Decided to use conventional time and make life easier. I don’t know about watches yet.

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Angus opened the door, revealing a boy around 15 years old. He took a brief look around, and then looked at Angus.

“Hm? I was wondering why this door was closed. You guys are new, right?” He asked.

“Yeah, we just--wait…” Angus scratched his head. “You are...Finlay?”

The boy revealed a surprised expression, and then it was as if a lightbulb popped up in his head. “Oh! You guys are from Aramore! I remember you all! Angus, Nikolas, Eldon, and I guess the sleeping guy is Brien.” He laughed. “I don’t know what you eat Angus, but you’ve gotten even bigger than I could possibly imagine.”

Finlay was another one of the kids from Aramore. Although they had not interacted much back in Aramore because of their age difference, Eldon had a good impression of Finlay. He was known to be extremely laid back and mild-tempered. Eldon remembered that Finlay had wanted to be a swordsman. “Senior must be quite a powerful swordsman now.”

Finlay smiled. “No need to call me senior, Eldon. We are all friends. Alas, you overestimate me. I am just a mere Intermediate Sword Apprentice.” He sighed. “The real monsters of my age are already at the Threshold level.”

“That doesn’t seem to be much of difference. You’re all still in the same rank, right?” Nikolas asked.

Finlay shook his head. “It wouldn’t have been a much of a difference if, let’s say, I was a beginner and they were intermediate. However, there are multiple levels between us. Not only that, most of them come from influential families, so they have already gone through training ever since they were young. In the Valis Institute, if you have great potential, the Institute will provide you with precious materials. My talent can only be considered average.” He looked down a bit. After a slight pause, he became all smiles again. “What am I doing? Being your senior, I should give you guys an overview of the Institute! I don’t have classes until the afternoon anyway.”

“Senior, I’ve noticed that there is a large area in the living room.” Angus said. “It’s for battle, right?”

“Indeed. Whenever one of us makes a breakthrough or wants to test out a skill, we usually show it off to the others on the platform.”

“I don’t understand. What if an attack goes awry and collapses the building?” Eldon asked, worried.

“Don’t worry. The building is magically reinforced, and we can activate a barrier around the platform if needed. We never seriously fight on the platform, though. Most of time, it’s just a light spar or demonstration. If you ever need critique on your technique and power, just ask any senior who’s available in the building and they’ll usually try to help you.”

“Show us some of your moves, Finlay.” Angus eagerly asked.

“I don’t know, guys…” Finlay scratched his cheek, but then saw that Nikolas and Eldon were also looking him expectantly. “Okay, maybe I’ll show you guys a few moves, and then I’ll give you all a tour.” They cheered, causing Brien to stir.

“Can’t someone sleep in peace nowadays..” He grumbled, getting out of the bed.

____________________________________________________________________________

In the living room, Finlay and the other four stood on the platform. Finlay made a motion with his hand.

“Alright guys, I’ll first show you my aura. Step back a bit.” Finlay warned. The four retreated about 10 meters away. Closing his eyes, he stood about shoulder width apart, and breathed in deeply. A faint purple glow emerged from his body, and then steadily began to increase in intensity.

“Ha!” He roared. All of a sudden, the purple aura around him shot up and began to swirl around him in a frenzy. Finlay’s face grew a little pale, and his muscles seemed to bulge out against his clothing a little bit. Eldon widened his eyes in shock. After a few seconds, the aura settled, and color returned to Finlay’s face. He opened his eyes, and smiled at the gawking of the thirteen year olds.

“This is nothing, really. True experts don’t even need a second to fully activate their aura, and they can do it effortlessly, unlike me.” Suddenly, Finlay dashed towards them, and before Eldon could even blink, he was already in front of them. The four flinched. Chuckling, Finlay moved back to his original position, almost appearing to be a blur in Eldon’s eyes. “Aura is a swordsman’s main power. Once you obtain your sword, it can be infused into sword and increase your battle power greatly.” He clenched his right fist, causing his aura to fluctuate. With another great shout, he bent his knees and shot his fist out straight in front of him.

“Boom”

Eldon felt his hair flutter from the wind caused by Finlay’s punch. He was completely stunned. All he saw was a purple blur. This was the power of someone whose talent was considered average?!?

“Woah!” Angus pointed to the ground under Finlay’s feet. Sure enough, there were two indentations about a few centimeters deep, showing how mighty that punch was.

“Don’t worry about it. The platform has a self-repairing mechanism. It’s slow, but it can handle something of this magnitude.” He relaxed his pose, and his purple aura slowly seeped back into him. His appearance went back to normal. “I don’t know if you guys want to be swordsmen or magician, but both paths can make you powerful. If you want to go down the swordsman route, you will have to do a lot of physical training along with growing your aura, and it is pretty brutal. However, it’s required for you to take a basic swordsman and magician course in your first year, so that you can see where your true potential lies.”

While Angus, Brien, and Nikolas all had shining eyes, Eldon was unswayed. I’m definitely not fit to be a swordsman, he thought. He looked at his tender arms and pinched his cheek, and then glanced at Angus’s right arm. It was probably twice, no, three times the size of Eldon’s guns.

“Come, I’ll give you guys a quick overview of the Institute outside.” Finlay raised a hand and beckoned at them.

Suddenly, Ganon entered.

“Don’t you have an urgent matter to attend to?” Brien asked.

“I’ve completely forgotten something.” He said. He took out a bag and tossed it to Angus. “Inside this bag are badges that indicate that you are students of the Institute. Prick your finger with the pin, and your blood will bind with the badge.” With that, Ganon quickly rushed out. Bewildered, the four complied with Ganon’s words. Eldon took great caution when he pricked his finger on the pin.

“What about the girls?” Nikolas asked as he stuck the pin to his shirt.

“There won’t be too much of a problem today because many new people like you guys are arriving. Just give it to them later when you have the chance.” Finlay said.

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“One word to describe the Valis Institute: huge. There’s so much stuff that I’ll just tell you the general layout.” Finlay said as they walked out of the door. The thirteen year olds looked around, absorbing everything they could see. Eldon looked behind at the building, and found it to have similarities with the buildings around them. “This is one of the residential sections of the Valis Institute.” Finlay commented. A few people were walking around outside. Some were absorbed into books that they were holding, while others were chatting with each other. A few carried swords on them, causing Finlay to look at them enviously. “You don’t get to have your own sword until you become a Junior Swordsman.” The suns were shining brightly.

Hmm? Eldon pondered. It was just sunsrise before. Is it because we moved to a place so far away?

“The Valis Institute lies inside the city Versales. We are in the north of the city. Although Versales is not as large as the capital of the Talis Kingdom, it is still one of the biggest and most influential, thanks to the Valis Institute.” Finlay pointed to his right. “That direction is the north. If you keep going that way, you’ll leave the city and the Institute, and enter the Erdanian Forest. Legend has it that the Erdanian Forest used to be a sacred place, devoid of any kind of violence or evil. However, the forest is dangerous now. It goes on for miles, and you can even see the Wrathful Mountain from here.” Finlay raised his pointed finger up a bit, and the boys, squinting could see a tiny speck in the distance. “Well, sort of.” Finlay smiled ruefully. “For a few miles in, the forest isn’t that dangerous at all. You’ll probably go in a little bit quite frequently this year during some classes. Once you get deeper into the forest, you’ll encounter stronger and stronger beasts. We have patrols around the forest anyway to make sure that powerful beasts don’t come charging towards the city. Anyway, let’s head towards the center of the Institute.” Finlay turned and began walking west (Author’s note: Actually south, but you know what I mean.). The four thirteen year olds followed, close behind.

____________________________________________________________________________

After about 30 minutes of a walking, the group reached the center of the Institute. Eldon felt a bit tired from the walking.

This place is a lot bigger than I thought.

In the center stood a giant statue which depicted a man wielding a stuff. Even though it was only a statue, it seemed to exude power and regality.

“That, my friends, is the statue of the founder of the Valis Institute, Alex Vermont. He founded the school about five hundred year ago. It was said that he was just another commoner, but with his talent, he became a Apex Legendary Magus. He was probably the most powerful being of his time. He founded this school in hopes of providing equal opportunity to commoners. It was said that he had lived up to three hundred years, and could’ve lived even longer. However, he suddenly disappeared one day, and his fate is still unknown.” They stood in silence for a while, admiring the statue and the person it depicted. Finlay turned to face the direction of the forest.

“I’ll tell you the general location of the major places in the Institute. To my west is the Feldar Library. It contains thousands upon thousands of different books; you can find nearly anything you want to learn about in the library.” Eldon made a mental note to go there immediately afterwards. “To the south is the Valis Institute Hall. There, you can buy and sell many things, ranging from magical items to raw materials stripped from a beast’s body. You can also go there and validate your ranking. You can easily tell whether you rank up or not, but you can get rewards and greater school privileges if you confirm your rank there. To the east is the main building, and you guys will go there tomorrow for the entrance ceremony. Most classes take place there. In the Southeast is the Battle Arena. You can go there to have friendly sparring matches, or settle a problem with a fellow student. Violence against fellow students is strictly prohibited, and if you are caught abusing weaker students, you are punished heavily. You can even be expelled. Tournaments are regularly held in the Battle Arena and prizes are given to winners to motivate students to train harder.” Finlay continued to mention and point out buildings to them as they ambled around for a bit. Before they knew it, it was already midday. Angus’s stomach grumbled.

“Haha. Looks like someone’s hungry.” Finlay said. “Tell you guys what; I’ll treat you all out in the city for lunch. There are places to eat in school too, but I’ll give you guys a special treat today.”

“Well, I won’t say no to that.” Angus replied, patting his stomach.

“Are you sure Finlay? That sounds like it might be expensive.” Nikolas said.

“No worries. You get a monthly pay depending on your rank, and there are various jobs in the city and Institute you can take to make some money. The stronger students go out to hunt beasts and sell the body parts of the beasts.”

____________________________________________________________________________

Damn, Finlay regretfully thought, as he saw Angus tear through his 8th helping of steak. He sneaked a peek at his money bag. Oh well. I can’t take back my word now or my name isn’t Finlay. Helping out my fellow townsmen is a good enough reward for me.

“This place has pretty good food,” burped Angus, rubbing his stomach. “Andy’s Steaks, right? I’ll remember this place.”

Nikolas leaned back in his seat, picking his teeth with a toothpick. “I thought the Valis Institute was pretty big, but the city’s just as amazing. I’ve never seen so many people. And the number of merchants! They’re literally everywhere.”

“Of course; we are from a town. How can it compare with a city?” Finlay smirked.

“Ding, ding”

Finlay stood up and looked at the clock inside the restaurant. “It’s 1:00 PM. My classes start soon. You guys should get your schedules tomorrow at the main building.” He rummaged into his money bag, taking out a few silvers and coppers. “That’s for the cost of the food. I’ll see you guys later!”

“Bye!” Eldon said.

Finlay got up and left. Eldon stood up.

“I’ll be going to the library now. I’ll see you guys later too.”

Brien snorted. “Typical Eldon.”

“Don’t stay out too late, you hear me Eldon?” Angus joked. Eldon smiled.

“Who are you, my mother?”

“Haha.”

____________________________________________________________________________

In the afternoon, Eldon managed to make his way to the library. He stopped in front of it, sighing when he saw that he had to go up a bunch of stairs.

Feeling quite worn out after all the walking he did today, Eldon reached the entrance of the library. The library was rather magnificent. There were two enormous statues of what Eldon recognized to be dragons on the top of the stairs, staring down on him. Eldon was surprised by how well crafted the statues were; it felt as if they could come to life in any moment. The building’s exterior was mainly painted white, but there were linings of silver etched generously on the building; a close look revealed that the etchings were all decorations of various things, and they were all obviously carved with great care. It probably the most beautiful building Eldon had ever seen before. Taking a deep breath, Eldon went inside.

Books. Books everywhere. Eldon had never seen so many books in his life. He stood in front of the entrance, goggling. A lady sitting on a desk in front of the entrance raised her eyebrows but said nothing. Only when a few people gave him some weird looks did he wake up from his trance, feeling slightly embarrassed. He walked swiftly to the closest bookshelf, trying to act natural. Taking a quick sweep across a shelf, he found something that caught his eyes.

A History of Praxus

Eldon had never seen such a thick book before in his life. He took the book off the shelf with both of his hands, groaning from the weight. Stumbling a little, he heaved the book over to a nearby desk, almost slamming it on the desk. Feeling slightly eager, Eldon sat down and began to read. He lost the track of time as he became completely engrossed in reading.

____________________________________________________________________________

Time flew by. Before Eldon even noticed, the library was nearly empty as nighttime approached. Nevertheless, he still continued to read. He had even forgotten about dinner.

Suddenly, Eldon jolted straight up. A peculiar feeling originated from his chest and spreaded out. He had never felt such a feeling before in his entire life. Is there something wrong with me? He shivered, thinking that he was being watched.

He felt a hand pat down on his shoulder, causing him to jump out of his chair. He turned around and saw Angus. “Don’t scare me like that, Angus!”

“I knew you would still be here. You need to pay closer attention to the time. You eat yet?”

Eldon shook his head.

“I got some food back in the building. We should go now.” Eldon sighed, reluctant to part with the book. He still had a lot to go through, but he had already learned a lot.

“You can borrow the book, you know.” Angus gestured at the lady who sat at the desk in the front.

“Great!” Eldon happily said. Angus picked up the book for him, and they went to the lady. Angus placed the book on the desk.

“I haven’t seen your faces before. I suppose you’ve just arrived today.” Eldon and Angus nodded. The lady smiled at Eldon. “Very good. It looks like you have quite a passion for reading.” Reaching under her desk, she took out a bronze colored card. “This will be your library card. I will activate it and bind it to you. The rules for borrowing are very simple. You can loan up to 20 books at once, but you must return them after one month. The card will turn red if you are tardy in returning the books, and we will be able to track you.” The card glowed yellow. “Place a finger on the card.” Eldon obliged, and felt a tiny spark. The lady retracted the card, and placed it on the book. “It’s all yours now.”

“Thank you.” Eldon said gratefully. The lady looked at Angus.

“Would you like a library card also?” She asked.

“Maybe some other time.” The lady nodded.

“Let’s go.” Eldon said. Angus took the book, and they headed back to their living quarters.

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After quickly eating the food Angus had saved, Eldon began pore over the book again in the living room after finding a comfortable chair and desk. Although it was dark outside, there were special magic crystals hovering about, giving Eldon enough light to read. He wondered where they came from. After a few hours, Nikolas came into the living room.

“Eldon, get some sleep.” He said, rubbing his eyes. “It’s almost midnight.”

“Alright.” Eldon slowly got up from the desk, and carried his book to the room. Brien was already sound asleep, and even Angus was heavily snoring away. Eldon went to his bed, and placed the book on top of his drawer. Another small magic crystal was glowing on top of his drawer.

“How do we turn off these things?” Eldon asked.

Nikolas touched the crystal on his drawer, and it went out. “Touch it.” It became dark.

“Good night, guys.” Eldon said, tucking into his sheets.

“Night.” Nikolas mumbled. The other two continued to lay there, sound asleep. Eldon shut his eyes.

…

…

...

“snore”

...

…

“SNORE”

Nikolas and Eldon groaned.

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