"How did they even get these towers to stand so high?" I muttered, looking up at the Academy. It was even more imposing up close, with the towers stretching high into the sky, surrounded with holographic displays. It had been ten years since I reincarnated, and I am still amazed by their creations. When I was human, we lived in wooden buildings and traveled with animal carts. Now, humans had managed to build sturdy structures and develop fast travel devices without any divine powers.
"Do you think we'll be in the same class?" My drifting thoughts were interrupted by a voice nearby.
"Not sure," came the reply. "They haven't announced anything yet. I hope I didn't mess up somehow."
"Relax," the other person said reassuringly. "If you were going to fail, you wouldn't be here."
School? Normally, I would have been enraged if someone asked me to attend a human school. But I was interested in their creations. I hadn't had the chance to study the basic creations properly since I was basically locked up in a room by my grandfather to learn only imprint patterns. I sighed and opened the front door of the Academy.
"Eh?" I was surprised by the wooden architecture inside. I took a step back to the door and glanced at the exterior design of the building.
"It must be that perception-altering device again." How can people still believe what they are seeing when devices like these exist? I sighed again and entered the building.
"Identifying... New student, Numen family, Augmenter!" A stiff, lifeless voice came from a female hologram in front of me. This must be an artificial intelligence. I didn't like this voice.
"Why don't they make it sound more human?" I muttered to myself.
"Because they were afraid." The person beside me answered with a smile. He seemed to be a student as he wore the same uniform as mine. His blond hair attracted looks from the girls around.
"What do you mean?" I asked while walking through the hall. He walked alongside me and whispered in my ear.
"It's something that shouldn't be said out loud. But keep this between us..." he continued.
"Our ancestors once debated whether to make artificial intelligence more human-like. They decided against it because they feared that AI could become so advanced it might revolt against humans."
"They were afraid their creations might end them? That's stupid!" He tried to cover my mouth as my voice grew a little louder.
"I told you, this is something that shouldn't be said out loud." He looked around and sighed, relieved that there weren't many people in this area.
He stopped walking and extended his hand towards me with a smile. "Kai Numen Magnus, right? Pleasure to meet you. I'm Lucien Ray from the Solaris family."
I shook his hand quickly and distanced myself from him. I had been taught by my grandfather that Solaris is one of the most powerful families, even among great families. Although it would be beneficial for my family if I became acquainted with the heir of the Solaris family, I didn't want to get involved in house politics.
"So, you too..." His face clouded for a second.
"Well then, I still have the opening ceremony to attend. If you'll excuse me..." Before I could finish, he grabbed my left shoulder with a serious expression.
"You..."
Eh? What's now?
"You're a new student, right? Do you even know where the opening ceremony is held?" He said with a smile. "I'm a second-year student. If you don't know, I can help you."
As much as I didn't want to get help from him, it was true that I didn't know where my destination was. This must be a test from the school to see if we cooperate with senior students. Bear with it, Kai.
"Can you please show me the way, Senior Ray?" His face brightened, and he walked ahead of me.
"Come with me. I'll walk you to the event hall." I sighed and followed him.
With his guidance, I reached the event hall quickly. Just as I was about to enter the room, he stopped me.
"Kai! Wait..."
"Huh?"
"...Never mind. Just go in. You can sit anywhere you like." He was about to say something but, as usual, smiled and pushed me into the room. What's wrong with him?
I took a seat at the furthest side in the middle. Just after sitting down, the announcement began.
"With this, we will start the opening ceremony. First, the headmaster will deliver his welcome speech to the new students."
The room fell silent as a man walked up to the stage. He scanned the room as if assessing the potential of the students.
"Welcome to the Academy. My name is Noctis. As headmaster, I should give a heartwarming welcome speech, but I don't care about any of that." Students looked taken aback by his words.
"I will only say this: You're here to learn. Learn how to improve yourself, your family, and your nation." His voice carried an overwhelming presence.
"The Academy exists because we can teach you what your family cannot. Do you know what that is?" The room was silent. No one wanted to embarrass themselves in front of the crowd.
Headmaster Noctis smiled, just like how Senior Ray smiled.
"Don't worry. You'll learn this soon. Let's start the opening ceremony."
In an instant, the entire room disappeared, and I was left alone, sitting in the middle of a desolate wasteland.