As the sun has been set long ago, darkness loomed over the supercontinent of Xynnar.
Somewhere, a passenger train is traveling at a speed of almost 300 km/hr.
By the time it was midnight, several people fell asleep. The compartment where Azzy was sitting was no different either.
Claire appeared to be a bit intimate as she was sleeping on his shoulder while grabbing his arm.
On one hand, he couldn't sleep due to his racing heartbeat and on another side, he doesn't want to free himself.
In the end, to calm his heart, he could only focus on looking outside through the glass window. Behind his seat, Gideon was also awake. However, his expression tells that he wasn't in a mood to talk but kept glancing at Snivy who was asleep.
<strong>A few hours earlier;</strong>
"Okay, I'm taking my leave. Someone will be here shortly. He will take you around." Once the explanations are finished, Hailey left the new cadets at the conference room, telling them to wait for their superior.
There was a brief silence filled in the room. Everyone is digesting all the information of their training regime.
"Guys, our train leaves at 10 p.m. We still have nearly six hours." Claire broke the silence, looking at her pocket watch. "Should we spend our time here or should we go and tour around the city?"
Usually, she would also be in the same situation as others but as today is Valentine's Day, she thought maybe, they could have their first date in the meantime. She was completely in a different world from the others.
Snivy and Gideon stared at her in silence as if what's wrong with her.
"Hmm? What?" She looked at them cluelessly.
"Nothing." Both of them shook their head.
A few minutes later, a handsome hunk entered the room in his military outfit, surprising Azzy and Claire a bit.
"Hello, I'm Neal, captain of Squadron-Z. You can address me as Captain Neal if you want to be formal or big bro Neal if you want to be informal, considering Azrael is my junior brother."
After an introduction, he looked at Azzy and smiled, "it's been a while."
While Neal was pleased to see Azzy, the latter wasn't. He still remembered how this guy caused trouble when he visited Aclein Academy during the Annual tournament.
"Master doesn't consider you as his disciple. So, neither I'm your junior brother nor you are my senior brother. Please refrain from acting like we are close." Azzy replied in his indifferent tone. Everyone immediately glanced at him. Even Neal was surprised at this animosity. He wondered whether it was because of his words at Barton before departing.
In fact, Azzy could care less about him but now that he accepted Barton as his Prime Master, anyone who is hated by his master couldn't be an ally of his. Barton's enemies are his enemies. That's how the relationship between a Prime Master and his disciples works.
As a person who was abandoned and hated by his master, Azzy cannot possibly act nice to him. But, they don't have enmity either. So, he did try to put a wall between them and try to consider him as a stranger just like any other passerby on the road.
But, Neal wasn't a kid that he gets offended by Azzy's statement. He smiled in response, "well, once you pass the sixth level and become a private, we will be brothers-in-arms and you will be my junior."
Azzy doesn't have anything to defend this counterattack. So, he shut up his mouth and stayed quiet while Neal changed the topic, "Anyway, by now, you must have learned about your training. Now, follow me. I'll take you on a tour around the Headquarters."
Five hours later, Neal dropped them at the train station. Snivy had this look of excitement on her face as she felt it was worth joining the organization. Gideon and Claire were also satisfied with the facilities.
As for Azzy, he felt that it was just a giant version of Northern Qudour's Special Force HQ. Of course, there are a few things that impressed him like the gravity chamber that has a range from 0.32g to 32g. He also liked the dorms for cadets. The rooms were spacious and were very modern, extremely similar to those from sci-fi movies.
And the most important feature that he liked is that they have a portal point within the building to go to Arcana world at any time and also have a special training room where the fifth-tier cadets were wearing VR headsets and doing stunts around. There was a scoreboard above them.
At first, everyone was confused and after Neal explained the details, they understood that they were playing a game but competing against each other at the same time.
Everything was fine until they aboard the train. And just ten minutes later, as the train reached the outskirts of the city and started to accelerate quickly, Snivy let out a comment while looking outside. "Guys, I decided to move to Silver City."
"Eh?" Even Azzy and Claire turned around to look at her in surprise. It was then, she explained, "Eternal Educational Institutions' main branch is here and WAMO is also here. So, it would become easier for me if I become an exchange student. After getting back, I'll talk with my parents."
Since Azzy didn't have that much of a friendship with her, he took the matter lightly.
Claire also supported her decision, thinking that they will meet every month either way. Gideon didn't know why but felt a little bit sad despite having only a few weeks of friendship.
<strong>One month later;</strong><strong></strong>
<strong></strong>The week of final examinations arrived on Tuesday. Being full prepared, Azzy went to the exam hall and took his seat.
<strong>Orlon Language Test</strong>
Hurley:
"What many men desire! That "many" may be meant
By the fool multitude, that choose by show,
Not learning more than the fond eye doth teach;
Which pries not to the interior, but like the martlet,
Builds in the weather on the outward wall,
Even in the force and road of casualty.
I will not choose what many men desire."
1) Why is it in this place? What is the inscription that he has just read, and on which casket was it found?
2) List the conditions that Hurley had to promise to abide by before he was allowed to choose a casket.
3) Explain in your own words, the comparison that Hurley makes between the martlet and the foolish multitude.
4) Which casket does Hurley eventually choose? What does he find inside the casket that he chooses?
5) How does Hurley respond when he discovers that he had made the wrong choice?
6) What does this reveal about Hurley's character?
********
"Hmm…" Azzy was thinking about the novel where this piece was written. He was wondering which chapter it was… Orlon's literature is a bit difficult for him but where his wolf can memorize everything and the Reaper transfers the knowledge to him during his sleep, Azzy never felt the need to worry about the test.
"Oh, Chapter-7, page-52…" Azzy could even see the page in his mind. The knowledge transfer was different from memorizing and store in the brain. It can never be forgotten at any time.
Azzy started to write answers to the question. There are a few more questions on the same novel, although from different chapters, nevertheless, Azzy answered them quickly and now, it was the poetry section that came as an opponent.
"For oft, when on my couch I lie.
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude."
1) Who is the speaker? Describe the sight that greeted his eyes when he was out walking in the countryside.
2) Where were the daffodils growing? To what does the poet compare the flowers?
3) What effect does the scene have on the poet?
4) What is the 'wealth' mentioned in the poem? How do the daffodils outdo the waves?
(v) Compare the poet's mood at the start of the poem with his mood at the end. What do you suppose caused this change in mood?
"Ugh… The questions got tougher than the first semester examinations." Azzy felt a little bit troubled with the poetry section as he had memorized them, didn't receive a knowledge transfer from the Reaper.
<strong>Three hours</strong> <strong>later;</strong><strong></strong>
He came out of the exam hall, being satisfied with his performance.
....
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