The car slowly pulled up to the academy grounds.
Jezebeth looked out through the window.
The academy was far larger than he had imagined.
Several enormous buildings surrounded the main courtyard, each one built from dark stone and white marble. Tall towers rose above the campus, their tops disappearing into the morning mist. Large banners bearing the academy's crest hung from the walls, moving gently with the wind.
Students were everywhere.
Some arrived with their parents.
Others came with servants carrying their luggage.
A few students had already gathered in small groups, talking amongst themselves as they looked around the academy.
Jezebeth watched them quietly.
So this was the place where he would be spending the next few years.
The academy didn't feel like Chronos Mansion.
There were no familiar faces.
No servants who knew him by name.
No guards bowing whenever he passed.
Here, everyone seemed to be on equal ground.
At least...
That's what it looked like.
The car eventually stopped near the entrance.
Jezebeth opened the door and stepped outside.
The moment his feet touched the ground, the noise of the academy became clearer.
Students talking.
Luggage being dragged across the pavement.
Teachers giving instructions.
Announcements coming from somewhere deeper inside the campus.
It was chaotic.
But somehow organized.
Jezebeth adjusted his bag and looked around.
Since most of the students had already enrolled from home beforehand, there was no need for a long admission process.
Everybody was heading toward the registration area to receive their academy information and assigned dormitories.
Jezebeth followed the crowd.
As he walked, he noticed several students wearing different uniforms and carrying different kinds of equipment.
Some had weapons.
Others had strange accessories that seemed connected to their abilities.
A few students even had visible signs of their shikigami.
Jezebeth stared for a moment.
So people actually walk around like that?
He quickly looked away.
He didn't want to stare.
Not on his first day.
As he continued toward the registration area, a large sign came into view.
DORMITORY ASSIGNMENT AND REGISTRATION
Jezebeth stopped in front of it.
Dorms are assigned by ability.
He remembered hearing about it before coming here.
At least that's what they said.
He wasn't entirely sure how it worked.
Were students with similar abilities placed together?
Were the dorms ranked?
Or did the academy simply separate students according to the type of power they possessed?
There were too many possibilities.
Jezebeth entered the registration building.
The line was surprisingly long.
He stood near the back and watched the students ahead of him.
One by one, they approached the desk.
Names were called.
Keys were handed over.
Students left.
Simple.
Jezebeth glanced around the room.
There were several registration desks, each occupied by academy staff.
Despite the number of students, everything moved surprisingly quickly.
Eventually, the line moved forward.
Jezebeth stepped closer.
Then closer again.
Until only one person remained in front of him.
The student collected his key and walked away.
The old man behind the desk looked down at the next name on his list.
His voice suddenly echoed across the small room.
"Jezebeth Chronos."
Jezebeth stepped forward.
"Present."
The old man looked up.
He was clearly old.
His hair was almost completely white, and several wrinkles crossed his face.
Yet there was something strange about him.
Despite his age, the man possessed an almost ridiculous amount of vitality.
His posture was straight.
His eyes were sharp.
And the smile on his face looked more energetic than that of most of the students in the building.
He stared at Jezebeth for a few seconds.
Then he looked back at the document in front of him.
"Jezebeth Chronos..."
He repeated the name quietly.
"Chronos."
Jezebeth remained silent.
The old man looked at him again.
"You're the son of Arahel Chronos, aren't you?"
Jezebeth raised an eyebrow.
"Yes."
The old man chuckled.
"I thought so."
Jezebeth didn't know whether that was supposed to be a compliment.
The old man picked up a small bundle of keys.
"Your dormitory has already been assigned."
He looked down at the paper.
"LaCroix Dorm."
Jezebeth blinked.
"LaCroix?"
The old man nodded.
"Correct."
He handed him the keys.
"Your schedule will be sent to you via WhatsApp."
Jezebeth took the keys.
"That's it?"
The old man smiled.
"That's it."
Jezebeth stared at him for another second.
"That was fast."
"We have thousands of students to register."
The old man leaned back in his chair.
"If we stopped to have a conversation with every one of you, you'd still be standing here next week."
Jezebeth glanced at the line behind him.
Fair enough.
He stepped aside.
The old man called the next student's name.
Jezebeth looked down at the keys in his hand.
A small metal tag was attached to them.
LACROIX DORMITORY
He turned the tag over between his fingers.
LaCroix.
The name was familiar.
Very familiar.
He had heard it countless times while studying history.
Markus LaCroix.
The famous war hero.
A legendary figure who had played a major role in one of the kingdom's greatest wars.
His name appeared in textbooks.
Statues had been built in his honor.
Entire military strategies had been studied because of his victories.
The LaCroix name carried a reputation almost as powerful as the Chronos name.
Jezebeth looked toward the exit.
The famous war hero.
He glanced down at the keys again.
I'm glad to stay at this dorm.
He slipped the keys into his pocket.
Then he walked outside.
The academy grounds seemed even larger now that he had nowhere specific to go.
Jezebeth pulled out his phone.
No messages.
No schedule.
Nothing.
He stared at the screen.
"...They said it'd be sent via WhatsApp."
He waited.
Nothing.
Jezebeth sighed.
"Human efficiency."
He put his phone away.
He followed the signs pointing toward the dormitories.
The further he walked, the quieter the academy became.
The main registration area was crowded, but the dormitory section was calmer.
Large buildings stood on either side of the road.
Each one had a different name engraved above its entrance.
Jezebeth passed several of them.
Then he saw it.
A large building standing slightly apart from the others.
Its exterior was darker than the surrounding dormitories, with silver patterns carved into the walls.
Above the entrance were two words.
LACROIX DORM
Jezebeth stopped.
He looked up at the building.
It was impressive.
Not because it was the largest.
It wasn't.
But there was something about it that made it feel different.
Perhaps it was the history attached to the name.
Perhaps it was simply his imagination.
Jezebeth walked toward the entrance.
As he approached, the large doors opened automatically.
He stepped inside.
The interior was surprisingly spacious.
A large staircase stood in the center of the lobby, splitting into two paths leading toward the upper floors.
Several couches were arranged around the room.
Students were already there.
Some were talking.
Some were unpacking.
Others were sitting quietly with their phones.
A few turned their heads when Jezebeth entered.
Their eyes briefly landed on him.
Then they looked away.
Jezebeth continued forward.
He looked down at his key.
The number was engraved onto the metal.
He found the corresponding hallway and started walking.
His footsteps echoed softly against the polished floor.
For the first time since leaving Chronos Mansion, Jezebeth felt something unfamiliar.
Not fear.
Not excitement.
Something closer to anticipation.
He had spent ten years training for moments like this.
But training against Arahel was one thing.
Fighting people his own age would be completely different.
They wouldn't know him.
They wouldn't know what he could do.
And more importantly...
He didn't know what they could do either.
Jezebeth reached his room.
He inserted the key.
The lock clicked.
He pushed the door open.
The room was simple.
A bed.
A desk.
A wardrobe.
A large window overlooking part of the academy grounds.
Jezebeth walked inside and dropped his bag onto the bed.
He stood there for a moment.
Silence.
No Arahel.
No servants.
No guards.
Just him.
He walked toward the window and looked outside.
Students continued arriving in the distance.
Some were already heading toward their dorms.
Others stood in groups, introducing themselves.
Jezebeth watched them.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
For sixteen years, his world had been the Chronos Mansion.
Today, that world had finally become bigger.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the dormitory key.
The small metal tag caught the sunlight.
LaCroix.
Jezebeth looked at it again.
The famous war hero.
He smiled.
I'm glad to stay at this dorm.
Outside, the academy bell suddenly rang.
The sound echoed across the entire campus.
Jezebeth looked toward the academy's central tower.
His first day had officially begun.