The four of them decided to take the shades from the same oak tree.
"I'm a bit curious," said Ark with a smile.
"Asked away," said Luvia as her cheeks puffed due to her lips pointing upward.
"I wonder what you were talking about," said Ark before he added. "You guys seemed so happy about whatever it was."
"Oh, we are just talking about a nobody, isn't that right Lulu?" Jiji winked.
"He is not a nobody though," commented Cyril.
"He?" Ark raised her eyebrows. "Now I'm even more curious."
"N-No! It's not like that, he is just a nobody that an alchemist such yourself better off without knowing," said Luvia.
"The fact that it made you fluttered, he must be someone," said Ark with a smile.
"He is Renduval," answered Jiji.
"Jiji!" Luvia glared.
"Hahaha!" Ark laughed. "I thought you were talking about somebody. It turns out to be him."
"Senior know him?" asked Cyril.
Ark nodded. "Yes of course. He attempted to take the gold cloak exam and failed miserably."
"Oh right! I guess he is the talk in your circle, huh," muttered Cyril.
"Yeah, he should know where he is at, hmph!" said Luvia as she snorted.
"I still wonder how did he even get in this place," said Jiji.
"You mean joining the Alchemy Union?" asked Cyril. "I heard a rumor of his background though."
"A background of a nobody?" asked Luvia as she smirked. "What kind of background allowed him to join our ranks."
"Hmm, I actually heard from a colleague of mine that his late grandfather was one of the instructors here," said Ark.
"That's it! That's the rumor that I've heard," Cyril nodded. "If that happens, then it makes sense."
"But isn't the instructor only gave a letter of recommendation, we all still need to take the test and pass it before we earned our azure cloak," said Jiji.
"He must have really good luck then," said Luvia as she crossed her arms.
"Then he must be a lucky fellow," Ark chuckled.
"Well, he is not that lucky in regard to his love interest though," Cyril chuckled.
"Cyril!" Luvia glared at her blonde friend.
"Oh? What's wrong with his love interest?" asked Ark.
"Nothing! There is nothing wrong with his love interest!" replied Luvia in a heartbeat.
"Hehe, senior Ark, this friend of mine is not just any sand on the beach. She is Renduval's crush!" said Jiji with a grin on her face.
"Jiji!" Luvia glared.
"Oh, is that so?" Ark raised her brows. "It seems that I was ahead of him, hahaha!"
"That's for sure," Luvia nodded aggressively.
"Speaking of him, where is he by the way?" asked Ark.
"He is being the usual escort," said Jiji. "You know, that tournament in First Heaven."
"Oh, he is picked again?" asked Ark with a chuckle.
"Well of course he is picked again," Luvia laughed. "Otherwise he would have starved to death here."
"His resources are usually being spent on ingredients for alchemy, the rest, is probably to impress my Luvia," said Cyril with a grin.
"Cyril!"
"Hahaha," Ark laughed.
"By the way, he is supposed to be here hours ago," muttered Cyril. "I wonder if something happens on the way."
"Bah! Who cares," Luvia rolled her eyes. "There this place would be better without him."
"He used an old griffin to escort those winners," said Jiji before she laid on her back. "Though, even with griffin, they should be here... huh?" Jiji's eyes squinted.
Cyril raised her eyebrows, "What's wrong?"
Jiji pointed upward. "Don't you think that cloud looks weird to you?"
"Hmm?" Cyril looked up before Luvia and Ark did the same.
"Hmm? That looks like a shadow," Ark muttered.
His eyes reflected the clouds above. There was a small shadow that gradually expanded as seconds went by. "What is.. that.."
"huh, what is that?" muttered one alchemist.
"Hey look at the sky."
"There is something on there right?"
"What kind of phenomena is this?"
Meanwhile, in the hall of the building, one small figure was walking happily. She had a pair of rabbit ears with a round tail on the back. She was wearing a dark galaxy cloak that was adorned with little white spots that resembled a star, the elder class in Alchemy Union.
"Hm?" she looked through the window and saw most students were looking at the sky. "Hmm? What happened?"
She followed their glance before rising one of her eyebrows, "Hm? What is that?"
The clouds curved down before puking something out.
"What the!" she exclaimed before shouting. "Everyone get out of there!"
"Aah!!" The alchemists screamed before securing away from the yard.
"Let's go Luvi!" Ark immediately grabbed her hand and made a run for it before the latter quickly grabbed Cyril.
"W-Wait! Wait!" shouted Cyril. "What about Jiji!"
Jiji was still laying on her back as she saw the massive thing above fall from the very firmament. Her pupils dilated before her eyes widened as she was breathless.
"That's!! Kunpeng!?"
"Jiji!" Cyril and Luvia shouted before the object fell.
*Boom!
The land tremored wildly before all alchemists fell from their standing as dust clouded up almost instantaneously.
"What? What's going on?! Are we under attack?!"
"That thing fell from the sky!"
The alchemists panicked before the dust slowly cleared up on its own.
"Hm?!"
"Impossible!"
"That's!"
"A kunpeng?!"
The alchemists gasped in disbelief.
Luvia and Cyril were shocked before they found her friend with her disheveled hair catching for air
Her eyes were wide open as she was the closest to the beast. She even saw her own reflection from the scale that was not covered by dust.
"Jiji!" both Luvia and Cyril immediately ran toward her friend.
"Hey wait!" shouted Ark to no avail.
"Jiji! Waa!" Luvia cried as she hugged her before Cyril did the same.
Jiji raised her trembling hand before she pointed up. "That's... not Renduval."
*Screech!
The chirp of the griffin was heard as it descended down. One young man was seen standing at the top of her head with his arms crossed.
"Welcome to Alchemy Union, heh," Lyon muttered as his eyes governed all.