“Follow the path,” Kai muttered.

That was what Timothee had said to him right before he left. He would have thought the Orc to be messing with him, but his father’s instructions said the exact same thing. The path in question continued down into the valley and over the hill beyond with no buildings in sight. The valley consisted of few trees, leaving no chance for anything to hide in the area.

Something about the situation made him feel like he was being played for a fool. The only saving grace was he didn’t seem to be the only one confused as a few students ahead of him that he had seen at the admissions office, turned and twisted their heads appearing as baffled as him.

In his arms, he could hear Asteria sniffing the air.

“Strange,” her voice entered his mind.

“What is strange?” he asked.

“I’m not sure...” She sniffed again. “Something doesn’t seem right.”

Sniffing the air, Kai smelled nothing.

“There!” Asteria yelled.

Kai stopped himself from jumping at the sudden loud mental intrusion. “Where there?” He looked around but saw nothing different. Only a desolate hill lacking nature you would find in a thriving environment.

“There. Ahead of you.” When it became obvious that Kai had no idea what Asteria was referring to, she squirmed out of his grasp. “The beings. Watch the beings,” she sighed as she dropped to the ground.

Kai stopped and spied on the few others ahead as they continued walking away on the path. After ten seconds he didn’t see anything unusual. “I... Can you just tell me what I’m supposed to be seeing?”

“Mother what have you done to me...” Asteria dropped her head and shook it lightly. “Are all humans so blind?”

Kai ran a hand down his face. Biting back a retort he felt himself becoming annoyed. More like Akane than she realizes.

Once more he watched the nearest being, a dwarf. The distance between them steadily widened. Watch the being... The stout dwarf took short but rapid steps as he traversed the stone path. His reddish-brown hair was tied back into a lengthy braid down his back. Twisting his head to his left, the braid flicked to the opposite side, and then back as he turned the other way. Fifteen seconds later he was about to give up when the dwarf turned his head to the left again. And then again to the right. It was exactly as before. The same movement and time spent…

“When?” he breathlessly whispered.

An illusion had been placed without Kai or Asteria noticing. Had his mind been placed under an illusion? Or perhaps it had been layered over the dwarf. His hand shot up and covered his mouth. No... It’s been here all along. His eyes went wide at the prospect.

How to get out of it? His abilities couldn’t do anything against illusions. Perhaps Asteria could take it down or pierce it since her species seemed naturally inclined toward illusions, but his experience told him she couldn’t. Even if she had figured out the gimmick didn’t mean she could stop or pierce it. She was simply too young and weak at this time. His foot tapped as he considered his next step.

Follow the path, he remembered.

With no other options, he did so.

Without warning his entire vision changed. A gasp sounded out. Kai couldn’t be sure if it was him, Asteria, or someone else.

Gone was the lacking valley and hill before him. In its place, four massive white stone towers stretched into the sky two by two, as if marking the edges of a square. There had to be miles between each of them, and yet they were all connected by a dozen layered open courtyards. Each courtyard was drastically different with some having many buildings, and others having less or none. It was like having a city stacked on top of another city. Past the buildings the sky was visible.

At the very top, the largest dome he had ever seen stretched overhead atop the four towers connecting them all. Brilliant light reflecting off the dome hurt his eyes and caused him to bring his view down. He felt his breath stall. A bridge. They were on a bridge of glowing cobbled stones that stretched on for a mile until it reached the academy’s base. The dwarf they had seen forty yards away moments ago was now only a few feet away after looking as awed as he felt.

Decorative trees of varying colors lined the sides of the enormous bridge. The bridge itself spanned an entire city block at its width, making Kai wonder what could possibly warrant such a wide bridge. To the left and right of the academy, identical bridges like the one he was standing on stretched on until he couldn’t see them anymore. Each was miles long. Twisted his head, the old rustic village at the top of the hill he had passed before was gone, though a lone building he assumed to be the admissions office remained. Magnificent walls that put the Ashbourne capital’s wall to shame stretched on into the unseen distance. Even with them being hundreds of feet tall, they were put to utter shame by the white towers they guarded.

Kai found himself walking up to the edge of the bridge after something caught his eye. He was not even conscious of his doing so as he passed the trees and stopped at the edge. There was no railing or wall to block him from jumping off. Below the bridge, it was like a utopia of nature. Lakes, rivers, streams, trees, and forests. The other side of the bridge was filled with great dunes of yellowish sand. He wondered if the other side of the other bridges would be filled with beautifully crafted environments.

He had seen forests similar to the ones below before, but there was no comparing their splendor. It was as if someone had taken great pains to perfectly sculpt and preserve an exemplary example of nature right next to the academy.

“Wow,” Kai said after a few minutes of silence.

Taking one last look, he set off across the rest of the bridge. There were only 30 minutes left until the last orientation of the day and he still had a mile of the bridge to cross and to find the assembly hall.

The closer he became to the towers, the more they loomed over him. They cast no shadow that he could see, for there was no sun in the light-filled sky. Between each of the dozen platforms were hundreds of feet separating them. More and more details became visible the closer he became. There was no lack of sculptures and statues decorating the massive structure. The towers themselves were comprised of pristine white bricks, each taller and much longer than him as they stacked high into the sky to support the stunning architecture.

At the base of the academy, the bridge led to a rectangular building connected between all the towers with an entrance so massive, even the Crodilion could have fit inside at full height. Entering the building, he was bombarded by the sight of thousands of beings all spread out as they occupied the gigantic lobby that easily stretched on for miles.

His attention was drawn by a short gnome woman, easily half the size of the average dwarf he had seen. She must have been the shortest humanoid being that Kai had seen yet.

“All new students, orientation will be in the assembly hall, which is halfway down on the left side of the room. For those who don’t know your left side, just follow the mass of students,” she called out, her voice carried flawlessly across the huge room.

The assembly hall in question was about half a mile away from the entrance.

“This place is massive,” he said to quiet Asteria.

“Yea,” she responded simply.

“Is something wrong?” he questioned. Asteria remained curled around his neck just in case something happened.

“I felt something probing my mind as we entered.”

Alarm coursed through Kai. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. They only brushed up against my mind. Did you feel the same?”

“No... I don’t know. I didn’t feel anything, but I was definitely distracted.” He couldn’t recall any instruction or mind magic as they entered. Again, that didn’t mean much. Asteria was definitely more sensitive to that kind of magic since it was her main form of communication. Already the value of having her join him was showing its worth. “Can they read our conversation?”

“I don’t know. They shouldn’t be able to, but our connection is only basic mind magic innate to my species like my illusions.”

Entering the assembly hall, Kai wasn’t surprised to find it was another massive room, only with a raised stage at the end. Even with thousands of students scattered about the hall, there was plenty of space between them. Some of the beings were in groups, most associated with their specific species. Kai noted a few students walking up to others and introducing themselves, already trying to make connections and determine if this was a being worth knowing.

[High Elf – Foundation Level 89]

[Pixie – Forging Level 19]

[Imp – Foundation Level 37]

[Dark Elf – Adept Level 2]

[Beastkin – Forging Level 76]

With there being thousands of new students, all only having awakened to their magic a few years prior the levels were scattered mostly between the first two realms, but Kai saw a few already in the third. He suspected they already had their magic for a few years before attending the academy or they were transfers like him. Either way, it was a sign of the mountain of challenges to overcome if they were to be his opponents in the future.

For the next ten minutes, Kai stood alone with Asteria still wrapped around his neck. No one approached him during that time. Which was fine as it gave him plenty of time to observe.

There didn’t seem to be a majority among the races of species in the room. It was more like a certain half dozen races dominated the populace, while the others were less so represented. He was happy to note, humans were one of the dominate races represented at the academy. He had received a few odd stares from some of them, but other than that no one had bothered him. What Kai found most odd was a lone goblin standing nearby that everyone seemed to give wide berth to. The goblin radiated an aura of rage that made him seem like he was a powder keg about to explode. Kai couldn’t see the goblin’s face, but every so often his hand would twitch in a way that made Kai think he was just barely holding off casting some dangerous magic.

Silence came to the assembly hall as the lights dimmed. Only the stage remained illuminated. Phasing into view on the stage, a female elf with illustrious golden hair and a serene white robe faced the audience with a smile on her face.

Kai didn’t blink. She was easily the most beautiful being he had ever seen. Perfectly symmetrical and flawless in appearance. He felt himself so entranced by her beauty, that he couldn’t wait to hear what she wanted to say.

“Welcome new students,” her gentle yet powerful voice echoed across the hall. “I welcome you to Elderward Prime Academy. I am the regent director while the academy’s dean is out on business. You may address me as Paragon Trianna.”

Paragon again, Kai thought. The ninth realm...

“I hope, at least for the students unaware, that you were able to enjoy our illusion and be surprised. Every year as a time-honored tradition we set up the illusion on the boundary of the academy grounds during admissions week. Some of you were able to discern it, but most of you were left confused and mystified until crossing the boundary. It also serves as a reminder of the days of the great war, when such illusions became a necessity not to be exterminated.”

“During your time at our academy, we expect you to conduct yourselves as outstanding students and take the initiative to learn, grow, and become a more perfect version of yourself. The academy will not hold your hand and force you to attend classes or remain here. You have paid for the opportunities we give, and so they will be there until you choose to use them.

“Though, not all opportunities will be readily available to you right off the bat. To access certain aspects of our academy you must earn the right to do so. To do this will require prime points.

Prime points? Kai thought. What are those?

Prime points are a currency used at the academy as a way of encouraging your growth and rewarding students who advance, while at the same time giving equal opportunity to those who come from different backgrounds and do not have the backings of houses or kingdoms, rich and old.

Audible groans reverberated throughout the audience.

Ignoring the groans, she continued. “Prime Points can be used to buy materials, arms, and armor, issue quests, request guidance, and many other opportunities that the academy provides.

“As for prime points, at the beginning of each month, an individual will receive prime points dependent on their current rank bracket inside their academy class year. Our staff has assigned a rank to each new student based on your realm and level upon entering the academy. Beginning on the first official day, which is the day after tomorrow, prime points will enter each of your accounts and will be available to be spent on whatever you desire. Please remember, the higher your rank, the more prime points you will have available to spend.

Okay… but how do we rank up then? Kai asked himself.

“You must be asking yourselves, ‘how do you rank up and earn more points?” Paragon Trianna’s smile widened as if knowing every student was eager to hear the answer.

“The academy holds monthly tournaments where your rank can be adjusted afterward based on how well you perform. . It is also encouraged that students hold private battles with each other, where you can bet whatever you want, whether it be rank, prime points, or something different. Only the strongest will sit at the top, while everyone else struggles to hold their place. Another method of earning points is completing quests issued from the quest hall. There are other ways of earning points that you will learn in the coming days. We again encourage students to seek out knowledge for themselves.”

The room remained silent, soaking in everything Paragon Trianna said.

“For those who have transferred in, I am sorry to say you will be placed at the end of your class rankings in accordance with your realm and level with other transfer students of the same class. As for sponsored students, they will have 500 prime points allocated regardless of their ranking, to start with.”

Kai hummed. 500 points... No idea if that is a lot or little. I’ll have to find out more information.

“Now onto a less interesting topic, but no less important. The rules.” Paragon Trianna’s voice remained the same tone as before, but an emotion of expectation washed over him. “The rules are simple. They are what we call, common sense rules. This should go without saying, but every year there are a few. No murder, killing, stealing, threatening, forcing yourself on others, destruction of property, entering areas where you are not allowed, and no magic unless in a designated area or in self-defense. There are others, but I will not drone on about them. Feel free to read up on the rules in your own time. Just know that breaking the rules will result in punishments determined by the enforcement division.”

Paragon Trianna clapped once and the feeling and compulsion of having to listen vanished as the lights turned on. Still, the room remained silent and still.

With a melancholy smile, Paragon Trianna spoke, “Life is not created equal. If it was, there would be little need for this academy. There would be no wars. No violence. No hate. Regardless, you will conduct yourselves with civility and respect others as is your duty as a citizen of the Myriad of Worlds. You are all students of Elderward Prime Academy, and despite being in competition with each other, in the end, we all must stand united against the coming darkness.”