"We'll take you to the dormitory building," said one of the guards, still suspicious.
Upon entering the city, Kayden felt a pang of disappointment. His vision had been of a new world, some kind of promised land. But the city near the walls was ugly. Houses built from black basalt, wooden roofs, and streets overflowing with garbage.
'The difference between here and Ashen Falls is just the location...'
The streets were uneven and poorly paved. The foot traffic, however, was livelier. More people walked the sidewalks, and something even more unusual: children laughing and playing.
"We're here," announced the guard.
Kayden looked up. The building was impressive, six stories high, with many windows, and it was finally constructed with dignity. Plants along the sides gave it a more vibrant look, though the black basalt architecture remained.
***
Kayden stopped in front of the reception desk.
The reception hall was stark and utilitarian, stripped of any ornament beyond what was necessary. A heavy wooden desk dominated the entrance, where the receptionist sat like a gatekeeper. Dusty potted plants lingered in the corners, more for formality than life, their leaves pale under the dim lanternlight. Two corridors stretched out from the room, one veering left, the other right. The left passage was painted in somber shades of blue and black, cold and oppressive, while the right was dressed in unsettling hues of pink and white, a brightness that felt almost wrong in contrast, as if mocking the gloom around it.
The receptionist was leafing through a colorful magazine, completely oblivious to the movement in the lobby. She didn't seem in any hurry to help anyone.
"I need a room."
She turned the page without looking at him.
"Good morning to you, too, kid."
Kayden frowned. The silence grew heavy.
"...And the room?"
This time, she slowly raised her eyes with a mocking smile.
"Aren't you forgetting something? …Good morning?"
He sighed.
'Are you serious that I'm going to have to play this game?'
"...Good morning."
"Better. Now we're talking." She calmly closed the magazine and extended her hand. "ID, please."
Kayden pulled the document from his pocket, not hiding his irritation.
She checked the paperwork with all the patience in the world, tapping her pen against the desk like someone savoring the delay.
"There. You'll be on the third floor, room eleven."
"Where are the stairs?"
She stared at him again in silence.
'She's starting to piss me off.'
"...Thank you."
"You're welcome! The stairs are down the hallway to the left."
'What an attention seeker.'
***
The hall was large but simple, and the stairs were wide enough for many people to use simultaneously. Kayden climbed until he found the gray iron door of room eleven.
The room looked like it had survived a war. Dirty clothes thrown in piles, plates stacked with food scraps, the sour smell of sweat and mold. Kayden stopped at the door, shocked.
'This isn't a dormitory... It's a collective grave.'
The noise from the door drew attention. From the bathroom emerged a huge guy, almost six and a half feet tall, wearing only a towel wrapped around his waist. His body looked like it had been sculpted with hammers: hard muscles, scars streaking across his skin.
He widened his eyes upon seeing Kayden.
"Damn, ever heard of knocking?!"
Kayden didn't back down.
"It's my room."
The brute frowned, confused, but soon relaxed his shoulders.
"Ah... It's you. The newbie."
He turned his back, rummaging through the mess on the table. The towel slipped.
He blinked. Then his eyes went wide in panic.
"Holy crap—THE EXCALIBUR!"
He slammed the door shut. Leaning against the hallway, he took a deep breath, trying to erase the image from his mind.
'I saw too much. I definitely saw too much.'
Minutes later, the door opened again. The brute reappeared, now dressed. Tight jeans, a fitted t-shirt, and a huge pompadour, spiked up as if defying gravity.
"Sorry about the scene. Relax, it happens. Logan." He extended his hand with an easy smile, as if nothing had happened.
Kayden stared at the hand for a second, incredulous.
"...My room."
"Shared." Logan laughed, adjusting his pompadour. "Looks like we'll be roommates, partner."
Kayden sighed, already regretting it.
'Great. My fate is sealed: stuck with a musclehead exhibitionist.'
Logan laughed loudly. "Good thing I cleaned the room yesterday! In the end, it was worth it!"
Kayden looked around incredulously. "Cleaned? You cleaned this place?"
Logan started laughing uncontrollably. "You should've seen your face! You looked like you were going to puke!"
"What's so funny about that?"
"Of course I didn't clean," said Logan, still laughing. "But relax, I'll take care of it now."
Kayden sighed and sat in the only available chair while Logan began gathering clothes from the floor.
"Are you new to the academy?" asked Logan, folding a shirt.
"I'm enlisting tomorrow."
"Awesome! I'll help you out. I enrolled recently, too."
"Right..."
Logan paused what he was doing. "So, why did you decide to enlist?"
The answer came automatically: "My father wanted me to."
"That sucks."
Kayden frowned.
"I enlisted because it's my childhood dream," continued Logan, apparently oblivious to Kayden's reaction.
'I didn't ask. Does this guy ever stop talking?'
"I'm one of the chosen ones, got a Sovereign rank contract from the Great Blessing," Logan said with his nose in the air.
The Great Blessing had happened over a decade ago, and a massive number of people began receiving contracts randomly, without explanation. It completely changed the world's power balance.
"Rank?"
"It's what's written on your contract, determines its base power."
"Ah, I see."
"What's yours?"
Kayden hesitated for a moment. "Primordial."
Logan stopped what he was doing and started laughing. "Come on, man, that doesn't even exist."
'Doesn't exist... This is getting interesting.'
Kayden forced a smile. "My bad... I have a Sovereign contract too."
"Seriously?!" Logan's eyes lit up. "We're the badasses then! High five!"
'He believed it that easily?'
The room was finally presentable. Logan had collected all the dirty clothes and organized the space. They had a small refrigerator, a sink, and everything integrated in the same room. The beds were in opposite corners, with the bathroom door between them.
"So, do you work out?" asked Logan, flexing his bicep.
"No."
"You can't fool me! I can see all that definition!"
'He's getting on my nerves.'
"I don't like lifting weights."
"Really? Check out these muscles!"
He was strong, Kayden had to admit.
"Well... Everyone has their flaws," said Logan, grabbing a towel. "It's getting late, I'm going to train downstairs!"
The door closed behind him. Kayden sighed in relief.
"How am I going to survive living with this lunatic?"
But at least the conversation had yielded valuable information. If his contract's rank wasn't even catalogued, that could only mean one thing.
'I must be much stronger than I imagined.'
He threw himself on the bed, too soft for his standards. And relaxed.
***
The next day started early. Kayden woke up to the sound of Logan doing push-ups beside the bed.
"Hey! You like waking up early, too!" said Logan, sweaty but cheerful. "You woke up just in time for the morning run!"
"What are you doing?"
"Training! A Sovereign contract doesn't guarantee us anything. We need to train like crazy if we want to be different."
Logan got up, wiping sweat with a towel. "So, want to go for a run?"
"I'd rather stay here."
"I'll take you to the academy on the way!"
Kayden considered for a moment. "Alright then."
***
Logan's pace was demanding even for another Oathbounder. He constantly jumped, bringing his knee to his chest, saying it was good for training mobility.
As they moved away from the wall, Kayden noticed the city improved. The houses, still made of basalt, were tidier, built with planning and proper structure. More windows, better finishes.
Trees planted along the sidewalks gave a sense of freshness. For the first time, Kayden felt like he was in a truly civilized place.
"Here it is," announced Logan. "The Academy."
Kayden stopped and contemplated.
The building was immense, not in height like the dormitories, but in width. The entrance was a sandy trail flanked by green grass and trees. The Academy's wings stretched outward, enclosing a vast garden framed by ornate railings.
It was the only construction he'd seen so far that wasn't made of black basalt, but rather of a white material that looked like quartz.
"Wow."
Logan laughed, continuing his stationary march. "Even you couldn't hide your reaction! I'm heading off, see you at the Academy!"
'How can a place like this exist... This looks like it's from another world.'
Kayden passed through the ornate gate and immediately heard the sound of swords clashing, laughter, and the rustling of trees in the wind.
"So this was Rodolf's dream," he murmured.
Upon entering the reception, he encountered the same woman from the dormitories again.
'This time I'll do what she wants from the beginning.'
"Good morning," said Kayden politely. "I want to enlist."
She raised her eyes from the magazine and arched an eyebrow. Without saying a word, she pushed some papers in his direction.
"Just fill them out."
Kayden frowned.
'What a bitch! Now that I was polite, she's going to ignore me?'
He filled in the basic information, name, age, and simple data to facilitate enrollment for anyone with a contract.
"Done."
"Freshman class is at ten o'clock," she said without lifting her eyes from the magazine.
"Thank you."
Silence. She went back to reading.
'Bitch!'
***
Irritated, Kayden decided to explore the academy. The hallways were long and endless; most of the rooms seemed intended for physical training. Few had boards and desks for theoretical classes.
Walking through the corridors, he spotted a large inner courtyard. In the center, a woman with lilac hair was training impressively. Her movements were fast and precise, with strength disproportionate to her delicate silhouette.
'There are really strong people in this academy...'
***
When class time arrived, Kayden headed to the indicated room. It was large, with a semicircular bleacher that elevated the desks relative to the board level.
The professor entered. A man around thirty, with long hair tied back, a look that indicated several poorly slept nights. He sat on the desk with a tired air.
"Looks like he teaches Advanced Technical Report Writing... Lives up to the profession."
"I was informed we have a new student," said the professor, examining the room. "Someone who came from the Collision Zone."
Conversations began flowing through the room until all eyes fixed on Kayden. Logan was in the front row with an exaggeratedly surprised expression.
The professor's gray eyes fixed on him. "What's your name?"
"Kayden."
"How old, Kayden?"
"Sixteen."
"Why do you want to become a soldier?"
Kayden started to answer, but hesitated. Rodolf's words echoed in his mind. "Because... someone important to me wanted to be one."
"So you're living someone else's dream?"
"Yeah..."
The professor nodded and turned to the board. "Folks, I take back what I said about Logan being the first to die from this class. Kayden has that honor."
Kayden clenched his fists, frowning. "What do you mean?"
The professor looked over his shoulder. "Any problem?"
"How do you know I'll be the first to die?"
"Isn't it obvious? Your motivation is weak. People with weak motivations die first."
Kayden's blood boiled. He wanted to go settle things less intellectually. But he forced himself to sit down.
'Screw what this idiot thinks.'
The hours dragged on, classes about knowledge acquired from the Djinn Domains. But Kayden couldn't concentrate. The professor's phrase had penetrated his mind more than he'd like to admit.
He needed to blow off steam.
And the last class of the day, the practical combat class, was where all his attention was focused.