14 Arena Twelve: The Right To Rule II

I walked through the trees, taking in the sceneries around me.

Hearing a buzzing sound, I looked up and saw several military drones passing by.

I could faintly see the holographic screens hovering over the main building.

"Happy Celebration Day!"

The celebration day. A hundred years ago on this day, the Alpha Empire was established. This was also the day when each session of the five primary academies working with Elliots started.

I soon came out in a well-populated plaza. Students of my age and older were walking around, chatting or clicking their phones, sometimes tapping the air in front of them. Everyone was wearing the same uniform as me, except the girls were wearing skirts instead of pants.

Countless drones flew over my head suddenly, colouring the whole sky black. These drones were in charge of the peace of the empire in the real world, though due to the threat of the Omega, no wars usually took place here.

At least, not on the surface.

"All students are requested to gather in the auditorium."

A female voice rang out through the campus, and holographic arrows appeared in the air to guide us to the auditorium.

The students started walking towards the venue in groups or solo, and I followed behind them. Soon, I saw the large building.

Even without the arrows, one could recognize the auditorium in an instant.

It was the only normal, modern-looking building inside the campus. It had a metal, concrete and glass surface, with holographic screens hovering around it.

I followed the wave of students inside the auditorium, and took a seat in the back row.

From the inside, the auditorium was like a colosseum, with an open area in the middle and the seats surrounding it, gradually rising. There was a stage in the middle of the ground.

The only thing different was that there was a ceiling, with a gigantic light orb in the middle of the dome.

The students around me soon took their seats, looking both nervous and excited. There were more than 5000 students or so according to the circular, so my ears were almost bleeding due to the sounds around me.

The door closed as everyone entered the hall. The light dimmed down until only the main orb's light was falling.

The gates around the stage opened, and several people entered, spearheaded by the principal.

Once they reached the stage, the principal stepped up, while the others lined behind her in an orderly manner.

A large blue-ish white screen appeared over her head, broadcasting her image throughout the auditorium.

"You have all gathered here to gain knowledge. To earn glory for both yourselves, and the empire."

Without introducing herself, Principal Valentina started her speech with a strong voice. Even though she didn't say her title, no one seemed to be confused. Unlike me, people who were in this auditorium had been preparing to get into this academy for quite a long time, so it was natural that they at least knew the principal out of all people.

"Some of you might be ranked D, some of you might be ranked SS. But your ranks hardly matters. Even if you belong to rank D, you can do wonders."

Her expression was soft and gentle, unlike what I had seen before. She spoke to the students like a mother, or a guardian instead of someone who stood above them.

"The creator of the hover trains was ranked C. The architects of the Tower of Babel were only ranked B. And the one who created the core inside the tower ranked S."

"There is a reason why I'm telling you all this. Because, all of you matter."

The students were quiet, absorbing each and every word that came out of her mouth.

"At the same time, the terrorist who once destroyed the core of the tower was also ranked S. The 'Gas Mask', one of the cruellest serial killers of the history of the empire, was ranked C. The coup d'etat that happened two hundred years ago, was led by two rank B."

"Which means, all of you hold an infinite amount of potential. Potential to become a great hero... or a great villain. And if you become the latter... I swear upon the name of my house, I will put you down."

"So, guide yourself along with your peers to a better future. That is all I ask. That is all you need to do."

"With that, I, Flora Valentina, welcome you to the First Academy."

The auditorium broke into claps and cheers. Everyone had expressions of genuine joy and excitement on their faces.

"Now, quiet, please."

Flora held her hands up, and the students quickly quieted down.

"There are some rules you have to follow while you study here."

"First, under no circumstances, you are to enter Stigma without the permission of a teacher."

"Second, unauthorized uses of skills inside the campus, with the exception of duels and non-battle skills, is prohibited. To those who don't know what I am talking about, you'll be filled in tomorrow, when you start your classes."

"Third. This Academy believes in student autonomy. Thus, you are to elect your student council president and other executive members of the Student Council. The council you choose will be active for five years, and will represent your batch in future tournaments and other functions. Each batch has a separate council, so be careful not to antagonize your seniors."

"That should be all. But... Here's a piece of advice."

Flora took a deep breath and looked around. Her eyes met with mine for a second, before she turned away.

"Try not to die."

"That's all."

Her words left a deep impression as she stepped down and concluded the ceremony.

Perhaps it was fear. Perhaps it was due to excitement. The students were quiet, not moving an inch.

Then, the door opened behind us, and they broke out of the trance.

The buzzing started again, and before it punctured my eardrums, I silently left the building.

...

As most of the students were still inside the building, the campus was mostly deserted.

I walked through the empty grounds, looking at the scenery around me.

A holographic screen suddenly appeared in front of my eyes, with the message

"The customized Stigma gear has an built-in music function, by the way."

From Grey.

"Ugh... You are watching my every move, huh..."

"Not every, just some."

He even replied to that.

Sighing, I gently pressed the right side of my neck, and one of the latest trendy music started playing directly inside my head.

It felt a bit off, but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling by any means. Rather, I enjoyed this much more than the usual headphones.

Perhaps due to being immersed in the music, I hadn't noticed her until I was near.

I didn't notice where I was until I suddenly hit my head in a low-hanging branch of a tree.

Rubbing my forehead, I turned off the music playing inside my head and looked around.

In front of me was a place that seemed like a small grove. The trees and vines were intertwined with each other, and rays of sunshine were coming through the gaps.

It made for an extremely surreal feel.

"This is..."

I stepped inside the grove and was immediately hit by the feeling of rejection.

I wanted to step back and reject whatever was in front of me. I didn't feel anything unpleasant... Just wanted to reject it.

Reject everything. Reject myself.

"Ugh..."

Yet, I stepped forward. The feeling of dread when I was met with the Phantom was far stronger than this feeling.

Inside the grove, on a stone bench, was a girl.

She looked around my age. Her round glasses reflected the sunlight, while her braided dark brown hair was neat and tidy. She turned towards me, and I felt my breathing stop.

Her eyes were golden, and extremely beautiful. They made me feel at peace.

And her face had a soft touch to it, but she looked so graceful that I could have mistaken her for a noble.

Or perhaps she was a noble.

"How interesting... To not go away even after seeing me."

The corners of her mouth slightly curled upwards as she closed the small book in her hands.

It was extremely rare to see someone reading paper books, so it immediately caught my mind.

"What's that?"

I asked, trying to push back the unpleasant feeling inside my mind.

Her eyes widened, and then she became flustered.

"Ah... This... No Longer Human, by Osamu Dazai."

I haven't heard about that author, nor I had heard about the book.

"That's... Sorry, I never heard of it."

"Ah... That's fine. It's a book from a thousand years ago, after all."

"That's... How did this book survive the wars and the passage of time?"

Most of the books from that era were lost or destroyed. Some were banned, and the only ones available were in the royal library.

"It didn't. I picked it up from the archives, and reprinted it."

"There are printers available?"

I thought printers had become things of the past era, with everyone now using e-books.

"There aren't, but I own one."

The girl smiled as she slid away a bit, and patted the place beside her.

I wanted to say no and turn away, but I forced myself to comply.

I sat down, taking deep breaths.

The girl silently analyzed my profile, before speaking up again.

"Don't you want to run away?"

"I... Do."

I said, sighing. This situation was mentally tiring.

"Then why don't you?"

"Because... I have been through worse, and running away just from this will make me look pathetic."

"... A curious answer."

She smiled slightly and looked at the book in her hand.

"What's your name?"

She asked while staring at the leather cover.

"Arnold Tilgen... Yours?"

The pressure seemed to lessen suddenly.

"Roxy Rubiat."

"Roxy... It's a nice name."

I smiled, wiping away the sweat from my forehead.

"Thank you."

The girl smiled a bit more, happiness radiating from her face.