On the next day Ed woke up early in order to prepare for the orientation which will happen at 8. As he started heading over to the central plaza he noticed a clear increase in the number of students around him. There were still less people then the week of examinations due to how stringent the college’s requirements are even for general education.

Most people who graduated from a Battle Academy would average around 60 points in the entrance exams. Due to their policy to accept from other countries as well, the entrance requirements were even higher than the other 4 top colleges.

As Ed approached the central plaza, his tablet beeped with a loud alert. “You are late for orientation, please head to the War Garden”. He was confused since he could see students heading to the central plaza.

It took a minute, but Ed decided to follow the alert on his tablet. He assumed that the tablet would know better than him so he started jogging north to the designated location considering he was already late. He wasn’t looking forward to a boring orientation anyways.

When Ed arrived, he noticed 7 other students waiting in the garden around the gazebo that had hints of roman architecture. The gazebo was around a fairly large field which had large bushes of roses around the perimeter.

Ed arrived just as the clock on his tablet turned 8 which meant he arrived on time. Though arriving barely on time did garner the attention of the other students. Not like he really cared about their stares though.

Just as Ed walked up to the gazebo like the other student, a familiar strike of lightning struck. It was Mikealson. As he arrived, three other sillothetes could be seen behind him.

Mikaelson: Good morning students, glad to see you all here on time! In case you don’t know who we are, let me introduce them.

I am Mikealson, aka Thor, your physical and close combat teacher. Behind me are Caitlyn, aka Elven Queen, your long distance combat teacher. This is Dainei, a master of meditation and the mind who will be your guidance counselor. Last but not least, the head teacher for this year’s elite course, the sword master Bai who will be teaching weapon masteries.

Bai: Welcome students! You are the best of the best. The other teachers at Ares College are training the next generation of warriors and officers that are integral to our fight against manifestations. But you are not here for that. We will mold you to be the spearhead that will eradicate this threat to our existence. You will be the generals that lead thousands. You will be the shining beacon when hope is lost. I hope you don’t disappoint me.

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Caitlyn: Bai’s motivational speech aside, we look forward to teaching you this year. We will do our best to teach you, but we know that the sharpest weapons are the ones tempered by the flames of war. To motivate you in your growth, you will be sent to join the military in the annual purge at the China Tower for your midterm assessment... Yes, the tower that brought china to its knees.

The students were all surprised at this moment, since the towers were a dangerous place where millions have died. During the emergence, China, who was a world superpower that specialized in infantry, sent millions to repel the manifestations the tower was creating. Their efforts helped stabilize the situation but not before they lost half of their standing army and reserve troops.

Dainei: Do not worry students, you will be actually entering the tower, you will merely be on the flank taking care of cleanup. But mark my words, do not underestimate the tower. Once you get to the core area around the tower, C-Class manifestations become common and B-Class will be your greatest threat.

Bai: Enough said. You are all the proud chosen of this generation. I know that that title brings with it a big ego. We will now host a tournament where the only one that gets to keep their ego is the first place. There will be a prize as well for the one that places first.

Caitlyn: This year we have a total of 8 students in the elite course. Two are from the second year elite class that fulfilled the requirements to join us here. They are the twins from India, Tara (Star) and Zara (Flower) at 18 years old. There is one from the first year’s elite course, Caleb from Americas at 17 years old. Last but not least, there are 5 from this year’s entrance exam, Lance from Americas, Elizabeth from Europe, Mei from the Federation, Aleksander from Europe, and Ed from the federation all at the age of 16.

India may not be a powerful country but the himilayan mountains protected them from the onslaught that arose from China’s tower. Their populous country and their fortunate location allowed them to maintain independence and become a leader of the southern asian nations. Though they did form strong ties with the Federation and may even join it soon.

Dainei: Now we understand that there is an age difference between you which is a large advantage for some of you but do realize that for those older than you, they grew up in more challenging times. It may be just a few years, but with the golden age of advancement, every year meant more resources and better techniques. We hope that you will try your best no matter your age.

Mikaelson: Enough of the talk! Lets fight, come get your placements now.

Ed: Sir, is pride the only prize for this tournament?

Bai: Yes, is that not good enough for you?

Ed: Pride is useless in my ambitions. I would like to forfeit and start training.

Bai: Well said! Well said. I don’t care that you don’t care. This tournament is mandatory. The fight will let you get to know your classmates who might be the people who you will fight with in the future. It will also let the teachers and I to understand how strong you are and create specific training manuals. Now shut up and get with the program.

Ed stopped complaining and went up to grab his placement. He ended up with 6 so that meant he would fight against Caleb. Taara got 7 and Zara got 8. It was a bit unfortunate but it would be interesting to see how the sisters would fight. Lance got 1 and would be fighting Aleksander. Elizabeth got 3 who would be fighting against Mei.