I turned back and I about to leave but as I went out, a voice called to me.

Michael!

Alex ran up with a bright face, excitement and fear in equal measure in his face.

His uniform was half undress, and a sword was at his side which was clumsily strapped.

"Did you hear? Midterms! They say that we are going to fight in a virtual world with virtual monsters!

"I heard," I said dryly. So did all the other students.

He scratched his head and laughed. "Yeah, right. Still, this is huge! I'm actually… I'm looking forward to it."

That made me pause.

A week ago he would have been scared at looking at the eyes of other people. His eyes are like they are never the same again--they have a new light in them.

"Good," I said finally. Then see that you live long enough to get to the Top 16.

Alex grinned and said . "You will make it to the top sixteen all right?"

"We'll see," I said. "I'm not planning to lose."

On this particular evening, the Academy was filled with students filling the Training Hall; others fought in the courtyards and spell ranges crackled with randomly flicked shots of mana.

Others were sword training and mana training.

I spent the remaining hours of the daylight watching out the balcony of the Committee office.

The city was shining below, the mana lamps snapping on one at a time, and Arcadia was a constellation of lights, an upside-down image.

Maria followed me without saying anything and gave me a file.

Exam week new security orders. At night, the Academy will be kept under curfew.

"That was expected", I said to myself, as I continue to say . " This arrogant nobles grathering in one place may be they are planning to attempt something foolish."

She was standing on the railing next to me. "Do you think someone will?"

"I'd bet on it."

" Because they are not like you guys, who only used there status for there power "

The wind changed and her hair fell over my shoulder. She didn't move away.

Then, it is a fortunate circumstance, I said to myself, that we are on the side of order.

I looked at her, and the lamp light tinting her eyes with blue and silver.

"Order's fragile," I said. "It breaks easily."

Then we will have it, then we will have it, she answered, sure and confidence.

We did not say a word to each other long. The moon rose higher making the campus white. Laughter was heard somewhere down below,--transient, human, sanguine.

I watched the horizon.

New monsters were waiting somewhere out there. I could not just deal them down with a sword anymore, but now I wish to spend this night.

And even below that silence the indescribable shaking of something tremendous was commencing to vibrate.

______________

The announcement destroyed whatever little tranquility the Academy had been able to reestablish. By the following day the whole campus was vibrating to a feverish, single-mindedness.

Midterms. Every student was saying the word at this moment.

There was chattering along every corridor; mana lamps were glowing brighter and brighter, like leeches on the general tension. There was the clanging of spoons in the cafeteria and passing trays under half-formed spells and everyone was talking in rapid, clipped voices about monsters, labyrinths, and rankings.

All students were displaying the desire to achieve high performance during mid term.

To the nobles, the approaching exam was not a test. It was a crusade.

The disgrace of the Belnic scandal still weighed upon their necks like iron, and worse--the name of Michael Wilson was now a symbol mumbled by the common people, and evidence that titles could be overthrown.

"That was intolerable."

Petric sat on the upper balcony of the cafeteria with his usual entourage. People below could hear his voice at least.

What I see, gentlemen, I say, swirling the drink in my glass with the mana in it. " Mid- Term is an opportunity to use to indicate that family name matters to this Commoners"

"They have to know that it is possible to teach a dog how to fetch a sword, but they will never use it gracefully like us ."

His followers laughed on cue.

When I hear his trash talk there is only though came to my mind.

'I will put that villain back to his place other time'

Petric, with a curled lip. and continue.

"And now, Let them thing they are equal us but when the tournament started we show them there place...Why they are below us ."

"All noble are you with me "

Then his follower follow him.

Beneath them I bit a sandwich, and made an immense effort not to fall all over in order to dislocate something.

'Let them bark,' I thought.' The more they are loud the more they shake.'

For the common students, their though are different because Hope, confident and fragile, had taken root that was placed by Michael inside them

Michael Wilson not only defeated corruption but also shattered the wall that had kept them small.

In case one of them got a chance to report about corrupt teachers, perhaps, just perhaps, power will not remain under a family crest forever.

Alex is first that showed the change.

I was able to see him in the training field that afternoon. He was perspiring and beating a dummy.

"Again," I said.

He stiffened, breathed in and looked bright. "Right!"

He swung again. The strike was more depersonalized, even though still inaccurate, and less desperate.

"You're getting better," I said.

He winked and smiled his aching heart. "Learning from you is great and it is more understandable then the instructor."

"Don't get emotional. You're still bad."

He laughed anyway.

Then, maybe, maybe, it was what the Academy had to have; less of fear, and more of laughter.

_______________________________

By the middle of the week the Academy was more a war camp than a school.

Overnight study groups were created. In the case of Training Spell, Study together on some topics and sharing of notes.

The library smelled so much of sweat, not paper.

Leon determined that we should have direction in our chaos.

"Okay, guys!Look here " he screamed and banged books on the cafeteria table.

Maria's put down here coffee cup and she said. "We're forming a strategy team."

Aiden looked up. "We already have division on who will join whose team in the exam ."

The Aiden Suggest. " How about we just rush attack the enemy with brutal strength "

Leon ignored him.

" It is not a question of brute force in midterms. They are concerning collaboration, accuracy, and monster patterns. We must plan."

Chris leaned back. "You're volunteering to lead?"

"Of course," Leon grinned. "Unless another party is interested in challenging our future Rank 1.

Everyone groaned.

Still examining her notes, Aurilia mumbled, Confidence is not enough. You will fall first, should you underestimate the trials.

Leon blinked. "You wound me."

"Only with words," she said. "For now."

I chewed on my sandwich and replied, she is right. "The trial of subjugation is interested only in efficiency, and not in charm."

He was quiet for a moment.

Maria nodded.

"Michael's right. During the final VR exercises, he got the highest score due to saving mana and time, but not due to the most damage.

Everyone looked at me.

I gulp, turned and shrugged. "What? I'm just good at not dying."

Aiden snorted. Modesty is a weird thing on you boss.

"Then stop watching."

He grinned wider.

The cafeteria was our headquarters in the next few hours.

Monster anatomy book and labyrinth maps were scattered on the table.

Lyra was practicing drawing rune circles on napkins.

Selena teach us of ratios of elements maths formula.

Aurelia also explains about the weak spots of mana beasts very accurate.

It was chaos. Helpful chaos.

"Who's our healer?" Chris asked. "The last time I nearly died in a spar."

"You had to hit by your own mistakes, it was not my fault,"Lyra grumbled.

It appeared to be a treasure chest!

"It was a treasure chest."

"It tried to eat me!"

Leon slammed the book shut. "Focus, everyone!"

I rubbed my temple. You are yelling at us, Leon and you are the loudest.

He glared. "I'm practicing leadership."

You are working on a large scale problem.

Maria smothered her lips, and a tiny smile. This sincere friendship was so uncommon and vibrant with all the bickering.

At night, we had already plotted the tactics of the trial of subjugation, traced the plans of the team in the labyrinth, and discussed at least five times who was to cook dinner.

We were, in other words, as prepared as we could be.

The days turned out to be a routine of fatigue.

Morning lectures. Afternoon drills. Evening sparring.

Sleep was optional. Progress was mandatory.

I fought Leon almost every night at the training dome at the west. The swords were like a tempest of steel and fire and mana. Sparks flew and we drove each other more and more fiercely and acutely than we believed we could.

The dueling between Aiden and Lyra was noisy--thunder and fire flashed as one-half the field was burnt. Maria stood on the side watching with cold calculating eyes. She also made corrections that were helpful and scary at the same time.

Although we were very tired, we had a great sense of cohesion.

We were more than classmates.

We were a group that was constructed on competition and toughened by anarchy.

Every bruise and laugh was trustmaking.

One night following a hard session, Leon was on the ground, panting. Further on, we will be invincible or perish.

"Fifty-fifty," I said, lying beside him.

Maria raised an eyebrow. "That a big chance statistically."

I wiped my face with sweat, and stared at my disorganized, ridiculing, enraged allies.

'One month ago, no one would have guessed that we would be on the same side.'

"It would not be possible to imagine it differently now."

"Hah-—ahhah"

As the laughs resounded in the training halls, there was a sharp crash of steel in the east wing.

----------------------------------------------------------

Eric William moved in a training room in darkness like a shadow of anger.

His sword, which he practiced, being in sacred flame, pierced dummies one after another, and the row was burning.

The perspiration streamed down his face into the burnt floor and his each breath sounded like a low growl.

There was a hologram on the far wall which displayed the first-year rankings. There were two names above, radiant.

Leon Lionheart

Michael Wilson

Eric stared at them.

The knuckles became pale about the hilt of the sword; the leather squeaked.

Never again.

He swung once, then twice. The flash on every strike was blue-white and scalded the air. There was a smell of ozone and burning magic in the room.

He had revisited this a thousand times in his mind that day: his father look down on him because he below Lionheart.

His anger had gone as his arrogance now he has only determination to win against Lionheart and want to crush Michael and show them that he not just willam heir but he Eric who will be the strongest Hunter in world.

Never again, I will not be humiliated again, I said to myself in full confidence.

"Not by him. Not by anyone of them."

(To be Continue).

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