A young man walked up the stage. He had brilliant blonde hair with corresponding azurite eyes. With a sharp jaw and unblemished skin, he could be considered quite handsome.
"Nice to meet you, everyone. My name is Lance Raventon. Looking forward to a year together," he said as he gave a dazzling smile.
He politely gave a half-bow and impeccably walked off the stage.
Aena wondered why the speeches were this short. 'Did important people just not like wasting time?' Or maybe it was just this year specifically.
The next first-year representative walked on stage. Dark scarlet hair interspersed with violet streaks cascaded just over the girl's shoulders. Mesmerizing black pupils accentuated her delicate features and petite figure.
She wasn't tall—only slightly above Aena herself—but she gave off an atmosphere that screamed confidence.
Hit with a sense of familiarity, Aena suddenly realized that this was the girl who stopped her yesterday. She definitely gave off a different vibe than from that time. If before she could be described as aloof, her disposition now would be condescending.
Watching the crowd with indifferent eyes, she spoke in a clipped tone.
"Don't get in my way."
Five words. That's all it took for silence to flood the stadium. If one didn't know better, one would think the area had become a graveyard.
"Trash," the girl then spat out. Her expression didn't change once. It was like she didn't consider it an insult, but a simple irrefutable fact.
She turned and nonchalantly stepped away. The announcer recovered from his stupor and shouted in a stuttering voice:
"W-Wait! Please at least say your name!"
The girl stopped and unhurriedly turned around, giving a wicked smile. The man blanched.
"You'll all know soon enough." With that, the man stood paralyzed as the girl's steps pierced the crushing silence.
'Damn.'
Words hung unspoken in the air, but gradual disapproving muttering could be heard synonymously across the seats. At this time, the announcer had gathered his wits back together and continued with the rules and regulations, but the atmosphere felt off. He spoke for a while longer before concluding his speech.
"That's all everyone. Classes will begin tomorrow at 9 A.M."
As the ceremony ended, students began to trudge out stiffly.
Catching a few snippets of conversation, Aena learned a few snippets of information. That girl's name was Cassidy Livingstar, the only child of the Livingstar house, one of the most prominent families in the current era.
She certainly had the backing to act the way she did, but that didn't mean other people would just accept it compliantly. Aena could only shake her head; even if the girl was some rich young lady, it didn't bode well to publicly outrage the entire class. She would probably face isolation and underhanded bullying from now on.
…
The next morning.
Aena had a habit of exercising each morning, but since the school year hadn't started yet before, she didn't completely fancy the idea of training before courses began. Even if she was a hard worker, she didn't exactly take joy in being a workaholic.
Now that classes had been scheduled, she had no more excuses for herself so she got up two hours before class for a morning jog.
The slightly frigid autumn air cooled her sweating face as she ran another lap. Aena was currently on one of Astral Academy's vetted training grounds. Various pieces of equipment sat empty because most students didn't have the drive to be willing on the first day. Personal and sparring training rooms were situated on one side. A large track surrounded the equipment clustered in the epicenter and Aena was currently on her eighth lap.
It was a shared facility between the first years, so it contained state-of-the-art equipment, and Aena felt quite satisfied with the space. She made a mental reminder to give it a five-star rating later. The quietude was comforting as well.
After running for another half an hour, Aena felt refreshed from the exertion and headed back to the dorms for a bath.
Entering the dorm, she entered the showers and began peeling off the sweat-soaked clothes. As Aena grabbed a tower and headed towards the door leading to the showers, the door suddenly opened and a figure came out… which Aena bumped her shoulder into.
It was that girl from before. Cassidy Livingstar. Although she didn't look as menacing as before, Aena definitely didn't want to deal with her.
'Just my luck," she thought, swallowing.
"Sorry," Aena muttered, marginally lowering her head.
The two girls stood naked in front of each other.
Cassidy stood there for a moment but didn't say anything and walked off. Her countenance throughout the encounter remained ever poised, but Aena somehow got the feeling Cassidy was slightly annoyed.
Aena hated people like that. People who felt like they were better than everyone else. Of course, a lot of times they were, either in influence or wealth, but she still abhorred the way they ignored her like she was garbage.
She felt a familiar fury ignite within her. People like Cassidy would only understand when they were beaten black and blue and finally cried for clemency. Only then would they submit. Of course, with Aena's commoner status, she couldn't do anything lightly against the nobles, but that wouldn't restrict her thought process as well.
Astral Academy drew talents from all sorts of backgrounds and milieus, and as a prestigious academy, it boasted top professors and security. Still, there was inevitably a hierarchy in place among the students themselves. While talent was especially stressed within the academy, the faculty did not burden themselves with the internal disputes of children.
Although the academy protected its students from external powers during their time inside, who knew what would happen after they graduated? If they turned out to be a weakling, they would be bound for an ending worse than death.
Sighing at the injustice, Aena walked into a stall and cleaned herself.
Putting on her uniform in her room, she then slung her bag over her shoulder and headed over to class.