I found myself in a rather familiar train terminal, still ignoring the phantom aches in my chest as I headed towards an unfamiliar train cart.

The arrow pointed in the direction of one much smaller than the rest here, but also much more quaint. Like something I'd see in a 20th century movie.

On my way here from the hospital, I hadn't come across anyone I knew, which likely meant they hadn't met any particularly brutal deaths.

Look, I wasn't a particularly cruel person by any measure, but it did make me slightly mad that I was the only one that had to experience that bullshit. Misery loves company and all.

Regardless of its old-timey and much smaller exterior, the cart's interior was every bit as advanced as the others. Perhaps even more so. The seats certainly felt a lot more comfortable.

In it, I came across two more cadets. One, a blue haired boy with dark eyes, and the other being a dark haired kid with bloody red eyes.

I gave both a nod of acknowledgement as I stepped in, with only the blue haired kid responding to it. Red eyes completely ignored me.

Not that I could say I didn't expect both reactions. After all, I knew who they were.

Akira Kenji and Alexsandr Vladmir.

I hadn't known their faces originally, but after that fiasco with Alexa on the elevator, I'd made a point of searching up all named characters I could remember, so I'd be able to recognize them at least.

The blue haired boy, Kenji, was the only child of the Shipping guild's current leader, who also happened to be the leader of Bastion's Navy. They were technically still commoners, but no one in their right mind would have the gall to call them so.

Vladmir on the other hand was pretty powerful in his own right, having SS-rank potential as well as serving as Varic's right-hand man.

Either way, I wasn't in the mood for conversations, making new allies or enemies. So after taking my seat, I promptly ignored them both.

I did notice that they were both wearing hospital gowns, as was I, seeing as the school couldn't be bothered enough to leave a proper change of clothes in our rooms.

I rubbed my still shaggy hair in frustration, before looking out the window. Luckily, it appeared that the quaint cart was every bit as fast as its counterparts, as the tunnels outside blazed past us.

It wasn't long before we reached our destination.

A much simpler station than the large terminal we'd just left, possessing only two tracks and a dead end.

I let the other two leave first, before stepping out as well.

The first thing I noticed upon exiting were the train tracks, which seemed much smaller than usual, as though they'd been built specifically for just this train.

Next was the actual size of the station. It was really small, barely the size of a modern, or should I say historical, subway station.

Of course the whole thing screamed luxury, with proper, fluffy benches placed generously around its expanse, a snack bar, and multiple games around its domain in case you needed to pass the time.

Most expensive, and perhaps unnerving, was the large fresco stretching the expanse of its far wall. It was a painting of a faceless figure on a simple rowboat, holding a lamp as it led a progression of battered ships across a dark, cruel sea towards a distant light.

I couldn't stop myself from going total hillbilly on it, pausing to admire the intricate art on it. The other boys shot it a glance, but didn't waste nearly as much time as me, before moving towards a simple set of stairs to the side of the painting.

I rubbed my hands on the roaring dark waves on the image.

'Is this the great migration?'

It was a tale as old as Bastion itself. The story of the nation's founders leading their people in a great migration to the lands that were now called Bastion. It happened during the Cataclysm that rocked the entirety of human civilization in the 21st century.

I already knew all this, yet I felt awe at seeing it depicted in such a grand, beautiful way. In the end I sighed, before leaving the painting and heading towards the stairs as well.

I could always admire art later.

The tiled stairway led me through a sizable opening, and I soon found myself standing on the side of a large grassy cliff. The roar of the sea drowned every other sound.

A faint, almost salty wind blew through my hair, as my eyes traced along a simple path cutting through the dark sea of grass, leading all the way towards an elegant yet modern, large mansion somehow built into the side of that massive cliff.

Beyond it lay the barrier. A massive invisible wall enveloping everything, protecting the world beneath it from the furious rage of a storm that kept crashing into it relentlessly.

Regardless of how much the storm raged, the wall held stable.

Behind me, the elevated height lent a view of almost the entirety of the Academy, with all its various buildings standing like solemn monuments in the grass sea, and the tower at the centre of it all shining like a beacon.

It looked like something out of a fairy tale.

I only came back to my senses when I found both Vladmir and Kenji much further down along the path than I was.

I shook off my awe, before following along, through the grass and the little fireflies floating within them. Until I arrived at the door as well.

By then the two had already entered. I followed in their footsteps, pushing the already ajar door open, and stepping into a small reception area.

Two men and a woman sat at the desk there, all definitely not cadets. The woman perked up at the sight.

"Cadet Victor, correct?"

I barely heard one of the men whisper into her ear.

See? I told you he was short.

'Oh, come on.'

I did my best to ignore their belittling of my perfectly normal height, given that they were all B rank hunters.

How did I know?

These were the Ascension Dorms, home to some of humanity's most valuable talents. There was no way they wouldn't set up some sort of guards, even with some of the already insane safety measures of the academy.

Thankfully, the woman seemed reasonable and continued without outright laughing.

"Your room corresponds to the final rank you got in the simulation."

She habitually checked a list.

"So yours should be 002. It's automatically synced with your biometrics, so you'll have no trouble entering. Just head to the second floor."

I gave a nod of thanks, before heading towards an elevator by the side.

'Finally, I can take a proper shower.'

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