The middle-aged man's speech resumed as he looked at the press and flashed a subtle smile.
"I, as the head director of Cvoilics Royal Magic Academy, ensure that by the end of graduation every student of ours will be proficient in forming mana spheres!"
His confident tone, posture and smile received wide cheers from the crowd as applause resounded.
'No whistles and shouts defaming the head director?' Belite chuckled. 'As expected of a Royal Academy filled with vip's, high-class citizens and nobles, I suddenly feel out of place.'
Amidst his thoughts, the head director continued. "The mana sphere we have invented is the first in the world with only a few trusted staff of the Academy being able to use it. But we are going to pass the torch to the next generation, to help it prosper." The head director spread his arms wide as he said, his tone full of confidence.
"But I assure you, that I stake my reputation on this and that I will release the spell's script to the Temples and the Great and Everlasting Alliance!" The crowd clamored once more.
The head director laughed heart-fully as he heard the crowd's clamour.
"Imagine." His eyes shone with a sharp glint. "The mana Sphere's resourcefulness is simply a lot. It could be used nation-wide and can also be used in case of emergencies. It can provide energy for magic cannons, magic guns and even HMV's. And even in the cases of the unknown like..."
The people surrounding Belite held their breaths as they listened to the head director's speech.
"If a full-scaled Continental War erupts due to the westerners' past behaviour, I assure you that there's no chance that we, easterners will be pushed back easily!"
"It's time to show those sly westerners that we easterners are not at all below them!"
Belite's expression froze due to the sudden change of topic, so did that of others.
But the head director suddenly clapped, smiling. "But that's a hypothetical scenario, the pathway to Western Continent isn't built yet, and we have had very minimal contact with the westerners. Let's switch the topic of conversation before we get a bit too heated shall we?" A small lapse of laughter of relief echoed. "As said by myself before, we — the directors and executives of the royal academy promise to send the spell inscriptions and scripts to those of the temples and the alliance, for the betterment of our Eastern Continent."
"Mana spheres aren't only useful in wars and battles of attrition, they can be used to build too." The middle-aged looking man smiled, his eyes sparkling with a bright glint. "With the Mana Sphere's, we can increase the speed of the pathway being built between the Eastern and Western Continents, thus bringing about new bouts of trades between the two Continents and enriching our economy."
"It will also be helpful to rebuild Madilan and bring back its past glory, and extend our invitations to smaller countries on the outer lands."
'This guy...' Belite's eyes twitched. 'Is he trying to unite the whole Eastern Continent and bring a full-scale Continental war?'
Amidst his astonished gaze, the head director continued his speech. "The Mana Spheres can also help in things such as agriculture. Making the use of larger scale spells cost-efficient, making farming more profitable to the Superhumans."
It felt like a sponsored advertisement as he watched.
"With the invention of the Mana Sphere, I assure you that the Superhuman society will change for the better!" He said, concluding his speech with short praises for the alliance and temples as an executive took over.
Feeling slightly troubled, Belite touched the left side of his chest with a blank look. The circle had Rotated further.
'The chaos... Has it already started?'
"Good morning to all the students who have woken up early," The executive who looked like a thirty-something year old said as a few members of the press and reporters started packing their equipment. "We appreciate your cooperation and diligence and hope you can continue doing so for the rest of the year and years as well."
The executive caressed his plump belly as he spoke in a kind tone. "I'm sure all of you are agitated by the head director's speech but don't get too ahead of yourselves. You are all just teenagers who don't know much about the world."
"So let me explain a few rules that must be followed with utmost caution if you don't want severe actions taken against you..."
The executive went about explaining the rules, timings of events, what they expect from the students and what the students should expect from the academy, the wellbeing of a student as well as their mental health and how they could ask for help from the mental health department within the Academy if the issue persists or is severe.
"And please, no relationship within the Academic hours. Sexual activities within the Academy or outside it is prohibited. If a student has been spotted or has been provided with evidence against them, they will immediately be banned from visiting the Academy for the rest of their lives and will serve a prison sentence that will by no means be short."
The executive then mentioned the names of the special-needs students and their Blessings and issued stern warnings to the other students to treat them friendly but to be cautious.
"Mister Erenic Kofter possesses the Blessings of influencing and manipulating others mind subtly without the other party's knowledge and making them view him favourably. It is a passive ability and if mana is imbued, it makes the other party unable to resist his commands..."
Belite's complexion turned slightly pale as he listened to the executive talk about the various abilities of the special-needs students and how dangerous they were. There was also one student with an unknown Essential Heart, even after many experiments, the nature wasn't known.
'I thought mine was dangerous enough...' He took a glance at Eric Kofter next to him and sighed. 'He can collapse my mind and make me a brain dead zombie without my knowledge... Scary.'
Although he doubted that would or could happen to him, he maintained his vigilance against the friendly boy nonetheless.
"Further information would be sent to your student emails, thank you." The warnings, do's and don'ts concluded as the students rose from their seats.
Belite rose from his seat as he noticed the few reporters who waited until the finishing of the executive's speech to provide their opinions also packed up as they talked amongst themselves.
He also watched as Eric exchanged his student email and phone number with a few of the other students who sat in the same row as him and Belite, smiling and talking with them as he rose from his seat.
He also noticed that the lights used in the hall were of very high quality and expensive ones, the stage itself was shrouded in lights on the ceilings that were covered with black curtains and veils which were being slowly shut down now.
The speaker grills on the ceilings, the loud speakers in the corners, the wires of the microphones being connected to the speaker, the executive holding a button of the microphone for a second as he placed it back on the holder, a few people among the reporters searching for the children of influential people...
Belite swept his eyes past everyone, observing smallest to the biggest details even though there was nothing to take note of and the place reeked of normalcy.
'A king from the slums is still a king from the slums.' Belite thought as he observed.
But his gaze, which had landed on a tall and slender girl suddenly froze, his heartbeat getting faster.
The girl which his gaze had frozen upon had light-blue hair along with a slender figure and wore the normal uniform given to the students, her gaze was also fixed on Belite with furrowed brows.
Amidst his rapid heartbeat, a voice appeared out of nowhere.
"The oldest stars are the oldest prey of chaos."
He felt a lump struck in his throat as unbeknownst to him, a cold black glint swirled in his eyes as he instantly looked away, fixing his expression instantly.
'Damn it, who is she?!' He looked around, noticing Eric closing in on him with a smile. 'No, that voice... Is different from his.'
Eric's voice was gentle and kind, giving off a friendly vibe.
'But the voice that rang just now... Was voiceless.'
He didn't know how it sounded, but he knew that it resounded within his mind and had said those words that were slowly fading away from his mind.
"Did something happen?"
He ignored Eric and looked for that girl once again in the same place, but it was too late as her figure had already disappeared.
He adjusted his expression as he wore a smile and spoke.
"Nothing, I just thought that I saw a familiar face." He lied through his teeth at the smiling boy. "Why, anything the matter?"
"The executive said 'Teamwork will be sternly taught.' I like to take things to face value, so why don't we exchange contacts if such a scenario does appear." Eric said with a smile as he held his phone in his hand.
'Teamwork...'
Belite sighed as they both exchanged their student emails as Belite left the auditorium, his eyes scanning the crowd.
But no matter what, among such a big crowd, unless he had a Blessing related to scouting and such, there was no way he could find a particular person.
Sighing in defeat, Belite headed towards the dorm.
'I should stay away from trouble...' He thought, opening the door of his dormitory.
Inside was a medium-sized clean room with a pair of cupboards, a couch along with a study table and chair and a painting of an aesthetic art.
There was a window for ventilation where the study table was situated and on the study table was a small imperial-year lamp that ran on electricity.
He noticed that there was also an air conditioner hanging on the wall with a heater on one side.
It was, overall, a good and compact room.
He then went forward and opened one of the two doors in the room and arrived before a bathroom which only had a shower, mirror and a sink as he left with a sigh.
Closing the door, he opened the last door as he arrived before a bedroom with a small bed, a safe and a small window.
He noticed that the safe was very peculiar with a few strings of different colours connected inside a squarish hole.
Ding!
Before he could examine it, a noise resounded from his pocket as he took out his mobile phone.
– Administrator Nanchoko: Due to some changes in plan, the headquarters of the Alliance has personally intervened and sent a few transfer students from Twilight City itself.
– You will meet with them soon.
She messaged again a few seconds later.
– Oh, check the email I sent you btw.
– Me: Okay.
Opening his private email, he saw an email sent by Nanchoko appear with a file attached to it.
– Nanchoko: Here are a few students you need to keep a careful watch on and be vigilant of. Remind me if any of them acts suspicious.
Belite opened the file as his eye immediately caught a familiar student as he chuckled.
— No.2 Priority: Erenic M.H. Kofter, son of the 'Watchlight Passer' and the heir of the Kofter Noble Family, regarded as one of the Sixteen Stars of Eastern Continent
'Sixteen Stars... I've heard of it. But Watchlight Passer'? Such a weird name. He's the top 2 nonetheless.'
He then lifted his gaze to look at the No.1 Priority as his gaze froze.
— No.1 Priority: Kiana, background unknown, suspected to be a daughter of an influential person in the Bitter Cold War and Last Embers.
'It's... Her. The one with the light-blue hair.'