Chapter 11: Velris city

Caleb walked out of his dorm room and into a huge corridor with a dozen similar doors. The corridor was big and lengthy, with directions to various sites of the building written on the walls.

Caleb, on the other hand, noticed that all of the kids were travelling in the same way and chose to follow the throng.

The Academy comprised a core learning facility as well as several dorms. Caleb and the students in the building were now residing in Dormitory B, one of nine dorms on campus.

There is a cafeteria and a mini-training field in each dormitory, but students must leave the building to access their House Assembly halls.

Following the crowd, he arrived in a chamber with four big doors constructed of Etherium rock, each with a white spiralling magical dust within. On top of the gate were several titles, such as the Academy house hall and town district, market district, and Academy training hall.

These were instantaneous travel gates that sent you to a certain destination. This made it easier for pupils to get to class on time. It also meant that students wouldn't have to walk for many minutes, if not hours, to get anywhere.

Caleb chose to follow everyone else through the main hall gate. He began to feel a sudden pressure of wind striking his face and a hurled sound in his ears as he reached the gate, and all the white around him began to brighten. A big flash hit his face a few seconds later, blinding him for a brief period.

"Ah, my eyes..." Caleb said blinking a few times to regain his eyesight.

When he regained them, he was shown a wide hall with large steps in front of him and routes on his left and right sides.

Caleb could see the different floors and students passing through the wide gap in the middle of the structure from where he was.

Students were strolling in all directions, and a silver hawk stretched its wings and looked up to the sky on the hall's walls. It was the emblem of the home.

He was able to find his way to the house Assembly hall thanks to the direction poll in the centre of the area. The setting of the class appeared to be just like a huge University lecture hall. The Academy wanted to keep its structure as close to a normal university as possible.

Caleb took a few minutes to find an empty seat because nearly all of the chairs were taken.

The class was boisterous, and it appeared that students who knew one another were sitting together, which made the class lively and rowdy while their house instructor was not present.

After he took his seat, a door from the teacher's workplace was opened, and a hot-looking lady with square-framed spectacles, short ginger hair, and dressed in the Magus formal suit stepped through it.

Her arrival caused the class to go quiet, and she stood in front of the entire class, menacingly glaring left and right at all the attendees.

"Welcome class, my name is Meriel Lead, house captain of Silver Hawkings. There are eight houses, as the deputy headteacher may have told you: Silver Hawkings, Green Bannister, White Oak, Red Burlow, Blue Raleigh, Yellow Hawkins, Purple Harlow, and Orange Badgers.

Houses are mostly used for Academy contests and more organised trips. The deputy's head informed you that at the end of this year, each house's top five ranking members will compete. If you look at your watches, you will notice a ranking option."

Every pupil performed as she instructed, checking their watches by selecting the rank option. Their rank was then highlighted in front of them. However, for everyone, the rank displayed was nil.

The pupils began to debate among themselves, believing that the system was flawed.

"Excuse me, ma'am, they aren't showing our rankings at all,"

"Don't be stupid," She replied, "how are we going to rank you when nearly none of you here have basic knowledge of energy pressure or Ether Control? These ranks are based on your progress and how strong you are compared to others. It would make no sense to rank you now.

In the Academy, your rank determines everything, your money balance, your reputation, and your lifestyle.

For this first month, you will each be attributed 50 000 points of currency. Currency points are used to purchase items outside of the Academy and each month, depending on your rank, you will be given an allowance. Remember, the lower you get, the less your allowance will be. Of course, you do have not to worry, because the school also sells free items, so there won't be a day you will not be able to eat as much as you desire. However, it's always better to purchase the better quality don't you think?

And this will also include your clothes, beds, closets and everything in your dorm room. But for that, you will need points and to get points, you must get stronger.

Moving on, the last point I will raise is training methods. Your instructors including me, will not be around you to teach you every step. We will show you how to do it, and you will have to figure out how to get better at it.

I believe that as grown adults, you will know how to do things without being pushed or watched every time.

The Academy will do its best to prepare you in the best way possible for the upcoming challenges you will face as a Magus... now, do any of you have questions?"

The class was silent, and everyone was staring at House captain Meriel. She took the quiet as an answer and lowered her head before proceeding to the exit door.

"You are all dismissed, we are to meet tomorrow early in the morning... lateness will mean, an expulsion"

She opened the door and shut it behind her as she walked away, leaving all 160 pupils alone.

Slowly and steadily, the students began to go through the various exits of the class, and the majority of the students chose to walk outside the Academy to learn more about Velris city.

When he returned to the hall, he saw a big wooden double-door entry leading to the school's outside.

"Let's see what the outside world looks like in this place..."

The entryway, like an automated sliding door, opened as soon as it identified a pupil within its range.

Caleb exclaimed in awe as the door swung wide to see the school's stunning infrastructure. When he walked outside, he descended stairs that led to a lovely garden maze that opened up to various paths to the school buildings, while straight ahead was an open gate that served as the school's exit gate.

A beautiful three-tiered Etherium fountain stood in the centre of the yard. He proceeded down the steps, pulling a penny from his pocket.

"I think this is how it works..." Caleb wondered holding the coin in his hand.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Someone whispered to him just as he was ready to toss the ring into the fountain, and he felt a moist liquid pour inside his ear, forcing him to leap a few steps to the side and clean his ear with his vest.

"You disgusting son of a bitch what the fuc-" He peered in front of him and saw a guy formed of water with crossed arms and an odd expression on his face.

The creature merely possessed a robust human upper body with a beard and long hair, but his bottom body was only a worm of water connected to the fountain.

"I was just helping you pal, throwing anything in this fountain would mean getting expelled from the school,"

Meanwhile, the creature of water recognised Caleb's surprised look and realised that he was a first-year student.

"Oh... all the first years have that expression when they see me for the first time, my name is Landris, Landris of the fountain, and I've been in this school longer than all of the teachers and even the deputy headteacher of the school. So... long story short, I was a human once, a Magus to be clearer, but I was severely damaged, and the one way to be saved, was to merge with the fountain, and this is how I ended up stuck in this fountain for nearly what is a millennium now,"

Landris smirked at Caleb's expression, "With that much experience, I have seen the worst and the most glorious times of the academy, and I've spoken to legends of the two kingdoms!"

Landris wore a confident expression and flexed his muscles in front of Caleb. On the other hand, a thousand years in a fountain looked like agony to Caleb, a jail from which he couldn't escape!

"A thousand years in this fountain!!" Caleb gasped, "You've lived for a thousand years on this earth in this fountain, I nearly feel bad for you, you're imprisoned in this artificial lake!"

Landris' expression changed once he heard Caleb, and looked at the first year angrily.

"You impudent little brat, it is not a prison if you chose to be here!" Landris shouted, "stop shouting nonsense and move on with your occupations you silly prick!"

"Woah... I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you," Caleb said realizing Landris was really hurt by what he said.

"Well good job, because you have!" Landris retorted, "now leave me and continue with your life, you ignorant boy!"

Landris' body instantly changed into water and splattered on the ground, a few drips coming into touch with Caleb's vestment.

"That was weird..." Caleb thought slowly walking away to the Academy's main entrance, "but his existence proves how extraordinary this school is, and I can't even imagine what the city looks like.

When he stepped out of the Academy, a whole new world opened up for him.

People soared across the skies, pupils dressed in their uniforms, and Magi suited with their usual working suits. He could see the city walls from afar, and the people gliding from above each sported a sort of fire wings on their backs.

The majority of the city was primarily commercial, with armour stores, weapon stores, restaurants, potion shops, clothing shops, supermarkets and even hotels. Everything indicated that Velris was not just for the pupils, but also for the Magi who had travelled far for a mission or for Magi that needed a place to renew their equipment.

Caleb couldn't help but beam as he saw the wonderful world in front of him. Tyggstral was an ancient city, yet seeing such a vibrant and sophisticated area delighted him as he contemplated the endless possibilities.

"Velris city... it's amazing,"