"Let's go check out the dorm." Bubbles materialized on my shoulder.
"Fine." I sighed. Not gonna lie, I was quite curious what the dorms looked like.
But it turned out, that was about everyone else's idea at the moment, and although the walkway could support at least twenty students moving side by side, I wasn't exactly a crowd guy, so we had to wait a bit for the crowd to lessen.
Besides, I didn't want to sprint there. Sometimes it was just better to enjoy a leisurely pace.
Amongst the main characters, the first one to leave was Fabian Ashton. His cold glare and arrogant aura alone were enough to let the students make way for him.
"Tch, arrogant bastard." I cursed.
"Ahem Ahem." Bubbles made a faux cough.
"What?" I asked.
"Can't a man cough peacefully without meaning anything?" Bubbles said, but seeing my not so convinced stare, he continued.
"It's just that I found it funny that the pot is calling the kettle black."
I frowned.
"Fabian's arrogance is different from mine, infact they couldn't be anymore different."
The difference was that mine came from inferiority complex and the need to also be acknowledged. While Fabian's was more of a superiority complex, he genuinely believed he was better than everyone else.
Though it was still arguable which was worse, "At least mine has ceased to be around five weeks ago." I mentioned.
"Does a snake stop being a snake just because it had shed it's skin?" Bubbles replied.
"You know what, I don't have time for your shenanigans." I sighed.
One by one, everyone began to leave, Alistair left, Delilah left, the bitch left, and even the stunning redhead.
After all the people I'd tagged as important had left, I also swagged my way along the walkway.
Like I said, the walkway was around a kilometer long, so it didn't take me more than half an hour to reach there even though I wasn't particularly walking fast.
The dorms were grand, and I meant five star hotel grand, just from looking at the buildings.
Though from a distance, the buildings looked close, in reality the three were about a football field apart from each other.
Each of the three buildings had a name, I already knew that from the novel, but I guess the proctor was too lazy to say them.
The one he called the tallest building, was actually the Hydra dorm. That was where the top forty students were situated.
It had a total of twenty floors, with each floor containing two dorms, one student for each. It was the grandest and the most aesthetically pleasing.
The one he called the medium building meanwhile, was the Serpent dorm. It was were the students from rank 41 to 80 were situated, including me.
It had a total of ten floors, with each floor containing four dorms, one student for each.
And last was the small building, which was actually the Worm dorm, where the rest of the students from 81 to 120 were stationed. And it contained only a total of five floors, with eight dorms each.
It was quite unfair, but nothing in this life was actually fair. And the institute firmly believed in the saying; might makes rights.
Anyway, I made way into the building. I stepped onto the teleportation matrix designated for the second floor, and puff, I found myself on the second floor.
There were teleportation matrixes leading to every floor from the ground floor, and ones leading to the ground floor from above floors.
The institue's numbering was actually quite weird. Instead of 41 to 44 on the top floor, instead, when 41 was on the tenth floor, 42 was directly below it on the ninth floor, and so was 43 on the eighth floor.
Which was why the second floor consisted of dorms 49, 59, 69, and 79. I located my dorm, which wasn't very hard to find due to the massive 79 etched on the door.
I grasped the door handle, and channeled my aether into it, the blue band on my wrist gave a soft hum, then the door sunk inwards without so much as a little sound.
The door's mechanism worked with one's aether signature as the key, and the band on my wrist calibrated the door to my unique aether singnature.
For reference, no one could ever open my dorm room without me, not unless they're strong enough to tear the entire door off it's hinges.
Aether signature could be masked, but could never be copied, which adds a massive security.
"Wow...." I became awestruck as I took in my new abode. The living room was luxurious, and it's aesthetics had the perfect blend between medieval and modern, with soft plush sofas, a full glass wall showing the beautiful landscape, and a hearth in the middle of the room.
I aimlessly wandered further into the room, and closed the door behind me.
At the far end of the room was a balcony stretching outward, showing a view of the large dome in the distance.
After that I went to the bathroom, the bedroom, and the kitchen.
While they were all breathtaking for the editor in me, they weren't that surprising to the prince in me. After all, my abode in the castle was also just as grand as this, if not a bit grander.
"But wait..." Bubbles who had been awestruck the entire time gasped. "If this is how the serpent dorm looks, then imagine the Hydra dorm."
My eyes widened in realization. Suddenly I felt pity for the students in the worm dorm. Their dorms were only a single room, a bathroom, and a small kitchen by the side.
"Guuuuuur!" my stomach let out a small growl.
I kinda forgot I hadn't taken a single morsel throughout today. 'I think I should head to the cafeteria.' But before that, let me see the class I'm in. 'I do certainly hope It's the main characters' class.
I stroked the band on my wrist softly. Then a hologram sprung up.
Name: Damon Darkfell
Picture: A holographic image of myself
Rank: 79
Class: 1–Alpha
Points: 200
Well, as fate would have it, I was indeed in the same class as the main cast.
"Huhhhh." I let out a long breath. The storms of Nahaar's doom have begun brewing, only time will tell if we can weather the storms.
--------------
"Rise and shine, Captain." Bubbles' mocking voice was like the shrill cry of a banshee to my newly awoke self.
"Is it time already?" I muttered groggily. It has been two days since I passed the entrance exam, and today was the first day of class.
The past two days had been quite unremarkable, just eating, sleeping, training, and the bad eye I was getting from everyone who knew my reputation.
All in all, there was nothing new. I had been trying to breakthrough to the Eta rank, but I've had no progress. All in all, unremarkable.
"Depends on what time you're talking about, Captain." He smiled mischievously. "But I suggest you get up now, unless you want to miss breakfast."
I ignored him, got out of my bed. My gaze happened to catch a glimpse of the outside through the glass wall. The sky was gradually getting brighter as dawn approached.
I went into the bathroom, the warm water of the showers trickled down my skin breaking me out of my grogginess. I was never a morning guy. Hell I used to wake up around 10am.
After freshening up, I wore the institute's uniform. The uniform was simple, just a white shirt with gold accents, and a single gold star at the and a navy blue trousers. There were three in each dorm, and the best thing, they can fit themselves to any size the wearer wants.
After that, I headed for the door.
"Let's go Bubbles."
My familiar turned into a ball of light, and disappeared into me.
With that, I stepped out the door. The time was 6:05, coincidentally, I stepped out at the same time as one of my floor mates.
"Hi."
"Hi."
That was all that was said, before we both stepped on the teleportation matrix. Guess maybe we were both salty about waking up that early.
We soon appeared on the ground floor. I stepped ahead and went to the cafeteria. I couldn't take anymore of that awkwardness.
Breakfast was from 6am to 7am, and after that there was one more hour before classes started.
After the lonely breakfast, I left the dorms and began walking towards the dome, but then I saw her.
Our two sets of grey eyes met each other, before she tore her gaze away.
The walkway we took from the compound we were gathered in, led straight to the Serpent dorms. And the Hydra and Worm dorms were at the sides. So all the students of each dorm were going to converge on the on that line walkway.
So I did the one thing I could, I decided to wait until she was far out of sight, before I continued walking.
If not, I was not sure the awkwardness would not kill me.
***********
THANKS FOR READING THIS NOVEL, AND DON'T FORGET THE POWER STONES.