Amon watched his parents depart on their ship, and tears formed at the corners of his eyes.

'I'm all alone again.' Amon sighed but didn't let the tears that threatened to fall actually slip down his cheeks.

Finally, everyone left, and only the remaining 293 students along with the instructors stayed behind.

"Settle yourselves. We'll arrive at the academy shortly."

Amon heard the head instructor say. Then he felt the ship let out a sharp sonic boom, and the whole scenery turned white.

Due to the sheer speed the ship was moving in, Amon felt his vision blur.

He steadied himself and glanced around.

Helena's stance remained perfectly composed, her expression calm and unbothered by the violent shift in speed.

Just as he was about to look toward the other students, someone's voice cut through his thoughts.

"I'm Natasha. It's nice to meet you."

Hearing the female voice, Amon turned to his right and saw the blind girl standing there with a gentle smile on her face.

'How is she able to see me despite being blind? Or… is she not blind at all?'

Curiosity stirred in him.

Still, he reached out toward her slender outstretched hand and shook it.

"I'm Amon. Nice meeting you."

"Right." Natasha fell silent and simply stood beside him.

Feeling the awkward air settle between them, Amon kept quiet as well, unsure how to start a conversation.

"Why do you use the sword?" Natasha asked.

"Because I like the sword?" Amon replied, sounding unsure even to himself.

"Fair point."

"I heard that while at the academy we'll have to complete tests like exploring specific star gates." Amon added with curiosity.

Natasha shrugged lightly. "I don't know much about the academy. We'll find out when we get there."

The two continued speaking casually.

At times Amon asked questions about the things that sparked his curiosity, and while Natasha tried to offer a suitable reply, she also asked her own questions.

Time drifted like the wind in this easy back and forth.

After some time, Amon felt the ship gradually slow down before coming to a halt.

"We're here." Amon exclaimed, causing Natasha to nod.

"How does it look?" she asked.

For a moment Amon froze. Only after subconsciously glancing at her blindfold did he remember she truly could not see.

"It's magnificent." Amon said as the ship hovered to a stop in midair.

He began explaining the scenery to her in detail.

Surprisingly, the academy was located on an island.

The island was vast, so wide that from where the ship hovered Amon couldn't see its end. It stretched far into the ocean, and the distance was swallowed by thick mist.

Amon was drawn in by the scene, though his eyes soon shifted to something below.

There was a massive gate facing them, with buildings spreading in all directions.

That particular area seemed secluded, and opposite it stood another large gate.

Rows of marble walls lined the outer edge, following a straight horizontal path from one end of the gate to the other.

Within those marble walls were what looked like classrooms.

There were three, each one larger than the previous.

At the center sat what appeared to be a training yard.

A few large rooms lined the exterior as well.

Amon even spotted a swirling blue void that pulsed faintly, like a warped patch of sky.

He couldn't help being impressed by the sight.

And this was only the section belonging to the first years.

Far off he could see another similar structure, though much smaller in comparison.

As he continued to admire and describe everything to Natasha, the ship drew closer to the ground.

With a resounding thud, the ship finally landed.

"We've arrived!" the head instructor announced, drawing the attention of all the youths.

"There," he pointed at the rows upon rows of houses Amon had noticed earlier, "are the dormitories. You can choose a single room or stay with your friends in one. You all must be tired, so rest for tonight. Tomorrow you will be briefed on everything you need to know about the academy."

He clearly understood how exhausted they were, considering they had been active for almost two days straight.

"There is nothing else to discuss. Everyone leave."

At his final declaration, all 293 freshers stumbled down from the ship.

Through the corner of his eye, Amon caught sight of a familiar figure.

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he noticed Damien stumbling out of a ship that had remained untouched until now.

Damien staggered and yawned as he stretched, moving along with the other instructors at a lazy pace.

"Oh, hey kid." He yawned and waved at Amon upon sensing him looking over.

Amon felt secondhand embarrassment wash over him.

'Where is his composure and demeanor as an instructor, like the others?'

He still waved back politely.

"Let's go." He turned to Natasha, who nodded and followed him.

They walked for a few meters before arriving at a house that hadn't been selected yet.

"We should live together." Natasha suggested with a pleasant smile.

Amon hesitated before shaking his head with clear regret.

'Wait, why do I feel regret? This is for my own good.'

With too many secrets weighing on him, living with someone was far from ideal.

Moreover, she was a girl.

"Okay," Natasha said lightly, as if she had expected that answer.

She walked toward a house just a short distance from Amon's.

A youth was fumbling with the key, moments away from stepping inside.

Natasha offered him a polite smile.

"Pardon me, I'll be taking your house."

The boy looked stunned.

He narrowed his eyes at her and snorted. "Find somewhere else to stay lady. I've already chosen this house. Don't make me pour my tiredness on you."

At his words, Natasha didn't hesitate for even a moment.

She thrust her palm forward.

Even Amon was stunned by how casually she attacked.

The youth panicked and tried to defend himself, but her palm had already slammed into his chest.

BANG.

With a fierce impact he crashed into the wall of the next house.

Groaning in pain, he tried to stand.

Ignoring him, Natasha turned and smiled sweetly at Amon.

"Looks like we'll be neighbors from now on."

Amon forced a smile and tried to sound casual.

"Yeah." His eyes slid toward the collapsed youth. "Neighbors."

Natasha twisted the key and pushed the door open.

Halfway inside, she paused. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah. Have a nice rest." Amon waved before entering his own house.

It was nowhere near the luxurious home he had back at the Adam's family estate.

This one was a simple single bedroom flat.

When he entered, the first thing he saw was an empty parlor with a single mat spread on the floor.

To the right were three doors.

One led to the bedroom, another to a storage room, and the last one to the bathroom.

Straight ahead was the kitchen, equipped with only a few basic tools.

Amon examined the place, found it acceptable, and walked toward the bedroom.

Inside was a bed with a small reading table placed opposite it.

He exhaled and collapsed onto the bed.

Instantly, the fatigue washed over him like a heavy tide.

Taking a deep breath, Amon murmured softly to himself.

'Welcome to a new life, Amon.'

With that thought, he drifted into sleep without a care in the world.

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