Solvyrn Academy [1]

Sitting on the Sky Ark, Brandon leaned his head against the small window.

Outside, streaks of clouds rolled by against the vast expanse of sky, but his mind was anything but at peace.

'How long as has it been? I am sure its been some hours.'

'Great. They're probably deciding if I'm a threat or a science project.'

'And I am pretty sure, they are taking me to the Solvyrn Academy.'

Solvryn Academy is the biggest academy in the world which train awakeners to fight, towers, dungeons and ruptures.

These women train in academy and later join the military wing of the Sovereign Circle, which is called 'The Sentinels of Vryis.'

The woman who drove this Sky Ark is from one of the sub divison of the military called 'Rupture Hunters.'

The sound of soft footsteps broke his train of thought and he raised his head just in time to see Eira stepping into the cabin.

She looked a little hesitant and awkward but there was a nervous warmth in her smile.

"Um, need something to eat?" she asked, standing a few steps away from him. "It's going to be a while before we reach the Academy."

Looking at her Brandon shook his head "I don't need food. But… something to drink. Juice, preferably."

"Alright."

Eira nodded, her blonde hair swaying as she turned and left.

A moment later, she returned with a bottle of orange juice in her hands.

She tossed it to him, and he caught it mid-air, twisting the cap off before taking a long, satisfying drink.

The citrus taste was refreshing, but it couldn't quite wash away the bitterness in his thoughts.

Taking a soft breath, Brandon let out a dry chuckle "This might be the last juice I drink..."

Upon hearing this Eira couldn't help but giggle and asked "Why would you say that."

He placed the bottle beside him and replied "You know already... For some reason, I can use ether... and I am sure, the Sovereign Circle would not tolerate surprises like me."

"They'll probably tie me to a chair in some secret lab and poke me with needles. Maybe experiment on me to figure out why I can do what only women are supposed to do."

Eira shook her head helplessly and sat opposite to him on the couch getting amused by his thoughts "Seems like you watch a lot of movies. You got some wild imagination."

Looking at her, Brandon shrugged "Oh, come on. The Sovereign Circle's whole structure is built on the fact that only women can wield ether."

"That's their monopoly. Me? I'm a walking contradiction to their rules. And people in power? They don't like contradictions."

Eira's expression softened and she rested her hands on her knees "Look, I get why you're worried. But you helped me back there. You helped Calistra too. That counts for something."

Brandon nodded his head "I hope it does..."

Letting out a soft chuckle, she spoke "And, it's not like everyone would want to kill you... some might be curious about you or maybe even support you."

Her tone turned quite serious as she spoke "Calistra and I will also try to put a good name."

Brandon's gaze softened "I would appreciate that."

There was a small silence.

Looking at her, Brandon asked in concern "By the way, how do you feel now?" 

Eira exhaled softly as her shoulders relaxed slightly. "Mhm, I feel better now."

Brandon looked at her for a moment and his brow furrowed. "Do you… often get cardiac arrests like that?"

Eira shook her head, a hint of embarrassment coloring her cheeks. "No, not usually. I…"

She hesitated before taking a deep breath. "I've always been scared of fighting these Aberrants. I've had panic attacks before... sometimes really bad ones. And I do get anxious, especially in combat situations."

She paused, her fingers fidgeting in her lap. "But this was the first time it ever escalated into full cardiac arrest."

Hm? Brandon raised an eyebrow, clearly concerned. "If it's that bad... so bad it's literally threatening your life, wouldn't it be better to quit being an awakener? Maybe it's not the path for you."

Hearing that, Eira's gaze dropped to the floor and her smile faded. "Well… let's just say I have my own circumstances."

Brandon remained silent, giving her space to explain.

"I want to overcome this fear."

"I thought that if I kept pushing myself, I could get stronger. I could become someone who didn't freeze up when things got dangerous."

She took another breath before continuing, "That's why Calistra and I took the mission to clear the rupture in that area. It was supposed to be a D-rank rupture... a low-level one. Manageable. Nothing we couldn't handle."

Her fists clenched slightly in her lap as she continued "But after we entered, we realized too late that it was actually a C-rank rupture. It had stronger Aberrants than we were prepared for."

"And once you enter a rupture, you can't leave until you kill every Aberrant inside. You're trapped."

"And I... fainted looking at one of the Abberants... Ha, I am really useless."

Eira's shoulders slumped, and she stared at the floor with self-recrimination written all over her face.

Brandon could see the weight she was carrying... the guilt, the fear and the frustration with herself.

Brandon's eyes softened and he uttered "You are not useless, Miss Eira. Even though you know that you are very scared of those monsters... you tried to fight that fear. That's very admirable"

Eira's eyes widened at his words, and for a moment, there was a flicker of something fragile but hopeful behind her gaze.

She wasn't used to hearing praise like this, especially not from someone she had only just met.

Brandon gave a soft laugh, trying to lighten the mood "Honestly, I don't think I could ever do that."

Hearing this, Eira's gaze quivered and a faint smile appeared on her face.

But then she pouted her lips and crossed her arms over her chest "No, you liar... Calistra told me how confidently you fought against the Aberrant even though you have no experience."

"She said she was really impressed, actually. She couldn't believe how a man could move so well in combat without any formal training."

Brandon smiled wryly "Well, its in the heat of the moment... I managed to help her. Adrenaline does crazy things, I guess."

Eira leaned forward and her expression was soft but curious. "Still, it's not something just anyone can do."

"Most people freeze up when faced with their first Aberrant, even some trained awakeners. You didn't just survive... you fought back."

"I could never do that."

Hearing this, Brandon couldn't help but chuckle.

And seeing him laugh, a smile bloomed on Eira's lips as she felt like, after Calistra, she finally found someone to whom she could open her heart and talk to.

A few hours later, the Sky Ark reached the Academy.