The Grand Hall was easily the biggest building on campus. It was easily twice as big as a dorm building, and much more ornate. In front, two towers flanked the entrance to the Main Hall. The roof of the Main Hall was made of two sloping slates of iron shingles. Behind the Main Hall, a great dome rose above. This was the Assembly Hall, in which meetings were held. Around the dome, five more towers rose up, forming a semicircle at the back of the building. The building itself was made out of engraved stone, with a multitude of windows allowing natural light inside. Rumors had circulated among the students that the building also housed the school's hidden armory and vault, but it was never confirmed by the faculty.

Stepping inside the Main Hall, Ciar was stunned by the sheer luxury of the interior. Five great chandeliers, each with easily a thousand magic candles, hung from the ceiling in a straight line down the middle. Below them was the central walkway, a strip of beautiful silver carpet. Ten pentagonal pillars, five on each side of the central walkway, rose to ceiling, each of their sides adorned with murals depicting the history of Lunaris. The top of the Main Hall was shrouded in darkness, giving the hall a mystical feeling. To the sides of the central walkway, in between each of the pillars, sat several circular meeting tables. Each table was lit by a smaller chandelier that hovered above them. This would be where the smaller meetings would take place, such as club activities.

At the far end of the Main Hall, some 200 meters in front of Ciar, was a set of ornate, silver double doors. It was still an hour before the assembly would begin, so the doors were not yet opened. Ciar knew from Ryle that the doors opened exactly 30 minutes before the meeting would begin. Seeing he was the only person currently in the building, he decided to sit at one of the meeting tables an wait. 20 minutes later, footsteps echoed down the hall. Ciar turned, curious to see who else was early.

A girl with flowing silver hair was walking confidently down the central walkway. Two horns, the likes of which Ciar had never seen, extended from her head. They were also a brilliant silver, but they were shaped strange. Each horn had two points extending toward the ceiling, with the horn itself taking on a crescent moon shape. Her silver eyes widened in surprise when she noticed Ciar. She turned his direction, pulling a chair out from the table and sitting beside him. She leaned forward, inspecting him with a puzzled expression.

"Who are you?" She asked. Ciar almost stopped breathing at the words. Her voiced rippled like moonlight on water, gentle and mystical. It sounded vaguely like his mother's voice.

"I-I'm Ciar. Who are you?" He responded, pushing back his shock.

"My name is Luna. I'm a first year, as I would assume you are. What brings you here so early. The assembly doesn't start for another ten minutes."

"I like to be early to things."

"Ah, so I'm not the only one. Though, I guess I'm not the earliest this time." She said as she sat back, tossing her hair back from her face. Ciar stared for a moment, taking in her features. Her skin glowed a light silver. Her skin was perfectly smooth, without a single imperfection. Slanting, silver eyebrows accented her eyes and tapered nose. While she was beautiful, she also a simple look to her, a natural look.

"You know," she laughed, resting her chin on her hand, "if you keep staring I think you may very well look straight through me."

"Sorry, it's just I have never soon a Fellite like you before." Moments after speaking, he realized his slip of tongue. Luckily, it seemed as if Luna hadn't noticed.

"Speak for yourself....well, that would be because I'm unique. I was blessed by Delpha, the goddess of soul and moon, when I was born. It made me look like....this..." She said, motioning with her left hand at her body.

"You, don't like how you look?" Ciar asked, not sure if he was prying to much, seeing as he had just met her. Sensing his awkwardness, Luna smiled at him.

"You don't have to be so nervous. I've never met someone who looks as strange as me, but I think you do, no offense." She sighed, then continued. "No, I don't really like my appearance. I stand out way to much, get way to much attention. People look at me like I'm something special, a gift sent from above to aid them. I hate it! I just want to practice magic, not help everyone with their little needs!" She exclaimed, her voice gaining volume. "Sorry..." She said sheepishly, realizing she had been yelling at him.

"No no it's fine. I get where you're coming from, though from a completely different side. People look at me like I'm not a Fellite, or like I have some disease." Ciar said, remembering the looks of people in the streets as he walked past them. He had heard what they muttered. Words that spoke of pity for his 'condition,' or hateful remarks about 'outlanders.' These remarks usually came from adult Fellites. The comments from younger ones, especially female, had been much different, but they were drown out by the negatives. He had ignored them, and was glad to finally be in a place where it seemed his appearance mattered a little less. Sure, he still got looks, but nobody had confronted him about it yet, not if Kennon.

"Ahhhh, I'm glad you understand. Not even my own mother understands. She loves me, but she constantly gets on me about helping people with my 'gifts.' At this point, I don't even know if soul magic is a gift..." She said, her voice trailing off.

Ciar was stunned. She had said soul magic. He hadn't seen that on his affinity sheet, meaning it was probably a unique magic that was only available to single person. In a way, it was less common than void magic.

"Soul magic?" He asked, excited at the idea of magic he had never seen.

"Yes, another gift from Delpha. It's unique to me and allows me to heal or hurt others through their soul. It's incredibly difficult to use though, and there are a few defenses against it. I tend to focus on elemental magic, since my affinity for them is so high."

"How high?"

"100% percent...." She said hesitantly, as if afraid Ciar would laugh at her.

"Wow! So I'm not the only one with 100% affinity. Though I guess mine is different, I can't even use elemental magic."

"Really? Oh, is it something to do with your appearance?" She asked, surprise and relief evident in her voice.

"Yeah....I can't use elemental magic, but magic like time, space, and gravity all have 100% affinity." Ciar explained.

"Awesome! So like, what's your unique magic. I mean, surely with looks like that, you have some form of unique magic."

"Yeah, I'd rather not say what it is though, it could get you in a lot of trouble."

"Come onnnnnn, I'm practically attacked by people wanting to receive my magic. Surely knowing what yours is won't do much. Besides, who needs to know I know? It's just us here!" She complained. Ciar thought for a moment. He didn't know if he could trust this girl, but just like Ryle, he was drawn to her. Her position as a unique Fellite also made her seem more trustworthy. She had shared her abilities with him, why couldn't he share his with her? Besides, he didn't need to tell her his actual race.

"Alright....it's void. I'm a "void-touched" Fellite." He conceded, his voice apprehensive. Luna's eyes went wide in surprise, then she grinned in delight.

"I knew you were special. Now I guess it all makes sense! Gray hair, gray horns, grayish skin, gray eyes, gary everything! And your affinites seem to be the direct opposite of mine! Incredible! I can't believe it...." She continued to ramble to herself for several seconds before she stopped, and her face flushed. Ciar smiled and was about to speak when the double doors at the end of the hall swung open. Ciar and Luna looked at each other, then got up and moved into the Assembly Hall.

The Assembly Hall was like an arena. The doors opened onto the highest level of the room. stairs led down to a small platform in the middle of the room. On the platform stood a podium, waiting for use. Seats ringed the podium in layers. Ciar knew 1250 seats were inside the room. One for each student and faculty member. Since only the first years and basic instructors would be present, the Ciar and Luna could sit wherever they wanted. Ciar walked to the front row of seats and sat down, directly in front of the podium. Luna followed him, sitting beside him. The two chatted absent mindedly until more students began to arrive. Most gave them a wide berth, but a group of three girls came and sat beside Luna.

"Hey Luna," the lead girl said, "who's the guy?"

"Yeah, you ditch us to go meet him or something?" Another teased.

Luna looked flustered for a moment at what the girls were implying. She shook her head as she answered.

"I told you Raina, I only went to the Grand Hall early. Ciar was already here so we naturally got to know each other."

"Ooooh, I see. Well after this your gonna have to come with us and tell us allll about him." She drawled as her eyes probed Ciar. With a sigh, Luna agreed. The girls quickly sat down when Felix stepped through the doors of the Assembly Hall. He was followed by all the Basic Instructors. The adults sat down opposite the students, who had naturally congregated in the same general area. Felix walked to the podium in the center, facing the students as he spoke.

"First, I would like to welcome all 100 of you to the Academy of Lunaris. We, the faculty, hope you can enjoy your year here. You will learn a lot of new things at Lunaris. Skills that will allow you make a living, or save your life, or save the lives of others. You are some of the brightest minds in this city. The strongest among your age group. You are special. But, you are not the best. At least, not yet. Lunaris Academy will harden you into the best of the best. Those that graduate from Lunaris Academy are known for their achievements. Their graduation badges are a beacon that draws people to them, showing their superiority. YOU will be made into such a person. However, it does not come easy. You will work hard for the next 4 years and possibly beyond. In return for your dedication, Lunaris will reward you with the best teaching in the Fellnor Kingdom. Work hard, grow strong, and make your class the one people in this school will remember!" He said, his voice full of passion. The students burst into applause, shouting as loud as they could. After finishing the opening, he turned and sat down, making way for another member of the staff, a tall woman with glasses. She waited for the students to quiet down before speaking.

"It is as Felix has said. The staff would love to welcome you to this academy. Now, for more serious topics. You have all chosen ten classes in which you will participate for the next year. Please note these classes cannot be changed once entered into our files. I would like to now give you the chance to make any last changes." She paused, waiting several minutes before the mumbling of the students ceased. "Now, when you leave, place your list of classes, with your chosen ones marked, into the box. Each list has been magically imprinted with your name, so you do not need to mark it. You will receive a schedule tonight at 8 PM. Now, I would like to give the podium to Sir Dylan to speak to you about the different attractions campus has available.

A massive man made his way to the podium. He had pitch black hair and fierce, green eyes. His arms were bigger than Ciar's thighs, and his uniform bulged, barely containing his frame. He stood behind the podium, his face set.

"Thank you, Miss Abigail." His voice boomed throughout the hall. "I am sure all of you have made yourself acquainted with the different facilities in your dorm buildings. Now, you have enjoyed them all for free, but this is no longer the case. In Lunaris, we have an on campus currency called Lun. you spend Lun to use the entertainment facilities, training room, and restaurant. You will all start with a balance of 1000 Lun. Every month you will receive 1000 Lun to add to your balance. Excess Lun can be used to purchase bonus items or spell scrolls. You can earn Lun be placing top three in your classes biweekly tournaments, scoring high on assessments, helping a teacher, or betting on tournament or arena battles. The Arena is building across the walkway from here. Every month, competitions are held to see who is the strongest of their year. Every year, there is one large tournament to decide the strongest in the school. Students can also issue challenges to other students and settle their differences in the Arena. Bets are encouraged by faculty. The winner of the tournaments or battles will receive 10 percent of the bets placed against them, along with a prize if it is a tournament. The prizes for tournaments vary from Lun to spells to weapons. You can keep track of your Lun balance by reading the counter inside your Lunaris badge, which you will be given upon exiting this Assembly." Finished with his speech, Dylan sat down in his seat. Felix once again took the podium, his voice once more filled with passion.

"That is the basics of the academy. All other questions can be answered by your home room teachers. You have the rest of the day to collect yourselves and prepare for tomorrow. Classes start sharply at 8 AM. If you are late, you will have your Lun balance halved. Now, go! And remember, you are a student of Lunaris Academy. Be proud of your achievement, and work hard to earn more in your bright futures!"

The students cheered and stampeded for the door, burning with excitement. Ciar walked after them, in no hurry to leave. As he passed the door, he slipped his class list into the box and picked up a Lunaris Badge. The Badge was the shape of a crescent moon, and it shone slightly with magic power. He slipped it into his pocket and left the Assembly Hall. To his surprise, Luna was waiting for him on the other side.

"Aren't you going out with your friends?" Ciar asked.

Luna fidgeted a bit, glancing at the ground. "I was just gonna say goodbye. Hopefully see you in some classes tomorrow?"

"Yeah, it was nice to meet you Luna. See you tomorrow." Ciar responded. Luna nodded several times, then turned and walked hurriedly toward her group of friends. Ciar noticed as she walked that she slowly began to give off a confident, aloof aura.

':She likes to appear to others like she is strong, but she is very conflicted inside. She's an interesting girl, to say the least.'

Ciar spent the rest of the day at the library, which he discovered was in a room that branched off of the Main Hall.

----------------------------------------------------

"Welcome to Basic Weapons Training, my name is Fellana, and I will be your instructor." The woman said as she looked over her class. Ciar was attending his first class of the day - Basic Weapon Training. The room was more like a pit than a room. A balcony surrounded a square sand pit of respectable size. There was no roof above the sand pit, leaving it in the open. The students, about 20 in all, were standing in the pit, their instructor in front of them. She was a short, thin woman who did not appear like a warrior in the slightest. However, she hadn't even explained the class when she crushed all doubts of her strength by casually removing most of the sand in the pit with a single punch to the ground.

"In Basic Weapons Training you will learn to use almost every basic weapon available in Osarith. After three months, you will be able to move into a specialization, such as blades or blunt weapons. You will then focus on this type of weapon, growing proficient with it. While I am your primary instructor, there are also 9 other instructors that will be responsible for two students each. Who is assigned to who will be determined by my assessment of your skills on the 'pretest' you will take presently." She paused briefly, turning around and waving her hand. A section of the walkway below the balcony split apart, and a large table rose from the ground. On the table was a variety of weapons, ranging from battle axes to maces to basic swords. Turning back to her students, Fellana continued. "Each of you will choose a weapon. That student will then be faced off against a low leveled combat golem in single combat. Do not worry about injury, as this pit is enchanted with powerful time magic that will be activated before every battle. When deactivated, everything inside returns to the state it was in before the bout began. Does everyone understand?" She finished.

The students nodded, and Fellana stepped aside, motioning to the table. Nobody moved. The students stood there, nobody willing to go first. Finally, fed up with waiting, Ciar stepped forward and inspected the weapons on the table. He was immediately drawn to a blade located on the right side. It's blade was about 70 centimeters in length, and had a slight curve toward its end. The hilt was protected by a curved, single edged blade that connected the hilt to the pommel. Ciar assumed this blade could be used to hurt someone in close quarters where a swing was not possible. He picked the sword up, feeling its weight. To his surprise, it was incredibly light. He took a few experimental swings, then turned around, facing Fellana.

"Oh, so the youngest is the one with the most balls. Now, everyone clear off the pit. You, what is your name?" She said, slight admiration in her voice.

"I am Ciar, Miss Fellana." Ciar responded, slightly nervous.

"Good, Ciar, come forward into the pit. The golem will be level 5. You are not expected to win. Fight it to the best of your ability. If you get in critical condition or take a fatal blow, the fight will end and the time reversal will take effect. The pain while time reverses is immense, however, so I don't recommend getting hurt to badly." She said with a smile.

Ciar nodded nervously and stepped into the pit. He heard Fellana say something behind him, and a force field sprung up around the pit. On the far side, a bright light shone briefly. After it dissipated, Ciar got the first look at his opponent. From what he could tell, his opponent looked completely Fellite. It had all the features of a Fellite, including two horns that extended from its head. It held a sword identical to Ciar's in its left hand.

'Not only does it copy what weapon you are using, but it also copies what hand you use it with. I wonder what spell they use to make something like this....it doesn't even look like a golem.'

Ciar readied himself for battle as the golem began to run toward him. His grip tightened on his sword as he adjusted his feet, positioning himself in his familiar stance. He waited, looking to deflect the first blow and counterattack. The golem's first strike was a predictable slash toward Ciar's face. He raised his sword, bracing it with his right hand, ready to take the blow. When the swords made contact, Ciar became acutely aware of the difference in strength. He was shoved backward, stumbling through the sand. The golem pushed toward him, sending an overhead strike toward him. Ciar threw himself sideways, dodging the blow. Rising to his feet, Ciar once again got in his stance.

'It is much stronger than I am...I guess my only option is to dodge its attacks and look for an opening. Or, I guess I could go on the offensive...'

Ciar's decision was made for him as the golem charged, relentless in its assault. It repeated the same attack as before - a swipe at his face from his right. Ciar ducked beneath the swing, drawing his blade across his body before slashing it out at the golems stomach. To his surprise, the golem dodged the blow by completely reversing its momentum and stepping backwards. Ciar knew it should not have been possible, but it seemed that having a special body had its benefits.

'Well, your not the only one who's unique.'

Ciar lunged forward, taking the offense from the golem. It seemed that, despite being level 5, the golem was a one dimensional enemy. It attacks were very straightforward and predictable, and it did not seem to possess any magic. Ciar attacked several times before finally seeing his chance. The golem swung its blade at his midsection, and Ciar dropped slightly, allowing the blade to bite into his right shoulder. He screamed as the blade cut into bone, but he kept his focus. Jerking his right hand up, he grasped the back of the golem's blade, holding it in place as he launched his own strike at the golems neck. The golem was unable to react in time, and its head soon separated from his body.

Ciar dropped to one knee before pulling the blade from his shoulder. The wound suddenly began to twist with a gray energy, healing itself seconds. Ciar smiled, once again thankful he had retained his racial abilities.

Void Body (MAX)

The power of the void courses through your body, making it more durable and powerful than any other.

+Ability to heal injuries instantly with Void Power

+Ability to freely manipulate Void Power within your body

-Unable to use blood magic

-Cannot be healed by light magic

This racial ability was the one that had allowed Ciar to win the battle. Truthfully, the blade he had taken in his shoulder had enough strength to completely cut him in half. However, using the void energy inside him, he had slowed its momentum considerably once it entered his shoulder, forcing it to stop at the bone. Afterward, he had simply used his Void Power to heal himself. Of course, the regeneration was not cheap. It had cost him almost all of his Void Power, and he was feeling a little light headed.

The shield around the pit disappeared, and Ciar felt a strange tugging in the space around him. He assumed this was the time magic at work, reverting the world to its previous state. As if confirming his suspicion, he watched as the grains of sand that had shifted during his battle skittered across the ground, returning to what he presumed was their original position. A slow clapping noise filled the air, and he turned to see Fellana clapping at him as she walked onto the sand.

"While I'm sure we all have questions...that was very impressive. The golem had the strength and level advantage, but you still won. Why don't you check your battle results, eh? You should have them now that the fight is over." She said. Ciar realized he had ignored the list of blue messages that had slipped by in his consciousness, to enthralled with the time magic. He looked at them now, quite surprised at what they said.

Victory!

Enemies Defeated: Training Golem (lvl 5)

Experience Gained: 60

(Experience Multiplier: 1.5)

Level up! (x2)

Skillpoints gained: 20

(Skill Point Multiplier: 2)

Skill Gained: Basic Sword Mastery (lvl 1)

Your mastery of the sword increases your understanding of its arts.

+You are more comfortable with swords

+5% increased damage with swords

Skill Gained: Basic Dodge (lvl 1)

You are more skilled at dodging an enemy's blows.

+3% speed when dodging a blow

Ciar was quite happy with his first status improvement. He had learned two new skills and leveled up twice! Of course, he knew his massive improvement was also due to perhaps one of his most powerful racial abilities.

Primordial Oblivion (MAX)

You are the Primordial Oblivion, the oldest descendant of the Progenitor. Your origin gives you a fundamental understanding of the system.

+(2x) Skill Point Gain

+(1.5x) Experience Gain

+Learn skills and level skills faster

Ciar knew this ability would give him a massive advantage over anyone his level or age. He was effectively 2 times as strong as anyone his level if you only counted attributes. Of course, attributes weren't the only thing that determined someone's strength, but they were important.

"Well, seeing that expression, you must quite happy with the results. Don't worry, you don't have to tell me." Fellana said before she turned to the rest of the students. "Now, next person up. We need to hurry, we only have 55 minutes per class!"

The rest of the battles went as Ciar assumed they should have. All but one student lost to the golem. The one who was victorious was a boy named Harold that looked to be 13-14 years old. He had managed to get a swing in on the golem with his club, bashing its head in. After the battles were over, Fellana gathered the students in the pit again.

"Alright, you have all performed the test and been evaluated. Tomorrow, you will receive your instructor and you partner. Harold and Ciar, come speak to me immediately. Everyone else, dismissed!"

Ciar and Harold glanced at each other, one with confusion and the other with fiery determination, before they both went up to Fellana.

"Since both of you defeated the golem, I will be your instructor and you will be partners.You should consider yourselves lucky, I'm the strongest of all the instructors. Now I would advise getting to know each other, your going to be seeing each other a lot" She said.

Harold snorted, obviously disagreeing. "Why do I need to get to know him? All he's gonna be is a stepping stone for me on way to becoming the strongest Bounty Hunter in Osarith! Thank you, Miss Fellana, I will take my leave." He said before turning on his heel and marching off. Ciar heard a slight chuckle from Fellana and glanced toward her.

"The boy's a fool. A stepping stone... Anyway, Ciar, I have a proposition from you. I want to be your private instructor, outside of class I mean."

Ciar was taken aback. He had never heard of instructors offering to be private tutors of students outside of class hours. Of course, the proposition was not something he would refuse, but Ciar was cautious.

"Why? If you don't mind me asking?" He inquired.

"Because your different than the others. You are the only one who willingly put themselves in harms way to defeat their opponent. Sure, it might have been due to your mysterious ability to heal yourself, but not even Harold did something like that, he simply got a lucky swing in. You, you won through determination and cold calculation. Also, I prefer blades, and you obviously already have experience with them. I want to see how far you can go with the proper tutoring."

Ciar nodded, his worries slightly abated. If she didn't know his nature, and was simply offering out of a desire to teach someone she saw as promising he had no reason to refuse.

"Alright, I accept your offer. Thank you, Miss Fellana."

"Oh, don't worry about it. We start tonight. Meet me after your last class."

Nodding in affirmation, Ciar turned and walked out of the room, heading for his next class.

------------------------------------------

After Ciar had left, Fellana quickly called another instructor to take her place. Minutes later, she was knocking on a door in the magic buildings.

"Come in, Miss Fellana." Came the response. Opening the door she headed inside, closing and locking it behind her.

"Quite strange of you, to take a personal apprentice, even if it was Ciar." Felix mused, his fingers drumming lightly on his desk.

"Felix, there is something weird about him. I know you played a role in getting him in at his age. Not even the director was sold on his power, but you insisted that he give him a half-assed test to let him in. Hell, I heard that he didn't even test his true magic potential! I need to know Felix. He took a sword to the shoulder than healed it in seconds. He looks strange and seems far to mature for his age. I know you know something Felix, something more than even the director, and I want to know."

Felix smiled and stood from his chair. He walked slowly in front of Fellana, the smile frozen on his face.

"You are correct Fellana, he is special. But, I'm afraid I cannot tell you what he is....the only thing I can tell you is that your decision was the correct one. He has the potential to shift things the way we desire, but he must be strong to do that..."

"You can't mean....." Fellana mumbled.

"Oh yes......I DO, Miss Fellana."