Chapter 107: Selection [2]

They returned to Astral Academy within the hour, and barely after that, an announcement spread across every wing of the grounds.

All cadets report to the main courtyard like every year, without exception.

They found out when the three figures walked in.

Isabella and Theodore they recognized as Spires. The man between them they did not.

He was old, with long white hair falling past his shoulders. His eyes were closed. His posture was completely relaxed, almost like someone who had just woken from a nap and decided to take a walk. There was nothing threatening about him on the surface.

The moment he entered the courtyard, the air changed.

It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t a burst of power or a visible shockwave. It was more like something vast and permanent had just decided to be present in the same space as everyone else. Several cadets staggered. A few dropped to one knee without meaning to. Even the stronger fourth-years were breathing differently, like the air had gotten slightly heavier.

Behind the old man, a massive luminous halo rotated slowly. Not above his head. Behind his body, stretching from his waist to above his shoulders, turning at a pace that felt deliberate and ancient.

Alden looked at him and kept his expression steady.

’That’s him.’

Alarion Der Veyne. Chief Head of the Upper Academy. The highest authority across every academy and Spire in the realm. And more than that, something Alden had only referenced by name in his notes and distant Chapter outlines: a Primordial. A race whose very existence sat in the same category as the word deity.

Looking at him now felt completely different from writing that description.

He didn’t look like a character. He looked real in the specific way that made you aware of how unreal everything else was by comparison.

Alarion opened his eyes.

The pressure doubled.

He looked across the gathered cadets.

"Cadets." His voice wasn’t loud. Everyone heard it anyway. "I am Alarion Der Veyne, Chief Head of the Upper Academy." No pleasantries or a warmup. "You already understand why I am here. As this academic year concludes, the Upper Academy will select its next group of cadets. Selection is based on merit, performance, and overall standing. The strongest candidates will be promoted."

"The evaluations have been completed. We begin now." He glanced at Isabella.

"Yes sir" Isabella stepped forward. A transparent ranking projection appeared, floating in the air above the courtyard, displaying the accumulated standings of every cadet across all four years.

The grounds went very quiet.

Isabella looked at the list. "Due to the recent incident, the first-ranked cadet, Augustus Solaris, is no longer eligible for selection." She moved smoothly past it. "Therefore, the first available seat goes to the second-ranked cadet." Her gaze found Seris among the crowd. "Seris Silverhart. With 3,784 accumulated merit points, you have secured the first seat in the Upper Academy."

The courtyard erupted.

"Vice-President Seris!"

"She made it!"

"Congratulations!"

Meanwhile Seris was in infirmary resting on her bed, unconscious.

"The second selected cadet is Claire Thorne, with 3,483 merit points."

Claire’s eyes went wide, and then her whole face brightened. She looked immediately toward Darius standing among the faculty. He started clapping, smiling with a quiet, unmistakable pride. Claire lowered her head slightly, her own smile going wider.

"The third selected cadet is Nicholas Ashford."

Nicholas’s face lit up before he could manage it.

"The fourth is Roselle Evercrest."

Roselle closed her eyes for a second with relief before opening them and smiling.

"And the fifth is Leon."

Leon froze. "Me?!"

Nicholas laughed. Roselle turned to him with a huge grin. Leon broke into the widest smile of the day and grabbed both of their arms. "YES!"

He turned immediately to Alden. "Since you were already selected and the one next right away from my ranking is Legion, we’re all getting in together!"

Alden raised an eyebrow. "Let’s wait until they finish the list."

Theodore looked at the projection. One seat remaining. He read it.

"The sixth and final selected cadet. The candidate currently ranked seventh, with 3,088 accumulated merit points." He looked directly at Alden. "Is Alden."

After a moment of silence.

’What?! Last?! What about Legion?’ Shock washed over Nicholas and Roselle simultaneously.

Then Leon’s hand went up. "Wait, Sir Spire. What about Legion? the cadet ranked right behind Alden, and the rest of the top ten who follow them?" He looked at Theodore. "And isn’t the Upper Academy supposed to select ten cadets annually? Wasn’t Alden already selected by the Upper Academy? "

Theodore’s face went pale.

Isabella quietly closed her eyes.

Alarion turned slowly toward Leon. The courtyard fell completely silent.

"This year is different," Alarion said, his voice unchanged. "The neighboring kingdom of Calyndor received four seats based on their academy’s performance. To maintain the total of ten cadets across both kingdoms, Astral Academy has been allocated six seats."

Leon nodded. "I see."

Then Alarion’s eyes narrowed slightly. "But you mentioned something else." The air in the courtyard changed quality again. "You said Cadet Alden had already been selected."

Theodore went completely rigid.

"I have made no formal selection until this moment," Alarion said. "So how do you know Cadet Alden became an Upper Academy cadet before I selected him?"

Theodore slowly turned to look at Isabella.

She was looking straight ahead. Perfectly composed. Not acknowledging his gaze in any way.

Theodore gestured Leon frantically, standing behind Alarion. ’Stop talking.’

Leon stared at him, confused tilted his head.

Theodore’s eyes went wide. ’Stop. Talking.’

Alarion did not look at Theodore. "Theodore."

Theodore’s entire body went stiff. "Yes, Chief Head."

"You and I will discuss this when we return to the Upper Academy."

Theodore let the air out of his lungs very slowly. "Yes, sir."

He turned and looked at Isabella with the expression of a man who has been betrayed by someone he trusted.

She continued looking straight ahead.

He clenched his teeth. ’She is not even sorry.’

Alarion addressed the cadets again. "Regardless. These six cadets have been selected. Your formal graduation from this academy will take place shortly, after which you will be transferred to the Upper Academy."

He paused. And his expression changed.

"There is one final matter."

The cheering stopped by itself.

"An official declaration has been issued. The vampires have declared war."

The words landed the way a stone lands in still water. A single impact, and then everything spreading outward from it.

Nobody moved or spoke for a full two seconds.

"The conflict has not reached full scale yet, but it will." Alarion looked across every face in the courtyard. "Train. Strengthen yourselves. When the war comes, do not assume these walls will protect you. The vampires will not distinguish between Upper Academy cadets, ordinary cadets, soldiers, or civilians." His eyes narrowed. "If you intend to survive, prepare accordingly."

He vanished. There was no flash of light, no sudden sound, and no movement for anyone to follow. One second he was standing right before them, and the next he was simply gone.

The courtyard held its breath for one second.

Then it came completely apart.

"The vampires declared war?!"

"My family is still in the capital!"

"How do we fight vampires?!"

And then, somewhere in the middle of the noise, a fourth-year climbed up on a stone bench and threw his fist in the air. "We’ll train!" His voice shook but his face didn’t. "We’ve fought monsters before! If they come, we fight them!"

Another fist went up. Then another. The fear didn’t disappear but something else grew up alongside it, stronger and louder, until the whole courtyard was shouting together.

Alden stood in the middle of it and didn’t shout. ’So, we’ll be leaving him back?’

Neither did Leon.

The two of them looked at each other quietly. Then Legion walked over and punched them both lightly on the back.

"Why do you two look like you’re at a funeral?"