Part 1: The Academy
Chapter one
He opened his eyes to the thousands of green needles swimming in the blue ocean above him. Kain sat up and rubbed his eyes, staring up at the massive pine tree he had dozed off under. It was surprisingly warm for this time of year; the cool green grass provided a soothing contrast.
The young man worked up some strength and stood up, his orange hair falling in front of his face. He brushed it behind his right ear, revealing his captivating orange eyes. His eyes were quite mesmerizing, reflecting even the smallest traces of light; the orbs constantly gave off a faint glow.
Kain strode over to the trunk of the giant pine and bent over to grab the sword he had rested against the tree. With sword in hand, he walked away from the tee and into the sun. The warm rays beat down onto his face; he closed his eyes and took in the gentle heat. Most would find the fiery heat unpleasant, but Kain always enjoyed the flaming heat; it soothed him and gave him warm comfort.
His eyes let out a small glimmer of light as he opened them, gazing into that sky so blue. He lifted up his blade, reflecting the sun into his eyes. The sword was forged of peculiar steel; it was silver, yet at the same time had a blue hue to its blade.
"Ahh…" Kain thought to himself, "Adamant makes such beautiful blades. It's as if I had pulled down the sky itself…"
He lowered his sword and buried it deep into the scabbard tied to his belt. A slight breeze picked up, cooling him down and blowing his hair back in front of his eyes.
He looked back up at the sun, not bothering to move his hair.
"Damn, time for class already? I slept longer than I thought."
Kain walked across the green field dotted with pine trees and their needles, toward the Dragoon Academy of Li'Telor. It was a large campus that had only opened within recent years. As the dragoons came back into the world of Vana'Diel a hundred and twenty years prior, more and more people showed interest in the profession. Only a select few, however, received the privilege of becoming a full-fledged dragoon and training at the academy. Kain's great-great uncle, Seyonne, had been the one to bring dragoons back from extinction, so Kain had always been guaranteed a spot at the academy. In fact, he had lived there most of his life.
He walked across the field toward the main castle. The academy was tucked in a small clearing in the forest to the northeast of the Sanctuary of Zi'Tah. There was a rod cleared through the forest to a set of docks on the Oceanside. Using a sea route was the only safe way of getting to the academy; the Sanctuary was the only other way, and it was littered with stone golems and goblin squads. Kain had sailed in from his home in the Tavnazian Archipelago using these docks.
As Kain walked through the courtyard toward his class, he glanced up at the statue of Erpalacion, the last dragoon before their extinction. The giant stone figure stood ten feet tall, carved out of pure amethyst. The mighty stone Elvaan stood with his lance in hand, giving an intimidating yet inspirational image to all the students.
"Even if the mightiest of warriors fall, and an entire race dies, there is always hope." Was carved into the base of the statue on a golden plaque.
Kain continued past the statue without a second thought, entering the stone halls of the castle. He went up many flights of stairs, calmly and cooling despite his being terribly late. He walked down a long deserted hall before going down a set of stairs and into a wooden door at the bottom.
"You are latar-"the professor stopped himself from repeating his bad habit, "you are late!"
"I took a nap…lasted longer than I expected." Kain muttered as he stood in the doorways.
"Humph, take your seat."
Kain walked over to his metal stool next to the stone desk. He sat next to the girl Trice, who was the closest thing he had to a friend at the academy.
Trice was a charming young girl. She had very dark brown hair, often mistaken for black. It has a brilliant shimmer in the sun, and is easily recognizable as its natural color under such conditions. She was about the same size as Kain, a little taller actually, but no one really noticed. She had eyes of aqua, a clear color with a hint of blue, just enough to give them life. Her eyes always reminded Kain of a slightly cloudy sky; blue, but with a beautiful white to distort it.
Kain sat down, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to wake himself up as much as he could. He lifted his head from his hands, his hair dimming the glow from his eyes.
Professor Chiku-Biku continued his lecture about something Kain really didn't care to learn about. The professor was a Tarutaru, a race that are short, cute, and child-like; their looks do not reflect their age, however. Chiku-Biku, who all the students called Chibiku, was one of the most skilled teachers in the entire academy, despite being just less than three feet tall.
Chibiku paced back and forth across his raised pedestal, going on about the dragoon's part in the Crystal Wars. Kain stared blankly toward the front of the room, pretending to be paying attention. He looked over to Trice, who had already fallen asleep on the stone table.
A purple blur flew across the room, slamming down hard on Trice and Kain's desk. Trice was shook back into consciousness by the violent thud on the stone. Chibiku stood on the desk in front of her, his golden hair flung about his face. Although standing on the table, he was still eye-to-eye with Trice.
"Ahem- there shall be NO sleeping in my classroom, Miss Trice!" and with a quick twist of his short arm, Chibiku gabbed his lance and thrust it straight through a picture Trice had been doodling. He pulled his lance back up, revealing a small hole in the grey stone of the desk. "No drawing either, you shall pay attention in class OR ELSE!" he crumpled the paper into a little ball and threw it at Kain's head. "The same goes to you, Kain." Chibiku holstered his lance across his back, and with little effort leaped back to his front desk.
Kain and Trice both grumbled something under their breaths, and went back to sleepily watching the lecture.