20: First Class

To the south of the academy, a green garden filled with flowers of various colors stretched out under the light of the true sun. At the top of a small hill, a beautiful tree cast its shadow over the grass. There, lying down with his forearm covering his eyes, Grey tried to find some peace.

Moments earlier, while hurriedly leaving the cafeteria, he had noticed the garden through a window in the hallway. The light of the true sun, not the fake light projected by the holographic windows, bathed the place with warmth. He thought that perhaps, by lying under the tree's shade and surrounded by that natural light, he could calm the anxiety that had overtaken him after hearing Cassia.

The weight of a few simple words had shaken him. Added to that was accumulated fatigue, which, although not yet fully manifest, was starting to affect his body after a day and a night without sleep.

'The sunlight feels nice.' A silent sigh escaped Grey's lips as his heart returned to its normal rhythm and his body relaxed.

"It's warm."

'I still have the survival class in the wilderness... It should be time to go by now.'

"What's warm?" A strangely sweet and calm voice sounded above Grey.

Suddenly startled, he jumped up and backed away from the source of the voice he had heard just inches from his face.

It was a good-looking girl, tall and dressed in a simple white dress that fell below her knees, with a red ribbon around her waist. Her straight hair flowed like a waterfall down her back, and her bright dark brown eyes, framed by long black lashes, looked at him with curiosity. A smile that could thaw any boy's heart began to form at the corners of her lips.

"What's with that reaction? I only asked a little question. Don't tell me I scared the guy who wiped the floor with two of the most promising legacies of this year."

Grey looked at the girl, his gaze fixed on that sweet face.

'She... Is she the girl from that time in the library? What's she doing here? And what does that last part mean?'

The girl waited a moment for a response, and seeing the confused look on Grey's face, she just sighed and spoke again.

"Why the confused kid look? I just came by to say hi. I saw you in the library just yesterday."

Grey looked at her for a moment and then relaxed. Or at least, he tried, because his body was still tense.

"No, I mean, yes, I remember you, but... what are you doing here? Why are you suddenly talking to me?"

She remained silent for a few seconds before replying.

"Well, I was walking around here when I saw you and got curious. Do you know how many rumors are spreading around the academy about you? I couldn't believe it when I realized the quiet guy reading a book in front of me just yesterday is the source of all those rumors. Can you blame me for wanting to talk to you?"

'Ah, this is weird. Wasn't she a serious and calm girl reading books in an empty library with a mysterious past? Why does she seem so different now?'

"Huh? Wait, what rumors? What are you talking about? No, wait. I... was about to do something... Uh, what was it? No, before that, what do you want?"

She looked at him with some amusement as she moved a bit closer to avoid raising her voice. After all, Grey had jumped several meters away with his sudden leap.

"Heavens, you're so agitated, calm down. As for the rumors, haven't you heard anything? The whole academy's been talking about it since morning. Anyway, I just wanted to say hi. I still have a class to attend, so I'll leave now."

Grey watched as the girl turned and started walking toward the entrance of the academy building. His face was a mess of emotions as he watched her go, and before she got any further, she turned around.

"By the way, Grey, my name is Sara! Let's talk here again tomorrow, and I'll tell you more things!"

Without saying anything else, Sara walked away until she disappeared inside the academy.

"What was all that?... Sara, huh? Her voice is nice."

The corner of his lip curled slightly upward as he regained his sense of body and mind. His body, once tense, was now relaxed and calm. He also realized that the anxiety that had been in his mind just a few minutes ago had left no trace.

He felt... calm.

"The sunlight is pleasant."

Suddenly, his eyes widened as he realized something.

"The survival classes!"

***

The wilderness survival classroom was very spacious and tastefully decorated. It was also very empty.

Grey looked at the two people in the classroom; one was behind a wooden desk, explaining some things about nightmare creatures. The man was of a certain age and had a friendly and energetic appearance.

His only student, as Grey had expected, was Sunny. He listened attentively to everything the professor explained, with enthusiasm.

Noticing his presence, Sunny looked at him as if to say, "It's about time." Meanwhile, the professor observed him with bright eyes full of renewed enthusiasm.

"Oh, what a miracle this is! Another student in the same year? Come in, come in, let's go," the professor shouted when he saw him standing at the door.

"I'm Awakened Julius, the survival class professor. How did a young man like you end up in this class? Even the professors have heard of your grand feat."

Grey was stunned by Professor Julius's attitude and the mention of those rumors.

'I need to find out what those rumors are about. It seems I've attracted a lot of attention.'

"I'm Grey, Professor Julius. Am I too early?" he asked, while his eyes scanned the classroom.

Julius snorted and looked at Grey with a raised eyebrow for an entire minute.

"Those brutes don't know the value of knowledge. It's just you and that boy, Sunny."

Grey moved a little to the side and made space for Sunny to see him; then he raised a hand and greeted Sunny.

...

The first hours of the wilderness survival class were very educational for Grey. Since he had no basic knowledge about the Dream Realm and had barely started a day earlier, they decided to start from scratch again.

Sunny was a bit upset, but he ended up agreeing after Julius convinced him for a while.

The first thing they taught Grey was about the waking world and its history, at least the most important parts. Then followed a torrent of information about the Dream Realm, its inhabited zones, and the human domains.

After that, an intensive course on monsters and nightmare creatures, their ranks, classes, how they differ, and how each influences a nightmare creature.

Grey absorbed all this information without much trouble.

Professor Julius was an energetic person and passionate about history, both of the waking world and the dream world. Therefore, he never stopped talking, explaining even the smallest detail about his class.

Sometimes, Sunny, who was supposed to be a day ahead of Grey, fell behind when Professor Julius taught him in a few hours everything Sunny had learned the day before.

Finally, when it was time for his combat class, Grey decided to stop and took the opportunity to let Sunny adjust to the pace and catch up while he attended the combat class.

A balance was formed: now, despite getting ahead of Sunny quickly in their classes, Sunny could catch up, as Grey would go to the combat class and Sunny stayed with Professor Julius.

---

Note: Today I'll explain how I'll try to upload the chapters.

From Monday to Friday, I'll try to bring 5 chapters of over 1000 words each. I'll use Saturdays and Sundays to rest or write some chapters in advance.

Also, if a chapter might be boring, I'll upload two on the same day, as I've done several times before.

PS: Don't forget to send power stones, and if you're feeling kind, leave a review.

Thank you for reading 😁