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Age of Memories (chronological order list)
Cogsworth Graduation ~ age 18
The First Exploration ~ age 18
The First Forest Mission ~ age 18
A Birthday Ball ~ age 19
story title ~ POST #-#
DISCLAIMER: Andre's character is in his 70s meaning all of these events happened almost 40 to 50 years before current day,
Andre Kaland Delacroix
⁺₊⋆ The Cogsworth Graduation ⋆⁺₊⋆ Part 1 of 1 ⋆⁺₊
The long gown he wore fell all the way down. They covered his shoes, the freshly polished black shoes he'd been given, a gift from his father. Even though he was the second-born, he was still loved, and remembered. His life was still just as amazing as his older brothers, minus the part where his brother got to be an heir. Even with that, Andre wasn't jealous. He was loved and he got to love. He got to love his mother, his father, his older brother, himself. He got to love magic, his hobbies, and everything else in the world.
"Students and parents, welcome to the 54th graduation ceremony of Cogsworth Academy. Today we honor the admirable work of every incredible student in front of you."
The headmaster spoke with her head high. Andre looked around himself, there was about 20 other students with him. All of us were of high class families, both from Voxthain and Asterath. Each of the students around him he'd met and spent learning with for the past who knows how long of his life, but today was the start to his next chapter.
The beginning of the ceremony began with the headmasters speech. A long speech about our struggles over the years, about the history of cogsworth, about the incredible students we are. After what seemed forever, Andre hated sitting through long speeches, the headmaster finished. He stepped away from the podium as the hall erupted into cheers and one of the Voxthain councillors stepped forwards, the eldest councillor, a man who was 89 years old. Somehow he was still alive and a giving wisdom to the world. Nobody ever questioned it.
"Nobles of Voxthain and Asterath, it is an honor to speak in front of you today. As you know, I am a councillor of Voxthain. Today I am here to honor the hard work of these incredible students that sit in front of us. The amazing minds that are the bright future of our great legacy. With that being said, I stand before you to announce the selection of a special division of students. This year, there were three students who we believe showed some incredible skills that will be useful to us as adventures. Students, you've heard the stories in history of these selected adventurers, people who go out in with a mission and return when it is completed, doing at least on missions a year. These selected students are chosen every five years as per tradition, and as the fifth year, we have selected the best three for this."
Around him, murmurs broke. Students were intrigued, some hoping they were chosen, other hoping not. You could die on these missions, but you could also explore, learn, and be free. Andre's hope? He wanted to be chosen.
"The first student selected has shown great magic potential. He has mastered more spells in Cogsworth then anyone has ever in history. A total of 36 spells mastered and castable at any time. A great achievement and one that will be in the history books for a long time. The first chosen adventurer is... Thomas Ellington!"
Cheers erupted as the Ellington family stood and clapped. Everyone knew the Ellington's were a weakening bloodline, they were loosing power. Perhaps Thomas would change that for them. Perhaps he would give them the power they'd lost, or perhaps he wouldn't. Time would tell.
"The second student selected has shown great skills. They have one of the best memories the councillors have ever seen and he has exceptional skills in cartography. The second chosen adventurer is... George Fitzroy-Blackwood!"
The cheers broke out as the boy jumped up in excitement cheering with his friends, his massive family screamed with joy in the background, celebrating the boys great achievement.
"The third student we've selected is a great student. Diligent, determined, and ready for anything. He's an adventurous boy. Even so, he's well disciplined and will make a great adventurer. The final adventurer chosen is... Andre Delacroix!"
Cheers broke out as Andre heard his name. He froze for a second, was this a daydream. He pinched himself. Definitely not a dream. Meaning he'd just been selected, chosen, as an adventurer. It sank in as he heard the cheers, his mother, his father, his brother, his grandparents, his extended family, all were together and cheering wildly for him. A warmth filled his chest, perhaps pride, or perhaps happiness. He didn't know. But it felt amazing.
As the councillors left center stage, the cheering died down and it was time to receive their diplomas. The Crane's boy was in front of him. The boy's name was announced as he walked the stage. He accepted his diploma and shook hands with all 14 councillors, and all of the teachers and the headmaster before taking center stage for his speech. It was a short, wholesome speech, thanking everyone. And as the boy left his name was called,
"Andre Delacroix, second son of the Delacroix name, and newly selected member of the adventurers division!"
Walking up the few steps all the attention was on him, the clapping surrounded him as he accepted his diploma and began to shake so many hands. His headmaster, each of his teachers, the councillors. Then he was center stage.
"Thank you everyone for everything. Mom, you've been so supportive and a great parental figure. Dad, you've pushed me to do incredible things in these past few years. Brother, you've been such an inspiration and my best role model all of these years. Grandpa, you've always helped me when I struggled with magic. Grandma, you've helped me through all of the hard times, coaching me through it and teaching me how to handle it on my own. Headmaster Logan, you've been so great, helping me learn who I am and pushing me to be the best version of myself. My teachers, thank you for being with me through the hard and easy. And lastly the councillors, for the honor of being selected as an adventurer so I can serve and uphold Valoran's legacy in the best way I can."
Stepping away from center stage and accepting the cheers of celebration. Andre began to make his way off the stage as the Ellington boy was called with a great smile on his face because he had done it, he'd graduated and gotten the job of his dreams.
Andre Kaland Delacroix
The First Exploration ⋆⁺₊⋆ Part 1 of 2
"Are we ready?" Thomas asked. The three adventurers were standing facing wilderness, an unexplored territory, to them at least. They'd read the scrolls about where they were going. There were few creatures that could hurt them. Only a single wolf was documented to be harmful.
The boys were going together, for safety. They had no experience yet so three sets of eyes was better then one set. The councillors had told them later.
"The mission is: map out the land beyond Voxthain city till the coast," George said recounting what the three had been told. On that boy's back was all the materials he would need to create the map they were being sent out to create.
"Then we're ready?" Andre asked taking in a deep breath. It had been hard to hug his family goodbye hours before. They had been in tears and it broke his heart. We'll all learn how to live without each other...
"Yep," George said.
"Then let's go," Thomas said taking the lead as all three boys headed into the unknown.
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The first night came quicker then the boys expected. They had made minimal ground, wasting too much time talking. They'd walked through the terrain till in got hilly and the boys found a nice place for camp.
Thomas and George has settled in to sleep quickly leaving him on watch. They didn't know much about any creatures outside the cities so at least one of them had to be on guard watch. The first shift had been assigned to him.
Staring out at the unknown he walked to his pack on the ground beside his bed he'd already prepared. Inside was a blank journal and a pen. They were a gift from his grandfather, he'd told him to document the stories of his adventures.
Sitting down staring out at the unknown he opened the journal and wrote:Journey #1: Andre, Thomas, George: Night One
We walked a talked. We saw some amazing sights. It was like a daydream. The lands outside the city are beautiful. Bright with color. There were few creatures but lots of tall grass.
Tonight we sleep at the top of a hill. One of the few with shorter grass. We sleep in sleeping bags with our packs as pillows.
We have limited food with us, but we have Thomas, he can use his magic to give us food. And George is with us to map out the lands we adventure. Why am I here? I really don't know. Both Thomas and George had great purpose. Perhaps because of my wild spirit? The councillors said it was because of my traits at graduation a week ago.
I hope in this wilderness I find something cool. Perhaps I can bring it back. Or maybe we'll find some abandoned ruins. That would be so fun to explore. Finding a temple or something would be something the councillors might make my next mission. The only thing I hope we don't find is something dangerous, something deadly. That scares me. I don't want to die.
The eerie sounds of the wind is weird. I'm used to the sounds of machines and footsteps and silent voices. It's all so new. It's a change. But this is the life I've dreamed of. I like it so far. I hope I like it at the end of this journey.
Signing off, Andre Delacroix, Night One of my first journey.
He tossed the journal back into his pack and let out a sigh. He stared at the sight of the planet of above him. It was enchanting. Especially without all of the city lights. The planet was so much more visible. So were the stars.
Andre sat staring in awe for who knows how long. But as he finally snapped out of it, he saw the placement of the planet. It was time for Thomas's shift. He awoke the boy and fell asleep in his own sleeping bag quickly.
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Another early night watch meant more time to write. Andre's pack had gotten seemingly lighter today, he had no clue why but he wasn't going to question it. He'd be grateful.
Still he found his journal and sat on his sleeping bag, staring at the moon again as he wrote:Journey #1: Andre, Thomas, George: Night Two
We walked some more today. The hills were neverending. Not were, they are never ending. Still though, the sky is so enchanting. I'm awake on first shift tonight. The planet I stare at is so pretty, maybe we can explore it one day.
And hopefully we'll find something cool soon as well. This can get pretty boring. In all of the dreams and stories they find the cool stuff, in reality I guess there is a lot more travelling then finding cool stuff.
I don't know what else to write. So signing off, Andre Delacroix, night two of journey one.
The journal closed with a small clap of the pages. It still was odd to be in the wilderness with no civilization but it was becoming more normal, and he had Thomas and George with him, the three together should be able to conquer anything.
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A new night, same journal, new location, same sleeping bag. Flipping past the first written pages till the next blank Andre dreamed about what the journal would be like once he filled it, once it was full of his notes thoughts and ideas from all of his adventures. So he began to write:Journey #1: Andre, Thomas, George: Night Three
We found something new today. A forest of some sort. The councillors warned us about it. They said that the last adventurers refused to go into it. Apparently too scared. That means we've found uncharted land.
I'm scared, it's kinda scary going into the unknown. At least we had had the scrolls of information about the hilly terrain we were just in. And the last adventurers did a great job learning about everything in the places surrounding Voxthain and Asterath, they don't however greatly cover anything beyond that. And that's where we are.
There is no wind tonight. It's completely silent. The forest is spooky to look at in the dark, the brush seems heavy and it's like anything could live there. It's scary, but with Thomas and George I'm sure I'll be fine. If I need to I can sacrifice them and escape. That's a joke. We won't be in danger, we'll make it out alive. I'm sure of it.
What will we find in the forest? I don't know. We'll find out tomorrow night. So signing off, Andre Delacroix, night three of journey one.
The notebook closed slowly as Andre stared into the forest. He felt a pair of eyes staring back at him, watching him and the other boys. But he saw nothing. It was strange... It felt strange. His gut told him something was in the woods watching them, but it wasn't coming out of the woods to get them because of the light of the planet.
The feeling stuck, throughout his entire remaining shift. He still awoke Thomas for the midnight shift and the two spoke quietly for a short bit once Thomas was awake.
"Look at those woods Tommy. Do you feel anything?"
"I-" Thomas stumbled on his words. "Yeah, I do... It's like we're being watched..."
"Yeah, it's been there my whole shift but hasn't moved."
"What's in there that's watching us?"
"I don't know, Tommy. We'll find out tomorrow though."
"Can we make it our goal to cover the full forest in one day?"
"Let's try. Cause I don't want to be in there tomorrow night."
"Same. Go rest Andre. Your going to need it."
"Okay, good night Thomas."
"Good night."
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It had taken time to fall asleep, and as the butt crack of dawn awoke him, so did George. "We need to be fast on our feet today. So let's go now." Still awaking Andre quickly rolled up his sleeping bag and threw it on his pack, securing it messily, but still securing it. There was no time to make this pretty. It was go-time. And the trek into the woods began.
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Jump over brush, logs, and whatever else was on the ground. Avoid touching anything, who knows if it's poisonous. Always move forward, never backward.
The boys had been pushing each other for a full day covering more ground then they had ever covered. Some could argue it was more then what they'd traveled in the past three days combined. Realistically, probably not, but they had covered so much ground it was a good comparison.
Keep moving forward, Andre. Jump over that log, don't touch the green on it. It may look like a mushroom from a restaurant at home but that won't confirm that. Just keep moving forward.
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The woods were eery. The feeling of eyes on you at all times. It freaked the boys out. Even with their fearless nature, it still scared them. Just the feeling of being watched constantly.
The moon rose as the sun fell. The forest seemed to go on forever. That's what Andre could see from his perch at the top of a tall tree at least.
"I don't see the end. In any direction."
"What do we do then?"
"We can keep going and pray we get out or sleep and pray nothing hunts us."
"If we can't find the edge by looking then how will we get out by moving?"
"Sleep it is then."
"Alright, you pick a clearing."
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Welcome to the forest. We started exploring inside it. It's so weird. Eery. Like everything is watching us, but we don't see anything. Ever.
Tonight we're in a clearing of the trees, a small one. But the moonlight gives me enough to see both George and Thomas. So at least we have each other. And that's all we need. Right?
I'm curious of the creatures that are out here. We've seen no signs of life. Not a single one. It's scary. Wandering for a whole day and only seeing trees. Fallen and standing. There has to be some sort of life here. I just have no clue what it could possibly be. That scares me.
Andre heard a snap and his head snapped up. Staring into the trees, he saw nothing. He saw nothing that would make noise. He saw nothing that could have snapped a stick. No life. No wind. Not even a slight breeze. Andre took a shaky breath and returned to his journal.There was a snap. A branch, or a stick. I have no clue what made the sound. But it was made, and now I'm scared. Worried, what made it? I'm not sure. What could have made it. Not wind. Not breeze. Perhaps life? But what life? What creature? Who knows. I definitely don't.
Well, hopefully I don't die. If I do it was a good run of life. Signing off, Andre Delacroix, night four of journey one.
Andre Kaland Delacroix
The First Exploration ⋆⁺₊⋆ Part 2 of 2
Shaky hands closed the journey. He didn't want to die. He wasn't ready to die. There was so much to learn and to live for.
He put the journal back into his pack where it belonged and stared out into the woods where he had heard the snap. He had the rest of his shift to be alert for, and even after that there was a chance he wouldn't sleep.
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"So it wasn't just me?" George asked. They were preparing to continue travelling and discussing the events of the night.
"Nah dude, I felt it too," Thomas said. Andre hadn't mentioned what he'd heard yet and he might as well keep it to himself. No reason to scare the other two. He could deal with that fear alone.
"Yeah, it felt so weird," Andre added as he swung his pack onto his pack. "Ready to get moving?" he asked, slightly changing the subject. The longer they stayed on it the move guilty he felt for keeping the secret of the snap he'd heard last night. Nothing had ever come of it except his own fear so far. Even so they deserved to know.
"Yeah, let's go, we need to make a lot of ground today." That was all he needed to drop the thought. Maybe later he'd tell them. Or when they finished the journey.
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More trees. More trees. More trees. It just kept going. At least for a while. Until they ran into something new. There were still trees, they were still in the woods. But there was so much brush. Bushes, sticks, leaves, vines. All covering the ground. It was new. It was a change.
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They had survived the forest. At least making it through the forest the first time. They still had to make it back. Tonight, they were alive. Hidden inside a cave, on the other side of the brush. It felt victorious. It felt amazing. They had achieved conquering their first unknown biome.
The moon was high, the cave was warm. A fire burnt. They'd eaten well, enjoying their victory and celebrating it that night.Journey #1: Andre, Thomas, George: Night Five
We survived the forest. We made it out alive. I never told George and Thomas about the snap I heard last night. I think I'll keep that unless it's necessary information. Lie and say it slipped my mind.
There was thick brush of bushes, vines, leaves, and sticks at the edge of the forest. Almost like a wall. Tonight we sleep in a cave on the other side of that.
The eerie feeling is gone. The feeling of being watched. It's nice. Relaxing. I don't have to worry about our safety. Well, I do. But not like I was before.
We will have to go back through those woods to make it back, but that will happen when we get there. Until then, we have what seems to be some more rocky mountain terrain to cover.
It's been a great day. And tonight I'll be able to sleep so soundly. Signing off, Andre Delacroix, night three of journey one.
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Up the mountain they went. It wasn't too steep, it was just rocky and dangerous. Easy to fall down, and it you fell there was a good chance of being impaled by a sharp rock below.
The sound of waves crashing in the distance had caught Andre's attention a short while ago. He had forgotten about the sound every time he got into a sticky situation, and the moment he was safe he was excited again by the sound. That had to be the ocean. Right?
They kept moving up, one foot in front of the other. Pulling themselves up, keeping safe footing. He wasn't going to let himself die. Not this close to their goal.
The top was getting closer and closer. The adrenaline of seeing if they had reached it kept piling up. They had to have made it. They'd crossed the hills, come through the forest, and now were climbing a dangerous slightly steep mountain.
In front of him, and above him, Thomas reached the top. He watched the boy stand there looking at whatever view they had in awe. The excitement rushed through him. He had to see for himself. Andre grabbed the rock and just like Thomas, pulled himself up to the flat top. Standing up he saw what Thomas had been in awe about.
The blue sky was clear. The sun shone brightly reflecting off beautiful ocean water. The sound of waves crashing against the cliff they were on top of sounded like music to his ears.
It was beautiful. It was everything he'd wanted to see. It was amazing. The boys had reached the ocean. They'd found what their mission was for. They had succeeded.
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The night was falling, but home was in front of them. Two weeks ago, they had been setting off looking for the ocean. Two weeks later, today, they had made it home after succeeding. The stories, memories, and visions Andre had from the trip were incredible.
Walking back into the city was an incredible feeling. Nobody had been expecting to see them, but seeing the three boys had sent a look of shock across their faces.
"Your home!" A warm embrace captured him, the figure belonging to the voice that had rejoiced. It took a few seconds but he quickly recognized her.
"Mom, of course we made it back," he said hugging her tightly. He didn't tell her it had taken him a moment to recognize her.
Pulling out of the embrace, Andre told his mother they still had to do some work. "I'll be home for dinner. I promise mom."
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Days had passed. Andre sat at a desk, in front of him were blank pages upon blank pages. He'd been writing his report. Everything that had happened. He had already written his account of the mission. Now he was writing about everything else he'd seen. Every little detail about the forest, and the cliff, and the ocean. He was writing about everything.
The reports wasn't his favorite task, but the missions and adventures made it worth it. They were the fun part, the part he enjoyed. But this was also part of the job. He'd survive it until his next adventure.
