A thundering headache awaited Leon alongside the sluggish reach of the early morning sun. The pain was so intense that she only realized the white, chilling walls of the facility, along with its gifts of cool and callous indifference, didn't belong to her after the rings of her dutiful alarm had started for the third time.
"It was just a dream."
She sighed, massaging her temples as the pain receded. Leon thought she might still be hearing someone's… strange laughter, but she waved it away. Grudgingly pulling herself from the snug embrace of supple bedding, she soon got ready for school with the haste of a model student and the enthusiasm of a rock.
Marching downstairs to the ire of the staircase and stifled amusement of Viol, her family's butler, Leon arrived at a full breakfast with time to spare. Though her new school maintained a generally neutral clothing stance, on days like today a uniform was required to "uphold school spirit". Even then the only difficulty to the outfit was its confounded accessory.
The uniform consisted of a three piece set of clothing: one navy studded shirt, a matching pair of inky shorts and shoes, a loosely fitted saffron blazer that was much closer to a sweater than a suit, and a small silver cloth with coral threaded edges that, before being pinned to its shirt, had to be knotted into the school's trademark pattern. Sure, it looked similar to a rose, but the mind-numbing knot was much more intricate and demanding upon closer notice. How many times had she attempted it over the holidays? Leon found it downright ridiculous.
"—That's it for the weather segment. Up next we have a special guest to announce—"
The meal was over far too quickly but, as if oblivious to her sulking, the television's anchors continued to speak pleasantly.
"Here you are, Young Miss. As it's the first day, I've prepared additional snacks."
Preoccupied with fiddling with her new least favourite accessory, Leon nodded along out of habit.
Viol silently waited with Leon's schoolbag hanging neatly from their hand. Patience, befitting one who'd worked with the Rivers for half a century, was etched on their youthful face in the form of a small smile. With a dejected scowl Leon eventually gave up, collecting her bag, as Viol diligently detangled the cloth that had nearly become the Eigth World Wonder.
Having scrutinized the rest of their young miss' appearance like a designer performing final checks on a treasured piece, they opened the door and gently ushered Leon through. Daria, today's driver, had arrived just a few minutes earlier.
Looking back, Leon caught a glimpse of Viol playfully acting as though she was being sent off to war. A hankerchief fluttering back and forth only added to their tearful performance and, though it didn't move its target audience, it had enough effect on the others. Leon was particularly certain she'd heard Daria sniffle.
Rolling her eyes, she waved and entered the car. Gesturing to Daria that she was ready, Leon leaned into the seat as the door closed. Though she could do without the over-exaggerated scene, she couldn't help but smile. She felt much more at ease now, almost looking forward to the day as familiar scenery began to rumble past.
It wasn't long until her estate's vibrant and particular foliage fell away to long swaths of road and sea, with feather-like clouds tumbling along. Though the highway they sped onto was more popular than usual, the sun sparkled off of metal hoods in a way that made the belt look like the Milky Way. She hummed, rolling the backseat window down to release her tensions to the wind. It scuttled and danced by her window, a hint of salt in its maws as it accompanied her. This won't be so bad, she decided.
Soon, a few turns had taken them off the highway and back onto dry land, where Leon waved goodbye to her sea-swept friend. The road from this point was bustling with inactivity, especially at the checkpoints. Although she was not close to being late, as there was still half an hour before the assembly, Leon idly wondered if they would have had better luck going by air.
Thankfully, the lull didn't last long, and their turn passed by uneventfully. With time, silver towers that seemed to reach into the heavens could be seen on the horizon. Before them came spiraling gates, which rose slightly as they sped towards the gaping underground maw beneath them. The drive down took many minutes, and Leon briefly wondered how far the gates extended. The same spiraling bars she'd seen above were poised firmly like guards around the edges of what she could see in the underground expanse.
Although many of the new students would be as eager as Leon, the parking areas weren't yet full. It was only a matter of choosing a spot, and soon Leon stepped down with restrained awe. Hurriedly shooing Daria off before she could attempt act two of today's teary farewells, she turned towards the distant elevators. With a final, light nod, she walked towards one that looked unremarkable, save for its sleek silver front and Academy emblem. As she came closer to it, she saw others who were wearing similar uniforms, some with wide, ribboned hats or long fishnet gloves, roughly tied bandages, and even the occasional hooded cloak. Leon soon glanced away from them as she found that the elevator's door was less of a door and closer to a standing pond, with a glossy surface that rippled and stilled with every passing figure. As it came to her turn, she unclenched her fists and boldly stepped through.
She heard a gasp from the door next to her, and looked eagerly at the sparkling lobby ahead, already packed with students. All of them were new students, potential rivals in study or competition.