"I know you all worked very hard to get here today," the Principal continued to say to all the students.
"Even if you are here automatically as a noble, we strongly believe that you have the potential to be something great. Some of you may gain the gift of the gods to become Primordial-level mages to wield Aether to your will. We hope those of you who are the chosen ones will use your Aether ability to benefit human society."
Xavier looked bored as the Principal continued his speech. He was once fascinated by this. However, he knew the truth. Xavier knew many of the current heroes people looked up to were anything but heroic.
"After this speech is over and after my surprise duel with the prince is over, you will have people to escort you to your dormitories. In your dorm, you will each find your class schedule. Classes will begin tomorrow morning, so take the day to familiarize yourself with everything."
The Principal continued his speech and slowly more people started to get bored.
That was until it was time for the duel.
The grand hall was gone now as everyone walked into one of the Institute's many dueling arenas. Everyone sat down in their seats around the dueling arena. The Principal and Prince took their respective stances.
The Prince smirked as everybody was prepared for the duel now.
He took pride in his royal bloodline, knowing he could automatically access some of the highest levels of Aether. However, he didn't know that simply being able to access it doesn't make him the strongest person there.
"Begin!"
The person overseeing the duel announced.
The Prince was determined to end this duel in one strike. He didn't want to wait around to see what the Principal had up his sleeve. Colin held up his arm as he displayed several gold rings on his hand which began to glow brightly.
Light magic.
Xavier knew what Colin was trying to do before he raised his arm.
Colin smirked while trying to hide the effort he was putting into his spell. He gathered light magic from his rings and formed the light quickly into hundreds of glowing celestial swords crackling with lightning and fire.
Light. Materialization. Enchantment.
The Prince fused these three elements to such a high level to create a spell worthy of royalty.
He quickly pointed his finger at the Principal, and at a quick speed, the swords started flying toward the Principal. Everyone gasped at the display of magic. Everyone but Xavier did. The Prince's spell was only composed of three elements, and it only seemed grand because of the amount of Aether behind it.
Xavier, back in the day in his first timeline, would've been impressed as well.
However, in this timeline he retains his knowledge of Primordial-level spellcraft, and this was everything far from that.
The Principal seemed slightly shocked at the Prince's magic, but not for long.
His figure, hidden behind his black robes, vanished into the air as he teleported quickly from his position. The celestial swords smashed into the wall, creating a huge hole, causing stone to fall onto the ground. The Prince scowled.
The Principal appeared behind the Prince with a blur.
The Principal's figure was now emitting strong orange aura, a sign of physical enhancement magic. He quickly launched a punch straight into the Prince's side. The Prince flew into the wall as onlookers ducked to avoid being hit.
As the dust settled, the Prince gathered himself back to his feet. He briefly emitted green energy as he healed himself from the damage.
"Even the most basic of spells can do the most damage if used properly," the Principal said to the Prince, which just made him angrier. It was like he was being lectured and not taking the duel seriously. This made Xavier chuckle a bit alongside a few other students.
"Try this," the Prince scowled as he took off a ring and threw it at the Principal. The ring exploded as it came within a one-foot radius of the Principal. This time even Xavier raised an eyebrow as the impact of the explosion shook the arena.
Explosion magic combined with the element of surprise wasn't too bad.
That still wasn't enough to fool the Principal, though, who deflected the impact directly back at the Prince. For a second time, the Prince flew into the air in embarrassment. Xavier placed his hand on his face. Even though he wasn't a royal, he still felt the disappointment.
Before Colin could get back to his feet, the Principal teleported in front of him with a knife in his hand pressed against his neck.
"I suggest you surrender, your highness."
The Prince surrendered as his eyes grew wide in fear. He knew the Principal wouldn't kill him, but he didn't know what his father gave permission to the administrators to do to him. He didn't want to find out.
People clapped for the Principal. Others didn't clap as they wanted to still be friends with the Prince. Xavier gauged the reactions of everybody around him. He had a flashback to his previous life. Xavier in the past dueled the Principal and won, causing everybody to fear him.
This Prince, Colin, instead made himself a bit of a laughingstock.
Xavier was fitting into the shadows this time.
He didn't know if it was better nobody knew him that well.
Everybody cleared out of the arena. Staff members started directing students to their corridors. Xavier quickly found others with the same crimson robes as his and followed them. The color of their robes designated their rank within the school and somewhat within society itself. Those of the same or similar status lived together in the same dorms.
Xavier was quietly walking up the stairs to the Crimson Dormitory with everybody else when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and his eyes widened slightly. Xavier was not easily surprised.
"Hey, you seem to be kinda distant. You alright?" the familiar figure in red robes said to him.
The person was none other than Arlen Graves.
Xavier's first future Apostle.