After accepting Ragnvaldrs' proposal, we talked for a bit longer over the final details. Then, he left our humble home. Soon after he left I went upstairs and began to pack my things. I would be away from home for three years, so I needed to pack some clothing and what-not.
Even though the academy year didn't start for another six days or so, I decided to move in early. That way I could get settled and learn the campus. The trip was going to be a six hour drive, as it was on roughly the other side of Die Festung. Just goes to show how large the fortress really was. The United Government said they would send some one in the early morning.
As I was packing, I heard a knock on the door. My father entered the room soon after.
"Hey, son," my father started. "Getting ready for your big day tomorrow?"
"Yeah, figured I should pack," I nodded my head.
I then looked up to observe my fathers face. And I noticed some thing streaming down his cheek.
"J-just know you're always welcome here son! You're always my little genius!!" my father exclaimed super dramatically, and began to bawl his eyes out.
"What the hell dad?!?!" I was completely caught off guard, and my face was flustered. "You're talking like I'm going off to war already!?!"
*sniffle sniffle* my dad wiped his eyes, then his mood took a complete 180 degree turn.
"Ha ha ha, you're right, you're right!" my dad suddenly shook his head. "You're just going off to the academy for three years all by yourself!"
He then paused, and his eyes began to water again; as if ready to burst.
"Dad, no, calm down..." I face palmed, and let out a deep sigh. "Again, I'm just going to the academy... it's really not that big of a deal..."
My father then let out a sigh of his own, "I know son, sorry for being dramatic.... I knew this day would come some day. The day you leave the nest to put your name out there into the world!"
He puffed his chest, and hit his fist onto it. He wore a proud expression, with a single tear at the corner of his right eye.
I found my head shaking once again. I decided to ignore him and continue packing my bag. His head suddenly snapped to me and a hurt look appeared on his face once he noticed I was ignoring him.
"Oh come on, don't ignore this poor old man..." he gripped his chest with his hand.
"Quit being so dramatic then," I replied curtly.
I finished packing my bag, and looked over to my father. All the previous signs of his exaggerated behaviour gone. His eyes looked sharper than any dagger. We locked eyes, and held each others gaze for a few moments.
"If there's any trouble at the academy, let me know okay?" my fathers tone was serious, almost dangerous in a way. "If any of those little brats do or say anything to my little genius I swear I'll..." he continued to mumble to himself in a barely audible tone, I heard some profanities and maybe some crimes against humanity mixed in at points.
"Dad, come on... it's not that big of a deal," I evenly stated.
"Fine, fine," he relented. "But still, remember what I taught you about bullies. If you see some one getting bullied or they start a fight with you, you better be the one who finishes it," my fathers eyes remained sharp.
I once again met his gaze, "you got it, old man."
"Good, but don't you dare, ever, pick on some one weaker than you. Understand?" he continued, "if I hear you're picking on some one because they are weaker, you'll have to fight me when you get home."
I shook my head. Seems like I've been doing that a lot lately, my neck was beginning to hurt.
"As if I would do some thing that's such a waste of time and energy..." I replied casually.
"I figured you'd never do some thing like that, but it's best to remind you," he nodded his head in approval.
"Well, I'm going to go get my daily training in, then hit the sack," I told my father as I placed my packed bag by the door.
"Sounds good son, I'll see you off in the morning."
I walked out of my room and headed downstairs to begin my training.
'Tomorrow, I'll be headed for Sophos academy...' I thought to myself. 'I wonder what living away from home will be like.'
I made my way down the stairs and into the large basement room.
'Well, whatever, for now I'll just focus on training like usual.'
I then sat in the middle of the room and raised my hand. I began to construct a small arrow above the palm of my hand.
* * *
I woke up early in the morning. I quickly headed towards the bathroom to have a shower.
'They said the driver would be here at 8 am sharp.'
I looked down at my phone to check the time. A large '7:02 AM' was displayed at the top of the lock screen. I placed my phone next to the sink and splashed some cold water in my face. I then began to get ready for my departure.
Before I knew it, forty minutes had already passed. I finished up in the bathroom and went to grab my bag. After grabbing my bag I made my way downstairs, where I was immediately pounced on by my mother.
"Oh, my little boy," she rubbed her cheek on to top of my head; then began to mumble in an incoherent manner, much like my father last night.
"Come on... not you too," I stood there with a slight frown on my face as I continued to get assailed by my mothers embrace.
It had to be said my mother was quite tall, just a few inches shorter than my father. He was 6' 4" tall, making my mother 6' 1" tall approximately.
"Let him go now dear," my father began to come down the stairs. "After all, it's my turn!"
My father immediately pulled me into his iron embrace. I stood there with slightly slit eyes, and the same small frown.
I let out another sigh, 'I've sighed so much in the past twelve hours... I think I might be running out of breath.'
"Dad, it's almost 8... I need to go soon..." I stated.
"Oh, right..." my father took a step back and kept his hands on my shoulders.
"Dad?" I tilted my head.
His brows slightly furrowed, and his eyes sharpened, "son, know I always believe in you."
My eyes slightly widened, "I'll... keep that in mind, dad."
"Alright, with the good byes out of the way," my father paused, then continued. "Good luck son, not that you need it."
He shot me a signature wink, and wore his usual grin. My mother behind him wore a small smile as she gazed at me with tender eyes.
"Thanks dad, mom," I replied, wearing a smile of my own. "I'll be sure to make you guys proud."
My father gave a firm nod, and soon after, we heard a knock on the front door. I checked the time.
'Guess they're here.'
I turned around to wander the door, and was greeted by a familiar face.
"Well, well, well... if it isn't the kid genius!" Lewis gave a wide smile.
"Oh, uncle Lewis. Long time no see," I gave him a nod.
"Come on, a year isn't that long now is it? Ha ha ha!" He gave a hearty laugh. "Well, I'll be taking your boy to the academy now, Liam, Amanda."
He looked past me and gave a firm nod to my parents, who were still standing in the entrance.
"I'm glad they got you to take him, even with your busy schedule," my father replied with a smile.
"Well, he is an unreadable after all. They cleared my schedule because they figured he would be more conferrable with me taking him there," Lewis rubbed underneath his nose with his finger.
"I see," I nodded my head. "Well I do prefer you to any other random soldier."
Lewis looked up a little, as I was now slightly taller than him. He then shot me a grin and gave me a firm slap on the back.
"Well, come on now, boy wonder!" Lewis began to guide me out of the front door.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming," I shook his arm from off my back.
"Have a safe trip, sweetie!" my mother called after us.
I looked back at them for one more time before I climbed into the black SUV Lewis drove here. My father gave me a firm nod, and my mother gave a wave. I smiled and waved back at them.
'This is were it all begins...' I thought. 'My path to become strong.'
I sat in the front seat, Lewis was beginning to climb into the driver side.
"Well, you ready kid?" Lewis said in a friendly tone.
"Yes, let's go," I replied.
"Alright, it'll be a long drive, if you want to stop at any point just let me know. It's no rush as they cleared my next couple days so I could take you," Lewis cracked a grin. "Thanks for the time off by the way!"
He then started up the vehicle, and began to drive us towards the main highway.
It has to be noted that Die Festung is roughly cut into four sections by two large mega-highways. These sections are known by the cardinal directions, east, west, north, and south. Me and my parents lived in the south section, not too far from the main gate. Of course, given Die Festungs size, there were many minor gates dotted around the massive fortress walls. And outside of the two major highways, which split the fortress down the middle horizontally and vertically. There were many minor roads that cut throughout the different sections of Die Festung. Another large road ran around the inside and outside of the walls as well, ensuring fast deployment in case of an attack. This road also helped distribute resources and labour across the walls for maintenance.
'Hmm, it all seems so peaceful,' I observed from the car window.
But I knew, that it was all just an illusion. Humanity was in a desperate struggle, and it was only a matter of time before the lacerate made their way here. I slowly closed my eyes.
'When they come, I'll be ready.'
The car, unimpeded by my dark thoughts, continued to speed towards the academy.
* * *
"We're here, little boy wonder!" Lewis exclaimed, drawing my attention towards the front of vehicle.
I gazed at the expansive campus of Sophos Academy. It spanned a massive distance, larger than any university campus I'd seen before. If I had to guess, the campus itself was about the size of a small town. It had the look of a modern university, with many large windows and long halls. From where we were, I could see two large buildings. Although since I was briefed about the academy, I knew that there was four main buildings.
Followed by these four main buildings, were the separate dorms. One dorm was for the top twenty students of each years entrance exams. This dorm was nick-named by the students as the 'dorm of the talented', or the 'talented dorm' for short. These dorms had state of the art training equipment, and being in this dorm allowed you to have a more flexible school schedule. Each student in the top twenty was also assigned a personal trainer.
'I heard there's also ichor chambers that the top students are permitted to use.'
Ichor chambers, the equipment that is used to forcefully awaken fallen children. Although that wasn't its only use. It could be used to enhance your awareness of your internal ichor. Therefor boosting your understanding of how it flows when you use your power. They were very difficult to build, and not used by the public due to their scarcity.
"Alright kid, you won't be taking the entrance exams. Ragnvaldr himself took the liberty to put you at number one automatically," Lewis told me.
"Oh, did he now? What if I'm not number one material?" I replied.
"Oh come now, don't be so modest, unreadable," Lewis winked at me. "You will still have to participate in the mid terms and finals, so don't go slacking off, kid!"
"Of course uncle Lewis," I gave a quick nod.
He pulled us into a parking space in front of a tall fancy looking building.
"Here's your stop, kid," Lewis then turned and handed me a card. "If you need anything on campus, show this card. It shows that you're the number one ranked of the first years."
"Oh, thanks," I took the small golden card with a green stripe across the top.
"And this is your other card, it will have your monthly allowance allocated on it at the first of every month," Lewis then handed me what looked like a typical credit card.
I took it, and placed both cards in my pocket. I then once again looked towards the tall fancy building.
"So, that's where I'm staying now?" I asked.
"That's right kid," Lewis replied with a grin.
"I see..."
'So this is what it feels like to get special treatment.'
"Well, I'm going to get going now. Thanks uncle Lewis for driving me here," I flashed a small smile as I reached for the door handle.
"No problem kid, it's like I said before, thank you for the time off!" Lewis gave a hearty laugh. "If you need anything, don't be afraid to call me, okay?"
I climbed out of the car and turned around in a small salute, "you got it!"
Lewis gave me one last broad smile, before he I closed the door. I then began to walk towards the large dorm building.
* * *
In front of a tall building, stood an inconspicuous guard. He wore a suit and sunglasses, and had short-cut light brown hair. He was standing guard just like he did every Monday through Thursday.
The guard suddenly noticed a vehicle pull into a parking space, and a youth got out of the passengers side. The youth seemed to be having a conversation with whomever drove him here. The guard observed the young teen give a small salute, and begin walking over in his direction.
'Hm, was there supposed to be some one coming today?' the guard thought.
The guard observed the youth as he made his way towards him. The kid had a confident gait, he had a black duffle bag hung over his shoulder. A black jean jacket with an open front and fur lined hood, along with a dark grey shirt underneath covered his top. He wore black baggy sweatpants, with black and white sneakers. His skin was slightly tan, and he had his deep black hair tied in a loose pony-tail. His bangs still came down in the front and partially covered his face.
The youth looked up at the guard, allowing him to get a better look at his face. The boy had a casual look on his slightly handsome face, as if he was unfazed by the large building. And his black eyes looked as if they pierced through the guards very soul. He began to come closer to the guard.
"Halt, state your name and purpose!" the guard requested.
"Oh, right, my name's Jin... Jin Cliff. I've been told I'm living here now," the boy replied.
"Please, if you would show me proof of residence," the guard responded curtly.
"Yeah, of course," the boy fished a small card from his pocket, it was golden with a green stripe along the top.
'I-isn't that the card for the first ranked among the first years?!?!' the guard thought, a little panicked.
"Does this work?" the boy casually waived it around.
"U-uh yes, of course sir, please head on inside... the reception will be able to show you to your room," the guard stuttered a little.
"Okay, thanks!" the boy then continued on into the building.
'So... that's the mysterious rank one first year we were told about...' the guard returned to his position. 'Jin, Jin Cliff... the third ever known unreadable...'
-Chapter Six End-