Phila tossed and turned in her bed the whole night and would at certain intervals ask me whether I was awake or not. She was too excited, she said. Excited for the entrance ceremony tomorrow. I pretended to be asleep after the sixth or seventh time she asked. At least she didn’t snore, and four hours of sleep felt better than none.

  Sitting shoulder to shoulder with the other students, I looked around the dim-lit building that was built like a gymnasium. Rows and rows with chairs were filled with people of all ages and sizes with the majority being us first-years. The cafeteria would no doubt be loud later today.

  A raised scene was set in front of us where a podium in the middle was lit by what could only be described as a spotlight. Having lived in this world for two years now, I came to the conclusion that these types of magic-devices were just like electronic-devices, but wireless. Instead of long cables that went everywhere, the spotlights stood freely on the dark ceiling like floating stars.

  The footsteps of a man sauntering towards the podium silenced the low chatter and whispers coming from us, except from Phila that is. Sitting on my right, she whispered excitedly in my ear: “Look! That’s the headmaster!”

  Gray. His clothes were gray, his hair was gray, and even the beard that reached down to his chest in a pyramidical manner was gray. He looked to be at least seventy years old.

  “I am sixty-seven years old,” he said abruptly. His voice carried a great gravitas as it reached our ears, reached the walls behind us, and bounced around the hall.

  “And welcome to this year’s entrance ceremony for the Royal Academy.” The echo gave his voice a reverb effect.

  It was a long speech that detailed everything there was to know about the academy. I felt a bit nostalgic as he went through his bullet-points.

  Established as a way to encourage the growth of intellect to compete with the surrounding lands, it was very successful. All the high-ranking officers and nobles in important positions, such as the prime minister, the royal knight captain, and treasurer were all alumni of the academy.

  Lineage mattered little, he said. A noble that can’t make use his riches and knowledge effectively, is no better than a commoner that only had a shovel to his name. Phila nodded enthusiastically as the headmaster repeated other similes and metaphors about commoners and nobles.

  “Treat your fellow students as your friends and family, and you will see that the blindfold above your eyes will let the light shine through.” He scanned our faces with satisfaction.

  “And now, let me introduce this year’s valedictorian to give another speech.” A spotlight lit up and followed a girl in uniform walking to the podium. Fluttering in the air, the light bouncing off her red twin tails made it look like it was on fire.

  She curtsied with grace and took over the podium when he stepped back after announcing her name.

  Her voice was clear as glass.

  “Fellow students. Congratulations on entering this academy filled with boundless knowledge and opportunities. Opportunities I hope you all will grab onto.

  “You are all these opportunities, and the only thing holding you back is the past. The past you. The you that hadn’t prepared for the difficult test yet. In the academy, I want you to kill that past. Kill yourself, so to speak.”

  The hall went silent.

  “Tear yourself apart. Hit rock-bottom, and burst into dust. Do whatever, use whatever you can to make sure the past you wont follow you here. Leave it behind to die.” She clenched her fist. “Only then can the real you be found.”

  “All great churches were built with a steadfast foundation. Then why don’t we do the same? We are all like saplings locked up in a room, watching the outside world from the windowsill. It may feel warm and cozy and even peaceful sometimes. But know this. It is only after encountering great storms and harsh winds that a sturdy tree will form.”

  “Grow a thick bark. Bark like a hound with nowhere else to go, hungry for anything and everything. And let these next years in your life be that great storm.”

  She slammed the podium. “That is all that I ask of you.”

  A single clap was all it took for all of them to break into an applause even louder than the headmaster’s. She stood by her lonesome on the stage in this cacophony of sounds with poise. Her rigid posture and smile was all I needed to know about her.

  “Oh, and don’t actually kill yourself. That was just a figure of speech.” A golden circle popped up in front of her as laughter, whether fake or not, rose up around me.

  ***

  I sat in the headmaster’s office where he himself served me a cup of tea. It was unfortunately chamomile tea. Made from drying Matricaria chamomilla flowers in the sun, it was a very popular tea that had a list of effects. Inducing quality sleep being one of them. Maybe I could take a little sip to test that.

  “Fascinating, and you came to the answer to this question how?” He was holding my answer sheet.

  I stared at his long beard. “Someone I knew explained it to me.”

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  “And would that someone be willing to have a meeting with me? Such a person would no doubt have other nuggets of wisdom.”

  “They don’t exist in this world.”

  He looked me in my eyes. “A shame, it’s always them that know the most.” He took a sip of the tea.

  “May I ask why I was called here?”

  After the ceremony, one of the staff came up to me and Phila to ask me to follow him. I didn’t have anything planned for today, so I did.

  “How are you finding it having to share a room?”

  “It’s fine enough.”

  “Fine enough for a whole year?” I furrowed my eyebrows at him.

  “Finding the correct score to give your answers took more time than expected, resulting in us making an oversight. Let me call it a mistake instead. Adjusting for this mistake, your final score would be placed among the top five. This of course, would have given you the eligibility for a private room.

  “So I can change my room now?”

  “Not quite, there are no more available rooms meant for the first-years.”

  “I see.” I tapped the full cup of chamomile with my finger. “So why are you telling me this, headmaster?”

  “Because it’s my responsibility to right the wrongs in this academy.” His aura sharpened as he donned the image of the head of the academy. Taking a closer look, I could see the wrinkles on his face. Deep-set and numerous. It didn’t look like he has had an easy life.

  “What about the second-year rooms,” I asked.

  “They are full too.” The way he answered told me that I didn’t need to ask about the other floors.

  “Then what can you do for me instead? You must have brought me here for a reason other than telling me about my score.”

  He crossed his arms. “How would you think of joining the student council? I can give you my personal recommendation.”

  I left his office shortly after and saw Phila stand in the same spot as before I entered. Her feet fidgeted as they pointed inwards.

  “What are you still doing here.”

  “Did you get expelled?”

  I frowned. “Why would I be expelled?”

  “O-oh I didn’t mean it like that, it’s just you were called to the headmaster’s office on the first day…” She followed me when I walked past her. “So what did he say?”

  “Nothing special. He just pointed out a mistake.”

  “A mistake? What kind? On the test? Speaking of, isn’t it amazing that your cousin is in first place?” She gushed about Estelle as if she were her own cousin, how pretty she looked, how graceful she moved, and how unique her speech was.

  “And that last line she said, she even knows how to be funny. Isn’t she just the perfect role model?”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “I thought you didn’t like nobles.”

  Phila thumped her chest. “Yesterday’s me is already dead.”

  I scoffed. “That was quick, congratulations.”

  “But are you sure he only pointed out a mistake? He didn’t ask you to join the student council or something similar?” I whipped my head around.

  “Why are you mentioning the student council?” Did she eavesdrop?

  “Because I want to meet his Highness of course…” The eyes behind her glasses sparkled, or maybe it was the glass itself.

  I sighed, and continued to walk. “Why would the headmaster ask me to join?”

  She tapped her cheek in thought while walking behind me. “Where are we going by the way?”

  “To class of course.”

  “Didn’t we pass by the classroom a while back?” I turned on my heel and went back. No wonder there were no students in this hallway.

  The first class of the semester was history. I didn’t like this subject at first as it was quite the ordeal to juggle two world’s worth of history in my brain. That said, remembering dates and events were easier than some of the other subjects.

  A room full of eyes stared at us when we opened the classroom door. They were all sitting in neat rows in an oval half-circle around the blackboard.

  “Late on your first day. I hope this won’t continue the rest of the semester, Esther and Phila.” It was Armen, the serious looking examiner.

  “My apologies, we got lost in the hallways.” He nodded and told us to find a seat.

  The number of students that were accepted each year was about one hundred and fifty. And because of that, we had to divide ourself up into three groups with a fifty people each; one classroom’s worth of seats. Phila was in the same group as me, so did Lucas and Eric who was waving at us to come over. He had spared two seats as if he knew I would be late.

  Armen started the lesson with a question.

  “Who here knows which year the great war ended and our Kingdom was founded?”

  A boy shot up his arm. “Siegfried, a shame you didn’t get a recommendation letter, so what is your answer?” Yeah, he was also in my group.

  “It was the year 0, since that is when our calendar starts.”

  “One would like to think that, but that is incorrect.” Although called the common calendar, it would be more accurate to call it the Goddess’ calender. That was when she allegedly set foot in our world to spread her knowledge.

  “Does someone know the correct answer?”

  “Year 30, sir.”

  “Correct, and what is your name?”

  “It’s Eric.” He was quite good at remembering numbers he said, a side effect of handling money all the time.

  The rest of the lesson went well. It was only an introduction so most of it was already known to me. Raviel, despite her sometimes nonsensical explanations, was surprisingly a good tutor. Maybe that was why her words sat in my head better than only reading about it. I couldn’t help but compare her style to the more standard and strict way of Armen's. It was for better or worse, drab.

  After listening for a total of an hour and a half of it, a bell rang right after he said his last word. It signaled the end of history class and a new teacher entered the room.

  She looked to say it mildly, boring. In the same vein with her silhouette, I found it hard to focus in her lesson about poetry. Before I knew it, we were already eating in the cafeteria.

  Surrounded by the same people from class: Phila, Lucas and Eric, they chatted amongst themselves as I focused on not letting my spoon spill a drop of tomato soup. It was sour.

  A day at the academy consisted of four periods of lessons, all in the same classroom with an hour-long lunch break in the middle. It was after this lunch break that I wanted to find someplace quiet to rest.

  The incessant clacking and grinding of forks and knives on plates, the smacking of people chewing their food, and the loud conversations must have depleted my energy far more than I realized. I could go back and rest in my room, but it was quite a distance to walk from here to there, and there back to class.

  Sneaking away from the others, I took a stroll in the courtyard instead. There, I spotted a quiet corner filled with grassy grass being shaded by a giant tree. Laying down on the soft cool grass and staring at the big leaves filtering the blue sky, I found it to be the perfect spot for an after-lunch nap. If it weren’t for the two people talking quite loudly behind that bush over there.

  “I know that you are excited about joining me at the academy, but you shouldn’t seek me out in private like this. What if a scandal breaks out?” A male voice said.

  “That’s funny coming from you. So what if a scandal breaks out, aren’t we set to be betrothed anyway? My fiance.” Her words cut the air like scissors.

  He sighed. “That’s what I’m trying to say, are my daily visits for tea not enough for you, Lady Estelle?”

  “My name is just Estelle here at the academy. Prince Hylon.”

  I pressed my body further in the grass to hide from their words.