Chapter Twenty-Nine

When Arnin stepped into the large academy, what he noticed was the bustling of students going left and right. Kids were walking in groups, discussing different topics with passion. One could see their eyes blazing with fire, which showed that these were the newly accepted students. Other people who were a little older didn't have the same look. They were more serious and even somewhat dull, which distinguished them as returning students.

The robes everyone wore were very similar. They were white, however each of them had a large butterfly imprinted on the front and back, located on the chest and upper back respectively. The only difference that could be seem was the color of the butterfly. The robes that Lilise and Elidia wore had a green butterfly; the children walking by sometimes had green as well, or blue and many other colors. Arnin was the exception in the group of students. Not only did he not have a butterfly on his robe, but rather his robe itself was a navy-blue color. There was a large black Moth on his chest and upper back, while the shoulders had an insignia with multiple marks. It was a robe that stood out quite a bit, even attracting some of the students.

"Who is that? Why is his robe different than ours?" The first student asked his friend. He carried a look of awe. He didn't know who Arnin was, but the different robe most likely signified something important.

"You don't know? That robe is only worn by the students of the Moth group. We can't compare to them, so don't make trouble." The student friend quickly explained. Although they were all about the same age, these students had large mouths. They spoke loudly and because of the loudness of the first student, other people began to notice Arnin as well. This was the one thing Arnin wanted to avoid. Although he made trouble with some of the teachers, he wanted to stay low in the academy so that he could get his work done undisturbed.

"Let's go talk to him. He may become our friend." Some of the students began to have ideas of befriending Arnin. They were young and they only thought about making friends with others, especially if they stood out. None were like the sly old foxes which would secretly scheme different ways to build a good relationship, and then use that to their advantage. These students had innocent thoughts of befriending the stylish Arnin.

"You go first." The students began to bicker amongst themselves, which gave Arnin a headache. He decided to quickly leave the area and find his lodgings and also to get Lilise and Elidia sorted out.

"Lilise, Elidia, let's go find where you will be staying. I need to know where you will be so that if anything happens, I don't have to search aimlessly." Arnin spoke with a dull expression before walking forward. The two girls nodded their head.

"Wow, do you guys see that tiger behind him? It's so cool." Some of the children noticed Vilis walking in through the gates and couldn't help but gasp. They didn't seem to consider him a threat since he was in the academy.

"You guys want to go and pet him?" One of the boys asked his friends.

"You can go. I'm too scared." His friends didn't follow his mindset however, the young boy was determined to pet Vilis.

He quickly followed behind Arnin with his fastest speed.

"Wait, hey!" Arnin turned around only to find a boy running towards him. The boy was around the same age as Arnin and had short brown hair. He was a little chubby which was clearly shown as he ran. His flabs vibrated like a bouncing water balloon. Wrinkles spread, and it looked quite hilarious. Arnin, didn't show much of an expression, however Lilise and Elidia found it hard to hold their laughter in.

"Yes?" Arnin asked. He wanted to quickly get things sorted out and begin cultivating. Also, he need to go and find out how his classes would work with the Mark Master task he was assigned. Plus, he need to quickly practice some more marks, since he had only succeeded in making one mark so far.

"Umm… can I touch your beast? Only for a sec, it won't take long." The chubby boy asked with some hesitation. However, the more he looked at Vilis, the more excited he got.

Arnin smiled at the boy before nodding his head. It was only something simple as touching, and it would take about a second.

"Really? Haha!" The chubby boy's eyes began to sparkle as he walked towards Vilis. At first the beast growled, however Arnin glared at him, making the beast reluctantly agree. The chubby boy first placed his hand on the side before placing two hands, then he touched the fur with his head. Next thing you know, he is clinging onto Vilis.

"Haha! This feels so good. I could stay like this forever." The chubby boy fell into his own dreams the second his whole body clung onto the beast. Vilis looked at Arnin for help, his eyes were becoming watery which could be interpreted as him saying, 'Get this kid off me!'.

Arnin walked over to the chubby kid before tapping his shoulder.

"You seem to really like beasts, huh?" Arnin noticed that the chubby kid did not show any fear. He looked at Vilis the way one would look at a lover.

"Of course! They are the greatest creatures in the world. If only I could be one too." The chubby boy put on a face of sadness and reluctance. Arnin was surprised by his words, but he then thought of an idea.

"What do you think of my beast?" The chubby boy touched the fur once again before putting his face back onto Vilis.

"What do I think? If I wasn't a human boy, I would marry this beast. Wait, can I still marry him?" The boy began to seriously contemplate, which caused Arnin to become a little flabbergasted.

This kid was really weird, however Arnin noticed that he really did seem to like beast, although maybe a little too much.

"If you are interested, why don't you become my Beast sitter? You can look after him while I am busy. In return, not only will you be able to hang around my beast, but I can even teach a thing or two to you." Arnin really needed to find someone to take care of Vilis. Because he would be going to classes and even working at the Mar Master department, Vilis might become irritated. If the chubby guy would look after him, then Arnin would be able to get rid of one problem off his shoulder.

"Really? Do you mean it? Do you truly mean it?" The boy's blue eyes sparkled when he heard what Arnin said.

"So, what's your name?" Arnin began to walk away while the chubby kid followed with his hand firmly planted onto Vilis, unwilling to let go.

"My name is Akig and I hail from the great village in the east." Arnin didn't care where he came from. He nodded his head slightly before reaching an area where a long line was. Kids that wore the white robes stood in an orderly fashion, however it was filled with chatter. Arnin sighed when he saw how long the line was.

"Are you trying to find some lodging? Don't worry…" The kid was stumped. He didn't even know Arnin's name yet.

"My name is Arnin." The kid nodded his head before continuing.

"If you need a place to stay, then you can live with me. My home is the largest of them all. I have the best beds and even the best food. What do you say Arnin?" Arnin could tell that the boy was flaunting something that wasn't even true, however he didn't try to expose the kid.

"I will get my own home, plus these two also need a separate room." Arnin shook his head and rejected the notion. He needed privacy, and he truly needed a large room that would be able to allow Vilis to live in it. Ideally, he would need a field in the back.

While the two boys were talking, a teacher was walking around and supervising the area. He had a smile on his face; however, it froze when he saw a certain student. He noticed that the robe of the student was navy blue with a Moth on the front and back. He quickly ran towards the group. Of course, that student was Arnin.

"Hey, are you a Moth group student?" The teacher quickly questioned Arnin as he approached them with a smile. He looked to be around Florian's age, which was pretty young for a teacher. Arnin raised an eyebrow before nodding his head.

"If you are a Moth student, you don't need to wait in line. Come with me, I can help you get a lodging right away." Arnin followed the teacher with a big smile. He was satisfied with the treatment that the Moth group got. Other than him, Vilis, Akig and the two girls followed as well.

They were taken into a back room, which contained nothing but a small bookshelf and clean wooden table. There were also some chairs, however too few for all the people. The teacher turned around and was surprised to see so many people. He thought that only the beast would come, but never expected there to be so many people.

"Since you are in Moth group, you are able to get a much larger lodging then rest of the kids. You probably didn't notice this, but this academy has two large buildings. One of them is for the Moth group, while the other is for the Butterfly group. Unlike the Butterfly students, Moth students are assigned a lodging beforehand. All I need is you to give me your identity card so I can find where it is." Arnin nodded his head and passed his card over. The teacher then took out an orb and placed the card inside. A bunch of symbols appeared, the teacher memorized the content and then handed the card back. He took a deep glance at Arnin before telling him to follow.

"Your lodging is actually one of the larger ones. Not only is it unattached to the Moth building, it is also in front of a large field. Of course, other lodgings are also there, but only for very prestigious students. Seems like the teacher who assigned this for you must have thought of you to be quite spectacular." The teacher couldn't help but compliment Arnin. Although he was a teacher, a Moth student would usually have a much brighter future, especially students who were treated generously from the start. When he first found out Arnin's lodging, he knew that Arnin must be special.

They walked out the Butterfly building and across a large field. The field had short grass, but there were many different things placed onto the field. There were some large crystals and even a small forest to the left. As they approached the other building, the teacher stopped in his tracks.

"Since I am a Butterfly teacher, I can only lead you this far. Just go into the building and find a teacher to help you out. I will help your friends find a place to stay." Arnin nodded his head and continued into the building with Vilis. When he entered inside, the atmosphere was completely different. He didn't see students walking around or hear any loud noises. It was very quiet, which satisfied Arnin. As he walked in the large, spacious building, he finally found a teacher roaming the premises. Arnin walked towards the teacher.

"Teacher, would you happen to know where I can get my lodgings?" Arnin didn't know how the place worked so he could only question. Plus, since he wasn't told where he was going to stay by the other teacher, he had to ask someone else.

"So, you are a new student? Here, come with me." The teacher was much less enthusiastic than the previous teacher. He didn't have a smile, rather he seemed a little serious in his conduct. Even though this was the case, Arnin didn't really mind. Everyone was different and had different personalities, so he could care less. He followed the teacher into a similar room. The same thing happened with the orb and this time the teacher looked up suddenly.

"Which teacher tested you for the examination?" He had a serious look when he looked at Arnin. The previously dull expression was gone.

"Teacher Xillar and Teacher Kelnorin proceeded with the exam. Is there a problem?" Arnin was unsure of what the issue was. Wasn't it only lodging? When the teacher heard the teachers' names, he took a deep breath before sighing. He then looked at Arnin again, however this time there was some interest.

"Do you know where you will be lodging?" The teacher suddenly asked.

"I was told that it was a large home, however I am unsure of any other details." Arnin answered.

"Well, the place you will be staying is only for the top Moth students. Although it is a fine location, it is also quite a competitive place to stay. People will most likely come and challenge you in order to take that home. Do you still want to live there?" The teacher solemnly asked Arnin. Since the Moth group was very competitive over resources, the housing also fell under this category. Everything in the Moth group was up for grabs. If you were strong, then you would be able to keep it, however if you were weak, then life would only get worse.

Arnin thought for a moment, before nodding his head. He was not going to run away because of a little competition. If he wanted to keep a low profile, then he could have Vilis guard the home.

The teacher gave Arnin another deep glance before nodding his head. He went to the desk and brought out a key. It was a black key that was only a little smaller than a knife.

"This is the key to your home. I will lead you there, however, don't expect to have a peaceful time." The teacher warned him once again before leading Arnin out.

They walked back on the field, however this time they entered the forest. They walked for a few dozen minutes before coming to a large residential area. It looked almost like a mini village. Arnin saw students of different ages walking around the place. It seemed that the reason the Moth building was empty or very quiet was because everyone was over here. When Arnin stepped into the residential area, the teacher that led him stopped.

"The place where you will be staying is at the end of this area. The number for your lodging is one. It's one of the largest, so it will be hard to miss." Arnin nodded before proceeding forward. The teacher looked deeply at Arnin's back before shaking his head.

"Good luck."