Chương 15: Chapter 15:How unfortunate

Entering their new room, Nathaniel and Selene are immediately struck by its beauty. The haunting architecture and stunning design leave them in impressed.

The spacious bathroom catches their attention first, featuring a luxurious shower and a large tub. A massive mirror hangs on one wall, reflecting the elegance of the room. Next to the bathroom, a walk-in closet awaits, filled with neatly arranged clothes.

Exploring further, they find a huge bedroom with a large, inviting bed. The room is tastefully decorated, with subtle hints of the House of Shadows' signature style. A living room area provides a cozy space to relax and unwind.

Nathaniel can't help but feel that the old man, Elder Archon, was playing favorites. The room is far more luxurious than he had expected for new students.

Selene and Nathaniel open the closet to find an array of clothes neatly arranged. There are six pairs of clothes in total: what appears to be the uniform, training/combat attire, and sleeping attire. The sleeping attire set consists of a black shirt and matching pair of shorts, all adorned with the House of Shadows logo.

After Selene finishes her shower, I take my turn, relishing the warm water cascading over my tired muscles. When I step out, refreshed, I find Selene already in bed, waiting for me.

I wrap my arms around her, seeking comfort and warmth, and we try to settle in for some much-needed rest. Just as we're about to drift off, six scrolls mysteriously appear on a table next to the bed.

With a sigh, we sit up, curiosity piqued, and reach for the scrolls to see what has been sent to us.

Among the scrolls that appeared, two are for the classes and timetable. As we unroll them, we notice that History is marked as a compulsory subject for both of us.

We start to go through the list of available subjects, considering our interests and strengths. Selene decides on major healing, major alchemy, basic magic, combat, and minor weapon usage. I, on the other hand, choose major weapon usage, basic magic, minor healing (definitely not just because I want to be in the same class as her), and enchantment, intrigued by its potential. Selene surprises me by also selecting beginner divine studies, though she simply shrugs when I raise an eyebrow at her choice.

Finally, we both agree on choosing elemental control, drawn to the idea of mastering the elements.

Once we've made our subject selections, the scrolls shimmer and transform, displaying our final timetables. We examine them closely, noting the timings and locations of our classes.

The remaining two scrolls are copies of the rules, and I decide to leave those for Selene to peruse at her leisure. Instead, I focus on the last set of scrolls, which detail the various clubs and student societies available to join.

I set these scrolls aside for now, intending to revisit them later when I have more information about each club.

I pull Selene close to me, interrupting her reading of the rules. She giggles softly as she snuggles into my embrace, finding comfort in the warmth of our closeness. We drift off to sleep in each other's arms, the day's events finally catching up with us.

As we start to doze off, I faintly hear the sound of hissing nearby. Too sleepy to investigate, I decide to check on our tiny serpent friends in the morning. Right now, all that matters is the peaceful embrace of sleep and the presence of the one I love beside me.

At the break of dawn, Selene and I descend the stairs , dressed in our new uniforms. We're headed to our first class of the day, History, which we have together.

Feeling fantastic, I find myself quite pleased with the uniform. In my previous life, I was accustomed to luxurious, well-fitted suits, and this uniform is no different, if not better.

The uniform starts with a fitted, black jacket, adorned with intricate silver embroidery along the lapels and cuffs, depicting swirling arcane symbols that seem to shimmer with magic. The jacket is tailored to perfection.

Beneath the jacket, a crisp, white tailored shirt with a high collar peeks out, giving a sense of sophistication. A silver cravat, elegantly tied, adds a touch of old-world charm, its ends draping gracefully over the front of the jacket.

The lower half of the uniform consists of well-fitted charcoal grey trousers, completing the attire are polished black leather boots.

As a final touch, each student wears a silver pendant around his neck, the academy's emblem—an elegant symbol of a majestic dragon.

On top of the uniform, a black robe with the house of Shadows symbol on it and a single silver star.

Selene next to me is also in a black robe and with a single silver star and beneath the robe, a tailored white blouse with billowing sleeves adds a touch of purity and sophistication. The neckline is adorned with a silver clasp in the shape of a majestic dragon.

The lower half of the uniform consists of a matching skirt, also in midnight grey, flowing softly to the above the knees( it was longer but Selene said she refused to look like an old hag, she altered it, I snicker to myself) .The skirt is accented with silver embroidery along the hem.

Adorning the feet are delicate, leather black shoes.

I can't help but think to myself, whoever designed these uniforms deserves a chef's kiss. The attention to detail and the overall design are simply impeccable.

As Selene and I reach the bottom of the stairs, we are greeted with onlookers and gasps of surprise. We exchange a questioning glance, wondering what has caught everyone's attention.

I spot Gregory waving at me from the crowd, and we make our way over to him. He's standing next to a large notice board, and as I look up, I see that it's the first-year rankings displayed. Selene and I find our names written in shimmering gold at the very top of the list, with an impressive 10,000 merits.

The second-ranked student trails far behind with 6130 merits, making our lead quite substantial. The murmurs and commotion around us are no surprise now, as it seems our unexpected rise to the top has caused quite a stir.

As we make our way to the main dining hall, we are each handed green cards by staff members. These cards, we quickly learn, are bound to the owner and serve as a reflection of the amount of merits one possesses.

Along the way, I overhear snippets of conversation about the significance of the silver stars embroidered on robes. A single silver star signifies that a student has earned a minimum of 10,000 merits, an achievement that typically takes a month for first-year students to reach. The second silver star indicates 50,000 merits, the third 100,000, and so on. There are a total of 15 silver stars before they turn into a prestigious gold star.

We also gather information about accommodation costs. A single room costs 50 merits per night, while rooms with better amenities start from 500 merits and above. Selene and I exchange a knowing glance at this piece of information, realizing we may need to have a conversation with Elder Archon about our lodging arrangements.

As we enter the vast dining hall with its seven levels, I can't help but think it symbolizes the seven years we'll spend here at Tavill Academy. The hall is alive with chatter, and I notice mini groups and cliques forming all around us.

Different colors of robes adorn the students, representing the various houses—blue, white/grey, purple, and gold. I'm silently thankful for belonging to the House of Shadows; the idea of walking around in gold robes sends a shiver down my spine.

Taking our seats, menus materialize in front of us. I make my meal selection, and the total comes to 60 merits. Glancing around, I see other students frowning at the prices. It seems Tavill is indeed a place where everything comes with a cost.

My eyes land on the porridge option, a modest 3 merits, and I assume that's what most students have decided on. How unfortunate, I think to myself.

After a few minutes, meals shimmer in front of us and the other students. My meal consists of a refreshing fruit juice, a version of bacon that looks surprisingly close to the real thing, some scrambled eggs, beautifully done bread, and a piece of fruit. Selene's meal is similar to mine, and I notice Greg has a nice-looking sandwich on his plate not as lavish as ours but glad to see he's not struggling.

Glancing around, I see most tables adorned with the tasteless porridge. How unfortunate, I think to myself again, and dig into my delicious meal.