It was midday; the sun was burning brightly, and there didn’t seem to be a cloud in sight. Summer had truly started and all of the kids had returned to their families for the break. Although not everyone saw this as a holiday, as some were still busy working as hard as ever.
In a particular place outside, there was a fairly large palace. This palace was designed using ancient Chinese architecture. The roofs were slanted and pointed, while the main palace was a few tiers higher than everything else, allowing it to overlook the entire area. It stood out because at the very top. The highest roof was made completely out of gold.
Underneath the place was the second tier, that completely surrounded the palace in a square like shape.
In this tier there were several houses that usually belonged to the workers of the Palace or high-ranking officials. And finally the third tier, a very large open square with a few large buildings that were used for several things. But mainly it was used for students.
This was the home of the Graylash family. On the third tier, on the large square-like platform, around fifty or so students of mixed ages were all wearing a white sash around their clothes. They were here shouting out in Unison.
"1... 2... 3." As they called out numbers, a slight pause could be heard in between and then straight after that, a zap. Standing in front of all of them was the teacher. He too had a white sash, but the edges of it were embroidered with gold, which showed his higher rank.
"One... Remember to breathe out as you complete each motion." The teacher demonstrated with sparks of electricity shouting out about three meters from his fist. "two..." He shouted bringing both of his fists down to his waist and this time a small coat of electricity could be seen covering his body.
"And three!" He shouted, suddenly jumping off the ground and swirling his body, making himself look like a thunderbolt. Quickly traveling five meters ahead of his original position. As he landed, he quickly walked back to his original position. "Again!" He shouted.
The students along with the teacher repeated the actions. Some seemed to get the hang of it and were able to perform them well, some others would complete the moves but no lightning powers could be seen, while for others, only during some movements would their powers be shown.
"Looks like they are doing quite well." A voice said from behind the teacher.
"Well, indeed." The slightly old man said while smiling, then he realised he had recognized the voice and as soon as he turned around he bowed down. "I’m sorry, I didn’t think you would be here on the first day."
"Don’t mind me, it’s boring to stay up in that palace and incredibly lonely too, I don’t know how my grandfather did it." Owen replied with his usual fan covering the bottom part of his face. The only way one could tell what expression he was making was by looking at his eyes. Right now they were like a crescent moon upside down, which would mean he was smiling.
"Their progress has been quick, all thanks to you. When you took over and shared those techniques of yours, their ability and powers all grew faster than I have ever seen them before. I’m sorry the elders didn’t try to listen to you before including myself sir." The old man was trying his best to please Owen. What he had said was the truth. The students really had improved greatly with the new techniques that had been handed down.
Although, he was giving more praise than he usually would, as he remembered he was one of the elders that had chosen to vote against him, when choosing a leader.
"Don’t worry, I understand many of you are traditionalist. Many people don’t like change, but whether we like it or not, change is coming. That’s why I thought it would be best to teach the future generation a better way." Owen said. "I fear something big is coming soon, and the only thing we can do is prepare ourselves."
Suddenly, a small bolt of lightning seemed to land right by Owen’s side and a loud bang had come with it. As the lightning bolt disappeared, a man stood there in its place. Mostly covered in white and a headband covering his head and face, known as a fukumen and a Zukin only revealing his eyes.
The person whispered into Owen’s ears and as he heard the news; the fan covering his face dropped down to his side.
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