The auditorium was packed like ants swarming around bread crumbs. Elina and Luna left to do their respective jobs, so Luciel was to explore this hellhole alone. For now, everyone in here was a member of Class Twelve. Around 200 students here would be evaluated by Monday next week to be officially placed in their respective classes.
The one week time given was intended to be a crash course for every cadet on basic knowledge on The Hollow and rudimentary Echo Energy control. This was likely implemented to ensure impartiality for those who didn't have the privileges to learn or study beforehand.
Luciel thought about it and sighed heavily. He knew that it was implemented in good will, but one week of basic training? The boredom that would come out of it made his head dizzy. It might sound arrogant and conceited, but Elina made sure to drill every little basic knowledge there was into Luciel's head already.
Walking around the auditorium, Luciel toyed with a gold metal badge with 'XII' cast on it, signifying Class Twelve. Everyone was in uniform and excited with their badge proudly hanging on the other chest pocket of the blazer. He saw cadets grouping with one another already to socialize and make friends, and that scared him a bit.
'How are they so natural with it?' Luciel thought.
As Luciel observed the groups of cadets in detail, his heart tightened for some reason. He looked around and saw everybody was also acting strangely. Their hands placed on their chests as if a heart attack drew near.
The air fluctuated, and everybody instinctively turned their attention to the stage. A sharp, resounding footstep broke through the deafening silence. A suffocating presence locked everybody up in a standstill.
Step...step...step.
Each step commanded respect and fear. The pressure in every stride carried a force so overwhelming that nearby cadets almost fell into a kneel. The man stopped and scanned over the room, his gaze penetrating and sharp.
A figure carved from authority itself. The Order and Excellence of Noxio.
The Grand Marshal had graced the cadets with his presence.
Luciel looked at the imposing man and tried to relax his tensing body. He didn't know a person could look so immovable, as if he was the incarnation of steel. His shoulders broad and square, his figure tall and huge. Grey hair and face of hard lines showed years of disciplined service. There was not a single flaw in this human.
"Cadets." His voice boomed from the stage, echoing through the auditorium. "Welcome to Noxian Resonator Academy."
A short welcome. The cadets snapped back to reality and straightened their postures. One by one, the cadets raised a hand to their brow in a sharp salute. Witnessing the unison, Luciel followed and corrected himself into a salutation. This nation was truly military-centric where every action was judged and prowess was most crucial.
"At ease." The Grand Marshal gestured. He gave a short speech about the academy and the nation's missions. Luciel had to hide his yawn a few times but got through the ceremony.
Now was finally the time to settle down. The admittance this year was 220 cadets. Class Twelve was divided into five smaller classes for easier management. Luciel walked in line with the class he was put in, taking in the beauty of this school.
Honestly, there wasn't much. If anything, it was built like a military camp, but the environment was new nonetheless. He couldn't help his excitement. His head kept turning around and following the slightest of things that piqued his interests.
The walls were cladded in shining metal, the hallways were rather dark and gloomy, giving the school a depressing look to say the least. That must have been what the academy wanted to represent itself. No games, just training.
"Line up!" The instructor shouted as the cadets arrived at the big classroom. "When I say your name, step forward and get settled."
"Yes, sir!" The cadets roared in unison.
Luciel waited while people were named one by one. Coincidence or not, he was the last one to be called.
"Luciel Gulova—!" The instructor widened his eyes and shivered, different from his disciplined and strict demeanor from earlier.
"That's me." He came up to him to confirm my identity.
Out of nowhere, the instructor placed a hand on Luciel's shoulder and smiled. "I have great expectations for you, boy."
Puzzled, Luciel replied with a forced smile, "Uh... yes, sir." After giving the instructor a salute, he walked in the classroom. Eyes were on him as he took every step.
'Was it because of earlier? Damn.'
He lamented about the fact that he was called last. That was when everyone had settled, so of course he was going to get all the attention. He felt bad for himself. Luciel continued to walk and found an empty spot on the corner of the first row. Beside him was a girl with long brunette hair and sharp blue eyes. Being close to someone other than Elina and Luna made him feel alien.
He distracted himself and observed the classroom. A grand podium revealed in front of his eyes. A high-tech monitor stretching out to the beyond. A rectangular machine that looked like a holographic table. Everything here was designed with efficiency in mind.
The instructor finally entered the classroom. His presence was also that of a veteran, and it commanded respect. The cadets stopped their chatter and focused on the man.
"Hello, everyone." His voice deep but clear. "My name is Kyus Triovon, an A-Class Resonator and temporary instructor for this week's crash course." He stopped himself and started walking around the platform.
An A-Class Resonator was second to S-Class Resonators, a national disaster. An A-Class was a well-respected figure as much as an S-Class because of their overwhelming strength. Instructor Kyus was the real deal.
"You've been briefed about the contents of the crash course, so I'll move on to the schedule. Mornings are theoretical studies and afternoons are practical. Class starts at ten, lunch break at twelve, back to class at two and ends at five. Any questions?" Instructor Kyus scanned the room.
"No, sir!" The cadets shouted.
"Good. Let's get started right away." Instructor Kyus turned around and stood behind the podium. Before everyone knew what was going on, a flash of energy rushed towards the stand where students were seated.
Luciel realized immediately that Kyus aimed his attack at him and summoned a wall of scarlet flame.
BANG!
Residual energy collided with each other. The small explosion shook the cadets around Luciel, leaving them on the ground bewildered. He looked around the classroom, trying to wave off the smoke whistling from the impact.
All Luciel could see was Instructor Kyus' confident smile. He slammed his hands on the wooden podium. "Reflex!" he said, gazing intently on the puzzled students. "It is one of the biggest factors to your survival. You can die if you're slow. You can die if you move the wrong way or take a wrong step. You die if you are anxious and afraid." Kyus stopped again, increasing the tension. "Always expect the worst. Today is the first day, so we'll change things up a bit. To the training ground!"
"Yes, sir!" the cadets shouted haphazardly. It seemed that his action shocked them. Who would've thought that an instructor would attack a cadet without notice like that! Luciel was trained for basically all his life to be hypervigilant, so if Kyus chose someone else to attack, the outcome could've been different. Luciel thought that Kyus must have done that on purpose to test him.
"Also, good job, Luciel Gulova. It was a perfect block." Kyus raised his thumb up.
Just then, Luciel could feel thousands of stares pinning on him. Puzzled again, Luciel kept thinking about how he had been the center of attention every time he was in a social setting. Considering how socially inept he was, he had to think harder than everybody. Just as he was contemplating, the murmurs rang up.
"Gulova? Isn't that the same last name as Elina Gulova?"
"I heard she has a long-lost cousin attending this year. That's him?"
"No way! Should I go butter him up right now? I really want to have a good position in the military."
'I can hear you all!' Luciel was flabbergasted at the sheer audacity of these cadets. He ignored those remarks and followed the instructor to the training ground. The murmur and gossip still raged on fiercely even though Luciel was standing right in front of them. He was sure that Instructor Kyus called out his name on purpose. "This man..."
After enduring that hellish attention, the training ground finally revealed itself. A gigantic glass dome with metallic walls encircling the area. The ground was firm brown dirt, perfect for training and demonstrating real life battles, unlike that solid floor in Elina's house.
Instructor Kyus turned around, his hands clasped behind his back as he stood with upright posture. "I need to know where you stand first, so we'll be doing a tournament. The top three gets credits." He stopped his speech and looked at Luciel intently, as if provoking him to do his best. "Ready?"
"Affirmative!" the cadets shouted in excitement, but all Luciel was thinking about was how to spend those credits.