Chapter 18: First Day of The Academy
It was finally morning and all recruits had left their homes as instructed the night of the briefing. Each of them moved slowly through the barracks until they reached a particular building almost in the middle of the complex.
Entering the building, they were greeted by a lovely, comforting air filled with the soothing, savory aroma of hot food.
Many recruits felt their mouths water at the mere sight and scent of the dishes on display, and they hurried toward the serving chefs to claim their own portions.
Finn wore an empty expression on his face despite the compelling smell of the dishes he saw ready to be served.
He simply picked up a plate which Terrence had already ordered for both him and the shy boy, and then walked with them to a table together.
Throughout the entire meal, they were all certainly silent.
Finn had no idea what the others had on their minds, but his thoughts were quite troubling...
He stifled a groan, recalling how he had received the notification in the Primordial Library about his punishment. And then he had been mercilessly booted from the library and sent straight back to his bed.
No explanation.
No certain consequences of his actions.
Returning to the human world, it appeared only a few hours had passed prior to his entry into the strange library.
He had tried going back a few times, unfortunately...
It was as though the Library had turned a deaf ear to him.
He had similarly tried to talk to his supposed Guardian. However, that did not bring him any more luck, as she did not reply.
The horrendous Ancient sword had turned silent as though it had lost all life within it.
Finn had been prepared to panic, up until...
He raised his gaze slightly and stared at a glowing rune floating before his eyes.
[Punishment time: 17 hrs left]
This was his punishment for whatever atrocious act he had committed against the library unknowingly.
It might not seem like much now — given the rune probably meant he wouldn’t be able to enter the library or contact Estes for another seventeen hours.
However, if it was a time in the future where he faced dangerous enemies, losing Estes and maybe the library for twenty-four hours might very well be the end of him.
At least for now, Finn possessed the vast knowledge of Spirit Will dwelling deep within his heart. He could only wonder how powerful that knowledge alone would make him.
Well, time would tell.
And that time did not take long to present itself.
***
After breakfast, the students moved out of the cafeteria and toward one of the largest buildings at the edge of the barracks.
From the outside it looked pretty mundane, resembling a towering old auditorium over fifty meters high, wide yet weathered by age.
Upon entering the building, the students found themselves in a small hall that led down a single path, which they all followed.
Eventually they reached a door at its end.
Beyond the door lay a hall of diverse pathways, one that seemed designed to confuse the recruits.
Thankfully, the leading Mage at the front knew exactly where to go.
And that person was the legendary Artemis Bryce.
At this moment, Finn’s curiosity about her seemed to pique even more.
He turned to his handsome blonde friend to ask a few questions.
However, Terrence seemed to have found other... unwanted company.
A swarm of girls — or at least several girls — were currently circling around the handsome blonde, bombarding him with questions and flirty remarks.
This left Finn with his gnawing questions as his only entertainment.
"Just when I need him, he’s unavailable," Finn snorted.
The shy boy, meanwhile, simply shrugged, his head staring down at his feet as his nervousness increased.
A few seconds passed before the recruits found their designated classroom and began to pour inside.
The large room contained about twenty or so polished wooden benches, each capable of comfortably seating at least five students, along with glass tables that deliberately displayed shimmering holographic images.
Many of which looked cool but quite confusing.
Finally, Terrence managed to break away from his annoying fanbase, and the three boys took seats near the middle of the classroom.
"How prestigious," Finn muttered, staring at the holographic display of moving objects right before him on the glass table.
Then he lifted his eyes and stared toward the front of the classroom.
There stood Sir Antonio, leaning against the wall, and surprisingly... Frey, who had chosen to stand just a few feet from the dashing Grey Knight as though she were his assistant or held some other position of authority.
’Is she trying to show off Artemis Bryce by forcing her way into authority?’ Finn chuckled within himself. ’Pathetic.’
To believe Frey would be so fazed by Artemis outperforming her that she was already pulling such cards.
Terrence, meanwhile, stared at Finn with worry written across his expression as he watched the young pale boy chuckle to himself with a very rude look on his face.
"I can only wonder what runs through his mind," Terrence swallowed.
The shy boy shook his head. "Disturbing."
Curiosity seeped in further and Finn found himself searching through the crowd with his eyes for Artemis and...
"What?!" Finn gasped, his body jolting back a little before he quickly recovered himself.
However, the damage was done.
The bright, warm gaze of the woman’s grey irises met his, and a smile rolled across her lips.
"Hi," she said.
Finn blinked a few times, then let out a muffled grunt while rubbing the back of his head. "Hi? I mean, good morning."
Artemis remained silent and simply watched as though wanting Finn to say something else.
Instead, he only grew more uncomfortable and shifted his gaze back to the podium, hoping she would just leave him alone to his introverted life of introspection.
Terrence, on the other hand, nudged him gently in the gut and groaned mischievously, "Why don’t you introduce yourself to Miss Artemis? Don’t you have any game, Finn?"
Finn almost gagged as he heard those words. His face flushed red as he turned to Artemis.
The formidable woman had her hands raised to her lips as she laughed at the joke.
A joke Finn did not find funny.
He turned to Terrence and glared at him.
Then he turned to face Artemis once again and said disgruntledly, "Hey, I am Finn Vaywill."
"Artemis Bryce, last of my house."
Last of her house? Finn was thrown into confusion. ’What does that even mean?’
But before he could ask any further questions, a loud crackle emanated from the podium at the front of the class, catching everyone’s attention.
Antonio was no longer by the wall but now stood in the midst of the class with Frey by his side.
"Ok, that’s enough chit-chat for one day," Antonio said, placing both hands into his pockets. "I and a few others will be in charge of prepping you for your years of training to become Grey Knights. Many of you aim to become knights to satisfy your families, others because it is their dream, and for only a few, they wish to reach the top of it all — become the strongest and, just like the Greatest Mage thousands of years ago, those few want to change humanity."
Finn tensed at the last part. Something about it made him think very deeply. His mind drifted to the Corrupted Wall.
The other students were the same, as they buried themselves in thoughts of their own reasons.
For some time, Antonio allowed that to sink in. And then soon enough he spoke once again.
"Today, we will begin with combat training. One must know how to handle themselves when it comes to battling other mages... But more importantly..."
"Battling Corrupted Beasts."
