The academy gates stood before Arthur like towering portals to a new world. Intricate ironwork ford elegant patterns that seed to shimr with an otherworldly energy, while stone pillars flanked either side, carved with symbols he didn't recognize—likely related to the realms beyond our own.
The school behind the gates was a grand structure that sprawled across the horizon, its architecture a blend of classical and modern elents. Gold-lined decoratives adorned the walls, catching the morning sunlight and creating an almost ethereal glow around the buildings. Spires reached toward the sky as if trying to touch the very realms they studied, while expansive courtyards dotted the campus, visible even from the entrance.
For a while, Arthur just stood there, staring awestruck at the magnificent structure before him. He had never seen anything so impressive in his life—certainly nothing like the run-down neighborhood he'd called ho for the past few years.
Soon enough, he noticed the odd looks he was getting from other students passing by on their way to school. So whispered to each other, others just stared. Being the center of attention made his skin crawl.
Arthur cleared his throat and looked down at his feet, embarrassed by his obvious wonder. He shook his head, trying to regain his composure, and finally made his way through the gates.
Stepping over the threshold felt like crossing a point of no return. Sothing in his gut twisted montarily—a strange sensation, almost like his newly forming core was responding to the boundary—but he shook it off and kept going.
From what Arthur had gathered from the information packet he'd skimd in the car, the academy was unbelievably large as it housed all the developing Chosen in District 3. But because it usually only took three months at most until a core fully ford, students were never here for long. It was more of a transitional space—a temporary shelter before the storm that awaited in the Second Realm.
The school broke students into groups of people close to the sa tiline of core developnt. Until you got sent to the Second Realm, you'd be stuck with that group no matter how small or big it happened to be. Right now, Arthur was on his way to the orientation for his group, located in the East Wing according to the map he'd been given.
As he walked, he wiped the nervous sweat off his hands and tried to clear his mind. Even before Arthur had developed his distaste for humanity, he had been painfully antisocial. He'd never been good around groups of people, especially those his own age—which, not guaranteed but most likely, would make up the majority of his group. For so reason, Chosen almost always developed their cores in the age range of 15-20.
Needless to say... he was nervous.
He finally made it to the orientation building—a circular structure with a glass do that allowed natural light to flood the interior. Arthur stood mindlessly in front of the door, trying to build up the courage to enter. After staring at it for what felt like an eternity, he heard sothing break the silence from behind him.
"Hey, buddy... you make a better door than a window. You going in or what?"
Startled, Arthur lunged slightly backward as he turned around to see a boy about his age with pale skin and short, slightly spiked-up blue hair. The boy held a binder draped behind his shoulder like a delinquent from so sort of ani. His sharp eyes stared darts through Arthur, and sothing about his deanor really gave him a... presence. He wore the sa uniform as Arthur, but sohow he made it look casual, with the top button undone and the shirt untucked.
Arthur stumbled with his words, looking for what to say. "I-I uh, um, I—" But before he could finish his sentence, another figure split between them on her way through the door.
Her posture was perfect, her movents graceful and deliberate. Beautiful long blonde hair draped over her back, catching the light as she swiftly made her way past them and entered the building. She didn't even glance their way, but her beauty was so radiant that both Arthur and the blue-haired boy were distracted from their conversation, their eyes lingering on where she had passed.
The wake of her presence left a montary silence. Suddenly, Arthur looked back at the blue-haired boy and saw a grin develop on his face.
"I knew this school was gonna have a few good-looking chicks, but damn... she was sothing else, huh, bud?" His grin deepened as he looked at Arthur for confirmation.
Arthur didn't know how to respond but felt like he needed to, so he attempted to open his mouth and push sothing out. "...Y-yeah," his words held zero confidence in his quiet tone.
The boy's grin faded, and he looked at Arthur oddly before speaking again. "Anywayyy... I'm gonna head inside. See ya." And with that, he tore his eyes away and swiftly made his way past Arthur, the door swinging shut behind him.
Once alone again, Arthur let out a large breath that made it seem like he had been holding it in the entire ti. His shoulders drooped as he allowed himself to relax, the tension physically leaving his body.
'This is going to be exhausting.'
Arthur had a defeated look on his face as he dragged himself into the orientation building, each step feeling heavier than the last. The glass do above revealed a perfectly blue sky that seed to mock his gloomy mood.
As the door closed behind him, he entered a new Chapter of his life—one that would either prepare him for survival or rely delay the inevitable. Either way, there was no going back to the life he knew before.
Inside, the circular chamber was filling with students, all wearing the sa uniform, all bearing the sa invisible mark—a forming Realm Core. So chatted excitedly, others looked as nervous as he felt. All of them, whether they knew it or not, were on a countdown to another world.
And so was Arthur.
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