As he walked back towards the group he didn’t know if the interaction with the Headmaster had gone well or if it had gone poorly. There hadn’t been much to sway him either way except for the last thing he had said, try to meditate. It was a very weird thing to suggest but for all he knew meditating was a vital part of the day to day on this planet.

As he reached the group he repeated everything that he knew, they had another hour and that apparently meditating could be important. He had never tried meditating before, but what he did know about it was that he needed a quiet safe space to do it in, at least according to every book and TV show and movie he had ever seen.

Rather than stay near the group he moved off to the side and sat on the ground and attempted to get as comfortable as he could. The task was easy enough. After that he knew he had to clear his mind, something easier said than done. Clearing his mind and focusing was next to impossible. He could still hear all of the movement and talking back in the large area they had all appeared in, add that to his thoughts about being on a completely different planet, being kidnapped by a magical system, now having a skill which he didn’t know how to use, not being able to speak or see his family for some unknown amount of time, if ever. His mind was an absolute mess and trying to focus on not focusing on anything was just not going to happen. He didn’t give up though.

“Everyone gather towards me. There is no point waiting any longer, those who aren’t here now aren’t fit for The Academy.”

Mike opened his eyes and looked at the Headmaster who he had just heard speak. Had an hour passed already? He hadn’t gain anything from his attempt at mediation, if anything it was the complete opposite of calming. His thoughts were intrusive and he couldn’t help but fall down the rabbit hole of worst case scenarios. What if his family were being forced to fight Demons? What if they were on a planet worse than this one? What if they ended up as slaves to some unknown race?

The experience of even trying to meditate was horrible, he would prefer not to ever have to repeat the experience again. Knowing his luck, he was going to be stuck doing it over and over again.

He got up off the ground, his legs aching and back sore from sitting on the stone ground, and made his way with the now much larger group towards the Headmaster. As he walked he did a quick count and found that there was just under 50 people with him, a very small number when compared to the 1 million who had arrived on this planet with him.

“49 of you have decided to be tested for entry into The Academy, I expect that number to drop every single day until the week is over. Even if you make it through the week I wont take all of you left. You have to prove yourself to gain entrance to The Academy and then keep proving yourself every single day until you are either asked to leave or you graduate and become a Champion. Usually, the first years are all 18 however I have made an exception with you all. Even if you are 21 and make the cut you will be in first year as it would be impossible for you to survive anything more than that.

The Academy goes for 3 years, each year harder than the last. I won’t go into details as none of you have yet made it into first year. Rather than let you have free rein over the school, you will all be kept in just one area as we are still preparing for the school year to start. You will be given a strict schedule which I hope you all follow, you will also have free time to work on the things you need to improve. You will be fed, clothed and have beds to sleep.

Soon I will show you where you will need to go, but before that each and every one of you will need to come forth and place your hand on this device, it will take a reading of your Overview so that we can ensure you meet the requirements for entry to The Academy. Form a line and let us get started.”

A line was formed pretty quickly, many vying to get as close to the front of the line as they could get. Mike didn’t care where he ended up, with only 49 of them it wouldn’t take long for the Headmaster to get through them all. He watched the process closely though, it took no longer than a few seconds for the device o scan each person Overview and for them to be told to wait to the side.

Four times people were asked to leave due to not meeting the age requirement, the first time Mike swore he saw a flash of anger on the Headmasters face but he covered it too quickly for him to be certain. He didn’t feel sorry for these people, the age bracket had been clear and to line up and think they were going to get away with getting in even after being told that their Overview would be scanned was kind of ridiculous.

A few times he saw the Headmaster look at the device with confusion other times with a nod. Most of the time though he didn’t show any reaction. When it came time for him to place his hand on the device he was more excited than scared to see if he would get a reaction from the Headmaster.

“I noticed you attempting to meditate Mike. It is good to see you can take direction, even if others didn’t head your words. Now place your hand on the tablet and let’s see what your skill is.”

Placing his hand on the tablet he didn’t feel a thing but he did see it light up with a copy of his Overview on it. Looking at the Headmasters face the man looked confused, even opening his mouth and closing it again as if he didn’t know what to say.

“Go ahead and wait with the others, we will be leaving shortly.” That was all he got from the Headmaster, no comments or questions which was somewhat of a disappointment after seeing his confused face.

He got the feeling from both of his interactions from the Headmaster that his stern and harsh persona was faked. He had seen it slip a few times during the Overview reading and the direction to meditate and even the acknowledgement just now showed that there was more to the man.

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Once everyone had finished Headmaster Yasgard didn’t waste any time in moving towards the entrance to The Academy, quickly waving for all 45 remaining people to follow him.

“As we walk I will breakdown how the next week will go. For the next 7 days every day shall be the same. You will wake at sunrise to eat your morning meal, this will be followed by a Combat and Physical testing class. After that you will have lesson that will encompass a multitude of things, including Demons, the different facets of The Academy, how our world works and important figures which includes Champions. After will be lunch followed by a lesson on Spirit and Skills. You will then have free time until dinner. Afterwards I imagine you will be so exhausted that you will go straight to sleep.

Each of the three classes will have minimum requirements to pass by the end of the 7th day, fail even one and you will not be eligible for consideration into the first year class at The Academy. Even if you pass all three classes you may not be chosen. I can take as many or few of you as I wish. That means I may only find one of you capable of what it takes to be a Champion or I may find none.”

After that they all walked in silence for a while until Mike couldn’t stand it any longer, he had questions and he figured there was no issue in seeing if he could ask. “Headmaster Yasgard, while we walk can I ask some questions or would you prefer silence?”

“Ask your questions and I will see if I can answer them.”

“I understand that fighting back the Demons is an important part of being a Champion, do Champions usually fight alone or as part of a team?” He had a lot of other questions, but he figured that any question he had about Spirit as well as skills would be answered in class. Outside of that he wanted to learn more about Champions, more importantly what it took to be one.

“Champions generally fight as part of a team however there are some that fight alone. Some Champions don’t fight at all and instead focus on other things such as crafting. Not every person has a skill related to fighting, but with the right tools and dedication, even a person who focuses on being what is referred to as a Backer, which refers to a non-combative or support, can turn the tide in a fight. The Backer is the rarest type of Champion yet also one of the most useful.”

The Headmasters answer left him with more questions than answers. It seemed that people were split into different categories depending on what they specialised in. A Backer, was a very broad term which he assumed encompassed many things and wasn’t limited to just one type of skill.

“Thanks Headmaster. Will we be covering the different types of roles and categories of Champions within the classes?”

“That you will. And I am sure that a good number of your questions will be answered in your classes as well.” He took the hint and didn’t ask any more questions. They had finally reached The Academy anyway and he didn’t want to miss any of it.

As they walked into the central building, of which there was 5, they came into a very large open area that branched off into many different walkways. In the centre was also a set of several elevators, although they looked different to any he had seen before. Rather than go into them though, they were led straight through one of the walkways and kept going until they reached the opposite side of the building.

The Headmaster led them straight out the exit and into a very large outdoor area that looked to be for training. It was so large that he imagined that hundreds would easily fit out here and train with plenty of room to spare.

Rather than walk out into the middle of the area the Headmaster walked towards four people who were standing together off to the side and looking all of them over in a way that made him want to shiver.

“These will be your teachers for the week. Sonar will be taking your morning combat and physical testing classes, Owl will be taking your knowledge classes, Wraith will be leading on Spirit. Finally, Jack Larns is a third year student who has come back a week early to watch over you when you are not in classes. You may ask him questions and he can assist with things you may need. I will not be seeing you again until the 7th day. Good luck to all of you.”

The Headmaster left as soon as he was done. He gave the feeling that there was places he would much rather be and handing them all of was at the top of his to do list. Looking over the teachers Sonar was tall, muscular and looked to be in his 30’s. He looked like a seasoned warrior purely by the way he stood and the feeling he gave off. He was looking each of them up and down as if he was already planning the ways he would whip them into shape.

Owl looked to be a bit older, she had pure white hair and gave them all a look of pity as if they had already tried and failed. Wraith was different to the others, she looked almost like the world couldn’t bother her, concentrating on her he even felt like he himself was losing some of the pent of wariness he had since being torn from his home.

Finally, Jack Larns. The guy was only a few years older than he was but he seemed like he was older. He didn’t give off the feel of a seasoned warrior like he would have expected from a third year student, but after hearing that not everyone training to be a Champion was a fighter he wasn’t shocked. If he was to guess, Jack was probably focused on something other than being a one person Demon killing machine.

“I don’t know what its like to be ripped from your own world and put on another one, but I guess its better than being dead, right?” Jack had meant it as a joke, no one laughed though. “Okay then, I guess I will just jump straight into it. Today is going to be a bit different because its already lunch time. So we are all going to grab a bite to eat, I will then show you to your dorm where you will all be staying for the next week and then each of the instructors has agreed that they will be available for two hours for an additional lesson. You only get to choose one of the three though, so make it count. Now follow me.”

Jack guided them all back into the building and made sure to point out everywhere they would need to remember. The training area where they just came from would be where Sonar did his classes, there was also two rooms that they passed when walking through the hallway that their other classes would be held in.

Finally, they came to where they would be sleeping. Each of them got their own room which contained their own bed, a desk and a few sets of clothes. There were communal bathrooms, one for boys and the other for girls and in the middle of all of this was a common area where food would be bought for them to eat.

Jack didn’t care whose room was whose, they were all the same. He took a random key for one of the rooms and didn’t even bother checking it out. He gave them all 30 minutes to grab food and settle in before he would be back to let them know that the extra classes would start. They were optional, and it was up to them if they went and to which one. Mike barely registered the last of what Jack had said, as soon as he saw the food waiting in the common area his stomach yelled at him to eat. He didn’t know how long it had been, but he was starving, also who didn’t want to try food from a different planet?