Harsh winds blew from the north.

  There, the Mountains that spanned the vast horizon formed a natural barrier, vast and endless. No one had ever gotten far exploring it.

  Albion pulled his scarf closer to his face, trapping the warm moisture of his breath inside, trying his best to keep warm.

  He had been walking for a long time, desperately trying to stay warm. He had never felt as cold as he had this past week.

  He had never been to the north but he had heard stories of the treachery the storms brought to those who lived in the north.

  Whipping winds, the biting cold, never-ending snowfall, and long nights.

  The north was unrelenting and unforgiving.

  He really wished the journal had picked a different school.

  As soon as he was out of the library he just wanted to start testing out his summoning.

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  Then he looked at the map of the express trains that ran through the country.

  There were no stops in the Northern region.

  None even came close.

  ‘That’s why the acceptance rates are so low…’

  The test started before you even got there, the walk from the nearest town to Aberelt Academy was nearly 200 kilometers through harsh terrain.

  He hadn’t had a chance to try out his summoning, instead, he was trudging through the snow wrapped tightly in cold-resistant clothing.

  It was so expensive for such terrible resistance, but it was the best one around.

  His scarf trapped his breath, his eyes could barely open, and he was covered in a thick layer of frost that threatened to cover him if he stopped for too long outside.

  By day he walked, by night he slept.

  He would dig himself into a small hole of packed snow whenever he needed to rest, covering himself to trap the heat and keep himself from freezing over. He had to worry about wild beasts finding him while he slept, so he would hide his scent with the herbs he had bought while he slept. Whenever he heard the call of a beast he would open a portal and hide within until he was sure that the beast had passed.

  He had been traveling since he had gotten out of the Library. He was ready to enjoy a nice hot meal and a warm bed, he hadn’t been able to enjoy the good parts about aging again yet…all he had gotten was a shaggy beard, the returning urge to use the bathroom, and a headache. After not experiencing any of that for a year he was beginning to want his library life back.

  *sigh*

  He trudged on into the distance, disappearing further into the rolling snowdrift.