"A beach!?" I exclaimed. Below my feet were brown sands, and tens of meters before me was an immense body of water. Owen, Tokito and I had just come out a portal station. But what I didn't expect was for there to be a beach in the academy. I've never been to a beach before, I had only seen it on video. I didn't have the luxury to go to a beach before.
"Didn't expect it, did you!?" Owen grinned. "I definitely wasn't expecting that!" Tokito agreed. It was half an hour ago. It was Saturday, which meant no classes, but we still had the morning run. After running the course, we were about to part ways when Owen suddenly said, "Could you guys meet me here in half an hour? There's a place I want to show you. "Yeah no problem" I replied. I didn't have any reason to object, besides I would be more bored up there than I'd care to admit.
"Okay!" Tokito also agreed. "Oh, and umm, wear light clothes, the place can be pretty hot" Owen added. I nodded, and went back to my dorm. After freshening up, I wore some light clothes as Owen had said. An armless t-shirt, and a sweat pants. I got down minutes later to see Owen and Tokito already waiting for me.
"Finally we've been waiting since forever" Tokito drawled. "I wasn't the one who said half an hour!" I shrugged. "Hey what is this place that you're taking us anyway!? Tokito asked as we closed in on the portal station.
"Calm down already, you'll see it in a bit!" Owen replied. When we entered the portal station, Owen went to an inconspicuous portal at the back, I wouldn't even normally notice it if not for now. There were normally around four portals we use to get to the academic block and back, and that one wasn't one of the four. Owen paid the due, which was surprisingly thirty points. "Don't the portals cost five points!?" Tokito asked incredulously. "This one is a little special" Owen replied vaguely.
"Alright let's go!" he said as the portal activated. "Whirrrr!" we stepped through the portal. When we came out at the other end, even from the glass walls of the portal station, I could see a lot of bustling cadets. But the moment we stepped out of the station, "A beach!?" I silently exclaimed. "Didn't expect it, did you!?" Owen grinned. "I definitely wasn't expecting that!" Tokito agreed. "But why didn't you tell us there was a beach all this time!" Tokito asked. "Oh I didn't? my bad" Owen said unapologetically. "I often came here while you two are doing whatever torture you call training".
"Why is there a portal station connected to the academy here!?" I asked. "If people know it leads to the academy, wouldn't that cause problems!?" 'No the academy can't be that stupid, if they let a portal lead outside there must be counter measures. For example, no one without a smart bracelet can use the portals' I reasoned. "The crap you're talking about, we're still in the academy!" Owen smiled. "Whaaaat!" I muttered.
"Yeah, no one truly knows the size of the academy, except maybe the mysterious principal and then maybe vice principal" Owen said. "The gate you see outside with nebula Academy shining on it, yeah that's just a farce. The smart bracelets were what teleported us into the real academy". My mind was currently reeling, 'What next, don't tell me the academy itself is an entire planet! Nah it couldn't be'.
"All right look, we got to be careful around here. You see all this cadets?" he asked. Taking a moment to look at them, I realized something, they didn't look any older than us, but their eyes had a certain mature gleam to it that screamed experience, which means most definitely second and third years. "That right!" Owen continued seeing the look of realization on our faces. "The reason why even after knowing there's a beach on the other side of that portal, the first year cadets aren't crowding around said portal was because of these upperclassmen. They're all second years."
"Now Adam, don't let out a leak of your aura out, and and hold your head up high!" said Owen. "Why is that?!" I frowned. "That's because no second year is below rank 2. If a cadet doesn't become a rank 2 by the start of the second year, he/she would be expelled to one of the other academies!" Owen explained.
'If that's the case, then a lot of first years are not getting to the second year'. "So the moment anyone senses my aura, they'll instantly know that I'm a freshman" I concluded. "Exactly!"
"If it's that troublesome, perhaps we should just leave" Tokito suggested. "No worries, I got this!" I replied. "You sure!?" he asked skeptically. "Of course" I replied. 'No way I'm letting my rank stop me from enjoying a beach' I said inwardly. —Shroud— I mumbled. I had said it with the intent to shroud my aura from others for the next few hours. Took forty percent of my reserves, but I call it a good trade.
"Try sensing my aura" I said to the two. "Okay" they said in unison. I felt their senses probing me, before Tokito nearly exclaimed, "Dude how did you do that!?" "Yeah, it's like you're a completely normal person!" Owen added. "What do you mean, do you mean I was not normal before?" I frowned even though I knew what I meant. "I meant a normie and you know it!" he scoffed.
Just then "Whoooosh!" two cadets zoomed past us on hoverboards and onto the water. "Damn, people who know how to live life!" Owen muttered. "Hey just a question of curiosity, how much does that thing cost?" I asked. "Unfortunately you can't buy it, you can only rent it" Owen lamented shaking his head.
"Okay, so where can we rent them?" Tokito asked. "Lucky for you, I know where" he grinned. "Follow me!".
We followed Owen to one of the canopies on the beach. It was like a stall, and a girl was at the counter. She was quite beautiful, I mean who wasn't? all bloodline holders are.
"Hello there gorgeous!" Owen flashed a smile. Tokito and my eyes immediately widened as we turned to stare at each other. "What brings three handsome guys to this humble stall?" she asked also flashing a smile. It was at this point that Tokito and I realized, Owen was damn smooth, but as both of our eyes met, it was as if we came to a tactic understanding not to ever let Owen hear that. His ego was already big enough. We nodded at each other.
"Is there any chance we could get some of those babies? Owen asked pointing to a set of hoverboards. "Depends on how deep your pockets are!" the girl replied with a mischievous smile. "A girl who means business, I like that" Owen continued. "I get that a lot" she smirked. "So how much for one!?" he asked. "50 points an hour" she replied. "I'll take it 20 points for two hours" he said with a suave smile. "Charming! I like it, make it 30 and we have a deal" she replied.
"Deal!" he replied. Soon we were walking out of the stall with a hoverboard in each. "See that children, that's how you negotiate!" Owen smirked. "Half of it was just flirting, I could also do it!" Tokito scoffed even while fully knowing he couldn't. "So how do you use this thing?" I asked the question of the day. Both their eyes turned to saucers as they stared at me. "You seriously don't know how to use a hoverboard?!" Tokito asked bewilderedly.
"Hahahaha!" Owen laughed.
I raised an eyebrow, "Would I have asked if I knew?!" "*Ahem*, it just caught me off guard. But it's pretty easy". He explained the schematics to me and I understood. "It's not even hard!" I muttered. "Haha trust me you haven't tried it yet that's why you think so" Tokito laughed. "Hmmm is that you I see Owen?!" A condescending voice echoed. It was a cadet with slick blue hair, and a condescending smirk. He looked kinda familiar.
"Marcus!" Owen stated. "My condolences, I heard Preston kicked the bucket!" No wonder I thought he looked familiar. He looked like Preston, one of my group members who died to that worm. Perhaps a brother, and if not, a clan member. "And what is a first year like you doing here?! Don't you know of the unwritten rules?" The guy identified as Marcus asked. "There are unwritten rules?, why don't I know of them?" Owen muttered out loud clearly intending for Marcus to hear. "Do one thing Marcus, show me where the unwritten rules are written in the rule book!".
The upperclassman's face changed from condescending to angry. He knew Owen was making a fool of him. To be honest if it were me, I would also be angry, if the unwritten rules were written, they wouldn't be called unwritten now would they?
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PLEASE GIVE SOME MOTIVATION AND DROP SOME POWERSTONES 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏.