An irritating and persistent chiming is what I wake to. I get a momentary flashback to the white void, when I also awakened to ringing. That place.. the after life, the place where a god saved me, whatever it is, swims within my mind before reality crashes on my head.
The source is the default alarm on my side table, which I grab lazily and slam to shut it up.
It's 7:00 in the morning. My entire body is sluggish, and I feel much too warm to get up. My brain clears the fog in my head, and forces me up by justifying that it is my first day of school — in a new world — in a new body. I can't be late.
So I relent, pushing out of bed, and looking for the bathroom to freshen up. I see a door to the side of the room, which I open, to reveal a minimalistic style bathroom.
Oh shit. It hits me when I see the mirror in front of the sink. I haven't even seen my new self.
I quickly walk in front of the mirror and take in my reflection. I come to a conclusion after studying my features..
I'm handsome, and definitely not my younger self. There's nothing.. otherworldly or distinct about my appearance like there is with Caelus, Aleyna, and Caspian — but my features harmonize nicely with one another.
The lines of my face are sharp. Dark, thick eyebrows that work with my eyes. I have short black hair that is parted a little to the side, trimmed down on the sides and fluffy on the top. The most notable feature is probably the gray eyes, which is a pure slate gray colour — uncommon on Earth.
I touch my face, fingers lingering on my features. I watch it in the mirror. It's really strange, actually seeing that I was someone else. Before seeing what I looked like, it was easy to treat my life like nothing had changed, just that I got another chance.
Now it's vividly clear I stole someone else's body. It gives a strong feeling of.. uncanny valley. I turn away from the mirror, compose myself, and get about my day.
Most things that exist on Earth exist here, just as some advanced and futuristic version. The shower has controls on a hologram, and it set to a perfect pressure. The toothbrush is fully automated. The floors are heated (which exists on Earth, but just feels nice).
Just as I'm about to leave for my first class, I check the time on my watch. 7:45am. It didn't feel like I took that long, but whatever. I run out the door.
This is one time where I curse how big and stupidly scenic this academy is. I'm desperately looking at my watch, to make sure I'm still headed the right direction, as I sprint towards the main building off in the distance. It looms over me, 5 floors tall, and a wide floor plan. The architecture can only be described as minimally futuristic.
By the time I make it to the door, it's 7:55 am on the dot. The walk is about 25 minutes normally, but with my now bufffed stats, it's a 10 minute jog.
I push the doors open, which reveals a sleek lecture hall — which is packed with about 100 students. I'm one of the last few, and I scout out the seats.
Then, I recognize faces. The top 3 cadets are all sitting in the front row. Caelus and Aleyna are next to eachother, while Caspian is in the same row but just as far away from them as possible.
I head straight for the back, where there's a seat on the isle open. I slide on in, opening up the notebook I found in Dorian's personal belongings that got shipped up to my room
overnight.
The guy next to me scoffs when I get out my things. "I don't want you next to me."
I stare at him. "Okay?" I reply, annoyed, and turning away from him.
"Oh? You don't remember me or something, Hawthorne?" The guy has ash blonde hair, and blue eyes. There's an irritating cocky smirk on his lips, and he looks at me like I'm an ant. "Get out. Your kind don't belong next to people like me."
So maybe that's why there's an empty seat next to him. I decide not to reply, afraid of exposing my lack of the old Dorian'stop memories further, taking my stuff and backing off.
Even though there's an urge to just sucker punch the guy. The only other empty spot is.. next to Aleyna Delacroix. Why is every other student so punctual? I'm even five minutes early.
I'm left with no choice but to go down to her. There's a moment where I pause, reluctant to ask in fear of rejection.
"Can I take this seat?" I ask, as neutrally and calm as I can.
Her icy eyes pierce into me. It sends a chill down my spine. Okay.. maybe that's why no one's sitting next to her either — even though I'm sure a few fanboys have tried so far. It seems her cold personality in the library yesterday is her all the time.
"..Do whatever you'd like," she finally replies, turning away and flicking her pen between her fingers.
I blink. I was getting the creeping feeling of rejection again, until her reply. I count my lucky stars and sit down, once again taking out my notebook and pen.
The professor walks out just in time.
"Hello Class, it's nice to meet you all. I'm your Mana control and usage professor, Orion Hawke." Orion has a charming look to his face, dimples as he smiles and waves to the class. His hair is neatly slicked back.
"As an overview of our syllabus, and what we will do as a whole," Orion starts pacing about the stage. "The goal of the course is to refine how you use mana, and how you can manipulate it for better results in your magic."
He clears his throat loudly. "Everyone has a pool of mana flowing within their body to draw from. The amount, and density, is different for everyone. However, the way you draw it, the way you channel it, all have major effects on using your affinity, and any skills."
The lecture continues in that direction. He puts on a presentation, on a hologram projector. There's a floating model of the human body, with animations of the mana flowing, which was responsive to his touch.
I'm digesting the knowledge easily. Just by sight, of some students struggling, the 31 points in knowledge I have is carrying me so far.
Next to me, Aleyna dutifully takes notes with a stoic expression. Caelus asks a few questions to the professor, and also makes bullet points on his paper.
In the next class, I'm with the same people. It's a cohort system, meaning you get assigned to a main class, which you take all the mandatory courses with. Electives are different, and you're with whoever also chose that course in your year.
We are all out in a giant field, lined up orderly. Two instructors stand in front of us.
"Since today is the first day, just some light training. Take out your preferred weapon from
the barracks, and come back." A cheerful and bright voice declares — from Sylvanis Thorne, a happy-go-lucky young man.
Just as everyone starts walking, Sylavnis laughs. "You thought! Everyone, 50 laps around the field. Now!"
Training is brutal. Even when I got a free boost from my skill, it hurts my lungs to breathe. 50 laps around the stadium. It's probably one kilometre in length for one lap
I hold strong for the first 40 laps. I'm with the front of the pack, top cadets keeping a similar pace. I mean, fuck it. There's no point in hiding my sudden improvement. It may be suspicious, but technically nothing illegal was done. I want to improve.
The last 10 is when I feel fatigue starting to hit me. My feet feel heavy, my breath uneven. But even so, it's a bizarre feeling to be so inhumanly fit. I was an overweight office worker just two days ago, and that's.. just strange to think about.
I look around me, and see that some unfamiliar faces that were keeping up are also slowing down. Up ahead, Caelus, Aleyna, and Caspian are still not slowing in pace.
I can't let it get to me. I close my eyes for a moment and just focus on getting one foot in front of the other.
Eventually, I finish my fiftieth lap, panting. But if I was in my original form, I'd be dead by now
Another order is barked. "100 pushups, 50 sit ups, in 1 minute 30. Now!"
I drop down, shakily finding the right form. I lower my body, and then push back up. Despite this body's skinny form, the strength stat covers up for it. So it seems having strength doesn't correlate to free muscles. A shame.
I'm on the 40th sit up and my.. everything is burning. It's all sore. I'm tired, aching, and I pain through. Once again, the top 3 finish earlier than everybody else.
The timer goes off just as I make my last sit up, and I collapse. God, I feel weak. I must not know some technique..
Then it hits me. I need to apply the lessons I learnt in my first class. Mana channeling. Having mana coursing through your muscles basically boosts all your stats, and build up your control.
Next exercise is 50 strikes on the dummies. I use a sword.
I have 0 technique. I focus on the strange energy I feel thrumming within me. I let the sensation spread through my limbs.. I close my eyes, and then open them. I swing the sword as fast as I can at the dummy. It leaves a mark.. at least.
The people next at me are moving faster than I can see. Oh god.
I repeat the motions. I sense the mana. Attempt to circulate it, and it sends tingles through my veins. Then, I strike. On the twentieth try, everyone else has finished their 50.
The stabs I made are decently strong, but I can't get a rhythm, or keep my mana going without concentrating.
Fuck.. I need time. Way more time. My skills can't carry me all the way to victory.
Everyone is staring at me. I hear whispers.
"That's Headmaster Hawthorne's son, did you know?"
"No way. What's his potential?"
"It's B, but I've heard some people say it's actually C.."
Oh no.
—
The same thing happens in Magical combat training. I've never tried using my 'lightning' affinity yet. And it turns out I suck.
Despite my strength, I Suck. I suck bad.
Magic is all about mana. For physical, I could at least rely more on the sheer power, but now..
I focus on concentrating my mana at my fingertips. The picture of a streak of lightning in my mind. There's that tingling feeling, it grows, almost to the point where it can conceptualize.. and there's a spark. I squeeze my eyes shut in pure focus, and manage to create a small bolt of lightning that extends three feet before disappearing.
It's the best I've done.
I'm getting looks from my classmates, who whirl up fire tornados, a real lightning bolt, a tidal wave of water.
Damn it.
At least after that class it was history, which was basically the same as Earth history, just on a different subject. All about when dungeons where discovered, the first hunters, the heritage of important blood lines, how the world was before.
Advanced dungeon mechanics was similar, just more complicated concepts focused around dungeons. Spawn rates, mana density, different kinds, historical raids.. I learned some of it while I was doing my studying.
Beast hunting and anatomy is more information. This time all about monsters. Common monsters, their vital points, rare monsters, evolutional traits.
And finally, the last class, advanced elemental spellcasting.
Just from the name I know I'm screwed.