At the break of dawn, Oscar got up from his small bed, rubbing his eyes. He hadn't felt this relaxed in a while. It had been a wild set of events since the Grand Gathering.
After many tense nights in the tent at Hurin Plains, the nightmares of Frederick's demise, and the anxiousness of seeing his family, Oscar finally felt refreshed in the morning.
"You're up? Just wait a little; let's have breakfast before you leave." Gwen told her son. "Your father is currently getting some eggs. Wash yourself up."
"Yes." Oscar yawned as he went outside. The fresh morning air of his farm was like a mellow dew that he hadn't tasted in a long time. His hands felt the cool water in the bucket.
"Aaaaaaaaaa." The coolness spread over his face and hair—a refreshing sensation across his entire being.
After washing his face, Oscar noticed his dad, Henry, had returned.
"Good morning, son. I got these eggs from the village." Henry smiled while carrying a basket of eggs. The display of a muscular, tall bear-like man with a small basket of eggs was comical.
"Good morning, dad. Mom's waiting inside."
"We don't want to keep her waiting. You know how she gets if we're late." Henry hurried him to the door.
The entire Terr family gathered around the small table with a platter of fried eggs, bread, cheese, bacon, and fresh juice. Gwen constantly placed more food on Oscar's plate as he ate.
Thanks to being an Exalt, his capacity for food was larger, so he easily kept up with his mom's over-doting. He made sure to savor every bite.
After the end of the meal, Gwen handed Oscar a pile of neatly folded clothes. "I have some clothes patched up for you. Make sure to stay warm."
Oscar held the clothes carefully. He put it away and hugged his mom, "I'll be fine. Tell me if anything happens, and I'll rush back."
"Hey! Can't have a family hug without your father!" Henry barged into the house and tightened them both in a bear hug.
"Stop it, you oaf! I'll be squished!" Gwen's face reddened.
"Hahahaha." Oscar and Henry simply laughed together.
Oscar had tears in his eyes. There was no telling when he would be back next. In a tearful farewell, he departed his home.
On the way, he decided to stop at Uncle Carlson's. But when he arrived, he didn't knock on the door.
"Uncle Carlson. I'm leaving now. If you want, you can send me letters. I'll reply to them. If there's any news of Isabella, I'll mention it."
Oscar then placed some gold coins, wrapped in cloth, before the front door and bowed. "I'm leaving some money here for you as thanks for taking care of me as a child. Please live peacefully and take good care of yourself."
A long while after Oscar departed, the door slowly opened, revealing Uncle Carlson with a sad expression. The wrinkled old man looked down at the gold coins on the floor and wept.
"That idiot. Why give so much to me? I'm just a failure." Carlson picked up the coins and gripped them tightly as if he wanted to crush them. But sometime after, his grip loosened.
"Take care of yourself." He whispered.
In his hands was a bottle of wine. Carlson took a long look at it before throwing it away.
It shattered on the dirt path, spilling the red wine into the ground.
Without looking back, Carlson went back inside.
…….
Greenwich City
Oscar changed into his Blue Ocean Pavilion uniform and waited for the airship to arrive. The people around gazed at him in awe. That was the presence granted by being affiliated with the Pavilion.
The stares and whispers bothered Oscar. He disliked the way people stared at him in awe or curiosity. It was like being an animal in a zoo.
As if arriving to help him, the airship finally docked in port.
"It's been a while. I wonder what's happening in the Pavilion?" Oscar muttered as he got on.
A few days later, Oscar saw the great walls and palaces of the Blue Ocean Pavilion come into view. The gilded castles and walls of sapphire were still an awe-inspiring view.
Walking through the Outer Hall, Oscar noticed more people around than before. Even considering the new first-year students, Oscar didn't expect this many. Had there been that many people who passed the trials?
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"You've returned." An old, familiar elder appeared out of nowhere.
"Elder Saul! It's been a few months." Oscar smiled. No matter what, at least this elder was always the same.
"Do you know why there are many more people than before?" Oscar asked.
"Hmph. It's so noisy. They're trampling all over the grass without any respect."
Elder Saul looked slightly annoyed, which Oscar never thought he'd see out of this elder. The elder didn't answer Oscar's question and simply went away.
Confused, Oscar returned to his dorm room. There was no speck of dust within due to the servants cleaning the empty rooms. But despite its large size and clean look, he felt it was lacking compared to his home.
"I should go to the Foundry and get my buckler. I wonder how the Rainbow Didus's beak improved it." Not wanting to stay in his room, Oscar decided to make himself busy.
The Foundry was the same as ever, with the clouds of smog and darkness caused by the large chimney.
Within its walls, Oscar gave his badge to a fabricator.
"I had a request to fix my obsidian buckler with the materials of the Rainbow Didus beak. Is it finished?"
The fabricator checked Oscar's badge and handed it back to him. "We finished it one month ago. It used quite a lot of the beak, but the leftovers were great to work with."
The anonymous fabricator went to the back and returned with Oscar's obsidian buckler, but at certain times, it would gleam rainbow-colored light by the flickering flames nearby.
"The beak had a unique property that made the armament shine multiple colors under the flickering light. Its hardness is great for a Grade One, and we adjusted the throwing aspect." The fabricator seemed happy, and they gleefully praised their work.
"Thank you." Oscar held his buckler and felt it was heavier than before, but that was a minor inconvenience to his increased strength.
It felt comfortable to have the buckler on his back; a sense of security rose up in him.
After leaving the Foundry, Oscar continued to do the other tasks on his mental list. The first was to collect the Ein Amassing Elixirs that he did not get. The collection center was in the home of the alchemists, the Palace of Whirlpools.
Normally, the elixirs made their way to Oscar's hands by in-person delivery, but since he was not present for three months, he'd have to retrieve them himself.
The Palace of Whirlpools.
It was a surreal sight. The palace walls were adorned with small circular pools of water that swirled into the center and flowed down to another pool. The non-linear design of the pools was intriguing.
Various crystal reefs decorated the paths and walls, glimmering endlessly with the light refracted from the flowing water.
Oddly enough, it was in the same area as the Foundry. The dark clouds could be seen in the distance. No matter what, the fabricators and alchemists were directly opposed to each other, taking up locations opposite each other.
"Hello. I am here to collect my stock of Ein Amassing Elixir." Oscar came up to the counter and placed his badge on top.
Unlike the furious furnaces of the Foundry, the Palace of Whirlpools had private rooms for each individual and a larger room for group alchemy, so the front was emptier.
The main hall was sparkling with marbled floors that reflected Oscar's figure and large pillars with more small pools of water that swirled down.
"Let me check." An elderly man dressed in blue robes that extended down to his feet came out to service Oscar. He checked Oscar's information and pulled out two Ein Amassing Elixirs.
"Your elixirs are here. Anything else?" The elderly alchemist asked.
"No, that'll be all. Thank you."
Just before Oscar left, the elderly alchemist said, "If you wish to see an alchemy competition, there is an alchemy showdown happening in the Azure City next week. Typically, they are done behind closed doors, but the participants wished it to be public."
"Is that so? Then I'll have to check that out." Oscar was interested in this. He always wanted to witness the art of alchemy firsthand.
"Then enjoy." The elder smiled.
With the two elixirs in hand, Oscar almost skipped happily away but quickly calmed himself down. These elixirs might be great, but it was not enough to advance to a Greater Apprentice Exalt.
"Lastly, I need to go to the Mission Hall. To confirm the details and rewards for Nicholas's mission."
The Mission Hall was crowded with activity. Many people were in the Apprentice Wing of the Mission Hall, clamoring and arguing. Some argued within their own groups about what mission to undertake, while others nearly fought physically over the same mission.
After being gone for months, Oscar did not feel like taking a mission anytime soon. He went on to the Judge who was overseeing the Apprentice Wing.
"My name is Oscar Terr. I am here on behalf of my friend, Nicholas, to collect my reward."
"Which mission was it?" The Judge's eyes lifted up from his documents to Oscar.
"Retrieving the Egg of a Rainbow Didus." Oscar passed his badge.
The Judge opened a drawer underneath to look for the particular mission and found it with a stamp, meaning it was a special case. An additional page was attached containing Oscar's details and what occurred.
"Hmmm." The Judge's eyes scanned the page and finished it off with a sigh.
"As Exalts, every step we take can be our last. That is why we strive to become stronger. However, it is regrettable that four students have passed away."
Oscar's badge shone from the Judge's gesture. He placed two elixirs on the table and passed them to Oscar.
"The mission was originally worth 4000 contribution points as well as two Ein Amassing Elixirs and two Heal Elixirs. You would have received 1500 points, but with the payments made to the Foundry for your buckler, it has been put down to 900. This Ein Amassing Elixir and Heal Elixir are yours."
Oscar thanked the Judge and collected the elixirs. With this, he currently held three Ein Amassing Elixirs and one Heal Elixir.
"One more thing. Your friend has been properly buried in his home village as requested. I wish you good fortune in your Exalthood."
"Thank you. Nicholas is surely at peace now." Oscar felt some relief that Nicholas's last wishes had been fulfilled.
With the last errand done, Oscar returned to the Outer Hall to relax in the gardens. But the chattering and the stomping of many others irritated and disturbed his peace.
"This is why Elder Saul must have been so annoyed. Just what is with all these people?" Oscar decided to go inside the Commune to grab a meal.
Inside the cafeteria, Oscar got a heaping pile of food and began to eat calmly yet fast.
"You eat as much as usual." A bold yet enchanting voice interrupted his meal.
Emily was watching over Oscar from the side with a small grin. She had grown taller in the past three months and was slightly bigger than Oscar. Her orange eyes contained a hint of weariness.
"Emily…." He was going to visit her next after his meal.
"It's been three months. But….what happened to you?" Emily saw Oscar's missing ear and was aghast.
"It's a long story. What about you? You don't look so well."
"I guess we have a lot to say to each other. Want to go to a private training room?" Emily suggested.
"Sure."