They suddenly halted, and the noise around the environment disappeared.
He was left with a troubling silence and a darkness that didn't seem to fade away no matter what he did.
A sprinkle of water splashed across his face, causing light to flow into his eyes and colour returned.
He covered part of his eyes with his palms to avoid the bright blue light that went through the glass windows around him.
"Where the hell I'm I?" He whispered, trying to find his sense of balance after a prolonged darkness and lack of light.
"Sorry kid, but only high tier kids get special treatment around these parts. Welcome to the academy." A deep groggy voice answered. He could sense calmness coming from the voice.
He cleaned his vision and stared closely again. His vision was slowly returning, and the figure before him slowly made sense.
He had an oval face with well carved beards from his moustache, down to his chin. He had a fair complexion and a red colored hair that faced upwards.
He wore a brown jacket that had pockets with black and white shirts inside.
His face stood close to Cheryl's, causing him to crawl backwards as his vision cleared.
"Who the hell are you?!" He yelled, glancing around his environments for any suspicious item.
The man chuckled and then stepped backwards to take in Cheryl's look properly before answering.
"You look freshly clean like you're from a rich family. Why were you placed in the lowest part of the academy?." He asked, ignoring Cheryl's own question.
Cheryl stared at himself and noticed none of his belongings were stolen, and his clothes were intact, then glanced back up to the man in front of him.
"That's none of your business. First, tell who you are and where I am." Cheryl spoke back with a cold glare.
The man chuckled further, admiring Cheryl's bravery and attitude before answering his question.
"We are at the entrance of the academy, and who I am is not for you to know. Now stand up, or you'll be late for the introduction ceremony."
He turned to leave but was called back by Cheryl, who had more questions to ask.
"Why was I kidnapped and brought here?. What happened to my rider?.!"
With a side look over his shoulder, he answered Cheryl with a cold voice.
"Luxury is not for the weak. If you wanted to be brought here in a more fancy way, then you should have awakened stronger," he answered, then turned and walked into through the large gates that stood before Cheryl.
"Tsk!" Cheryl winced, standing up and dusting his clothes.
"What's his deal? Couldn't he have just answered me without the salty attitude?" He complained, checking all his items and making sure none of them was missing.
After checking properly, he raised his head and slung the bag over his shoulder, staring at the massive gates in front of him.
'So this is the academy.' He shrugged, the bronze metal of the gates illuminating his frame on its edges.
The galloping of horses took his thought away, and he glanced back at the coming horses, one of which he recognised well enough.
"The Bellingham Carriage." He whispered, watching it ride inside the gates without sparing him a glance.
'I see what he means now,' he sighed, remembering the man's earlier words about class and strength.
He hurriedly went inside the gates through the small passage built for individuals to slide through.
He noticed the academy was built atop an enormous plateau, surrounding by greener pasture. It was probably a camouflage to hide it away from the normal world and keep its students safe from danger.
As he stepped through the gates, he was startled by the man from earlier, standing by the walls, quietly lighting a cigarette.
"What took you so long?," he dipped the lighter into his pocket, blowing out smoke to the atmosphere.
"I was making sure of some things. Why do you care?." Cheryl asked, pausing briefly to stare at him properly.
"Well, until I get you to the main yards. You are under my care, and so, your safety is my priority. Don't feel special." He answered back, walking ahead of him.
Cheryl sighed, running up to him since he didn't know anything about the geography of the academy.
"What is this place? It's way too big for an academy!"
He glanced at the geography of the area they moved between, astonished by the land mass he was in.
It was as big as the ancient visualisation of a roman arena built for gladiators, with similar shape. It was hexagonal in shape, with seats well aligned for spectators.
There were two doors, one from which he came from and the other was where they were heading.
The carriages seemed to stop here, dropping off their passengers and heading out the gate.
"It's a fighting arena, specially built for specific events, like duels between high tier individuals. Some practical exams, fighting events that include large spectators, or powerful individuals." He explained, puffing out circles of smoke into the air.
"But it is also the entrance to the academy, for a reason I myself do not seem to know, but who cares anyway. Definitely not me" he chuckled, placing the cigarette back in between his lips.
"Wow!," Cheryl gasped, imagining himself as one of the duelist during a big event, with a thousand spectators, watching him pound multiple opponents alone.
"Tell me, what ability did you get?. You definitely don't seem like you're from a poor background," he asked genuinely, inhaling air.
"I don't feel comfortable telling you, so I would prefer you not ask me again." He answered with a cold voice, staring at the sand beneath his feet.
The man didn't question further. He just let the silence carry them to the next area of the academy.
Cheryl's legs had already started giving out. He felt like he had been walking for years, but the man didn't feel like he had journeyed at all.
"You don't have any endurance in you. We've barely moved a mile." He complained.
"I usually don't feel like this. It's probably because of the chemical you made me inhale before bringing me here!."
He stopped by the entrance to the next area, panting more than he expected himself to.
"Ohh, yeah, that's true." He pointed out, sighing after realising Cheryl had a point.
"Well, then. I guess it's time to go through."
He snapped his wrist, and a glowing portal reeled into existence right before Cheryl, leaving him even more astonished.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Cheryl fascinated, gaining energy almost immediately.
"Come on, follow me. The introductions will soon start." The man went through the portal and disappeared. Soon after, Cheryl went along into the portal.