Chapter 18

Alaric was ready to start his tour of the academy. He had exited the dormitory building and was on the path towards the main building, he found that it was the best area to start with. He fished out his map from his pocket and pulled out his schedule, he figured he should look for the rooms his classes were.

Once he entered the building, he decided to find the gym which is where his physical training class was located. His eyes roamed the nearby classrooms, which he assumes is where basic classes were. Things like the history of the subspace, and the appearance of Aliens, though some of that might not be accurate since most stuff about it is still unknown even to them. But, those are classes you have to apply to before classes start.

Alaric didn't find himself wanting to join those classes, he didn't think it was necessary to have. It would just be a waste of time. He picked up his pace to reach the gym faster, taking quick glances at his map.

After a while, he reached the gym, but as he got closer, he noticed that the entrance was blocked by a large group of students. His eyes gained a hint of curiosity but he was hesitant. He didn't need to go inside, he just needed to know and make a mental note of where it was located.

But, he couldn't deny that his curiosity was getting the better of him. He found himself inching closer and closer to it. He got closer, and what sounded like fighting entered his ears. He frowned and began to push past the crowd to get to the front.

He reached the front and his eyes widened, as the wind was strong, maybe due to a wind system. In the large gym, equipment and weights flew around crashing into the walls but also flying towards someone, There were two people, a boy and a girl. The boy was definitely the one who possessed the wind abilities. He threw his arms out as the various different weights flew towards the girl. But she was able to dodge them with ease. She drew a sword on her back and rushed forward, but something else happened. Her veins glowed beneath her skin, and her movement was faster. With an effortless swipe of her katana, a gust of wind way more powerful than he could muster shook the area, causing some people to be blown back from the force. The boy fell onto his butt. He grunted as the girl walked forward and crouched down.

She was now in his face, her red eyes glowed as she stared at him. "Try me again, and I won't be so forgiving..." She whispered as she stood. The boy didn't move, with a look of horror on his face at her display of power. She put her blade away and walked away from him towards the crowd. Her silver bangs covered her eyes as she pushed past Alaric, and past the crowd.

Alaric turned as he watched her pass. 'What was that about?' He wondered, as he turned and exited the gym. It was much easier thanks to the crowd now dispersing. He looked around, but she was nowhere to be found. 'They must've had an argument or something.' He thought. But, it was none of his business, though he wondered if he should've stepped in. Nothing too serious happened, but he wondered how strict the rules for fighting on campus were.

He shrugged, maybe he could find out later. He was ready to continue his tour.

Alaric finished exploring the main building and was ready to look at some other places. There were a few things he wanted to look at. His eyes scrolled up, and landed on the three floating platforms near the dormitory building. Those intrigued him, he wondered how they were able to do that. He was on his way towards the building.

From what he could see, there was something like an elevator system that connected to one of the platforms, and that central platform connected to the other two by bridges.

As he approached the building, he realized something. His eyes landed on sky as it flew next to him. "Sky." He said as the cloud stopped and bounced. "I think flying up there is better." He said, sitting on top of the golden cloud. Sky beamed and flew up towards the central platform. Alaric smiled as the wind blew through his hair and along his face. Once they reached the central platform, he jumped off and landed on the soft grass. From the look of the platform, it was a garden area.

There were flowers and plants lined up in three rows. Nearby was a large green house and next to it was a pair of benches for students to sit. The smell engulfed his nose and the scent was sweet yet grassy. He felt his shoulders relax as he looked around. He wanted to just sit down and enjoy the view, but he still had the other platforms to explore. He turned to his left and began to walk along the translucent bridge that connected the two platforms.

He arrived at the other platform and at the center was a large building. In the front was a large book stamped there in the middle. Alaric didn't even have to check out the building to know this was the library. As his eyes traced the exterior, he was a little curious to check out the inside, but maybe later. He turned and after a bit of walking, ended up at the bridge that led to the last platform. He walked along it and ended up at the third and final platform. At the center was a building. But, unlike the Library, he couldn't tell what this was based on the outside.

So, he walked up and swung the door open. As he stepped inside, surprisingly, no one was inside. But, he didn't need anyone as he saw something that made this entire place clear.

There was a small sign that read, "Sorry, no dungeon available right now. Come back Soon." So, this is where you can come and set up dungeons and raids. This is valuable information. Alaric soon exited the area and was ready to head out of there. He got all he needed to know. He hopped on Sky and the two headed back down.

Once back on the ground, he hopped off Sky and resumed his tour. There weren't many places he really wanted to check out, but there was still one more. As he walked, he took one more glance at his map before soon arriving at a large futuristic building. It had people coming in and out. This, was the area where students had access to advanced training methods. He walked inside and there were loads of things inside.

From combat dummies, to a different variety of equipment, and even a gravity room. There was also a personalized training room, where from what Alaric researched, you could customize the difficulty of challenges. That is where he would spend most of his time. He honestly could feel the excitement bubbling inside him. But, he needed access. Which required a personal keycard. That's why a lot of students are here. You can't train on your own until classes start so people are currently getting their cards. Surprisingly, there currently wasn't a line, as most of the students present were chatting and looking at the various training options.

He walked up and gave his name. The person at the desk quickly looked through the cards and gave him his own card. Alaric smiled and gave a bow, heading out the door. A smile spread on his lips. He was almost there, just a little longer... He pocketed the card and was ready to head back to his dorm to finally relax.

But, something caught his eye. Behind the building, was a girl. She had her knees to her chest as she sulked. She had long silver hair and piercing red eyes that seemed to glow from the shadows above her head. Alaric recognized her as the girl from the gym. As he looked at her, he thought this was his moment to ask her some questions about that fight from before.

Any other time, Alaric would've just walked past her. That's something he would definitely do in his previous life. But, this was different. So, he approached her.

With each step, his stomach began to spawn butterflies that flew around. He reached her and waved, "Hey..." He whispered, as she turned her attention towards him. Alaric rubbed his hair, "U-Um, I remember seeing you from the gym earlier and I was wondering what was going on between you and that guy." He asked as she turned her head to the opposite side.

Alaric continued to feel nervous, shifting back and forth on his heels. "It was just some bully that I knew..." she whispered, her voice calm and soothing. Alaric blinked and got closer, wanting to see if she would continue with her story. "I went to school with him and...he used to pick on me because of my powers..."

Alaric raised an eyebrow, he wondered to what extent. Was she weak? That couldn't be it, not with the amount of power she displayed earlier. He decided not to ask and simply let her keep talking.

"I've been able to just ignore it for a while, but...today I just, couldn't deal with it anymore..." Alaric nodded, showing he was still listening. She looked at him, her eyes showing a bit of vulnerability. "I got mad, and we fought..." She said, hugging her knees tighter and closer to her chest. "I'm ashamed... I wish I didn't do that...It's just I don't know what changed and why I got so angry." She revealed as Alaric gave a thoughtful expression.

"Sorry," she shook her head, "I might've said too much..." Alaric shook his head, "No it's fine. I am just a stranger so, I don't expect you to tell me everything." He said, giving her a small smile. She stared at him and slightly showed a bit more of her face. She looked away, "Thank you..."

Alaric nodded and held out his hand. "So, let's not stay strangers, my name is Alaric." Alaric cringed to himself. He sounded so lame. What was he thinking?! She grabbed his hand, "Odessa." The two shook hands, and Alaric began to repeat her name in his mind.

"Nice to meet you Odessa. Before I go, let's share occupations. I'm..." Alaric was confident up until that point. Even now, he still finds his occupation a bit embarrassing. "I'm...the monkey king.: He said, and he was half expecting her to laugh at him. She looked a little confused.

"Monkey King?" After a bit of silence, she covered her mouth, holding back a laugh. Alaric looked down, and then she let out a laugh. "I-I'm sorry I'm sorry, but that's just funny to me." She said, wiping a stray tear from the corner of her eye. She let out a sigh, "My occupation is the Blood Queen." Alaric snapped out of his depression and looked at her.

"Blood Queen?" She nodded. "Yeah, I can use blood. Which makes me a little curious about how your Monkey King occupation relates to your powers."

Alaric felt nervous again. "Sorry, but I honestly can't explain that. It's really hard to explain. You'd just have to see me in action." She nodded understanding. "I understand." The two stood as Alaric waved, "Again, it was a pleasure meeting you Odessa. I hope to see you around." He said as he began walking away.

"You too Alaric. Thanks for the talk."

Alaric began his journey back to the dormitory building and was ready to call it a day. He was glad to have met someone new, especially someone as cool as Odessa. He smiled and sprinted forward, this new life just keeps getting better and better.