District II

In the shimmering twilight of the sacred district II, a sleek, hovering car descended gracefully from the vibrant sky, its metallic surface giving a sharp reflection of the shimmering sun. 

The air crackled with energy as the vehicle's anti-gravity engines hummed softly, creating a gentle breeze that rustled the leaves that had fallen off some trees onto the rail.

As the hover car descended, the luminescent runes etched along its sides pulsed with a warm glow, guiding it to a perfect halt just inches above the ground. 

The doors slid open with a whisper, revealing the car's plush and exquisite interiors adorned with intricate patterns reminiscent of the district's rich history.

With a swift thud, Ace mounted out of the ride and after checking in his pay, the car hovered momentarily, as if honoring the sacredness of the ground it had just touched, before ascending back into the sky, leaving behind a trail of shimmering light that danced in the air. 

As he stood there in the center of district II, the wholesome air filled his nostrils to the brim and he knew at that moment, life was indeed unfair.

Well, of course life had never been fair.

There was a wide contrast between the life that buzzled from the ninth district which he belonged to and the second district. He shook his head momentarily as he watched the wonders unfold before him.

Girls shattering happily as they alighted various hover cars and curling up in a quick hug before fitting into a restaurant, some turfs racing with skyline overboard around the tall scrapers.

Everything felt different and it seemed more like he had just stepped into a new world. A world better and bigger than where he had come from.

But that wasn't the reason why he had come to district II. Adjusting the strap of his bag properly, he finally cut out the shit and made his way towards the center of the city; Nirvana academy.

After about twenty minutes since he began his journey, Ace finally arrived at the academy's front gate. The magnificent emblem of Nirvana was carved into its gates enough to make the enemies shudder at its sight.

The front view was not as magnificent as he had thought it would be and the way the people who had been there before had described the academy was a total buff to what he had been expecting. 

The building that was erected in front of him was a small villa with a long, not so tall fence which was probably a bad construct because once an invasion occurs, the walls could easily be brought down with one single fling of a rock— maybe.

The academy looked extremely basic and he couldn't help but feel dejected, but the structure and view of the academy was supposed to be the least of his concerns, so he shrugged the feeling off and made his way into the academy.

As he walked towards its walls, the construct suddenly began to differ from what he had just seen from its frontal appearance. As he moved closer to the building, it began to grow enormously and the walls he had thought were small seemingly began to grow towards the sky and this view suddenly seized his tongue, driving him speechless and insanely awed. 

Ace continued taking slow steps while carefully observing the building elongate and materialize like it was an elastic construct. He wondered how someone had come up with such an idea to create a spectacular construct like that and he couldn't imagine what the inside of the academy would be like. 

He eventually pushed himself out of this ethereal world and pressed hard on the focus button. Once he had gotten inside the academy's main building, he was enveloped in a terrane that was both calm and collected and as well filled with enormous chattering. 

Students were hanging around and as well going on with their business as they hung in two's and three's. Their uniforms tailored in perfection according to their shapes and sizes, their overall looks emitting modesty— a typical appearance for a student mage.

Glancing around for a bit to find a place to fit in, Ace finally laid his eyes on the receptionist stand. He quickened his pace towards it while his shoes hit the marble floor surface gently. 

"And how may I help you?" The gentle voice of the woman behind the receptionist table asked as soon as he got to her.

A soft young woman draped in a fitted lobby suit. Her hair, an ethereal black surprise with hints of pink dye accompanied with a well trimmed bang while a splattered toxic red lipstick colored her lips gracefully. 

She was typing away on a computer before Ace arrived, but her attention span was splitted into two equal halves.

"Er— Kaito. I got a special summon from a man called Kaito."

That was all he said and a small smile wedged on her lips gracefully while she withdrew her attention completely from the computer.

"You're the new student he's bringing to his guild, right? I have been informed you would be coming."

Hearing this, Ace's eyebrow twitched a little as he wondered if those words the receptionist had just said to him were true or not.

'Eh? I never told him I would be agreeing to his terms last night, so how…' 

"You have nothing to worry about, everything else has been settled before you arrived. But for now, I will take your basic information. You can call me Cara." She continued, turning back to her computer.

'This is really strange.'

After a few taps on the keyboard, she turned back at Ace, wearing the most professional smile as she asked him the required questions.

"Name?" She inquired, preparing to type.

"Ace. Ace Kiryū." 

He could have sworn he heard her fingers touch the keyboard to type in Ace, but at the mention of his full name, she stopped abruptly, the smile on her lips fading like a well cooked steak melting in one's mouth at a fancy restaurant.

"You have a surname? Are you not from the ninth district?" 

Ace lowered his head a little and gave her a slight nod in response to her question. It was one of the laws of Nirvana and he couldn't blame her for reacting towards the existence of a last name in his name.

Only the noble were allowed by the law to have surname's, but an exception could come in place if one is a SSS-ranked awakener. A last name is not a league a commoner like him should be found in.

***

As Cara approached the enormous door of the director's office, her footsteps echoing on the polished marble floor. She practiced a little smile and stretched her fit a little

After registering her bio in a robot's system at an interval, she was granted the permission to walk further after her identity had been confirmed.

She knocked gently against the door and announced. "Sir,..."

The door switched open, slicing her words through before she could make a proper statement. She pushed the doorknob immediately as her report was filled with utmost urgency.

Inside the office, it was incredibly lit with refined HD lightnings, but for some reason, it was empty and filled to the brim at the same time.

The director was seated behind an oak crafted table and was busy swiping through an holographic window which displayed various classrooms and combat rooms footage on students in the academy.

His refined brown hair was gracefully laid with great precision and a shaft of blue lightning could be noted as his eye color. He was draped in an exquisite suit that probably cost more than an average apartment building and his aura exuded an air of authority and respect.

"Sir, the one you seek is finally here."

"Who?" 

"The boy from ten years ago… Ace Kiryū." Cara responded, her fists clenching together a little while her knees trembled as her lips laid the name out.

A sinister grin appeared on the side of the director's lips and he whispered back to Cara just enough for her to hear.

"I see he has chosen to walk to his grave. Let's do him the honors first, Cara." He announced, managing the creek look on his face while his fingers interlocked as if he was plotting something devious. "Put his name on the list."