The port city of Felaris felt alive because of how busy it was.
The moment the children stepped off Tigi’s ship, noise swallowed them from every direction.
Workers hauled crates across the docks while merchants shouted prices from nearby stalls.
Strange creatures moved through the streets beside humans as though none of it was unusual.
The smell of sea salt mixed with smoke, roasted meat, sweat, and unfamiliar spices.
Kaizer kept looking around quietly while the others tried not to stare too obviously.
Even Bruknash looked slightly tense.
This was nothing like the forest.
Tigi stepped down from the ship behind them while his crew continued unloading cargo.
“You four stay close together,” he said.
“Felaris is not the kind of place where children wander around safely.”
Kijaga looked up at the buildings surrounding the harbor.
“How big is this place?”
Tigi laughed.
“You’re standing in one of the smaller port districts.”
Kijaga immediately stopped talking.
One of the crewmen approached while adjusting the strap around his shoulder.
He was a lean human man with short brown hair, slightly tanned skin, and tired-looking eyes that somehow still gave off a dependable feeling.
“This is Dren,” Tigi said.
“He’ll help you lot get settled tonight.”
Dren gave the children a small wave.
“Tigi’s making it sound more generous than it is.
I’m just making sure none of you get robbed before tomorrow.”
“We wouldn’t get robbed,” Bruknash replied.
Dren glanced at the massive ogre child and nodded slowly.
“…Fair point.”
Tigi folded his arms.
“Find them somewhere decent to sleep and arrange transport in the morning.
They’re heading to Ravendale.”
Dren blinked.
“Straight to Ravendale?”
“That’s the plan.”
Dren looked back at the children with a bit more surprise than before but eventually shrugged.
“Alright then.”
As Tigi turned back toward the ship, his gaze briefly landed on Kaizer.
“And you,” he said.
“Try not to stab anybody before reaching the academy.”
Kaizer tilted his head slightly.
“I only stab people if they attack first.”
“That response somehow worries me more.”
The streets beyond the docks were crowded with people from races the children had never seen before.
Some had animal ears or tails.
Others were short and broad with thick arms and heavy beards.
Kaizer even spotted a tall figure with dark scales along its neck and hands walking calmly through the crowd carrying several books beneath one arm.
Kijaga nearly walked into a lamp post while staring.
“What was that?”
“A dragonoid,” Dren answered casually.
“I thought those were stories.”
“So did most people.”
The deeper they walked into the city, the larger Felaris started feeling.
The roads widened.
Buildings stretched higher overhead.
Bridges connected parts of the city above them while market stalls packed the streets below.
Jugashar quietly observed everything around him.
“There are too many people here.”
“That’s because you came from the forest,” Dren replied.
“Felaris gathers people from all over the world.”
Bruknash frowned slightly.
“Why?”
“Trade.
Work.
Learning.”
“Learning?” Kijaga repeated. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Dren nodded toward several enormous structures visible far across the city.
“The academies.”
The children looked where he pointed.
From this distance, the buildings looked closer to fortresses than schools.
“You mean people learn in places that big?” Kijaga asked.
Dren laughed softly.
“Some of them are practically cities.”
The children exchanged confused looks.
Back in the forest, learning came from tribe elders, training grounds, hunting trips, or survival itself.
The idea of entire cities dedicated to learning sounded ridiculous.
Dren seemed to notice their confusion.
“Felaris is known for its academies,” he explained.
“Different schools specialize in different things.”
“Like fighting?” Bruknash asked immediately.
“That too.”
As they continued walking, Dren pointed toward several distant structures while explaining them one by one.
“Shadow Wood College trains scouts, trackers, spies, and assassins.
Phoenixfire College Lumaria focuses heavily on combat arts and mana control.
Stormwind Institute teaches engineering, navigation, military strategy, and ship systems.”
Kijaga looked overwhelmed already.
“There’s more?”
“A lot more.”
Dren continued calmly.
“Mystech Academy combines machinery and magic.
Dragonrise Academy studies ancient combat disciplines and draconic history.
Willowwand High is famous for medicine and herbal studies.
Aurora Oblige handles diplomacy, noble etiquette, politics, and administration.”
Jugashar frowned slightly.
“People study manners?”
“You’d be surprised how important manners become around rich people.”
That earned a laugh from Bruknash.
“What about Ravendale?” Kaizer asked quietly.
Dren glanced at him.
“Ravendale is different.”
“How?”
“Most schools focus on one thing and try becoming the best at it.
Ravendale teaches everything.”
The children went silent.
“Martial arts.
Magic.
Commerce.
Forging.
Medicine.
Cosmology.
Alchemy.
History.
Dimensional studies.
Military strategy.
Monster ecology.” Dren shrugged slightly.
“If knowledge exists, Ravendale probably teaches it.”
“And people can really learn all that?” Kijaga asked.
“Some can.”
They eventually stopped in front of a large tavern positioned near the center of the district.
Warm light spilled from its windows while loud conversation echoed from inside.
The moment they entered, the smell hit them first.
Baked apple pie.
Mead.
Roasted meat.
Sweat.
A faint trace of lavender drifting through the crowded room.
Mercenaries sat around thick wooden tables sharing stories while travelers and adventurers moved between them carrying food and drinks.
Several people glanced toward the children as they entered, especially toward Kaizer and his mask.
Behind it stood a massive female centurion polishing a mug with one hand.
She was huge in a completely different way from the ogres.
Broad shoulders, thick arms, and a towering frame covered partially by leather armor.
“Need a room,” Dren said.
The centurion looked over the children carefully.
“For all four?”
“One night.”
She slid a key across the desk.
“Second floor.
End of the hall.”
Her voice was deep and calm.
As they headed upstairs, Kijaga whispered quietly to Bruknash.
“She’s huge.”
Without even looking up, the centurion replied instantly.
“I heard that.”
The tavern burst into laughter while Kijaga nearly tripped over himself in embarrassment.
The room itself was simple but clean.
Four beds lined the walls while a lantern burned softly near the window overlooking the city.
Bruknash immediately started organizing their things.
“We leave early tomorrow.”
Kaizer was already standing near the window looking outside.
The city lights stretched endlessly beyond the glass.
He barely slept that night.
The next morning, Dren returned with a horse-drawn carriage waiting outside the tavern.
“You look awful,” Bruknash told Kaizer.
“I’m awake.”
“That wasn’t my point.”
The ride through Felaris took hours.
The closer they got to the academy district, the more enormous the city became.
Wide roads carried students, merchants, soldiers, nobles, and travelers from every species imaginable.
During the ride, Jugashar finally asked the question sitting in everyone’s mind.
“What exactly is Felaris?”
Dren leaned back slightly before answering.
“The second largest continent in the world.”
The children stared at him.
“Second?” Kijaga repeated.
“The Kingdom of Spartan is larger.”
Bruknash frowned.
“Then why call it a kingdom?”
Dren laughed quietly.
“Most people say the same thing.
Spartan is so large it functions more like an empire.”
Kaizer looked outside the carriage window while listening.
“Who rules Felaris then?”
“No king,” Dren replied.
“No emperor either.
Felaris is governed by a group called the Fourteen Chapters.”
“The schools?” Jugashar guessed.
Dren nodded.
“The headmaster or representative from each major academy forms part of the Chapters.
Together they handle laws, trade, disputes, education, defense, and everything else across the continent.”
Kijaga looked amazed.
“So schools run the continent…”
“In a way, yes.”
Eventually the carriage slowed.
The children looked ahead.
Then all four of them went completely silent.
Massive black gates towered ahead of them, easily large enough for giant creatures to pass through comfortably.
The walls surrounding the academy stretched so far into the distance they almost disappeared into the horizon.
And in front of those gates…
…stood thousands of people waiting in line.
Dren smiled faintly at their expressions.
“Welcome to Ravendale.”