But i was dead wrong.
I had thought that finding the secretary's office would be the end of my wandering.
After all, how hard could it be?
The academy was massive, sure, but how complicated could finding a single office really be?
The answer, very.
I had spent what felt like hours walking through corridors that all looked the same.
I asked a few students for directions, and while they were kind enough, none of them could give me clear enough instructions.
One pointed me left, another told me to turn right, and somehow, I ended up going in circles.
At one point, I even thought I had found the office, only to realize it was some random storage closet.
The place was a labyrinth.
And here I was, standing before a door that finally, finally, had the words I'd been searching for.
"Secretary Office."
I exhaled deeply, relieved, but also beyond exhausted.
"Finally," I muttered, a small smile breaking through the fatigue.
The journey to this door had been grueling, and it felt like finding treasure at the end of a never-ending maze.
But I wasn't about to waste any more time.
I knocked, the soft sound echoing in the otherwise quiet hallway.
The voice that came from inside was smooth, almost soothing, but carried the undertone of someone who was way too used to this routine.
"Come in."
I opened the door slowly, stepping inside.
My eyes immediately fell on the young woman sitting at the desk in front of me.
She was hunched slightly over her computer, fingers dancing quickly across the keyboard, her gaze fixed on the screen.
She looked so absorbed in her work, it almost seemed like I didn't even exist.
"You may have a seat," she said without even looking up.
She gestured to the chair in front of her, the movement smooth and practiced.
I didn't waste any time.
I walked over and sat down, the chair creaking slightly under my weight.
I was beyond the point of pleasantries, I just wanted to get this over with.
"Well..." I began, taking a deep breath. "The academy was offering a scholarship, and I applied. I received an email saying I was accepted, so—"
"Name?" she interrupted, her voice as calm as ever, her eyes still glued to the screen.
"Eh?" I blinked, not quite processing what she said.
"Name," she repeated, her fingers still moving, eyes still scanning the screen. "What's your name?"
"Ryan Nether," I said, my voice more clipped than I intended.
I didn't know why, but something about the way she was working made me feel almost like I was in the way.
Her fingers paused, and for the first time, she looked at me.
"Ryan Nether?" she echoed, as though the name was foreign to her.
I nodded, sensing the judgment that flickered in her eyes, even if she quickly masked it.
I could guess why.
A kid from a wealthy family like mine applying for a scholarship to Dusk Academy?
It didn't exactly fit the narrative.
She had probably seen the name before.
Frank Nether's son?
The one who was always surrounded by wealth and luxury?
And here I was, sitting in front of her, probably looking like a broke wreck.
She didn't comment on it, though.
Instead, she turned back to her screen and began typing, her focus back on whatever task was more important than my presence.
I couldn't tell if I was relieved or irritated.
After a few moments, she opened a drawer with a quiet, familiar squeak, her eyes focused intensely on the contents.
Then, a brief flicker of recognition passed across her face, and she pulled something out.
A paper.
She placed it on the desk in front of me along with a pen.
"Sign this," she said, her tone more businesslike now, no trace of the earlier curiosity.
I glanced down at the paper, picking it up.
My eyes scanned over the contents quickly.
It looked like standard enrollment paperwork.
Nothing that stood out.
I grabbed the pen, signed it, and handed it back to her without a word.
She didn't say anything else, just took the paper from me with a quick, fluid motion.
"Thank you," she said, her voice flat. "That would be all."
I blinked, momentarily thrown off by how abrupt it all was.
I had expected more, more paperwork, more questions, maybe a brief introduction to what would happen next.
But this?
This felt like some sort of conveyor belt experience.
"Eh? That's all?" I asked, unable to mask my surprise. I wasn't sure if I was disappointed or just... confused.
"Mhm," she nodded, not bothering to look away from her computer.
I stared at her for a moment, a bit stunned by how quickly this had all happened.
But before I could ask anything more, I heard her voice again, this time more distracted than before.
"Ah, I almost forgot," she said, her hand hovering over the drawer again.
I froze, turning around as she began rummaging through it.
I could feel my impatience start to rise.
What now?
Was there more to this?
Had she forgotten something important?
She paused and looked up, pulling something from the drawer with a small sigh.
She handed me a card.
"Are you going to stay in the academy today, or outside the academy until tomorrow when the academy officially starts?"
I blinked.
What kind of question was that?
Wasn't it obvious?
"Of course, in the academy," I said, not even bothering to think about it.
Where else would I stay?
On the streets?
She nodded, then went back to searching through the drawer.
After a few seconds, she produced another card, this one with a sleek design, and handed it to me.
"That's your academy ID," she explained, her voice less dismissive now. "You can use it to open your room and for various other things. You can also use a password if you prefer." She didn't look at me as she spoke, already returning her attention to whatever was on her computer screen.
I stared at the card for a second, then looked back at her.
"Okay," I said, more to myself than her, before standing up and heading toward the door.
Just as I was about to leave, she called after me.
"Ah, that's right. You'll get the rest of the details in class," she added, without even a glance in my direction.
"Okay," I said again, feeling more detached now than ever.
I opened the door, stepping out into the hallway.
I stood there for a moment, the weight of everything pressing down on me again.
With that, I was officially enrolled in Dusk Academy.