Half Prologue III Vanathril Academy

As soon as the kid with the spiky red hair spoke up, several eyes were drawn to Sol.

People began to whisper amongst themselves already as if this was a common occurrence.

"W-what am I looking at?" Sol suddenly said in a calm tone, mimicking what the red-haired kid had just asked him. His voice sounded so normal that it threw some people off.

"Wait… he doesn't sound afraid like he normally does." A kid exclaimed with a slightly puzzled tone.

"Is he actually going to talk back to Henlai?"

"Pfft… no way." Another kid scoffed at the absurd idea.

"Yeah, I know but… look at him. He seems mad. His face is all down and everything."

It was true, Sol's face was pointed toward the floor, and his fists were clenched.

The reason for this was that Sol had been dealing with bullying all of his life.

After all, he went to an academy where most students were from wealthy noble families, and he was known as a half-noble. 

These 'half nobles' were rare, so they were ridiculed even more than normal kids.

However, in reality, Sol was far too scared to talk back. He was only facing the ground because he was too scared.

The reason why he spoke so calmly before was because he forced his voice and that was all he could muster at that moment.

Just then, The red-haired boy previously addressed by some people as 'Henlai' retorted, "Huh? Yeah, that's what I said. Do you want me to repeat it back to you or something?" He raised a brow as he stared at Sol with an annoyed gaze.

"S-sorry! You're right. Let me move… haha~" Sol quickly spoke up again, awkwardly laughing as he closed his eyes.

He began moving to another seat almost instantly, and thankfully, Henlai didn't say anything back.

'Phew… looks like he wasn't in the mood to mess with me today. Thank god!' Sol thought to himself as he arrived at the only seat that was left empty.

Unfortunately for Sol, that seat was Henlai's previous seat at the back of the bus, where the angry eyes of Henlai's friends pierced through him like he was a doll.

Sol nervously sat down and found himself sweating bullets for the rest of the ride.

After a few minutes, however, people's attention reverted back to their own conversations.

He was finally given some easier air to breathe, so he decided to peer out the window to calm himself even more.

The academy he was going to was the most prominent within Hllscani.

This didn't mean that it was the greatest in the nation, as other prominent schools rivaled it within the four other Outer Sanctions surrounding the Major Sanctuary or Kingdom; Seeranthel.

Nonetheless, getting into it was big news within Hllscani. This revered academy went by the name of "Vanathril Academy of Prodigious Arts" Or simply "Vanathril" for short.

As he looked through the window, he felt the Huun travel at top-notch speeds.

Tall buildings whizzed past Sol's window as the Huun soon exited the center of Hllscani. 

It traveled out into the rural countryside fields where farmers grew grain and food, and then even farther out into the tamed forests.

Tamed forests looked like rich and luscious verdants with many animals and plants thriving within them.

The one within the large Sanction of Hllscani was called the Forest of Jetai. 

Tamed forests were rich in resources and resembled normal forests.

This was evident to Sol, who was staring out of his window into the depths of the thick forest right now.

What separated tamed forests from normal ones was the fact that, as the name suggested, they were domesticated by the Imperial Army. This meant that each and every inch of the forest acted according to how the Sanctuary wanted it to be.

However, it didn't mean that wilderness still didn't exist within tamed forests. 

It was more so the case that tamed forests were under constant surveillance and barriers, allowing for an environment that was deemed perfect by the nation.

Jetai was known as the Adventurer's Forest as well, due to its different sections that allowed adventurers of all different power levels to hunt and train within it.

Of course, excluding those who were too strong.

The Juun whipped past large and small trees, soaring above other large vines and roots before finally arriving at a magnificent area.

The trees cleared up to make space for a large mountain that held its head high inside of Jetai.

The top of the mountain was flattened like pie, and that was where the academy of Vanathril was located.

Sol's Juun, along with several others beside his, traveled through the high barrier surrounding the campus of Vanathril like a small swarm of fast moving wasps.

Finally, they arrived at the base of the grand institution.

There, a line of Juuns made their way past a more advanced-looking civilization from the one down below in the center of Hllscani.

There existed several shops and stores, along with service and production facilities. 

Not far away were the homes of those who had their homes within Vanathril's campus for easy commuting.

At the end of Sol's journey, his Juun stopped at the giant courtyard of Vanathril.

The academy itself was glorious and enormous to gaze upon. It looked like the palace of an emperor.

Grand in size, and consisting of many different spaces and parts of architecture.

As he exited the vehicle, hundreds of kids all around him began walking toward the front doors of the school.

Sol, however, immediately snuck behind the courtyard, which was blocked in by white silver gates.

As he did, he found himself walking on a clear path empty of any students.

He looked around once more before taking in a deep breath and sighing in relief.

'Good... this way, I don't have to talk to anyone. I won't be bothered either.' A delighted smile appeared on Sol's face as he began to walk with determination.

'The finals are coming... I have to concentrat--' Before he could even finish his thoughts, however, a hand suddenly tugged on his shoulder.

He jumped in shock before turning around and flailing his hands in the air.

He shut his eyes tightly and yelled, "Please! Don't hurt me! I--" but he stopped talking as his eyes slowly reopened.

Instead of the usual bullies that he had expected to see, it was an unfamiliar face.

"Hey! My name is Kennan Ision, nice to meet ya'! You seem like an interesting guy... what can I call you?" A tall young man with buzz-cut green hair and a slit in his eyebrow said to Sol with a bright smile as he raised his hand forward for a shake.

"W-what?" Sol was completely thrown off the rails, 'No one has ever called me that before...'