Chapter Two: The Girl Everyone Avoids
(Part II — The Opening Ceremony)
The steady stream of students flowed through the academy's sprawling corridors like rivers converging toward a single destination.
Darkus walked in silence, his hands tucked inside his pockets, blending effortlessly into the crowd. Around him, countless conversations buzzed with excitement.
"Did you hear the Sword Department has the highest passing standard this year?" One student exclaimed.
"I heard one of the professors is a former Dragon Hunter." Another one excited answered.
Darkus bet they are freshmen basing on the conversation they just had.
"My brother said the Headmaster only appears in public twice a year."
Really? What kind of Headmaster is he then? Appearing only twice a year, neglecting his work? Darkus cannot stop himself with his side commentary.
"I wonder what kind of Sorting Test they'll give us..."
The voices rose and fell like the hum of bees, filling the hallways with anticipation.
Beside him, however...
"...Do you think they serve free snacks after the ceremony?"
Darkus blinked.
He slowly turned his head toward the girl walking beside him.
"...What?"
She looked at him with complete sincerity.
"The ceremony."
She pointed ahead.
"Important events usually have snacks, right?"
Darkus stared at her for several seconds.
"...You're thinking about food?"
She tilted her head.
"What?"
"You've been laughing for the past ten minutes, everyone avoids you like a walking plague, and somehow your biggest concern now is food?"
She smiled sheepishly.
"I get hungry when I'm nervous."
Darkus frowned, "...You're nervous?"
"Mhm." She childishly nodded.
"...You don't look nervous." He answered, "not at all..."
"I've had years of practice." She laughed quietly.
For some reasons he couldn't explain...
Darkus couldn't tell whether she was joking anymore.
≈≈≈≈
The towering bronze doors of the Grand Session Hall slowly opened.
A deep, resonating groan echoed through the academy as ancient gears hidden within the walls awakened after centuries of faithful service.
The moment Darkus stepped inside...
He stopped.
His breath caught.
The world beyond the entrance was unlike anything he had ever imagined.
It wasn't merely a hall.
It was...
A universe contained within stone.
The ceiling stretched impossibly high above them, disappearing into darkness before transforming into an endless sea of stars.
Not painted.
Not projected.
Real.
Entire constellations drifted across the enchanted sky, their movements slow and graceful as though time itself flowed differently within the chamber.
Thousands upon thousands of glowing polyhedral stars floated freely overhead.
Some were no larger than lanterns. Others rivaled houses in size. Each crystal star emitted a gentle silver-blue radiance that bathed the enormous hall in celestial light.
They revolved silently around invisible currents of mana, occasionally releasing tiny fragments of stardust that drifted downward before dissolving into sparkling mist long before touching the floor.
Darkus instinctively looked upward.
It felt... Infinite.
As though the night sky itself had been folded and placed inside the academy.
Even the air carried an unusual freshness.
Every breath tasted crisp, cool, and faintly sweet, like inhaling beneath the stars after a summer rain.
The polished marble floor reflected the heavens above so perfectly that it created the illusion of walking upon the night sky itself.
Each step caused faint ripples of light to spread beneath the students' feet.
No sound echoed. No footsteps disturbed the silence. It was as though the hall absorbed every unnecessary noise, preserving only reverence.
Massive pillars lined both sides of the chamber. Each pillar was carved from a different gemstone.
Ruby.
Sapphire.
Emerald.
Obsidian.
Crystal.
Ancient runes spiraled around them, glowing faintly with dormant magical energy.
Darkus recognized none of the language engraved upon them.
Yet...
Simply looking at the symbols made his chest feel strangely heavy. As though the runes carried memories far older than humanity itself.
Between every two pillars stood colossal statues.
Seven in total.
Each towered nearly twenty meters high.
The Seven Founders of Spēju Akadēmija.
Though carved entirely from pale white stone, every statue appeared astonishingly lifelike.
One held an enormous sword pointed toward the heavens.
Another carried a staff wrapped in celestial vines.
One sat peacefully upon a throne with eyes forever closed.
Another wore countless broken chains around their wrists.
Each face bore a different expression.
Resolve.
Sorrow.
Compassion.
Wrath.
Hope.
Sacrifice.
And one...
Whose face had been deliberately destroyed. Its features had been completely erased. Only smooth stone remained.
Darkus narrowed his eyes.
"...Odd."
Why would only one founder remain faceless?
Before he could dwell on the thought, a low vibration spread throughout the chamber.
The floating stars gently shifted.
The lights dimmed.
Thousands of conversations immediately ceased. Silence descended like a curtain. Even the atmosphere itself seemed to straighten.
Then...
A single spotlight of silver light descended upon the grand stage.
At its center stood an elegant podium crafted from pure white crystal.
Its design resembled the head of a majestic stag.
Its antlers stretched upward, intertwining with glowing branches that shimmered like moonlight. Tiny blue flames danced peacefully between them without producing heat.
Standing behind it...
Was the Headmaster.
Darkus blinked.
He had expected someone entirely different.
Every fantasy novel he had ever read described headmasters as ancient sages.
Long white beards.
Heavy robes.
Towering staffs.
Wise eyes hidden behind spectacles.
Instead...
The man before them looked like an ordinary businessman. His jet-black hair was neatly combed back. Not a single strand was out of place. He wore a perfectly tailored charcoal suit beneath a long academy coat adorned only by a small silver crest over his chest.
No extravagant robes. No magical staff. No flowing beard.
If someone placed him in the middle of an office building, no one would question whether he belonged there.
Yet, the moment he stepped forward, the pressure filling the hall changed.
It wasn't magical, nor was it oppressive, it was... Presence.
The quiet confidence of someone who needed no display of power because everyone already understood what he was capable of.
He simply stood there and thousands instinctively fell silent.
No applause followed. No welcoming cheers. No whispers. Only absolute stillness.
Darkus found himself unconsciously straightening his posture.
Even beside him, the girl had stopped smiling.
The bells woven into her crimson ribbons no longer jingled.
Her playful expression had vanished completely. She quietly stared toward the stage.
Darkus glanced at her.
It was the first time he had seen her... Serious.
The Headmaster's calm voice echoed throughout the chamber.
"Students."
His voice wasn't loud.
Yet every syllable reached the furthest corners of the hall with impossible clarity.
"Faculty."
"Honored guests."
"...Welcome."
He paused.
"Welcome to another year at Spēju Akadēmija."
The floating stars shimmered.
"The world beyond these walls calls this place an academy."
A faint smile crossed his lips.
"They are mistaken."
A murmur almost escaped the crowd.
Almost.
Darkus felt his curiosity stir.
"This institution existed long before kingdoms drew their borders."
"Long before empires rose."
"Long before history learned to write its own name."
The hall remained silent.
"This academy has witnessed civilizations rise."
"...And watched them disappear."
"It has survived wars."
"Kings."
"Catastrophes."
"And disasters so terrible..."
"...That history itself chose to forget them."
Darkus slowly frowned.
Forget?
History...
Choosing to forget?
What exactly did he mean?
The Headmaster continued.
"You are not gathered here merely to study."
"You are here to inherit responsibility."
"Power."
"And truth."
His sharp gaze slowly swept across every student.
"Remember this."
"Power does not choose heroes."
He paused. The silence became almost suffocating.
"It chooses..."
"...Survivors."
For reasons Darkus couldn't explain...
Those words sent an inexplicable chill down his spine.
He didn't know why.
He simply...
Disliked them. Deeply.
As though something within him rejected those words before his mind could understand them. Almost instinctively, his eyes wandered upward.
Toward the enormous Academy Crest suspended above the stage.
An intricate emblem composed of seven intertwined stars surrounding a single silver eye.
Then—
The crest flickered. Just once. Less than a heartbeat. Its silver glow shifted into crimson then immediately returned to normal.
Darkus blinked.
"...Did I imagine that?"
No one reacted.
Thousands of students remained focused on the Headmaster.
No professor moved.
No guardian seemed alarmed.
No one...
Except the girl beside him. She was staring directly at the crest. Her cheerful eyes had narrowed ever so slightly.
"...That's strange..." she whispered almost inaudibly.
Darkus turned toward her.
"What did you say?"
She blinked.
"Hm?"
"You just said something."
She tilted her head.
"...Did I?"
"You mentioned the crest."
Her smile slowly returned.
Small.
Innocent.
"I don't remember."
Darkus frowned.
He was certain he had heard her.
Absolutely certain.
Yet...
Something about her answer made him question himself instead.
A strange uneasiness quietly settled inside his chest.
Without realizing it... Darkus looked back toward the Academy Crest once more.
This time it shone peacefully beneath the sea of stars, as though nothing had happened at all.
—To be continued in Part III—