2 Over a Millenium

Year: 1982

Planet: Terra (Old Gaia)

Place: Flora City

The echoing sound of his boots reflected his panic as he hurried through the deserted hallways. Late for class, yet again. He couldn't blame anyone but his childish parents. Anger and frustration intertwined as he cursed under his breath. With a sinking feeling, he entered the classroom only to find it empty. "This is just great," he muttered, looking around in bewilderment. The question of where his classmates and teacher were remained unanswered, adding to his mounting anticipation.

His voice echoed, "Where in the Terra are they!?" He took steps in the other direction, hoping to find his best friend. After searching for 20 minutes, he saw one of his classmates walking to the ground. Without hesitation, he ran towards him.

"Jack! I went to the class and so none. Where is everyone?" As the one who arrived late asked about the whereabouts of their class, Jack informed him, "Oh, morning buddy, and everyone is on the ground."

"Huh? Why? Is there anything happening?" The bewildered latecomer questioned why everyone was there, to which Jack simply motioned him to follow.

As they made their way to the bleachers, the two boys realized that the whole college was in attendance for the announcement of the upcoming competition. They quickly found some free seats and settled in. Soon after, the principal arrived on the stage and began speaking. His words were full of excitement and anticipation to reveal the details of the competition. The boys were eager to hear, already planning their strategies in their minds. This was their chance to prove themselves as the best and they weren't going to miss it.

As the principal began to speak, a hush fell over the crowd. "I want to tell you all about the man who started this university," he said. The audience listened eagerly, wanting to hear more about the person responsible for so much good in their community. "He was a visionary," the principal continued. "He believed in the power of education to change lives." Everyone listened intently, keen to learn more about the man who had changed their world.

"Long ago, before this college was started, there was a successful businessman named Mr.Evan Smith. He was a kind and wise man who had a loving family and all the qualities of a good human being. He saw many poor people struggling and decided to help. Using his resources, he built schools, and hospitals, and provided food and shelter. His generosity has shown how much a person can be more humane, and this can be passed through the generations, inspiring people to continue his legacy of giving. Even today, we remember and honor Mr. Smith for his acts of kindness and compassion towards others..."

There was utter silence among all as they listened to the principal keenly. They wanted to know about this man who started the university and did so many good things... He continued...

"But you know there will be rivals in every hero's life. Just like that, there were many disfavors from the other institutions that were popular at that time for being prestigious and only offering opportunities to the wealthy. So, the other colleges countered him, saying that the poor don't need education since they don't deserve to be near the rich. This made Mr.Smith furious, and he decided to start a college by hook or by crook."

Many different sounds were heard from the crowd in response to this. Heroes are known for always helping others and bringing peace, but unfortunately, some villains try to destroy it.

"He sought the help of his best friend, Mr.Jack Wilson, who was a businessman just like Mr.Smith, and together they started this college late in the 1950s. After three years of hard work, they were unstoppable, founding many other institutions and charitable trusts to help the poor. However, chaos arose when the other colleges failed to attract enough students, while Mr.Smith's college was almost full."

"That's when their enemies planned to kill them and stop their growth, but you might think that, like every other story, the hero would have survived. However, it was not like any other story. At that time, both of them were married and had children, and their enemies were ruthless enough to target their families to bring them down. Fate cannot be stopped, even if we try to change it, so it happened..."

Everyone was holding their breath as they heard the story of the college... This was like a story they could see in a movie or a novel... but it was not... Then the principal resumes.

"One day in 1965, both families, along with their children, decided to go for a picnic. It was all fun and they were happy, but the happiness didn't last as they were involved in an accident. Mr.Wilson lost his life while saving his 5-month pregnant wife, Mrs.Smith died due to the sudden impact on her head and Mr.Smith was paralyzed from the waist down, losing his ability to walk."

All were stunned and unable to utter a word, as they swallowed their tears of anger and sorrow upon hearing him speak. "Mr.Smith's two sons, one was 2 years and the other was only 4 months at the time, and Mr.Wilson's daughter, who was 10 months, were saved. However, it left a deep scar in their minds to witness and be involved in such a tragic accident. Mrs.Wilson was also traumatized by the news of her husband's death. But the family didn't sit back and watch their dreams crumble. What I'm about to say may be new information for you..."

"They involved a secret weapon: their other best friend Mr.Jacob Wilson, who was Mr.Wilson's brother. He took on all the responsibilities of his brother's family and also Mr.Smith's family, then continued the college's development secretly. Nobody could even trace who was involved."

This made everyone more attentive since they hadn't heard this part, wherein a secret person was involved who had not shown himself to the entire world until now. The principal looked at everyone and continued, "Mr.Jacob Wilson was the true legend behind the growth of Smith's College here in Flora City. He hasn't taken any credit for what he did, but he stood as the pillar for both families, and slowly everything was on track. But Mrs.Wilson died immediately after giving birth to her second daughter, as she was already weak due to the accident. This drew the families closer, and they shared all their sadness, vowing to protect all the members with their lives."

Everyone looked down, sniffling with sadness. Suddenly, he spoke up, "All of the tragedies their family faced bore fruit in the form of Smith's recovery. The doctors had concluded that he would never walk again, but no one knew how he recovered from his paralyzed legs. However, it was all worth it when he took revenge for his dear friend and his wife. From that day on, Mr.Smith and Mr.Jacob worked hard and started more and more colleges all over the world, proving wrong those who tried to bring them down and bringing justice to his friend's family. They knew how precious their family was, so they didn't hide anything from each other and shared every single detail with their kids."

"In 1970, the government introduced a ranking system for colleges that involved the participation of both the college and its students. Wilson Smith's Academy was determined to keep its rank at the top, with student involvement. To ensure fair decision-making, the academy introduced an annual competition called The Best Lyceum. We won this competition for many years."

"Their family always was mysterious after they went overseas; they didn't disclose their partners or any other information. It has been years since the incident, yet Mr. Kim's eldest son and Mr. Lee's eldest daughter remain unknown to the world. They knew how cunning others could be, so they played their part well and only befriended those who deserved their friendship. They moved to another country to experience a different atmosphere and entrusted the college to one of their friends, without knowing it would be their first mistake. As they say, 'It was all good while it lasted.' For the first year after they moved out, everything was going well, but..."

The principal took a deep breath and continued speaking, "However, the following year, one of the colleges sent some students to cheat in the competition by drugging some of our best students and spreading false rumors with the involvement of the management. That was the first downfall of our college in 1977. The college that had won for seven consecutive years failed for the first time, and this continued for three years, leading to gain a ban on our college from participating in these competitions and earning negative points, despite the change in management."

"Later, the college was handed over to the government for good management. After a long time, this is an opportunity for us to showcase our potential to the world. We should be proud to be students of this college, which was built by a family with their blood, sweat, and tears. That is why, despite being under the government, many young students work hard to secure a place here. We must not let down our college, for the sake of that family and the other students here. We must find a way to win this competition, even if it means putting aside our rivalries."