September 29, 3067, Saturday
The class was still waiting to be paired up since their instructor for Class 1 hadn't shown up yet. With nothing else to do, the students naturally gravitated towards their own small circle of friends. It had only been two weeks since classes began, but by now, most had already formed some kind of bond.
Kiera and Ardiel both sat at opposite sides of the ground, clearly awkward with each other. Ardiel only said 'Hello' to Kiera when the girl welcomed him with a provoking tone earlier, but the girl only nodded to everyone's surprise, they thought Kiera would challenge Ardiel right away just as she did with everyone else.
A few minutes later, a massive figure strode onto the grounds, clutching a clipboard in one hand. He towered over the class at a solid six feet, his muscles straining against his maroon uniform. His sharp eyes scanned the room, immediately silencing any chatter. Most of the students barely came up to his chest, and his sheer size made the air feel heavier, like gravity had doubled.
"Good morning, class. I'm Albert Rubens, and I'll be your instructor for Sparring Exercises," he announced, his gaze piercing each student as if memorizing every detail of their faces. His gray hair fluttered in the wind.
"We're two sessions behind the other classes, so I won't waste time with chit-chat. Find your partner—one magister and one auror—NOW!" His voice boomed like a command, sending a ripple of panic through the group as students scrambled to find a suitable partner. Having spent some time together, they already had a rough idea of who they wanted to pair up with.
Within moments, everyone had found their partners—everyone except two.
No one approached Ardiel, it's understandable since it was basically his first day in class. And no one dared to approach Kiera—they were all too scared of her.
So as the only two with no partners, they hesitantly approached each other with awkward steps. Kiera kept his gaze on the ground and Ardiel was stealing some glances at her, trying to check her expression.
"I will be implementing a different lesson that is tailored for this class, as I've heard, there's some exceptional students enrolled this year, so It's only right to raise the stakes," His words, which would normally scare the students, only made their blazing gazes burn in more motivation.
"Your partner will be your sparring partner, your pair will be put against others during sparring doubles, You will be graded individually and as pairs. Grades will be based on the academy's grading system. Tier 1-5, with 5 being the highest grade," the instructor explained.
"We will have no sparring yet," he revealed, which garnered disappointing noises from the students. They were riled up to fight competitively, only to be delayed.
"Now don't be disappointed, everything we do here is a competition against yourself. We'll start with preparing your small bodies to be equipped for fighting. Follow me to the oval," He then left the grounds right away.
The students quickly followed him, making their way towards the wide oval that is centered between all the training grounds.
The 400-meter oval track was where running events were conducted. The track typically has lanes for sprints and distance races, with the field area serving other recreational purposes.
"As I call your name, take one lane from left to right," Albert instructed.
"Ardiel Dragonheart," he began, scanning the crowd for the boy. Although he hadn't seen Ardiel during the admission test, he had heard impressive things from Rodan and was curious about him.
Ardiel stepped out from the group and took his place in the leftmost lane.
"That's you, how do you plan to close the gap between you and your classmates when you're 2 years younger than the usual admission age." He inquired. It's not a provocation but rather a genuine question to feed his curiosity.
"By working smart," the boy said. Contrary to Albert's intention, Ardiel thought that the instructor was taunting him, probably to see how much the first placer in the admission weighs compared to others.
"By working smart," Ardiel replied. Despite Albert's neutral tone, Ardiel took it as a slight, perhaps to gauge how the top placer from the admission test compared to others.
"Kiera Ashborne, Jericho Adler…" Albert continued calling out names, deliberately starting with the top placers in Class 1. It was impressive how Kiera was the only girl in the Top 5 of Admission rankings.
Five students crouched at the starting line, their bodies coiled like tightly wound springs, each hand pressed firmly against the track. While it wasn't stated that it was a sprinting competition, they knew this was part of the evaluation and they had to do their best.
"You can't use mana or you'll face consequences," Albert warned.
"On my mark, 3..2..1…BANG!"
Albert's shot echoed across the field, a sharp crack that sliced through the tension. In an instant, Ardiel and the other sprinters exploded off the starting line, their feet pounding the track in a synchronized blur of motion.
The runners surged forward, their breaths forming clouds in the crisp morning air. Ardiel's legs stretched with powerful strides, his focus narrowing to the rhythm of his heartbeat and the pounding of his feet against the track. His body had long started to adapt with the attribute of the dragon mana surging in his system, hence he was able to easily take the lead by a huge gap
Kiera, who prided herself on her speed, felt a surge of frustration. She had always been a top competitor, and seeing Ardiel take the lead was infuriating.
Everything was already going well for her, not until the boy he had met by accident in Wyrmport showed up and suddenly took the spotlight from her. Her determination burned fiercely, but it was laced with a sharp edge of annoyance as she saw Ardiel's strides effortlessly covering the track.
As Ardiel surged forward, the gap between him and the other runners widened. Kiera's frustration grew as she pushed herself harder, her lungs burning with the effort.
She grit her teeth, trying to ignore the sting of her own pride and the growing sense of competitive rivalry. The track seemed to stretch endlessly, and with every second, her chance to catch up diminished.
The 400 meters run seemed so far for the sprinters, but the crowd around the oval all watched with interest as they saw the first years sprinted with so much vigor. Lucas, who was seated on one of the benches, happened to watch the whole event and he couldn't take his eyes from Ardiel who was taking the lead.
The race went on and Ardiel finally reached the finish line. He slowly decreased his momentum until eventually stopping, catching his breath and hearing the cheers from his classmates.
It took a few seconds before Kiera was able to come in as second, with the third placer finishing a bit slower than her.
The evaluations continued with the others also participating in the race in groups of five. It took an hour for the whole class to finish from the sprint, but the heated competition made them all riled up as the tension didn't decrease one bit.
"Now, that was an impressive Speed trial. So let's move on to the next part which is endurance. This will test how many laps you can do in this 400 meter track. Everyone will be participating at once this time." Albert then revealed the next part of his evaluation.
The evaluation didn't stop at Speed and Endurance; it pushed further with Push-ups, Squats, and other demanding drills. Each exercise seemed to sap the last bit of competitive spirit from the students, leaving them physically drained and mentally exhausted. The once-vibrant atmosphere was now thick with sweat and exhaustion.
Students from less prestigious backgrounds struggled noticeably. The magisters, in particular, faltered, their performances lagging behind those of their more physically prepared peers. The disparity was stark and clear, with many trailing near the bottom of the rankings.
Albert was aware of this disparity, which is why he devised a rigorous regime for Class 1. He was impressed with Ardiel and Kiera, who consistently finished first or second in every trial. Ardiel, in particular, had delivered remarkable performances.
Lunch was the only real break, but it quickly passed, offering little relief to their sore muscles. The brief respite did little to restore their enthusiasm.
As the afternoon session approached, Albert gathered the students with a more relaxed demeanor, though a hint of challenge lingered in his eyes. "This afternoon, we'll shift our focus to mental exercises," he announced. "Clear your minds and forget the morning's strain."
His words were meant to offer reassurance, but the students' eyes still held traces of the morning's struggle. Albert's gaze softened slightly as he prepared to reveal the results.
"But before we dive into the mental exercises, I'll announce the results from this morning's evaluation," he said, his voice taking on a ceremonious tone.
The students' heads snapped up, their faces a mixture of anticipation and nervousness. Albert's eyes scanned the crowd as he began, "Speed Trial results: Ardiel finished first with a stunning 50.12 seconds. Kiera followed closely in second with 56.36 seconds, and Jericho came in third with 58.23 seconds…"
The results were met with a mix of awe and envy. Whispers and murmurs rippled through the group, each student processing the news in their own way. Ardiel's name was decorated with victory, while the others grappled with their own places in the rankings, their expressions shifting between admiration and acceptance.
The whole afternoon flowed smoothly, with Albert being true to his words, only making the students do meditation the whole afternoon. He wasn't coldhearted to really drain the students the whole day.
As classes ended, the students hurried to leave the training grounds, their faces etched with a hint of fear, likely worried that being last might mean another round of running.
The sun was dipping toward the horizon, painting the sky with hues of orange. Ardiel waited outside Reno and Kristan's training ground since their class had not yet ended.
He sat on one of the benches around the oval, quietly observing the upperclassmen engaged in their activities. It had been a long day, and he recalled the awkward encounter with Kiera earlier.
Not knowing her name before their meeting, finding out Kiera was his cousin made him feel conflicted, He didn't know how he should act around her. Her aggressive tendencies didn't help at all and it somehow matched his own. While he did have some competitive nature in him, he preferred to keep it to his own, but Kiera was bothering him.
"Hey, Skewer Boy!" a voice suddenly shouted behind him, jolting him from his thoughts.
"Stop calling me that," he replied, irritated.
"What should I call you then?" Kiera asked.
"Is this your way of trying to be friends? Because if it is, it's not working," he retorted.
Kiera was taken aback by his sudden, more aggressive approach than she had expected.
"I want to make it even with you," she said.
Ardiel was surprised. Did she hit her head earlier? Or perhaps this is a trick?
"There's no skewer here on campus. How do you plan to do that?" he asked.
"I'm not sure. That's why I'm asking you," she admitted.
"Okay, then just be nice. That's all," he said, standing up. He said it on a whim, not wanting to confront her any further. When he saw Reno coming out of their training ground, he seized the chance to leave her.
"See you around," he said with a smile before hurrying toward his brother.
Kiera watched him with furrowed brows, confused by his words. What did he mean by "just be nice"?