It may be obvious, but the academy isn't just one place.
Of course, it wouldn't be. After all, every minor with supernatural abilities was required to attend an academy, so a single academy couldn't possibly house them all, right? While supernatural abilities are rare, they aren't that rare.
North, West, East, South.
There are a total of four academies, and the one Leon attends is the Southern Academy.
It's not a particularly unique setting.
In "Blade of Eternity", the most important academy was the Southern Academy, where the protagonist attended, and the other academies were simply mentioned in passing. I'm only bringing up the other academies because a comparison is necessary.
The academy has such a long history that its buildings naturally showed signs of age. However, all the facilities at the Southern Academy were as good as new, without a trace of wear. It's because the remodeling just finished last year.
The academy is the kind of place that spends money without a second thought, and the other academies likely have similar facilities, but the recently redesigned Southern Academy's facilities are particularly impressive. A simple example? Just look at the library here.
The library attached to the academy is an 11-story building packed with books on every floor. The variety of books is staggering: novels, essays, poetry, biographies, workbooks, encyclopedias, magazines, comic books, philosophy books, children's stories, newspapers, academic journals—basically, finding something missing is harder than finding what you need.
All of this is for the students' convenience. It's part of the adults' efforts to ensure students can attend the academy comfortably.
It might be excessive, but who am I to complain? I'm just grateful to be a beneficiary of this convenience. Actually, come to think of it, maybe it's not overboard. The academy's students are essentially child soldiers, ready to be dragged to the battlefield in emergencies. If they're going to demand sacrifices, they should at least provide some perks.
After class, I stopped by the library to check something.
I have a lot of information about this world, but it's all knowledge I gained from reading "Blade of Eternity". Since it's information from a novel, I should cross-check it to see how much of "Blade of Eternity" aligns with this world. If it's only similar but ultimately different, my knowledge will be worthless. I'd hate to get blindsided because I trusted only the novel's setting.
"Hmm, nothing too different."
After over two hours of weaving between bookshelves and skimming through books, I came to that conclusion.
First, history.
The invasion of monsters from the Otherworld began about 300 years ago.
It was around then that monsters started pouring out of the sudden 'gaps in time and space.'
That period was chaotic.
There was no systematic response like there is now, so countless nations perished in that chaos.
As people died and died again, to the point that death became a daily occurrence, humanity finally managed to fight back.
Led by a religious order, those with supernatural abilities gathered to resist the monsters from the Otherworld.
Humanity's first counterattack, after being mercilessly pushed back, ended successfully, marking the beginning of a grueling war between humans and monsters.
Next, the monsters from the Otherworld.
They're the same as described in the original.
As the term 'Otherworld' suggests, they're unwelcomed foreigners from another dimension. Whenever a gap in time and space appears, they swarm out. Their abilities and appearances vary, but they all share one common trait: a blind hatred towards humanity. They kill humans as if that's their sole purpose.
But if that was their only characteristic, they wouldn't have caused such widespread devastation. Humans are a race that can't stop killing each other. Even in that era, they had armies and honed combat skills, so why were they so helpless against these monsters?
It was due to a deadly trait of the monsters.
Humans can't bear to look directly at them. Just seeing a monster from the Otherworld causes people to convulse and foam at the mouth. Prolonged exposure would drive anyone insane.
Mental corruption. The monsters from the Otherworld could ruin a person's mind just by being seen. This was the fundamental reason humanity was massacred so one-sidedly by them in the past. And it's also why people with supernatural abilities became humanity's only hope.
Those with supernatural abilities are resistant to mental corruption. They suffer no harm from looking at the monsters from the Otherworld. Furthermore, they have the strength to fight these monsters, which naturally elevated their importance to the point where they're now seen as the heroes who will save the world.
Next, those with supernatural abilities and the religious order.
Those with supernatural abilities, referred to as supernaturals, possess unique powers.
One ability per person, usually with few exceptions.
The religious order is an organization that worships and believes in the gods of the four seasons.
Nowadays, anti-religious sentiment has weakened its influence, but there was a time when it wielded enormous power.
The order refers to supernatural abilities as miracles granted by the gods. Believers accepted this without question, while others saw it as mere propaganda to bolster the order's authority.
But here's the funny part: the order's claims were actually true.
The Gods of the Four Seasons.
The God of Spring and Creation.
The God of Summer and Willpower.
The God of Autumn and Healing.
The God of Winter and Justice.
These four gods protect this world and fend off the invasions of the Otherworld.
Huh? If they're blocking the invasion, why are the monsters still coming through?
Well, let's cut them some slack. Those four are busy grappling with the gods of the Otherworld. Though the original didn't detail the gods of the Otherworld, what it did reveal shows that they're far from benevolent. Described as ancient beings or former rulers, their mere existence can drive humans insane. Even supernaturals weren't immune to this.
A surprisingly grim world, right?
But don't worry. This world is still filled with the spirit of hopeful, love-overcoming stories.
The gods granted humans the power to defend themselves, and that power is supernatural ability.
Supernatural ability is the power to become closer to godhood.
The more one masters it, the closer they become to a god-like being, shedding their humanity.
"Hmm…roughly matches up."
I closed the book and stretched widely. My eyes hurt from staring at tiny prints for so long. But it didn't feel unpleasant, so I chuckled to myself. Reading—it's a great hobby. I should read more often.
The library was still quiet, save for the occasional turning of pages and soft footsteps. Most students were likely out training or relaxing after class. For me, however, this place had become a sanctuary—a treasure trove of knowledge that helped bridge the gap between what I knew from "Blade of Eternity" and the reality of this world.
As I walked towards the exit, my thoughts began to drift.
Supernatural abilities, mental corruption, gods of the seasons, and the relentless invasions from the Otherworld—none of this seemed out of place anymore. If anything, it felt like I had stepped into a well-worn pair of shoes.
But comfort breeds complacency, and complacency can be fatal.
I couldn't let myself forget one crucial detail.
In "Blade of Eternity", this world wasn't simply a backdrop for fantastical adventures. It was a battlefield. And every battlefield has casualties.
The protagonist might have survived through sheer determination, skill, and a touch of narrative favor, but I couldn't count on the same luck. After all, I wasn't the protagonist. I was… well, I wasn't entirely sure who I was in this story yet.
My mind was still preoccupied when I bumped into someone just outside the library doors.
"Ah, sorry about that—"
"Leon? What are you doing here?"
The voice belonged to Angelina. She tilted her head slightly, her golden hair catching the light streaming in through the hall's windows.
"Oh, just… studying," I said, scratching the back of my neck awkwardly.
"Studying? In the library?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you preferred training grounds over bookshelves."
"Well, sometimes you need to use your brain too," I replied with a smirk, trying to deflect her teasing.
She laughed lightly, the sound as warm as sunshine. "Fair enough. Anyway, I was looking for you. Professor Harren wants to see us both."
"Both of us?"
"Yes," she said, her tone growing serious. "Something about a new training assignment. He said it's important."
As we made our way to the professor's office, a sense of unease settled over me. Assignments like these often weren't just about honing skills—they were tests, trials designed to push us to our limits.
And limits, in this world, could mean the difference between life and death.