The Academy's Time Looper

Making his way through the crowd, Athen weaved in and out of the gaps before eventually reaching the other side of the market square.

Ahead, there were still no streets, but thankfully, there were fewer people walking around, accompanied by a few carriage vendors.

However, the sidewalk ahead wasn't flat but rather upward sloping, and looking above, Athen could see a massive building sitting at the very top of the path.

Panting, Athen didn't try to hide or disguise himself as he simply walked forward and up the hill, following the two professors ahead.

As Athen got higher and higher, the building... or rather a giant hangar that sat atop the hill came into view.

There were two massive doors that had a height of at least triple the Athen, and through those doors, he could see... ship inside?

Through the occasional picture book he had read, Athen could recognize the massive ship inside the building.

"But...aren't those supposed in water!?"

Breaking Athen out of his trance, a sudden loud sound echoed from the hangar.

"This is the last call for all passengers. Boarding will close in five minutes; please head onto the ship if you have not already done so. The ship will depart to the Capital City for an estimated duration of eight hours."

In front of Athen, Professor Caldris yelled out a couple of obscene words that the bartender in his hometown often said to non-paying customers before sprinting forward with his briefcase.

As Alaric ran after his colleague and towards the hangar, Athen hesitated for a moment and reached into his pocket.

How exactly... was he going to get on this flight to the capital city?

"The best academy in the world...huh?"

Recalling the words of the principal he had heard when the diamond started talking, Athen grinned.

If Athen said he didn't have the money but would pay later, surely, the flight attendants would trust him, a student of the number one academy, right?

Then, after entering the academy, Athen would think about how to pay back his debt.

Sprinting after the two professors, Athen glanced behind and noticed a couple of children around his age also running up the hill.

Unfortunately, the students behind him were hauling massive suitcases and luggage up the hill, so they had it far worse than Athen.

Still, he didn't feel any pity.

At least they had belongings to bring with them to the capital city, while all he had was a single bronze coin, a fake diamond, and one pair of tattered clothes.

Arriving atop the hill, Athen stared at the open doors for a second, wiping this sweat off his face.

Tidying himself up the best he could given the circumstances, Athen tucked his black cloth shirt into his tattered pants before walking forward.

The inside of the hangar was more mundane than Athen had expected, as, besides the massive ship at the front, nothing else stood out.

However, it was much colder than Athens had expected it to be.

There was no wall behind the ship, so the cold breeze rushed forward from the outside, going straight through the holes in Athen's clothes.

Shivering, Athen took one last glance at the city below through the opening, noting how even the massive buildings and the crowds of people from earlier seemed like ants to him from this height.

Moving on, Athen walked to the other side of the hangar, where the entrance to the ship was located.

Thankfully, all the other sides of the hanger were covered in metal walls, partially protecting him from the cold wind.

Allowing the breeze to push back his hair, Athen gripped the diamond in his pocket before walking toward the line of people standing in front of the ship.

Glancing around, Athen spotted the professors from earlier who were already at the front of the line and entering the ship.

Surprisingly, the line moved quite fast as people simply handed over some coins and entered the ship without any problems.

Within a minute, Athen was already standing in front of the stairs that led onto the ship, staring at the only thing preventing him from reaching the capital city.

Blocking the entrance, a middle-aged man with a peaked hat and full navy blue clothing gestured to Athen before asking.

"Your fare?"

Preparing himself, Athen carefully removed the diamond from his pocket before placing it in the flight attendant's stretched hand.

"You see...I'm actually a student at THE Aetherhelm Academy trying to get to campus, but unfortunately, it seems like I've left my wallet behind. But, I promise that as soon as we arrive, I'll ask my mother to send the m-"

Dropping the diamond right back in Athen's hands, the flight attendant pointed at the exit of the hangar before saying.

"No money, no ticket."

"Ah, but I do have the money...it's just not with me right now. As you can see, I am a student of Aetherhelm Academy, so I can assure you that I have the funds."

"Look, kid, Atherhelm this Atherhelm that; if I let every little kid onto this ship for free, it'd be a playground, not a flight."

Taking back the diamond, Athen tried his best to keep an amicable expression on his face while he reached into his other pocket.

Revealing the rusted bronze coin in his pocket, Athen grinned before asking.

"Is this... by any chance enough?"

"..."

"..."

Interrupting the flight attendant's silent staring at the single bronze coin, a furious voice spoke from behind Athen.

"What's taking so long?"

Glancing at Athen with an exasperated expression, the flight attendants said to the woman behind.

"Madam, if you'll give me a second, we'll sort this all o-."

Ignoring the flight attendant, the girl pushed Athen to the side before approaching the flight attendants with her hand open, revealing a small pouch.

As the woman dropped the pouch in the empty flight attendant's hands, Athen could practically see the coins inside almost bursting out. 

Without a second thought, the flight immediately moved out of the way and allowed the woman to enter the ship.

Glancing at the inside of the bag, the flight attendant's expression immediately transformed as a wide grin appeared.

Gesturing for Athen to come closer, the flight attendant pointed at the entrance to the ship before whispering.

"Look, she overplayed by a tiny bit...but if you don't tell, I won't say anything about you getting on."

Taking the chance, Athen patted the flight attendant on the shoulder before nodding and entering.

It was nice to see that there were some people like him in this different city!

Stepping foot on the ship, Athen climbed up the stairs that led up to the lower deck, glancing at the fancy red cloth that covered the walls.

The lower deck consisted of more stairs that led to the upper deck, an outside area with a couple of tables, and an inside area where hundreds of chairs were.

The chairs were mostly occupied by teenagers and adults alike, and they sat beside the windows that covered most of the ship's walls.

And through the clear glass door that led outside, Athen could see some people standing with their hands on the railing while they stared downward at the city below.

Having arrived on the ship successfully, Athen took a deep breath before heading towards the middle portion of the inside area, where a bar stood.

Maybe he could get something from his remaining bronze coin!