Three days of travel now passed since the Sovereign made it's way into the Galos Region alongside the La Belle.
In these three days Aron spent all his time in his quarters. On the first day Lady Rose had paid him a visit and on the second Jagu and Jin but after that not a single person saw him which made the members grow worried.
Claudia had managed to keep everyone calm with the help of Riya who was also confident that Aron and Lady Rose had a plan. The lack of information and communication however did also leave them anxious as to what was occurring.
The two were currently together in Claudia's room further discussing their thoughts on the matter. The situation had drawn them slightly closer together without them even realizing as they both sought to keep things calm until Aron said something.
"Do you think it'll all work out?" Riya asked in a low tone as she shuffled slightly to adjust her sitting position on the edge of Claudia's bed. Claudia who was leaning against the bed frame with her legs laid straight on the sheets nodded her head at the question without hesitation. "I'd like to believe it will. I thought you have more faith in Aron?"
Riya chuckled slightly while rotating her slender finger on the material of her night dress, an attire she had purchased back in Findel along with other members when Aron covered their expenses. "You don't get it, me and the other commoners have more faith in him than you would even realize..." Riya muttered in fairly low and gentle tone.
"You know, a lot of people lost hope after going through that hellish journey including myself... People lost brothers, sisters and lovers to aristocratic maves who decided we weren't fit to live just because we weren't born lucky."
"I hated you all so much more along with the academy that said nothing against that unfairness! Those of us lucky enough to survive didn't even wish to attend the stupid ceremony that we knew would only award murderers but we put on brave faces and endured... showing fake smiles for the sake of the families we left behind depending on us."
"Most commoners who got into the top fifty had done so after reaching some sort of agreement with those aristocrats so I wasn't surprised but then came the top ten... and there he was." Riya showed a weak smile as she said this, feeling as if she was reliving that moment all over again.
"I felt incredible that day, a sense of pride rose up in many of us thanks to him. A commoner who could look down on aristocrats and have them lower their heads before him, I never thought I'd see the day." Riya chuckled as Claudia listened attentively without disrupting her.
"His actions... no his very existence gives hope to many of us. That's why we-"
*knock* *knock*
Before Riya could go on with her story a light knock resounded on Claudia's door. It was currently night time so there weren't many people who would come so it made her wonder if it was him.
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However when she opened the door she found Jin and Xavier leaning on the wall opposite of the door with worrisome expressions on their faces.
"What's wrong?" Claudia asked with slight panic rising within her but Jin only sighed before replying. "Just come to the dinning hall with your cloaks."
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Riya heard this as well and the two exchanged confused glances before quickly rushing out as they were. When they arrived in the dinning hall they found everyone gathered wearing solemn expressions, some of the female members were even in tears... the reason for this laid on the dinning table where a plethora of cloaks could be seen.
"What's going on?" Riya turned to her friends and asked in confusion as to what was happening. In that moment Aron came forward and stood near the main seat of the table which remained empty before speaking.
"The Sovereign faction is being disbanded,no... rather it was never a real faction to begin with so rid yourselves of the cloaks. Upon arrival at the academy you'll be compensated for your contributions thus far and then you may go your separate ways." Aron spoke clearly and plainly but his harsh words left everyone is disbelief.
"What do you mean? Is this part of the plan?" Claudia stepped forward and showed a very confused expression as she sought clarity but Aron gave none.
"There is no plan, every faction needs a professor as a supervisor and I never officially got one so this faction is unofficial, hence over. This isn't up for debate. So rid yourselves of the cloaks." Aron spoke more threateningly and it showed he clearly wasn't joking which only further confused Claudia.
Riya was in an even bigger state of shock as she couldn't even mutter any words, tears just began to fall down her face as she clang onto her cloak tighter, refusing to hand it over.
"I'm done here. Jagu." Aron muttered coldly before turning to leave.
Jagu nodded towards him before walking over to Riya and yanking the cloak away from her. This sudden showing of aggression surprised Claudia and she instinctively moved to Riya. "Is that really necessary?!" She yelled towards Jagu but he simply growled before grabbing her cloak as well and leaving.
Riya could only clench her trembling hands and fall to her knees as tears continued to fall but no words or sounds emerged. Claudia didn't know what to make of this situation and looked to Jin who was slouching against the table while shaking his head. "Jin what's going on? Tell us!?"
"I'm just as confused as everyone but there's nothing we can really do now is there?" Jin shrugged off the matter rather quickly and walked away from the group before leaving the dinning hall as well.
Even after some time passed the situation wasn't easily accepted by Claudia who chose to charge towards Aron's room to seek answers but she was prevented from doing so as Jagu stood guard right outside his door and easily thwarted her attempts to do so.
Anger, confusion, disbelief and many other emotions began to swell up within Claudia's heart.
Just what was Aron thinking?
....
Morning soon came but it felt like an eternity for the many who failed to sleep that night. Many still chose to believe that this was all part of his plan or that he would tell them more later on but the anxiousness they felt didn't fade in the slightest.
This was even worse for Claudia who chose to spend the night outside Aron's room, there was only so much Jagu could do to stop her. In the end he just watched as she chose to sit on the floor and wait while leaning on the wall opposite the door.
This effort proved useless in the end because when the Sovereign finally reached Galos city a thin barely visible mist spread in the interior of the airship and put everyone in a state of slumber.
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By the time it docked everyone had been put into a deep slumber with the exception of a few.
*click*
It was only then that Aron walked out of his room and was met by Jin and Jagu. "How long will they be out?" Aron glanced at Claudia indifferently and asked this of Jin who was the cause. "Half a day, but is all this necessary?"
"The less they know the better and less problematic this will be. Emotion driven actions will only be hindrance, I'll contact you two in due time." Aron replied bluntly before turning away from the two of them and leaving the area.
He made his way to the deck alone where he found Lady Rose and Evanora standing near the platform used for disembarking. Lady Rose had one of her usual risqué elegant dresses that accentuated her figure quite nicely and had her scouter hovering a few feet above her while Evanora dressed in the same uncaring manner she always did.
"My request to hold a public hearing at the Galos City square to share the knowledge I've acquired has been granted. I'm sure it is already crowded with many eager aristocrats..." Lady Rose crossed her arms and turned towards the direction of the city where much noise could be heard.
Although Aron and the others now knew of the true intentions of this so called welcoming the majority of Galos residents didn't, to them this was a genuine celebration for students who excelled in the field and brought prestige to them.
Not surprisingly the three of them had a luxurious mode of transportation in the form of a carriage awaiting them immediately when they descended from the airship. Once more this was likely just another ploy, perhaps to keep a close eye on them but Lady Rose predicted such and so everything was discussed beforehand.
Hence the ride to the Galos City square was one without any words exchanged.
"Evanora sees a lot of people." As they approached the square Evanora who was seating beside Aron turned to her window and slightly tugged the curtain to peek on the outside.
It was no surprise that numerous people gathered, the turn out was even larger than when the results of The Journey were being given due to the numerous outside powers and forces that were present today.
Before long the carriage came to a slow halt and the door was opened for them with even a carpet being laid. Given the treatment thus far one would really think they were being honored and welcomed.
This type of treatment didn't account for anything in Lady Rose's eyes as she casually stepped out and progressed forward to the very center of the square where only the most important figures were gathered.
Aron didn't pay mind to the treatment either and he followed her calmly with Evanora beside him who occasionally glanced at random objects.
Unlike her, Aron didn't need to turn his head as he only glanced in certain directions for a moment before focusing forward again. 'With this turn out things should be much easier. Onto the second part...'
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