CHAPTER 2

In academy city, on an inconspicuous lane, a girl of about 15 or so in age seemed to be taking a leisurely stroll.

Her pace was slow and calm, her gait showed a controlled posture. She walked with her back straight and her shoulders lax.

Her chin was raised in a confident and perky way, while she placed her hands by her side.

Contrary to the impression she gave, she wore simple clothes. A white dress that flowed freely down to her knees.

She was a bit tall at about 172cm. Her body was modestly proportioned showing she had experienced her fair share of puberty.

She didn't carry any luggage and seemed to have no accessories on hand. Her long black hair which ended in white tips trailed behind her as she walked.

With her pretty blue eyes, she took in the scenery around her, subtly smiling at the townsfolk as she passed them by.

She continued walking, making turns at corners and moving around the city.

At times, she would walk through the same route twice for no apparent reason.

When passing by certain landmarks she would nod to herself before continuing her tour.

Some people who saw her do this were perplexed. Others even assumed she was mentally ill.

This continued until around midday where she happened to notice the position of the sun in the sky.

'Oh, it seems I've lost track of time.' She spun on her heels and started towards the huge structure in the middle of the city.

'I better hurry if I want to make it in time.'

***

Inside the building that was the main attraction of the city—the academy itself— there was a certain meeting room.

Inside this meeting room, the professors of the academy were discussing the upcoming event that would decide their next batch of students.

They were discussing the entrance examination.

"Are there any anomalies among the students?" One voice asked.

"No." Another voice answered. "These are the usual. Pampered nobles, aspiring commoners, and some merchant's children..."

"Nothing special this time either." The voice concluded; dismissal evident in their tone.

"Haaaaah." a third voice sighed, "The headmaster has always warned you about underestimating the freshmen."

"Tch." The previous speaker seemed annoyed to be corrected in the meeting room.

They spoke again trying to prove their point, "These are young fledglings eager to learn from US."

"We are here to help THEM. They wouldn't amount to anything without us, and they should realize it."

The room remained silent. It was hard to tell whether it was out of surprise towards the speakers domineering words, or because they all agreed.

The voice continued, "I have had several issues with our current curriculum, especially the attitude of the graduating class."

"All my complaints have gone unaddressed for too long!"

The voice's volume rose in resentment, "All the nobles forget us once they've graduated, flaunting their powers like they were born with them!"

"The commoners move on to become scholars, wandering nomads, war heroes or maybe even nobles themselves..."

"Like it was their talent that led them there in the first place!"

THUD!

The speaker slammed their hands on the table in fury.

"The ungrateful blokes!" They rasped.

"It was US that made it possible for commoners to be educated. WE took the time to document our knowledge for them to learn!"

"This school secures the foundation of the world!!" The chair behind them slipped back as they stood up,

"The foundation for our future!"

"And what is the thanks we get?" The voice asked.

"They apply pressure on us whenever we require resources?!"

"Their children come here and start playing politics instead of focusing on their development?!"

The speaker sighed, their voice revealing a hint of fatigue.

"What is the point in continuing this? How are we supposed to continue the headmaster’s dream if the world seems to reject it so vehemently?"

The room of professors was stunned.

At first it seemed like the person speaking was throwing a fit for not being recognized for their efforts.

Some even thought they were just an attention seeker throwing a tantrum.

But it seemed this professor was concerned with the academy's future more than anything.

The headmaster would eventually retire or pass away. Would they be able to operate the academy with that kind of opposition?

Heads dropped around the table. Nobody spoke.

The professor who spoke also sat back down left alone with his thoughts. If he had known the mood would drop so suddenly, he would have kept quiet.

Some problems feel better when they are unaddressed.

That is until they felt a hand on their shoulder.

Looking up they saw a man with black hair and some greys mixed on his head. He had a decently groomed beard also with some grey color mixed in with the black.

His eyes were a calm black radiating an air of wisdom that came only with age. He squeezed the professor's shoulder comfortingly, his expression carrying sympathy.

"Headmaster?" The professor looked up and then slumped his shoulders in shame,

"I'm... I'm sorry sir. I... I..." The professor stumbled his words, he didn't know what to say.

The headmaster shook his head slowly. "It isn't your fault."

He sighed, "The world has never been a kind place for those who want to change it."

"I don't even have any comforting words for you right now."

He walked towards a spot in the room that would allow everyone to see him clearly.

"I..." he looked around, "I cannot promise you that what we will do will actually have an effect on the world."

Silence.

The group of professors were unsurprisingly stunned.

Their hearts fell at his words, for it seemed even their leader and visionary was at his wit’s end.

He put his head down in a pondering posture, 'Dear Soreus what am I doing?'

'This isn't how you start an inspirational speech.'

The wise headmaster started to debate inside his head. He wanted to reassure his comrades-in-arms to not falter.

'I wonder if my dear master would have done this any better.'

At recalling his master, the headmaster let out a chuckle.

He raised his head and spoke:

"But I ask you to do it anyway."

The professors all looked at him in confusion.

"What? I'm also human." The headmaster put his hands apart and shrugged his shoulders.

"I recognize I might be one of the many fools that won't even be remembered for my achievements..."

"But I am going to do it anyway." he subtly clenched his fist, vigor finding its way into his voice.

"And I'm asking you to do the same."

The professors could feel the passion their headmaster was trying to pass on to them...

"Let's act on our ideals even if we may be called fools for it." The headmaster smiled.

"The new students are coming from all types of backgrounds, and all walks of life."

His face turned grave, "And all types of ideals as well."

The atmosphere in the room turned serious. In the world of Soreus an ideal was an important aspect of a person’s life.

"We need to make sure our future is bright." His eyes became focused as he walked back on the path he took to get in.

"These children are the key to that."

The headmaster looked towards the frustrated professor from earlier. "I know the road will be difficult, but it is up to you how you walk it."

He looked around for a final time and turned around heading out.

As he reached the exit he turned around, "Let's ensure this entrance exam gets those children what they need."

The professors nodded in agreement. "Yes sir!"

The headmaster nodded.

"Good luck ladies and gentlemen."

The headmaster walked out of the meeting room and into the hallway.

He walked, slowly heading for his office. 'Both the students and the professors will need it.' He said, looking up. ‘I have a feeling this month will be shrouded in misfortune.’