I woke up to the startling sensation of a strong vibration against my wrist. I lifted the PDA to my face and turned off the alarm, which worked just as advertised.
I slowly sat up in bed, feeling a bit groggy. It feels like I just had a long dream, but I can't remember what it was about. A vague memory of standing atop a tower, looking down on golden skies, followed by a familiar voice I can't quite pinpoint the owner of or remember what they said.
I dismissed the thought. As with my other dreams, it was just one of those things that would fade away quickly. Even if it was potentially a fragment of my past, there was little I could do with it.
Quietly, I pulled myself out of bed. I glanced at Callen, who was sound asleep. I spent the next several minutes getting myself ready while making as little noise as possible.
In the bathroom, I looked myself up and down in the mirror. Even 157 years later, school uniforms hardly looked any different, though we didn't have them in college. It reminded me of my high school years: a white button-up under a thin, navy blue blazer and plain black slacks. What was noticeably different from back then was the physique I've been developing for nearly a month and a half now. It wasn't a big glow-up or anything, but my build was noticeably larger compared to before.
Before I moved in, Heflin had me get a haircut since it was getting a little long. Before the calamity, I kind of just let it grow out until my sister hassled me about it and cut it for me. She wasn't all that good at it, so it looked a bit uneven. Now, my black hair was styled into a short, shaggy look. It felt strange seeing myself look so cleaned up.
I locked eyes with myself, peering into the sea green irises that were common in my family. I felt a tug in my heart looking at them, making me pull away from the mirror.
I can't think about them right now. I need to focus on today's orientation.
After making sure my appearance was fine, I very quietly stepped out of the bathroom and out into the hall. Callen's snores alone were enough to drown out the noise I made, but I wanted to be extra cautious.
I descended the stairwell, and to my surprise, there was a familiar face there as well.
"Oh, if it isn't Ilyin. Good morning."
"Good morning, Galliard."
I wasn't in the mood to socialize, but thinking about how tiring it'd be to put up with Callen this early in the morning made me appreciate Galliard's presence a little more. Besides, there were a few things I actually wanted to ask him.
"Is your roommate not with you?" I questioned, noticing that he was walking alone.
"He wanted to sleep in a little longer, so I'm going on ahead. And you?"
"I, uh, same thing."
He seemed a little curious at my hesitation, but didn't push the matter further. We continued down the stairs, silently deciding we'd walk to orientation together.
"By any chance, are you acquainted with Sera?" I asked.
"Not really. We've only really spoken the one time yesterday. Why do you ask?"
I unfurled a hastily-folded note and showed it to Galliard. "I was wondering if you knew whether or not I'd need a bodyguard for meeting her later this week."
He skimmed the note before letting out a laugh. "How did she find out?"
"Had a mock battle with my roommate," I grumbled. "She just happened to be around, and the arcane art I use is very unique. She recognized it immediately."
"Seems to me that the two of you are meant to cross paths."
"Don't even think it. I'd rather not spend my days being cautious of her."
We fell silent for a while, enjoying the walk. It was early in the morning, but there were a number of first-years out and about, wandering restlessly in anticipation of orientation. There was a bit of noise, but it wasn't loud. It helped create a comfortable ambience, or something like that.
"This is just my personal opinion, but I don't think you need to be too wary of her."
Galliard's words snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Really? Why?"
He shrugged, which wasn't very assuring. "Just my intuition."
Callen also said he had good intuition. I'm beginning to feel that I can't trust people who say things like that.
"Haven't you felt the way she glares at us? It's hard to not be careful of her."
"Isn't she just curious?"
I almost choked on nothing.
"I can hardly call that being 'just curious'. She looks at me like she has a grudge against me."
"Well, she looks at me the same way and hasn't acted like that. Well, maybe she'll treat you a bit differently since you lied about your identity to her, but I don't think she's a bad person. Just a bit rough on the edges, you know? Or maybe she's not good at expressing her emotions, so she's easy to misunderstand."
I sighed. "I really hope that's the case."
"By the way, has something else happened to you since I last saw you?"
"...Not really? I moved in, got dragged around by my roommate, had that incident with Sera, and that was pretty much it. Why?"
His kaleidoscopic eyes looked me up and down. Both his question and the way he eyed me were incredibly unsettling, ominous almost.
"If nothing's happened, then it's fine."
What's fine?
I wanted to ask, but he immediately turned his gaze away. He doesn't look like he'd say anything even if I pried. What's that all about?
The rest of our walk was silent. I expected him to be a little more talkative, but it turns out that that wasn't the case. He's friendly, but he's not extroverted like Callen. I guess that makes sense, since the only reason he started talking to me was because I was an adherent like him, and not because he wanted to make friends.
I remembered what Heflin said about him being Artian nobility. Everything I knew about the other continents and their cultures is completely different now, so I wasn't too familiar with the idea of modern day nobles. Especially the Solyrian name, which I've never heard until Galliard introduced himself. I'm beginning to wonder if it's fine for me to talk with him so casually.
Hearing that he was a noble drew my attention toward his mannerisms and the way he carried himself around others. Looking at him now, he has a cool and refined aura about him that's both high-class and welcoming. He's attractive enough that I wouldn't be surprised if he was popular with others for that reason alone. He gives off the impression of a "solitary beauty", kind of like winter snow. Or something like that.
In a way, I feel a sort of kinship with him.
We arrived at the Mistiln Amphitheater, which looked much like the place where I sparred with Callen, except much larger and more populated. Multiple rows of seats encircled a large platform in the center, where a podium and an inactive hologram projector were installed. A group of students and staff were gathered in the middle, still working to set things up.
"Looks like we came a bit too early," remarked Galliard.
I glanced at my PDA. 8:44AM. There's roughly 40 minutes until orientation begins. To be honest, besides avoiding Callen, I can't think of a reason to bother arriving this early. There are more than enough seats to fit all of Lionheart's first-years, and I doubt there's "good" or "bad" places to sit. The application of arcane arts into technology has resulted in innovations that made up for the inconveniences of venues like this one, so issues like being unable to see or hear aren't really things I need to worry about anymore.
"Is there anywhere you'd like to sit?" asked Galliard.
"I don't have a preference, but being further makes it easier to leave when it's over. If you wanna sit closer, I don't mind."
"Hm. Normally, I'd sit towards the front, but since it's not a performance, I suppose it doesn't matter."
A 'performance'? The way he said it makes it sound like he frequents live events, but I can't imagine Galliard at a concert or anything else of the sort. Maybe orchestral concerts or stage plays? Are those still around? I'm reminded that there's still a whole lot I don't know about culture in this time period.
We sat in the middle of the row furthest from the front. Having to lean back every time someone wants to walk past us would be annoying, after all.
I spent most of the wait on my PDA, skimming through random news articles that piqued my interest. It felt a little awkward because Galliard wasn't doing the same; he was just staring off into empty space. He wasn't glancing over at me, so I assume he was totally lost in thought the whole time.
In the midst of my doomscrolling, I found an article title that stood out to me.
Neo Astris' New Rising Stars of 2181: Who Are They, and Where Are They Now?
I have a feeling that my name is somewhere in there, but I'm more interested in learning about Sera Adelmann. Even if Galliard tells me to not be wary of her, I can't help it. I'd rather not be associated with someone who attracts so much attention from others.
I skimmed the article, picking out some important details as I went.
Next, we'll be covering the adepts of the top three guilds: Laurent na Viche from the Knights of Egosthetica, Sera Adelmann from Viole Justiciary, and Navi Ashmir from Black Heaven.
In other words, a list of people that I should avoid during my time here.
Starting with Laurent na Viche, we have a charismatic and reliable leader hailing from the war-torn lands of Velsaria, specifically from the city of Parseilles. Possessing the qualities of a saint from a young age, he has honed his talents and blessings in the form of holy arts. Indeed, there is no better candidate for the adept of Egosthetica. While his guild refused an interview with us, we've been able to secure footage of some of his feats, which you can find down below.
I didn't watch the video, but I did take note of his appearance from the thumbnail. Brown hair tied into a ponytail, amber eyes, and a face that looked like that it should be on the cover of some fashion magazine. I subtly glanced between his face and Galliard's, comparing the two. Were all foreigners this good-looking? I shelved the thought for later.
Next, we have Sera Adelmann, the radiant star of Viole Justiciary. With long hair that burns a brilliant orange and golden eyes like the sun, she stands out just as much as her talent in light arts. Wielding a variety of weapons forged from glimmer, she's already gathered experience fighting monsters under the tutelage of Viole Justiciary's guildmaster herself. If that's not impressive enough for you, how about the fact that she was originally just an ordinary kid from the sticks?
That's certainly surprising. While I don't know much about the countryside, I expected someone of her caliber to have special circumstances like Galliard or Laurent na Viche. Perhaps her background is why her character is so rough.
Ending with Navi Ashmir, they're a bright talent from the mysterious lands of Katria, the Ashen Continent down south of Logias-Sova. Just like their homeland, Navi is incredibly enigmatic, rejecting interviews from every reporter. In fact, the adept possesses such an advanced perception-blocking skill that neither our eyes nor cameras were able to make out their appearance. However, we have received a testimony that Navi is androgynous in appearance with messy gray hair and green eyes. The validity of this information has yet to be confirmed, however.
Someone who stays out of the spotlight and hardly interacts with others: in other words, someone I don't need to worry about.
Thankfully, my name was nowhere on that list. Given the topic of the article, it's honestly a little surprising, but that might just be the work of the Arbiter's Association trying to cover up the noise I made back when I left the Ark.
The sound of a microphone booming interrupted my reading. Galliard and I looked up, turning our attention towards the center.
Orientation is finally beginning.