Dorm

8:30 AM; the principal looked at the students huddled near a couple of seats, seemingly in a discussion. He coughed once, his voice booming out, reverberating around the auditorium, and ringing in their ears.

As the students clutched their head due to the noise, the principal smiled, "It seems you lot are feeling better than I expected. Anyways, pick up your bags and follow me out."

With a wave of his hands a large door opened behind him, leading into a long, dark corridor. To the end was a lift, looking massive. As the students followed after the principal, the remaining 4 teachers trailed at the back, ensuring the students hadn't left anything behind.

The lift opened as everyone entered, the area spacious enough for them to mess around with one another. A couple of minutes later, the lift doors opened, presenting a dark pathway. Two soldiers immediately walked towards them, noticing their arrival.

The principal handed over a stack of documents, detailing their purpose. A soldier inspected them quickly, giving them the green signal in a matter of seconds.

"Don't move around; stick closer to me. This is a military region, refrain from stirring up trouble." The principal muttered, his voice reaching the ears of the 14 students, loud and clear to them.

No sooner had he said his piece did the pathway began vibrating, the tremors increasing in intensity after each passing second. A behemoth of steel, attached to large wheels that rolled on the rails appeared, its visual appearance overwhelming the students.

The train soon stopped, aligning an empty compartment towards them, its doors open. The soldier spoke, gazing at the principal, his expression stern, "This compartment will be for your exclusive use. But, ensure that the children don't peek and move about anywhere they are not supposed to."

"Got it," The principal replied, his expression hardening. He led the students into the compartment, making them sit comfortably. The four teachers each took up positions in the corners of the compartment, seeking to monitor the student's activities while at the same time safeguard them against harm.

Without any indication, the train began to move. Seeing the compartment move past him, the soldier scoffed, his expression filled with traces of anger, "This jerk; he thinks he can do anything just because he became a principal."

"Don't concern yourself with him. Judging by their strength and numbers, it seems the 4th academy has failed to produce any spectacular results. A month later, they will be demoted to the 5th academy or even further below." Another soldier commented, followed by jeering sounds.

Being in the presence of the principal, the students didn't talk, silently sitting on their seats. Though, some communicated through their eyes, silently laughing. It was as if they could completely understand the other person's remarks without uttering any words.

A girl looked at her friend, motioning towards Ashten Coorg through her eyes, her fingers trailing the shape of an underwear, followed by the wriggling of her hands. The two girls clutched their stomachs and laughed, their actions noticed by their friends, quickly catching on the subject at hand.

The train arrived at their destination as the principal, the 4 teachers and the 14 students alighted, looking at the brightly-lit corridor, the ends of which had a couple of lifts, looking massive. They boarded a lift and arrived at a wide, vacant hall, their lift situated in its middle.

Some distance to their front was a pair of double doors, opened wide to reveal a wide ground, layered with well-trimmed grass. The principal led them outside the building, making them walk on the grass field.

As the students gawked at their surroundings, their questions piling up, they entered an indigo coloured building, situated to the right of the ground. Situated on its ground floor was a reception counter.

A lady looked at her computed with focus, her concentration levels admirable. Though, judging by her demeanour, it was apparent that she wasn't focusing on her work. The principle stood before her and coughed a couple of times, finally gaining her attention.

The reception lady hurriedly cleared something in her monitor, her actions a fluster. She then regained her calm, looking at the principal.

"Students of the 4th Academy, October batch," The principal said, presenting her a name list, attached to a document. The document consisted of the details of each student, concise in nature. The reception lady inputted all the details to their server, returning the document once she was done.

"Your accommodation is on the floor above, rooms 107 to 119. For the student Jyorta Bone, the accommodation is in Psychic Block, Indigo building. I'll call an attendant to lead him." The reception lady pressed a couple of buttons on her screen and printed out two sheets of paper.

Two attendants arrived, each taking hold of a sheet. One attendant turned around, calling out, "Jyorta Bone?"

"Yes, sir," Jyorta stepped forward, raising his hand.

"Follow me," The attendant said and exited the indigo building. Jyorta waved at his friends and followed after him. They walked on the ground that had a soft texture due to the well-maintained grass, from one end to the other; Jyorta reached the other side, entering another indigo coloured building.

Jyorta felt a bit exhausted, having to climb three floors while carrying his luggage. Along the way, he couldn't spot any lifts. Arriving before a room, the attendant gave him a key, "This is your room, room 313."

Before he could say anything, the attendant disappeared. Feeling the metallic texture of the key, Jyorta hummed a song, opening the door and gazing at the room that would be his for the next one year.

"Yep, this is quite cramped. It seems I got too used to the size of our house," Jyorta made a self-deprecating comment and placed his luggage atop the berth. He closed the door and hung the key in a nearby socket.

The breadth of the room was a bit larger than the length of his bed, painting a narrow feel. The bed looked like the cheapest model from his memory, the berth feeling coarse and hard to the touch.

"Thankfully, I came prepared." Jyorta laughed, pulling out a soft bedsheet, looking thick while its texture smooth. He placed the bedsheet on one corner of the bed and began to unpack. He layered the floor of the cupboard with a sheet of paper he had brought from home and attached some hooks on the wall, intending to later hang his clothes on them.

"At least, it has been well cleaned," Jyorta muttered, placing his clothes into the cupboards spanning on the three walls. Except for the Tier 5 Artifact and the Tier 4 Relic, he emptied the rest from his bags and segregated them in the appropriate places.

He then stuffed the two bags within an empty section of the cupboard, placed directly overhead his bed. His bed was aligned with the narrow wall, attached to a window. The window was only two feet high, perfectly situated between the cupboard and the bed.

Jyorta looked through the window, gazing at the row of students moving about on the ground, performing the morning drill. "This is a lively atmosphere."

There was a knock on his door as the attendant entered, carrying a bag with him. "This has 3 sets of your uniform and 3 sets of tracksuits. When they get damaged during exercise, you can apply for a new one; of course, after submitting the old one. Also, you have to assemble in the auditorium by 11:30 AM, the auditorium in the head office building, the one you arrived at."

The moment he received the bag, the attendant disappeared, uncaring for his reply. Jyorta heard some noise from the corridor as students began to appear one by one, each carrying heavy luggage. They were from the same batch as him. Since it was a mixed dorm, he spotted the faces of many girls, which bordered the majority.

Statistically speaking, there was an Esper for every 8 Warriors. The majority of the Warriors were men while the majority of the Espers were women, split into a 60:40 ratio.

Jyorta opened the bag, looking at the given clothes. The uniform consisted of tight-fitting pants, made from an elastic material, grey in colour. The shirt was white, made from the same material as the pant; the collars grey, connecting to a line along the shoulder, forming another border on the full-length shirt. The area around the button was also grey, the buttons hidden beneath a strip of cloth, its material sturdier.

To the back of the shirt was the number 10, printed in a shade of grey, showcasing him as part of the October batch. Beneath the number were the words, 'Academy of Perseverance' printed in bright gold. There was also a belt attached to one of the pants, the number 10 inscribed on its buckle.

The tracksuit was fully white, looking plain except for the number 10 printed on the back, grey in colour. There were also two sets of shoes, one for the uniform and the other for the tracksuit. Jyorta emptied the bag, arranging them within the cupboard, finally noticing an envelope placed at the very bottom.

The envelope was made from paper; as Jyorta tore it open, an ID card slid out. His name, face, and other details were printed on it. It also had an electronic chip embedded to its right extremity, apparent from the first glance. It came with a cord attached so Jyorta could just hang it over his neck.

10:30 AM, changing into his new uniform, Jyorta noticed the time displayed in his watch. He then arranged the soft bedsheet over the berth, giving the hard berth some feeling of softness.

"I guess I'll roam around the campus for 30 minutes before reaching the auditorium. Will the books be given once the orientation concludes?" Jyorta closed the door, locking it, and pocketing his key.