"Kid why are grinning ear to ear like that. It seems like you are plotting something devious," Arthur commented after seeing the evil smile on his face like he was going to burn the entire world.
Keith quickly dismissed the smile on his face. "Don't worry it's nothing. I was just excited that I would actually get to learn at such a prestigious school," he said, changing his expression to a delighted expression.
Arthur still felt suspicious but decided to dismiss it for now. He walked up to the mighty steel gate. He rummaged through his pockets looking for a key card. After minutes of rummaging through his pockets, he couldn't find his key card.
He knocked on the gate twice and a guard opened the gate for him. The guard stared at Arthur for a while before he finally spoke:
"You lost your keycard again didn't you," the guard said. The guard knew Arthur had a knack for losing stuff or misplacing them. The guard took out a keycard from his pocket and gave it to him. "Where did you find this?" he asked
"A student found in his bag and he doesn't know how it got into his bag in the first place,"
"Thank you," he said as bowed.
"It's nothing but you have to keep your belongings in a safe place," the guard said.
"Thanks man," he said. He stared at the trio and saw the dumbfounded looks on their faces. Keith stared at him with piercing judging eye as if asking how the actual fuck did his keycard end up in a student's bag and it will be more shocking if the person wasn't his student.
"Gotta ask the person who found your keys, is he his student or not," Keith asked out of curiosity.
"Yes, the person wasn't one of his students."
"Then how did it end up in his bag," Keith asked.
"Just know it has something to do with my curse," he laughed then gestured for his new students to follow him. The three youths followed him whilst taking a look at their surroundings. Keith was even more impressed of the structural design of the buildings inside the academy. The buildings walls were made from a very strong alloy which seemed to be strong and resilient.
The building had complex runes on their walls which weren't visible to naked eye but Keith could see them clearly if he concentrated hard enough but doing so would cause him a slight headache so he stopped staring at the runes. He looked around and saw students going about their business. Some were chatting with their friends, reading books and going to different classes or visiting the library.
The atmosphere seemed a bit lively but Keith could tell there was a hidden tension amongst the students. He guessed it was probably due to fact they would be going to the Astral Plain very soon and they felt a bit nervous and scared. He guessed their liveliness was only to mask their hidden fears and nervousness.
Keith couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive also since they only had two weeks to prepare and they'll be thrust into the Astral plain. What creatures and abominations lurked in the Astral Plain and how was supposed to defeat them? Keith had a devised a plan on what they were supposed to do before going to Astral Plain.
He had to memorize the known regions of the Astral plain and the monsters that resided in those regions and also figure out their weakness. He had to develop his battle to increase his chances of survival in the Astral Plain. He soon got lost in thought as he planned out everything to ensure his survival.
A familiar voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he stared at his friends. Arthur walked up to Keith and patted him on his shoulder and said in a reassuring tone:
"Don't worry Keith. This school is one of the best training facilities in the world. Two weeks would be more than enough… well with the hellish training I have in store for you guys," he said with a devilish smile on his face.
Keith couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine after looking at the sinister devilish smile on his face. He knew whatever training he had in store for might push them to their limits and break them, physically and mentally but as long as it increased his chances of survival in the Astral Plain, he would do it.
The four of them walked towards the reception building where they had to sign a few documents and receive their school keycards, badges and uniforms. Arthur directed them towards their respective dorm rooms. Keith and Merlin rooms were next to each other whilst Kayla's room was at the female dorm rooms which was relatively close to male dorm rooms.
Keith walked inside of his room and turned on the light. The room was quite spacious compared to the room he had at the orphanage. The room had a king-sized bed in the right corner of the room, there was a desk and chair near the glass window. Next to the bed was a wardrobe where he would keep his clothes. There was also a door which he guessed was the bathroom. He put his uniform in his wardrobe and then proceeded to sit down on the bed and rest.
With nothing to do, he looked at his keycard.
Name: Keith Kurosaki
Path: Soul Path
Rank: Acolyte
Grade: First Year
With everything in order, he set an alarm on his phone and went to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be his first day and he would rather not be late on his first day.