I wanted to stand up and walk back to my room without any explanation, but I couldn't. As if he felt my distress, Tyler walked in with a man wearing pajamas with a blanket hanging on his shoulder.
"What are you all doing?" he asked, yawning.
"We're talking to our new student," Sienna said. Tyler walked to my side, and I patted his head; he licked my hand in response.
"Anyone else curious?" Clove asked, and they all hummed in agreement. I looked at the man, confused, but he just walked to our table and took a seat on the table.
"Who's the newbie?" he asked.
"Aren't we supposed to be asking the house master?" Keith asked.
"Really?" the house master asked. He really is as they described.
"Newbie, please introduce yourself," Sienna said.
"I'm Faina Alden, nice to meet you," I said.
"Alden? Faina Alden?" he asked, looking between everyone's faces. "Are you the owner of the wolf?" he asked, and I nodded.
"Yes, this is Tyler," I said.
"Oh, I have grown quite fond of the cub. I just assumed that he was the new test subject," he said, and I shivered. I held Tyler instinctively in fear. Do they want to hurt him?
"He's joking," Phoenix said, and I nodded slowly.
"So there's a wolf in our dorm," Clove said with a shaky voice. "Another wolf," she added in a daze. I was once like her, but when I got to know Tyler, I realized that he was harmless.
"Tyler won't hurt anyone," I said.
"You can never be so sure," she said, adjusting in her seat.
"I'm Reginald Tyrile," he said. Tyrile? Why are Alden vassals everywhere? "Should I refer to you as Lady Faina?" he asked, laughing.
"You should actually," Wolfe said.
"Yeah, yeah," he said, standing up. "I'm going back to bed," he said, walking away. Isn't he supposed to tell us to go to bed because it's late?
…
I wore my uniform and looked at myself in the mirror. It was a very pretty uniform. I looked at the schedule that Sienna gave to me and walked out. I branched at the dining hall for breakfast first.
"Oh, you look cute," I heard Sienna's voice from behind me. Please don't call me that. She walked past me and took her seat in her usual spot.
"Are you starting classes already?" Wolfe asked, and I nodded, taking my seat. They were all seated except Leonard and Phoenix.
"You are quite diligent. I wonder how long that'll last," Clove said with a sigh.
"Shows that her score in the exam was not a fluke," Sienna said in my defense.
I took my seat and stared at them. They were all free with each other and spoke without caution. I found it intriguing.
"You're starting classes today, right?" Sienna asked, and I nodded. "Take it easy, alright?" she said, and I just nodded. "Use this map to find your classes," she said, and I collected it. "Don't worry, there's no hidden part," she said, and everyone laughed.
…
I found my first class easily and walked in. The teacher was standing in front of the class. He turned and looked at me, and my breath caught. There were too many eyes on me.
"Are you the special grade taking this class as an extension?" he asked, and I nodded. "Go take your seat; there's no point in introducing yourself," he said, and I nodded, shuffling my way to a seat at the back. The eyes on me were making me uncomfortable. "Let's continue," he said, calling everyone's attention back to him.
The class was different from what I've been learning. Just as I expected, second-year courses were difficult. I'd have to put it off till my second semester when I'm accustomed to the school. I'll work extra hard to graduate as early as possible.
The next classes were also difficult, but I paid attention and made notes to mark topics I'd start with. By the end of the day, I was exhausted. I usually had two-hour lectures at home and studied by myself for the rest of the day, but I had eight lectures today, which took most of my day.
I breezed into the dining hall and sat down as the exhaustion washed over me. My eyes were heavy, and all I could think of was sleep.
"Welcome to Azure, Faina. That look on your face shows that you are a special grade. Even though you were doing the easy stuff, it's still good to see," Sienna said. My head fell on the table without my permission, and I just stared into space. "You'll get used to it," she consoled.
Sienna was right. After a long sleep the first day, I had to get up early to get ready again, and by the time I did it for the rest of the week, my body started adjusting. When the two weeks for school to start for freshmen came, I was already used to waking up.
I walked into the dining room wearing the Azure dorm uniform. Sienna had asked me to wear it to the orientation. Everyone was wearing the same uniform, so I wondered if there was a reason behind it.
"Oh, Faina, you look good in that uniform," Keith complimented.
"I know," Sienna agreed.
"How do you feel about finally meeting other first years? Nervous?" Wolfe asked.
"I don't know," I replied, taking my seat. I wasn't sure how to feel about meeting other first years, but I was looking forward to seeing Ariel and Bella.
"You'll be fine, especially in that uniform," Sienna assured me, and I nodded, hoping she was right.
I walked out of the building quickly as I made my way to the hall that we were supposed to meet in. I saw a boy passed out outside and was stunned. Should I help him? He moved a bit, indicating he was awake. I sighed and kept walking.
I walked into the hall and saw only a few people. There were about thirty people in the hall. Was there another exam? I walked in quietly and made my way to the empty seat at the front.
"My lady, oh my… over here," someone shouted, and I turned. Ariel was waving at me. I turned and smiled weakly. Bella strolled beside her as they approached me. They were wearing the black and white uniform but with trousers. "I was waiting for you. When did you get here?"
"Just now," I replied.
"You're a special grade?" Bella asked, and I nodded.
"Really? That's awesome," Ariel said.
"This night won't be so boring after all," Bella said, relaxing in her seat.
The door opened, and Sienna walked in with Keith and four others, Teon included. We ran into each other again. I could tell the dorm they were from by their uniforms alone. Teon was in Crimson, and there was one Scarlet and two regular students.
"Attention, everyone," Sienna said with a commanding aura about her. "I'm Sienna Fox, head of the student council. I am here to give you a brief orientation," she said.
She started explaining most of the things she already explained to me, but she left out the power ranking part. She explained the rules and the timing for each uniform.
"Now, as you can see, there are some students with different uniforms from the one you were given. They are special grades," she explained. "There are three halls: the Azure being the head, the Crimson, and the Scarlet," she continued. "I'm sure you can tell which uniform belongs to which dorm based on the color. These students should not be taken lightly," she said, and I could feel the stares boring into my skull. "You are to be at the socialization night tonight," she instructed and stepped aside.
"We will have a test now, so everyone follow me," Keith said, stepping forward. He walked out with the others, but Sienna stayed behind. As everyone walked out, she stopped me and dragged me back.
"I was told to stay by your side," she said, smiling.
"Oh," I replied.
"Let's go. I'll be watching over you," she said, pulling me along. What's this about?
We walked to an open spot. We stood in the middle with other freshmen. It was like a fighting ring, and the students crowding the platform above us were the audience.
"I'll be close by. Good luck," Sienna whispered in my ear and was gone before I could think of a response.
"Please, line up and come forward one after another," Teon said, and everyone obeyed. I couldn't help noticing the way people were looking at him. Keith was gone, so I could tell it was Teon they were looking at.
I was pushed and tossed aside by people who probably didn't even notice me. I could not find my bearings, but someone grabbed my hand and pulled me out before I could be sandwiched any further.
"Watch it, little Alden," the person said, and I looked up.
"Thank you," I said to a smiling Phoenix. He dragged me to the back of the line where it was safe and left me there. I turned and met Teon's piercing gaze. He looked away and started speaking again.
"You will all go one after another for the first test, then you'll come back for the magic assessment test. The special grade students around here should not be a distraction to you; they are only here to oversee the tests," he said, and that's when I noticed everyone surrounding the ring. Some of them had weapons with them. What type of test is this?
Alia was among them; she was in Scarlet.
"Please be orderly; the first test will take less than a minute," he said and led everyone through a door. We walked through it and met a man on the other side.
"Climb that," he said when it was my turn. I climbed what he said I should and looked straight. "126cm?" he asked, and I looked down. "You can go," he said, and I nodded, walking through the door that everyone went through. Wasn't there supposed to be a medical test?
"Are you all here?" Teon asked. "Alright, step forward and touch the magic crystal," he ordered, and the line started moving. I looked at the special grade students again, then back at Teon. Why do they need weapons?
"Awakened, bronze," I heard from the front, and everyone started cheering. He called everyone's magic ranking. They were mostly silvers and a few bronzes. There were dormants and bronze among our small number as well. The only gold was Bella, while Ariel was a silver ranker.
I stepped forward and looked around as the pressure of my situation kicked in. I was already a special grade and an Alden. I knew the expectations that were on me.