Chapter 2-2: Hevron Academy

Nearly an hour later, he was finally done. Ren could barely stand straight. He was exhausted.

With Battlemage Fiora's guidance, he had gauged all students. Now, the instructors were assigning each of them to their respective classes.

"You just rest Ren." Battlemage Fiora helped him sit down, then joined the other instructors. He could hear them explain the assignments.

There were three classes. Class I was combat oriented. Those who wished to leave the barrier and fight would join that class. Those who weren't strong enough but still wished to fight would be assigned to Class II.

Class II was for those who didn't want to leave the barrier, but still help protect Arkon. Most graduates of this class ended up in the military as well.

Class III was for those who simply wanted to study, be it the magical arts or natural sciences. It was for those who had no interest in fighting. Some of Arkon's most renowned researchers and magic theorists had graduated from that class.

"There doesn't seem to be a clear distinction between classes I and II, ma'am." Serana's sharp tone once again gathered all attention on herself. "So please tell me, why do you think I should be in class II?"

"Your mana is very little, Serana." Warthorn bluntly said. "You won't be able to cast any advanced spells that require more than a small amount of mana."

"Your ability to sense mana is also really low." Battlemage Fiora said in a slightly kinder tone. "And I doubt you know how to wield that spear properly."

"That's not-" Serana's voice trembled. Battlemage Fiora took that chance to interrupt her.

"You can switch classes at any time. You can work on your shortcomings and once you reach an acceptable level of strength, you can transfer to Class I." Her kind voice was gone.

"But why is it he who decides this?" Serana shouted. She was visibly shaking with anger. "He's not trained in any way! He's just a student like the rest of us. Why does he get to decide our futures?" She glared at Ren.

"Cadet Tesfel, please." Instructor Leonora tried to calm her down, only to be ignored.

"What makes you think he measured our power and mana correctly? He is lying for all I care!" She tightly grasped her spear. "He is assigned to Class I, isn't he?"

"That has nothing to do with this, Cadet Tesfel!" Battlemage Fiora's cold voice sent shivers down Ren's spine. "Know your place."

"With all due respect ma'am, I will not accept this!" Serana suddenly stepped forward and pointed the tip of her spear towards Ren. "I am not weaker than a no-name like him!"

Ren flinched. "What?" He felt his chest tighten.

"Serana!" Lena cried out. She was mortified.

"That's enough!" Warthorn suddenly stepped forward as if he were trying to protect Ren.

"It's fine, sir." Ren slowly stood up. Her words hurt. He felt a pain, like something stabbing his chest. "However, I do not believe the Tesfel name bestows you with any relevant power." He glared at her. "Nor does it entitle you to speak to the Battlemages and Instructors in that manner."

"Shut up!" Serana shouted. "I will show you exactly how powerful I am!" She hit the ground with the shaft of her spear. "I demand a duel!"

"Let's not make rash decisions…" Instructor Leonora desperately tried to calm her down but was once again ignored. Lena, along with a few of the other students tried to stop Serana as well, but this time it was Instructor Eron who stopped them. He had that same wicked smile on his face. He wanted this duel to happen.

Ren clenched his fist. He was tired from forcing his senses beyond their limit. It wouldn't be the ideal circumstances for a duel. He couldn't guarantee a win, but he couldn't just ignore her either. Her actions were disrespectful, both to him and to the Instructors. Warthorn was right about her.

And he couldn't always hide behind Yu or some other powerful person. Some things, he had to do himself.

"Fine." Ren stepped forward and rested his hand on the hilt of his tachi. "Do we have your approval, Instructors?"

"Interesting!" Warthorn laughed. "You have mine!" He had a huge grin on his face. He seemed to be truly enjoying this.

"Fine." Battlemage Fiora sighed. "No lethal attacks though."

"It is fine by me." The Professor seemed slightly interested. Instructor Eron just nodded.

Ren nodded and walked to the centre of the courtyard. "In that case, let us begin." He forced himself to calm down. As his breathing slowed and his body relaxed, Serana took her position as well. Her grasp on the shaft of her spear wasn't firm. She was grasping it too tightly. Her hands were already sweaty.

"Begin!" Warthorn shouted.

Serana rushed forward as her mana gathered around the tip of her spear. It wasn't much, but her control wasn't too bad. Ren lightly grasped the hilt of his tachi as he calmly analysed his opponent. Serana's steps weren't firm, her balance was slightly off. There were more than enough imperfections on these weathered stones for Ren to use. He could easily force her to step on uneven ground and loose her footing.

No, he thought as he breathed out. He had to beat her with his swordsmanship alone, without exploiting their environment. That was the only way she'd accept defeat. Having decided on how to defeat her, Ren dashed forward. He lowered his upper body as much as he could and used the shorter blade of his ritual anchor to deflect Serana's first thrust.

Her mana quickly took form, setting the pointy end of her spear aflame. Ren let the smaller blade fall to the ground as he quickly unsheathed his tachi and deflected her next attack. The longer blade meant he was safer from the flames. Serana continued her assault with quick but sloppy strikes.

Ren patiently waited as he deflected her flurry of blows. A single mistake, a single misstep was all he needed, and he didn't have to wait long. Serana wildly swung her spear in an attempt to sweep him off his feet. Ren jumped over her wide attack and landed right next to her. Her guard was wide open, and he was too close for her to use her spear effectively. Without missing a beat, he put his blade against her throat. "It's my win."

He glanced at Battlemage Warthorn. Once he nodded, Ren backed away and slightly bowed to Serana, then to the instructors. As he sheathed his tachi, he could feel the hate filled gaze of Serana. He picked up his ritual anchor and sheathed that as well, while trying his best to ignore her.

"I believe you have your answer, Cadet Tesfel." To everyone's surprise, the Professor seemed to be at least a little interested. "He won. It was a fair fight. Now, please take your place among the class II students."

Serana seemed as if she wanted to protest, but then changed her mind and simply nodded. She was clearly angry, yet she forced herself to stay quiet. Even her family name wouldn't be enough to save her if she angered both battlemages.

"Alright," Battlemage Fiora used her mana to amplify her voice. "Divide into three groups according to your classes. Class II will follow me; Class III will follow Instructor Leonora." With that, she nodded towards the other instructors, then left the courtyard.

"One thing," Warthorn said with a grin. "I wouldn't make Fiora wait. You don't want to anger her."

With those words, most of the students quickly ran after her. They were clearly intimidated. As Ren watched them leave, his gaze met with Serana's. She sneered at him before she followed the rest of Class II.

"Alright, come with me, Class III." Instructor Leonora also left the courtyard. Unlike Battlemage Fiora, she was smiling at her students. Probably feeling a lot safer, the smaller group followed her. Soon after, it was the other instructors who left. The professor seemed especially glad to finally be done with this.

Once all of them had left, Ren looked at the remaining people. Other than Warthorn, only seven students remained, and Lena was one of them. When their gazes met, she went pale and averted her eyes.

"Well then, looks like this is Class I." Warthorn declared. "Not bad." A genuine smiled formed on his face. "I'll be your instructor for these next few years. Now, I'm not one for speeches, so I'll get to the point." He pointed at the barrier. "I will teach you how to survive beyond that. So… Be ready, I guess." He scratched his chin. "Alright, let's go to class."

Their walk back to the classroom was mostly filled with silence. Ren was too tired to try and start a conversation and the others seemed to avoid him. He was fine with it as his headache had returned, making it difficult to focus. Unfortunately, Battlemage Fiora's healing magic had dissipated by now.

The classroom was right next to the lecture hall the vice principal had taken them to. It was rather small, but considering the number of students, it was large enough. They could see the barrier and the old courtyard from the windows.

"Now then," Warthorn seemed unsure of how to proceed. "The entrance ceremony is in about an hour. So, get to know each other until then. I have a few things to take care of, I'll come back right before the ceremony." With those words, he quickly left.

Ren sank into one of the chairs. He was exhausted. Usually, sensing mana wasn't difficult. Unlike other people, his sensitivity to mana meant that he didn't need to use any mana or even actively exert any effort. But that also meant that he couldn't stop himself from sensing it. And being here was like being in a very loud room. No one masked their mana, so Ren could sense all of them. His senses were being overloaded.

"Are you not feeling well?" A young, tall man approached him. He had short, wavy black hair that seemed to have a hint of blue. He was wearing the same uniform as everyone else, except for the silver leaf embroidery on his shoulders. "You seem rather pale."

"I'm just a bit tired." Ren forced a weak smile. He knew the young man was the strongest in their class. He had a lot of mana and his control over it was remarkable. Even Battlemage Fiora was impressed when she sensed his mana.

"It's not surprising." He sighed. "Allow me to apologize for Serana Tesfel's words and actions. As a fellow noble, I felt quite ashamed." He avoided Ren's surprised gaze and instead lightly bowed. "I'm Aiden Condor, the eldest son of the Condor family. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Ren. It's an honour," Ren attempted to get up and bow, but Aiden grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.

"Please, don't. We're all equals here." He seemed hesitant. "Besides, if anything, I should be the one bowing to you."

Confused, Ren shook his head. "No and why would you even say that? You're the eldest son of one of the great families. I'm a nobody, I have no name." Aiden smiled at his response.

"You are somewhat familiar with Battlemage Warthorn. Not to mention the fact you're skilled enough to assist the instructors. I believe that you hold much more influence than me or Serana in this academy."

"No," Ren shook his head. "I hold no influence." He dropped his fake smile. "I am a no name. I just owe a lot, to many people."

Aiden seemed somewhat surprised. Ren sighed and massaged his temples as the young man remained silent. To distract himself a bit, Ren glanced at the remaining students.

"Oh." There were no other men besides the two of them. This wasn't surprising, women tended to have a larger mana pool and somewhat better control over it. This didn't mean that men were weaker, it just meant that they tended to have to train their mana more.

"Yeah." Aiden grinned. "It took you a while to notice."

"Well, I… wasn't paying attention." He was a bit preoccupied with his headache.

He couldn't remember exactly how powerful each of the girls were. "I guess it doesn't really matter." He shrugged. "They're strong, that's what matters."

Aiden laughed. "You don't let things bother you, do you?" He seemed a lot less on edge than before. He leaned on the wall and looked around the classroom.

He was different than Serana. Ren glanced at him. He was quite handsome. It was clear that he took very good care of himself. He seemed athletic and the broadsword hanging from his right hip clearly wasn't just for show.

"The sun is setting." Aiden mumbled. "The ceremony will begin soon, right?"

"Yeah." Ren stood up and faced the door. He could feel Warthorn's mana. "He's here," As he finished his words, the door swung open and Warthorn came in.

"Alright class, let's go." He left as quickly as he came, leaving the class scrambling to catch up.

"He's very… direct." Aiden mumbled as they hurried down the hall. "Seems like we have an interesting year ahead of us."

Ren nodded as they arrived at the courtyard. They were back at where Principal Auria made her speech just a few hours ago. A much larger crowd had gathered now. Students of senior classes were also there, as well the first-year students' parents and guardians. As they took their place among the other first years, Ren looked towards the parents.

"My father couldn't make it." Aiden smiled. "But my mother and uncle are both here. Look," He pointed to a middle-aged woman and slightly older looking man. Ren couldn't see them too well as they were obstructed by other people. "What about you? Did anyone you know come?"

"I'm… not sure." Ren looked around. He couldn't see Yu in the crowd. "I don't think so." He silently said. A bitter smile formed on his face. "He's… probably just really busy." Yu was probably leaving Arkon just about now.

Aiden looked at him with a curious expression but chose to remain silent. Ren was grateful for that.

The noisy crowd suddenly fell silent. The massive doors of the main building slowly creaked open, revealing Principal Auria and Vice Principal Arnold. As they stood at the top of the stairs, right outside the door, Battlemages Warthorn and Fiora, instructors Eron and Leonora and the Professor took their place behind them as well.

"A moment of silence for the fallen." Vice Principal Arnold used his mana to amplify his voice. Ren quickly brushed his long hair aside to reveal his face, as some students removed their hats. Everyone turned to face the west. They could see the last traces of sunlight illuminating the sky, dyeing it red, like blood.

They silently watched as the last traces of sunlight disappeared.

"Watch," Principal Auria's words echoed. She wasn't using mana to amplify her voice, nor was she shouting. "Watch as the lifeblood of our world disappears for the night, watch as the outside falls asleep."

The sky was pitch black now, the only thing illuminating the night was the moon; the blurry white dot slowly climbing the sky.

"Watch as the moon rises, illuminating the night even if just a little bit." The courtyard was dark, not single lamp was lit.

"Watch, as that is what will keep you alive." The tip of her spear shone brightly. "Now, you act. Now, you fight. The moon is what keeps us alive, it is what gives us sight in the night. It is our lifeblood. Arkon's lifeblood." She let her words sink in.

"Remember, everything out there can and will try to kill you. The plants, the animals, even the sun!" She hit the ground with her spear. The arcane crystals lit up as her mana spread across the courtyard. Ren shivered as the cold, bright mana passed through him.

"We have a special guest today," Vice Principal Arnold stepped aside to let a tall figure through. "Yu Kaname, The First Battlemage."