Chapter 194 - Abrupt Awakening

The afternoon seemed to pass too quickly after Jien and Julie started their session of question and answer. Jien even set down his book to focus more intently on the conversation, an action that baffled his prior teammates. In all their time with him Jien never put this level of focus into their conversations. Not that he refused to have a conversation with them, but he always continued to read as he talked with them. It didn't even seem to break his concentration to talk to them as his eyes would continue to scan the page.From the moment that Julie started discussing what she was reading and asking serious questions until the sun started to set Jien left his books on the table. As the sun was turning into a vibrant red orange on the horizon, he only stopped their discussion to ensure that they would go back to the mess hall for a proper dinner. Even as they ate Jien seemed to keep the conversation going, his voice calm and his eyes showing a hint of something warm over sharing what he had learned over the years.It was only after they had finished eating and were on their way back to their quarters that the others finally gathered up their courage and joined the conversation. Julie had brought paper, pen and a smaller amount of ink to the mess hall and had been taking notes as Jien talked. Now that the others had joined in and they were walking she had to interrupt the conversation, doing her best to ensure she would remember it once they got back.This open conversation continued once they were back with everyone sharing their thoughts on the topics that Julie was trying to focus on. These first talks were regarding the various positions in a unit and basic military strategy. As a lone fighter this was all completely new to her, but she understood that if she wanted to make Jien's offer a reality, she would have to not only learn it but be able to put it into action in their day-to-day life. It was a struggle that she drove herself to overcome so that she wouldn't have to be forced to fight the way Jien fought.The night ended fairly late with everyone feeling fairly satisfied with the happenings of the day. Though Julie still felt distant and a bit terrifying to the others they felt that at the very least she was a touch more approachable now. They all left for their rooms to sleep in preparation for the harsh days to come. They still had a week to get themselves in order for the official start of courses. Some units would of course waste this time, and perhaps they had the ability to, but their team had to work together to figure out how they were going to work best together.It was as the first rays of light crested the horizon that the bell on the Central Administration tower rang. It's sound was clear and silvery, spreading throughout the academy without losing its intensity even with distance. Yet the sound ended abruptly at the walls of the academy, as if sucked into a void. This sounds seemed to resonate in the student's ears, waking them regardless of what they may have done to cancel out sound for better sleep.Jien woke up calmly while the others bolted to their feet, many grabbing for their weapons in a state of panic. They rushed into the common area of their space and, only when Jien exited his room with Barret did they seem to calm down if only a touch. They looked at him with questioning eyes as if wondering if they were under attack and what to do. Their reaction while hilarious but completely misplaced made Jien want to throw the guide for the academy he had read while waiting for Julie to be brought to the academy onto the table and tell them to read it.In fact, that was exactly what he did, walking back into his room for a few minutes. When he walked back out, he was holding the book, open to a specific page. He placed it on the table for all of them to see before pointing to a specific paragraph and answering their questioning looks with a single word "Read".It took them only a few minutes to realize that this was not a call to arms or a warning but would simply be their wake-up call from this point on if they stayed asleep long enough. The academy was massive and had too many students to bother trying to send people to wake up students and ensure they would attend their courses. They instead use the bell with formations to control the resonance and repeat it in a sleeping person's ear until they would wake up. A complex but efficient solution to the issue of those that would oversleep.