To those who ruled worlds beyond, conquest was rely another form of survival. But to those on the weaker side of that conquest, it was no different from annihilation.
The difference between demons and intelligent races was intent. Demons consud without reason, feeding like beasts. The others calculated, plotted, and waged wars for gain. So wanted Aurora's mana-rich atmosphere. And a few, far more sinister races, simply desired servants-vassal species to use as soldiers, researchers, or worse, breeding stock to expand their own bloodlines.
Each academy was more than a school-it was a forge.
A place to refine strength, discipline, and willpower into weapons capable of defending civilization itself.
The Cultivation Academies trained the knights and mages.
The Awakener Academies, like the one Michael was in, trained those blessed by the universal.
The two paths differed in thod but converged in purpose: survival. Lira had told him that every student in the world, knowingly or not, was part of a system that fed into the sa goal-to produce elites capable of standing on the cosmic battlefield. Graduating from the academy wasn't just a formality; it ant earning recognition from the Council as a capable defender of the realm.
"Do you an everyone's expected to fight?" Michael had asked her, his tone unreadable.
Lira had nodded. "Eventually. Whether as soldiers, explorers, or researchers, everyone contributes. The strong protect the weak, and the weak support the strong. That's how we've survived this long"
"Seems like a world that doesn't stop fighting," Michael had
murmured.
She had smiled faintly at that. "That's because it can't afford to." Even now, Aurora was under watch. So races traded peacefully with them-like the Alvarin, the so-called Starborne Scholars. Others maintained fragile treaties, such as the Draykians, who once tried to subjugate humanity and failed. The peace that existed now was nothing more than a stalemate sustained by deterrence.
The academies and Federation ensured that deterrence remained credible.
"Strength is the only currency the universe respects," Lira had said, her tone firm. "As long as Aurora can produce strong people, it remains free. The day we stop... soone will co to remind us of our place."
Michael had thought about that long after she stopped speaking. It reminded him of his old world, in a strange, distorted way. There too, nations built armies for deterrence. But here, the stakes were imasurably higher.
If a war ca and Aurora lost, it wouldn't just an occupation-it would an assimilation. Humanity's identity would vanish, its culture absorbed, its people bred into hybrids and servants for stronger races. It was a kind of death far worse than extinction.
The faculty didn't hide this either. Every instructor taught with one truth in mind: the strong live freely; the weak are ruled. Michael could now see why Lira had said the academy wasn't really a school.
Of course this future was still far from the current Michael. Power, wars between worlds, Archdemons, all of it felt like a distant storm on the horizon. In any case, according to Lira, even if he stepped into Hell right now, as long as he did not go too deep, there was basically no danger.
Lira's eyes slipped away for half a second, and that was answer
enough. He did not press.
Aside from absorbing grim history and bigger pictures, Michael spent the previous days on sothing more imdiate. He had to pick what to study. The academy was not strict in the ordinary school sense, but it did not allow idleness. Freedom only ant you chose your own grind. There was still a frawork, there were still credits, thresholds, and minimums per term.
Language and Interracial Studies were mandatory.
Then there were courses like Combat Practice, Array Craft, Potion Making, Bloodline Studies, Puppet Engineering, Artifact Forging,
Beast Taming, Spirit Communication, and so on.
Michael was conflicted. There were far too many choices, and each one sounded like a door to sothing entirely new.
In the end, he chose Spell Crafting, Puppet Engineering, and Bloodline Studies. The first would help him understand the nature of mana and structure behind magic itself. The second, he felt could achieve sothing miraculous under his hands. And the third... the third felt almost necessary. Ever since his last evolution, his race and abilities had grown stranger with each change. If Bloodline Studies could offer even a fragnt of clarity, it was worth the effort.
He could have picked more-many did-but Michael didn't want to overextend himself. There was no sense in doing above himself for now. The academy's pace was deceptive; freedom didn't an ease. He knew spreading his focus too thin would only waste ti he could spend mastering what mattered.
Though so other things happen in these six days, these were the significant ones.
Today was special so Michael left his villa early.
Today was the orientation day for new students.
Outside the villa barrier, Michael saw Lira waiting. She was dressed in the sa academy robes as him.
It was said that when the academy was officially active, wearing the robes was mandatory for all students within its grounds. Even though the rules weren't always enforced with an iron hand, few ever broke them; the uniform carried both pride and belonging.
Lira waved lightly when she spotted him. "Morning," she called out, her tone bright despite the faint chill in the air.
Michael stepped through the barrier.
Lira smiled. "Orientation day is always noisy. The halls will be packed with new students and so old students, and you'll probably et
the entire faculty lineup today."
He gave a small nod. "You're coming along?"
"Of course," she said as if it were obvious. "I'm technically still
responsible for you until the first week ends."
Michael gave her a sideways glance. "Responsible, huh? I thought you
said that ended two days ago."
Lira grinned. "That's what I said. Doesn't an I have to listen to
myself. Then again, even without you I still need to go haha" He couldn't help the faint chuckle that escaped him. It was strange- how easily they had fallen into a rhythm these past few days. When he first arrived, Lira had simply been another upper-year student assigned to help him settle in. But six days of shared als, casual talks, and long walks across the academy had shifted that formality into sothing more natural. Sowhere along the line, they had beco friends.
User Comments
0 comments from readers