Chapter 20: Orientation

The next few days leading up to orientation were something out of a story book. Each day was filled with excitement as awe as Evan was able to explore the wonders of magic on a much larger scale.

He would go from person to person, asking them what magic they had and how it benefitted their occupation. It could've been seen as rude, but it was almost a tradition for new students to do such a thing as it gave them an idea on what they could do in the future depending on what magic they had.

Both Cole and Evan got closer to one another again, learning new secrets about each other. Evan came clean about being a fox beastmen, while Cole told Evan that he was an elf. They both laughed in relief and called each other stupid for not noticing, as they'd both shown hints unintentionally. It was nice to finally be himself, Evan thought. He'd been hiding for so long and combined with how long the old Evan hid for made him wonder how he could handle it.

The day of Orientation had arrived and Evan was admittedly nervous. He'd heard from many of the citizens of Soe that the freshmen should all be prepared for a hell of a ride, which did nothing to calm his nerves. He had packed all of his items and left his hotel room, with Cole waiting outside for him. The two boarded the academy buses along with the hundreds of other students. It was amazing to see all the different kinds of races, as the old Evan had only really met those from Basteti and Astoria..and that one guy in the forest who he pretended did not exist. Anyways, Evan's goal was to make some more friends as he honestly lacked them. He didn't need hundreds, just a few close ones.

He wasn't sure why, but something within him begged him to make friends. Was it because he was in danger and needed protection? He wasn't sure, but he kept that thought in the back of his mind.

Upon arriving at the academy, Evan looked up in awe at how large the school actually was. He truly felt as thought he was looking at one of the larger continent's castles. To the left were the dorms, where all incoming students would be directed towards after the orientation.

All the incoming students were directed towards the largest auditorium, as at least 500 students were to become a part of the academy. Evan was lucky enough to be seated next to Cole on his right, but on his left sat a very tall man. Evan was about to really take a look at the man, when Cole poked him.

"My favorite friend~ You know you can show your traits, right?" Cole questioned, pointing to where his ears and longer hair were. Evan was dumbfounded for a second, having completely forgotten that tidbit of information. With a sigh, Evan took of his beanie and out came his ears and tail. Evan felt a lot more relaxed at the notion that he wouldn't be bullied for his hair, as plenty of other races had a similar color. It was only the humans he was truly worried about, but they were less likely to gang up on him as he was a beastmen.

Another plus was that not a single person from his middle school, aside from Cole, was attending the academy so he did not have to worry in that regard for his family's safety. He truly hoped they were still safe as, despite his mother's reassurances from the night before, the riots within Astoria were slowly reaching all of its countries.

Lost in his thoughts, Evan almost didn't hear the arrival of the school's principal, who at first glance looked like a colorful mess. He had wild blue-green hair that reached his neck and a red beard. He wasn't sure how that worked but wouldn't question it. The man wore a pink suit with yellow fruits as a print and stood at an astonishing height of 6'7".

"HELLO MY NEW CHILDREN!! I'M YOUR LOVELY PRINCIPAL YOSHAN MIES BUT YOU CAN CALL ME YOUR FRIEND." Principal Mies was obnoxiously loud and seemingly winked at the end of his statement. The entire auditorium was quiet, one could almost hear the crickets chirping. The principal seemingly deflated on stage but continued on.

"Ha..WELL ANYWAYS MY CHILDREN. I AM SO PROUD TO WELCOME YOU TO OUR AMAZING ACADEMY. HERE, WE WILL WORK WITH YOU LOVELY YOUNGINS TO UNLOCK YOUR MAGICAL NODES AND BECOME SUCCESSFUL ADULTS. IN THIS INSTITUTION, YOUR STATUS MEANS NOTHING. EVERYONE IS EQUAL AND WILL BE TREATED AS SUCH. We also have a strong bullying policy so please refrain from discriminating and hurting others...." He trailed off in a much quieter voice that still managed to carry throughout the room. Evan was flabbergasted by the guy's personality. It was loud, rambunctious, and he seemingly saw all students as his own. Despite the annoyance Evan felt as the loudness grated on his ears, he still felt somewhat intrigued by the man. A principal of a magical academy must be extremely strong and Evan knew he'd never want to upset the man. He couldn't even imagine him best upset.

Cole nudged him from the side, "Isn't he great?~ Principal Mies is legendary across all continents as despite his looks, his is over 400 years old. He has led many people to greatness. If you're powerful enough, you can become one of his private students." Cole whispered, excitement visible in his eyes. Evan was amazed by that fact, a man was over 400 years old and still thriving?? He wasn't positive about what race the guy was as he clearly wasn't human and yet, he looked just like the humans. Maybe he'd find out some day.

"Now! I'd say more but I feel as though you're all anxious to move into your dorms. Different groups will be called out and made to follow our lovely prefects." The principal pointed towards a group of students whose uniforms seemed different than the norm. They each wore a small cape of sorts with a different symbol, which Evan guessed was either showing their magic type or something else.

"Tomorrow! You will all be brought onto a tour of our institution and will be able to choose the classes you'd like. Some are mandatory but the electives we offer will be chosen by yourself. Our classes begin next week and throughout this week, your upperclassmen will offer their help with any questions you may have! THANK YOU FOR LISTENING AND WE WILL MEET AGAIN EITHER THROUGHOUT THE HALLWAYS OR THROUGH ANOTHER LOVELY MEETING HERE IN OUR GRAND AUDITORIUM." The man bellowed, as he exited the stage. Cheers and applause could be heard throughout the auditorium and it was exceedingly loud, so Evan covered his fox ears.

It didn't take long for everyone to calm down as the prefects began to walk onstage. One by one, they called out the groups they would be taking towards specific dorms. Evan and Cole actually had different pieces of paper, which they received upon entry to the auditorium.

Evan's paper showed a symbol of a rose of sorts, while Cole had a symbol of star. Before the two parted, Cole gave Evan a quick hug. "We can meet later today, once we're both settled in! You have my number dear~." With that, he was gone. Cole had swiftly went towards his group and Evan did the same.

He hadn't spoken to anyone as his group was lead towards the Moosha dorms. That was apparently what the flower was called. Evan was simply too nervous and exhausted already to attempt to speak to anyone. When the group arrived at the dorms, Evan wasn't really surprised by what he saw. They looked like standard buildings, with the exception of the pink walls and surrounding flowers in abundance.

The interior however was far more interesting. Flowers covered the walls as far as the eye could see and the entire common area felt extremely homey. It made Evan feel less homesick per say. The prefect they had was known as Kim Mas and she quickly gave everyone their room numbers and keys.

She informed the group that later tonight, they'd meet up and go over all the rules but for now, they could start unpacking. Evan was gone as soon as she said those words, wanting to unpack and finally relax for the day. His room was 320, on the third floor. It was a standard dorm and was a bit smaller than his own room. There was 1 bed, 1 desk, and a closet. There was also a fridge/microwave combo and some extra drawers. The bed was pushed up against the leftmost wall, with the desk at the end of the bed. The closet was on the right side, next to both the fridge/microwave combo and the drawers.

Usually, freshmen would dorm with roommates at other academies, but MAH was different. One was allowed to dorm with another after the first semester, after they found friends and the like. Evan preferred to be alone personally, as he enjoyed having his own safe space.

He began unpacking his belongings and placing them where they belonged. The room, despite him having finished unpacking, still felt somewhat bare so he promised himself to go shopping with whatever funds he had leftover. It was possible to get a job on campus, so he planned to do so.

Evan flopped onto the bed and planned to take a nap as he still had plenty of time before he was called down by the prefect for a meeting. He also would call his parents before that time as well.

Evan's eyes closed slowly, his alarm set to wake him up in an hour, and drifted off to a peaceful land.