Chapter 19: Echoes of Power: Dan's First Steps

Dan woke up, tossing and turning on the stiff mattress of a dimly lit male dormitory room. The faint scent of sterilized metal and worn cloth clung to the air. The ceiling above him was made of smooth, gray alloy with flickering lights embedded like artificial stars—barely comforting. Two days had passed since the incident, but for Dan, it felt like waking from a lifetime. 

Since then, the Academy had become a pressure cooker of whispers and warnings. A massive inquiry spiraled across departments, its purpose singular—how could a vampire of such immense power have lived undetected within their very walls for years? The administration of King's Academy wanted answers—desperately. 

As for Dan, fate had dealt him a rare card. He had been lucky—plucked from the margins by Principal Dormund himself. With a direct recommendation and official approval, he had been admitted into King's Academy. Not just admitted—but slotted straight into the second year, shoulder to shoulder with Nia and Zara. His placement wasn't charity. It was earned. Through raw strength and the unwavering courage he showed in the battle—even if he hadn't asked for it, even if his actions were impulsive—Dan had helped uncover a darkness that had lurked for far too long. 

His valor didn't go unnoticed. Professors and scholars whispered his name with admiration in the corridors lined with luminous panels and floating glyphs. He had walked into legend without meaning to. 

But the Academy itself had changed. 

After the clash with the Vampire King, chaos swept through the institution like a sandstorm. Security protocols were overhauled. Magical barriers shimmered constantly over the Academy's towers, humming faintly with restored urgency. Teams of investigators—cloaked in robes marked by the seven empires—flooded the grounds. And not just investigators: dignitaries, commanders, and royal envoys from distant kingdoms arrived in grand skyships that cast long shadows over the domes of learning. 

King's Academy was no ordinary place. It was a marvel—an institution born of fragile alliances between seven mighty empires. Built to be neutral ground. A single, sovereign educational nexus forged to cultivate strength, unity, and lasting peace through shared bloodlines and bonds. They had sent their heirs not to war, but to learn. To make ties, not enemies. 

And so, King's Academy had risen—a behemoth of learning and power. 

It wasn't just large. It was mythic. Spanning a region as vast as an empire, the Academy encompassed an entire galaxy. Stars blinked within its territory. Planets served as departments. Some realms within it were still shrouded in mystery, their secrets untouched even by headmasters. 

For ordinary astrocytes, for proud nobles of Dew Leon, for dukes, earls, viscounts, and barons alike—it was the ultimate aspiration. A child accepted into King's Academy wasn't just entering a school; they were stepping onto the stage of destiny. Their names would echo in treaties, in wars averted, in the architecture of the future. Because inside those legendary halls, alliances were forged like celestial iron—strong, rare, and impossible to break. 

Dan couldn't help but reflect on his journey—from a nameless planet, long forgotten in the stardust of the cosmos, to standing now within the hallowed halls of the King's Academy, where the elite of the galaxies sent their heirs. It was a place that shimmered with power and legacy, where the weight of countless destinies echoed through marble corridors and crystalline towers. 

Now that he had finally secured a place in this legendary institution, a strange mix of wonder and determination stirred in his chest. He couldn't help but wonder what lay ahead—what storms, what stars, what scars. 

It had all started because he had dared to attempt a robbery at the Central Collection of Arts—a place sacred to knowledge, wrapped in silence and shadow. And the rest, as they said, was history. Dan thought about it and smiled, a quiet smirk curling at the edge of his lips. Fate, it seemed, had an odd sense of humor. 

He pushed the covers off and got up. The morning light filtered through the dormitory window in soft blue streaks, casting faint glows on the polished floor. He pulled on the Academy uniform—a crisp blue ensemble that felt slightly stiff, its fabric cool against his skin. The uniform was simple but elegant, with subtle patterns sewn into the cuffs like the constellations above. It was mandatory for all first- and second-year students, a symbol of discipline and unity. From the third year onward, students were free to choose their attire, a sign of earned freedom. 

Dressed and ready, Dan stepped out of the male dormitory. The air outside was fresh, tinged with the scent of morning dew and the faint sweetness of flowering skyvines climbing the stone walls. He made his way toward the meeting point to find Nia and Zara. 

They had planned to give him a tour of the campus—a gesture born not just from friendliness, but from respect. After standing with them in battle against the Vampire King, after saving their lives, a bond had formed. Perhaps fragile, perhaps unspoken—but real. 

Dan saw them before they noticed him. Both girls wore the same blue uniform, standing side by side beneath a tall, silver-leaved tree whose branches swayed lightly in the breeze, scattering glowing petals across the path. 

Nia turned first and smiled, her eyes lighting up with playful warmth. "The blue uniform looks good on you, Dan." 

Dan gave a soft smile in return, saying nothing, but his eyes held a quiet amusement. 

Together, they began to walk, the trio's footsteps echoing gently against the smooth stone pathways. 

The King's Academy was so vast it defied logic. Sprawling across regions like a continent, it held secrets older than kingdoms and technologies ahead of their time. Travel within a single planet required teleportation—a soft hum and shimmer of light as the world twisted and refocused. 

Their first destination: the Challenger's Hub. 

They entered the Challenger's Hub—and Dan's breath caught in his throat. 

The arena was colossal, a sprawling coliseum under an arched sky, its inner space alive with energy and motion. Hundreds of elevated stages floated like islands across a gleaming marble floor, each lit by soft azure lights. Around them, more such stadiums loomed like metallic giants, their exteriors pulsing with shifting banners and shimmering glyphs. 

Sparks of aura danced in the air as students clashed in battle. Some duels erupted in bursts of flame or shockwaves, others unfolded in elegant, almost dance-like exchanges of force. Cheers, gasps, and the rhythmic thrum of clashing energy created a symphony of raw ambition. Every stage was manned with sharp-eyed judges clad in dark robes, while lifeguards in shimmering silver armor stood like statues—ready to intervene at a moment's notice. 

Nia leaned toward Dan, her voice loud over the surrounding chaos. She explained that many fighting clubs encouraged friendly duels—some focused on traditional hand-to-hand combat, others incorporating rare elemental techniques or forbidden arts, all bound by the Academy's strict codes. Competitions weren't limited to the Academy alone; the Seven Empires each held their own, and the stakes were often more than pride. 

Curious, Dan narrowed his eyes and activated his God's Sight. 

The world dimmed for a moment, replaced by streams of light and fluctuating auras. He saw them—glowing like stars in a night sky. Most fighters shimmered with the telltale blue-white hue of Sacred Stage power. A handful blazed brighter, cloaked in the flickering energy patterns of the Esoteric Path. 

They were no amateurs. Power rolled off them in waves—like standing too close to a thunderstorm before it breaks. It was the first time Dan had ever been surrounded by so many strong individuals. Every face he passed carried the focus of a veteran; every movement was disciplined, honed, dangerous. 

He scanned further—and noticed something more. 

The judges radiated calm, their strength folded inward like a coiled serpent. The lifeguards, however, were a different story. Their presence crackled with unseen energy. They weren't just Ethereal-level experts—they were apex predators in disguise. Dan couldn't help but stare. What kind of place had he stepped into, where such overwhelming strength gathered like a storm ready to break? 

Then Zara's voice rang out, sharp with excitement. 

"Look! John is fighting!" 

All three of them turned. 

Dan didn't know who John was, but the crowd's shift was unmistakable. Dozens of spectators surged toward one particular stage, their voices rising with anticipation. That alone piqued Dan's curiosity. He focused again. 

John stepped onto the platform. 

He was tall, sculpted like a champion—muscles coiled beneath ornate black-and-gold combat robes that shimmered under the light. His hair was windswept, his expression unreadable, and he moved with a predator's grace. Despite his youthful face, perhaps still in his late teens, he radiated an aura of calm danger. 

Dan quickly scanned him. Early Ethereal Stage. Impressive. 

The match began without warning. 

In a blur, John closed the distance and struck—once, twice. His opponent didn't even have time to react. 

A blast of energy sent the challenger flying backward. The air cracked like thunder. Before the body could hit the ground, a lifeguard flickered into place, catching the student with ease. The crowd erupted. 

"Winner: John," the judge declared. 

The duel had lasted mere seconds. 

It was a complete and utter domination. 

Nia frowned, her brows drawing together. "We didn't even get to see a glimpse of his power. He's gotten a lot stronger lately." 

Zara nodded, a hint of admiration in her voice. "After the last battle we saw, John went completely into seclusion. It's said he's been training day and night, pushing himself past his limits. His strength has reached a whole new level." 

She paused for a moment, then glanced at Dan and realized from the blank look in his eyes that he had no idea who John was. With a soft smile, she quickly added, "He's the strongest person in our batch. He set a record for raw power and proved himself with sheer capability. Everyone knows him. He's the shining star of our year." 

They continued exploring the Challenger Hub. Stadium after stadium unfolded before them—each one echoing with roars, clashes, and the hum of anticipation. The air crackled with energy, the faint scent of sweat and ozone lingering from countless battles fought within. 

After visiting several of the stadiums, Dan finally stopped, exhausted and overwhelmed. "There are just too many," he muttered, shaking his head. 

That was when he learned the staggering truth—10,000 stadiums, each marked with its own number and purpose. "Ten thousand stadiums?" he repeated, almost in disbelief. It felt like he had stepped into a place built by giants, a monument to martial mastery on a scale that defied reason. 

When he finally surrendered to the scale of it all, Nia and Zara both laughed, their laughter light and musical, echoing slightly in the open, steel-framed walkways. Without wasting another moment, they stepped into the nearest teleportation array. 

The world around them shimmered and twisted like liquid glass. In the blink of an eye, the vortex released them into a new setting. 

Dan stumbled slightly as he regained his footing, then froze. 

Massive towers rose before him like steel monoliths, stretching skyward until their peaks vanished into the clouds. They seemed to hum with life—some lined with glowing veins of light, others wrapped in sleek, reflective panels that shimmered under the twin suns above. The air here felt denser, charged, almost reverent. 

Each tower bore a screen the size of a building's side, displaying real-time battles in vivid detail—flashes of energy, explosions of dust, the blur of bodies in combat. The arena echoed with the deep booms of powerful strikes and the sharp crack of energy colliding. 

There were towers upon towers, like a metallic forest, endless and unyielding. 

Dan turned in a slow circle, his eyes wide. His pulse quickened. Every corner of this place radiated strength, ambition, and history. 

His voice, low but awed, broke the silence. 

"What is this place?" he asked, looking at Nia, the wonder in his eyes clear.