The road to the Southvale Ember Academy was not one path. It was paths that came from different places. Some of these places were villages some were old settlements that were falling apart and some were towns that were far away. All of these paths led to one place. That place was the academy.
People came to the academy for reasons. Some came because they wanted to be better than they were. Some came because they had to because their lives were not good.. Some came because they hoped to have a better life.
Some people traveled to the academy in groups. Others rode in carriages.. Some people walked alone. Kael was one of the people who walked alone.
The day Kael left his village no one tried to stop him. No one came to say goodbye. No one asked where he was going. It did not matter. Kael did not take much with him. He just had a bag and the clothes he always wore.
When Kael left his village was quiet. His home was empty. Kael did not look back. He just kept walking.
The day Kael walked it was very quiet. The land around him was dry and hard like earth and stone. Sometimes he saw trees or hills in the distance. The land of Southvale was hard. It was not dead.
Kael saw some caravans on the road. He saw some people traveling. Most of these people did not notice him.. Some of them did.
One day a boy called out to Kael. "Hey, kid!" Kael stopped. The boy was with two people. They were around Kaels age but their clothes were nice and clean. One of the boys was tall and confident. He smiled at Kael.
The boy asked Kael if he was going to the academy trials. Kael said yes. The boy smiled more. "Well look at that. Another one " he said. The other two boys laughed.
The tall boy asked Kael where he was from. Kael said he was from a village. The boy said, "Obviously. Which one?" Kael did not answer.
The boy did not ask again. He just. Said, "It does not matter. You will not last long anyway." Then he stepped aside. Let Kael pass. "Still it is good to dream " he said.
Kael walked past the boy without saying anything. The boy and his friends laughed. Kael did not react.. He remembered what the boy said.
By the day the road was busier. More people were going to the academy. Some of these people were alone like Kael. Others were in groups talking loudly. They were talking about their Aether tests. How good they were.
Kael listened to them. He heard them say things like "Initiate Mid" and "Initiate Late". Kael did not know what these things meant.. He knew they were important.
As Kael walked he saw a path leading to the academy. He saw caravans carrying food, merchants and sometimes nobles. One of these caravans was special. It was shiny. Had a silver symbol on it. The symbol looked like a flame.
When this caravan appeared everyone got quiet. A girl got out of the caravan. She was young and dressed nicely. She moved calmly and quietly.
Kael felt something when he saw her. He felt Aether. It was not like his Aether, which was broken and chaotic. Her Aether was stable and controlled.
The girl looked at the people around her. Her eyes were sharp and observant. Kael felt like she saw him like she knew something about him.
She did not say anything. She just turned away. Kael watched her for a moment then he kept walking.
He did not try to talk to her.. He understood something. There were people at the academy who were already very good. They were ahead of him.
The third day came. The road was now full of people. Hundreds of people were walking to the academy. Kael stopped when he saw the academy. It was big and impressive. The walls were made of stone. Had glowing patterns on them. The patterns were full of Aether.
There were buildings behind the walls. They looked like flames that were frozen in time. At the center of the academy there was a gate. Many guards stood at the gate. They were strong and powerful.
Kael felt small when he saw the academy. He felt like he did not belong.. He did not turn back. He kept walking.
As he walked a boy pushed past him. It was the boy who had mocked him earlier. The boys name was Riven Tal. He was from a family.
Riven told Kael to turn back. He said Kael was not good enough for the academy.. Kael did not listen. He just kept walking.
Riven. Said, "Fine. Try not to quit early." Then he walked away. Kael watched him go. He did not feel angry or frustrated. He just felt like he had something to learn from.
Kael took a breath. He felt a surge of Aether, inside him.. He controlled it. He did not want to show his power to anyone. Not yet.
The gates of the academy opened. A deep sound echoed across the land. Everyone got quiet. A figure stepped forward from the gates. He was an instructor.
The instructor welcomed everyone to the academy. He said that most of them would not pass. He said the academy did not accept people who were not strong enough.
The instructor told everyone to step if they were ready. The gates opened fully. Kael took his step into the academy. He felt Aether around him. It was dense and heavy.. It was not broken or chaotic. It was controlled.
Kaels breath slowed down. He was ready to start his journey.
So this is the academy.
The people around him had reactions.
Some people stood up straight. Felt more energetic because of the thick Aether in the air.
Some people had a time dealing with the pressure.
Kael just stood there.
He did not get stronger or weaker.
He was just different.
As the crowd started moving Kael looked around again.
The girl from before was standing ahead of him. She looked really calm.
Riven was standing to the side. He looked confident as always.
There were a lot of people between them and they all seemed talented and well trained.
Kael looked at all of them.
Then he looked forward.
He saw the buildings in front of him.
He thought about the challenges that were waiting for him.
He thought about the path that would decide everything that would happen to him.
"This is where it begins " he said to himself.
It was not the start for the other people.
It was the start for Kael too.
The other people were following a path that everyone understood.
Kael was following a path that the world had forgotten about.
Deep, inside the academy something old started to move again.
It was. Waiting for the person who did not fit in.
It was waiting for the person who would change the path and make an one.
The Lost Path of Heaven.