The figure stood, slowly approaching the gray-haired man wielding a revolver in one hand and a cane in the other, with several men behind him. Yet, the black-cloaked figure advanced without hesitation, wielding nothing but a gray and silver sword, the cloak waving in the wind.
"Well?" the gray-haired man pridefully asked his men, signaling them to attack. "We aren't here to stand around and look pretty."
Claire counted six men, all nodding in agreement before rushing at the cloaked figure with weapons in hand—axes, swords, and daggers, each preparing to strike.
The first man attacked with his axe, but the figure parried it effortlessly, barely moving an arm. This process repeated with the next attackers, who received the same indifferent response as the figure continued a slow approach toward the prideful man leading them.
Claire sat paralyzed in shock, barely able to comprehend what she was seeing, especially after she and Maomao had almost been run over by a vehicle.
As the men surrounded the figure, each failing to strike, the figure performed a skillful maneuver with the blade. Spinning gracefully in the wind like a fast sliding door, his black hair and cloak flowed across his spin whilst his headphone swung around his neck due to hisfast movement, incapacitating the men around. The figure ended with head ducked and blade pointed in the air before straightening and continuing the slow approach toward the gray-haired man.
"A stellar skill..." Claire thought, watching in awe at the figure's attack.
Claire recalled the existence of Stellar skills. Although she knew several from her bow and sword, derived from her family, she had yet to see them in action against actual enemies, at least not live in front of her. These techniques, created by the user or acquired from others, were often passed down through families or taken from fallen foes. They could be performed with blades, bows, daggers, guns, or even fists—any weapon used in combat. They were called Stellar skills because their movements resembled constellations, with star-like precision forming artistic techniques as blades swung or arrows flew.
Seeing them in action against real foes, rather than on TV or during training or friendly duels, was astonishing. A certain memory, however, sent a headache through her, blurring her vision. She shook her head vigorously, refocusing on the present.
"You're no fun as usual, Kazuki..." the gray-haired man exclaimed pridefully, presumably revealing the figure's name.
The name struck Claire, her ear perking immediately, and her eyes widened in recognition. Kazuki? From the figure's movements and the name, she guessed he was male. Her gaze drifted to the dark mark on the gray-haired man's right shoulder—a black raven with outstretched wings, curving around a dagger to form a crescent moon. The layered, tattered robes he wore, dark gray and black with a deep hood, triggered a sense of familiarity in her, though she couldn't quite place it. Her thoughts scattered as the man spoke again.
"But I guess all days bid a farewell to the fun times..." the gray-haired man added, approaching slowly with arms spread, still holding his cane and revolver.
The figure referred to as Kazuki leaped forward, wasting no time on conversation, like a bolt of lightning, aiming for a strike. The gray-haired man parried with his cane, pushed back several meters. Claire's eyes widened as the figure flipped from his position to strike from behind, but the man rolled sideways, dodging and firing a round from his revolver, which the figure blocked with his blade.
The man's face turned to frustration as he retreated, realizing the gravity of the situation. He fired several rounds while backing toward a nearby building, climbing a wall-mounted ladder. His shots were effortlessly blocked by the figure, whose hair bounced and his headphones awung around his neck as he swung and spun his blade, presumably employing another Stellar skill. Claire caught a clearer glimpse of the figure, confirming her presumption that he was male. His light gray eyes were dead and emotionless despite the flurry of his blade's movements.
Claire heard several clicking noises as the gray-haired man's firing stopped. The figure lowered his weapon, realizing the man had run out of bullets. The man concluded his ascent to the top of the building, where a helicopter hovered, awaiting his arrival. He prepared to climb aboard.
The black-cloaked male stood on the ground below, watching the gray-haired man board the helicopter driven by an unknown pilot. Realizing he was too late to catch up, he watched with dead and emotionless eyes as the man took a final glimpse at him, arm outstretched with the empty revolver, the other hand holding onto the helicopter's bars and his cane.
"Well, toodles, Kazuki. Today's been nice, but I have things to attend to," the prideful man said, hiding a small smirk. "Although, I wouldn't leave without a farewell gift..."
The cloaked male, Kazuki, immediately understood the sentiment. The man, now aboard the helicopter as it slowly took off, pressed a red button on his cane. The recently crashed vehicle near Kazuki exploded, sending him flying into a nearby pole. Claire watched in shock as the helicopter flew off, leaving Kazuki amidst the aftermath of the explosion.
Claire screamed in terror for the male as he slowly fell unconscious from the explosion's impact, a black headphone flew from his neck before crashing onto the ground, broken in pieces. Hearing the faint female yell for help from Claire whom pleaded with nearby pedestrians to get assistance as he then fell completely unconscious.
"Help!" Claire's fainting yell echoed in his mind.
Claire snapped out of her brief recollection as the tapping of a microphone echoed through the hall, accompanied by a slight buzzing sound. The freshmen, including Claire, were gathered in the assembly, awaiting a speech from their headmaster. The surrounding noise of students' chatter and excitement momentarily stopped upon hearing the mic tapping. It was about September 11, 958 S.E., 7:42 AM, as Claire managed to catch a glimpse of her Crystal Dial before her brief recollection of her and the mysterious figure flashed through her mind. She quickly snapped out of it as the headmaster began to speak into the microphone from the stage.
In Stracia, the CrystalDial is the essential personal device, blending advanced tech and magic. It allows calling, texting, internet browsing, gaming, and navigation. Enhanced with magical properties, it can project holograms, translate ancient languages, and summon temporary protective barriers. Given to adventurers and students, it ensures accessibility for personal and professional purposes.
"Students, greetings to all of you. Freshmen, you've all come from faraway places, making sacrifices along the way. Although your journey is far from over, I see warriors waiting to express their fullest potential. That said," the white-haired headmaster spoke, his voice monotone and calm, but his presence commanding silence from the students. "I extend my warmest welcome to the Celestial Sword Academy..."
The assembly fell even more silent in Claire's confusion. The headmaster stood with an unbuttoned brown coat over green clothes, dark brown pants, and boots. His hair and eyes, visible behind his glasses, gave him a calm and composed appearance on the stage.
Rose then tugged on Claire's shirt to grab her attention while the headmaster spoke. Claire glanced at her before Rose leaned in to whisper excitedly into her ear.
"Ooh... It's Mr. Isaac, the headmaster of our academy," Rose whispered, excitement evident on her face. "It's said he used to be a member of the Magic Council before ultimately leaving to build this academy with his own hands to teach the newer generations. Isn't that exciting?"
"Really? Whoa, that's amazing..." Claire responded in awe at Rose's information.
The students focused their attention on their headmaster, Isaac, listening in awe along with Claire and Rose. There's glued to the upstanding man infront of them knowing that the headmaster infront is one of the most power people in Stracia.
"I conclude my statement to all of you aspiring heroes. Do your best, and I wish you all the best. Please, make yourselves at home in the academy; it is deserving of students like you," Isaac spoke calmly, a small smile on his face before moving away from the mic.
His slow footsteps echoed as he left the stage. One by one, the students clapped at his speech. Claire and Rose felt lucky to be in their seats, knowing that out of the vast number of applicants, fewer than seventy were picked to be students of the Celestial Sword Academy after vigorous entrance exams and tests. They were among the fortunate few. The students around them expressed their excitement and exchanged congratulatory remarks on their accomplishment.
As Isaac descended from the stage, he noticed a contrasting presence in the crowd of students and smiled before taking a seat among several staff members and teachers. A beige-haired woman stood up beside him and approached the stage, her commanding presence silencing the students' excitement.
"Ahem, as stated by Mr. Isaac, you are all welcome in this academy," the beige-haired woman spoke with a calm yet firm tone. "We provide you with dormitories, each shared by two random students..."
Rose and Claire sat in excitement at the idea of dormitories and roommates. Though they tried to hide it, their excitement was evident in their expressions. The students around them expressed excitement as well, though some sat quietly for some reason as the woman spoke in front.
"Whoa, isn't that exciting?" Rose whispered to Claire, excitement and eagerness evident in her tone. "Dorms and roommates, Claire."
"Yeah, who knows, we could be roommates," Claire responded quietly, excitement in her voice.
"I mean, who knows, maybe we could be roommates with someone handsome," Rose joked, playfully teasing Claire. "Wouldn't that be great?"
"I wouldn't say I'd prefer it, but I'm open to it, capisce?" Claire replied, hiding her preference for Rose as her roommate.
Similarly, the other students felt excited, chattering and talking while the beige-haired woman stood in front, frustration and annoyance evident on her face. Rose immediately noticed and tugged at Claire to look at the woman, urging her to stay quieter.
"Ahem!" the beige-haired woman spoke, grabbing attention and silencing the noisy students, her annoyance clear.
Rose realized who the woman was, shock and terror evident in her expression. Claire noticed this and stayed quieter. Ann's expression as she scolded the noisy students was furious.
"I forgot, she's Miss Ann, the apprentice of Mr. Isaac," Rose whispered, trembling. "She's very scary like really scary, especially when students misbehave..."
Claire stayed quiet, afraid of annoying Ann, who scanned the hall with sharp eyes, keen to spot any misbehavior. The students understood and sat quietly.
As Ann started to calm down, she noticed the large door at the entrance to the assembly slowly creaking open. An orange-haired male student walked in, late and trying to sneak in. The male student realized he had been noticed as Ann locked eyes on him, her fury sending chills down his spine.
"Young man, I see you!" Ann yelled, her tone sending chills down Claire's spine and terrifying the sneaking student. "Well? Why are you late?!"
The students turned toward him. Rose shook her head, signaling the male student to stay quiet and not respond to Ann's question. The male stood frozen, his hand trembling, eyes wide, and his lips pressed together in fear. Some students sat quietly, fearful of Ann's frustration, while others chuckled or didn't care. Claire sat with wide eyes.
"Well?!" Ann demanded again.
"Uh... Ma'am, I-uh... got lost?" the orange-haired male stuttered, fearful of Ann's wrath.
This response deeply angered Miss Ann. She slowly took out her stick, causing terror in Rose and Claire. Ann made the chair she had previously sat on levitate and telekinetically sent it flying toward the student. He stood frozen in fear as the staff and teachers watched. Claire caught a glimpse of magic from a staff member of the Celestial Sword Academy, although it was not what she expected.
"Aren't you going to stop this, sir?" asked one of the staff members to Isaac.
"No, students need to learn from Ann's outrage. Besides, Ann intentionally misses when it comes to her students, she'd do no harm to her students not unless she needs to," Isaac remarked calmly.
As Isaac stated, the chair narrowly missed the male student, which would have caused major repercussions due to its fast velocity. He stood frozen in fear. He felt like he might vomit from the air sickness he had felt on the airship to the academy but decided to immediately gulp it down, afraid that puking would anger Ann more.
"Office, later after this session. I'm sure you'd love a talk with me about your tardiness," Ann said, taking a deep breath to calm down.
"Y-yes, ma'am..." the orange-haired student replied, still frozen in fear.
"Well? Take your seat," Ann ordered calmly before losing eye contact with the male student.
Rose looked in his direction, signaling him to sit by bobbing her head and pointing her eyes at the empty seat beside them. Claire remained paralyzed by Ann's outrage. A group of students chuckled at his tardiness, whispering "puke boy" after the incident where he had vomited on the airship.
The orange-haired male heard their chattering but decided to ignore them as he sat quietly along with the two girls, paralyzed in fear like the students around him, as Ann continued to speak in front. Claire was too scared to listen to her speech.
"Hey..." the male student briefly greeted Rose and Claire, spreading his palm before turning his attention back to Ann.
Ann continued her speech, though Claire barely heard it due to her fear but also her eagerness about having her own dorm. She hoped Rose would be her roommate. After all, it was her first time living on her own without the support of her wealthy father. Although she couldn't write down her present experiences, likely due to her fear of being scolded by Ann, she rubbed her thumb over her notepad, eager to write about her experiences as soon as she arrived at the dorm.
Finally, after several minutes, Ann concluded her speech. Some students had failed to listen due to the recent incident, while others were half asleep. The students were soon given keys and their designated dorm rooms by the staff around the hall. As soon as Ann and Isaac left the hall, all the students and staff sighed in relief. Claire calmed down as she was finally given her keys and designated dorm number in the form of a keychain, along with Rose and the orange-haired male.
"Ooh Claire, what'd you get?!" Rose asked, taking a closer look at Claire's keychain to see her dorm number. "Oh, that sucks, we're not roommates..."
"Geez, I kinda hoped that we'd be roommates..." Claire responded with disappointment in her tone.
"Yeah, but that's alright. I'm sure you'll find a good roommate," Rose reassured Claire before turning toward the orange-haired male beside them. "How 'bout you, boy?"
"Huh? Oh, here..." The male showed his keychain, and he wasn't roommates with either of them. "So, anyway, since Miss Furious left, I think this is the right time for a proper introduction. I'm Takumi..."
"Heh, puke boy..." Rose jokingly remarked about his recent incident, puking on the airship due to motion sickness.
"Hey hey, don't call me that. It's Takumi," Takumi responded with a somewhat frustrated tone at the nickname given to him because of his air sickness.
"Fine, Takumi it is. I'm Rose and she's Claire..." Rose responded with a small giggle. Then she grabbed Claire, standing up, smiling, and posing with the uneasy Claire while making a V sign with her hand.
Claire soon parted ways with Rose and Takumi as they searched for their designated dorm rooms, each on different floors due to the vast size of the academy. The academy housed thousands of students and had several rooms, including classrooms, libraries, cafeterias, training grounds, and the famous battleground below. They were instructed to go to the battleground after a few hours, but first, they were given time to unpack and rest in their dorms after the long trip.
Claire waited by one of the conveyor belts, watching as it delivered luggage and weapons to the students around her. Her baggage soon arrived, and she picked it up from the conveyor belt. She carried her backpack, her bow—Tearful Embrace—and her quiver housing her arrows on her back. A large flat hourglass-like object was carried on her shoulder. She held onto her journal with her pen tucked between the pages.
As Claire searched for her dorm, she passed by several students. Some were excited, some quiet, and others exaggerated their feelings about being in the academy and getting their own dorms. Finally, she arrived at an elevator, waiting for it to reach her floor. The number above the steel double doors counted up to her floor. She tapped her foot on the ground and moved her head around impatiently, slightly surprise at the fact that she was alone waiting outside the elevator for her to walk in and ascend to the floor that housed her dorm, it seemingly due to how the students were on other elevators or the impatient students whom chose to run up the stairs rather than wait to finally get to see their dorms.
"I wonder what the dorms will look like..." Claire muttered to herself, feeling both anxious and somewhat impatient.
She rubbed her journal with her thumb, her foot tapping faster as the number above the elevator's steel double doors neared her floor. Suddenly, a male student approached the elevator and stood beside her, though at a distance. She immediately felt uneasy—not just because this student suddenly stood beside her waiting for the same elevator, but because he was the black-haired student she had bumped into before on the bus. He was also the one who had saved her and her kitten from being run over by the vehicle driven by the gray-haired man and his men, and how he was injured due to her negligence in keeping an eye on Maomao.
"Eep!" Claire thought, as her uneasiness intensified the longer she stood beside him. She briefly recalled the vehicle explosion that sent him flying to a nearby pole, knocking him unconscious, and guilt washed over her.
Her eyes widened, her closed mouth pointing in several directions due to uneasiness, and her forehead sweating as she hoped he wouldn't notice her. She suspected that he was mad at her. Luckily, as her eyes darted several times to the black-coated man in his non-customized school uniform, she noticed his blank stare, gazing straight ahead. His face unmoving, he seemed uninterested in her and was solely waiting for the elevator to arrive at their floor. But this wasn't enough to quell Claire's uneasiness as her vision blurred, and she felt as if she was about to black out.
She snapped back to reality when the elevator sounded like a brief bell and the metal double doors opened, revealing an empty room for her and the black-haired male referred to as Kazuki to walk into. Claire, feeling a bit awkward as she stood in the elevator beside him, pressed the fronts of her feet together and lifted herself onto her tiptoes several times, darting her eyes to him several times. He stood straight, legs and arms at his sides, barely moving. He carried his gray and silver sword on his back, strapped in a brown scabbard—the blade that had fought off the gray-haired individual and his men. He also carried a large brown shoulder bag. She noticed he wasn't carrying much else besides the black fingerless gloves and a slightly torn scarf as the elevator ascended to the floor housing their dorms, she also noticed that an earphone was hanging slightly on his neck, recalling his headphone broke during the explosion.
Their awkward situation persisted for a few minutes. Claire remained uneasy, not wanting him to notice her, while he stood in the same position, his black gaze unchanging. This made Claire curious, but her guilt overshadowed it. She briefly recalled the explosion once more before snapping out of it as the elevator sounded again like a bell and the metal double doors opened in front of them. The black-haired student immediately left the elevator, making Claire stop before following behind him. The elevator closed behind her and descended to carry other students. She assumed he was avoiding her and was surprised they were placed on the same floor, although she knew it was a coincidence.
Her amber eyes and head looked down in guilt as her empty hand formed a fist and shook. She wouldn't actually blame him if he was really avoiding her. She silently moved forward, thoughts about him still swirling in her mind, unaware that she was unintentionally going the same way as him as he walked ahead.
"I was really careless that day..." Claire thought sorrowfully as she continued forward with her head down.
She took out her dorm key and slightly moved her head up to count the numbers on the dorm doors as she passed them. She ducked down and brushed her hair away from her face with the hand holding her journal, then pointed her key towards the keyhole, intending to open her dorm. To her surprise, she clashed with another keyholder also trying to open the door.
Looking up, she was startled to see Kazuki, the black-haired student. For the first time, he made eye contact with her, his light gray eyes emotionless. He stayed silent, acknowledging her existence with a straight posture as she stared at him whilst bent down, their eyes locked for a moment before he broke the gaze, looking away, dropping his hand, allowing her to slip her key into the keyhole, but her hand shook.
"This can't be true, this has to be a mistake. I can't be roommates with him!" she thought, feeling uneasy and guilty.
Without any other choice, she slipped the key into the keyhole, turned it with a slight click, and immediately pushed the door open, rushing inside with her head down and hair covering her face. Kazuki followed, unfazed by her awkwardness. He stood in the doorway, observing the room: a bunk bed with white sheets and pillows against the left wall, a drawer next to it, a large empty brown cabinet on the front wall, a glass sliding door leading to a balcony, two tables, several chairs, and a large flat-screen TV above the desks.
Claire rushed out to the balcony, her baggage left against the wall next to the glass door, her journal face down on the floor from her hurried exit. She stood outside, looking out over the edge, arms on the glass railing, avoiding Kazuki. Her long yellow hair waved in the autumn wind as she glanced at the view below. Kazuki, indifferent to her presence, dragged a chair to a desk, sat quietly, and unsheathed his sword, staring at his reflection.
Frustration turned Claire's face red as she stood on the balcony, gripping the railing tightly, pulling on it in frustration and restlessness.
"No, this can't be true. I can't be his roommate. This has to be a mistake, it has to be. There is no way..." Claire thought desperately, a drop of sweat falling from her forehead.
Then, standing on her tiptoes, Claire stretched further, taking a small peek inside the dorm to see Kazuki. With her head upside down, she saw him sitting in front of the desk, silently, barely acknowledging her. She immediately looked away, then slapped both her cheeks with her hands moderately several times to snap out of her frustration and restlessness. As her face slowly lost its frustrated reddish color, she calmed herself before peeking inside again. Kazuki was in the same position, now reading a book, which made it unlikely for him to notice her if she walked in.
Finally, she found the courage to step into the room. She slightly opened the sliding glass door and tiptoed her way inside, hoping not to annoy him. She slowly grabbed her backpack but noticed something unusual. Her journal, which she thought she had dropped, was on the table, closed with the pen beside it.
"Weird," she thought but didn't dwell on it, immediately grabbing her journal and pen.
She ascended to the top bunk using the ladder, placed her backpack on the bed against the wall, and sat on the edge, legs swinging. She opened her journal and began writing about her present experiences, using it as a distraction from the man below, who was absorbed in his book. Despite the awkward interaction, Claire finally had a chance to glimpse the dorm room she had eagerly awaited since its announcement at the assembly. She and Rose had been excited about the idea of having their own space.
The dorm room, with its own balcony and a great view of the glorious academy, made her feel like she was truly on her own. However, the uneasiness of her situation with Kazuki remained. She sighed, unable to shake off the discomfort of their interaction.
"What an interesting day..." Claire muttered as she wrote in her journal, documenting her feelings and experiences.