The several groups of teenagers that Jien had noticed at the counter out front of the academy were following the lanky man just as his group was. They soon passed by the training grounds and suspected storage buildings, finding that that the space beyond was actually quite a bit more open than they had suspected on first glance.

From a distance the buildings all appeared to be fairly tightly packed together, cascading upward as they reached toward the center where they white spire stood. Once one entered the area of the buildings themselves they would notice a neat network of cobblestone roads large enough for one and a half standard carriages to pass easily. Given that most of these roads only saw foot traffic it allowed one to truly grasp the enormity of the academy. It was no less in size than any of their family domains, in fact likely closer to the size of two grouped together.

As the large group followed the main street down the center everyone looked at all of the buildings and streets around them, finding not another living soul but themselves. The large academy felt like a ghost town despite how lively it looked from the outside with all the carriages. It left a chill in the air despite the heat of the sun beating down on them. Where had all those that arrived before them gone? What about the other soldiers, professors and the like.

It was only when the reached halfway to the spire that they received their answer. The front section of the academy was empty because everyone was beyond this current intersection. In the center of the intersection was a large street sign post with a large number of plaques pointing in all four directions. There were so many that they ran nearly to the bottom of the post that was twice as tall as the lanky man leading them. One could spend hours just reading the signs alone without even finding the ones they needed.

It was only now that their guide spoke, his voice deeper than anyone expected, nearly reverberating in their bones. "Your temporary quarters are to be in the building one block up, and two to the right, building number 402." After saying this he pivoted on his heels once again, making his way in the exact path he had come. Nobody stopped him, stepping out of the man's way quickly as he approached with long strides.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

The group as a whole was a bit lost. The man had told them where to go for temporary quarters but hadn't explained anything else. For one, why were they temporary, the second obvious question was why the first quarter of the academy appeared to be in disuse. Still, nobody had the courage to ask the relevant questions of the man, not even Jien. The lanky student felt early to them all, as if he may as well have just been some arcane automaton of some sort, perhaps a golem a professor had created.

After the man had made it to a distance that Jien found acceptable he gave his cohort a hidden hand signal. Seeing it they all followed behind him as he stepped forward to follow the instructions given. It was only after they had made it to the far end of the intersection that the other groups realized that they were being left behind, snapping out of their stupor regarding the eeriness of the their guide. They quickly took off after Jien and the others so as not to get separated.

As soon as they crossed the intersection it was as if they had passed a barrier of some sort, not physically, but in the sense that there were suddenly plenty of people walking about. Some were their age, some a bit older and some who were most definitely graduated and acting as part of the empire's military force. It was easy to tell who was who not only by age but by the way they carried themselves. Those that had graduated and joined the military after walked with their backs straight and heads held high, their steps carrying purpose.

One could also tell what year a student was in by watching what degree of the same firmness of stance one had. Each year up to the fourth one would be able to see more purpose in their actions, more confidence in their stride and more recognition of where they were headed. Still, it was not hard to find the building that they had been told about. It stood slightly taller than the others on the same street and about thrice as wide. The front had a simple green painted door with the numbers 402 in iron on the edge of the door frame. Each story had windows that were covered by light curtains to cut out some of the light and heat but not all of it. A total of what appeared to be four floors and a total of likely one hundred rooms based on the approximately fifty windows on this side.

Jien was the brave one who took a step forward to the green door. He wasn't quite sure what they needed to do. They hadn't been informed that anyone would be here to welcome them but they were also not provided a key. In the end he internally sighed and lifted his hand, knocking firmly on the door three times in the hopes that someone would answer.

Luckily for both Jien and all the others there was an answer. A stern looking older woman with her grey hair in a tight bun and steely blue eyes swung the door open and peered at the group that would be under her short term care. The woman spoke with a sharp tone that matched her stern presence. "My name is Ms Holen, you will address me as such for the short time you will be here under my roof. Now hurry up and get in, the heat is unbearable and I won't let you waste the mana spent to keep the buildings cool."