At some point in their lives each Nova Lux candidate learned they had the gift of magic, the ability to manipulate one of the natural elements. Perhaps it was learned at a young age, or perhaps only recently. Regardless, it wasn't long before the Novus Orbim Imperium knew as well.
It was determined in short order through a variety of tests that their varying talents were notable. While others may be capable of magic, their bodies in particular were an ideal conduit for the raw magic that suffuses the earth. Accordingly the arrangements were made shortly after, parents informed, travel plans made. There was at least a month worth of waiting, time to say goodbyes and get things in order.
And then it was time to go.
𝙲𝚊𝚕𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚊
𝙰𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙 𝙳𝚘𝚌𝚔
𝙰𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚕 𝟿𝚝𝚑, 𝟷𝟷𝟽 𝙰𝚅
𝟾:𝟹𝟶 𝙿𝙼
The main method of travel between Sanctum Cities is via airship, and this is how four of the new recruits have travelled thus far. Their ship, the Concordia, is a sleek vessel made up of metal and wood, a cross between the new and old world that ferries them across ocean and continent. From Sisica, to Norba, then Hasta, Baetarrae, and finally Calcaria. Their final destination is Palmyra, home of both Nova Lux and the prestigious NOI First Military Academy.
For Selma, Sadie, Crystal, and Rivka, the journey has been pleasant enough. It may even be more than that, for those individuals who’ve never experienced the wonder of flight. Airship travel is both relatively expedient and considered mostly safe; not in just that the technology works, but also in that the deadly clouds of Nox that cover the planet rarely float up very high into the atmosphere.
They also have their very own contingent of guards, just in case. Both NOI soldiers and a singular Ars Magi, a blonde-haired woman in a gold and blue uniform that patrols the deck. None of them make much time for their guests but give short answers if asked about the trip and destination.
Individuals rooms have been set aside for each girl, the cabins more akin to train than airplane. Each has enough room for both their passenger and their luggage, along with a wide window to grant them a view of both the sky above and the clouded world below. Unfortunately, they’ve also been mostly confined to their rooms for the majority of the trip. This mean limited time spent on the deck, and not much contact with each other. Food and drink are provided, but each girl is mostly left to entertain herself for the duration of the trip.
Until they reach Calcaria.
Chie, waiting at the docks with her own escort, can see the lights of the Concordia as it touches down nearby. The docks around her mark the highest point in the city, a network of suspended pathways that connect to towering stone and steel structures that spread out in the sky like a maze. Here she is supposed to board and be taken with the others to Palmyra—
Or at least, she was, before plans changed. After near ten minutes of waiting to board Chie is informed by one of the Imperium soldiers escorting her that she’s being rerouted, as are the rest of the new candidates. The four girls inside the airship are similarly told to gather their luggage before they, like Chie, are escorted from the dock and to an adjoining rail station. Smooth metal cars rattle along the elevated tracks that run through the building, stopping briefly to let on passengers before continuing their journey down into the city.
It’s into one of these rail cars that the five girls are escorted, the metal doors sliding shut behind them. The markings on the outside designate it clearly as a private car, something important and military. There’s enough room for the five of them and their luggage, and they’re left to situate themselves and make preparations. The guards escorting them huddle outside the car, speaking over earpieces and making short gestures.
They appear to be waiting for something.
Which means the car won’t be moving in the immediate future, leaving the five girls temporarily to each other’s company as the minutes tick slowly by.
