The carriage climbed the mountainous path but stopped some distance away from the academy. Sol stuck his head out of the window to see what was going on and to his surprise, every other carriage had also stopped, and ahead of them were over a thousand people around his age and a few even older.
Even before these people were admitted into the academy, friend groups were already created and those from the ruling families did their best to single themselves out.
The arrival of the carriage bearing the sixth tribe banner caught the attention of all the students and even coachmen. Rumors of Sol's recovery and successful rite of awakening had spread across Aetheria.
In fact, many claimed he had died for an entire minute before reviving!
"Rumors spread really fast here." Sol chuckled.
Attention is power and no form of publicity is bad publicity, or at least that's what he believed.
"If I may ask. Why did you have people spread rumors of your awakening and recovery?" Chamberlain asked slightly nervously.
The Sol seated across from him was completely different from the person he remembered. He was crafty and cruel at the same time, it was hard to know what would tick him off.
"Power." Sol responded casually.
"How?" The old butler seemed more confused than he was before asking the question.
"Recognition brings opportunities. Opportunities bring power. If I remain unknown, I will only end up missing out on a lot of opportunities." Sol answered honestly.
Old man Chamberlain could only nod his head in understanding, shocked by Sol's insight.
"Well, I will be getting off. I can't hide here forever." Sol said as he got off and slowly made his way out of the carriage.
"I will have your things moved to your dormitory as soon as we are allowed to go in." Chamberlain assured, and Sol responded with a nod.
Stepping out of the carriage instantly drew the attention of everyone present. They wanted to see the condition of the youth who should have died from the immortal blood-shattering seal.
Sol stepped forward confidently with his head held up high. He was once a billionaire who owned a company that had tens of thousands of staff. Walking into his company skyscraper alone attracted the attention of everyone, which at first he found uncomfortable, but with time he got used to it.
He strode towards the academy gate like he owned the place, and instinctively people began creating a path for him. The sixth tribe members who saw this felt a sense of pride washing over them.
Sol's successful awakening last night gave them hope of better treatment, but his confidence today made them feel special and proud.
In just three minutes, Sol reached the locked gate and frowned. He couldn't understand why they were kept outside, but since there was no one at the gate he could talk to, he could only suck it up and wait.
During this time, he could feel the glances of many people and he could hear their gossip. It was mainly these artists asking how he survived the seal, with some going as far as to speculate that the other five Kahi'ks had gotten involved in his miraculous recovery.
Everyone was certain he should have died.
After waiting for twenty minutes, a lone figure emerged from the horizon, approaching the gate with steady and graceful strides.
At first, Sol judged based on how the figure walked and assumed it was a lady, but as the person got closer, they were stunned to realize it was a man, mostly.
His pale skin was all Sol needed to know he was a vampire, but his lips and nails were painted black. His eyelashes were longer than normal, and his slender figure would confuse anyone from a distance.
The man had long black hair tied back into a ponytail, and he wore fitting jeans, with a black shirt and a red jacket. Only after noticing his attire did Sol realize people in this world wore both modern and ancient attires.
The blend was even crazier because no one seemed to find anything off about it.
'Just pick an age to live in!' Sol could barely make sense of the madness, and it infuriated him.
"Hello, students! I am Instructor Ethan, your guide for today." Instructor Ethan waved with a strange smile.
'Yep, he's gay. You can't tell me otherwise.' Sol felt uncomfortable standing in front of the line.
The instructor caught sight of him and was momentarily stunned. He had heard about Sol's amazing deeds last night, but he didn't expect him to be standing here today with other students.
'This kid makes the immortal blood-shattering seal look like a joke. He is giving the witches a bad name.' Instructor Ethan licked his lips and wore an amused smile.
Seeing the instructor lick his lips while looking at him, Sol could feel his skin crawl, but he didn't hide away or avoid eye contact. Their gaze remained locked for seconds, and he made sure to display the hostility he felt.
'I'm super straight, you piece of shit!' he cursed in his mind.
Clank!
The gate slowly began opening, even without being touched by anyone.
"Like I said earlier, I will be your guide for today." Instructor Ethan continued.
"I am tasked with showing you around the academy, both the open and restricted areas." Instructor Ethan explained. "After this, you all will be sent down to the Grand Hall, the dean will give his pep talk."
With that said, the instructor turned around and began walking away. Students quickly followed, but Sol remained rooted to his spot with a deep frown on his face.
He was not sure why, but he had this feeling that today would be his worst day in the academy. With a heavy sigh, he could only shake off that thought and follow the crowd into the academy gates.
'Let's see how it goes. I mean, what's the worst that can happen on the first day?'