Opening Ceremony

Endyr stood gazing up at the looming towers overhead. They were made of a strange material, a mix between glass and steel, if such a mix was imaginable. They were the magnum opus of Sky Cross Academy, a testament that even man could ascend to the heavens above with effort and talent. If this was any other world than Orvonia, the Heavens would likely strike them down for blasphemy though....

Dismissing these useless thoughts, lowered his eyes and instead looked at the closed gate before them. Sia stood beside him, fidgeting slightly as she adjusted her hairclip and tie. Jace stood on his other side, as relaxed and casual as ever, even going as far to smoke what seemed to be a cigar. The trio were amongst a larger crows of students, milling around aimlessly while waiting for the gate to open. A large clock was embedded in the wall above it, slowing inching towards 10 o' clock. Endyr shifted uncomfortably on the spot before shooting Jace an annoyed look. "Did we have to arrive a full hour early? The wait is agonizing" he complained.

Jace shook his head and defended his actions "Its only thanks to arriving so early we got a place close to the front, Trust me kid, the auditorium is nowhere big enough for all attendees, so seats are limited. If you think standing here is bad, then you definitely don't want to be doing so for the opening ceremony." Sia looked over curiously at Jace's words "What do you mean the auditorium isn't big enough? Why don't they just expand it?" she asked. Jace sighed and took a puff from his cigar, exhaling as he answered "Because its a pointless expenditure. The auditorium is big enough to hold the closing ceremony at the years-end, and that's all that matters to Le'garde and the upper echelons of the Academy." Endyr tilted his head in puzzlement as he went over his words "If the auditorium can't fit everyone at the start, how is it big enough form them at the end?". Jace looked at him from the corner of his eye and he lowered his voice.

"Because more than half of the Academy students either flunk out or die during their first year."

Before the two children could ruminate over his words, the loud clang of a metal chime rang out over the courtyards. With a screech, the gates began to open slowly. Everyone stood to attention as several figures became visible on the other side. They began ushering people in, making sure they did so in an orderly manner. As Endyr got close, he could see that the ushers wore a uniform similar to his own, but slightly different at the same time. In fact, they looked clsoer to what Jace was wearing than anything. Sia noticed this too and asked what was on both their minds "Hey Jace, why do they have similar closer to you?". He looked at her as he picked at his uniform, raising an eyebrow as he answered "I guess I never told you what exactly I do, did I? As you know, I used to be an assassin, but I gave that up years ago-"

Endyr scoffed at his words, before looking away and whistling when Jace glared at him. Sia giggled at the act, as Jace ground his cigar between his teeth. "As I was saying, I quit and got a new job. Now, I serve as a Combat and Techniques Teacher in the Academy. I'm not the only one with such a job, and I mainly handle second years. In other words, don't expect any favouritism from me: you won't be in my class and our interaction will be minimal."

"Who will our teacher be then?" Sia asked. By this point, the trio had reached the gates, causing Jace to throw down his cigar and extinguish it with his heel. He flashed the employees standing guard a badge, causing them to bow slightly and make way. He then led the two children, skipping the already formed lines and heading through a side exit. "I thought you said there was no favouritism?" Endyr sneered at the sight. Jace continued walking casually as he responded "School hasn't technically started yet. Besides, you're welcome to wait in line if it offends you." Endyr looked over his shoulder at the already engorged string of people before deciding to concede, causing a smug expression to form on Jace's face.

"To answer your previous question Sia, your homeroom teacher could be any of five instructors who teach first years. Classes are labelled from A to E, with the richest or most promising students obviously going to Class A. Apart from Class A and Class E however, there isn't much difference in the contents of the other Classes. Just so you know, Class E is almost always cleared out by the end of the year. However, there are cases of those from others, including Class A, dropping out or getting killed, so don't get a big head just yet."

At the umpteenth warning, Jace's words finally sunk in. "What do you mean, people 𝘥𝘪𝘦 each year?!" he cursed. Sia jumped slightly in startlement as she also realized just what Jace was saying. She stared at him in horror and clutched her arms defensively. "How do people die here?! The Academy is meant to be one of the sturdiest places in the Gaia Continent!" she yelled. Jace grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her closer "Quiet down brat, do you want everyone to hear you? And did you honestly think six years of competition between Nobles and Ascenders would be a picnic? Use your fucking head for a moment!"

He released her by shoving her away, looking over his shoulder to see if anyone overheard them. Seeing no one around, Jace elaborated further. "Competition is rampant within the Academy. Le'garde believes in meritocracy and survival of the fittest, and so do those under him. The school often arranges special events, where failure equals expulsion. In order to stay in school, students resort to...unorthodox methods. That's why it is of vital importance not to reveal your capabilities, especially for Commoners. The brightest are often the first to encounter 'accidents' in their first few months."

Endyr narrowed his eyes in anger. "You only tell us this now?!" he hissed, "I thought you were meant to protect us, not throw us into a lion's den unprepared!". Jace turned to him then, staring him down with his darkest-black eyes. Endyr tried to resist, refusing to show any reaction, but his body betrayed him and broke out into sweats. He instinctively knew that he was standing before an apex predator. "I did you two a favour by not telling you until now. If I mentioned it earlier, you would have spent the entire trip panicked and paranoid. With assassins on our trail already, you would have collapsed long before we actually reached the Academy" he growled. "And besides, you two have faced threats to your lives and even killed in open combat before. I doubt many in your classes will be able to boast the same."

The trio walked in silence, none of them speaking after that. Sia saddled herself closer to Endyr however and took his hand in hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze. In her mind, she reaffirmed her determination to protect him once again, unaware Endyr was doing the same for her in his mind.

...............

Jace had been telling the truth: the auditorium did not have enough seats for all attendees. While he and Sia managed to get a seat (Jace split off from them, claiming he needed to get ready for the arrival of Le'garde), theirs was near the back. If they were a few minutes late, they would have to stand like the other 2/3 of the students. On a side note, Endyr was the youngest student attending the Academy, causing him to receive many surprised or confused looks. Being only 4 years old, he was quite the anomaly as the next youngest student was 6 years old, a whole two year age-gap. Sia managed to shield him with her body however, reducing the stares somewhat.

Endyr was snapped out of his thoughts by the dimming of all the lights in the auditorium. Everyone fell silent, and there was no noise apart from the occasional shuffle of cloth. Straining his ears, Endyr could, just barely, hear a soft "click-clack" drawing nearer that seemed to originate from behind the stage. As he watched, a man made himself present, strolling onto the stage and surveying the students before him, while they surveyed him in turn. His eyes wandered across all the rows, stopping momentarily on Endyr and a few other particularly young students before he withdrew his gaze. The lighting increased by a small margin, allowing Endyr to get a better look at the man.

He was very tall, perhaps six and a half foot with a slim but powerful build. He seemed to be perfectly proportioned, with wide but not overbearing shoulders and chest. His hair was a very dark navy blue that blurred into black near the roots, but was a lighter violet on the underside. His eyes glowed a clear amethyst, even more so than Sia's and Raphaniel's eyes did, and they seemed to pulse with arcane energy. He wore an all-black suit with a fur mantle and a gem the same colour as his eyes attached to one side. Around his neck lay a pendant with the Sky Cross Academy logo. He wore half-moon glasses with a silver chain, embedded with trinkets. He emitted aura of wealth, power and serenity while demanding respect and obedience. The very air around him seemed to recoil and submit, Orvonia itself shifting to his will.

This was undeniably Le'garde, headmaster of Sky Cross Academy, one of the few Sovereign Tier existences on the Gaia Continent, ancient Ascender and someone who had lived through 4th Era personally. A man few dared to anger, and whom none would fight while within the Academy. A force that has single-handedly held back the collective might of the Royal Family and Great Nobles since he assumed his post as headmaster. And the man who would arguably serve as the God of each and every person on campus, student or faculty.

Once he had given everyone a once-over, Le'garde cleared his throat lightly and pulled out a light green crystal from seemingly thin air. It glowed slightly, and suddenly his voice could be heard across the entire auditorium. Tapping the crystal, which seemed to be some sort of noise amplifier, he cleared his throat once more before beginning to speak.

"Greetings students. For those unfamiliar, I am Le'garde, the headmaster of Sky Cross Academy. I have held this position for the last 800 years, having been appointed by my predecessor, Headmaster Griffith. In all my years of service, I have guided countless Ascenders along their path and nourished seeds that spread across this Continent and beyond. I intend to extend the same guidance to each and every one of you present here today, and those that come after you. However, I must make some things clear first." His eyes suddenly sharpened and a tangible pressure covered the students.

"Sky Cross is a neutral association, and has been so since its inception. Neither the Nobles, the Churches nor the Royals have been allowed privileges beyond what is extended to the Commoners and every one else. If you are caught abusing your authority within my halls, you shall be punished. I do not care if you are a promising talent, Noble heir or a Blessed of the Gods "Themselves", all will be punished equally by my hands."

As he spoke these words, Le'garde focused on several figures in the crowd before him. A young boy with green hair, a girl with frizzy red hair, a small girl with silvery-blue features and a boy with dirty blond hair in a ponytail were the first targets of his gaze, before he turned to Endyr. The two held eye-contact for a split second before it was broken, with Endyr fighting down the urge to cradle his aching head. That short exchange had caused him damage, though he had no idea what he had done to deserve it.

"On that note, it is time I step down from this podium. I am not one for eloquent speeches, as you will come to realise during our stay at my Academy. One of your teachers will take it from here. Mr Abernathy and Ms Quadreign, if you will?"