My bad mood was the only thing stopping me from gaping in awe as the whole open space of the Academy opened up before them.

I hadn't had much cause to visit the Academy before. My parents had claimed that we visited when I was a child.

But I had no memories of that.

Housing only three thousand students with half that again in staff. The Academy was a sprawling mass with dozens of buildings, each of various shapes and sizes.

A massive wall spread behind us, encompassing the Academy. A stretch of forest stood at the foot of the walls. Separating the Academy from the walls themselves.

If it was to give the illusion that you weren't stuck in the Academy, then I wasn't sure if it was working.

Several paths were running through the forests, spreading out around the Academy.

All the paths and roads led to a single building in the centre. The Academies tower. One of the other tallest buildings in the Capital.

The only thing brightening his heart were the children running around. They were equally amazed by everything they saw.

They asked constant questions, which Olivia always seemed to have a patient answer for.

Fortunately, they didn't question how she knew so much. Frank and Olivia had done a great job keeping their soul armour hidden from the kids.

I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't been looking for it.

Their mastery over their armour only gave me more cause for concern.

They had true powerhouses looking after my siblings.

While that meant as long I was on the good side of the collective, my siblings would be safe. It also meant that there was a sword hanging over my neck.

I was broken from the morbid thoughts by them arriving in front of the tower.

Several attendants were there, waiting to take people to their respective dorms.

We had come early enough, before the main rush later in the day.

Frank had given me no option but to do so. As much as I wanted to spend as long as possible with my siblings, I wasn't given the choice.

They each had a checklist in their hands. While Olivia kept the siblings entertained. Frank and I approached the soldier.

I didn't miss the look of respect on the soldier's face.

While I didn't know the soldier's rank, it was clear he knew who Frank was.

Frank was also clearly telling him to be at ease as we approached.

No one seemed to notice the silent agreement. So there weren't any eyes on us.

I didn't even need to report my name before the soldier was reading out the details.

"Cadet Everett. Good. You're quartered on the fourth floor of the Rising Moon, the first-year dorm. Room 405. Do you need a map of the Academy?"

While it would have helped me, Frank quickly declined the option.

Almost seemed offended, the soldier had asked.

I wasn't sure how to take that. But before I could think about it further, we were gone.

Frank grew more on edge the further we got into the Campus.

While Olivia seemed her usual self, it was the first time I had seen emotion of any kind on Frank.

I wasn't sure I liked it.

I had gotten used to the taciturn sourness of the man. It had become nearly comforting his reaction to any situation.

The fact he was on edge put me on edge.

It was a short walk to where I would stay for the following year.

Frank led us through the Academy with adeptness, taking a few shortcuts as we went.

He spent very little time on the main pathways.

Before I knew it, we were in front of a large building four stories high.

The stone walls seemed like more of a fortress than a dormitory.

The banners along the walls of a rising moon were enough to tell me that we had arrived at our destination.

Frank led them straight inside, and all three Everetts stopped short as we entered.

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"Whoa"

I had to agree with Kaya and Karius.

The inside of the dorms was close to the luxury he had seen in the Bastion only a few days earlier.

The open lobby was spacious, with mage lights lighting the entire room.

A large number of seats and couches littered the area.

Beyond the room, he saw an open courtyard with a giant tree in the centre.

It took a few moments for Olivia to get the kids under control.

They were in awe at everything they had seen so far in the Academy. But nothing compared to this.

After all, this was luxury the likes of which they had never seen.

It made me a little sad that they had never experienced anything of the like.

I could only hope that I would be able to give them a better life from now on.

Olivia's cooking had already got them looking healthier than they had been.

In many ways, their lives would improve over the coming years. That was the only reason I was in any way confident about the future.

Frank was quick to lead us to my new dorm.

It was clear that there wasn't a place on Campus that he didn't know.

I wasn't sure what my living situation would be like.

I knew there was a quality difference between the rooms for each rank.

The C rankers were all on the fourth floor. The D rankers had the third floor, and the others were mixed on the first and second floors.

While they were living together, I was glad to see I had a room to myself.

I wasn't far from the stairs, so we quickly arrived at my dorm. Placing my hand on the doorknob. There was a small flash as the door recognised my soul armour, and I entered the room.

I was pleased to find a large window looking over the grounds at the back of the room.

On one side of the room was a desk, and on the other was a double bed. While there wasn't much inside, it would be a fine place to stay for the future.

There was another door that led to a bathroom. I was happy that I wouldn't have to share with anyone else.

The kids were quick to make the place their own. Jumping onto the bed and inspecting the desk in turn.

It took them a few minutes, but it wasn't long before they both gave their seal of approval.

That was when the moment of truth came.

While I wanted to spend the day with them in the Academy, both Olivia and Frank looked like they wanted to leave.

While Frank had become a little calmer since we entered my room, he was still on edge.

I wasn't sure if he was expecting danger or if he truly did not like to be back at the Academy.

Either way, I had made it through the week far safer than I expected.

Not a single issue had cropped up. I hadn't heard any talk of the new types whatsoever.

They had done their jobs well.

I was thankful they would look after my siblings for the next while.

I knelt to hug my siblings, whispering to them both.

"Tell me if anything happens. I will come to help you guys no matter what. If anything is wrong, or if anyone hurts you. Tell me as soon as possible. I'll see you guys soon."

That was, unfortunately, when the tears started flowing. They had been very well-behaved up until that point. But now, the reality had set in.

It took everything in my power not to break down myself.

I couldn't let them see me like that. They had to be able to rely on me in the coming years.

After making sure that Frank and Olivia had promised they would visit on the weekend several times. They were finally led away.

While I wanted to walk them back to the Arch, Frank and Olivia told me it wasn't the best idea.

The Academy was watching me. I didn't want to show any signs of intending to leave.

While the other new types had been given much more freedom, I was the Type they were the most worried about. The two had told me that themselves. It was one of the few pieces of information they willingly gave out.

After I got myself together, I decided to visit the stables.

That was where the Academy was storing my tamed beast.

I could still feel the connection between the monster and me.

It was the only thing that could distract my mind at the moment.

I had taken a uniform from the closet, surprised at how well they fit me. I doubted it was the last time the magitech of the Academy would impress me.

The single star on my right shoulder denoting me as a first year. Otherwise, the uniform looked quite good on me.

The simple military jacket was missing one conspicuous thing. There was no Type emblem to be seen. I wasn't sure if that was to come later. But for now, I was Typeless.

At the very least, the four solid lines on the right of my sleeve made my C rank clear to everyone. I could only hope they focused on that more than my Type.

Fortunately, a map was on my desk, amongst other things. Otherwise, it would have been hard to find the stables.

They were nearly on the other side of the Academy.

While I would have eventually been able to find it following the connection with my monster, the map made it a lot easier.

Walking to the stables did give me a nice chance to walk around and take the Academy in properly.

Without Franks's manic pace, walking around was far more pleasant.

I would have to enjoy the place while I could. I didn't know how long it would be before It would drive me crazy.

Since we arrived so early, I had nothing to do for hours.

The first orientation wouldn't be until this evening.

The year would officially start tomorrow. But tonight would be an early orientation for the C rankers.

It hadn't been made clear what that would be about. But attendance was mandatory.

The Academy was sparsely populated as I walked through. While I was sure it would be busier in the future, it was still a vast space for the relatively few students.

The quiet moments during the walk gave me the first chance to think.

I had been so focused on what was to come that the fact I was now here for good was far more concrete.

I was now here to stay.

Arriving at the stables, I was surprised to find no one around.

While it was still early, I had expected them to be long since working.

While there was little need for anyone above D rank to use a horse. They were still a valuable and rare commodity. The fact that I couldn't see any in the stables surprised me.

I followed the connection to find where my tamed beast was.

I came to a very well-locked metal door. There were several chains up reinforcing it. They weren't taking any chances with my monster.

While I was confident it wouldn't go out of control anytime soon, it wasn't surprising that the Academy disagreed.

It also made sense why they didn't want the horses anywhere near it.

I had tried to practice mental commands over the past week. It felt a little dumb as I had no idea if I had been successful.

Now, I had the chance to see if it worked.

I tried to ask it to bark, but unless the door was soundproof, it didn't work.

Frank and Olivia had been very against me activating my soul armour, So I hadn't gained much practice with that either.

I placed my gauntlets on the chains to see if they were keyed to my armour like my dorm room door.

Once that didn't work, I wasn't left with many other options.

Frank had only told me where the monster would be. He hadn't said anything else.

"Bark"

The barking behind the door made me feel a little better. I ran through a few other commands that I would be able to hear.

Once it was clear that they had worked, I was feeling a lot better.

Despite being a monster, I didn't want to treat it too badly. The connection had become very real to me over the past week.

I wasn't sure how I would feel without it.

I ran through a few more commands before I was interrupted.

"Hey, what are you doing? You can't be here."