Chapter 4: Asteria Kingdom
After walking for three hours along increasingly busy stone roads, Sirius finally arrived before a sight that captivated him despite having seen it countless times. The great gate of Asteria Kingdom towered nearly fifty meters high, made of gleaming white stone filled with intricate carvings depicting the kingdom's history.
At the gate's peak, a giant Golden Eagle statue with outstretched wings stood majestically, its eyes made of yellow crystal shining in the morning sunlight. The statue wasn't merely decorative—its crystal eyes were magical guardians that constantly watched over everyone entering and leaving the kingdom.
"Magnificent as always," Sirius murmured while adjusting the white fox's position on his shoulder. The small creature appeared mesmerized by the gate's grandeur, its golden eyes wide with wonder.
The queue at the gate was quite long and diverse. There were merchants with horse-drawn carts laden with goods—colorful silk fabrics, spices whose aromas could be smelled from a distance, gleaming metal tools, and various regional delicacies. The merchants chatted amicably while waiting their turn, most already acquainted from frequent trading visits to Asteria.
What caught Sirius's attention was the extraordinary number of prospective students. Most were around his age, carrying large backpacks with eyes sparkling with hope. Some came alone with swords on their shoulders, others with their parents, and some in small groups discussing the academy they were heading to.
"There seem to be so many applicants this year," said a brown-haired girl to her long black-haired friend. "I heard Ferrus Academy is opening a special class for magical arts techniques."
"Really?" her friend's eyes sparkled. "No wonder so many are coming from other kingdoms. I heard they're even accepting students from the distant Solaris Kingdom."
Sirius smiled hearing this conversation. Indeed, every year, especially before the new semester, Asteria Kingdom was always bustling with prospective students from various regions. Asteria Academy was one of the continent's finest academies, so it wasn't surprising that many were willing to travel far to gain admission.
When Sirius's turn came, the gate guard—a middle-aged man in blue uniform with a golden eagle emblem on his chest—looked at him kindly.
"Purpose of visit?" the guard asked while checking notes in his hand.
"Asteria Academy," Sirius answered briefly.
"New student?" the guard's eyes glanced at the white fox on Sirius's shoulder. "Pets are allowed, but you need a health certificate from a veterinary wizard."
"Ah, this isn't a pet," Sirius gently stroked the fox's head. "He's my friend from the forest. He might return after accompanying me to the academy."
The guard smiled. "A fox, eh? They're indeed loyal creatures. Very well, please enter. Welcome to Asteria Kingdom."
As soon as he passed through the gate, Sirius was immediately greeted by an amazing sight. Luminaris City, the trading city that served as the gateway to Asteria Kingdom, sprawled widely with beautiful buildings and broad streets bustling with activity.
The buildings in Luminaris had unique architecture—a combination of white stone and dark brown wood, with gleaming red tile roofs. Each building had a small garden in front, making the city appear green and beautiful despite being dense with commercial activity.
Luminaris's main street was very wide, enough for four horse-drawn carriages to travel side by side comfortably. On both sides stood shops with various merchandise. There were fabric stores with colorful silk adorned with small gems, weapon shops with swords and shields neatly displayed, potion shops with bottles containing colorful liquids, and food stores whose aromas stimulated the appetite.
"Fresh bread! Fresh bread from Cerealis City!" shouted a bread seller while lifting a large basket of still-steaming bread. "Made with the finest wheat and baked with magical fire!"
"Silk fabric from the Southern Kingdom! Soft as wind and sparkling like stars!" called a fabric seller from his shop full of colorful cloth.
"High-quality swords! Forged by Asteria's finest blacksmiths!" added a weapon seller while displaying gleaming sword blades.
Their voices mixed with people's footsteps, horse hooves, and the sound of cart wheels rolling on stone roads. But strangely, all these sounds didn't seem noisy—they all blended into a symphony of energetic and pleasant city life.
Sirius walked leisurely while enjoying the scenery that was familiar yet never boring. The white fox on his shoulder looked fascinated by all the surrounding activities, its head turning left and right following every interesting movement.
Along the journey, Sirius passed various interesting places. There was a large fountain in the city square's center with a mermaid statue spouting crystal-clear water. Around the fountain, children played joyfully while their parents sat on park benches chatting.
There was also an open stage where a magician was performing. He made flowers appear from thin air, transformed doves into colorful butterflies, and created illusions of mini waterfalls flowing in the air. The crowd of spectators applauded enthusiastically with each successful trick.
"So amazing," commented a small child with sparkling eyes. "I want to be able to do that too!"
"Study hard at the academy later," his mother replied while stroking his head. "Who knows, someday you might be even better than this magician."
Sirius smiled hearing this conversation. Indeed, Asteria Kingdom was famous for greatly valuing education and magical arts. Almost every family dreamed of being able to send their children to one of the academies in this kingdom.
After walking about an hour through Luminaris City, Sirius reached the gate to the second city. This gate was smaller than the kingdom's main gate, but still beautiful with intricate flower and leaf carvings.
The second city was Verdania, famous for its vast and beautiful gardens. This was where most art and music academies were located. Its buildings had a more artistic style with bright colors and unique shapes.
Sirius could hear gentle music flowing from various directions. There was the melodious sound of violins from a music academy, children's choir singing traditional songs, and harp music played by a street musician surrounded by spectators.
"The music here is always beautiful," Sirius murmured while stopping briefly to listen to a girl singing with a voice as clear as river water.
The white fox on his shoulder seemed to enjoy the music too, its head swaying cutely to the rhythm.
The journey continued through the third city, Crystalia, famous for its gem and jewelry shops. Its buildings sparkled from being decorated with small crystals that reflected sunlight. The fourth city was Herbalis, the center of potion and medicinal plant trade with soothing fresh aromas wafting everywhere.
The fifth city, Ferrum, was the center of metalwork and weapons. The rhythmic sound of hammers striking metal could be heard from various workshops. The sixth city, Arcanum, was where intermediate-level magic academies were located, with tall towers decorated with magical symbols.
And finally, after walking nearly four hours, Sirius arrived at the gate of the seventh city—Asteria, the kingdom's capital and location of the legendary Asteria Academy.
The gate to the capital was more magnificent than all previous gates. It was nearly one hundred meters tall with two guard towers on each side. The carvings on this gate told the complete history of Asteria Kingdom, from its founding to its current glory.
What most caught attention was the Magic Clock Tower that soared high in the city center. The tower was two hundred meters tall with giant clocks on all four sides. Its clock hands were made of sparkling crystal, and every passing hour, the tower would emit a beautiful melody that could be heard throughout the city.
At the tower's peak, a large nest made of pure gold metal shone in the sunlight. That was the nest of the Golden Eagle, the legendary creature that was Asteria Kingdom's symbol. The eagle wasn't always in its nest—it often flew around the kingdom or traveled elsewhere. But when it was there, the entire city would feel safe and peaceful.
"I don't see the Golden Eagle today," said a merchant to his friend while gazing at the nest atop the tower.
"I hope it returns soon," his friend replied. "The city always feels more peaceful when the Golden Eagle is here."
The capital city of Asteria was the pinnacle of beauty for the entire kingdom. Its streets were made of white marble that was always clean and gleaming. Its buildings were masterpieces of architectural art, with varying heights and harmonious styles. Small gardens were scattered everywhere, with fountains spouting crystal water and trees that stayed green year-round thanks to magical touch.
Sirius walked along streets he knew very well. Despite not having visited this kingdom for a long time, he still remembered every turn and shortcut perfectly. His mind automatically recalled the fastest route to Asteria Academy.
Along the journey, he met various interesting people. There were groups of senior students discussing magical theories, an old wizard feeding birds in a park, children playing tag while producing small sparks of light from their hands.
"Look, there's a white fox!" exclaimed a small child while pointing at the fox on Sirius's shoulder. "How cute!"
"Don't disturb them, dear," his mother gently scolded. "That fox is accompanying the big brother who's going to the academy."
Sirius smiled at the family and continued his journey. The white fox raised one paw as if waving at the child, making the child laugh happily.
After walking for two hours in the capital, Sirius finally arrived in front of Asteria Academy's gate. But unlike other gates he had passed, this academy had no closed gate at all.
What lay before him was an amazing sight. Asteria Academy didn't use barrier fences or high walls to limit its territory. Instead, they displayed the academy garden's beauty openly for everyone to enjoy.
The academy's front garden was the finest work of art ever created. A green grass expanse as wide as a soccer field stretched perfectly, without a single withered or dirty blade of grass. In the garden's center, a large star-shaped pond contained clear water that reflected the blue sky.
In the center of the star pond, an artistic fountain spouted water in ever-changing patterns—sometimes like blooming flowers, sometimes like flying birds. The spouted water wasn't just clear but also sparkled with gentle silver light.
Most enchanting was the giant white swan statue standing gracefully in the pond's center. Its eyes made of blue crystal sparkled softly.
Around the pond, beautiful trees with colorful leaves were perfectly arranged. There were trees with gleaming golden leaves, trees with gently trembling silver leaves, and trees with blue leaves that emitted soft light. Flowers bloomed beneath these trees, creating beautiful color gradations.
The pathway to the academy's main building was made of transparent crystal stone, so when stepped on it would emit a gentle light blue glow. Each step created ripples of light spreading to the sides, like walking on a sparkling water surface.
What made this scene even more special was the fact that all this beauty could be enjoyed by anyone. Despite having no fences or barrier walls, there was an unwritten rule obeyed by all Asteria residents: they could look at and enjoy the academy garden's beauty, but couldn't enter the academy territory without official business.
And amazingly, not a single resident violated this rule. They respected the academy in their own way—keeping the surrounding area clean, not making noise when passing in front of the academy, and even helping maintain the garden's beauty by not littering carelessly.
"Thank you, Asteria Academy," murmured a mother while pushing her baby stroller past the garden. "Because of you, we can enjoy this beautiful view every day."
"The children at home always love seeing the singing swan statue," added an old man sitting on a bench across the street, simply enjoying the view.
Sirius stood in front of the academy garden with wonder that never faded despite having seen it countless times. The white fox on his shoulder also appeared mesmerized, its golden eyes watching the swan statue singing with a gentle song.
"Ready?" Sirius asked the small fox while gently stroking its fur. "This is the place that will be my new home."
The fox nodded and made a small 'yip' sound that sounded like encouragement.
With confident steps, Sirius began walking on the crystal path toward the academy entrance. Each step created beautiful blue light ripples, and the swan statue's song accompanied his steps like welcoming music.
The academy entrance was made of golden wood with dragon and phoenix carvings intertwining each other. Above the door, the inscription "Asteria Academy - Where Stars Are Born" was carved in sparkling crystal letters.
Sirius paused briefly in front of the door, taking a deep breath. The white fox jumped down from his shoulder and sat beside his feet, as if wanting to prepare itself for this big step too.
"I hope I don't cause any trouble."