Cain's arrival to the territory of Akashia had little fanfare. Unsurprising in a territory where scholarly research and feats of magic are respected more than the status you were born into. The boy was unproven, especially in the eyes of the local populace. If he were to actually think on it for a moment, for being the first known person to gain the approval of one of the Godking's weapons, the epic feats that were to be commonly expected of him had been nothing more than fantasies in his mind as of now. Perhaps he'll be the first eleven year old to slay a dragon? He laughed quietly at the thought.
He was greeted first by the magic knights of the Akashia guard. They truly knew how to show themselves off, their armor seemingly made of pure gold in a similar fashion to the hair that sat atop Alyssa's head. He pinches himself for thinking of her. He didn't feel like he had a right to. Not after what he potentially did in the two years he'd known her, even if it was unknowingly. It was part of the reason he decided to go to Akashia. Where better to learn magic and how to control magical energy than the territory renowned for its knowledge of said art? Foreign nations sent scholars here to attempt to learn from the renowned magicians and tutors that lived therein.
He also wasn't nearly as trusted to enter the palace of the high noble lady that belonged to this territory as he was the previous one. The magic knights would have almost definitely taken Cord from the boy if it weren't for the fact that the sword was his only proof of his status. He thought about how to get that rectified for situations where he couldn't take his precious blade with him, but tended to come up empty. He wasn't actually any richer after gaining his noble status. Now that he thought about it, that was all it was. Status. He wasn't suddenly granted lands or power beyond being able to command some respect from people that were barely considered his lessers. He wasn't even given any actual money. Hell, if he were to truly think about it, he's not at all self-sufficient, completely reliant on the noble woman for two years whose bridge he may have burned down completely. He would have laughed again if he didn't feel so badly for what he did. Even if it felt completely necessary to do.
This palace was simultaneously more and less modest than the previous palace's interior. While it didn't have the over abundance of fancy chandeliers, it was instead filled with magically charged stones. Stones that would cost the average Agrian an arm, a leg, and their liver to acquire one of. These stones had one function within their fancily crafted, flower mimicking cages, to produce light. They were strategically placed on pillars in a way that prevented almost any shadows within the whole of the place. Cain knew about these from his self studies, of course. Apparently, they were created by the daughter of the current high noble of Akashia when she was barely the age of five. Not only that, but less than a year later, she found a way to make them rechargeable. It was amazing to think that someone the same age as Alyssa and himself was such a magical genius that she could make these stones capable of replacing flame. Their main expense was less to do with the stone required, since it was a common form of quartz, and more paying the mages capable of charging the stones to do so. His magic tutor had even said that Agria's high noble woman found the charging price too expensive to acquire one. He found out soon after that the same was true for Silver and Militaria.
His mesmerization and thoughts on the stones were only broken when he bumped into a girl his size, causing a loud clattering of books and spreading of papers as they both fell to the ground. The stoic knights looked on at the scene, allowing Cain to sense their supposed disapproval at his apparent clumsiness as he began attempting to help the girl pick up the papers and books. He glanced at her once they were picked up and felt his blood freeze a bit. A look of annoyance from the silvery eyes of someone who he'd expected to spend at least a few months with, if not a couple years. Messily kept white hair giving away the girl's importance almost as clearly as the insignia so plainly pinned to her chest. He knew her name, it was the same as her mother's, Claudia Solborn Akashia, the twenty-third of her name.
This was likely the worst person he could have knocked to the ground within the first thirty minutes of him coming here. Her contributions to magical research and spellcraft over the course of her life made her more respected at the age of ten than her own mother. A genius by all rights, a minute of speaking to her would probably make most well learned adults in the field of magic look like complete dullards. Possibly making Cain comparable to some dirt that somehow got on her shoe earlier in the day. No, the knights likely considered him even lower than that now because of the accidental crash into the girl.
"Sorry about that…" Cain attempted to apologize as he handed her back the books and papers that he was holding. Mentally wincing at the way the girl rolled her eyes and walked past him, the knights moving out of the way so naturally that it gave Cain the impression that she was probably paying as much attention as he was when he bumped into her.
After the embarrassing scene with the younger Claudia girl, it was time to meet the older woman who actually ran the territory in which he planned to study and learn from. Unfortunately, any hope that the girl may have only looked like the Akashia girl fell away when he saw the high noble woman. The spitting image of her daughter, and so youthful looking that if he didn't know better, he'd assume that she were actually Claudia's older sister. A muttered curse under his breath went unheard as a herald named her, Claudia Solborn Akashia, the twenty-second of her name.
After her introduction to the boy via a third party, Cain immediately knelt before her. While a bow of the head was more than enough to show respect for the nobility of Agria, Akashia's way of showing respect to nobility required taking a knee. Of course, if you were to somehow gain enough merit to be recognized the same way the woman's daughter was, you'd be able to get away with flipping the bird to an Akashian noble in place of bowing if you so chose to. Not that many people did this, of course. Only a few niche cases of this happening exist to Cain's knowledge. Realizing that he was going too long without introducing himself, the boy spoke while raising his head.
"H-hello my lady, I am Cain Rocksalt." He said, stuttering a bit at the start and hearing a snicker from one of the magic knights behind him. This was going well, he could tell. "I have come to study magic under someone from Akashia and wish to request lodging wherever is most convenient." The woman looked at the boy and placed her head onto her hand as she examined the boy. He lowered his head again to await her response, which took a few moments to come.
"Yes, Charlotte had sent letters about you in the past. I must say… I'm less than impressed." A small grin appeared on her face. It was a little known secret that the Akashia high noble was capable of seeing everything within her palace through the eyes of her magic knights. A technique developed by her daughter, in fact. A lesser known fact however, is that she enjoyed causing a little mischief and teasing people when able. Unfortunately for Cain, he was not yet amongst those who did, something she knew and very much planned on exploiting. "Do you greet all women your age by knocking them on their backsides, by chance?"
"Shit!" The crass word left his mouth loudly to the shock not only of the people in attendance, but to himself as well. He seemed to be so nervous that he was making mistake after mistake today. "I mean… No, my lady. That was an accident caused by me being distracted by the amazing light stones lining your walls. I'd never seen them before."
"Well, I expect you'll be seeing a lot more of them. Seeing as how I'd assigned my little Claudia to be your tutor." Double "shit" as Cain might say right now. "And, knowing that you've lived in a palace before, I believe it only fair you stay inside the palace, hm?" Oh well that wasn't too bad. "Right next door to my daughter's room, of course."
"No!" Cain yells, jumping up. His face flushing red as he returned to his knee after, roaring laughter from the noble woman following his outburst. Did she somehow know he'd react like this? No, she definitely knew he'd react like this. "Apologies my lady. Your offer is acceptable."
"I should certainly hope so, my boy!" She says back to him. Another round of laughter leaving her as she smiles wider at him and nods. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself, child. I was hoping to see how much of a rise I could get from you. You're much easier to pick on than my daughter." Cain felt his face flush at the realization that he'd become the butt of the woman's joke. Not so much out of rage, but embarrassment. "Everything I said was the truth however. You will be staying in the palace, as well as being taught by my daughter. She requested it herself, actually. Though, I suspect it has less to do with you than it does that sentient weapon sitting across your hip." She waves her hand a bit, a servant handing her a glass that the woman sipped from slowly.
"Oh? I'd no idea I caught the eye of the genius." Cain said with an almost excited tone of voice, catching the high noble off guard for a second. "I was actually hoping it would be her! Someone my age to speak to would be great. And it's great that she'd be so willing to help a hopeless case like myself control my magics better. Maybe I'll actually be able to cast a proper spell with her help, finally." The woman blinked a couple times. Most people dreaded and ran away from her daughter's interest when they caught it. Adults feared the child may make them look stupid, while children were intimidated by her. A softer smile crossed the woman's face as she realized that her daughter may have a chance to make a friend, finally. The isolation that high nobles experience is not something that a child should have to deal with if it can be avoided.
"Thank you Cain. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear that." He looked up at the woman as she faked a cough and waved her hand. "If you'd like, go see her now. The girl is likely in the library of the palace at this point. She probably wouldn't mind at least having a look at you and seeing what she has to work with." Cain nodded in response and stood up.
"Yes ma'am. Thank you very much." He said to her with a smile, "could your knights escort me there?" The woman nodded again, followed by a knight standing at the ready to lead the way. Odd, it was almost as though he already knew what she'd wanted from him.
The knight led him through the palace halls, up a flight or three of stairs, and into a large, expansive library. It was much larger than the library in Agria palace. Shelves reached from floor to ceiling in some places, others were much smaller when appropriate. One of these shelves had a silver haired girl with silver eyes climbing up it to acquire a book from the top. Unbeknownst to her, the shelves she was currently clambering on weren't as sturdy as the rest, the added weight causing it to begin to tip. Cain, shouting for her to be careful, ran to catch her.