Chapter 107
WELCOME
The entire complex spanned what could only be described as a militarized campus the size of a small city. From every angle, its black, blood-red, and white aesthetic radiated discipline.
Hope Academy was more than a school—it was a world unto itself. A fortress carved from ambition.
At its heart stood the Main Hall, a monolithic, multi-tiered structure that rose like a dark crown above all others. Its surface was armored in panels of deep black alloy, with veins of red metal snaking like arteries around reinforced corners. White geometric etchings—accented key structural edges. The building gave off a cold, unwavering sense of presence, as if daring anyone to step forward and prove themselves.
Above the central entrance, etched directly into a towering slab of black steel, was the emblem of Hope Academy: a bold, crimson H—divided down the middle by two stark backgrounds, white on the left and black on the right. The contrast was deliberate. The meaning was unity through duality, purpose in conflict, and hope born from imbalance. The emblem was backlit with a faint internal glow, so it gleamed ominously even in the dark.
Surrounding the main structure were a number of key buildings and facilities, designed for every need a student might have.
Flanking the Main Hall were vast training zones. One side was dominated by the Combat Grounds—open arenas and enclosed chambers alike, where hand-to-hand training, weapon mastery, and path methods were all drilled under brutal conditions.
Some arenas were sand pits. Others were shaped from concrete, steel and some even meant to copy nature. There were areas for duels, squad drills, live trials, and simulated high-pressure environments—many of which had viewing platforms for instructors to assess performance from above without interference.
Opposite the combat fields were the Discipline Towers—tall, spire-like buildings where classes and advanced theoretical instruction took place.
Each tower specialized in a different branch of ascension: path theory, battlefield strategy, mental conditioning, and more. These towers were carved with clean, merciless lines, and each one had only a single narrow entry point. Inside, the walls were stark white with black steel desks and red glowing panels that activated when a student approached.
Behind the Main Hall, surrounded by terrain, lay the Forest Trials Grounds. Though seemingly natural, it was part of a highly sophisticated training zone. The forest was real—but the threats were illusions created through advanced path formations.
This was where the academy trials had taken place.
Further beyond were the Dormitories, a cluster of low rectangular buildings situated at the campus perimeter, connected by a skeletal framework of black stone walkways and red-lit corridors.
One section for boys and the other for girls.
With each room designed to house three students. Inside, they were: offering enough space for beds, desks, wardrobes and a single smart-panel embedded into each room's surface for announcements and schedules.
Central lounges with couches and screens were built into every floor, creating communal zones for rest or conversation. Laundry rooms, water dispensers, and clean, automated public restrooms were available throughout the dorm complexes.
Scattered across the campus were a number of thoughtful additions that made the academy feel more like a living city than a sterile institution. A large, two-story library with dark tinted windows stood toward the center, filled with rows upon rows of digital screens and classic books alike. Students could borrow physical or digital copies with ease. Study booths lined the sides of the upper floor, while downstairs had more open tables for group projects and quiet discussion.
There were also small cafes and food halls tucked into different corners of the academy—places where students could grab meals, relax between lectures, or socialize over a drink. Shops sold supplies, uniforms, clothing, notebooks, and even minor tech like smartbands and data tablets—standard tools for modern life.
Scattered open-air courtyards broke up the buildings, with short trees, benches, and artfully paved stone walkways allowing for a bit of nature and breathing space. Some zones were quieter, meant for reflection or private study, while others were more open and active, filled with students during breaks.
Discreet cameras were mounted high along walls and ceilings, providing security—enough to deter problems without creating paranoia. Entry into key buildings required ID verification, usually through simple hand or card scans.
It was built not just to test students, but to allow them to live, learn, and grow—together.
And IAM was standing just outside the front gate, the colossal structure looming before him like the entrance to another world. It was immense—towering black panels trimmed with glowing red highlights that traced the sharp edges.
This was not just the boundary of a campus; it was the border between his past and the life that lay ahead.
He stood motionless for a moment, taking it in.
A subtle breeze ruffled his hair and the hem of his blue top. His black trousers clung slightly, but he barely noticed. His attention was entirely consumed by the vast scale and imposing aura of Hope Academy's gates.
He was not alone.
All around him, 204 other students stood, forming a loose gathering that stretched down the wide stone-paved approach road leading to the entrance. Each one had passed the Academy Trials. Each one had earned the right to be here.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward to say the least.
There was a quiet, simmering awareness of competition, many taking silent measuring glances.
IAM could feel the weight of those eyes like the sun on his neck.
They were all sizing each other up, studying faces, noting postures, luggage sizes, clothing choices—any detail that might reveal something about their strengths or weaknesses.
It wasn't hostility, exactly. It was the gravity of ambition. The calm before a new beginning. Even now, in this quiet moment, the hunger was palpable.
The hunger to be the best.
Each of the students stood beside a single piece of luggage, just as they had been instructed to bring. One modest case per person. It was meant to hold only the essentials—four sets of the Academy's standardized uniforms and a few personal items.
IAM had none of that.
All he had was KASSARA.
Tucked in the luggage that sat quietly at his side. Inside it was the bare minimum. He hadn't packed much. Most of the clothes and gifts he had received from mine—he had chosen to part with.
He had asked Thor to make sure they were handed over to one of the charities operating in Hope's End.
IAM had only kept a few pieces. Just enough for convenience.
He exhaled through his nose, checking the time. He had chosen to arrive early. But clearly, many others had the same idea. Some were already in place when he got there, and more had continued trickling in during the hour that followed.
And so he waited, along with everyone else, in this growing sea of potential.
Some students leaned on their suitcases. Others stood straight and alert. A few paced quietly to one side, either too restless to be still or too anxious to hide it. But all kept glancing at the gate.
The sun had climbed higher during the wait, casting long, narrow shadows across the polished ground. The heat was mild, tempered by a gentle wind that drifted in from the edges of the campus.
Occasionally, someone adjusted their collar or brushed dust from their shoes. Conversations were minimal, and when they happened, they were hushed—whispers between those who had known each other before the trials.
But mostly, it was silence.
A heavy, expectant silence.
Then, finally, a low, resonant creak broke through the quiet.
It started slowly, a deep groan of metal on metal, and all heads turned in unison toward the gate. The sound grew louder as the massive doors began to part, revealing a sliver of the world beyond. The inner workings of the gate mechanisms rumbled behind the walls, and the red lights along the frame pulsed rhythmically, as if counting down to something.
The gates of Hope Academy were opening.
This was it.
The crack between the doors widened, revealing a glimpse of the campus within: the towering Main Hall in the distance, stark and proud; the glint of steel walkways; and just beyond, the faint outline of the forested trial grounds.
A voice called out from within, calm and formal.
"Proceed forward. Line up. Welcome to Hope Academy."
IAM took his first step, and so did the others.
Like a slow-moving tide, the new students began to move. The gravel underfoot shifted with their steps. The wheels of their luggage hummed quietly over the ground.
And then they crossed the threshold.
IAM glanced sideways at some of the students walking beside him. There were faces filled with awe, others with cold determination. A few looked nervous, but most were stone-faced, unreadable, already wearing the masks they thought would protect them here.
A slight smile crept on his face.
Finally...
He had arrived.