Just as he expected, the inside is red and black like its owner. It's a really nice car, even with his limited knowledge Callum can appreciate that much. 'It's a good color scheme but he kind of blends in. I don't know if I'd have made the same choice.' He yanks his eyes away from Valor before he gets caught staring, moving instead to examine the vehicle beyond just its colors. The seat is comfortable, the ride is smooth, everything is dust and grime free, it's overall extremely well maintained. Otherwise it just seems like a car from his limited perspective. He'd been inside a few over the years, all during trips to the city, though he hadn't actually paid attention to the interior details. It's just not that interesting to him, he'd rather walk if he had a choice. Then again, it'd be a several day long walk from here to the city so he'll take what he can get.
'Why am I thinking about walking right now, am I going crazy?' Callum snaps out of it just as Valor addresses him for the first time since he started driving.
"So how much has your mom told you about your situation?" His eyes stay fixed on the narrow mountain path.
"You've told me more in the past 30 minutes than I've heard in the past few months." Callum answers honestly, realizing at the same time that his mother put a lot of faith in Valor to show him the ropes. Or she forgot. Valor glances over and sighs.
"Somehow I'm not surprised. I'm sure she either forgot, or didn't know anything in the first place. You know before you were born I tried for the longest time to convince her to come teach." Valor doesn't look very old, but Callum is quickly noticing a few signs of age.
"You did?" This is entirely new information, also… slightly concerning.
"I'm certain you know this, but she's an excellent teacher. She was my mentor for a very long time."
"She's an excellent teacher…?" All Callum can remember is long recovery in between brutal sparring sessions.
"...While she does have some harsher methods, it's very effective." Valor's momentary hesitation is not lost on Callum.
"Sure." But he doesn't want to argue the point. It's true that her training is effective, regardless of how deeply unpleasant it gets.
"Now where was I…" Valor pauses and drums his fingers on the steering wheel. "Yes, I tried to have her come teach at GFA, which at that time was just called "The Adventuring Academy", before other schools with similar curriculums cropped up all over the place. I even had a special dorm room prepared specifically for her." Callum listens intently, with a good feeling of where this is going. Though he isn't sure how long it will take to get there.
"Teachers live on campus, and she wouldn't be any different if she took the position. Head teacher I wanted to make her, yes. I don't live on campus, I'm a director, I have a room so I could but I don't because it's stuffy." Valor waves his right hand around as he speaks, Callum makes a conscious effort to ignore it.
"Anyway, you'll be living in the room we prepared for your mother. It's not with the other teachers so you won't need to worry about that, but… well you'll see." Callum's prediction came true, but 'Of course he gets vague right when he says something I actually need to know, wait, stop you're getting too upset about this.' Callum collects himself quickly, Valor's rambling had been turning his nerves into frustration without his knowledge. He'd been ignoring it on the days leading up to today, but all the nerves and anxieties are crashing down on him right now. That moment of clarity brought it all into focus in a way that he wasn't ready for, and his heart is pounding harder than it has any reason to. He can't even pinpoint a specific reason why.
"..." Valor is still talking but Callum can't hear a word, staring straight forward out the window buried in his own thoughts, or lack thereof. Normally he likes listening, but something about right now in this moment is making it torture, stories are fun, but right now, right here right now he just needs it to be quie-!
"Callum." Hearing his name snaps him out of everything. His mind goes blank and he makes eye contact with Valor. The car has stopped, or was stopped for a while. He's sweating profusely and his eyes won't stop shaking.
"You're going to be fine." Valor's gaze is reassuring but his mind remains blank and he can't muster a response. He can't even tell if he's breathing.
"It's a lot, huh."
"..."
"You know, back in the day your mom had horrible nightmares. Every time we'd go on an expedition into the Eastern Wilds, she'd bolt awake shouting at us to get down." Valor doesn't go back to driving, but he fiddles with buttons and knobs on the center console. He breaks eye contact while Callum continues staring.
"She has lived a very, very long time, and she hasn't opened up to me about what she's gone through." He stops fiddling with buttons and looks back at Callum. "She changed when you came around, all for the better."
"..." He's not sure when, but Callum stopped sweating. Nothing is shaking and his breathing is normal. He turns his gaze away from Valor, who quickly shifts back into driving mode. "...She hasn't… told me much about her past either, she's always vague about it."
"HA! It's annoying isn't it?" Valor laughs.
"It's a little annoying, yeah." Callum also chuckles, he can remember many times when his mother would make references to events in the past, and then not elaborate even when asked. They laugh together as the car finally comes off the long dirt path, rolling to a stop. At this point they've been on the road for roughly two hours, and the sun is well in the sky.
Exiting the forest is a little jarring, but it isn't completely unfamiliar. While he can't seem to remember how he and his mother got to the city all those times years ago, he does recognize this spot in particular. It's still completely forested on either side, but there's a highway running perpendicular to the path they just come down.
"I'm sure you know, but that way-" Valor gestures north along the highway. "-is Xander Gate, and the northern border. We're headed in the opposite direction. Has your mother explained why she lives up there?" Valor gestures back toward the mountains.
"Not completely, no." She really hadn't.
"Ugh, so irresponsible…" Valor mutters before continuing. "Then I'll do it for her, Linnea defends "The North"." He goes back into driving mode and gets onto the highway, southbound toward Rain City. "In reality it's the northeast, she's at least shown you a map over the past 17 years, right?"
"Yeah." Callum recalls the only map they have in their home, weathered with age. It's definitely older than he is, and absolutely not up to date, but it should have at least had correct geography.
Rain City is a port situated on the western coast of an almost entirely unexplored continent of indeterminate size, flanked on one side by open ocean, and on the other by a massive mountain range called the Misty Peaks spanning well beyond the borders the city has drawn for itself. To the north and south in between the coast and the range, are miles of forested hills that the city has placed checkpoints, or "Gates" at the end of. The map didn't cover the areas beyond the gates, or the name of the greater area Rain City is inside. Callum is too embarrassed to ask what the name is, hoping as well to save what's left of his mother's reputation regarding what she has taught him over the years. 'Maybe someone will drop it in conversation at some point.' Callum barely manages to convince himself.
Linnea and Callum live slightly south and very east of Xander Gate, deep inside the Misty Peaks.
"There are only a few valleys along the mountains safe enough for any beasts to migrate, and only three large enough to matter." Valor glances over at Callum, who is listening intently, before continuing. "The two largest are directly east and southeast of the city, and both have a gate." Valor pauses.
"And the third is near our house." Callum finishes for him and Valor smiles.
"That's right, your mother has been single handedly guarding it and raising you for a very long time now." Valor's tone shifts. "It's not the only reason she's up there, but it's not my place to tell you that, you'll have to ask her yourself." He glances over again. "Honestly, part of me thinks I shouldn't even be telling you that another reason exists, but I think you have the right to know at least that much given your position." A moment passes before Callum responds.
"Alright. I'll… definitely ask her next time I see her." He isn't sure how to feel about this, but Valor quickly reassures him.
"It's really not that serious in the grand scheme of things. I realize I got a little too gloomy for a moment there, but it's just not something I should be the one telling you, regardless of how minor it is."
"I understand." Callum will remember this.
They drive quietly for a while, Callum lets out a long held breath. 'I'm already exhausted and the day hasn't even really started yet.' He lightly rubs his eyes and yawns, glancing over at Valor who seems to be deep in thought. 'He wouldn't mind if I took a nap, would he?' The ride is extremely smooth, and the car barely makes a sound. Perfect sleeping conditions. Before Callum can give it another thought his eyes droop closed and he sinks into a deep sleep.
....
"Cal, we're almost there so there's a few things I need to run by you." Valor shakes Callum lightly without taking his eyes off the highway. Callum's eyes flutter open and he looks around. The car is the same but the scenery has changed. They're now driving on the coast, or no, it's not the coast it's just a lake. 'I guess I won't see the ocean until we get to the city.' He has vague memories of the ocean, but no part of them is clear enough to make anything out. 'The water is pretty though.' Another river high in the sky sends dancing lights across the water below. It's not an unfamiliar sight at all, but it's still gorgeous no matter how many times he sees it.
"You remember earlier this morning how I mentioned a train?" Valor's voice snaps him to attention. "I'm not taking you all the way to the Academy, I'm taking you to a train station in Rain City where you'll join up with new and returning students and ride to campus."
"GFA isn't in the city?"
Valor sighs again and shakes his head. Yet another thing Linnea didn't tell him.
"Grand Frontier Academy is right behind Kars Gate, directly east from the heart of Rain City." As he says this, it starts raining. The river from before seems to be much wider here, as most of the sky is covered; shimmering lights dance across every surface as the rain comes down hard. Valor flips on the windshield wipers and continues without missing a beat.
"At this point I think I just need to give you the full rundown, since Linnea seems to have missed a few details."
"Alright." Callum prepares himself. 'I need to lock in, I don't think he's going to slow down once he starts.'
The rain just gets heavier as Valor does exactly what he said he would.
....
"...and lastly, I have a few gifts of my own for you, that I will give to you once we arrive." While he knew his mom didn't tell him very much, Callum didn't realize it was this serious. 'I've got a bit of a headache, but I think I got everything.' To summarize:
Grand Frontier Academy, shortened to GFA, is a pseudo-military run University east of Rain City. It was founded soon after the city was built to train talented individuals to become adventurers, specifically those who'll venture into the continental wilds for any of the reasons adventurers would do such a thing. Not everyone chooses to become a fully fledged adventurer after graduation, in fact many end up returning to Rain City and pursuing entirely different careers. Just having "Graduated from GFA" on your resume is a big deal.
'There will be a lot of things I need to do once I get there between orientation and qualification checks and other things I don't completely remember already. Fortunately he said he'd give me a checklist after we arrive.' Having a checklist of things to do is extremely manageable, it's gonna be a cakewalk. Or that's what Callum is telling himself.
'I know Uncle Valor is someone important, but I feel like he has a much larger relation to GFA than he lets on.' Callum peers over at Valor, who absentmindedly hums to himself, barely holding onto the steering wheel. The rain has lightened up, but the road is still slick. 'I guess he's just used to this kind of weather.'
A few minutes pass as Callum continues to organize his thoughts. They round a corner and Valor grins.
"We're almost there Cal, take a look."
Callum looks up and immediately spots what Valor is referring to. Straight ahead, easily visible through the light rain, are monolithic shining obsidian skyscrapers. Surrounded by a halo of multicolored light, they look almost ethereal. If he didn't know there were people going about their normal work lives inside of them he'd think they were solid all the way through. It's hard to distinguish between different buildings because every single one visible from this distance is solid black. This sight is entirely new to Callum, and a hundred times more magnificent than he imagined. To be fair he had no expectations. Just another half hour to go, and he'll spend it all staring in awe.