Ben shot me a sharp look, his eyes widening in alarm, a hint of disbelief etched across his features. “Jai, what the hell? Are you okay?” His voice was laced with concern, but my mind was a storm of confusion and anxiety.
I didn’t answer him. My mind was spinning, my palms sweating as I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my skin just to keep myself grounded.
This couldn’t be happening.
The man on the stage, Tristan Sun, was the same person—the same striking figure I had stumbled in on literally five minutes ago during what had to be probably the worst moment of my life. The memory of his surprised expression lingered in my mind, a reminder of my blundering entrance. I’m pretty sure I could taste the vomit already.
Tristan’s eyes locked onto mine again, piercing and intense, and a faint smirk played at the corner of his mouth, as if he could read every chaotic thought racing through my mind. I felt a flush creep up my neck, hot and mortifying, and suddenly my skin felt too tight, like I was a balloon ready to pop under the pressure of this awkwardness.
The hell is he smiling for? I shivered.
Beside me, Ben nudged me, his voice dropping to a low whisper, full of curiosity and perhaps a little incredulity. “What’s wrong? Do you know him or something?”
I managed a weak nod, swallowing hard, barely holding down the urge to bolt. “I… accidentally teleported in on him…doing something,” I admitted, each word feeling heavy on my tongue.
At first he seemed confused, but very soon Ben’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, barely suppressing a laugh. “No way. Seriously? God that’s disgusting”
I nodded again, feeling like my cheeks were on fire, the heat radiating through my entire body.
Tristan continued, his gaze finally shifting to scan the crowd with a casual yet calculating sweep. His presence commanded the room, every eye drawn to him as if he were the sun in the center of our solar system.
“Today, I’ll be overseeing your orientation and giving a demonstration—a small taste of what you might experience here. Furthermore, I’ll introduce you to the houses of the academy, as well as my own.” His voice was rich and confident, weaving a spell over the audience. “Just to go a bit off track, in the House of Flame, we prize strength, discipline, and a burning ambition to excel. Should you find yourself aligned with us in the future, you’ll be expected to uphold these values at all times, whether in your studies or in your duels.”
I tried to focus on his words, tried to ignore the tension twisting through me like a coiled wire. This was the student council president–whatever that was–plus the head of a house I didn’t know anything about– yet– but the titles alone were enough to tell me he probably held considerable power over me. Adding the fact that I had already embarrassed myself—thanks to my teleportation mishap—made everything ten times worse.
Beside me, Ben sucked in his cheeks, his expression a mix of awe and apprehension. It was clear he was unsettled, and as my roommate, he had a front-row seat to my humiliation.
“Well, looks like you made an impression. You’re screwed now, man,” he whispered, shaking his head slightly.
I closed my eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply to calm my racing heart. The last thing I wanted was to stand out any more than I already did. I opened them again just in time to see Tristan raise his hand, calling two other council members onto the stage, their movements crisp and assured.
“For now, I want each of you to remember something very simple,” Tristan said, his gaze suddenly serious, slicing through the air with authority. “This academy doesn’t merely expect greatness—it demands it. And I expect all of you to meet those demands.”
The room seemed to hold its breath, everyone frozen under his intense gaze. His voice lingered in the air, a challenge as much as a promise, each word charged with an energy I could feel humming through the crowd. A palpable tension enveloped us, almost crackling with electricity.
And for a moment, despite my embarrassment, despite the overwhelming realization of who Tristan Sun was, I felt something stir within me, a spark igniting somewhere deep inside. As unnerving as this academy and its people might be, I couldn’t deny that a part of me wanted to see if I had what it took to meet those demands, to rise to this strange, daunting challenge.
Ben nudged me again, his forehead beaded with sweat, and I could see the nervousness dancing in his eyes. “Let’s try not to get expelled before we even get started, yeah?”
I nodded, the tension finally loosening just a little. This academy, for all its mysteries and strange occurrences, was a new beginning—a chance for something more, and I wasn’t going to let my mistakes ruin it. Not yet, anyway.
“Now, though I said I’d be the one explaining, my memory is the greatest. So I’ll step back and allow my fellow student council member to explain the basics of the academy to all of you, and return to speak near the ending.” He smiled once more, his charisma almost tangible, and stepped back, turning to the two he had called to the stage moments before.
My heart slowed down and my nerves eased as he walked off.
The woman standing next to him stepped forward, her presence a stark contrast to Tristan’s commanding aura. Even before she spoke, it was clear that she didn’t possess a fraction of his charisma or the ability to captivate the crowd.
“Hello, I am both the vice student council president as well as the vice leader of the House of Sun, Alyssa Yuan. I’ll cut to the chase and get right to the explanations.”
Oh great, this is going to be boring.
“The rules and regulations are all in the student handbook you’ve been provided with, so I’ll cross that out of today’s itinerary. Now then, let’s actually start.” She cleared her throat, her voice monotone and flat, lacking any inflection to engage her audience. “The academy functions simpler than any of you might think. You’re enrolled in five classes a year, for—hopefully—the five years you spend here, meaning twenty-five credits you need to earn. That, mixed in with the final exams at the end of each year, as well as your final combat and knowledge test in your fifth year, means you will not have a leisurely life here.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Do not expect any outside connections or fame to help you either. No matter how you got into the academy, once you’re here, you’re the same as everyone else.” She paused, her eyes clearly glancing towards certain students in the audience, a hint of judgment in her gaze.
To be honest, it certainly sounded like a lot of work, but that would only be the case if I spent my time doing anything else, which I highly doubted.
“Now then, getting all the self-explanatory stuff out of the way, you’re all wondering what options there are for when you’re not drowning in work.” I think she attempted to make a joke, but her monotone voice and expressionless face did not help.
“The academy has no limits as to what you can do outside of the mandatory classes and work, this includes our museum, library, gyms, training facilities, simulation battlegrounds, the Tower of Challenges, and a dozen more places to lounge around and relax.”
Tower of Challenges.
Those three words stuck out the most, and I wanted nothing more than to hear more about it, but the girl had already moved on. I vowed that I would find out more about that place, and soon.
“Your schedule will be sent to you via your wristbands. Once the hologram appears, tap with two fingers on each class, and you will be taken there immediately. Today will serve as more of a meet-the-teacher day, so don’t stress too much. However, don’t take that as a sign to not show up to any classes—your attendance is critical.” She cleared her throat, her gaze sweeping over us with an air of finality. “Finally, for those of you that are battle-crazed, the academy also has a ranking system, in which moving up the ranks will provide you with better resources, more opportunities, and an overall higher status at the academy. We are a place of knowledge, but at the end of the day, our goal is to produce the greatest warriors the world has ever seen. Thank you.” She bowed her head slightly, and a slow, polite applause followed for a few seconds before Tristan was back on the stage, reclaiming our attention.
“Well then, moving on to the actual final part of orientation.”
Finally.
My body tensed up once more, but I tried my hardest to remain calm. There’s no way he would do anything just because of a little mishap. I mean he was embarrassed aswell.
“What the hell is this? They’ve barely told us anything. We’re supposed to just figure everything else out ourselves?” Ben whispered into my ear, frustration bubbling just beneath the surface.
I offered no response. I wished we wouldn’t have to come here at all, though the tidbit about the rankings and the tower were definitely things I would look further into.
“Houses,” Tristan continued, pausing for emphasis, “Houses within the academy function much like factions on the outside. Houses are groups of students banded together that function like a government. They have rules, regulations, meetings, autonomy, and all that other stuff. I guess to put it simply, houses are nearly separate entities from the academy; the only thing keeping them attached is that they are still under the thumb of the dean and the rest of the staff. Now, I know some of you might be thinking, ‘what’s the point?’ It’s simple: success .
Houses help you gain a strong foothold in the academy, and if you luck out and are accepted into one of the big ones, you can see tremendous growth within your first year. And if your house manages to win the House Cup, resources have to be divided equally among the house members, meaning you could receive rewards you’ve never even heard of before, and do nothing but swear your loyalty.”
He paused once more, allowing his words to sink in. “Now, if you want to form your own house, it’ll be a bit harder but not impossible. All you need is twenty fellow students, a name, approval from a professor or instructor, and—the hardest part—you need to be in the top fifty of the student rankings. We do not allow the weak to lead in this academy, never.” He paused again, his expression serious. “That’ll be all. If you have any further questions, please don’t be scared to ask. Thank you.” He spared one last glance in our direction before walking away, his presence lingering like a fading echo.
“That was nothing either! What the hell kind of freshman orientation gives you scraps of information and calls it a day?” Ben complained, but he joined the applause nonetheless, his frustration mingling with reluctant admiration for Tristan.
He didn’t mention anything about that student council thing, but I could feel the weight of it hanging in the air. Knowing more about the house system greatly eased my nerves. If it was just a group of losers, there was nothing for me to be scared of.
“Hey, didn’t he say something about a demonstration?” Ben asked as everyone began to exit the gymnasium, the chatter of students filling the space like a rising tide.
“Probably,” I answered without registering his question, my attention locked on my class schedule. It popped up quite easily with a simple tap on my wristband, but the classes didn’t seem all that great, the names blurring together in a wash of expectations and uncertainty.
Despite my misgivings, I felt a glimmer of excitement rising within me, the prospect of what lay ahead tantalizing and terrifying all at once.
Intro to Botany
Intro to Swordsmanship
Intro to wilderness survival
Intro to Beasts
Practical beast hunting
“What the hell is botany?” I asked myself.
“Ben, what's your schedule looking like?”
“Intro to Combat, Intro to Magic, Intro to Tecz, Intro to Beasts and Practical Beast Hunting.”
“So we have two classes together.” I explained, a bit jealous of his far superior class load. Though practical beast hunting and intro to swordsmanship did sound like it would scratch my itch.
“I’ll see you later then.” He waved and dissapeared in a flash.
Without any further hesitation I pressed down on the small box containing Intro to botany and watched as the scene infront of me changed instantly.
Might even be faster than the tokens.
Now inside the classroom, I truly questioned just how much money the academy had.
Everywhere I looked, the room seemed alive. Strange plants of every size and color filled the space, sprouting from walls, dangling from the ceiling, even pulsing under the glassy floor.
So it’s plants. Great.
The air was thick with an earthy, electric scent—a mix of moss and something sharp, metallic, like rainfall on machinery. On my right, a translucent wall held a sprawling vine, its veins glowing a faint turquoise as it crawled up toward the ceiling. Every few seconds, a pulse of light moved through it, like it was… breathing.
Even the desks weren’t normal. They seemed grown rather than made, with rich, dark wood alive with the tiniest hints of green, small leaves here and there as if the tables themselves were mini trees. As I found a seat near the door, I noticed tiny flowers budding along the edge of my seat, responding to my touch. Some of the students around me whispered in awe, fingers trailing over their desks to watch the buds bloom in real-time.
The professor—a figure in a deep green cloak embroidered with strange, thorny patterns—stood by a massive glass column in the center of the room, filled with what looked like some sort of bioluminescent water. Inside, bizarre floating plants twisted and shifted, leaves opening like eyes and closing just as quickly. A low hum echoed from the column, almost musical, as if the whole apparatus was an instrument the plants were playing. I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
"Welcome to Intro to Botany," the professor intoned, his voice calm but commanding. "In here, you won’t just be studying plants. You’ll be learning how life itself adapts and changes with technology. And—if you’re skilled enough—how to shape it with your own hands."
The way he said it somehow made it sound like learning about plants wasn’t going to be incredibly boring. Though, I wondered just how the rest of them will go.
----------------------------------------
“It was a difficult fit but we’ve managed to get him into both Suns and Stars classes. Though might I ask why you tweaked the orientation?”
“If we leave him curious, he’ll begin to search out the information on his own. You know his personality. Now go, he should have already started, so keep a close eye on him.”
“Understood. Glory to the king.”
“Glory to the king.”
----------------------------------------