Onward to the Sun

Chapter 9: Officially a Student of the Academia

Chapter 9: Officially a Student of the Academia

It was already night time and the palace-like structure of the academy was well-lit with these magical lamps that glowed a warm hue, illuminating the entire structure with ease. As we walked towards the Dining Hall, our footsteps were echoing as our feet hit the marble floor. The Headmistress, however, moved in stealth and there is no noise that her regal walk emits. She somehow reminds me of a cat, elegant—like of a royalty, modest, prim, and proper. There were a few students remaining in the hallway and they seem to be very curious about me, and all of them also went in the direction of the Dining Hall of the Academia.

“The Academia is very strict when it comes to breakfast and dinner, all students are mandated to be at the Dining Hall on time, those who are late shall not be served a meal until the next one,” Santina told me as we followed the Headmistress. “This is a way of the Academia to discipline us and teach us the value of obedience, by abiding to various rules and regulations and such. The punishment for those who do not follow rules is simple, for example, you were late for dinner, then, you will not eat dinner.”

I nodded.

“Breakfast is at 8 in the morning and dinner is also at 8 in the evening. All are at sharp. Make sure to take note of that.” Santina said to me.

“While I tour you around tomorrow, I will also start briefing you up with the basic things that you need to know, and since you are also not from this world—I guess, I will also have to teach you the history of Magus Mundo, about the acnologians and acnologias, rules and regulations of the Academia, our Divinia Class Curriculum, and other things you need to know.”

“Alright, I very much appreciate your kind gesture, Santina.” I smiled at her. Now that I am thinking of it, she seems to be the only dark elf around the Academia. She is the only one of her race too, all I am seeing are actually human-looking beings like me.

“Of course, it is an honor to be acquainted with the Tempus Imperium acnologia wielder, you have no idea how powerful your acnologia is and can be. With proper training and education, you shall be.” Santina smiled as if the idea excites her so much. “Also, I am already getting tired of the faces of the four people in our class as there used to be only five of us, having an additional member of the Divinia Class is pleasant.”

Santina talks about me being a Tempus Imperium wielder as if I can naturally wield this acnologia that I inherited from my mother. She has no idea I do not even know how to conjure it.

“Anyway, your acnologia Tempus Imperium is a very powerful one, as according to the Acnologian Book of Records, the Tempus Imperium is all-encompassing. It is all about the manipulation of time. You can reverse time, or even fast forward it. With proper training, you shall be able to do it.” She encouraged, but while she did mean nothing but motivate me, the thought of it was somehow very disturbing, and it made me feel pressured to some extent. I remained silent as I listened to Santina who was also quite a talker like Helios.

I mentally sighed. I never thought I will end up here, like this. Yesterday, I was just back on Earth and sleeping the rest of my day out, but now, I am in a strange and unfamiliar world, surrounded by magicians who call themselves ‘acnologians’, and I also happen to be one of them. In addition to this, my mother is also an acnologian, a very powerful one, and she has also been missing from this world for twenty years already, while she has been missing in mine for eighteen years.

I feel overwhelmed by everything, but there is nothing I can do but to go on with the flow. Life must go on, and the Headmistress has promised me that she will find a way back for me to be able to go home. I will hold unto that, and for the meantime, I need to earn my keep as well in the Academia who will give me sustenance.

“You seem very lost in your thoughts,” Helios said as we continued to walk. The Academia is very huge, I must give them that. “Something bothering you?”

“Many things,” I replied.

“Right, of course.” He chuckled lightheartedly, “don’t worry, the Headmistress will surely find a way for you to be able to go home. You just have to be patient.”

“I know,” I smiled at Helios as he showed me his kind gesture by cheering me up. “I just never thought my life will suddenly become like this. It is very new and foreign, and the idea that I am depending on someone terrifies me. As someone who grew up independently, this is something alien and foreign.”

“Well, I am independent too, look at where it got me before.” He chuckled; I suddenly remembered the first time we met a few hours ago where he was fighting off these night creatures. “I learned it the hard way a few hours ago, that you cannot survive on your own. You will need comrades and friends who will have your back and aid you. Despite how strong you are, you will always have a limit. By accepting and coming to terms with these, you’ll be able to finally move forward.” He stated as if it was a matter-of-fact. He was right, though, and what he said is an undeniable fact. “Cheer up now.”

“You’re right. I appreciate your kind words, Helios.”

“Helios rarely motivates someone up. That is kind of new.” Santina grinned at Helios who started to blush as if he suddenly felt awkward.

“Not true, Santina,” Helios said, his tone now harder than usual.

“If you insist, Fire-boy.” Santina grinned, her lips twisting into something malicious which Helios simply ignored. As someone who is very dense, I do not know what they were actually talking about and I have no plans to know, so I just ignored them.

It took us a few minutes before we finally stopped in front of a wide twin door that was closed. The Headmistress snapped her fingers and the door automatically opened—I wonder what her acnologia is since she seems to be able to manipulate everything with just a simple gesture of her hands.

The noise from within the Dining Hall suddenly blared away and came to us like a wave of clamor, and it sounded like a mixture of voices from a sea of strangers. We walked into the Dining Hall, and it was a very large room with massive windows on the walls. The ceiling was very high too, and it seems like an acnologia was used to cast an illusion of a fake night sky in it that made the hall more serene and aesthetic, there were chandeliers too with candles on it and they floated in the air, and there were blue banners as well that had the insignia of the Academia across the hall.

I was mesmerized by how magical the place was—there were ten elongated tables that stretched their way out across the room vertically, and at the central corner of the room lies a platform that was elevated and it had one big horizontal table that was curved. The center spot was vacated and the chair was different from the others, it was made of gold with blue line-marks. I already knew it was the Headmistress’s spot. The rest of the chairs beside her were color black, with a blue marking as well. I already know, basing on the dark blue cloak that they feature too, that they were the professors and staff of the Academia. The cape that they feature is a sign that they were not students but workers here.

There was one table that was very long but only had three students in it and they also wore dark blue uniforms, like of Santina and Helios. I already knew that they were their classmates and they soon shall also be my classmates because I belong to the Divine Tier. I will get to meet them later.

I looked around once more, and the three elongated tables were filled with students who wore a blue uniform, and the remaining six tables had students who wore light blue uniforms. I see that students here are also segregated based on their tier. There were many foods that were served on the tables as if there was a feast or festival going on. It was a variety—with meat and plates of seafood, to vegetables and stuff, and now that I am thinking of it, I can finally smell the aroma of the food around and I already knew they were all delicious. It made me hungry too.

When the students finally caught the presence of the Headmistress, the noise started to die down until there was total silence. No one has started to eat dinner yet, as if they were waiting for her.

“Santina and Helios, take Luna with you and go to your table to have your dinner.”

“Alright, Headmistress,” Santina replied.

Headmistress Aragona then walked the center aisle with poise and dignity afterward. There is something very powerful in her aura that makes her very formidable and fearsome. She reminded me of a cat, actually.  She proceeded to her table that lies at the center of the horizontal table where the rest of the workers of the Academia also were positioned at. There is simply a distinguisher here, a social hierarchy that they have cast. Those in authority are at the horizontal table, and the center is reserved for the Headmistress, the head of the Academia. On the other hand, the vertical tables are for the students, and there was also a hierarchy here that depends on what acnologian class or tier they belong to.

The Headmistress has finally reached her seat after almost a minute of walk. On the other hand, Santina, Helios, and I were all just rooted on our spot at the very entrance of the Dining Hall, and as usual, I feel like I was a spectacle as most of the attention of the students also went to me, as if they were curious to suddenly perceive a new face that was with the most powerful class of acnologians.

I can see the question in their expression. They wanted to know who this new girl was. They wanted to know who and what I was, what I can do, what I am made of, and all that.

To be honest, that is also the same thing I want to know.

Who am I?

What am I?

I sighed because I do not know... And I have no plans to, I just want to stay as the normal Luna Clockwork from Earth who loves to watch and read anything that is fantasy-genre related. I want to be with my Dad, and I want to live an idle life as well. That is all. I do not want to embark on an adventure. I want to stay in my own room, away from the world. I am very introverted, and so, to be exposed to the social world is quite tiresome and exhausting.

“Let’s go to our table,” Santina said after a few seconds. She walked first and we followed. It was kind of weird and funny at the same time how their head also turned in our direction, making it obvious that they were really looking at us. I looked at Santina and Helios, it also appears that they were already used to the attention that they were receiving and so, they were unbothered.

“As you can see, the tables of the students are segregated based on the acnologian class where they belong to. The divine class only has five students, and you are the sixth, and the first table is exclusively for us. The legendary class has three tables, and the remaining six tables are for the paladin class students. You shall also get used to the attention that they give since we are considered as the most powerful acnologian-students, the creme of the top.” Santina stated, “though at first when I was also new here, the attention is quite bothersome, but like I said, in time, you will learn how to deal with it as if it is nothing.”

“Alright,” I mumbled.

“And compared to the legendary and paladin class, we have a different curriculum. While all classes have lectures, pieces of training, and such—the divine tier, our class, has another addition to the curriculum and that enables us to go out for adventures and quests at the mandate of the Academia. Through this, we learn experience and such. We have more arduous training too compared to the rest, and our training shall depend on the acnologia that we have.”

“I will take note of that,” I said as Santina told me the salient points and things that I need to know here. I am still unaware of the Academy’s system, but I am sure that I will get by in no time because Santina and Helios are there to help me. I wonder what kind of personality and attitude it is, though, that the rest of the Divine Class have. If I recall it correctly, the name of our tier’s class is Divinia Class. I guess the legendary tier’s class is called Legendaria Class, while the paladin tier’s class is called Paladinia Class—or something like that.

We walked towards our table where there were two ladies and one gentleman. That means that in my class now, I will have two male classmates and three female classmates.

“Who is she?” The girl with platinum-blonde hair asked, her eyes were red and she was very pale. Her almost snow-white porcelain skin made her appear to be like a doll. She looked at me with her beautiful eyes that reminded me of red diamonds and orbs. The two people who were with her were just silent as they waited for either Santina or Helios to speak and answer their questions.

“Our new classmate.” Helios smirked, “I was the one who found her.”

“Or rather, I was the one who found you,” I stated.

“Right,” Helios laughed. “She saved me from the brink of death.”

That made the gentleman who wore the same dark uniform as Helios to raise an eyebrow. He had black hair and he looked gorgeous too. “Serves you right for recklessly going without us. You know we are not just a class, but a crew. You always act on your own, Helios.”

“It is because the Headmistress will not give us a permit to go and fight these Nightwalkers who are actually walking freely around the Kingdom.” Helios sounded a little bit frustrated as if the idea is somewhat upsetting.

“Because we are not yet ready. We still lack coordination and teamwork. We need to work on that. We have to.” The girl beside the platinum-blonde hair woman replied. She had short hair that was pixie-cut, and she had a sword behind her as well. She was also fair, but not too pale white compared to the white girl beside her.

“That is because we still have no leader. No one is suitable to lead our group.” Santina remarked. “We tried all of us and nothing worked perfectly or fine. Everything always ends up in a state of mess and disaster.”

They all grudgingly agreed while I was just silent and felt out of place.

We finally took our seat and I took mine beside Helios.

“So, new girl, what’s your name and your acnologia?” The doll-like girl with red eyes asked me.

“I am Luna Clockwork and my acnologia is Tempus Imperium.”

That widened her eyes as if she was surprised to find out what acnologia it is that I wield.