Kagiana Academy; Branch 0

Branch 0 - sometimes referred to as Alpha Branch or the First Branch - is practically a city in its own right, and marks the end of Key's eastern side.  Kagiana Academy is enclosed behind sturdy gates and fencing, a relic of when it was created and originally faced riots from Artisans and Sculptors who objected to its aim to educate newly manifested Lockettes without teaching them the Artisinal faiths as truth.

While attitudes have calmed significantly since then, Kagiana still employs guards at its gates and to patrol its perimeter.  It survives on the wealth of numerous private donors, but also, these days, receives public funding from the government of Key.  Much of that funding is used to give newly manifested lockettes a small stipend with which to get the necessities of life, such as clothing.

Numerous lockettes and dexettes live and work at the Academy, and the average length of study of a newly manifested individual is approximately three to four years.  Students study history, culture, math, science, language, and more, choosing new courses every season.  (After their first year, working becomes one of their courses - whether they work in one of Kagiana's facilities or in the nearby district of Heart Hollow).  Particularly dedicated students who wish to study more may take their degree from Kagiana Academy and turn to an institution of higher learning to continue study - including, on the grounds of Branch 0, Kagiana University, which was founded approximately a century ago and necessitated a widening of the fences to accommodate it.

There are allegations that Branch 0 is a separate sphere from the Heartlands, but it is functionally impossible to prove, as it seems to follow all the same settings as the Heartlands and to experience seasons and weather in sync with the rest of the sphere.