The morning sun hung low over the skyline of Kenza City as hundreds of students streamed through the grand gates of Belmon University. The white marble towers shimmered like polished steel, and banners of the Empire fluttered proudly above them.
For most of the first years, it was a day of nerves and excitement — they entered the university grounds where only the elite studied and trained.
Axel walked through the gate with one hand in his pocket, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. His bag hung lazily from one shoulder as his eyes scanned the endless crowd.
"So this is it," he murmured. "The Empire's finest sheep factory."
Behind him, half-hidden in the moving crowd, Gini followed. His steps were quiet and calculated, like a shadow that belonged to no one. But Axel glanced back and noticed him, so he lifted a thumb towards him. This made Axel chuckle.
"You really gotta work on your communication, man."
Gini just shrugged with a blank expression.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Talking is overrated anyway." Axel said as he turned back to face the massive courtyard.
The scene before him was chaotic — students chatting, laughing, and sparring playfully while professors in dark coats watched over them to make sure everything went smoothly. In the center of the courtyard stood a massive lion statue, the symbol of Belmon's pride.
Axel eventually stepped into his classroom. It was enormous and fitting for the top class of the first years, where every student was called a prodigy. As he looked around, he noticed the walls lined with paintings of former top students.
He spotted the other top five participants from the entrance exams, as well as several noble heirs, each trying to look more important than the rest. But Axel didn't care. He quietly took a seat at the back of the room, claiming a seat next to the windows overlooking the training grounds.
His first class was History of the Belmon Empire, a subject he couldn't care less about.
The professor, a man with a long gray beard who introduced himself as Marlon, had a voice that could put even a demon to sleep.
"And so, after the victory at the Plains of Sabbia, the Empire unified the southern kingdoms under the Empire's banner…"
Axel sat near the back, chin resting on his hand, eyes half-lidded.
Unifying, huh? What a joke, he thought. History's always written by the winners.
He turned his gaze toward the window. Outside, sunlight glinted off the training grounds where another class was already sparring under instructor supervision. That caught his attention far more than another lecture about the Empire.
When the bell finally rang, Axel exhaled in relief.
"Finally."
Professor Marlon called out to the student with fiery orange-red hair, "Sol, wake up. Next time, maybe you'll stay awake long enough to actually learn something in history class."
The class burst into laughter.
Sol stretched and replied,
"I'll try, sir — but no promises."
The next class was the one everyone had been anticipating: SINISA Studies.
The classroom fell completely silent as a new professor walked in. A tall woman with blue hair tied in a tight bun and striking orange eyes.
"As you all know," she began, "SINISA is the power one is born with. Some people awaken it during adolescence, while others never do. It is what separates the strong from the weak."
Students nodded, whispering to each other in excitement. A boy near the front raised his hand.
"So, ma'am, does that mean people without SINISA can never be soldiers?"
She smiled patiently.
"Yes and no. Most serve in other ways. But true warriors from our Empire are born with a SINISA."
Axel leaned back, jaw tightening slightly.
Born with SINISA, huh?
He knew better. He'd seen enough to know that wasn't the truth, and muttered quietly:
"That's what they want us to believe. They even gave it a new name just to hide what it really is — just to keep their power from crumbling."
The girl sitting next to him turned her head.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing," Axel replied quickly. "Just admiring the professor's voice."
She frowned and went back to listening to the lecture.
When the bell rang for lunch, students poured into the courtyard and cafeteria. Axel scanned the crowd, looking for Gini — but couldn't find him anywhere. He checked the fountains, the garden paths, even the stairways. But still nothing.
Gini could be the main character in a play and no one would even notice, he thought with a smirk.
Shaking his head, he decided to eat alone. He grabbed some food from the cafeteria and looked for a place to sit. Balancing a tray of soup and bread, he weaved through the crowded cafeteria and finally spotted an empty table…
Crash!
Axel bumped into someone, and his soup spilled all over them.
"Oh, crap…"
He froze in shock — it was a girl with her uniform completely soaked because of him. Yet she was still smiling brightly at him.
"Well, I knew my first day wouldn't go perfectly."
Axel blinked, then smiled back.
"Yeah… sorry about that. I was distracted by how awful this food looks."
She laughed and grabbed some napkins.
"You're not wrong. You sure you didn't do this on purpose to escape eating it?"
"Would've been a good plan," Axel said, grinning. "But I don't think I'd risk getting hot soup on my body for that."
She giggled and extended her hand. "I'm Noor, by the way."
"Axel."
"Nice to meet you, Soup Guy."
"Please don't make that a thing."
"Why not? It's hilarious."
Then she tilted her head and stared at him for a moment. "Do I know you from somewhere?"
"No, I don't think so," Axel replied.
She still looked puzzled, but then her eyes suddenly lit up.
"Ah! You're that guy who didn't get picked as a captain's disciple!"
Axel looked away with a smirk and said, "It doesn't bother me."
"Aww, poor guy. You don't have to put on the tough act with me." she teased.
They both laughed, talking about classes and the chaos this morning. Axel then realized that Noor had this spark — a playful personality yet sharp and her beauty is impossible to ignore.
Eventually, she said goodbye to him.
"I should go, because I'm late for class. Try not to crash into anyone else, okay?"
"Don't worry about it," Axel replied with a grin.
They went their separate ways, neither noticing Gini was sitting quietly next to them the whole time listening.
The final class of Axel's day was Combat Training. He rushed down the hallway, muttering,
"I'm late… hopefully I don't get scolded by the professor like Elaine does to Hector."
He pushed open the heavy doors to the training grounds — and froze. A violent gust of wind slammed into him. As he glanced around, he noticed classmates crouching behind the tribune and others gripping whatever they could.
At the center of the arena stood Damian and Sol, the top two from the tournament were facing each other while their powers collided like a storm.
The instructor shouted, struggling to separate them.
Axel just stared, dumbfounded.
"I'm late to one class, and this place turned into a war zone," he muttered.
He exhaled and rubbed the back of his neck while a crooked smile formed.
"Yeah… looks like I'm in for some fun while I'm here."