Awakening Chronicles

Chapter 26

For the first time in recent memory, I got to feel heat ravage my flesh. It was unpleasant, but it was welcome. I opened my eyes and was greeted by the sight of a stone wall that cast shade onto the alleyway that Nemesis and I were standing in. I soaked in the heat for a moment before I mentally reactivated my resistances, and the familiar feeling of balance washed over me. I let out a sigh and carefully walked over to the entrance of the alley and peeked out the corner. The roads were barren, but I could hear a large crowd chanting in the distance. I'm guessing there was an event of some sort going on.

I crept back over to Nemesis, and she reached into a pocket and pulled out a small bit of twine and wrapped her hair into a loose ponytail. She reached back into her pocket and pulled out another tiny bit of brown string and handed it over. "Trust me; this will save your life. Long hair can get annoying at times." She told me as I stared at the twine blankly.

"Erm, Nemesis, I'm not sure how to do this; I have never had long hair before," I told her as I handed it back to her outstretched hand. She smiled and stepped behind me, and I could feel my hair being pulled up as she went to work, putting it into a ponytail.

"It's okay; I'll teach you a few tricks here and there on this. Also down here, my name is Svana Velitus. What's your Kairos?" She asked me as she set my hair down, and I ran my hands across it, enjoying its silky texture.

"It's Nia Mclaughlin. Though I don't think I will be using my last name. Mind if I use yours for now? Even though you stole it from Lucifer?" I asked her and saw her face turn a light red.

"I did no such thing. I just happened to like it, but I don't mind." She told me as she shifted her hair around and adjusted her clothing a bit. I chuckled at her for a moment before realizing that my voice was much lighter than what it used to be.

"Anyways, I am down here to go to the magical academy here. I want to spend some time and learn what I can for a bit before I go back up, So I may be down here for a few months or years." I told her as I shifted my tunic and let out a small grimace as I realized I now had to worry about the extra parts of my body.

"Ah, the Imperial Academy. It's one of the best academies on the planet and one of the few genuinely neutral territories that exist currently. You can find Dark Elves, Drow, and even the occasional Nazghoul if they are lucky enough to make it the gate before they are killed." We both walked to the entrance of the alleyway and quickly started down the stone pathway in between the closely built buildings.

"I know the Angels and Demons keep to themselves, so I'm not worried about them. I need to add in a few more races for variety, but I'll do that later, I suppose." I told her as we padded down the small road and towards the commotion on the street.

She nodded her head and fell in step with me, and I started to look around and get a feel for the area. The sun beat slowly down on the sunbaked buildings. I turned my resistances back on, so I couldn't feel how hot it was, but I could see the heat waves in the air. I stopped under a cloth awning and looked over the buildings that surrounded me. They were all packed together tightly and had small winding alleyways between them. I felt a slight gust of wind fight it's way through the alley, and I could smell the crisp air that only a body of water could produce.

I glanced at the doors, and they looked like they were hastily thrown together, some even lacked doors and had a cloth covering the front. I think I was in the poorer districts of this city. I glanced around and grabbed Svana's hand and pulled her close to me. I knew she could defend herself, but I didn't quite want to reveal who we were. We crept down the Alleyways and managed to make it to a large road that was paved with brick, and a vast mass of people was lining the sides and cheering. Did we happen to arrive when a parade was occurring?