"Next group!" the officer shouted. "Raze Zaden, Felix Blaze, Liam Ward, and… Beatrix Emberfall."
Raze stepped forward calmly, meanwhile Felix was beside him with that same smug grin plastered on his face. Behind them came Liam, a boy with messy brown hair that looked like he had just rolled out of bed, his dark brown eyes darting nervously around. His small frame made him look even more out of place among the others, and his hands fidgeted as though he wasn't sure where to put them.
The last one to join was Beatrix. She walked forward with quiet confidence, her eyes scanning the others in her group before settling into place without a word.
"Alright, that's your group of four," the officer said. "Stay together."
Felix gave Raze a quick nudge on the arm. "Looks like luck's on our side, huh? Same group." His grin widened as though he'd won some sort of game.
Raze just shook his head slightly, choosing not to respond. 'At least the group isn't all bad,' he thought, though his eyes lingered on Liam, who looked like he could collapse from nerves at any second.
The officer continued down the roster, calling out more groups until all eighty students had been split up. The testing grounds, once a single crowd, were now divided into neat clusters of four.
"Good. All of you, stay with your groups and follow me," the officer ordered, his boots crunching against the gravel as he turned sharply. "I'll be leading you to your homeroom teachers now. They'll be responsible for your training, discipline, and survival. Pay attention during the tour. You'll need to know your way around this academy if you don't want to get left behind."
The officer began walking, leading the students toward the academy where they would soon meet their homeroom teachers and start preparing for the future.
As they followed, Raze glanced around, taking in the advanced technology that filled the grounds. Massive mechs hovered above, some carrying materials to new construction sites while others repaired or upgraded existing buildings. Humanity had truly made leaps and bounds in technology, much of it reverse-engineered from the Xin after the war.
'This level of technology… I know I lived in a house filled with advanced machines, but this… it's on another level', Raze thought, his eyes wide in awe.
Felix, walking beside him, caught the look on his face. A smile tugged at his lips. "Like what you see, Raze? Pretty impressive, isn't it?"
Raze gave a small nod, still staring. "Yeah… it really is."
Suddenly, a shadow fell across the group. An enormous ship soared overhead, its engines roaring, blocking out the sun for several seconds. Every student tilted their head back, eyes filled with shock and disbelief. For many of them, it was their first time seeing technology like this up close.
The officer glanced back, noticing their stunned faces. "Don't get too distracted," he said firmly, though the faintest hint of a smile touched his lips. "The longer you're here, the more you'll get used to all of this."
Finally, they arrived. Raze stood at the base of the academy, and his breath caught. The building was massive. It was easily the tallest building in the entire military district. It loomed like a monument, towering as though four luxury hotels had been stacked atop one another. Its sleek, glass exterior reflected the fading light of the day, making it look almost alive.
Felix let out a low whistle, nudging Raze with his elbow. "Now that's what I'm talking about. Imagine living here for years. Kinda beats any house I've ever seen."
Raze didn't respond right away. He just studied the towering academy, his sharp blue eyes reflecting the glass surface. 'This place… it feels like the real start of something. The question is… what?'
Beside them, Liam shifted uncomfortably. His small frame looked even smaller compared to the massive academy. His brown messy hair swayed in the breeze as he muttered under his breath, "How are we supposed to survive here…? It feels like we're standing at the base of a mountain we can't even climb."
Beatrix, on the other hand, stood tall and quiet, just looking at the academy with a calm expression.
Gathered in front of the academy were several teachers, each spaced apart, clearly waiting for the groups of students assigned to them. Their sharp gazes swept over the crowd, assessing them before a single word was even spoken.
The officer stopped the group at the academy's entrance, where one of the waiting teachers stepped forward. She was a tall woman with long jet-black hair tied neatly into a braid. A sleek military coat hugged her frame, medals lining her chest, and her sharp gray eyes seemed to pin every student in place without effort.
"Group Three," the officer called out. "This will be your homeroom teacher. Instructor Aria Veyne."
Aria's expression remained unreadable as she stepped closer, her boots clicking against the polished floor of the academy's entrance. She swept her gaze across her group, her gray eyes narrowing slightly as if she were already peeling back layers of their strengths and weaknesses.
"I'll be blunt," Aria said, her voice carrying the kind of authority that demanded silence without effort. "From this point forward, you are mine. Your progress, your failures, your survival. Everything else falls under my responsibility, and I don't tolerate wasted potential. Do you understand?"
The students nodded quickly, some stammering out a nervous "Yes, Instructor!" Liam's voice cracked slightly when he tried to speak, earning a brief glance from Aria, but she moved on without a word.
Felix grinned like he wasn't intimidated in the slightest, even folding his arms across his chest. "Got it loud and clear, Instructor," he said, playfully.
Aria's eyes snapped to him, and for just a second, her expression hardened. "I don't do jokes. Keep that in mind."
Felix's grin twitched, but he gave a half-salute. "Yes, ma'am."
Meanwhile Raze was quiet, watching every detail. He could already tell this woman wasn't like the officer who had guided them earlier. Her presence alone was heavier. She was the kind of person who can tell everything just by looking.
After a while, Aria finally turned toward the academy doors. "Follow me. I'll show you where you'll be staying, then tomorrow we begin. Don't expect an easy start."
The massive glass doors slid open, and the group stepped inside after her. The interior was just as overwhelming as the exterior. There were grand halls lined with advanced monitors, digital maps of training grounds, and security drones hovering silently along the ceiling.
Liam's breath caught as he whispered, "This… is like walking into the heart of the future."
Beatrix said nothing, but her eyes darted around, taking in every hallway and corridor they passed, as though committing it all to memory.
Felix leaned closer to Raze again with a smirk. "Looks like we're in for one hell of a ride, huh? And we got Beatrix on our side."
Raze just gave a nod and said nothing more. His eyes stayed forward, fixed on Instructor Aria's back as they walked deeper into the academy. 'This is the beginning of my path to strength...I have to be careful around everyone else. Especially when I obtain new skills from the system.'