25 The eccentric one

"What now?" Anri asked Cole as they headed back to the soy farm.

"Now we wait and hope that Nova and Soren perform under pressure like you did."

"And Jason?"

"He's a rat," Cole replied. "I wouldn't worry about him too much. He knows even less than the others so if he lies to get you into trouble, the computer will know."

Anri was going to rest easy. His secrecy about the gun had been a good decision. Neither Nova nor Soren knew anything more than the little that Anri had revealed.

____

A few days later, Anri received a mail from Cole, a message from Nova, and a package from Starfield.

It was official. The investigation had concluded without proof that Anri was guilty and couldn't build a case against team purple. Starfield could now openly support Anri and receive him into the Academy as a fresh cadet, the only one in a long time to have led a team that won full points at a round of the exam.

Anri opened the package and found four sets of uniforms and a brand new data pad, all paid by his benefactors of unit 13. His student ID and an assortment of other items came along inside the package.

"Congratulations, Anri. I'm proud of you, son."

A small genuine smile lit up Anri's face. He turned to the old man, grateful for the patience with which he had mentored the illiterate sorcerer. "I'm finally getting out of this shitty soy farm."

"Ungrateful bastard," his tutor replied with a grin. "You'll be returning here during the holidays so wipe that smile off your face."

____

2 weeks later.

Location: Starfield Academy

Time: 05:30 hours

"Aaaanrrriiiiii!" Soren yelled from the entrance. "I've been waiting forever. Why are you so late?"

Heads turned to look at the wild redhead with missing brows. Hundreds of young girls and boys of varying ages were walking into the grand entrance that had a sign above it welcoming the new and old students.

"Stop shouting, forehead," Anri told him. "Which dorm have you been assigned to?"

"Diamond, you?"

"Sapphire."

"We're right next to each other," Soren replied. "Oh hey, Nova is here as well."

Nova looked fresh and stylish in a thick baby blue fur coat that reached her ankles. Her hair was done up in a braided crown around her head. A mask and dark shades completed her overall look.

"Does she think that the glasses and the mask make her invisible?"

It was unfortunate but Nova's beauty and grace shone through her attempt at a disguise. People were already staring at her and whispering.

Nova nodded to Soren and Anri before she made a quick getaway with an enormous black suitcase that floated behind her. Anri wished he was rich enough to own such a suitcase.

"Hey, you two. Stop loitering at the entrance!" A security guard called out to them. "If you're going in then go in."

"It's not a crime to stand here, asshole," Soren shouted at the security guard.

"You're a nuisance to the other students so move it before I kick you out!"

Anri grabbed Soren's arm and dragged him along before the redhead could start something with the guard.

"Oi, my suitcase! I left it behind."

Anri sighed and waited for Soren to get his dark maroon suitcase. There was a cute doll hanging on it with a chain.

"What?" Soren defensively asked when he saw Anri staring at it. "My little sister gave it to me."

The sorcerer imagined a little red-headed girl with no brows. "Does she look like you?"

"Why? She's only eight years old so don't even think about it, Anri."

"I already did," came Anri's reply. He meant that he thought about what she might look like.

"Nasty! Anri, you mofo, get away from me!"

____

The sorcerer parted ways with Soren when he arrived at dorm Diamond. It was a triple storied building painted white like the snow that fell over the academy all year round. Each dorm had its own compound and was separated from the other dorms by a low fence that went all around the dorm grounds.

Choosing a random door to get into the building, Anri looked up at a diamond-shaped light that glowed a neon blue.

As soon as he entered, Anri was accosted by two seniors blocking the hallway.

"Fresh meat," the shorter one of them declared. "What's your name, fresh meat?"

"Anri," he answered. Was he about to experience the legendary hazing ritual that Soren had been bitching about?

The seniors looked surprised. "The Anri that built a rail gun and destroyed a spaceship?"

"I didn't destroy a spaceship. I merely shot a hole-"

"Dude! It's you!" The seniors smacked Anri around with enthusiasm. "We all heard about what you did! I thought it was a lie but the prefects all but confirmed it."

Anri stood there awkwardly, not knowing how to respond.

"It's great you chose camp Draco!"

"What?" Anri asked. "I haven't decided on a camp yet."

"That's right, get your dirty paws off him, Drakes," a familiar voice joined them.

"Prefect Levi!" The two seniors saluted in sync.

Levi was in a white tracksuit and had fresh snowflakes on his black hair. "At ease, boys. Leave us alone and go bother someone else."

"But-"

"I heard that Nova is in the third mess hall and she's signing off some autographs. You'll miss it if you don't hurry now."

Anri knew it was a lie. Nova hated the limelight. The seniors didn't know that so they began running out of the building like their pants were on fire.

"So, Anri, it's just the two of us now."

The sorcerer stepped back and put more space between him and Levi. "I thought you didn't care about recruiting me."

"And what gave you the idea that Cygnus doesn't want you?"

"You gave me the idea."

Levi regretted that day. How could he let Helena get to Anri before him? It was all because of the game of chess that Bruce had strong-armed him into. And it hit him right then. "That conniving bear," he muttered out loud. "I should have known."

Anri was very confused. "Prefect Levi, why are you here?"

The lazy prefect shoved his hands into his tracksuit pockets and sighed. He hoped it wasn't too late to get Anri on his team.

"Walk with me, kid."

"I have to get to my room," Anri replied.

"And where would that be?"

"I don't know."

"Exactly. You'll have to register with a dorm leader and they'll assign you a room. For every dorm, there are four leaders, each representing a camp. Do you understand what that means?"

Anri nodded. He had to choose a camp before nightfall.

"Why should I choose Cygnus?" He asked Levi. "Helena made a point which makes me partial to Ursa."

Levi was overjoyed. Anri hadn't succumbed to her beauty. This meant that his chances of recruiting Anri had soared.

"It's simple, really. Helena is a slave driver, a perfectly industrious prefect who expects nothing but perfect perfection from her cadets. She'll be the first to make sure that you're adhering to the rules and sticking to regulations. She'll drive you insane when she sees that your grades aren't keeping up with the class average. Helena will always force you to get regular physicals even when you're at the peak of your health. Is that what you want, Anri?"

The sorcerer thought about it. "It doesn't seem too bad.."

Levi tsked at the teenager. "Just admit that you want a mother, Anri. Cause that's what Helena is, a mother bear."

"And you? What are you? A lazy swan?"

"Correct! Cygnus is a lazy swan that appears calm and placid on the surface but paddles like the devil underneath. I am everything that Helena isn't."

"Why are you demonising Helena?" Anri curiously asked.

"Does it bother you, Anri? If it's any consolation, I demonise Yve and Bruce just as much, and they all do the same to me." Levi then playfully wagged his finger at a very handsome guy in a similar white tracksuit as his. "I won the game, Bruce. Stay out of my lane till my time is up."

"Who is he?" Anri asked as they passed by the glowering young man.

"That's Bruce, prefect of Camp Draco. He's just as much of a slave driver that Helena is but worse because you don't get the motherly treatment. Bruce is the master who only cares about-" Levi went quiet, prompting Anri to glance up at him. "Anri, perhaps I've done you a disservice."

"How so?"

"By not being honest about the prefects. Do you wish to know more about them?"

"I'm not opposed to it," Anri replied.

"Well then, lets start with Ursa. Helena is a smartass but there's no cadet with greater knowledge about tech and engineering. You'll fit right in if you join Ursa. Bruce is an asshole but he's the only one amongst us who can help you achieve well-rounded growth because he's good at everything. He rules Draco with an iron fist so if you're okay with being led by an understanding tyrant then it's off to camp Draco. Next we have Yve. She's a muscle head and can beat you up several ways to next Sunday. Her followers are all physically fit cadets who take combat and warfare very seriously."

Anri silently listened to Levi explain the advantages offered by each prefect. He was waiting to hear what Levi might have to say about himself.

"That's it, Anri, a condensed version of what I think each Camp prefect is good at. Do you have any questions?"

"You haven't told me anything about yourself."

"Yeah, go ask the other prefects. They might just bitch about me though so don't go raising your hopes."

Anri nodded. If it was unbiased honesty that he wanted then he would have to get it from the others.

Anri had been under the impression that the camps were divided by skills or abilities, but he was starting to see that it was the prefects whose specialisations, charisma, and personalities determined which camp the cadets chose. "Wouldn't it be less of a burden to the prefects if Starfield separated its camps by assigning them each a permanent defining quality?"

Levi's slow pace came to a complete stop and he turned to face Anri. "Kid, there's a famous quote attributed to a man called Thucydides." Levi paused as he arranged the words in his mind. "The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools."

Anri waited for him to say more.

"Do you understand, cadet Anri?"

"I do."

"Great. Maybe I'll go harass Nova for an autograph. See ya later, Anri."

The sorcerer watched Levi scratch his neck as he walked through the hallway like he owned the place. The prefect of Cygnus was an eccentric person. If Helena was their engineer, Bruce their commander, and Yve their warrior, what was Levi?