabin, and Instructor Sterling stood there impatiently.

"We do not have all day, Thomas."

Thomas got out of his daze and quickly made his way to the cabin while also appreciating the massive size of the Dragonling. The cabin was surprisingly warm and cozy, with enough room to fill the whole of Class 1-A and leave some few empty seats near the back.

"I guess I will join this cabin. Don’t mind me, children," the deacon who had been speaking earlier joined them, his golden hood still drawn low. Even though his face was completely obscured by the mask, Thomas could feel his creepy gaze locking straight onto his chest, a heavy pressure settling over him.

The whole of Class 1-A visibly stiffened, the previous comfort in the room evaporating instantly. Two other instructors entered the cabin to secure the borders, including Instructor Cross, who stood by the iron latch with his scarred face set into a grim mask. Thomas quietly sat next to Mina, while Julian sat on one of the few empty seats across the aisle, instantly pulling a thick, leather-bound book from his pocket to read.’

Just like his sister,’ Thomas thought to himself, his face smooth as glass.

"Say your goodbyes to the academy," Instructor Sterling spoke loudly, throwing the iron bolt into place. "You won’t see it for another week."

Thomas watched the academy spires from the large windows, and then the mana beast took to the air. The sudden ascent rattled almost everyone for a few seconds before the flight stabilized into a low hum. Mina let out a sharp gasp, her fingers instantly gripping Thomas’s thigh hard, her eyes shut in panic. Thomas placed a hand on top of hers, keeping his voice steady and flat.

"I got you."