A few days after they returned, it was time to go to the new academy. They had to report at least a week before school started so that everyone could get dorm rooms assigned, etc. Each room was supposed to house two kids. Sienna got Lucas's stuff to his room and then left him there. For the next week, she visited him every day. Surprisingly, Lucas's roommate still hadn't arrived.
Finally, it was the first day of school. There wasn't any big ceremony or even a school assembly. Each student was just given a schedule that they were supposed to follow. After waking up and freshening up, their dorm warden escorted them to their classes. When Lucas reached his class, he just sat in one of the available seats.
He was very excited. He remembered that his mother had told him that he could read all the books he wanted. He looked around, but there was no sign of Noah. He must have been in a different class. Soon, a gentle-looking man entered the room.
He said, "My name is Alec. You guys can call me Alec or Teacher, it's your choice. Before we get to anything else, why don't you guys introduce yourselves. When it's your turn, tell your future friends your name, hobbies, and dreams."
The children stood up one by one and introduced themselves. Lucas was very surprised to find that, unlike his previous school, many kids here also liked reading. He made up his mind to ask them if they wanted to go to the library together with him. While he was thinking about that, his turn came.
He stood up, took a deep breath, and said, "My name is Lucas Zenith. I love reading and watching Return of the Beast God… well, at least I did until that final episode. And I want to be a powerful Beast Tamer and Spirit Guide."
After saying this, Lucas sat down. The children started talking with each other when Lucas brought up Return of the Beast God. It seemed they shared his sentiments. Gigarath vs Imperiacron: Who would win between the two had been their generation's biggest question. The way the show ended was a big disappointment to them. At the same time, there were kids who didn't know what Return of the Beast God was.
Alec quieted them so that the next child could speak. Just when she was about to speak, there was a knock at the door. Alec looked at the door and saw a woman with a boy who looked about 4-5 years old. Alec talked to the woman for a moment, and then she left. He brought the boy into the classroom and told him to take a seat. The introductions went on until it was the boy's turn. He stood up and said, "My name is Derek Von Stryker."
He just said his name and sat down. The atmosphere in the class got a little awkward, but Alec managed to turn it around by cracking a few jokes. A while later, all of the children had introduced themselves. Seeing this, Alec clapped once to get the attention of all the children.
He said, "Now that that's done, I'll explain a few rules of the school. You all must have read the rules in the almanac that was given to you. These rules were not in the almanac. First, you all cannot leave the school premises without permission. Your families can visit you on weekends and you may leave with them, but you must return the same day.
Second, Federation Credits are useless here. You all will receive a certain amount of Bloom Points every month for your expenditures. You can also receive more BP according to your performance and on special events such as competitions. You can use BP to buy stuff in the Bloom Store. Let me tell you a secret…"
He looked sideways as if he was checking if someone was listening and whispered, "You can't find the stuff in the Bloom Store anywhere in Crimson Leaf City."
His voice returned to its normal volume as he continued, "Third, whenever you break a rule, you will receive a penalty. Five penalties will result in expulsion. Similarly, when you perform exceptionally well, you will receive a grace. Three graces can be used to cancel a penalty. If you can collect 10 graces in a year without any penalties, you can unlock the secret vault of the Bloom Store and choose any item there for free. I'll tell you another secret."
He once again whispered, "If I were you, I'd wait until I had awakened my Innate Talent to choose an item from the secret vault. The items there are worth waiting for."
He stopped whispering and said, "Fourth, bullying of any kind will result in immediate expulsion. There will be no penalties and no amount of graces can cancel the expulsion. So treat others kindly. They are your friends and allies. Hmmm, let me see. Am I forgetting anything… I don't think so. So, any questions?"
One of the students raised her hand and asked, "What about our timetable, Teacher? We only had homeroom on the schedule that was given to us."
Alec smiled and said, "Thanks for reminding me, Isabella. You will have five periods every day. The first two will be theoretical learning, then an art and craft/music class, a lunch break and nap time, and finally, two physical education classes. You're free after that. You can do whatever you want as long as it doesn't break any school rules and is inside the school premises. Just don't forget to finish your homework on time."
Another student raised his hand. Alec said, "Go ahead, John."
John stood up and asked, "Can we play video games after classes?"
Alec chuckled and said, "Sure you can. Video games are excellent for developing eye-to-hand coordination. And we have a pretty awesome rec room here, so it would be a waste if you didn't. Just remember to have some adult supervision. Not only video games, you can play sports as well."
Then, the quiet kid, Derek, raised his hand.