“Val, are you one hundred percent sure this is a good idea?” Abigail said, at the doorstep to my room as I was pacing back and forth to think of what to pack for tomorrow, rubbing her elbows a bit in an empathetic gesture of vulnerability, trying her best to be a mother. “I mean… what if you aren’t…”

  “Jade blooded? it doesn't matter, even if I'll be red blooded like everyone, my faith can still be a source, I'll just become a teacher” I said passionately, I thought about everything already. I never demanded anything from Zond, I was never even mad when he didn't save my parents from passing... That's just life and Zond created it so that things don't always go our way.

  “I see…” I knew she wanted to give her two pieces of advice, that I am not some “special girl”, that all my life I was raised as a simple farmer and going to a city with aristocrats to learn magic and fighting.. and fighting I knew I won't be too bad, don't think those aristocrats ever wrestled with crocodiles, but I wasn't good with all the brain-things I guess.

  “Look, you can say what you really think, I won't be mad, I have faith and I don't want you to be stuck thinking about what you should've said. Zond teaches us to never be stuck in the past” I told my sister. I was good at saying strong things. She stopped for a second, and then got closer and hugged me. I wanted to tell her that I don't need constant physical affection and that's when it dawned on me that I was thinking about her like she's my mom again, and not as the sister that was forced into that role.

  “I just don't want your heart to break, Val”

  “...Worst case scenario I’ll know if I'm not made for this before I can't take back the entrance fee.”

  “I know” She hugged me harder and then released “I'll go take care of Turkeys, good luck” and there ended our conversation, a lot more peaceful than I thought.

  So now i had to choose what to bring, high ranks in Sun Academy always said “True Warriors of Zond can fit all of their belongings into one warrior’s basket” But i quickly found out that that's just a myth, just the essentials barely fitted two warrior baskets and when I had to bring other smaller stuff like socks, bras and underwear just in case i had to use another small bag. Fuck, even I can't bear this much weight… Gonna have to pray extra hard that nothing rips open.

  When the sun went down, my two best friends Lilly and Helen celebrated with me, not much to talk about. Just drinking pulque*1, getting wasted… At least I assume because next thing I knew it was morning, I had no memories of the event and I was hungover.

  My sister insisted on walking me to the canal, I pretended I didn't need help with all the bags. It honestly made me smile how much time she took for me, I guess she realised I was going to be gone for a long time.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  When the boat finally came we placed the baskets, i got to hug my sister one last time and get into the boat. After a few minutes the man piloting the boat had to ask “Oh, so many warrior baskets, are you going to be a Priest?”

  “I got accepted, but maybe. Depends if I get Jade blood or not” I was brutally honest, any other new student would've said “Of course, I'm going to fight the evil away and be Zond’s star of the night!” But I wasn't that kind of girl, I liked keeping my expectations modest.

  “Aha! I see” The man chuckled a bit. “You know how to put on the priest’s ceremonial uniform?”

  “Of course, I even found a veteran to try it from” His question made me happy. I already knew I was going to be ahead of some of the new recruits, most of them didn't even know the seven aspirations of Zond, at least for the first month I'm ahead of everyone.

  “Ah, you're so smart.”

  “No I'm not.” Despite my head constantly reaffirming that I am super smart, I had to stay humble. One of Zond's teachings “All I did was just plan a little ahead.”

  “I guess so..” The man said and got back to rowing the boat in silence, meanwhile I looked at the jungles of the farmland, slowly daydreaming off to my imagination as the earthliness of the jungle slowly got less and more modern. Even the river slowly merged to the man-made one. Stone edges, artificial straight lines. It became kind of a jam when more boats merged into the path and I had to keep an eye out that no thieves were thinking about my baskets.

  And finally after piloting the boat under a long, long bridge it was here, for the first time I got to see the highway of Xochilqot road, the most artificial one. A giant, wide river with a clever system that filtered fish to smaller paths. I remembered the things the village’s priest said but I did not consider he wasn't making an exaggeration.

  “Okay, I turn away from your path here.” The old man stopped the boat. “You're gonna have to get to the temple on foot, good luck.” I took my belongings and he rowed away.

  After the river there was a huge market in the way which of course being a humble woman I elegantly walked past, I didn't need any stupid trinkets or good luck charms. Also good on my part to make locks for all my baskets ahead of time. After some directions I finally got to the ancient stone gates of the Academy… and it was locked.

  “Entrance ceremony starts at night, and comes back at sunset.” The Northerner guard calmly reinstated. Wearing iron coated copper chainmail over his guard’s uniform. Seems the academy had really good funding.

  “I got accepted, can't I just come in?”

  “No” He said and slammed the blunt end of his spear on the ground to affirm his words.

  “Am i going to have to carry all this shit with me for half a day?”

  “No, you put it here, with everyone else’s” There was a small pile of baskets and bags from other newcomers, all probably just as disappointed from the wait as she was.

  “Do I have to wait here with all of them…”

  “You can go to the market, distract yourself.” The guard confidently claimed.

  “But… someone might steal them…”

  “You don't look like the type that stays in one place for long.”

  “Hey!”

  “Don't worry, no one will dare steal, at least not on the first day, and certainly not from well locked baskets.”

  “...I see” I took my belongings and placed them all along the others. The other newcomers that were waiting had really expensive garments, clearly aristocrats, so I avoided talking to them. Eventually I really did get bored and decided to grab some of my jade beads*2 and go to the market.

  [1. A type of alcoholic beverage.

  2. The monetary system uses jade beads ( J ) ]