Volume 1: Path – [Academy Arc]
Chapter 17: Test
There are a total of 10 training grounds designated solely for first-year students. Second and third years have their own separate training areas, each with different sizes and numbered 10 in total.
To simplify the naming system, the academy refers to these training grounds as Courtyards labeled from A to J, which are ten in total.
Caelus and Aiv happened to be placed in the same area, which is Courtyard E. They were lucky; placements aren't based on ranks. Every class is equally valuable, as all instructors in the academy are highly qualified and no teacher is considered better or worse.
That said, ranks do hold significant value. High-ranking students enjoy various privileges. For instance, the higher one's rank, the higher the dormitory floor they live on, which means they get closer to luxurious living spaces near Rank 1.
More importantly, students earn something called "Merit's" which is the academy's internal currency. Merits are essential and used for everything from meals and snacks to borrowing books from the library.
Higher ranks also come with greater freedom as they get to access more restricted zones and exclusive facilities within the academy.
'As for how ranking is decided, I honestly don't know. There are over 200 students total, and somehow, I ended up ranked 169, which I guess isn't too bad. Even Aiv got 168, though from what I've seen, he's way stronger than a typical first-year awakener. I have a feeling Mr. Michael may have pulled a few strings behind the scenes.
When I asked him why he was helping me, he said'
'I'm helping you because I see myself in you. When I was young, I lost everyone—my parents, my grandparents. I grew up alone, struggling through my teenage years. At 16, I finally awakened. But the worst part? It was only a half-awakening.'
His voice had gone quiet at that point, heavy with memory.
'Being half-awakened is a curse; it is one of the worst things that can happen to someone in our world. The church ordered me to be executed because of it. The only person who stood up for me… was a woman in her twenties. She protected me and gave her life to save mine. I owe everything to her.'
'Why is it such a curse?' I asked.
He shook his head. 'You'll understand it only when you go through it yourself. If I told you now, you'd break sooner.'
Then he added, more firmly: 'That's why I'm helping you. Don't waste the chance I've carved out. I told the Evernight family that you're dead, that I executed and buried you. And also don't let the academy find out you're a half-awakened. So don't expose yourself. Keep your head low. I'll do what I can to protect you from the outside.'
'I owe Mr. Michael more than I can put into words. I need to thank him again properly.' Caelus thought as he finally arrived at the courtyard, he was supposed to go.
"Aiv, didn't the notice near the entrance say that classes start at 7 AM? Do you think it was a test to see who shows up first?" Caelus asked as both walked into the entrance of Courtyard E.
The courtyard was enormous, vast enough to hold several hundred students at once. Towering obsidian-black walls surrounded it on all sides, casting long, looming shadows that stretched far across the pale stone flooring.
The main gate, a massive reinforced arch of dark steel, remained closed. Crowds of students gathered near the entrance, their chatter echoing against the courtyard walls.
All the courtyards are connected, making the entrances to other courtyards closer to each other. The whole complex of ten courtyards forms a circle.
"I think so too," Aiv nodded, scanning the crowd. "Maybe the first ones who come here earn merits, and the last ones? They get punished or maybe even lose merit points. This academy seems like the type to test everything from discipline to punctuality."
Aiv and Caelus reached the giant gate, where about twenty-three students were already gathered. Aiv stepped closer to one of them and asked, "Hey, do you know why everyone's just standing here? It's almost time, we've only got two minutes left."
The student glanced toward the gate and replied, "Yeah, that's the thing. The door is shut tight. From what everyone's saying, this might be a test to see how we figure out getting to the other side."
"Got it. Thanks," Aiv said, nodding politely. He returned to Caelus and passed on what he'd just learned.
"Aiv, don't you think a test like this will only have one route?" Caelus asked, his eyes scanning the sealed gate and towering walls surrounding Courtyard E.
"Now that you mention it, you're probably right," Aiv replied, narrowing his eyes at the architecture. "They wouldn't test us like this without a solution. Caelus, do you… know how to climb something like this?"
Aiv's eyes tracked the curvature of the wall. Then something clicked.
"There," he pointed.
Near the far left corner of the courtyard wall, a small series of stone footholds jutted subtly from the surface. Faint with nearly invisible, carved into the wall from afar, they could be mistaken for decorative cracks or flaws but up close, they were clearly climbable.
Caelus gave him a sideways glance. "I can climb… but climbing a thirty-foot wall without Leym… I'm still—"
Aiv grinned, cutting him off. "Say less. I got you, bro."
Before Caelus could argue, Aiv dropped into a crouch.
"Get a running start. I'll launch you."
"What?"
"You said you can't use Leym yet, right? I'll boost you up. Just hold on once you reach the first ledge."
Caelus hesitated. Students were watching now with eyebrows raised, murmurs rising in pitch.
But there was no time.
"Alright," Caelus exhaled.
He backed up several steps, braced his legs, then ran.
Aiv clasped his hands together low, bracing himself.
As Caelus reached him, he leapt—
THUMP.
Aiv boosted him high with a force that shouldn't have come from someone so average-looking. His legs bent. His hands exploded with strength. Caelus soared through the air, catching the first foothold by sheer reflex.
The crowd gasped. A few whispered.
"Is that the way to go to the other side?"
"Maybe..."
Caelus gritted his teeth, his arms burning already. But he held on.
His boots scraped the edge of the second hold. He shifted his weight, grabbed another.
Aiv jumped after him with less of a boost, more of a parkour-bound leap, and reached the same ledge in seconds.
Together, they scaled the side wall.
They saw the massive space on the other side of the wall in its full scale.
The ground stretched wide like a battlefield, nearly the size of a football stadium. Unlike the polished stone paths and ornate architecture of the academy halls, this place was barren.
The soil underfoot was a dark, ashen gray, cracked and uneven, like scorched earth left behind after a battle long forgotten. No grass grew here. No flowers. Just raw, compacted dirt and hard-packed clay, stitched with faded lines from thousands of drills and sparring matches.
Toward the center of the field were three individuals.
From the far end of the courtyard, a massive figure stood motionless.
The man was a mountain of muscle, standing at least two meters tall, with a broad frame carved from brute strength. His arms were thick like tree trunks, veins coiled down them like cables under tension, and his neck looked barely held in place by the stretched collar of his uniform. His skin was a dusky bronze, weathered and battle-hardened, scarred with old marks that hinted at countless battles he had been in.
Even at a distance, his eyes could be felt — narrow, shadowed beneath a heavy brow, staring with the focus of a beast locked onto prey. His glare alone could freeze weaker students in place.
He wore a different Thalos Academy uniform, though it was clearly custom-made to handle his frame. The high-collared jacket was sleeveless, its dark navy fabric stretched tight over his bulging torso. Silver-stitched lines traced the sharp contours of his chest and shoulders, framing the oversized hourglass emblem emblazoned across his front. His pants were reinforced at the knees and ankles with thick combat padding, and steel-toe boots sank slightly into the cracked ground with every step.
Strapped across his back was a massive greatsword, nearly as long as he was tall. The handle alone was thick enough to require two hands from an average student, and the weapon radiated a dull, heavy pressure even without moving.
The giant person stared at both Caels and Aiv as both jumped down from the walls. Caelus jumped down with the help of Aiv.
The moment Caelus's boots hit the ground with a dull thud, he straightened and let his eyes adjust.
From this vantage point, the view of the training field was clear.
He looked at the instructor for a second.
His gaze, then drifted to the two figures standing before the instructor.
The boy on the left carried himself with a confidence that bordered on arrogance. His black hair was neatly combed, not a strand out of place, and his storm-gray eyes were steady, too calm for a first-year. The standard academy uniform he wore fit like a tailored suit, the golden hourglass insignia stitched into the chest looking almost ornamental.
Then, Caelus's eyes landed on the girl beside him.
She wore the same dark navy uniform as the other students, but somehow, it looked different on her. Not because it was tailored, but because she wore it with an unshakable grace. Her long platinum blonde hair fell neatly down her back, swaying slightly with the breeze.
And then she turned slightly to them, revealing golden eyes that shimmered against the pale light of morning.
[End Of The Chapter 17]
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Sorry for not posting any new chapters. The thing is, I couldn't keep up with my schedule, and what I wrote for this chapter was lost due to technical issues, so I had to rewrite it and redo some parts.