Chapter 45. Welcome Speech.
Gavin leaned forward with interest and rested his elbows on his knees. That's one hell of a way to start a welcome speech. He's got everyone locked and focused on him. Several teachers and staff walked up behind Principal Shepard as he spoke those words.
You could feel the tension in the arena. Thousands of students silent. Focused. Waiting on every word with bated breath. I swear I could hear a pin needle drop right now. Gavin kept his head on a swivel as he noticed everyone's faces locked on the image of the principal.
"Wealth. Fame. Power. Everyone here seeks at least one of these aspects of life. Magic can be the great gateway to many things and you will be expected to apply yourself every day." Principal Shepard's voice was soft, but his tone was commanding and fierce. He paused to look out at all the gathered students.
"We will push you to your limits. Break you down, then build you back up again. We will mold you into a powerful Magi." Principal Shepard's voice filled the auditorium as he spoke. No one talked among themselves. No one dared to even breathe. In fact, some students looked almost fearful over the thought of what was to come.
They paled, faces losing some of their natural color. They never imagined that the academy would be that difficult or extreme in their curriculum. Some of the students that sat near Gavin began whispering to each other. "Was it worth attending such a dangerous school?" "Surely it's safe enough to attend, right?" These and other questions were asked among themselves as the principal continued.
"Many who attend this academy go on to accomplish great feats in life. There are governments and corporations that look to our graduating class to fill vacancies in their organizations. They seek powerful members to join their ranks. Therefore, it is up to our staff to provide the best Magi we can. For you see," Principal Shepard smiled warmly in the hologram image. He rested his hands on the wooden podium on the floor in front of him. "Magic is much more than simply offensive or defensive spells." One of the professors that stood in line behind him walked forward. It was a dark-skinned man who stood head and shoulders above the rest of the staff on the floor. He had his hair in long dreadlocks tied down past his back. His dark skin was flawless except for a single scar in the shape of a cross over his right eye that somehow managed not to damage the eye itself.
He raised his arms, and, with a snap of his fingers, beautiful fireworks shot out from his hands in hues of green, blue, red and yellow. The embers congregated towards the rafters and formed the shape of a phoenix. The massive wings stretched the length of the arena. With a wild cry, the wings flapped once then exploded into brilliant dust.
The excitement of the crowd was palpable as cheers and shouts filled the room. Gavin noticed the tension seemed to fade from the students around him.
Principal Shepard smiled warmly at the reaction of everyone. "This is Professor Okeeba Okinawa, one of the heads of the fire element magic department. As he just displayed, magic can be used in all sorts of daily tasks that do not revolve around battle."
Principal Shepard smiled back at Professor Okeeba, who stepped back in the line of staff members. "I truly believe that magic is a gift that anyone with the ability should have the right to fully access and learn. But with great power as a Magi, comes even greater responsibility." He held up one finger with a stern warning.
"Responsibility for one's actions is of paramount importance. Once you unleash a spell, you are responsible for the results of whatever happens. So, if you launch a spell at an enemy Magi, you miss, and it hits someone nearby. That is on your shoulders. So, I implore you to always be mindful of your actions and spells." Principal Shepard's voice dropped slightly, and his tone was filled with a grim warning as he stressed the importance of control over their magic.
"There will be four large events throughout the school year and these will be competitions with other magic academies. There is one such event each quarter of the school year to constantly test your growth and skills. Push yourself through your studies and show us how far you have come."
Principal Shepard swept his arm out among the crowd. "They will include a variety of events. Some practical and others combative to showcase the diversity of your skills. It is imperative that you do well during all the events if you want a good future when you graduate from the academy," Principal Shepard informed them all.
Gavin leaned forward; his mind was racing. Cross-school events? Actual combat practice? Now that was what he wanted. A chance to go against other strong opponents and prove his strength. To show he had the power to protect the girls and complete the task that Koray had given him. He would need a lot more power to go through the heavy ordeal that he was assigned. What better way to test and see his growth than to combat against other Magi? A wide grin appeared on his face. His excitement grew as he listened to the principal's long-winded speech.
Erza looked over and let out a sigh. "I know that look wolf. Damn battle nut." She muttered as she shook her head.
Jackson looked as if he felt Gavin move. His eyes and attention were trained on the principal. His eyes had a look of fire and determination. Like the thought of the tournaments was the best thing in the world to him. He nudged Gavin softly in the side. "Hey man, you seem really excited all of a sudden," Jackson said softly as he whispered to his friend.
Erza glanced at Jackson. "Yeah, the idiot loves to fight."
Gavin looked over with a grin spread across his face. "Heck yeah man. The chance to test my strength against other people and see the growth first-hand? Now that is exciting." Gavin said softly in response as he looked at Jackson.
Jackson shook his head. Apparently, his new roommate was a battle junkie. "Yeah, maybe for someone like you. I'm just here for my own reasons, man," Jackson said, laughing softly as they returned to their focus on the principal.
"When you all return to the dorm rooms tonight. There will be a package on each of your beds. It will contain a metallic armband used to determine your rank on a scale of zero to ten. The staff will also use them as a means of communication while here at the academy." Principal Shepard held up an armband like the one he just described. On the front was a number displayed in bright green. It was number ten.
"This is a new program we are trying out this year, so I appreciate some patience while we work out the kinks in it. Tomorrow, all the students will undergo a series of tests to show their aptitude and current limits of magical use. Once all the tests have been completed, you will be assigned a rank according to your skills observed. So, I implore you not to hold back anything and give it your all."
"We will start with the first-year students at eight in the morning. Once they have completed all the tests, we will move on to the second and then third year students. Please make sure you get plenty of rest tonight," Principal Shepard announced to all the students in the auditorium.
"One last piece of wisdom before we depart for the evening. The staff behind me are trained in many different forms of fighting, both magical and mundane. They will not hesitate to intervene in any unofficial fighting on campus. The punishments for such actions will be severe and include expulsion from the academy. So, hear my warning well, young students." as Principal Shepard said this final piece, Gavin felt a shiver run down his spine.
The principal turned his head, and it felt like he was looking right through Gavin's soul. As if he knew exactly where Gavin was seated in the stands. If Gavin didn't know any better, he could have sworn that a flash of red flickered in Principal Shepard's eyes on the hologram in the air.
"Now that is enough of speeches and warnings, I think. You are all free to have the rest of the day as you see fit. Explore the academy. Meet new friends. Rest and relax for the hard work begins in the morning," Principal Shepard announced as he clapped his hands together and the lights went out in the auditorium. The sudden darkness scared a few students as they cried out in shock and slight fear. Even the hologram image of the principal was gone.
Total darkness bathed the auditorium for a few moments before all the lights turned back on and the principal and staff behind him were now gone from the floor.
"Well, that was certainly dramatic." Gavin mused as he sat back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest.
There was quiet for a few moments as the gathered students took in everything that was mentioned by the principal. Tournaments every quarter. Frequent competitions and tests to go through. This was going to be exciting. Gavin ran through the possibilities of what his rank would be if he went all out tomorrow during the tests.
Should he go all out, or hold back? From what Erza told him; it was unheard of for someone to be able to use all six elemental magics. If he demonstrated that ability, would he become a pariah at the school? A target for those wishing to test themselves constantly against. Or would he be kept at arms' length out of fear of how strong he could potentially become? Gavin's mind raced with these types of thoughts as he blocked out everyone else around him momentarily.
Jackson sighed as he tried calling Gavin's name repeatedly. His roommate appeared to be lost in his thoughts for some reason; Jackson reached back and slapped the back of Gavin's head softly.
Gavin felt the slap on his head and looked around somewhat startled. He found Jackson and Erza glaring at him. The arena was emptying as students got up and headed for the hallway they entered from. "Come on man, let's get going," Jackson said as he hiked his thumb over his shoulder toward the exit.
A slight blush crept over his cheeks as he realized he was lost in his own little world again. "Right, sorry man. I was lost in my own thoughts. That was a lot of info to take in at once," Gavin said. He knew that was a weak excuse. But it was the truth to an extent.
"Once again, lost in your own little world. How about paying attention to where you're at. Like you've been told." Erza's stern words and frown were directed towards Gavin.
Gavin bristled under her tone. "Hey, we agreed not to mention them." He glared at her and rose from his seat.
Jackson stood and faced the couple. "It's fine man. Let's go get some grub before we head back to the room."
Gavin laughed when he heard Jackson's stomach let out a loud rumble in protest. He let Jackson lead the way back out of the hallway and towards the fresh outdoor air. The sun was blinding as they walked out through the double wooden doors of the main entrance. The chatter and excitement from nearby students were a loud cacophony. Gavin shielded his eyes until they adjusted to the bright afternoon light as they walked outside.
Gavin lowered his hand from his eyes as they walked down the concrete path. The air was nice and warm finally as they walked back towards their dorm building. Apparently, Jackson found out each of the dorm buildings had their own commissary areas on each floor.
"So, do we head back to the dorm commissary or check out the main cafeteria building?" Gavin asked. He didn't care much about which spot they tried for food.
Jackson pursued his lips in thought for a moment before he spoke up, "Let's check out the commissary at the dorm for now," he suggested. It was closer than the main cafeteria building, and Jackson felt like he was starving.
"Sure, it sounds good to me," Erza replied as she put her hands in her pockets and started walking back to the first-year campus dorm building. As they continued walking towards the first-year dorm building, they chatted away nonsensically about the upcoming tests the following day.
"I imagine, at the minimum, they will have us use crystals to confirm what elemental magic we can use. Then, based on the way the principal spoke, maybe some type of combat exam?" Gavin wondered aloud as they walked into the first-year dorm building. He was bouncing on the tips of his toes as he walked.
He glanced at Erza and grinned as he reached for her hands to pull her along. "Come on I'm starving. Hurry up!" Erza's eyes suddenly widened as she tried to pull Gavin towards her.
Gavin's laughter froze mid step. The smell hit Gavin first; musk, sweat, anger. Familiar. Then came the shove.
A snarl sounded from behind them as a pair of hands shoved Gavin violently and another set grabbed Jackson from behind into a loose headlock. A third pair of arms wrapped around Erza and pulled her away. "It's time we finished what we started earlier kid," a familiar voice filled Gavin's ears as he stumbled forward.
He spun around and eyes narrowed in anger as he saw Bradley and his cronies there in the hallway. Jackson held in their grips as Bradley starred him down. Erza quiet and calm as she was pulled backwards by another of his cronies.
"Let them go." Gavin's deep, gravelly voice filled Bradley's ears as the hair rose on his neck and arms. There was something unknown about this kid that set his instincts on edge. Bradley didn't understand why or how, just that every time he saw him, his inner canine shook with fear and anger and that set Brad off even more.
"I don't think I will punk. It's time you understood the pecking order around here," Bradley said as he took a menacing step forward.