13: Who Exactly Is That Man?

It was a bright morning at the academy. Students were seen wearing black Skyrim robes with intricate white hems. They were all hurrying to the General Hall located within the main building quarters of the academy.

"Evelyn, is there a problem?" Zoya asked, trying to catch up with Evelyn's pace.

"..."

There was no answer, as Evelyn remained silent.

Moving through the crowd of first-year students in her stunning Skyrim robe. She tightly gripped her amulet in her left hand as she walked towards General Hall for the new student orientation and tour of the academy.

Early this morning, all the students were abruptly awakened by the amplified voice of the headmaster instructing them on where to obtain their academy Skyrim attire. The husky voice also provided clues on how to locate General Hall on their maps.

Therefore, all of the first-year students hurried towards the hall, unable to stop their chattering mouths as they went.

Zoya attempted to speak with Evelyn after being awoken by the overbearing voice, but all her attempts to initiate a conversation proved futile.

"Is this about what I said yesterday? I apologize if this has caused you pain, but I never anticipated that it would turn out that way. Even I have certain words that I despise so much," she said, once again trying her best to pacify her roommate.

Finally, Evelyn halted and turned around to face Zoya.

"It is not that. I'm just too nervous right now," she replied, turning around and continuing towards the hall. Then a voice called out to her.

"Hey! You are Evelyn, right?" a smooth, masculine voice asked as he walked alongside her. She must have been pretty fast to catch up and pass many students while Zoya tried her best to keep up. She couldn't understand why someone with a 1-star ranking like Evelyn could walk so fast.

As if recognizing the voice, she turned to her right side, only to see a familiar face that she had met twice before in the academy. She had met him in the library and during the test. She momentarily stared at the boy in his well-fitted Skyrim clothes, glancing at his mesmerizing hazel eyes. However, she maintained her walking pace.

"Hi, Steve!" she said, still walking ahead as if she didn't care about anything else in the world.

Steve was once again baffled by her straightforwardness as he followed behind the two girls who were walking ahead of him.

He lightly smacked his head and murmured, 'Steve, you need to stay focused on your mission here. Remember, you can't afford to mess it up this time'.

Just then, they arrived at the vast hall where they were greeted by a sea of students dressed in identical Skyrim robes, some with silver Skyrim robes adorned with golden hems. They are obviously second-year student mages at the academy.

•••

Standing on a dais was none other than the headmaster, who exuded a pressuring aura that silenced the commotion in the hall.

The headmaster was not wearing casual attire today, just like on the day of their testing. He was gracefully adorned in a high-grade golden Skyrim garment with silver hems, while a wavering red cloak hung from his back. Most of the teachers standing behind him, including himself, were not wearing any armour on their bodies.

He took a step forward and addressed the students with a commanding voice that echoed throughout the hall.

"I, Lord Timbeley, officially welcome all the new students who have passed the test," he paused, a smile spreading across his face as he scanned the faces of both the new and old students.

"I wouldn't want to talk too much here, so I will delve into the orientation immediately," he said, glancing back at the teachers behind him. They simply nodded for him to proceed.

"Today, you will receive a scroll containing the rules and regulations of our academy. You must study it today so that you don't break any rules here without realizing it," the old geezer said.

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of teachers brought down several boxes of scrolls from the podium where they had been standing. The students formed a single file as they collected the scrolls. Murmurs and whispers filled the hall.

"Do you think they will be overly strict with their rules?" One of the new students asked the person beside him.

"I don't know. Let's collect it first. Then we can go through it," replied the other person.

The whispering continued for almost an hour until the new students received their scrolls. The headmaster, using his authority, restored silence once again to the hall.

"You don't have to go through the scrolls now. You should study it after curfew," Timbeley said, before introducing the departments and their respective teachers at the academy.

He started his explanation with the expansive Grand Hall, which was situated at a distance from the academy building quarters, and then moved on to the Testing Hall located within it. The Grand Hall is where crowds of people who come to the academy are welcomed. The space is incredibly vast, capable of accommodating nearly half of Rylinth's population. Within this space lies the testing hall, where aspiring students undergo tests. This is also the location where inter-academy mages competitions are held. It looks just like a stadium on Earth.

He proceeded to discuss the Training Grounds and its different sections, which included the sparring unit, dueling unit, tournament unit, and general training unit. The training grounds help students gain practical experience related to what they have been taught. At the Arcane Arena, also known as the Sparring Unit, students participate in sparring matches. They participate in duels at the Dueling Units and engage in games and mass brawls at the Tournament Unit. The General Training Unit is an indoor facility where students can practice individually.

The hall they are currently in is the General Assembly Hall, where students gather for announcements and assemblies. As he explained these departments, the students were glued to their maps, pointing out each one as it was mentioned.

Further elaborating, the headmaster discussed the Library department, which houses books, scrolls, artifacts, and ancient tomes for the use of both students and staff members. Next are the administrative quarters, where the offices of the staff and headmaster are located. He proceeded to four different dormitories: two for male and female first-year students, and two for male and female second-year students. These dormitories house the student mages throughout their stay at the academy. There were three canteens in the academy: one for the staff, one for the first-year students, and one for the second-year students.

Then, there were the academy's dungeon and an underground prison. The dungeon houses mana beasts that students can train with to gain experience in fighting beasts, while the underground prison was where students who break the academy's rules are punished. As the headmaster finished explaining the two locations, the students gasped in fear at the sight of the supposed dungeon marked with several red dots on the map. They presumed that those dots were the mana beasts. Even though it was just a map, they could feel fear creeping into their bones.

"Dungeons?" asked Evelyn, looking at Zoya who stood by her side. She always wondered why she was clinging to her.

"Yes, there was a rumor that it produces both mana beasts and monster beasts. People hypothesized that there was something inside the dungeons birthing those beasts. However, they are unable to come to the surface due to the Supreme Human's formation that has been cast inside all the dungeons in Humaldor. Strong students and mages will always train there." Zoya explained carefully, her determination shining through her eyes as if she couldn't wait to start training there.

Evelyn couldn't help but shiver inwardly as she listened to the explanation, but on the outside, she remained composed.

The headmaster introduced the main academic departments to the students, along with their corresponding teachers who will be responsible for instructing them.

The Department of Elemental and Variant Magic is under the charge of Mrs. Xora. The departments of Blacksmithing and Weapon Crafting are under the charge of Mr. Holden, while Mr. Ronald heads the Combat and Weaponry Department. Mrs. Ivory oversees the Formation and Runes Departments.

When he was done explaining the General Magic Department, which had five homeroom teachers. He assigned thirty students to each teacher. Evelyn and her group were still assigned to Mr. Zim, who was their test guide.

Then he called out the final department.

"And the departments of Alchemy and Potion Brewing. Here students, is Mr. Werney Blake, your newly recruited teacher. He will be in charge of this department," announced the headmaster.

Mr. Werney, who had not been present on the dais, emerged from the crowd of students. He walked up to the dais, greeted the headmaster with a handshake, and flashed a smile at the students.

Just then, the amulet that Evelyn was still gripping in her hand began to vibrate as if it was reacting to something. She quickly placed her left hand behind her back.

Then, as she lifted her head, her eyes landed on a similar amulet worn by the new teacher. It was identical in shape and size to hers, except that his amulet was colourless and sparkled like a diamond.

Instantly, her amulet stopped vibrating, just as the man's eyes swept across the crowd of students, probably searching for the person wearing the other amulet.

Evelyn bowed her head slightly to avoid being discovered, as she remembered the dream once again.

'Is there a connection between my amulet and his?... And who exactly is that man?,' she thought to herself.