The first day of classes finally began.
Damian hoped that everything would go normally. But as usual, his hopes were shattered in a matter of minutes.
That morning, all the new students were gathered in the back field of the academy. The place was spacious and made of stone, surrounded by magic lines that formed an arena. Although the sky was clear and the wind was cool, the atmosphere there felt tense. Damian stood among the other students, staring at the arena with a half-resigned face. He knew very well that if there was a "gathering in the field" on the first day, it definitely wasn't just to greet them warmly.
Not long after, Instructor Van appeared. The teacher who was known to be the strictest stood in front of everyone, crossing his arms with a sharp gaze. "Good morning," he said flatly. "Today, we start with a basic evaluation."
No one dared to interrupt. Everyone was silent, waiting for the next instruction.
"Magic training and fighting techniques," Van continued. His voice remained calm, but gave pressure. "No need to win, but show what you can do. We want to see how far you can go... without burning each other."
Damian swallowed. He hesitated, but eventually he raised his hand slowly. "Instructor... may I ask a question?"
Van nodded. "Please, Damian."
"How many students last year... did not survive this training?"
The atmosphere suddenly became silent. Several students turned to Van, clearly waiting for his answer.
Without hesitation, the instructor answered casually. "Four point five."
Damian furrowed his brows. "Point five?"
Van just stared at him expressionlessly. "Don't think too much about it. Good luck."
The atmosphere immediately became more tense. Damian took a deep breath, lowering his head slightly as he spoke to himself. "Will I survive?"
One by one, the students began to show their abilities in the arena.
Some manipulated fire, forming it into small, spinning pillars. Others use ground magic to form a sturdy shield, making the audience exclaim in awe. There was even a student who excitedly and with tears released a jet of water from his palm while shouting with emotion, "THIS IS MY POWER!!"
On the side of the field, Damian just sat there, waiting for his turn. His gaze occasionally shifted towards Liam, who seemed busy writing something down in his small notebook.
"Liam...you didn't practice?" Damian asked in a surprised tone.
Without looking away from his notes, Liam answered calmly, "Oh, I practiced this morning. Four to five thirty."
Damian stared at him, almost in disbelief. "You... are a strange creature."
Liam only smiled thinly, as if he had heard that answer often. "I was trained for that."
Damian could only sigh. In the midst of the seriousness of the exam that day, their interaction seemed to be a small, entertaining gap.
When it was their turn, Instructor Van pointed at Damian and Liam without further ado. "Damian, Liam. You're the next pair."
Damian turned to his best friend and smiled casually. "Wow, a duel with you, Liam. That was fun."
However, as usual, Liam responded with excessive politeness. He bowed lightly and said in a respectful tone, "Please guide me, Master Damian."
Damian immediately frowned. "Stop talking like I'm your master!"
Without much choice, the two of them stepped forward to the center of the arena. Damian took a slow breath, trying to focus. In his hand appeared an ice sword — thin, light, but emitting a sharp aura. Meanwhile, Liam only took a defensive position with a regular sword, his face remaining calm and serious.
Instructor Van raised his hand, giving the signal. "Start!"
Damian immediately attacked. He slashed low, but Liam easily dodged. Not wanting to lose, Damian jumped and spun back, trying to surprise him. But Liam ducked and moved to the side nimbly, dodging Damian's attack easily.
"How many times have you practiced that move?!" Damian exclaimed, frustrated.
"One thousand two hundred and six times," Liam replied flatly, without even sounding arrogant.
Damian almost slipped because of that answer. "When did you even count?!"
Before Damian could reorganize his attack, Liam moved quickly. With a swift movement, he caught Damian's momentum and knocked him to the ground with a barely visible shoulder lock. Damian landed hard enough to stare at the sky in a lying position.
"Ow..." he muttered softly.
Instructor Van seemed quite impressed. "Interesting. Damian, you have incredible potential. But Liam... your reflexes are crazy."
Damian could only sigh weakly. He stared blankly at the sky, unable to believe what had just happened. "I was defeated... by Liam???"
Liam, with a calm and sincere face, approached and offered a hand to help Damian up. "I just want to make sure you stay safe, even during training."
Damian took his hand, but couldn't hold back his complaint. "...That's no reason to throw me in front of the whole class."
Some of the students watching laughed softly, while Damian could only surrender to his shame.
After the training was over, the atmosphere on the field slowly became more relaxed. The students began to disperse, looking for a place to rest under the large trees that surrounded the arena.
Some of them seemed busy chatting, some were arguing about which technique, and the rest were showing off their respective weapons proudly. Meanwhile, Damian chose to sit on the edge of the field, taking a slow sip of water. He tried to avoid the gazes of the other students who had been watching him.
Soft whispers began to be heard among them.
"He's rank 3, right?"
"Yeah, he can make swords out of ice."
"But... why is his assistant even scarier?"
Damian could only sigh softly. The amazed and curious gazes honestly made him a little uncomfortable.
Beside him, Liam sat quietly, fully focused on his book. Unaffected by the crowd, he continued to write something down seriously in a thick book titled "Damian Kade's Schedule for Week 1".
Damian glanced at him, not knowing whether to feel comforted or even more stressed, seeing how serious Liam was in carrying out his duties as a "personal assistant".
Before the class was completely dismissed, Instructor Van stood up again and made an important announcement. "Next week, there will be a group simulation. Be prepared," he said briefly, but enough to make the entire room immediately fill with whispers.
Some students looked enthusiastic, while others started to look anxious, thinking about their possible teammates. Damian, on the other hand, just turned to Liam with a slightly confused expression. "Be prepared in the sense of...?" he asked, trying to make sure.
Liam closed his book calmly and answered as if everything was clear. "I will strategize the group formation based on the most compatible potential with you."
Damian frowned. "But... we don't know what the simulation will be like, Liam."
"No problem," Liam replied lightly. "Not for me."
Damian could only be silent for a moment before finally giving up. "Okay. I give up."
The class was finally over.
The students looked more relaxed as Instructor Van left the training arena, and the atmosphere immediately changed to a freer atmosphere. However, for Damian, everything had just begun.
As soon as he walked out of the arena, several students immediately approached him. At first, only one or two people seemed to want to talk, but in a matter of seconds, their numbers increased. In an instant, Damian was surrounded.
"Damian, you were really great earlier! Come join my group later!"
"If you're with Damian, you'll definitely win, right?"
"Hey, don't cheat! I asked him first!"
The voices shouted at each other, making Damian almost lose his balance. He could only raise both hands, trying to calm the crowd that was getting more and more crowded.
"Hey, wait... everyone... one by one," he said in a panic. But no one listened.
As the situation became more chaotic, Liam, who was standing next to Damian, finally stepped forward. His face remained calm, but his voice sounded very firm.
"Everyone, please listen," he said loudly, loud enough to silence the crowd instantly.
Damian turned his head, a little worried. "Liam...?"
But before Damian could say anything, Liam had continued, his voice sounding very serious and confident.
"Mr. Damian didn't accept any group offers from anyone," he said without hesitation. "He doesn't need them. He's strong enough to face the simulation on his own."
Damian's eyes widened. "Eh... what?!"
Liam patted his chest confidently. "And I'll always be by his side. That way, Mr. Damian will never lose."
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. The students who had been enthusiastic now looked disappointed, some even looked annoyed. Damian could only stand stiffly, his face pale.
"Ruined... my reputation is ruined... now everyone will think I'm arrogant and anti-social..." he thought in panic.
Amidst the tension, a red-haired noble girl walked casually through the crowd, staring at Damian with an annoying expression.
"Wow, he's like a king," she commented lightly with a half-mocking tone. "But yeah... rank 3. You must be picky about people." She chuckled, but clearly hadn't thought about who she would want to be in a group with later.
Not far from there, the short-haired elf girl who had wanted to approach him stopped instead. He took a deep breath and lowered his head. His gaze turned gloomy.
"There's no way Damian would want to be in a group with me... I don't have any skills," he whispered to himself.
Without saying much more, she stepped back and sat alone under a tree. He opened his book and pretended to read, even though his mind was clearly in a mess.
Meanwhile, Damian could only hold his head, confused by what had just happened.
"Why did my life in this academy suddenly become this chaotic...?"
Not long after that, the students slowly dispersed. Some still glanced at Damian with various expressions, amazed, disappointed, and confused. And when everyone returned to their respective dorms, the strange and tiring day finally ended.
That night, Damian sat alone on the balcony of his dorm room. The night air was calm. The lights outside were starting to dim, and the atmosphere was quiet. The moonlight reflected softly around him, creating a strangely quiet atmosphere that... felt comfortable. Even though his body was tired, his mind continued to spin. Damian stared at the night sky and said to himself, "Today nothing feels strange, but for some reason... it feels like something will happen soon."
On the other side of the academy, at the same time, someone was standing still on the balcony of the top floor of the class 1-D dorm building. He was clearly visible under the moonlight. His dark hair was flowing slowly in the night wind, and his eyes were sharp, as if he was observing something far above the sky.
He was looking in the same direction as Damian, as if the two were connected by the vast night sky.