Ryan woke to the cold morning light seeping through his small window.
No bell had rung. No one had knocked on his door. Just the silence of early morning and the soft sound of wind rustling leaves outside the window. He took a moment to remember where he was. He was in The academy.He was in His small room.
He sat on the edge of the bed and stretched. His muscles still ached a little from the past nights' training, but the pain had become familiar. He rose and walked to the small wardrobe in the corner of the room.
Beside his simple black clothes hung the dark blue robe – the official academy uniform. He looked at it for a moment, then took off his nightshirt and put on the robe.
It was heavy. The fabric was slightly rough, the silver embroidery on the cuffs cold beneath his fingers. The collar was high, as he was used to – hiding the scars on his neck. He tightened the belt around his waist and hung his sword on his left hip. He looked at himself in the small mirror. On his chest, above the left pocket, was the academy badge: a silver circle, a nine-pointed star in the centre, a small red ruby, and a slogan written in a strange language beneath it.
It wasn't perfect. But it was better.
He opened the door.
He stepped into the corridor. It was still early, but sounds were beginning to fill the place. Doors opening and closing, light footsteps on the wooden floor, broken murmurs.
He hadn't taken two steps when he heard a familiar voice.
"Ryan!"
He turned. Edan was standing at his door, a few steps away. He wore the same blue robe, the same silver badge on his chest. His curly black hair was neater than usual. He was smiling, but his eyes glistened with hesitation.
Ryan hadn't seen him since the first day.
Edan said.
"I haven't seen you for days,I thought you'd left."
"I didn't leave."
"Where were you?"
"In my room."
Edan looked at him for a moment, then shrugged. He knew Ryan wasn't much of a talker.
he asked.
"Do you want to go to breakfast? Then to the lecture together?"
Ryan didn't think about it for long. He had no reason to refuse.
"Alright."
Edan smiled wider.
"Then come."
They moved together through the corridor.
********
The boys' dining hall was crowded.
When they entered, Ryan felt the wave of sound hit him from all directions. Murmurs, laughter, clatter of plates, footsteps on the marble floor. It wasn't the building he had grown used to on the first day, when it had been half empty. Now it teemed with students.
They were of all ages – some no older than nine, wearing blue robes that were too large for them. Some Ryan's age, some older. They streamed toward the long tables like ants, carrying shiny metal trays.
Ryan and Edan walked to the serving table. It was piled with food.
Golden fresh loaves of bread, their scent as if just out of the oven. Earthenware bowls filled with butter and honey, others with crumbly white cheese. There were fried eggs, bacon, and small sausages browned from frying. At the end of the table, large pitchers of cold milk and fresh orange juice.
Ryan had never seen such a breakfast before. At home, breakfast was simple – Here, it seemed as if they were preparing for a feast.
He took a plate and began filling it slowly – bread, cheese, an egg, a piece of bacon. Edan, by contrast, had piled his plate like a tower.
They sat at a table somewhat away from the crowd. They didn't talk much. Ryan ate slowly, observing the place. He noticed that some students were alone, others in groups. Some spoke loudly, others were silent as stones.
Edan said.
"You don't eat much"
Ryan replied,
"This amount is enough for me."
Edan shrugged.
"I'm telling you, you need to eat a lot because the training will be intense."
Ryan didn't reply.
Eden shrugged again.
"Do what you want."
And he went back to eating.
*********
After breakfast, they left the dining hall and headed toward the lecture building.
The main corridor was crowded too. Students streamed in every direction, some running, some trudging, some stopping to talk. The air was warm, the sun high.
Edan was talking – about his teachers, the subjects he had chosen, the difficulty of the schedule. Ryan listened with half an ear, his eyes moving, scanning the surroundings with an old habit.
Then he saw the crowd.
A few steps ahead, there was an unusual gathering. Students clustered in a circle, some whispering, some laughing, some watching curiously. He heard a sharp sound – not a scream, but mockery.
Edan stopped talking. He looked at Ryan. Ryan's face was rigid, expressionless.
They approached together.
They pushed their way through the students. They were younger – around Ari's age. Their clothes were fine, the embroidery on their robes golden, their badges shiny. Three boys, their faces red from laughter, their eyes cold.
They were surrounding a girl.
She was small, thin, wearing the ordinary blue robe – cheaper fabric, faded silver embroidery. Her hair was dirty and tangled, her face dusty. Her eyes were green, wide, filled with tears. She was biting her lower lip, trying not to cry.
One of the boys pointed at her.
"Look at her clothes. Where did she get those rags?"
another laughed.
"From the garbage, of course."
said the third, feigning choking.
"Doesn't she stink?When was the last time she bathed?"
The girl swallowed. She said nothing.
the first said in a low voice but it is audible.
"Commoner,No parents. No place. Maybe she slept on the street before coming here."
The girl trembled.
the second said.
"Do you know what the academy does with your kind?They insist on keeping you here just to fill seats. But the truth..."
he moved closer. His voice became almost a whisper.
"You don't even deserve to sit with us."
He spat on the ground beside her feet.
The girl shuddered. Her face reddened. But she did not cry. Her eyes were blue-green, flushed from the heat of stifled tears.
one asked.
"Why don't you answer?Have you lost your tongue?"
another laughed.
"Maybe she doesn't know how."
One of the boys raised his foot. He wore new shiny black shoes.
he said.
"Let me teach you how to ask for help."
The girl retreated. Her back hit the wall. There was nowhere to run.
And another scene appeared before Ryan.