The sound of lively conversations and the clinking of armor filled the vast hall of the Royal Battle Academy of Reach.
The anxiety of young people from all social classes present in that overwhelming environment was extremely high.
Something floated over my face. A transparent frame that I don't remember seeing before.
On the bluish board, there was something written.
[Gifts from 'God']
[Open whenever you want]
"Gifts from 'God'."
My hands shook slightly as I looked around, trying to absorb the reality of what had just happened.
The warmth of the place, the light reflecting off the golden ornaments on the walls, the familiar scent of polished leather and parchment... everything was so alive.
More than a memory, it was a perfect recreation of a time long lost.
"Qoran!"
A cheerful voice echoed, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I turned around quickly, looking at a skinny girl.
The voice came from her… What was her name again?
Her curly hair was pulled back into a sloppy ponytail, and her green eyes sparkled with youthful enthusiasm.
She was completely oblivious to the terrible fate that awaited her in the future I had witnessed.
"You're standing here, looking like you've seen a specter. You're going to be late for the opening ceremony if you continue like this!"
For a moment, the sight of her made me forget about future events.
But still…
"Who are you?"
I asked. My voice came out harsher than I intended.
The girl frowned for a moment.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Exclaimed the girl. Some students looked at us as if a couple's fight was about to break out. Unlikely, that was the first day at the academy.
"How could you have forgotten about me so quickly? It had only been a few years since you came to the outskirts of the capital with your parents. It's me, Erynn! We used to play hide and seek in the Valley of Walking Stones. You always cried when you couldn't win."
Erynn! How could I forget my old neighbor and childhood friend?
The terrible memories of the future made my memories of people I knew before the total calamity completely tortuous.
People like Erynn disappeared from my mind during the first year of the invasion. My thoughts were taken over by a chain of reasoning in search of survival.
The people I knew during the beginning of my life, in a period of time where everything was normal just disappeared from any lines of understanding I might have had.
She could have at least not reminded me that I was a crybaby.
"How… how have you been?"
The words came out nervously, which was strange. Erynn was the first human I was talking to normally since my friends' deaths and the end of humanity.
"I am great!!"
She shouted.
"How have you been? I heard that here in the capital they have great meat kebabs!"
I really didn't remember anything involving that girl at all. Not even how hungry she was.
"I'm fine, just... thinking about some things."
Erynn frowned for a moment, but then shrugged.
"Well, better leave the thoughts for later. Come, or the master of ceremonies will end up marking you as one of the 'unpromising'!"
She grabbed my arm and pulled me across the room.
Despite the turmoil around me, my mind was elsewhere.
Seven years in the past.
I would have five years to do whatever was necessary. Five years to prepare to face the demonic invasion and restore balance.
Erynn continued to speak, but her words were lost as I tried to organize my thoughts.
Honestly speaking, I just didn't care about her or whatever she was babbling about.
Those around me would be my allies. Some would give their lives for me; Others I would have to face myself.
I would need to be meticulous, ensuring that no past mistakes were repeated.
The main hall was packed when we arrived.
Hundreds of young aspiring warriors and strategists were gathered, each with eyes full of ambition.
Some faces were familiar, like…
"Korin and Siobhan!"
I thought excitedly. It was the first time I smiled in a long time.
My friends… my companions… they are alive.
"They are fine."
I thought.
At that moment I couldn't approach them. It must be done naturally.
"I think coming in saying 'I'm your friend who came from the future to save the world! Come help me!' is not the best option."
Other people, disconcertingly, I didn't recognize. Maybe they were people who, in the future I knew, hadn't survived the first wave of the invasion.
On the stage in front, the Academy's headmaster, Lord Kaelen Valmor, stood tall, his imposing presence commanding everyone's attention. His ornate suit gleamed as if it were new, and his booming voice cut through the hubbub.
"Welcome, students of the Royal Battle Academy of Reach!"
The opening speech was a mix of inspiration and warning, reminding everyone that this place was not just a school, but a training ground for the elite who would protect the kingdom.
I was no longer an inexperienced teenager. I knew what was coming. I knew what was at stake. But at that moment, the only thing I could do was listen and plan.
"Feel free to explore the academy campus for the rest of the week. Meet other people and make friends. The following week we will start our classes. You will be informed of the classes that were chosen based on the rank you obtained after discovering your 'Battle Technique' in the discovery room."
When the ceremony ended, the students were released to explore the huge academy.
Just over thirty hectares of school. There was practically a city on the academy's premises.
My mind was ahead of the other students, already anticipating their mistakes and calculating how to prevent them from happening again.
"Qoran, is everything okay?"
The question came from Erynn again. I had already forgotten about her presence.
Was she following me?
"I'm fine, just a little... tired. It's a lot to process."
She nodded, but her expression said she wasn't completely convinced.
In the days that followed, I kept in touch with Erynn. Even though she wasn't a priority, at that moment obtaining a noticeable friendship and probable future ally who, in the future I lived had died... I could change her future.
We were approaching the last day allowed to explore the campus.
During these six days we were introduced by tutors from the school where our dormitories were located.
The rooms were as large as the initial hall.
How many years has it been since I lay in a bed so comfortable that it doesn't resemble a rock?
In that time, I wasn't able to get close to Kioran and Siobhan.
I had totally forgotten that they both belonged to the main families of the Reach kingdom.
At that time they were…
They were snobbish and irritating nobles. A commoner like me had no chance of getting close.
But I still had a chance to gather my allies in the future.
All I needed to do was prove my power and abilities after the discovery room.
It was about time to unlock my 'Battle Technique'.
Looking to the side, I noticed the same board that had appeared the first day I returned.
"Let's see what 'God' has in store for me."