Opening Ceremony

The main characters are always late, aren't they? They always show up after others in an air of either superiority, or sheer stupidity in the case of those airhead protagonists.

But Aena was not a main character. So like any diligent student, she woke up early to her previously set alarm, plus or minus ten minutes… Proceeded to take a shower, and performed other tasks to get ready for the important task. She lastly put on her academy uniform and headed out of the dorm.

She had one goal in mind: 'I can't mess this up.'

Aena clenched her fist as she vowed to execute her role as an extra perfectly. She wasn't going to offend anyone. She wasn't going to annoy someone. She wasn't going to stand out. And she certainly wasn't going to punch someone like before.

Leaving thoughts of the past behind, Aena quietly exited the Rosengard Dorms. She didn't see anyone in the lounge area, nor anyone on the path toward the main campus; she didn't worry too much about it, too excited for the upcoming ceremony.

'Maybe they left before me," she thought while musing multiple possibilities.

Normally people dreaded attending so-called ceremonies with those I-don't-want-to-be-here-but-I-have-to attitudes. They took up a lot of time which many people hated and didn't give a single damn about. It was understandable since they took it for granted as many students were accepted due to their background—only the rich could afford the astonishingly high tuition after all.

Aena was different though. She had gotten here from her own efforts after all, so it made sense for her to look forward to it.

Aena walked nonchalantly towards the academy square, where the opening ceremony was to be held. The arrival of Fall was just around the corner, and Aena couldn't help but admire the astonishing beauty of the campus.

Wide roads and walkways were shaded by large oak trees on both sides which bowed down towards each other as if honoring those walking its path. The buildings were built in an elegant style that was the progeny of medieval and European architecture, highlighted with wide arcs and straight lines that added a sleek modern look. Under the viridescent rays of sunlight hitting the pavement, other students were similarly heading towards the square, chatting in their own cliques.

"Ahem."

That reminded her; she had no friends.

Well, that didn't matter. Who needed friends anyway?

Arriving at the plaza, Aena could not help but be spellstruck. Her jaw was probably hitting the ground, and she probably looked like a bona fide country bumpkin, but the sight was truly one to be beheld.

It wouldn't be wrong to say it looked more like a stadium. The spacious square was enclosed by four buildings on all sides, except these were more magnificent than the previous ones she had witnessed.

The buildings… looked almost sexy. A generous number of wide arches could be seen supporting many impressive edifices characterized by buttresses and gables. The stone outside was laced with myriad intricate patterns.

In the center was a platform that was surrounded on three sides with rows among rows of seats. Even though there were still fifteen minutes until the initiation of the ceremony, there were already thousands of students seated.

Normally there would be a field situated in the square instead of the temporary auditorium, but with advancements in technology, it wasn't exceptionally difficult to engineer a whole stadium to rise from the ground. Outside of important occasions, there was supposed to be a well-manicured lawn in place of the structure.

Aena jostled her way through the throng of other first-years and found a seat in the back row. Seeing how there was still time left, she closed her eyes and dozed off for a bit.

There was nothing to do anyway, and it wasn't like she was there to make friends. When she heard the chatter around her begin to die down, she looked towards the stage to see an imposing middle-aged man standing there.

With the wave of a hand, his presence alone commanded everyone to listen. He was dressed in a three-piece suit that matched their academy uniforms.

"Welcome to Astral Academy!" He boomed.

"I am headmaster Reigas, a seven-star mage." He waited for the thunderous clapping to die down before speaking again.

"Some of you are here due to your family. Some of you are here due to your talent. Some of you are here due to your hard work." He paused.

"But only some of you are here will rise to the top," he continued.

"You will face hardships, you will meet adversaries, you will know defeat." His voice was one of remorse and heated passion.

"But here at Astral Academy, you will also grow; grow as a person; grow as a friend; and grow as a hero. One that will carry mankind forward." He paused again for dramatic effect. Everyone including Aena was at the edge of their seats.

"Once again, I welcome you first-years to Astral Academy. Break your limits," he spoke as he smiled.

Aena felt a rush of exhilaration that made her dizzy. 'What a speech.' It was a short speech, which almost made it seem like he was a lazy guy who bullshitted his way through. But no, the aura of confidence and arousing words were definitely the real deal.

She could hear students around her yelling various phrases.

"Yeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!"

"Master Reigas you're forever my role model!"

"Kyaa! He's so handsome," a few girls fangirled.

"Marry me Daddy~" some guy yelled.

"..."

Aena couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that last one. 'I guess It's true.' Aena nodded. 'There sure are many unique and diverse personalities at the academy.'

'At any rate, this Reigas guy sure is popular," she thought. Of course, it was a given since he was the school headmaster, but the excessive fanfare was a bit obscenely exuberant. Aena wasn't well versed in the accomplishments of the wealthy households, so it was only expected that she couldn't fathom how a single man could garner such excitement.

The shouting eventually died down, although it did take quite a while, especially since there were a few "persistent" students.

"Now we will hear from our first-year representatives," the announcer spoke.

The position and honor of the first-year representatives were bequeathed to the higher combined scorers of the year; the youths who excelled in both the theoretical and physical fields.

Aena wondered who the top scorers of the generation were.