It was early in the morning when all those on the second floor woke up. For those that struggled to wake up on time the others made an effort to assist them, sometimes going as far as to kick them out of their beds physically. Though this was not appreciated at first, with those few that ended up on the floor grumbling, they soon found themselves appreciating the work of their companions while eating a simple breakfast. They knew that without the assistance they would be without a morning meal and nobody wanted to know just how Ms. Holen would attempt to wake up late risers.

Ms. Holen herself sat at the edge of the room, her expression as stern as yesterday, looking just as professionally put together even before anyone had entered the common area. It was only after they had finished eating and turned their attention toward her that she chose to speak to them again. She stood from her seat and immediately assumed her ramrod straight military stature facing the room calmly.

"Today you will attend the commencement ceremony. You will receive more information regarding your courses and you will be directed to your new quarters for your first year here at Orsythe Academy." Her tone was firm as it had been the night before, but this time she did not ask if there were any questions, instead pulling out the standard issue pocket watch and checking the time. "We will leave in a half hour, be here and lined up orderly. You won't like what happens if you are even a moment late." With that said she exited the room calmly.

Knowing that they could not afford to be late the majority chose to grab their items, the few they were allowed, and wait in the common area itself to ensure they were ready for her return. Time seemed to pass quickly as they conversed and before they knew it there were only a few minutes before Ms. Holen would reenter the room. Most got the feeling that she was probably monitoring them to some extent using methods they weren't aware of despite the fact that she did not appear to be in any of the areas they knew of.

All of those present quickly stood up and got into a few lines of equal length. Many straightened their uniforms, knowing that the older woman had a critical eye for detail even when she had yet to reprimand them yet. They could see it in her gaze when she looked around the room and those who had been the focus of that gaze found themselves feeling uneasy.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

By the time the woman herself entered the room everyone was standing straight in neat rows. They did their best to initiate her posture from what they had seen of it but found that it was harder to do so than they thought it would be. Yet none of them complained as her eyes scanned over each of them as if searching for a reason to punish them in some manner, perhaps to give an example to the others.

"We will be going to the central plaza that stands before the administrative hall." she spoke matter-of-factly. "There you will listen to the general's opening speech, after which you will be assigned units. Your unit will determine what your class schedule is. That is all you need to know for now. Follow me in orderly rows and don't break file unless you want to know what punishments are available for insubordination. Follow." She did not wait for a response, nor did she want one, turning on her heels and walking forward toward the door.

The new students filed out of their short term residence in an orderly fashion, not speaking a word nor breaking file for fear of what would happen. They kept their backs straight as they could and did their best to match the leader's pace but found it difficult. Many were shocked because it didn't appear that she was doing anything out of the ordinary, simply keeping a casual walking rhythm and yet almost the entire line behind her ended up sprinting. Luckily only having to travel a few long blocks before arriving.

Ahead of them was a large open square before the large building in the middle of the academy. The spire stretched toward the heavens before their very eyes, towering in its pale glory, holding what they knew to be a bell but looked like a golden star. Directly in front of the towering building was a simple stage and on the stage was a single man. It was hard to tell what he looked like due to the distance between the stage and the entrance to the square, not to mention the large number of people, mostly new students who packed into the available space.

There were easily thousands of teenagers here and it appeared that these were only the first years as they were all led by equally stern, or perhaps irritated members of whom Jien presumed to be the academy staff. One could tell that these were all first years not only by the fact that they were led by similar members of the staff but also by their equally curious or bewildered expressions. This led to the question of where the second through fourth year students were.

Jien guessed that he would only know after the speech was over, so stood calmly in the cooler morning air, awaiting the first words of the gentleman at the far end of the crowd.