"Listen to me carefully, Prince Aluric," the girl said in a serious voice, staring directly into my eyes. "You go through the portal first."
She briefly glanced toward the shimmering arch.
"As soon as you get to the other side, take two steps forward immediately and don't stop."
A slight sharpness entered her voice.
"Only after that will I be able to follow."
She paused for a moment, as if making sure I was truly paying attention.
"Do you understand me?"
I silently nodded.
Approaching the portal, I froze for a brief moment, studying the swirling stream of mana inside the arch.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward.
I had been expecting anything.
A sharp pain.
Pressure.
The sensation of my body being torn apart.
Or at least a slight dizziness.
But none of that happened.
The transition was so smooth that I didn't even realize at first that I had already arrived on the other side.
Remembering the girl's words, I immediately took two steps forward and only then stopped.
Behind me, the portal's surface still shimmered faintly.
Stepping slightly to the side, I began waiting for the girl while looking around.
We were inside a spacious building constructed from smooth white stone.
The walls looked perfectly even, as though they had not been carved by hand, but created through magic.
To the right and left stood similar arches and doors, though none of them bore symbols or markings of any kind.
Only the flawless surface of pale stone.
Young men and women constantly passed through the hall.
All of them wore the same uniform.
Black trousers.
A white shirt.
And a blue cape draped over their shoulders.
On the right side of their shirts was an emblem unfamiliar to me.
But the distance was too great for me to make it out.
"Come on, Trey. They're already waiting for us."
Hearing the new name, I involuntarily froze.
It took me several seconds to realize she was speaking to me.
"Trey, are you deaf?" irritation was already clear in the girl's voice.
I slowly turned toward her.
A trace of annoyance was visible on her face.
I only smirked faintly.
Unusual.
To hear your name disappear in the span of a single day.
Without saying a word, I followed after her, continuing to observe everything around me.
Along the way, I finally learned her name.
Luan.
As it turned out, her task had merely been to escort me to the academy reception office and hand me over to the local administration.
After that, our paths would most likely part ways.
During the walk, I tried asking her questions.
About the stufons' uniforms.
About the academy rules.
About how training was conducted.
But to every question, Luan responded the same way.
Briefly.
Dryly.
And she consistently refused to explain anything.
"You'll find out yourself," she answered calmly, never even turning around.
After several unsuccessful attempts, I simply shrugged and stopped asking.
We continued through countless corridors and staircases.
The academy was far larger than I had imagined.
Groups of stufon were everywhere.
All of them wore similar uniforms, though the crests on their shirts and the colors of their cloaks differed.
Most likely, these marked faculties, training paths, or perhaps affiliation with a particular year.
Among the stufon, I noticed representatives of different races.
Some were animatedly discussing something among themselves.
Others hurried about their business, clearly afraid of being late.
As we passed, I briefly glanced into one of the open classrooms.
stufon sat behind long rows of desks.
Most of them looked openly bored.
Some rested their heads on one hand, lazily staring toward the instructor.
Others pretended to listen attentively.
A few were whispering among themselves, clearly showing little interest in the lesson.
In another corridor, a boy with messy hair and a bag slung over his shoulder ran past us.
Judging by his expression, he was hopelessly late.
A little farther ahead, a girl carried a towering stack of books, barely able to see the path in front of her.
Her face was frozen in an expression of complete despair.
The sight made me chuckle involuntarily.
Despite the grandeur of the academy, some things apparently remained unchanged no matter where you went.
After several more turns, we finally stopped in front of a massive wooden door.
A neat plaque hung upon it with the words:
"Reception."
Luan stepped closer and knocked briefly.
After hearing permission to enter, she turned to me.
"Wait here and don't go anywhere, Trey," she said in a strict voice.
I silently nodded.
Making sure I understood, Luan opened the door and stepped inside, leaving me alone in the corridor.
While waiting to be called, I once again looked around.
The corridor was unusually quiet.
Only muffled footsteps somewhere in the distance disturbed the silence.
Across from the door, various portraits and paintings hung upon the pale walls.
My gaze involuntarily stopped on the first one.
It depicted an elf in golden armor, battling against a horde of monsters.
Even through the paint, the fury with which he swung his weapon could be felt.
At the bottom, in small letters, was written:
"Glen the Vengeful against ZakUn."
The next painting depicted a massive orc.
He stood surrounded by his kin, holding an enormous two-handed sword in one hand as though it weighed nothing.
The inscription beneath it read:
"Kumur the Wise at the Great Assembly."
The third painting interested me more than the others.
It depicted an elf and an orc fighting shoulder to shoulder against a human wielding two blades.
Even simply looking at the canvas, I could feel the bloodlust and killing intent radiating from the scene.
As if the artist had managed to capture not merely a battle, but hatred itself.
I unconsciously stepped closer, trying to find the signature.
But no matter how carefully I searched, I couldn't find a name.
At that moment, the door behind me opened.
Turning around, I saw Luan.
"Come in, Trey. This is where I say goodbye. Good luck here."
After finishing her sentence, Luan didn't even wait for a response.
She turned and calmly walked away down the corridor.
I watched her retreating figure for several seconds before letting out a heavy sigh.
It seemed my acquaintance with the only person I knew even slightly in this place had come to an end.
Approaching the door, I peeked inside and entered, carefully closing it behind me.
The reception office was spacious and surprisingly tidy.
Numerous portraits hung on the walls.
Judging by their appearance, these were either the academy's best graduates or those who had earned fame through their achievements after graduation.
At the center of the room, behind a massive desk, sat a light elf woman.
She wore a strict white blouse, while a golden cloak draped over her shoulders.
Her blue eyes were cold and completely devoid of emotion.
Luan had most likely already handed over my documents, so she showed no particular interest in me.
"Trey, sit down," the elf woman said calmly. "I will explain everything you need to know for studying within the academy walls."
I silently nodded and sat opposite her.
Within the academy, both mages and those without magical talent studied together.
The latter were directed toward the path of the sword and other combat disciplines.
However, final placement only occurred after additional testing.
Aside from that, the academy maintained its own stufon ranking system.
Anyone could challenge another stufon, provided that person was within the permitted rank range.
Duels were allowed exclusively within the arena and only under the supervision of professors.
The loser temporarily lost the right to issue new challenges.
The academy itself operated under strict rules.
Attacks outside the arena were strictly forbidden.
Violation resulted in punishment up to and including expulsion.
The academy had its own currency, which could be earned by completing academy assignments or taking on requests from other stufon.
There was also a library, dormitories, training halls, and a cafeteria.
In essence, the academy was a separate little world with its own laws.
The longer I listened, the more clearly I understood one simple thing.
I was truly very far from home.
"After your aptitude test for the path of the sword, you will receive your uniform and be assigned to the appropriate dormitory," the elf woman finished explaining.
After that, she looked at me a little more carefully.
"Did you understand everything, Trey?"
I gave a short nod.
The elf woman pulled open a drawer, took out a small book and a rolled-up map.
"Take these. The academy rules and a map of the grounds. These will be useful to you for a while."
I accepted the items from her hands.
"And now I'll call one of the senior stufon. He'll escort you to the swordsmen's wing."
After saying that, the elf woman raised a white wand and lightly struck the air several times.