Dirin was stuck waiting in front of the main campus till sunset. Keith, and whoever Markus was, weren't there yet. Dirin didn't feel like signing up by himself on the off chance that he would be paired up with someone random, or multiple random people, for that matter.
He was idly on his phone, checking whatever app seemed to be interesting. He already memorized the weather predictions for the next week and was now mindlessly watching videos. After watching a couple of videos, he looked up and saw Keith leaning over, staring at the screen as well. "Why'd you turn it off? I was enjoying that."
"How long have you been there?"
"Five whole seconds," Keith said while still looking at the blank screen.
Dirin's eye twitched a bit after realizing that he was still very late until he saw a massive figure next to Keith. He started to look up, but after only getting to the Adam's apple of the giant, he stopped. He made out the long, messy black hair, and that was enough for him. "You're Markus?"
"Yep! That's me. You're Dirin right? Keith has said a lot about you! Some of it I won't repeat, but most of it was good!" As Markus spoke, Dirin's eyes slowly made their way to Keith.
"Anyways," Dirin said, putting his attention back on the main issue. "We need to register for dorms or they'll stick us in separate ones. I am not trying to be put in a dorm with some random guy."
"Can I dorm with you guys?" Markus asked nicely.
"Of course, big guy!" Keith said way too happily for Dirin.
I guess if I can choose the random, then it won't be so bad. Keith seems to like him enough, so it should be fine. Dirin thought to himself. "Glad we got that settled. Now let's get our dorms before I get tired of standing."
The registration for the dorm wasn't hard. They all talked with a nice woman inside who took their information and put it through a computer. Dirin had Keith do all the talking along with Markus as he looked around the inside of the building. It was a lot neater and less grand than Dirin expected it to be. The halls were wide, and he could see many things, but he expected something grand or opulent. There was a small coffee shop with nice cushioned seating, along with a couple of other places with various types of foods that seemed more comfortable than the classy image he thought would be plastered everywhere here.
I have to admit that I like this better, though. It feels more comfortable than it would've if it went for a different look. Dirin gave his nod of approval to no one in particular. "Excuse me, sir," the lady that Keith was talking to said. Dirin turned his attention to her. "You are well aware you need to take three classes daily or train under supervision for two hours, right?"
Dirin nodded his head. "That's good. We have a video that you are required to watch before you start attending classes or heading to the training grounds. You will find the video on the dorm television when you get there. Here is the list of classes that we will have available this week and what days they will be open, and where to find them. Here is a map of the campus as well..." She kept handing Dirin things, which caused Keith to smirk.
Before they left for their newly appointed dorm, Dirin already had 2 bags full of folders, binders, and other junk that seemed completely unnecessary. Dirin looked at Keith and shoved a bag into him while saying, "Here. Make yourself useful."
Markus offered to carry the other bag, but Dirin was already having him carry the donuts and his luggage. The building the dorm was in was about 6 stories tall. The inside was floored with carpet, while towards the tables in the farthest corner was wood. The walls were smooth and a light gray. There were a couple of vending machines in the lobby where there were already a couple of people trying to get chips and other things.
"Do you think we can order delivery, or do we have to go out there ourselves to get it?" Keith asked suddenly.
"We literally just got accepted into the academy, have donuts, and we are about to unpack into our dorms, and all you can think about is food?" Dirin wasn't surprised by this. "Calm your hunger just a bit, man."
"I heard they can take it to the gate, but they can't enter. You probably have to go out there yourself and pick it up." Markus chimed in. "I don't think the walk is that far from our building anyway."
Keith smiled a bit at that. He didn't have to go all the way into town, but he could have people come to him instead to bring him his food! Sure, it might cost him a bit more, but now that he and Dirin didn't have to pay for the apartment anymore, they saved a lot of money! All of those years of working in fast food have finally paid off in his food this time!
"We are not spending money on delivery." Dirin's words caused Keith's smile to freeze as he slowly looked at Dirin as if he were insane. "Delivery costs too much for you to be lazy and not walk. We should be spending money on other things since we are tig-"
"I get a hefty allowance if that helps..." Markus silently and suddenly said, causing Dirin to stop speaking and look towards him.
"How much is hefty?" Dirin asked.
"Enough." Markus didn't want to tell him the amount since they barely knew each other.
"Looks like we are getting deliveries then." Dirin was more than happy to concede on this point.
Inside the dorm was very bland and clean. The walls were the same gray as the lobby, and the whole floor was a darker wood compared to the lobby. There was a small kitchen and what seemed to be a bar, but none of them were old enough to drink. Despite what Keith said at times.
In what Dirin assumed to be the living room was a dark brown leather sofa with two other chairs of the same type on either side of it. There was a coffee table made of glass with some dust on it. The TV was mounted onto a wall and was already on with a paused video of an older guy with short gray hair, a square, sharp face, and dark brown eyes. He had a few wrinkles with them, mainly around his eyes. He wore a black suit with a bright blue tie.
"Okay. Video first or unpacking first?" Keith asked Markus and Dirin.
"Can we do the video first? After unpacking, I feel like I might just immediately fall asleep if we do it now." Markus asked, and Dirin nodded in agreement.
The three of them sat down on the sofa and put the bags on the side while the donuts went on the coffee table. Dirin wanted to keep both of his cream-filled, but Markus also liked them, so he reluctantly shared with him and took a chocolate-covered one as a replacement. They played the video.
As the video was played, the man started to look from side to side with his eyes and nodded slightly towards someone past the camera. "Okay, students, we welcome you to Falem Academy. Here you will begin your studies and training towards Rank 1. I'm sure some of you are already aware of how to start the process of getting to Rank 1, but for those who don't, I will explain how to get there and what part our Academy will have in your progression." The man's voice was calm and steady, and he had a nice smile as he spoke towards the camera.
"First of all, we will start with the basics. What do you want to become? Do you want to become an enchanter and create weapons or armor that can survive a gunshot, or a mage that can create multiple spells out of thin air? These questions are the start of your journey. Now, once you figure out what you want to do, you need to figure out how. In order to start advancing, you need to gain knowledge related to what you want to do. For mages, they need to learn how magic works and get familiar it's basics despite not even having access to it. The next step is to sincerely attempt to do it. After a little bit, you will be able to step into Rank 1 and finally have access to magic. Now, for the more advanced part. If you were to just do the basics, then you'll only have the basics, but if you learn more and attempt more things and get a deeper base, then you'll naturally be stronger than others who did only mediocre."
"Now, let's also get even deeper. Let's say you trained with a sword to the point where you would develop access to aura at Rank 1, but you also developed as a mage to the point where you would gain access to magic. If that were the case, then you would naturally have both and a way to combine them as you progress through the ranks as well. The more you know, the stronger you'll be in the end."
"Now, for what we will be doing, though I assume you already know since you decided to join this place. At the Falem, we will give you unlimited access to classes and a training ground for your progression to be smooth and easy. Classes for you to learn and the training ground for you to practice everything. You should have been informed about the three classes a day, or two hours under supervision at the training ground. This is for us to make sure that you aren't freeloading off of us despite how much effort we put into your education. You will be able to request days off for things such as being sick or if a family member or someone close to you has died. You will also be given about three weeks total for vacation every eight months."
"That is everything we at Falem have to say to you students. Have a bright future and don't be lazy." Then the video stopped, and it went back to the beginning frame.
"I already knew most of this, though..." Keith complained as he looked down at the now-empty donut box. "Dirin, give me the paper with all the classes on it. They do have a lot on here."
"So that's how you do it?" Markus asked no one in particular as he looked blankly at the screen. "I just thought you would do a couple of things and... boom. You got it. Maybe like an item like video games."
"Markus..." Dirin looked towards the towering man. "Even a basic search online would've told you how to do it. It's not that complicated. Why did you come here if you didn't know?"
"Well. I want to be an enchanter, so I figured it would be like they give me an item along with a lot of guidance and then I'm done..."
Keith looked over at Markus from the paper with slightly widened eyes. "An enchanter, huh? Technically, you aren't wrong with the first part. They might give you an item for you to try to enchant, but it just wouldn't stop there. Then you would rinse and repeat, and then learn, and then do the whole thing over until you're done with trying and want to reach Rank 1."
"I see. That might change a couple of things, but my parents already spent a large sum for me to get into this place."
"Yeah. Keith and I got in on scholarships due to our families not having a lot of money. If it wasn't for that, we wouldn't be able to go here at all." Dirin explained.
"What about you, Keith? What do you want to become?" Markus asked curiously.
"I want to do anything that involves shadows, honestly. I think having control over shadows would be pretty cool, in my opinion." Keith said with a smile. "Stepping through shadows and making them attack their people in battle would be funny as well."
"But what if someone can create fire or anything that can generate light, for that matter?" Markus's words caused Keith's smile to fade slowly a bit as he fell into deep contemplation. "Anyways... What about you, Dirin? What are you going to be?"
Keith's smile came back as he looked at Dirin with a happy and smug expression. "Go on. Tell him."
"Everything. I'll learn and try everything." Dirin responded as he looked back at all the classes and slowly felt a mixture of excitement and anticipation. "I want to see how far I can go before someone stops me, I stop myself, or if it's not even possible."
"That sounds more edgy than saying I want to control shadows, Dirin. I just want you to know that." Keith said, causing Dirin to glare at him.