As they left their vehicle parked outside, they proceeded on foot. The scene beyond the walls was breathtaking.
It encompassed a sprawling expanse adorned with statues lining countless pathways, followed by cascading water fountains and lush greenery. It felt like a city within a city, a realm of pure enchantment.
The distant main building's architecture resembled that of a majestic castle, boasting numerous towers and structures.
Further away, additional buildings emerged, making this world seem boundless.
Along their stroll, they encountered an increasing number of students from the academy, some watching them with curiosity.
(Is it because we're not in uniform?)
Dora's gaze shifted to the right, where he spotted Hope and his duckling strolling confidently. Hope spread his feet wide apart, a self-satisfied gleam in his eyes, while Muscle Man led the way, thrusting his chin forward and adjusting his shoulder pads.
(For God's sake…)
They reached the main hall after some time.
A significant number of students had congregated, engaging in friendly conversations.
However, upon noticing their arrival, the room fell silent and whispers began circulating.
Could it be because of Hope? Dora began to feel uneasy.
"Alright, Shrimp, we're going to the dean's office. Watch your manners, now every word that comes out of your mouth can influence your future."
"Y-yes sir!" Hope shouted.
And thus, they made their way to the dean's office.
Given the vastness of the establishment, it took them quite a few minutes to reach their destination.
They ascended numerous flights of stairs and traversed various hallways before finally arriving at a grand door.
Muscle Man rapped on the door and entered, with Hope and Dora following closely behind. Inside, they found themselves in a spacious office adorned with towering shelves filled with books and trophies on either side.
Each side of the room boasted a semicircular desk, adorned with computers and books, likely for the staff's use.
Positioned in front of a window that spanned the entire wall, offering a breathtaking view of the academy's gardens, was the dean's desk.
"Dean Candace, I'm back with the new students."
"Good job Galviol, now thou youngsters, please join forward. "
After exchanging glances, they redirected their attention towards the office once more. There was nothing specific that caught their eye, but they were surprised by a voice with no visible source. Galviol, seemingly comprehending the situation, issued a cautionary message.
"The dean gave you an order, Go ahead and watch what you say!"
"Come on Galviol, do not be so forceful, thou shall fright 'em. Please, boys, join here, 'tis alright. "
They swallowed in sync and walked a bit. Then the moment arrived.
"Welcome to Nebula Academy, the court of guard of the Kingdom's future meetest emissaries. Mine name is Candace Elysium, and from now on, I shall also be thy dean."
The woman standing before them, or more accurately, the young lady, possessed an awe-inspiring presence. She appeared slightly younger than Dora and Hope, both in terms of looks and stature. Her hair, a braid of white strands, cascaded down in a ponytail, complementing her blue eyes.
She donned a dress reminiscent of those worn by nuns, albeit much more refined and pristine in white. At a glance, one would estimate her age to be around 15 years old. The peculiar young girl confidently crossed her arms, a subtle smirk adorning her face.
"Hmm, 2 talented avatars from the countryside, the last time this befell was with a certain Elizabeth, sounds familiar?"
"What? You know big sis?!"
"Hehe, ay, thou could e'en say that it was me whom enlisted her when she was barely a middle schooler. Hence nostalgic."
They looked at her in surprise, she gave them a sly look, her smug growing wider and wider.
"Oh? she didn't say to thou? I be surprised, considering thou art her brother, Hope, yet 'tis true. A few years since, I got thy sister to join when she was merely E-rank, and today she is doing the like. Is not this a form of cycle? 'tis like I be receiving mine grandchildren, fufu"
Dora couldn't hide his amazement anymore.
"'Grand' children?! Not just children?"
"Oh, and thou might be Anesidora, right? I've known a lot about thou."
"A lot?... How much?"
"A lot of teasing actually, Elizabeth hath been like mine pupil for years, yet this is the first time she's shown this much interest in someone. Hence I be most curious to wot what thou art hiding."
She gave him a teasing look so he ended up looking away. These people always seem to see right through him.
"Excuse me? Years?! When my sister was younger? You were already the dean?... Madam, how ol…"
"HEHEM!! Dean Candace, isn't it time for the entrance exam?"
Galviol bumped into Hope's back, Dora began to understand what was going on there.
"Tch… We just met, I do want to get to know'em more."
"Yes, and since they will be registered for sure, you will have all the time in the world for that, as the ELDER of the academy, everyone follows your example."
The boys' faces took on a slight blue hue upon discovering that the girl was actually a grandmother in disguise. Her visibly irritated expression, coupled with the muffled sounds of her feet stomping under the table, made it clear that she was not pleased.
"Fine, fine! But once this is over, I do lack to hast a private talk with 'em, and I mean without thou! Annoying brat."
We tried to hold our laughter in front of the poor grumbling man. The dean put her hand to her ear and whispered.
"You can join."
A few seconds later, the door opened. A beautiful young lady, looking older and more mature than the dean, appeared.
She had long blue hair, green eyes and wore the school uniform, but hers was blue, unlike the usual red uniform. She curtsied elegantly and offered them a smile.
"Hope, Anesidora, allow me to introduce thou to the student council president: Iris Avalon. She's going to marshal't thou to the combat zone for thy exam. Iris, thou shall explain the test to 'em towards the way."
"Alright, Dean Candace. Please follow me."
She gave them the most dazzling smile they, leaving Hope speechless.
They followed her outside and headed to the combat zone.
Silently, they trailed behind her as Hope appeared visibly anxious. This young lady's presence was not only striking, but as they passed clusters of students, they respectfully acknowledged Iris with a curtsey. Who could she truly be? Fortunately, Hope was present to shed some light on the matter.
"Ehrm... It's amazing how everyone respects you, Miss Iris, you might be very reliable."
"Please don't mind it, being reliable is necessary as a student president, but sometimes it feels suffocating."
"Oh? Well, it can't be helped I guess? It's the price for being the strongest isn't it?"
"Somehow... But you will soon experiment it too."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
She waved at a group of girls looking at them, they nervously waved back and then started whispering. Hope noticed their gazes him.
"You're the brother of Lady Elizabeth, aren't you? Everyone keeps talking about you since we know that you were going to join the academy."
"S-seriously?!" he shivered.
"Yes, the 3 of you have become the talk of the academy lately, 3 real Avatars, enlisted by Lady Elizabeth and Dean Candace. I'll be honest, I can't wait to see you in action."
Hope literally trembled, for one who dreamed of glory while always having been in the shadows, this must have been the most exciting moment of his life. Tears of excitement began to fall from his eyes.
"God... I can't wait... I want... I want to fight now! I've been training so much since I was little, you know? Every day, no matter the weather. I don't I'm never stopped. I don't want to brag, but I'm the strongest... Physically in the village, I know what I have and what I can do. You won't be disappointed!"
"I'm sure I won't be, but don't be so formal, we're practically equals as defenders of the kingdom."
This word made Dora's ears prick up.
"Equal? You don't have the presence of an E-rank."
Iris looked at him with a sweet smile.
"I didn't mean that in that sense, but you have sharp senses, as one would expect from an emissary enlisted by Lady Elizabeth. I am B-rank and, not trying to show off either, but I am currently the strongest student in the academy."
Hope shuddered.
"B-Rank?! For real??"
"Why would I lie about that?"
"No, I mean, I heard that most of the teachers were C-rank, I didn't expect to see a student literally stronger than everyone."
"Oh but really not, at her peak Dean Candace should be the strongest, followed by the advisor and maybe a few teachers. That's really no feat."
"It's true! I'm really impressed, you're the strongest student, it's incredible! Isn't that right, Dora?"
"...Yeah... It's amazing... If everyone is below C-rank."
Hope nudged his friend, in front of them Iris had slowed down and was looking at them out of the corner of her eye.
"Forgive my friend, he is very bad with people."
"...No, he's right, it might seem unbelievable to be the strongest but... Well, like you said, when I'm out there, I'm average at best. For the Royal Academy, We should do better."
They entered the courtyard and passed a young student with a stack of leaflets in his hand. He curtsied to Iris before continuing on his way, staring at us.
"Besides, when you enter the academy, you have to join a special club, For example, I'm in the student council, but there's also the magic club, the fight club, and many others. So I was thinking..."
"You want us to join the council?"
Iris laughed elegantly and scratched her nose, looking embarrassed.
"Do you read minds? But yeah... I mean, we need strong people on the council to keep order, and I feel like you have what it takes, You don't have to answer now, we have time, but think about it, okay?"
They finally arrived in front of a large building, judging by its shape, it was probably an arena, the combat zone.
"Alright, here we are, I'll explain the rules of the exam to you when... Ah! Speaking of cats, here they are."
In front of the entrance, 2 people were talking. A tall man in the same uniform as Iris was scolding another guy, this one seemed more around their age, but more than that, he seemed very familiar.
Our eyes met and all three of us screamed at the same time.
"YOU?!"
Barron faced them again.