Elderwood Prophecies

"We'll do it," said Caelum, cutting you off before you could finish your sentence. You looked at him incredulously, if it were Kieran who said it, it was normal. But for Caelum to suggest it first, weirded you out.

"Yeah, we'll do it." added Kieran who got the gist of what Caelum was going for, "Considering we wouldn't want you to hurt yourself further and break the other one." he jested. You felt as if you had heard that line before and realized he was mimicking Dorian.

"Yeah, like I haven't heard that one before," you replied, rolling your eyes. Without dilly-dallying, you walked to a table and sat down while they joined you. "Let's start with where exactly can we find a Nogbee?" you asked.

"The professor mentioned that there was a hive just beside the Druid ruins, but we don't know the specific area. He said it was up to us to find it, so I took it upon myself to map it," he took out a rolled paper from his bag and laid it on the table, "Nogbee hives tend to roam around old ruins because they build their nests from the old debris, moss, and rocks."

"Great, but how do we catch them exactly? I've heard that they're quite the vicious little things." Kieran commented.

Rowan thought about it then replied, "I've also prepared a list of things we'll need, however, not all of them are available here in the academy. So we'll have to find a way to procure them first before we can continue with the plan."

Then an idea popped into your head, "Right, why don't we collect the supplies we need from town? We'll be having the day out in town this Saturday, and I know just the place we can visit." you suggested excitedly.

Once a month, you are allowed to go to the town of Elwood to buy academic supplies, and necessities or stroll for a change of scenery because other than those times, you are not allowed to step foot outside of school grounds. Elwood is one of the five towns of the Kingdom of Las Shadeau.

"Brilliant! Let's go together then." Rowan replied excitedly.

You glanced at Caelum and Kieran, "Btw, I haven't heard of your family names around here. Which town are you from?" you asked out of curiosity. Each town has at least five prominent families that have been around from before the Kingdom was even declared as a Kingdom.

"We're from Fort Cerevaux, three towns from here," Caelum replied. No wonder, his last name, Delvaux, sounded somewhat Cerevauxian, because he is Cerevauxian. Fort Cerevaux is the Elf Capitol of the Kingdom and is known for its architectural artistry.

"I'm Elkian, though I may not look like it," Rowan interjected. Del Elkia is the town known for its Mythical Beasts and Beast Tamers. 'That explains the enthusiasm with mythical beasts,' you thought to yourself. You just laughed slightly and shook your head at him.

"No, it makes perfect sense," you assured him, a knowing grin plastered to your face. He pouted like a child at this which made you laugh once more but was shushed by the library, making you shut up after whispering an apology.

"How about you? Where does the Bellerose family originate from?" asked Kieran, his elbows were on the table, and his chin rested on his hands.

"The Shadeau capital actually, my family was sort of a branched out distant member of royalty, from what I heard at least. But I've never met anyone from the royal family." as you explained, their interests piqued further. "My grandfather was a Baron I think, but then the sovereign's rule ended and the Council overtook the governance. So that makes us normal citizens," after your explanation, they stared at you gaping.

"Mr. Crius, Mr. Delvaux, and Ms. Bellerose, please proceed to the Headmistress' office. Immediately, thank you." the school intercom announced, surprising you and cutting your conversation short.

"The story was just getting good, what does she want now?" Kieran groaned, slumping back on his chair. You gathered your things and stood up, motioning for them to do the same.

"Sorry Rowan, we'll continue this tomorrow after class. But the trip to town is set at least, so finalize the list of items we'll need to procure for the meantime," then you pushed the other two out the door, leaving Rowan behind.

You three walked to the Headmistress' office, receiving a few glances from the students who heard the announcement, "What did they do now?" they whispered.

Shrugging them off, you continued walking until you arrived at the front of the door, knocking three times before a faint, "Come in," was heard from inside.

You opened the door and the three of you went in, "Good afternoon, I apologize for calling you up, but this is an urgent matter." she sat at her desk, reading a few documents. Headmistress Luanda Felstead, a half-elf witch, and alumni of the academy.

She sat there, with her fiery-red hair, shoulder-length and curled which made it look like flames. Fiddling with some documents, "Take a seat," she said motioning to the three chairs in front of her desk. "We've begun preparing for the next full moon, and we've decided to assign Kieran as your guard. Since he is a Knight, and he's had the most experience with handling your--circumstance." she handed a piece of document to us.

"This is a magical contract of secrecy, which means if the contents of that contract are broken, a spell will activate and we will be informed immediately. Please sign them, and to activate the spell, I ask for a drop of blood." she took a sharp and pointed object from one of her drawers.

You read the contents of the contract,

I hereby acknowledge that this contract signifies an agreement that will honor the secrecy behind the identity of Caelum Leon Delvaux as a Forgotten Child. And hereby agree to take responsibility for any form of information that may be released without permission about the situation. Therefore agreeing not to share any form of information about the circumstance, and are willing to accept any form of punishment in case of breach of contract.

Sign here, Emilia Nox Bellerose.

It was straightforward, that you were not allowed to tell anyone about Caelum, and in the aftermath that you do, you will be punished. You signed immediately after reading the contents as a show of your dedication to the situation. Headmistress Felstead gave your finger a slight prick, squeezing it to let the blood flow and dropping it on the paper. Just above your signature.

Kieran did the same thing and afterward, the Headmistress took your contracts and sealed them with some enchanted seal. "There we are," she took them to a safe hidden by the wall and kept it there, "thank you for your cooperation, and please understand that this is not only for the safety of your schoolmates but for yours, especially. This is to ensure that we keep this situation in close arms, if this gets out, who knows what will happen." she warned.

You all understood the situation full well and just nodded, "Well, you may leave. And please do complete the task for your previous punishment. It is not only to keep up with facades but it is also a lesson to the three of you. You are dismissed." and she sat back on her chair.

You stood up and left, closing the door behind you, "It could've been worse," you jested. It's gotten late, and dinner was already being served at the mess hall, "Let's eat, I'm starving." you groaned, and pulled Kieran and Caelum with you.

"I'm sorry for pushing this kind of responsibility on you," Caelum suddenly said which made you stop in your tracks. The corridor was empty, so it was safe to say no one would eavesdrop.

"You have nothing to apologize for!" you burst out without realizing it. Not letting him retaliate, "Why should you be sorry for something you have no control over? If you apologize one more time, I'll consider it an insult. Because should I also be apologetic about being normal then?" you dared him to say more, but he thought better of it and shook his head.

"Now then, that's settled." you clapped your hands together and proceeded to enter the mess hall. Kieran went to your side and said, "Remind me never to anger you." making you laugh.

After dinner, you bid your goodnights and went to your respective dormitories for the night.

The following days went as goes; you, Kieran, and Caelum always ate together then after classes went to the library arranging books as per punishment, and then had a meeting with Rowan for the Nogbee paper assignment.

It went like that with not much problem, except Dorian was obviously avoiding you. Going the opposite direction every time you saw each other in the corridors or leaving whenever you arrived at a certain location or classroom where he was at.

It was already Friday and excited chatter filled the halls and rooms of the academy. For students who are barely allowed to even leave the school grounds, it's an exciting thrill to go out to town for a day—a day without the lectures of the professors or assignments and activities.

"It's finally that time of the month again, and I've even hung up my outfit for tomorrow!" Damara said giddily.

You were in the mess hall for breakfast chatting about your plans for tomorrow, "We're going to the Odds and Ends, they might have some new glasses. Mine is a bit wonky from last month's lab explosion," she added, eyeing you accusingly, knowing full well you were the cause of the incident.

"It was an accident," you emphasized, "The guys and I are going to the Bubbling Beakers to fetch some stuff for an assignment." you finished.

"Do they have any places there for armory?" Kieran asked, "My spear is broken from my last sparring match with that golden-haired brute." he added, whining. Before you could ask, a familiar face entered your field of vision, it was Dorian. "There he is, practically snapped it in half." it was confirmed that he was, in fact, talking about Dorian.

"I think you can find something at the Brute's Forge, or you can also go to the Hobbit Kiln. I can go with you if you like," suggested Sitara, "I'm also in need of an armor upgrade." she added.

Kieran was glad for the suggestion and agreed. The rest shared their plans for the town, and each of you had a different place in mind, so you said "How about we meet by the Sylvan Grey at six o'clock and have dinner there together?" you suggested. They gave a nod and it was settled.

The next morning, everyone was up early and ready to set off to town, the school intercom began, it was Headmistress Felstead, "Students may I have your attention, please take charge of yourselves for your monthly trip to town. The phantom trains will take you to town and take you back to the academy. Please be by the platform by seven-thirty. And please do not forget your emblems, it is the only way for you to get aboard. Refrain from starting any form of trouble and be guided by the rules. Have a safe trip, students, I shall see you back this evening." then the announcement ended.

Outfront was a line of phantom trains, these vehicles are powered by enchanted coals. They are built and function like ordinary trains, however, they do not need train tracks to run on, and neither do they leave tracks at all. Each car is an individual train that can fit twenty-five passengers at once.

You met up with everyone and got on one of the phantom trains, showing them your identification emblem before going onboard. Identification emblems are circular platinum badges that have your student information magically embedded within them, so no one can mistake your emblem for theirs. Each emblem has a unique insignia that represents your academic category.

Knights have a sword and shield, Apothecaries have a cauldron, Elementals have the signs for the elements, Shapeshifters have an illusion of a man in front of a mirror with a different reflection on theirs, the Elves have a tree on it, and the Witches and Warlocks have a spellbook.

Everyone showed theirs and got onboard. Inside was like an ordinary train, and the seats were arranged in rows. You took your seats and sat together. Kieran and Caelum are on either side of you.

"Alright guys," you began, grabbing your friend's attention, "So Rowan, me, and Caelum will go to the Bubbling Beakers. Kieran and Sitara will go to the Brute's Forge and Hobbit Kiln, while Damara, Briony, and Corvina will be at the Odds and Ends. We meet at the Sylvan Grey by six o'clock sharp." and they all nodded in agreement.

"This is gonna be so fun now that there's more of us. Emilia always goes to that place alone, she doesn't really enjoy going to the places we go to. I'm glad she met you guys!" Damara said excitedly, moving around her chair, next to Briony who only giggled.

Her statement made you blush, it never really occurred to you how much of an impression you were making. It was true that you never found any interest in whatever they did and the places they went. You were focused on doing what was necessary only to you that you've lost sight of having fun.

"On the contrary, we found her," Kieran replied, grinning, making you blush even further.

"Alright, enough on the mushy stuff, alright?" you grumbled, and they only laughed at your reaction.

The phantom train went straight across the forest, cutting through it. There was a clear pathway which made it easier for navigation, however, between the academy and the town is a barrier. The barrier serves as a protection, even though the forest is already a form of wall that goes around the school, the academy still set up extra precautions for the safety of the students.

Once you've reached the barrier, the professor in charge of your train car took out his emblem and chanted, "THAIM THOLACH THECHEMBAOR THEAGON PENTATHESCHI BOTI," the barrier opened, it was just big enough to let the phantom trains pass through.

Once all of the phantom train cars were through, the barrier closed once more, closing it off to anyone or anything that might enter. A few minutes in and the forest opened to a town. A golden archway read, "Welcome to Elwood."

A checkpoint was posted beneath it, "Welcome, students of Senka Luna Academy, to Elwood." greeted the Knights that guarded the checkpoint. I saw Sitara glance at them with pride, knowing that one day she will be one of them.

The train arrived at the station, but before the students could get off, you were stopped by the professor, "Please remember to be back by seven-thirty sharp or you will walk the way back. Please be guided accordingly as you are student of Senka Luna Academy, and you represent the institute. Well then, be careful, and as you were." after the reminder, the students got off one by one excitedly and met up with their friends.

You stepped off, and divided yourselves according to your destinations. Briony, Damara, and Corvina went ahead to Odds and Ends, leaving you with Rowan, Sitara, Caelum, and Kieran still at the station.

"See you later mate, take care of this little troublemaker of ours, you know how she can get," Kieran said to Caelum, nudging him playfully in the shoulder.

"I'll keep that in mind," Caelum replied, equally teasing.

"Am I the 'troublemaker' in this conversation? Because from what I recall last time, Kieran you almost started a fight with Ascian during our last Practical Physical Education class." you replied, even more teasingly.

Kieran rolled his eyes, remembering the incident, "You mean that weak little Shapeshifter? He was clearly asking for it, and as a Knight, I tend to hold my end of the bargain," he added arrogantly, earning him a smack at the back of the head from Caelum, "Ouch, what was that for?!" he whined, holding his head.

"And you said I had to hold myself in. I thought Knights were supposed to be strong?" Caelum said mockingly, "That hit was practically a pat for you." he teased, a smirk played on his lips. It was the first time you've seen him this playful the whole week, which eased in a feeling of relief from you.

Rowan just watched the exchange between the two, "Hurry up Kieran, or the other Knights might beat us to the good stuff." Sitara said, pulling Kieran away from us by the collar.

"See you guys later!" he shouted before facing forward. Leaving you with Rowan and Caelum.

"Well gentlemen? Shall we?" and you went on your way.

Elwood is a nice and peaceful town, and it's well-known for it's craftsmen who specializes in creating furniture, decorative pieces, appliances, and apparatuses , from wood, stone, and any materials that they can get their hands on.

The street is decorated by shops and stalls that each sell something unique. Either it was an object from the neighbouring Kingdoms or something from the other towns. One stall caught your attention, it had crytallite jewelries that hung from the ceiling of the tent.

One certain necklace called unto you, it was a black opal that was intricately wrapped in silver metal that looked like vines. These vines branced out which held small emerald stones on each tip. "Interested in it darling?" a woman said.

The voice made you shot up in surprise, her voice sounded so familiar and oddly distant. The woman was old and wrinkled, her hair had whitened entirely, but in her eyes was a glimmer that told a different story. It was such a clear purplish hue, that if you only stared at them, you would mistake it belonging to a young woman.

"Do you want me to buy for you?" Caelum's voice plucked you out of your reverie, but you still couldn't move your eyes from the necklace. "How much for it?" he asked. The old woman touched her chin as if in thought, then shook her head. She took the necklace from where it hung and dangled it in front of you. Startled you stepped back.

"Since the young lady looks like she wants it so much," she reached out her hand, asking for yours. You hesitantly but slowly reached out, she grabbed your hand and placed the necklace on your palm. "You may have it." she smiled at you, but there was something behind the smile that you just can't pinpoint.

You held the necklace to you, "Are you sure? Please allow us to pay for its worth." you insisted, unable to shake the feeling that there was something in exchange for it, one that isn't said aloud.

She laughed and shook her head, "If I told you its worth, even this whole town—no—kingdom, won't be enough as payment." she replied, yet another hidden meaning behind her words. "Wear it and that shall be payment in itself, have a lovely day children." and she went back inside her tent.

"Thank you," you said after walking away. "That was generous of her, she must've liked you," Rowan said, eying the necklace you still held close to your chest.

Caelum took it from you and held it up, "May I?" he asked, offering to put it around your neck. You stood there a few second then immediately turned away from him and lifted your hair out of the way.

He eased the necklace around your neck, and clasped it from behind you. To other people's eyes, you looked like young lovers. "Thank you," you said, as you admired the feeling of it around your neck. You have never been interested in jewelry, but the piece of stone on your neck enticed you more than any piece of gem.

"Ehem," Rowan cleared his throat, raising an eyebrow at Caelum, "shall we proceed to our original destination?" he said curtly. You realized what had just happened and blushed. You immediately walked in front and started walking speedily.

"Well come on then," you said back to them, refusing to look at Caelum.

A few trips and turns later and you've arrived at an old shop. The window from outside was a kaleidoscope of colors, like a mixture of broken glass murals, combine into one piece. The sign on the door read, "Bubbling Beakers, Apothecary,".

You entered, the bell on the door ringed, alerting the owner, who was a big old burly man, who's ginger braided-beard cascaded from his face, all the way to his stomach. "Well if it isn't Lady Emilia," he greeted. "and you've brought in guests this time. I feel honored," he laughed gruffly. His beard flung as he bobbed his head backwards.

"I am Hanson Bekker, the owner of this humble shop. What can I do for you today?" he said after having his laugh.

"This is Caelum and Rowan, my friends slash classmates. We need to trap a Nogbee, do you have anything in store for that?" you motioned for Rowan to give Hanson the list of items. Hanson took the list and looked it over before going to the backrooms. A series of banging and objects falling could be heard from where he was.

"Is he alright?" Rowan asked, looking hesitant, as if wondering if you were in the right place. Then Hanson got out carrying a bunch of things, he laid them out on the counter with a thud, making Rowan flinch.

Hanson grunted, "There you are, a tight woven cloth made from Silken saliva, a firefly lamp, a skull of a Druid, and nectar from a Nogbee. Anything else?" you smirked, knowing you've come to the right place.

"No thank you, that's all. And how much for it?" you took out your pouch, filled with coins and currency from other towns.

"Ten Elkan." he said.

"Seven Ceran." you retaliated.

"Ten Elran, that's final." he said, ending the husstle.

You smiled since Ceran was twice the amount of Elran coins, which is worth two Elkan silver pieces in conversion. "Deal," you grinned happily, laying out the coins on the counter. He put your items in a bag and you went, "Visit again you little husstler." he grumbled halfheartedly.

"What happened to 'Lady Emilia'?" you teased, calling out his endearment for you. "I've told you, there's no longer a need for formalities," you added.

"Old habits dies hard, you take care now. See ya next month," he bid you, before bidding your farewells in return.

Once you were out of the shop, Caelum took the bag from you, "Thank you, so where do you want to go now?" you asked, since it was still early and there's still three hours left before you meet with everyone at Sylvan Grey's. "How about we walk around in case you find anything of interest?" you suggested and they nodded.

You then walked, entering a few shops here and there, but you were already familiar with them, considering you've been coming and going around the town since you were young. You've practically memorized the streets, but then one shop caught your attention.

It was in between two buildings, wedged within an alley. Or what used to be an alley, now there was a dark purple tent that was set up. There was a sign, but it was barely visible, "Elderwood Fortunetelling." it read on the small sign.

Rowan was inside the shop next to it, looking at different items for beast taming, while Caelum stood outside, looking bored as ever, so you took it upon yourself to take a peak inside the mysterious tent, disappearing inside its shadows.