Chapter 24 – School of Champions

The short remainder of the drive to the Academy takes place in virtual silence. Rain mainly stares out the window, contemplating how his discussion with Bright has changed things for him. The true extent of his abilities, what unwanted attention they may bring, why and how he even has the lineage of a primordial...all these questions weigh on his mind. That, and whether it's going to bite him in the ass that he practically admitted to Bright that he has rare information she wants.

'Maybe...but she was convinced of that already. I didn't really give anything specific away.'

Periodically throughout the remainder of the drive, he can feel the intense weight of Bright's gaze on him as well, no doubt burning with all kinds of questions. He expects her to voice some of them as his silence persists, but she remains inexplicably restrained. 

Eventually, they arrive at a security station in front of a large, gated property. Rain can make out a huge, modern building within its borders. Bright flashes some documents to the guard with her usual, detached persona. He seems a little slow to verify them, gawking at her without the subtlety of a gentleman like Rain, but a few disgruntled comments from Bright seem to motivate the guard splendidly. She can be quite scary when she wants to. 

After they're through the gate, she parks the PET in front of what looks like a main entrance. Studying the layout of the building closely, Rain absentmindedly picks up his bag of government issued clothes and exits the PET. He turns around to address Bright, preparing to close the PET's door behind him, and smiles appreciatively. 

"Thanks for the ride, Master Bright, and for sharing your expertise. Uhm, do I need to tell them anything specific when I get in there, or do they already know to expect me?" 

Bright waves her hand dismissively and climbs out of the vehicle as well. Rain watches her in stunned silence as she walks around to stand next to him. Once again committed to her cool exterior, she responds to his question in an even tone. 

"I can spare some time, so I'll help you get settled before I leave. Just follow me."

Rain's sure that the shock shows on his face. 

'She can spare time all of a sudden? Before now, she's been chastising me every half hour about how busy she is.'

"Uhm...alright...thanks."

With a calm nod, Bright turns and walks out ahead of him. He follows behind her as they make their way into the building. Inside, there's a small reception-like desk, seemingly gatekeeping a large atrium area with couches and plants – several young people, who Rain can sense are fellow Champions, are milling about the area. 

'Those must be students...'

Behind the reception desk, there's a middle-aged woman – not Marked – who has already noted their arrival and is standing to greet them with a smile. Bright makes a beeline for the woman, attracting the gazes of several interested students...Rain can't say what's holding their interest, really. Could be anything. Perhaps they find him very impressive. 

"Good morning. How may I assist you?"

The receptionist is focusing solely on Bright, no doubt intimidated by Rain's commanding presence...poor woman. Bright nods at the woman politely. 

"Good morning. I am Master Bright, a Major in the military's Marked forces of HSW-3. This is Champion Rain, and he's to be enrolled in the Academy to prepare for the upcoming Crucible. I called earlier and sent over the necessary paperwork and special enrollment details."

The woman nods politely, but her face seems to become slightly paler as Bright introduces herself as a Master. 

"Of course, Master Bright. I recall our conversation very clearly. All the necessary arrangements have been made, per your requests."

The woman turns towards Rain with a polite smile, then produces a bag from below the desk and hands it to him. 

"Champion Rain, per Master Bright's request, we've prepared two sets of casual clothes, two sets of training clothes, and a city-registered omniwatch for you. The omniwatch will allow you to exchange calls and messages with others, schedule events, browse the internet, and search the Academies' research database. It is compatible with any of the monitors in the building. It also serves as the key to your room, number 418. The next available orientation will be tomorrow at noon. Do you have any questions?" 

Rain blinks several times, visibly stunned by the onslaught of information. 

'An omni-...what? Orientation? Oh...wait...I did catch that I have access to their research database all on my own. So, Bright lied to me about that, too...figures.' 

He opens his mouth, preparing to unleash a torrent of clarifying remarks on the receptionist. However, Bright cuts him off before he gets the chance. 

"No, he doesn't. Which direction is the dormitory?" 

Rain looks at her incredulously, but she just ignores him. The receptionist glances at him sympathetically, then nods at Bright nervously. 

"V-...very well. There's one dormitory, in the west wing there."

The woman points past them to a hallway, and Bright nods and thanks her before promptly turning on her heel and walking away. A mildly annoyed Rain scrambles to follow her. When he catches up, he glares at her in disapproval. 

"You know, Master Bright, I actually had several questions that I wanted to ask her." 

Sparing him a glance as she navigates the hallways of the building, she raises an eyebrow incredulously. 

"Then ask me. I'm sure I can answer them. Also, I told you already, it can be just Bright when we're alone." 

He gives her a long, studying look, then sighs internally. 

'This woman is giving me whiplash...'

Rain unloads all the questions he has about the Academy that have been building up, and Bright calmly answers them as she continues leading him to his room. She's surprisingly informed about the Academy, though he imagines it's far from the first time she's been here. Bright explains all the basic functions of the omniwatch, and walks him through how to use them. 

She explains that the orientation is to educate him about what to expect in the Crucible, about basic rules and amenities at the Academy, and about what training courses are available and recommended. Apparently, as a non-citizen it's mandatory that he spend half of his allotted class time in a survival essentials boot camp, since he didn't receive similar training in a government-run school. However, he's welcome to fill the rest of that with classes of his choosing.

Bright told him to expect about ten to twenty other new Champions from the past week to join him at the orientation, but that this Academy normally has about 600 students by the time the Crucible actually starts. So, there will be quite a lot of students to familiarize himself with...for better or worse. 

He also asks her about his food situation, and he's shocked to hear that there is a full-service cafeteria open at all times. He doesn't even have to pay for any of his meals. She mentions a number of other amenities, but his only real takeaway is – if he wants it, it's here. 

'All in all...this is a pretty sweet setup. Even if I die in a couple months, I'll have gone out in style at least...'

As he stews in the dark consolation, Bright suddenly stops walking in front of him. He glances at her, and notices that she's staring between him and a nearby door expectantly. 

"This is your room, Rain. Make sure that your omniwatch works as a key, like I showed you." 

He follows her gaze to a small, black box near the door handle, and holds his watch near it. He hears a click, then grabs the door handle and enters the room as he pushes the door open. 

'So cool...'

The room inside is quite small, and it only contains a basic desk, bed, closet, and bathroom, but it's far more lavish than anything Rain has ever had. Even at the orphanage, his room wasn't this nice, and he had to share it with three other boys. Rain shakes his head in disbelief, murmuring quietly. 

"I can't believe these suckers gave me this whole thing to myself...ridiculous." 

As he's marveling at the room, he hears the firm click of the door shutting, then a relieved sigh from directly behind him. 

"Thank gods...finally, some privacy." 

Rain whips around in a state of bewilderment to see that Bright followed him into the small room. She's leaning with her back on the closed door and smiling, as though in relief, but her gaze is fixed intensely on him. He suddenly feels a small pang of nervousness. 

"Uhm...Bright...what are y-"

Before he can finish the question, she gives him her rare, wolfish grin and steps forward to grab him by the wrist. 

"Come here..."

He's practically dragged further into the room, as Bright not-so-gently guides him onto his bed. He falls back into a sitting position near one end, and she sits down across from him at the other. Her stormy grey eyes are glimmering with excitement, but there's also an edge of...seriousness...to her. 

"Rain, you said you would speak more freely with me about...well, whatever it is you've learned and are hiding...if you felt you could trust me more. That right?" 

Rain meets her intense gaze, his whole body rigid from something that could be fear, shock, or excitement...maybe all of them. 

'W-...what the actual fuck is going on with her right now...'

Trying to keep his voice from breaking, he stares at her while he responds evenly, not daring to blink. 

"I...did...say that. But th-"

As soon as he affirms her question, she doesn't even wait for him to finish speaking before her wolfish grin returns. In a flash, she leans over and her fingers find their way under the collar of his shirt, her hand pressed softly against his bare chest. Rain lets out a squeal of surprise and goes to grab her hand. 

"Bright!? What the fuck! I...I don't...wa-"

At that moment, Rain feels the heat of his Mark spike under Bright's hand, and the Echo's voice whispers in his head. 

[You have acquired a Relic…]