was on my way to Amber Academy, the largest academy in the Athena Empire.
Just thinking about Arkith’s face made anger rise in my chest. He truly doesn’t care about anyone’s opinion... even after I spent an entire day trying to convince him, he didn’t change his mind.
...
And although the journey was long, my mind wouldn’t stop thinking about the fact that I was about to enter that damn academy.
Everything begins the mont the main character enters... and then everything turns into hell.
I really hate whoever ca up with these settings.
But... am I not supposed to take the entrance test? Did I already take it before waking up?
The question buzzed in my head without stopping.
I suddenly turned to the driver and asked sharply:
— "Did... did I take the entrance test? Did I do that and not rember?"
He glanced at for a mont, then said calmly:
— "No, you did not take the test."
My eyes widened.
— "Then... how was I accepted?"
He answered without hesitation:
— "The test was held a month ago... during the period you were missing.
Your entry to the academy wasn’t through the test. You entered thanks to Lord Arkith only."
So he was the one who got in...
I really... started to hate him.
— "And what... is my ranking?"
A brief silence fell before he finally spoke:
— "You... are in last place."
...
I stood in front of Amber Academy.
The place was enormous beyond description.
From where I stood, I could see dozens of massive buildings almost touching the sky.
In front of stretched a long line of students who had undergone strict security checks before entering...
Of course, I didn’t care about the line. I made my way straight to the gate.
The reason was simple... I ca from the Taylor family.
When I reached the front, a large, grim-faced man stopped .
— "Na?"
— "Rin Taylor."
I noticed a slight change in his expression before he returned to his stoic look.
He fiddled with a digital tablet in his hands, oddly making him look like a cultured gorilla.
Then he finally nodded.
— "Rin Taylor... Class R22... Rank 999."
I froze in place.
I knew this class...
Of course, I knew this class...
It’s the class where the main characters are assessed.
Damn... am I that unlucky?
...
I entered with one of the guards, who led to a separate room, at the center of which was a glowing sphere.
"This?" I asked.
He replied without interest:
— "Place your hand on it for a few seconds."
I did as he said. And as soon as I did, a wave of light swept through my body invisibly...
Then a dim glow covered before fading away.
Then an automated voice sounded:
— "Identity confird... Rin Taylor."
I rembered imdiately... it was the identity scanner.
...
I left the room and officially entered the academy grounds.
The mont I stepped through the Amber Academy gate, I felt as if the very air had changed...
The sounds, the glances, the whispers... all focused on as if I were sothing suspicious that suddenly appeared among them.
I had only taken a few steps into the main corridor of the academy when the whispers started spreading behind , like a long tail of rumors.
— "Wasn’t he... dead?"
— "No... he disappeared for a whole month, right?"
— "I heard he ca back half-crazy."
— "Sha on the Taylor family... how do they allow him in?"
Their voices were clear, piercing, but not new to . I had heard them in my own world...
There’s a kind of sarcasm... easily recognizable even if one closes their ears.
I continued walking without stopping, even though every word fell on my back like a heavy stone.
I didn’t look back... I didn’t respond...
I didn’t have the luxury of getting into a fight with worthless students.
The place was excessively lavish.
The floor polished enough to reflect my image... towering pillars, and corridors wide enough for an entire battalion to pass.
Yet, despite all this beauty... I felt like I was inside a huge trap.
At every corner, students stopped and stared at .
So raised an eyebrow... so smiled sarcastically... and so winked at their friends as if they had found a joke.
I took a deep breath... I didn’t know why they were whispering about ... but I didn’t care...
Nothing they said mattered to .
I continued along the path to the student dormitories...
The academy was very spacious, and the further I went, the denser the students beca... and the whispers increased.
All I wanted was to reach my room... close the door behind ... breathe without these eyes over .
But... a few steps before reaching the dorm building, sothing made stop for a second.
Under a huge tree with a crystalline trunk—a tree I had never seen before in my life—stood two people.
And although I had never t them, I recognized them imdiately from their appearance.
One of them was a young man with shiny silver hair falling neatly on his shoulders, his eyes icy blue, standing as if he didn’t belong to this world.
His aura alone was enough to make the air around him heavier.
His posture was straight, chin raised, features sharp as a blade.
Silver Lucres.
Just seeing him from afar made understand why half the students feared him.
The other was slightly taller, with dark brown hair, calm features to an unnaturally serene degree.
He held a book in his hands as if in a quiet library, not in front of hundreds of students.
His eyes were ash-colored... deep and strangely reassuring.
Daren Evern.
They stood together, and every student who passed by glanced quickly at them before turning away, afraid to draw their attention.
I stopped for a mont without aning to...
Not because I admired them.
But because I didn’t want to get involved with them...
I didn’t even want either of them to notice .
The last thing I needed now was to get stuck with two of the most dangerous characters in the academy.
I lowered my head, ignored everything, and walked straight to the dorm building door...
— "Alright, we’re here." said the guard, who was standing beside .
— "This is your residence for the duration of your studies."
I stood silently, watching the building.
It was huge... over twenty floors... remarkably luxurious.
Buildings like this befit the largest academy in the empire... even though I was in the lowest rank.
— "Student Rin."
He handed a black card.
— "... Thank you."
— "If you need anything, don’t hesitate to let know."
— "I will."
I entered the building and went up to the top floor where my room was located.
— "This should be my place..."
I swiped the card over the tal door, and it opened imdiately.
The room was much larger than I expected.
I sat on the bed... and thought.
How is my brother now? Does he eat well? Is he living normally?
And when I imagined his face smiling... I bit my lip hard until it bled....
Then a voice ca through the intercom announcing the start of the class, telling all students to head to their classrooms.
I stood up slowly...
and put on the academy robe:
Long black, embroidered with silver threads at the edges, and the Amber emblem on the chest—a golden fla surrounding ash.
A bit heavy... but it gives a formal feeling, as if placing a new identity on your shoulders.
I left the room.
...
The walk to the classroom took over ten minutes through wide corridors, every corner filled with new glances, whispers, and judgnts I hadn’t asked for.
But I didn’t look back.
All I wanted... was to reach the classroom and get through this day.
I stood in front of the [R20] classroom door, took a deep breath.
A surge of tension ran through my body...
I placed my hand on the handle...
Then opened it.
And entered.
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