A chill shiver was sent down my spine, my eyes flung open and my hand instinctively reached out to the knife I kept in my left pocket...
There was nothing...nothing except the chilly air and surrounding me. Naina and her hair slide down and rested on my lap now since I was sitting now. I could not sleep anymore, my instincts warned me. I held Naina close to me, hoping she does not get lost away from me despite no sign of danger visible to my eye for now.
I look once more for the last time and again..., 'nothing'. No danger seemed to be around me. This made me wonder that if I have might faced this situation before but my brain did not seem to remember to experience anything like that. So, why now this horror thing was supposed to happen? What did I do this time to deserve such a punishment?
I inhaled air to relax myself and tilted my head to look down at Naina who I was just holding dearly.
AAAAAAAAAA!!!
I screamed like a man who just got hit in his balls to the death seeing a skull- skeleton to be precise in my pretty arms. I jolted and with the speed of greater than light itself I throw it away, panting like a wet puppy for my eyes what just happened to be witnessed with. The skeleton got scattered away like stars in the night sky in-front of me
My chest heaved with the panic of a heart attack, its rhythm perfect to add it into a horror movie to scare innocent people away.
Goodness, was that Naina or her soul?" I muttered as my eyes glanced at the skeleton'sskull. I held the knife firmly in my hand as I looked around myself for any sign of danger, I was about to leave the sofa but oh, hell no...!
I felt a tingly feel on my waist, I titled my head down, noticing skeleton fingers emerging out of nowhere for me. The more I tried to escape the more their numbers doubled. My back, my arms, my thighs, my neck everything got covered in those skully hands. My breathing rapidly unleveled, I was struggling to breathe.
The fear enveloped me badly enough that I barely shouted-to be honest what will I gain by shouting? I would just lose my energy.
Soon the whole train coach was now swarmed up with skeleton hands, fingers or whatever. My whole body was trapped, I barely was allowed to move and before I knew I got lost in that skully swimming pool.
"Brother!!"
Wham! My eyelids flanged up, my breathe hitched up, almost making a hiccup sound.
"Naina, you are alive!" I hugged her head, my whole body quivered just at the thought of that nightmare I just had.
"Brother, stop being silky." She smiled cuddling her head against my embrace and looking up at my face.
"You mean 'silly you idiot." I said hugging her tighter.
"Correct" she smiles widely.
"Now stop with love showering, we have arrived at our station." She exclaimed breaking the hug mercilessly and picking up bags to get ready to go-tsk it's the most merciless action I ever received from her.
*sniffs in background*
The station had indeed arrived. I take the bags out of the mini chamber above my seat, pay the driver 2 silver crowns and 220 bronze camels for his work.
#BALANCE=
5 gold crowns (1 gold coin worth's about 5000 USD)
2, 198 silver crowns (1 silver coin worth's about 100 dollars)
4,780 bronze camels (1 bronze camel worth's about 0.10 dollars)
*-220 bronze camels and -2 silver crowns
___
I stepped outside and stopped beside Naina. The capital was indeed crowded even in-front of ghostly station. The cobblestone ceiling above me was decorated with simple yet elegantly ghostly chandeliers. The floor beneath was white rough marble. The air around me was cool yet somewhat warm.
We walked outside the exit and immediately felt the hot warmth of sun on our head. Long elegant streetlamps stood straight in polished gold, their curved frames adorned with engraved ivy patterns, a suspended blue flame glow flickered steadily beneath the transparent glass of its bulb casting a eternal glow over the cobblestone road. The light reflected off the polished brass railings that lined the sidewalks, giving the city adreamlike brilliance, as if dipped in stardust.
Elegant buildings stretched skyward, their architecture a seamless blend of old-world grandeur and modern refinement. Stained glass windows framed by arching wooden-work glowed with soft candlelight, while balconies with wrought iron railings overlooked the bustling streets. Ornate signboard hung from vintage storefronts-atailor's shop showcasing flowing silken gowns, a café with the rich scent of roasted coffee spilling into the crisp evening air, a bookshop with an old gramophone humming a tune from the past.
People moved with purpose, their movement were rushed and seemed important. Everyone was busy in themselves and did not had a single spare minute.
"Wow! Is this the capital?" Naina asked, her eye pupil all dilated up seeing the beautiful modern capital scenery.
"Correct. This is Franka, the most extraordinary capital among the other three capitals." I replied, balancing myself with the two bags I was carrying in my both hands.
Yes, you got it right; the Behemoth Empire does not have one or two but three capitals for itself, which are- Qurak,
Franka and...
Noble.
And Franka is the most extraordinary one among them. Its called the gem of the empire. The city which has the most prestigious university of the world-Blue Rock university.
"I AM SO EXCITED!" Naina squealed as she kicked the ground in excitement.
"That's good to hear because this will be our new home." I stated, my eyes staring at the big clock which just finished an hour of the day. The small ringing bell beneath the clock ringed as if warning that you are one hour near to your death now.
"Brother..." Naina mewled, he eyes pleading as she clenched on the corner of my coat.
"Yes...?" I stuttered awkwardly glancing down at her.
"Brother you promised that you will get me granny's hair candy when we reach the capital." She hinted pointing at a peddler who was selling granny hair(candy floss) candy on the streets in front of me.
"Fine, let's get you one." I said with relaxed sigh.
The granny hair candy coasted me for about 50 bronze camels.... At this rate I am going to get broke soon. I must reach the university soon.
"yumm... its tasty, want a bite?" Naina asked offering me the granny hair candy.
"No thanks, I really do not have an appetite for sweets." Is what I said to save myself from getting the candy shoved in my mouth, but no-I was mercilessly made eat that half!!!
"Its tasty!" Naina smiled.
"Its really foggy!" I complained.
#BALANCE=
5 gold crowns
2,198 silver crowns
4,730 bronze camels
*-50 bronze camels
***
Everything may seem normal and simple to you now but it is not. I ran away from Martha, Vance's birthplace where Rifle Dorman lives. Rifle Dorman was a feared man in Martha well known for his greedy and cruel nature and I killed him. From distance I may look like a hero but to Martha's people I am a criminal who killed their leader, why? Well because Rifle Dorman has a lot of people on his side in the village. And since he was the village chief that means his murderer is now wanted in government's eyes.
And look at me, shamelessly coming to the capital with my heavy ass here!! What an irony, isn't it?
The capital might have expensive good but surprisingly the rent for apartments and flats is very low. It for real just 300 silver crowns, just 300 silver crowns for a month! That's just 150 bronze camels for a day for one person!!
I get a apartment for myself and Naina for 2 days. The apartment was very neat for the money I gave. I asked the reason to the owner for such low price, it turned out that the beloved emperor's birthday is about to come so they gave a discount for 3 months to the tenants.
"Wow, so after three months the price for a month will be?"
"800 silver coins for a month per person." The owner replied.
"Wow, that's still so less." I extolled. The owner gave me low chuckle and then my keys for my room.
#BALANCE=
5 gold crowns
2,198 silver crowns
4,130 bronze camels
*-600 bronze camels
***
Naina immediately went to bath, she loves bathing that much huh? I would rather stay away from shower.
I took out the diary on which I write about my expenses and savings, to some it may seem weird but in an expensive capital like Franka money must be expended carefully.
I plan to immediately go to the blue rock university to clear its entrance exam; that way I can have all the luxury of the star citizenship.
Star citizenship is an exclusive citizenship provided by the university, it allows students to have not one but more than five citizenships of different empires. They made this citizenship so that the empires do not harass their students in the name mother land. The BRU(Blue Rock University) is like a whole new world, covering the large landmass of 100 kilometers square of area and also sharing a coastal border with the Atlantis sea. Its like a whole new world.
BRU is known for producing the future shapers of the world, people from any origin are allowed-including monsters and even ten year olds for some reasons. The entrance exam is so tough that only three thousand students are taken in per year out of 33 million students even after the passing percentage being just 33%. And even in those three thousand only half actually have gained the passing marks. The highest marks ever scored was just 42.999% in the entrance exam. The university values all kinds of art, including physical, academic, and creative knowledge of arts, each student faces a different paper based on the interview taken by the official 5 sub heads and 495 senior teachers of BRU.
Each answer sheet is checked by fifty expert master of that specific field. Crazy part is that they seriously create a separate question sheet for each student after a thirty minute long interview; and all of these interviews are recorded and checked by at-least twenty sub heads personally to design the paper efficiently for that only specific candidate. It takes three months to have all the tests ready for the students and four moNThs to announce the result. To sum up it takes more than half of a year to just take announce the result of the entrance exam which only taken once per four years.
I tried to pass that exam a lot but I failed a thousand times out of one thousand five hundred tries. And the greatest i was able to ever score was 39.783%. yes, that's the level of this entrance exam. It is so tough because your test paper is especially designed for the greatest version of you. Qualifying BRU Is like catching a golden bird, only the once who deserve it have it. And the scary part is that no contact from outside world is allowed while studying in BRU to maintain its privacy.
"If 1 pass, I can live there for free with my sister since they allow family members in..." I groaned in frustration, slamming my head lightly against the wall behind me on the bed.
The next day, I immediately went to fill the form for participating in BRU's entrance exam. I told Naina about it, she seemed happiest and the most.confident that I will pass for sure. She sung me a cheer up song-to be honest it made me feel worse since her singing is terrible. Tomorrow will be my exam, that makes another 300 bronze camels for my rent for staying here.
{THE NEXT DAY AT BLUE ROCK UNIVERSITY'S INTERVIEW PLACE}
"Introduce yourself." Ordered the lady with ash blue hair, poisoned blue skin and dull blue eyes sitting on the left side of the five sub heads in-front of me with other 494 senior teachers, each having their name's nameplate infront of their brown red wood simple tables. My eyes fall on her nameplate, it spelled 'Marcreeta' in a red golden ink, the ink mean that she's higher than a senior teacher's post-who is she? I never saw her before, probably this time I am in the different interview room by accident....wait! That means I am in the wrong room!!
"Myself Vance Sherman, I am an hex-forger-" I get intervene by the same lady, Marcreeta.
"What is your age?" she questions, her voice like ghostly whisper.
"Sixteen."
"For how long have you been doing this work of hex-forgery?"
"About six years."
"The government has made this a punishable crime, for children who do work like hex forgery till the age of fourteen. So how would you defend yourself for this action of yours?"
"I would have accepted the punishment if I had denied free education but sadly in my area no such schemes were available so I deny the punishment." I replied with no second thought. To be honest I has always made me wonder that why children are not allowed to do work to fill their stomachs but are allowed to earn by quiz exams or other things for which they miss hours of sleep.
"Your interest?" she asked. This was the question which will decide my exam paper type, I must answer this in a simple way.
"Hex-forgery" I answered, wondering why she didn't reacted at my answer-probably because this university is only for brilliant people so she has a habit of listening brilliant or uncommon answers?
"Imagine that both your wife and mother are trapped in such a way that you can only save one. Who will you chose mister Sherman?" grinned the old sub main head with a bald head, his nameplate spelling him as, 'Oak Boogle'