'We are here'. Looking from above he got a bird eye view of the domain capital, where he came to once in the past.
'it looks exactly the same from my memory.... Cinderholt'. They have arrived at Cinderholt, the capital city of Demios domain.
As the carriage descended, Zephyr reluctantly followed the rest of the people down.
Zephyr walked with a steady gait, as he took in the sight of Cinderholt, he would occasionally feel the inner pocket of his coat and then a flicker of excitement would run through his stomach anytime he felt the letter. Everything that was happening was real, he was going to the academy, the thought still felt foreign, not once did the previous zephyr think that he was going to survive not to talk of leaving the clan grounds... But now, not only has he left the clan grounds but has also taken the first step in getting into the Academy.
The stone-paved roads of Cinderholt, the capital of the Demios Dominion, was alive with morning activity. Towering braziers burned with orange flame, banners of blood-red and obsidian flapped in the wind, and the clang of distant training echoed like drums of war.
At the heart of the capital stood the Obsidian Town Square, a raised plateau lined with darkstone obelisks engraved with names of fallen champions. There, the chosen scions of the Demios Clan and the lesser clans under their banner had already gathered.
Zephyr said nothing as he arrived. He simply took his place among them.
Some turned. Some scoffed. Others looked away.
He ignored them all.
He knew their thoughts. "The discarded dog returns."
Let them think what they wished.
In the obsidian town square one structure stood out from the rest, it was shaped like a little hut only this time it was made with iron, and under the little covering a twirling staircase presented itself.
'It looks like the entrance to a sub-way'. That was exactly how it looked like. A few minutes passed when from the subway like structure, an overwhelming pressure started to descend. Zephyr could feel the Aether in the air becoming thicker as the pressure pressed not only on the Scions but also on the Aether.
Then from the subway A handsome young man emerged.
He was wearing a purple-black armour without the Helmet letting his purple black hair flow in the wind, he had a clean shaved face where two narrowed purple eyes were parched. His face screamed handsome and his body screamed power, although Zephyr did not know his rank, he sure knew this man could kill him faster then he could blink. The pressure he enacted on the surroundings and on the body of the Scions was heavy, that they subconsciously held their breath.
"My name is Vox UmbraFen and I am in charge of taking you to the Academy". His voice was casual but it he'd a slight edge that forced people to be in the edge. He addressed the crowd. "Follow me without further ado, we got no time to waste". With that he turned and walked back into the subway.
'That was scary'. Zephyr released a breath he didn't know he was holding, just now when the man arrived, the previous zephyr hibit of analysing someone or something for threat took over, he didn't bother to fight back the urge as he knew it was crucial if he was going to survive. In all the novel, comics and anime he had consumed he knew to survive a certain level of smartness was required, so when he instinctively started to analyze the man, looking for weak points he went with the urge... But he came out blank, looking at the man his mind blanked out, it was as if he was staring at a shadow and looking for ways to defeat it.
A fine man in his Early twenties with red hair and red eyes, revealing his lineage as a Demios walked in the front, the rest of the Scions moving after him. The fine man was the one in charge of making sure the Scions made it to the academy. Zephyr snapped out of his stupor and followed the rest of the people down the stairs.
As he descended down the last step, what he saw made him take in a sharp breath. In front of him was a train.... A train.
He managed to wrap his head around the fact that this world had a flying carriage that didn't fly due to winged beast but due to tech mixed with Aether, and now in front of him was a train. The body of the train was covered with armour— purple-black in colour, apart from the armor it was identical to the trains back in Earth. He snapped out of his stupor when he realized he has been standing on one position in a while now.
One by one, the clan members boarded. Zephyr was among the first. He chose the window seat, staring silently into the walls of the underground tunnel, the tunnel was wide, very wide that the train was comfortably in an S shaped position, and Zephyr was seating in the curve, from the window he could see the head of the train.
Without any warning to prepare for departure the train started to hum as it prepared to drive away.
'Wait, where are we driving through'. From his position he could see the head of the train, so he saw that directly in front of the train was a wall, if they drove forward they would certainly hit the wall.
Just he begun to panic, suddenly inkly black shadow moved from the front of the train and then spread upward through thin air like ink on water. From the inky shadow hands he felt the same pressure he felt from Vox, the Aura was the same but it didn't explain the supernatural scene happening in front of Zephyr eyes.
'What the hell is going on'. Zephyr mouth was agape at the impossible scene, the inky shadows continued to spread till it neared the celling then shadowly hand formed and gripped at thin air, the shadowly hand the pushed at the thin air, like a hand opening a curtain from the middle. Without warning a tearing sound, sounded out scaring the living crap out of Zephyr.
In front of him air— thin air was being ripped apart like fabric, without waiting for anyone to get used to the sight, the train sped into the dark abyss.
As the section of the train Zephyr was in passed the tear in reality he felt something rush through and all over his body, the energy flooded his body, his senses became more heightened that for a moment he closed his eyes and press his palm on his ear due to how sensitive they were. He could feel his body brimming with power it was as if he took a sort of medicine, they he suddenly grew disoriented, his scene of self all over the place, for a moment he sat they head bowed. He couldn't even think as the energy ravaged through his body.
Gradually he came back to his scenes, but they was something new. Despite his eyes being closed he could feel the structure of the train and people who sat behind and ahead of him, this feeling stopped a few meters from his position, it was like he was picking the position of things and people through space.
He dropped his hand from his head and raised his bowed head, his eye sight seems to have been enhanced ten fold, he could see further and clearer and, he could feel the subtle strength flowing through his body, and he could feel that the air or space offered far less resistance then before.
'What just happened'. He looked around to see if it was only him that experience whatever had just happened, and from the look of things he was the only one, the people were focused on something outside the window muttering out in amazement, with a frown he turned to look at the window.
And what he saw made his mind practically implode. Cause out of the window the sky was in a blank state, no colour only a sun that seems to be stuck in an eternal eclipse.
"Shadow Realm". Zephyr muttered under his breath, bewildered at the scene, out of the window of the train, the Realm was empty save for the blank sky and the eclipse sun the only thing present was the endless dusk-gold sand. As he gradually recovered from the scene, a memory resurfaced.