Kael couldn't believe the coincidence—of all the students in the academy, his roommate turned out to be Severian, the only person he had somewhat gotten to know before arriving. Couldn't have asked for a better match.
Severian grinned. "So, you made it in. Sorry, I didn't check out the Gaianis trials, but I figured you'd get in."
Kael shrugged. "Didn't even have to take them. I got in a few days ago through recommendation."
"Oh, nice," Severian nodded approvingly.
Kael smirked. "But I did go watch you. You were amazing, seriously. I couldn't believe what I was seeing."
Severian scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "Ah, that? It was nothing. The others were pretty good too."
Kael tilted his head. "Speaking of, do you know when our first day of classes is? Pretty sure nobody told me."
Severian chuckled. "Day after tomorrow. They're giving everyone time to move in and settle first." He then glanced around and noticed Kael's side of the room. "I see you're already unpacked."
Kael sighed, gesturing at his nearly empty wardrobe. "Didn't exactly have a lot to unpack. Most of my old clothes are barely holding together, so I'll probably just wear the academy uniforms."
Severian nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense."
Kael decided to dig a little deeper. "By the way, where are you from? When I first saw you, I thought you lived in Eryndor, considering the way you dress."
Severian chuckled. "Nah, I live a few kilometers north of here. It's not too far—about a two-hour walk. But my parents insisted I stay in the dorms so I'd always be near the academy."
The two spent some time talking while Severian unpacked, getting to know each other better.
Just as they were settling in, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in!" Kael and Severian called out simultaneously.
The door opened, revealing a slim boy with black hair and glasses, also wearing the academy uniform.
"Hey, I'm Finnick," he introduced himself. "I'm in the room next door. Hope we get along."
Behind him, a large humanoid bear stepped in. Kael immediately recognized him from the Inveris trials.
Finnick gestured toward him. "This is Korrvak, my roommate."
Korrvak simply nodded in greeting.
The four of them exchanged pleasantries, but Finnick and Korrvak didn't stick around for long. They had only stopped by to introduce themselves before heading back to their room.
After they left, Kael turned to Severian. "So, what's the plan for today? Got anything in mind?"
Severian shrugged. "Not really. But I do need to buy a notebook for class."
Kael froze. "Oh, crap—I don't have a notebook! I completely forgot about that!"
He turned to Severian with pleading eyes. "Uhh… would you, maybe, buy one for me?"
Severian smirked. "Hah! Yeah, sure, I'll cover it. But don't make a habit of this."
Kael grinned. "I owe you one."
The two headed out into the city, making a quick stop at a shop to purchase all the supplies they needed. Technically, Severian bought them, as Kael still had zero money to his name.
What surprised Kael the most was that when Severian pulled out his coin pouch, it was packed with at least seventy silver coins. The total cost of their supplies? Four silver coins.
"Damn," Kael muttered. "You're loaded."
Severian just laughed it off. "Perks of having noble parents."
After spending the rest of free time chatting and getting ready, the first day of class finally arrived.
Kael and Severian took their seats in the second-to-last row of the academy's lecture hall. The layout reminded Kael of lecture halls from his past life, only designed for a much smaller group of students.
The headmaster, Cyrus Vale, took the stage, addressing the students. Some had seen him before, but others visibly reacted to his masked appearance.
He gave a brief speech before stepping aside for the head of the Inveris department to take over.
A massive man—even larger than Lucian—stepped up. His muscles were ridiculous, making it clear he was a warrior first and a scholar second.
"I am Victor Hargrave," he announced. "I will oversee the Inveris division."
He then explained the curriculum—what classes they would take, how often, and what to expect. Every Inveris student took daily combat training, along with theory-based classes.
One thing that stood out was that twice a year, students from both divisions would go on a joint field excursion to test their abilities in real-world situations.
Then, the head of Gaianis, Margot Whitmore, stepped forward.
Kael was immediately captivated. She was stunning—elegant yet powerful.
As she spoke, Kael found himself smirking. I never had time for dating in my last life. Maybe I should change that… starting with Professor Whitmore.
Like Hargrave, she outlined the Gaianis curriculum, which was structured similarly to Inveris, except with a focus on Gaianis-based disciplines. Their class schedules also ran from 9 AM to 4 PM.
After the professors spoke, four students—each representing the second, third, fourth, and fifth years—took the stage. They gave generic welcoming speeches, talking about how they looked forward to seeing the first-years grow.
Kael zoned out halfway through. This is just filler.
Finally, they wrapped up by informing the students that classes would begin the next day. A few courses—such as history and politics—would be shared between both divisions.
As they were dismissed, Kael turned to Severian. "Not as bad as I expected."
Severian nodded. "Yeah, wasn't too bad. Let's see how the real classes go."
They compared schedules, checking which classes they had together, before heading back to their dorm. That night, they went to bed early, preparing for their first official day as students.
End of Chapter 19