Morning arrived quietly.
Golden sunlight descended from the heavens and illuminated Aetherial Institute.
The island seemed entirely different compared to the previous night.
Moonlight had hidden its grandeur beneath mystery.
Daylight revealed everything.
The towering academy structures.
The floating bridges.
The ancient towers piercing the clouds.
The rivers flowing through valleys.
The forests growing between districts.
The countless students moving throughout the pathways.
Life.
The academy felt alive.
And today—
A new generation officially began their journey.
The bells rang throughout the island.
Deep.
Ancient.
Resonant.
Their sound echoed across mountains and forests alike.
Students immediately began leaving inns, temporary accommodations, guest houses, and waiting halls.
Thousands of young men and women filled the roads.
Freshly admitted students.
Future scholars.
Future warriors.
Future rulers.
Future legends.
Nobody knew which among them would someday shake the Empire.
Not even the academy.
Yet every one of them carried hope.
And today—
Their first task awaited them.
Finding their dormitories.
The Admission District had become crowded.
Massive crystal boards floated above the central plaza.
Countless names glowed upon their surfaces.
Dormitory assignments.
Building numbers.
Room numbers.
District information.
Everything necessary for newcomers.
Chaos naturally followed.
Students pushed through crowds.
Voices echoed everywhere.
"I found mine!"
"Move aside!"
"Where is Building Seventeen?"
"Who took my luggage?"
"I think you're standing on it."
"What?"
The young man immediately looked down.
His suitcase was indeed beneath his foot.
Nearby.
A girl buried her face in her hands.
Her roommate assignment listed three names she couldn't pronounce.
Several noble students appeared completely lost.
Ironically.
Many commoners adapted faster.
Years of navigating unfamiliar environments helped.
Meanwhile—
Kel stood near the edge of the plaza.
Watching.
Observing.
Analyzing.
Inside his mind—
Seiren immediately began laughing.
"Look at them."
The Guardian sounded delighted.
"An entire generation of geniuses defeated by directions."
Kel watched one student walk confidently in the wrong direction.
Then return five minutes later.
Then leave again.
In the same wrong direction.
"Reasonable."
"No it isn't."
The Guardian laughed harder.
Kel eventually approached one of the floating boards.
His assigned information appeared immediately.
Name: Aedon Flinth
Dormitory District: Eastern Residential Sector
Building 12
Room 407
Simple.
Clear.
Efficient.
The academy administrative systems impressed him again.
Nearby.
Several students remained desperately searching for their names.
Others celebrated because they had received preferred housing.
Meanwhile—
A familiar voice suddenly appeared.
"Aedon!"
Kel turned.
Naturally.
It was Seraphina.
The silver-haired mermaid moved through the crowd.
Several male students immediately looked in her direction.
Several female students rolled their eyes.
Nothing unusual.
The blanket incident aboard the ship had ended long ago.
Now Seraphina wore proper academy clothing.
Simple white attire.
Neat.
Elegant.
Modest.
The academy had provided temporary clothing after admission.
Even so.
Her beauty remained impossible to ignore.
Unfortunately.
Seraphina herself seemed completely unaware of this fact.
She stopped beside Kel.
Holding a crystal slip.
Her expression looked troubled.
"What happened?"
Kel asked.
Seraphina immediately showed him the paper.
"I don't know where this is."
Kel looked down.
Then read the assignment.
Special Residential District
Building 3
Room 101
He paused.
Then paused again.
Inside his mind—
Seiren spoke.
"Special Residential?"
"Interesting."
Very interesting.
Because ordinary students weren't assigned there.
Special Residential District housed scholarship students.
Exceptional talents.
Special observation candidates.
And occasionally troublesome individuals the academy wanted to monitor closely.
Seraphina apparently qualified.
Understandably.
Kel handed the slip back.
"You were assigned special housing."
She blinked.
"Is that bad?"
"No."
"Good?"
"Probably."
The answer seemed to satisfy her.
Around them.
Students continued searching for dormitories.
The atmosphere remained energetic.
Excited.
Hopeful.
Everyone discussed possibilities.
Roommates.
Classes.
Future professors.
Combat rankings.
Academy clubs.
Research societies.
The future.
Meanwhile—
Kel quietly noticed something.
No one appeared relaxed.
Not truly.
Beneath the excitement—
Nervousness remained.
Understandably.
Many students had traveled their entire lives toward this moment.
Failure carried consequences.
Success carried expectations.
Both created pressure.
Inside his mind—
Seiren spoke softly.
"Do you remember your first day?"
Kel thought about it.
Then smiled slightly.
A rare smile.
"My first day?"
"Yes."
He remembered.
A bedridden child.
A cursed heir.
A boy uncertain whether he would even survive adulthood.
Compared to those days—
This academy seemed almost peaceful.
Almost.
The pathways leading toward the residential districts gradually filled.
Students dragged luggage.
Carried books.
Transported weapons.
Some used storage rings.
Others balanced entire mountains of belongings.
One unfortunate noble carried seventeen suitcases.
Alone.
His servants were not permitted inside academy grounds.
The result was tragic.
Very tragic.
Several students watched sympathetically.
Others laughed.
Meanwhile—
Kel walked calmly toward the Eastern Residential Sector.
His belongings remained minimal.
Travel bag.
Weapons.
Books.
Nothing excessive.
Seraphina accompanied him.
Since their routes overlapped initially.
The academy grounds revealed more of their beauty as they walked.
Ancient stone pathways curved through gardens.
Crystal lanterns lined roads.
Streams flowed beneath bridges.
Students crossed from every direction.
Above.
Floating platforms transported instructors between districts.
The entire academy resembled a city.
Yet felt more alive than most cities.
Eventually.
They reached a crossroads.
A large crystal sign hovered above the pathway.
One direction led toward ordinary student housing.
The other toward the Special Residential District.
This was where their paths separated.
For now.
Seraphina looked toward the sign.
Then toward Kel.
Then toward the sign again.
Clearly uncertain.
The situation felt strangely familiar.
Almost like the ship.
Inside his mind—
Seiren laughed.
"She's doing it again."
Kel ignored her.
Then spoke.
"Follow the signs."
Seraphina nodded.
Then hesitated.
Then nodded again.
The process repeated several times.
Eventually she asked:
"Will I see you again?"
Kel looked at her.
Then at the academy surrounding them.
The answer seemed obvious.
"We attend the same academy."
"Oh."
She seemed relieved.
The response made sense.
Then she walked away.
Following the path toward the Special Residential District.
Several students immediately noticed her arrival.
Naturally.
Chaos would probably follow.
Kel silently wished them luck.
The Eastern Residential Sector occupied a valley near the academy's outer districts.
Rows of tall dormitory buildings stretched throughout the area.
Unlike ordinary academy dormitories—
These resembled luxurious apartments.
Not palaces.
Not noble estates.
Yet far superior to what most students expected.
The academy clearly possessed funding.
A lot of funding.
Building Twelve stood near a small artificial lake.
Four stories tall.
Constructed from white stone.
Covered in climbing ivy.
Large windows overlooked gardens.
Students entered and exited constantly.
The atmosphere felt surprisingly comfortable.
Not overly strict.
Not overly relaxed.
Balanced.
Meanwhile—
Kel entered quietly.
The interior looked equally impressive.
Clean hallways.
Magic lighting.
Soundproofing formations.
Storage facilities.
Common rooms.
Study areas.
Everything a student required.
The academy had considered practicality carefully.
Something Kel appreciated.
Eventually.
He reached Room 407.
The key crystal activated.
The door opened.
And for the first time—
Kel saw his academy dormitory.
Silence followed.
The room was larger than expected.
Considerably larger.
A private bedroom.
A study desk.
Bookshelves.
Private bathroom.
Large window overlooking the lake.
Even a small balcony.
Inside his mind—
Seiren sounded surprised.
"This is a dormitory?"
"Apparently."
"I expected something worse."
"So did I."
The Guardian laughed.
Kel stepped inside.
Placed his travel bag beside the desk.
Then walked toward the window.
Outside.
Students moved throughout the academy grounds.
The lake reflected sunlight.
The academy towers rose in the distance.
Everything felt peaceful.
Calm.
For once.
No assassins.
No monsters.
No political negotiations.
No territorial crises.
No dragon kings.
No cursed ruins.
Just students.
Just classes.
Just academy life.
Inside his mind—
Seiren remained suspicious.
Very suspicious.
"You know."
"What?"
"I don't trust this peace."
Kel looked toward the academy.
Then toward the countless students beginning their journeys.
Then toward the future.
A future he genuinely couldn't predict.
For the first time in years.
That uncertainty felt refreshing.
Then he smiled slightly.
And answered.
"Neither do I."
Somewhere beyond the residential districts—
The academy bells rang again.
Announcing the beginning of orientation day.
And with that sound—
The true academy life of Aedon Flinth officially began.