At the moment the ancient dragon's aura descended, the golden wyvern, which had nearly collapsed, dug its front claws into the wall of the school building, preventing it and its rider from making a fool of themselves.
"Tch, it's really Synapse Dragon Academy!" The knight atop the golden wyvern clung desperately to the scales of his mount, but his disheveled state didn't bother him. His eyes were filled with envy as he gazed at the golden pathway beside him.
Back in high school, he had dreamed of one day stepping onto that golden road, but that dream had long since faded. As a dragonborn, entering an academy specifically designed for true dragons required the combat power and talent to rival a dragon of the same level.
"Aeolos, stop daydreaming and get moving!" the wyvern knight urged. His eyes were full of admiration, with a trace of reverence. Anyone who was accepted into Synapse Academy was regarded as a monster by the dragons themselves.
Hearing the reminder, Aeolos glanced around. His gaze first fell on the dragon girl, Eddie, who was filled with dejection and loss, realizing the immense gap between herself and the one she admired.
Then, Aeolos saw his classmates, still awestruck and envious under the oppressive dragon's aura. Few people harbored jealousy toward Aeolos; they knew that he was simply in a league beyond them now.
Aeolos had witnessed the wide range of emotions that people experienced as they received their university admission letters today—some wept, some remained indifferent, and others laughed maniacally, seemingly deranged.
Now, under the watchful eyes of thousands filled with various emotions, Aeolos stepped onto the golden path and began to walk toward the radiant space portal. He approached the dragonborn elder who had come to escort him.
"Aeolos, I am Alfonso Lorenzo, a teacher at Synapse Academy, and an ancient golden dragon," the dragonborn elder greeted Aeolos warmly.
Alfonso had been informed of the truth about Aeolos, which is why he introduced himself with his true name, aiming to leave a deep impression on the future heir of the empire.
"Greetings, Teacher Alfonso!" Aeolos replied politely.
"Good," Alfonso chuckled, his eyes crinkling with joy at being addressed as a teacher by the empire's future heir. "Now, come with me to Synapse Academy!"
"We're going now?" Aeolos was slightly taken aback. Though Muria had not officially announced the formation of an empire, the inhabitants of the Synapse Subcontinent already considered themselves part of what they viewed as the world's eleventh empire, with Synapse, the mysterious floating capital, as its crown jewel.
Aeolos had always longed to visit Synapse, the city suspended in the sky, and experience the empire's capital for himself. But this wasn't quite what he had planned.
He had intended to return home first, to visit his parents and three younger sisters and share the good news that he had been accepted into a prestigious university.
"Of course, time is tight. Your schedule is quite packed!" Alfonso said with a smile. "You'll start your classes today."
"I'm starting classes today?" Aeolos was stunned. Normally, there was a two-month gap between receiving an admission letter and the start of the academic year.
"Yes, you should know that Synapse Dragon Academy isn't a typical university. It's an academy designed for dragons, with divisions for elementary school, middle school, high school, and university. Even with your current knowledge, you'd have trouble keeping up with high school-level courses here."
"So..." Aeolos' expression became complicated as he realized where this was going.
"According to human standards, you don't need to attend preschool, but you will need to start from elementary school to catch up," Alfonso said with a grin. "Don't think we're making things difficult for you. The truth is, the curriculum for dragons is quite different from that of humans. Our academy's grade system spans ten years per level."
"If you were a true dragon, you'd be in second grade at the elementary level by now. It's a long education, but once you adjust, you'll get used to it."
"..." Aeolos' face grew stiff. He opened his mouth to say something but couldn't find the words.
...
"Ha! I've been waiting for that expression!" In a distant space rift, a certain little girl with golden hair rolled on the ground in laughter.
"Brother has gotten used to the human sixteen-year education system. Now, being thrown into a one-hundred-sixty-year dragon education, and having to start from scratch, was bound to produce such a priceless reaction," said Gladys, her face radiating confidence. Her platinum hair shimmered, and the ten angelic wings on her back emitted a holy light.
Although Tiffany was laughing the loudest, it was Gladys who had come up with this idea. Despite her pure and angelic appearance, there was a hint of mischief lurking beneath.
"Boring!" Katyia yawned, playing with a small hammer. She seemed rather uninterested, having just been pulled away from a battle in the Titan Isles by Gladys.
"Little sister, you can't just focus on fighting. There are many other joys in life. You need to learn to find them. Otherwise, being addicted to battle all the time would make life far too dull," Gladys remarked, glancing at her younger sister.
Katyia's small hammer was splattered with golden lightning and blood, likely from another pureblood titan not much older than she was.
"But I don't find much joy in life. In battle, however, I find plenty of fun," Katyia replied nonchalantly.
"Although the three princesses are siblings, their personalities are completely different," remarked Fiona, an ancient green dragon who stood behind the three young princesses, watching over them with a mixture of awe and fondness.
Fiona had now become something of a nanny for these three, though she didn't mind. It was clear to everyone in Synapse how much Muria doted on his daughters. Taking care of them, or winning their favor, was essentially winning favor with Muria himself. The rewards could be substantial.
...
Aeolos felt a mix of frustration and complexity. This was the dragon academy, a place so many dragonborn dreamed of attending, and he should be overjoyed to be accepted.
Yet, at this moment, he felt awkward. While the academy had assigned him to the elementary school level based on his knowledge, how was he supposed to explain this to his parents?
Was he supposed to say, "Mom, Dad, I've been accepted into the Dragon Academy in the imperial capital, but I'll be attending elementary school, and it'll be more than a hundred years before I can enter university!"?
How could he bring himself to say such a thing? His classmates were all happily going off to university, but he would be going to elementary school? And it would take ten years to move up one grade level?
He was sure his parents, being reasonable people, wouldn't be able to accept such a situation. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to give up the opportunity either.
But what would happen in four years when his former classmates graduated from university and they bumped into each other? If they asked about his job, how would he answer? "I'm still in elementary school. University is still a long way off!"
Despite the awkwardness, Aeolos ultimately followed Professor Alfonso through the long stretch of space to Synapse. No matter how he felt, he knew he had to continue his studies.
"So this is Synapse!" Aeolos marveled as he stood in the lowest floating city of Synapse, with vast clouds stretching across the sky. Alfonso proudly gestured to the surrounding cities.
Synapse was composed of 132 floating cities made from cloud islands. It was a mobile airspace and was widely regarded as the future capital of Muria's empire.
"This is the gathering place of all dragons. Here, you'll encounter every type of dragon imaginable, so it's also called Dragon Island."
Aeolos gazed at the countless dragons flying through the sky, his eyes sparkling. In his memory, he had never seen so many dragons at once.
"Heh, 'Dragon Island' is a name you dragons came up with yourselves!" A slightly mocking voice interrupted from the side. "Muria has never acknowledged that name."
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