Elyan Gervano

Peace, or as some described it, the world of bliss. There was no need for one to have good eyesight to see the heavy wall that extended around it like an eternal prison.

Age of the Meteor, Year 1176 June 3rd.

Inside the city, near the wall, pastures and fertile lands were abundant. From here you can see just half of the city, you’ll still need to climb past some of the larger mills to scan the remote parts.

On a small hill, was a simple house, made of bad wood. It was eight in the morning when gray smoke started rising from the chimney.

The sound of the rusty alarm together with sunlight filtering through the red room window was enough to make the sleeping boy wakes up immediately.

After a long yawn, Elyan got up from his bed. Changing from his pajamas to a white shirt embroidered with a distinctive logo, a pink sakura petal in linen and trousers with the same color, which were the official school uniform. He left his room and went to the bathroom to wash his face.

“Elyan! Breakfast is ready.” Rang a compassionate and a feminine voice outside the kitchen.

“Good morning.” Elyan entered the regular kitchen and said hello. In front of him stood a black-haired woman who looked young, but in reality she was close to forty. She was wearing a long green dress with a kitchen uniform and a pair of red gloves, carrying a plate of hot delicious pancakes, and smiling warmly. She had beautiful and gentle qualities with a hint of compassion.

      It was none other than the mother of the young man called Elyan, Ms. Isabella.

      The two sat in front of the wooden table. In addition to pancakes sweetened with brown sugar, the breakfast consisted of four pieces of cheese, three loaves of toast with some heavy cream, two boiled eggs, two glasses of fresh milk, and a clay jug of fresh water. The same meal of every day.

      Once he finished, Elyan picked up his leather bag and got up to leave: “Mom, I will leave now, see you in the evening.”

      “Wait! You didn’t take your lunch.” The mother noticed as she stopped him.

      “There is no need for that, today the teacher will invite the whole class to lunch.” Elyan smiled.

      “Good, then I will come to pick you up in the evening, since I have a client near the school.” Added the mother with a smile. Mrs. Isabella was Working as a private barber for women, and she couldn’t earn but little. This was enough to explain their simple life and meager resources, yet she continued to do everything she could to make her child’s life better.

      “Yes, goodbye.” After checking his things and making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything important, Elyan put on his shoes in front of the old doormat and left.

      Like any other person in his age, all Elyan was thinking about was enjoying his school life and trying to spend quiet days until the year ends.

      After taking the road connected to the hill, he entered the city streets and walked forward at a slow pace. The sun was shining brightly and a slight breeze was blowing, the weather was perfect. The houses and roads of the main city were nothing that his small and isolated home could compare to. The ceilings were high, with great architecture and distinctive colors, with decorations indicating prosperity. The streets were paved with smooth, high-quality bricks.

      The city had many sections, the eastern section, the northern section, Vilas section and others. However, there were not many class differences. Most residents manage to live a decent and comfortable life. At most, the worst off would have the same living situation as Elyan’s family, so there weren’t been any signs of famine or poverty.

      Elyan continued walking. libraries, a large hospital, a large police station, sweet shops and factories, a luxury restaurant and another small one, roadside cafes and a museum nearby. These sights were something he was used to seeing every day and yet he still admired them. As he passed, he saw women and businessmen walking to companies, professors to their schools, doctors to their hospitals, shop owners to open their markets and stores.

      The black jacket with a narrow waistcoat and trousers, in addition to ties and hats, was the fashionable dress for men. For the opposite sex, large, bright, bell-shaped dresses and light linen hats became widespread.

      Every now and then Elyan would pass by these two-wheeled wonders, ‘bicycles’. This invention, which became an enjoyable tool, especially for young people, was the latest human industry. However, it was not available to everyone since it only entered the market a year ago and is still in production. Therefore, the most popular means of transportation are steam wagons. It came in glossy black, and worked by converting the thermal energy resulting from burning coal or wood into kinetic energy that propels the cart forward.

      The largest of them were double-decker steam buses and were intended for public transportation of passengers, while the smaller ones were developed for personal use by managers and the rich, of course if they could bear the cost of purchasing it. There were also those that were exploited for transporting goods and heavy resources, as well as equipped with special machinery for agriculture.

      While walking straight, Elyan came to a crossroads. There was a large bridge of brick and white stone for passage, as there was a canal that connected the eastern and western sections. There was a railway adjacent to the bridge that had been in use for a long time, before the invention of free cars.

      Suddenly, Elyan noticed a girl standing in front of him. She looked about his age. Long pink hair and green eyes like a ruby, between them, a small sharp nose, with dimples that adorned her soft face. She was also wearing a white skirt with a shirt similar to Elyan’s, except that it was a little puffy.

      ‘Heh, Julie always comes first.’ Elyan raised his thin eyebrows.

      Seeing him, the girl couldn’t help but curl her lips casually: “Good morning, Elyan.”

      “Hello Julie!” Elyan nodded, smiling.

      Forming relationships with others was never Elyan’s strong point, so with the exception of his mother, Gray and Julie was the only people close to him. He got to know Julie during primary times and through different coincidences their friendship evolved to this day, she especially liked Elyan. And about Gray, it was because of a certain incident in middle school, while he was being harassed and bullied by his classmates, Elyan worked to defend him. On that day Elyan returned home with wounds that took a full month to heal again. After that, Gray asked him to become friends.

      The two did not wait long until Gray joined. He came running from the far south.

      “Gasp!.. Gasp!” After reaching them, drops of sweat stained his face, he hardly catch his breath and greeted the two: “Hello Elyan, Julie, am I too late?

      “..No, we just arrived.” After some silence, Elyan smiled.

      Since becoming friends, the three pledged to meet every day next to the bridge to go to school together.

      “Let’s go.” Before they are too late Julie added. It is assumed that the school lectures starts at nine o’clock, but since the three of them live on the outskirts of the city, especially Elyan, who it took him around half an hour walk to reach the nearest school, they meet earlier to avoid being late.

      It wasn’t like there was such a thing as banning wagons for underage children, but it was because Elyan couldn’t afford the corresponding fare. In addition to the expenses of food, clothing, and other things, the nature of Mrs. Isabella’s work also required her to use public vehicles most of the time. So Elyan didn’t want to add another burden to his mother.

      And of course Julie or Gray had no problem, they didn’t even try to offer free rides either, because that would hurt their friend’s pride and offend him.

      The three wore excited expressions as they walk to school, passing by vehicles and roads which were decorated with sakura trees and iron lighting poles. After half an hour, they entered the northern section. 

      The high school was directly in front of them. It was a large building dominated by brown and yellow colors. With the influx of other students, they entered the school. 

      The bell rung and classes began.

      Elyan, Julie and Gray, all three of them are first year high school students, they are 16 years old and they belong to the same class.

      “Good morning everyone, as I told you yesterday, today you have the end of year exam in mathematics.” As the teacher entered, he announced the beginning of the exam.

***

“Hey guys, how did It go?” After half an hour and the end of exam, the three friends met inside the restaurant, Gray asked first, with a cheerful look.

      “It’s a bit difficult, what about you?” Elyan and Julie had complex expressions as they replied. They sat at the giant table with some other students, and were waiting for the teacher to come and order their food

      “Very easy.” Gray smile proudly.

      “Easy!!... huh, Well, as expected from you.” Surprised Julie, Before came back to her senses, she remembered that Gray was a human machine and it was difficult to estimate how intelligent he was with her simple mind.

     “Okay, no need to think about the exam now, I know we will pass barely and that’s enough.” Elyan encouraged Julie. He was neither one of those who loved or hated studying.

      By time going fast, and evening falls, the bell rang at five o’clock, signaling the end of school classes. Everyone left and headed to their homes.

      Some servant drivers with special wagons were lined up in front of the school, waiting for their young masters to leave. Others took public wagons or left on foot.

      Given his agreement to return with his mother, Elyan had informed his two friends to leave without him. He left the high school and chose one of the nearby seats to wait.