The throng of students fell silent, the weight of the Vice Principal's presence anchoring them in place.
The man with the monocle, the Vice Principal, began to delineate the rules and regulations that each student was required to follow.
After what felt like an eternity of lecturing, the students were finally granted permission to enter. The crowd began to move, forming a steady line as each student made their way into the Morning Hall.
Ren stood there in awe, his gaze fixed upon the vastness of the space, cloaked in a pristine white reminiscent of fresh snow. At its center loomed two massive pillars, supporting the grand ceiling above. The ceiling was a marvel, adorned with intricate carvings that told stories of past students who had excelled, weaving a tapestry of history and aspirations.
Before him stood two spiraled staircases ascending toward a room with a crimson door marked by a stark black tag.
As curiosity bubbled among the students regarding the door, the Vice Principal's voice drew their attention. "In this institution, everything is categorized by tiers, from White, denoting the lowest, to Black, the highest," he explained.
"To all internship students, only facilities marked with White and Blue tags are accessible. Once you become a permanent student of our institute, you will gradually gain access to the Red and Green areas, and only those with exceptional academic achievements will be permitted to explore the realms beyond the Black doors."
As he concluded his explanation, the eyes of every student ignited with a fiery curiosity, a yearning to discover what lay beyond.
Ren's gaze once again fell upon the same girl, her expression radiating an excitement that surpassed all others.
With the bell ringing, its melancholic toll echoing through the hall, Vice Principal Mr. Gullberg welcomed the students to explore the campus.
The crowd surged forward, scattering in all directions, filling the eight different hallways that branched out from the Morning Hall.
"Where should I go?" Ren pondered, ultimately deciding to follow the path directly before him.
In the nearly empty hall behind, Mr. Gullberg stood conversing with someone.
"What do you think?" the mysterious man inquired.
"There are some students who have caught my eye," he replied.
"Do you believe this year will be promising?" the man asked.
"No, not promising—interesting."
***
In one of the many hallways of the university's main building, Ren wandered aimlessly, finding little of interest in the various rooms. "There isn't much here that piques my curiosity," he sighed.
His hands tucked into the pockets of his navy blue jacket, he watched as other students brimmed with excitement, forming groups, forging friendships, and exploring different classes. His gaze drifted toward a garden outside, where he paused to admire its beauty before moving on.
After a short distance, Ren arrived at a junction of hallways, three paths laid out before him. "Ah, a directional board: Neuro Sector to the left, Handy Sector straight ahead, and Terra Sector to the right," he read aloud.
Driven by curiosity and an unnameable anxiety, Ren chose the path to the right.
As he proceeded, he couldn't help but notice the tags that adorned the doors. "Each follows a pattern; doors with white tags signify lecture halls, while blue ones indicate labs. The Red and Green must be related in some way," he mused.
***
Elara, having explored the left hallway, returned to the Morning Hall. Her eyes were drawn to a floating sphere, adorned with a holographic smiley face, beneath which a small crowd had gathered, eager to hear its words.
"How intriguing," Elara thought, moving closer.
"During the Great Tech Drought of 2027, nearly twenty years ago, this university was established with the sole purpose of revitalizing the industry, thanks to the vision of three brilliant minds," the Floating Smile proclaimed.
"Does anyone know who they are?" it asked the crowd, but silence enveloped them, unfamiliar with the history. Among them, a hand shot up confidently—a slender, determined hand belonging to a girl with silken black hair.
"Dr. Rudd Vellion, Prof. Hamlit Truce, and Dr. Watfrown," Elara answered.
"Bingo!" the floating sphere exclaimed, launching into a recount of history. Yet for Elara, it was dull; she yearned for something more exhilarating. Suddenly, her attention was caught by the bulletin board in the hall, listing available classes to attend.
"We can attend classes!" she nearly shouted in excitement. "What should I choose? Gears Basics, umm, Hydro Notions, and ah, Terraforming," she read, her eyes fixated on the word Terraforming. "Very well, then, let's go," she decided, striding purposefully down the passage.
"No running in the hallway," the sphere admonished.
"Ah, sorry!" Elara replied, reining in her enthusiasm.
***
Outside the institute building, a place Ren had admired not long ago, a tranquil garden lay, occupying only a fraction of the vast campus.
At the center of vibrant flower beds, a small canal of water gushed, shattering the stillness.
A sparkling faucet intermittently sprinkled water over the plants, while little birds chirped merrily from the branches of the nearby apple trees.
Beneath one of the many trees, a woman sat sketching the birds on a small white canvas. She wore a light dress of white, delicately tinted with green.
Her golden-brown hair cascaded against the rough bark of the tree that supported her, while her silver-gray eyes observed the students darting past the hallways, each moment filled with unspoken wonder.
As she turned the page, revealing drawings of various flowers and birds, she paused at one particular sketch—not of an exotic bloom or a singing bird, but of a boy gazing from the window, captivated by the garden's beauty.
Finding a new blank page for her next sketch, her attention was suddenly drawn to a girl sprinting down the hallway, her hair flowing in the air, eyes sparkling with curiosity, and a smile lighting her face.
The woman smiled in return, her hands moving swiftly to capture the essence of the moment on her canvas.
***
"A class?" Ren overheard a few fellow students discussing the lectures available that day.
"Terra-forming, huh? I wonder if it's interesting," he mused while wandering down the expansive hallway of the Terra sector.
"This hallway seems larger than the last, yet it houses fewer rooms," he contemplated.
His gaze swept across the surroundings—tags marking various rooms, groups of students engaged in animated conversation, and floating cameras surveying the scene. His attention was drawn to a small cluster of students gathered before a door adorned with a white tag.
"It must be the lecture hall," he surmised as he approached. At the entrance, a person was distributing badges.
"What's this?" one of the many students asked.
"Oh, it's an identity badge. Only students wearing these can enter the classrooms," came the response.
"So I need one to get in," he thought, hesitating as he stood at the front of the line. "Should I take the class or not? I know nothing about Terra-forming."
His feet felt glued to the ground, indecision swirling in his mind as the minutes slipped away. Only a few badges remained, and time was running short.
"I made it just in time," a soft voice chimed from behind him. Ren turned instinctively, his gaze landing on a girl who was catching her breath, hands resting on her knees. He stared at her, momentarily captivated. "That's the same girl as before," he murmured.
Elara huffed, her breaths coming in quick gasps after sprinting from the Morning Hall. She glanced up, meeting Ren's gaze, and felt a flush creep across her cheeks. Straightening her back, she smoothed her tousled hair.
"Um, are you also going to the Terra-forming class?" she asked, her voice slightly trembling from the exertion. Ren remained silent, unsure of how to respond.
"Oh, sorry! I'm Elara Selena, another intern student, Nice to meet you," she said, offering him a warm smile.