The bell rang, signaling the end of class. The teacher, Mrs. LeConte, noticed and pulled out a piece of paper.
"That concludes our homeroom lesson for today. People from the support and combat departments, meet at the outside gym, and those from the science department, go to the auditorium. And with that, class dismissed."
The kids let out sighs of relief. They all got up and started to walk away.
Malphas, half-asleep on his desk, struggled to keep his head up, so much so that he didn't even notice the bell ring.
Lillian, who had just packed her belongings, stopped behind Malphas. She tilted her head in confusion.
'Did he not recognize me?'
Instead of leaving, she tapped Malphas on the back. his shoulders moved a bit in response.
She pulls her arm back immediately. 'Shit! what did I do?' she cursed internally. Lillian swiftly shifts her body to follow the rest of the science department.
'I shouldn't get close anyway,' she thought, her hopeful eyes dimming as her messy hair cast a shadow over her face. Turning the corner, she joined the other white uniformed students.
Malphas sat up straight, he blinked a couple time giving him time for his eyes to adjust.
'Huh?'
He looked around, stood from his desk, and noticed the students in white uniforms walking alone, while those in grey and black uniforms left together.
'Is something going on?'
Observing the students for a moment, he decided to follow the combat and support department group.
'I wonder when lunch is going to start,' was the only thought in his head as he trailed behind. A little drool can be seen escaping from his lips as he follows.
Kids glanced at the spaced-out Malphas, curling their lips and gritting their teeth. Some whispered while others snickered.
This reaction was only natural. Near the front of the group, Julia covered her smiling face with her hand while holding a boy's arm. The whispers and comments spread further, prompting more students to glare at Malphas.
---
The students stood on a field as an instructor barked orders, pointing at a paper in his hand. He had broad shoulders, slicked-back black hair, and an aged face marked by a scar running down his left eye and stopping above his lip.
He wore a black trench coat and gloves, with a badge pinned to his coat displaying the insignia of Academy Z. Students in black uniforms were lining up in front of him as he points.
Another adult, a gentle-looking older woman in grey robes, stood nearby. A matching badge, though lighter in color, adorned her robes, and she spoke softly to the students in grey uniforms, gesturing toward their destination.
Soon, more students arrived at the scene. The male instructor glanced over.
"So, Class 1-B finally showed up," he remarked.
The boy whose arm Julia was holding stepped forward.
"I'm sorry, sir. Mrs. LeConte was a bit under the weather today."
"Oh," the man jolted slightly. "Well…" He patted the student on the shoulder. "It's a good thing you made it out alive."
"Of course, Professor Meyer."
They both laughed for a few seconds before the professor coughed to regain attention.
"All right, combat department of class 1-B, line up in front of me. I'll be assigning you your groups, and Lady Laurent will assign the support department."
Malphas got in line with the rest of the students, unconcerned about the events unfolding around him. As the kids from Class 1-B were separated into their groups, whispers spread.
More glares shot toward Malphas.
One student leaned over to whisper to a boy who was standing idly.
"Hey, did ya hear? A new kid joined the academy. He—" The whisper trailed off, and the boy's expression shifted to shock.
It was William.
'What?! How is a student like that allowed to be a Fate Weaver, to begin with?!' William thought. He looks up to see the student who told him the rumor walking away.
"Wha—wait!"
William grabbed the other student's arm. "Who is this new kid?"
'I need to get a good look at him so I can make sure he doesn't approach Harmony.'
"Oh, yeah," the student responded, pointing toward Malphas, who was sitting in the grass, legs out, cluelessly staring up at the clouds.
William turned his head, a bead of sweat running down his face. 'H-h-h-h-h-he's the new student?!'
"Anyways, I'm gonna get going."
William didn't respond, his jaw-dropping.
'H-h-h-how was he let into the academy?!' He grabbed his head in panic and crouched down, breathing frantically.
Meanwhile, Malphas thought, 'That cloud looks like a marshmallow. I wonder if I can eat it.'
'W-wait! I'm not the only person who caught wind of the rumor. Did the others recognize—' William quickly glanced at the other students, noticing their jaws had also dropped. 'Right…'
Malphas, lucky for William, was assigned to a group opposite of him.
This event consisted of one-on-one battles between the combat divisions, with the support divisions split into two groups. One group focused on healing injuries, while the other focused on buffing the fighters. This system allowed the combat and support divisions to compete. The support division aimed to provide more efficient and long-lasting buffs, while the combat division focused on winning their fights.
This weekly event allowed the head professors to identify outstanding students to mentor, which came with a significant pay increase—which is their main motivation.
For the students, it was a natural drive to outperform their peers.
Malphas sat on the grass as the last of the students were being assigned. He glanced down at his wrists, pulling his sleeves to cover the scars. 'I wonder… how did I even get these?'
The rustling of grass drew Malphas's attention. He turned his head to see a boy standing over him, seriousness in his brown eyes.
The boy had black hair and clenched fists, exuding a tense energy.
"Malphas Darkwood."
Malphas tilted his head like a confused animal.
'This kid,' the boy thought, 'he looks so scrawny. The stuff flying around about him sounds ridiculous, but he supposedly defeated three students from Class 1-A by himself.'
He gritted his teeth. 'Still… no matter how much I think about it, it seems like complete bullshit.' His fists tightened. 'I'll just have to see for myself!'
"You don't have someone to face off with, right?" the boy asked.
"Face off…?" Malphas echoed, thinking for a moment. 'Face off… is that why the kids are stretching?' Suddenly, realization struck. 'Wait, I wasn't approached by anyone this entire time. Am I a loner?' The thought hit him like a brick.
"I guess I don't," Malphas said, his tone faintly pouting.
"Then," the boy extended his hand, "face me, one-on-one."
Malphas stared at the hand for a moment before pushing himself off the ground. He brushed off the dirt and grass before responding, "So be it."
He shook the boy's hand.
'Now let's see what you've got, Malphas Darkwood,' the boy grinned internally.