Moros woke up a few hours later in the head sister's office. Apparently he had passed out due to virtue fatigue. However that didn't spare him from the lecture of a life time.
Ears pulled, butt spanked... the works. It reminded him of his younger days, when he and his sister used to be little gremlins. They were always in the head sister's office, always on their final warning before they would be thrown out..but in the end always forgiven. But thats to say he felt embarrassed being here again, 16 but still the orphanage 'menace' according to head sister Patricia.
In the end, he got off with just a letter of disobedience, something he would only fully understand once he made it to the academy.
"I hope for your sake, you don't pull a stunt like this at the academy, " Sister Patrica scolded as Moros stuffed the letter into his robes.
Moros simply nodded. With sister Patricia, you had to remain quiet or it would activate yet another lecture. And as it stood he was already running late for the academy sky train.
"I'm serious Moros," she said, more softly this time. "The academy is different from the rest of the church. The lord knows their cause is a holy one, but their methods are..."
Moros nodded again.
She smiled, the wrinkles on her face not doing much to mask her beauty. She held his cheek and pinched it. "You will be dearly missed boy, all your troubles considered. "
In that moment, it sort of hit him. He had spent 10 years here waiting for the day he could leave. For the day he could start his journey to avenge the loved ones he had lost on that dark day. But throughout all these years, he had found family in this orphanage. People who cared for him.
"I... I can come visit right?"
"What are you even saying, child? I'll track you down and give you a spanking if you miss even a single holiday here," she said with a serious expression.
"You're the only one here who can make half decent cup of tea," she said, gesturing to the empty tea cups on the table.
"Now go, you'll be late for the train."
Moros turned to leave, before suddenly pausing. He ran back to give her a hug.
"Goodbye, sister Patricia."
"Goodbye Moros."
*
Moros rushed to pack his luggage, all the other apostles had already boarded the train.
He found it waiting just outside the orphanage, surrounded by onlookers. In fact he was certain that people from around the city had left their homes just to come see it. And he couldn't blame them.
It was a behemoth of a machine. Like a bronze basilisk, that breathed steam and magic. Even now as it stood idle, it floated slightly off the ground, it's bronze plating shimmering almost gold under the sunlight due to all the magical power its engine emanated...a relic of old technology from the Lost Century.
"Do you know your cabin number?" A young priest asked, right as Moros made it to the doors.
He struggled to hold out his ticket, fumbling to keep his luggage from falling out his hands.
"Cabin 302," the priest whispered, reading the runes off the ticket.
"Follow the main walk way, until you reach section C, you should see the cabin number over head, " he instructed .
Moros nodded and went on his way.
As he walked through the isle, he noticed me faces, children who weren't from the orphanage. And judging by their fancy clothing, and the looks of disdain they have him, he concluded they were kids from the city.
'Best to avoid them. I've already heard the stories,' he thought right as he made it to section C.
Once he got to his cabin, he dumped all his bags and lay down on the bed. Sister's Patricia's coach hadn't been much of a comfortable resting spot.
And he still had things to think about. For instance, his 'Spiritual Rite.'
The sisters had taken a look at it. And all they could confirm was that it wasn't a heretic rite. But it's exact origins was still a mystery. He sold have to wait until the advent until he could find out more.
"Still, what read that dream about?"
'Widower of light and son of shadows.'
That second part in particular rubbed him the wrong way. The only shadows he knew about were the armored of the east, the empire that had razed his home city to the ground and had murdered millions with their demonic magic.
"Son of shadows, huh?" He reached into his luggage abs pulled out the academy book he had been given. It wouldn't be an entire day before they reached the academy, so he had time to do a little research of his own.
Right as he opened the book, the train hummed to life.
"Good afternoon, students. Please make your way to your cabins, we are about to depart for Writheborn Academy."
The train lifted slightly off the ground, and Moros rushed to the windows. The onlookers were wavung as they lifted higher and higher into the sky. Hw could make out some of the sisters whobhad raised him, they were crying as they waved.
Sister Patricia was behind them, a stoic expression on her face. She looked more worried than sad.
"I guess this truly is a new chapter in my life."
And with that, the train bolted towards the sky at incredible speed, yet strangely, it felt as if they were still standing still.
Moros retreated back to his bed after staring at the clouds for a while. Even though he could apend hours staring out that window in fascination, he had queations that needed answeting... answers that only the book could give right now.
He opened the first page.
[From the moment one is baptised, they become an apostle of the one true lord.
And they are bound by the laws of Jenevah.]
"Jenevah? Ive heard that name before..."
'The dream!' He excitedly continued on to the next lines.
[Law 1: An apostle shall not be tempted by the unfaithful or their works.]
Moros yawned. It seemed that this book would be much like all the other literature of thid city. Filled with obvious laws, and commandments of all sorts.
He skimmed through the book looking for other mentions of Jenevah.
After a while, he fell asleep.
*
He awoke to a loud banging on his cabin doors.
"Did we already arrive?" He whispered groggily, rubbing his eyes as he walked to open the door.
Several hooded figures rushed in. Two of them, grabbed his arms holding him down, while the others stood behind him.
"Whats going on!" he shouted, struggling to free himself.
"Take him," one of the figures ordered.
And the world went black.