As they reached the academy gates, they were met by a massive man standing with arms crossed.
Broad shoulders. Tight black shirt. Veins visible along his forearms.
Authority radiated from him.
Without warning, he grabbed both boys by the collars and dropped them firmly onto the pavement.
They stood at attention.
Kael instinctively placed his hands behind his back, posture straight.
Julian attempted the same, though far less convincingly.
Kael leaned slightly toward Julian.
"Did you not say this was your first day?"
Julian whispered back, "Yeah…"
"Didn't the enrollment happen eight months ago?"
Kael said as he had seen the date of previous Kael's diary entry of joining the academy was that of eight months prior.
Julian blinked. "Oh. Yeah. School started a while ago."
Kael slowly turned his head.
"…Explain."
"I just didn't feel like attending," Julian replied casually. "Then I got an expulsion notice. Actually two, if we count the-"
"Mr. Julian. Mr. Kael."
The burly man's voice cut through the air.
"Care to explain why you are late?"
Julian stiffened.
Kael bowed deeply.
"Apologies, Mr. Bane. It shall not happen again."
Bane studied him for a moment.
"I expected this from Julian."
Julian grimaced.
"But you, Kael… you were a promising student. Then you disappeared."
Kael remained silent.
"I will overlook it this time. Do not test my patience again."
"Yes, sir."
Julian quickly followed with an exaggerated bow. "Thank you, sir!"
Bane waved them inside.
As they walked away, Julian grinned and tried to throw an arm around Kael.
"You're amazing, man! You must be close to Mr. Bane!"
Kael gently pushed him off.
"I merely observed his name tag."
Julian blinked.
"…Oh."
The classroom was enormous, tiered like a coliseum.
Dozens of students.
Lamps powered by mana were embedded in the walls.
A woman at the front podium.
"May we enter, ma'am?" Kael asked.
"Call me Mrs. Baroda," she replied without looking up. "Take your seats." as she pointed towards the mass students.
The lecture resumed.
"Potion crafting is the extraction of essence. For example, strength potions derive from troll blood. We isolate the core property and condense it…"
Kael listened.
His face remained stern.
Internally he thought to himself,
I understand nothing.
Julian leaned back, stretching.
"Man, this is fun."
Kael slowly turned.
"…Do you know where the library is?"
"Yeah dude wanna go?"
Replied Julian with a bright smile.
On their way to the library, they were blocked by three students.
Smug smiles.
Arms folded.
Predatory posture.
"Oh look," one sneered. "Kael the knight in shining armor."
"I thought you'd transferred after we beat you."
Kael's gaze was steady.
"As I recall, I defeated you guys in the duel."
He tilted his head slightly.
"You merely lacked the honor to accept it and then ganged up to beat me."
He said as he saw in the diary while he was reading it.
Then a fourth student stepped forward from behind them.
Tall. Lanky. Black hair. Hazelnut eyes.
Smiling.
Cold.
"Still preaching about honor?" he said lightly. "In the end, you lost, didn't you?"
Julian's joking demeanor vanished, he wore a serious expression in his face as if ready to fight.
Kael did not respond verbally.
Instead,
He stepped forward.
One of the three moved closer, trying to intimidate him.
Kael moved faster.
His palm gripped the boy's face.
A short, brutal strike to the solar plexus.
The boy collapsed instantly.
Kael lifted him effortlessly and tossed him towards the lanky one.
The lanky boy sidestepped smoothly.
Still smiling.
The other two rushed to their fallen friend.
Kael's eyes never left the tall one.
"Shall we settle this properly?" Kael said calmly.
"A duel of honor."
The boy laughed hysterically.
"Gladly."
His eyes darkened.
"This time it won't just be your mana core that shatters."
"I'll break every limb."