From the sky, the main academy buildings—the temples—hadn’t looked so far away. But on the ground, it took nearly a half hour. The train, a block of plain gray steel, rushed along its track.

  Through the windows, Jace watched the city pass by below. The buildings blurred into streaks, but when he looked farther away, he could see crowded streets and bustling markets. Nearly everyone here was a Wielder, and the vast majority displayed a Soul-Circle Opening holographic badge on the breast of their armour or robes.

  “How?” he asked, holding onto a post, but swaying with the movement of the monorail. Other students stood around or sat on the benches, but it was far from packed. Lessa clung onto the post right beside him, watching out the windows just the same.

  “The ability to gather and use Aes is passed through blood,” Lessa said. “Wielders always give birth to Wielders, that kind of thing. So when an Order of solely Wielders comes out here and makes a city, they tend to stay that way.”

  “Makes sense,” Jace said. “And I guess, since Soul-Circle Opening is the base level almost everyone makes it to, that’s where most adults would be.”

  “Exactly.”

  “But then what about people like Tillman?” Jace asked.

  “Mortals are cheaper. Import them in from other places, don’t have to pay them as much.”

  Jace chuckled. A story he’d heard time and time again. He supposed some things always stayed the same. Nothing ever changes, nothing ever changes, that is…unless someone makes it change. That meant him—he’d have to be the one to make it change.

  They shot over the rim of the caldera, and the monorail launched over the countryside, passing trees and crossing valleys. Not everyone in the car looked particularly interested in what was happening around them, so either they were locals, or they just weren’t first years.

  Jace leaned as far to the side as he could, watching the main temple buildings approach. They just kept getting bigger and bigger, until they towered over the track. The monorail approached the closest of the buildings and came to a halt at a metal platform tacked onto its side—clearly, a more modern addition.

  The train’s doors hissed open, allowing the students to step off onto the platform. For a few seconds, they dispersed, until Professor Gold’s voice rang out from the end of the platform, beckoning them toward him. “This way, students. Groundskeeper Tillman will show you around the Academy grounds, and you would be wise to keep up.”

  Jace glanced over at LeeKay, who was still perching on his shoulder. “Hey, bud. You might want to get in the backpack now. At least, until we figure more out about this place.” He patted the kyborg on top of the head. “We don’t need you getting in trouble, like you did in the market, okay?”

  LeeKay chirped excitedly, then pulled open Jace’s backpack and ducked inside. He zipped it back up immediately, hiding himself away.

  Now that they’d arrived, Jace had a clear view of the entire pavilion. Most of the academy buildings were clumped up on a central island between two dark rivers. The island had been cleared of trees, and the ancient temple’s foundations ran right up to the obsidian gravel shores.

  On the opposite banks of the river, trees crowded the shore, and there were a few hololantern-lit trails running off into the wilderness.

  “Come along now, folks,” Groundskeeper Tillman shouted, beckoning them with his arm. “First years, with me. Everyone else, scatter. Don’t know why you young’uns are here so early anyway, but hey, go buy another textbook or something.”

  Jace and Lessa shared a glance, but said nothing to each other. They both stepped along the platform—a perforated steel ledge with a thin railing on the side—and fell into formation with the other students in front of Groundskeeper Tillman.

  After a few seconds, Tillman turned away, gave Professor Gold a nod, then stepped into the temple through a small gate. It wasn’t the main entrance (Jace could see the main entrance from his vantage up here; it was a massive gate on the ground level, with a couple large sliding doors) but it worked well enough.

  Inside the Academy, the hallways were well lit. Though the stone was mostly black with gray, ornamental inlays, it was polished, and it reflected the artificial lightning perfectly. The ceilings were three storeys high, maybe four in some places, but modern piping and wiring nearly filled the entire upper storey. Much like the outer hallways, the inside halls were a trapezoid shape.

  Tillman led them straight down the hall until they arrived at a ledge overlooking a massive hall. “This is the Sevencore Hall,” he said. “Where you will take all your meals, and where all assemblies will be held.”

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  The hall itself was at the very end of this building, with massive purple stained-glass windows along the edges, and braziers flickering along the walls. Ten long tables ran down its floor, though they were empty right now, and at the end was a massive podium with a few opulent chairs. Most likely for the professors and other staff.

  Briskly, Tillman turned away and led them down another hallway. As he walked, he said, “This building is where you will find all the professors’ offices. If you have questions for them,check their office hours schedules. They’ll often give it to you on the course outline.”

  They took a different hallway, which wound around, and by Jace’s best estimate, dipped underneath the main hall. They travelled through a long tunnel. The windows disappeared for a short while, before the hallway opened up into a wide, circular cavern—which they were at the top of.

  It was an amphitheatre of sorts. Risers ran around the edges, providing room for hundreds of audience members to sit and watch. There was a glass booth for more prominent guests, which directly overlooked the sand pit at the center. It was about a hundred paces by a hundred paces. The only light came from artificial floodlights, and the walls, instead of being covered in bricks or concrete or metal, were just bare, shiny black stone.

  “This is the Academy Arena,” Tillman said. “It is where your entrance exam will be held, and where the yearly tournaments will take place. Over the course of the semester, students will be pitted against each other. Yada yada, you all know the drill. Rankings, betting, and a few prizes. The better you do, the better your rewards. Maybe you’ll get recognized by a good guild or Order.”

  Before anyone could ask any questions, Tillman kept walking. He guided them around the arena, and then they ascended a stairway to the next building of the old temple. It was much like the first, except the interior had been divided up into hundreds of classrooms.

  “On the bottom floor, you’ll find all the lecture theatres,” Tillman said. “Higher up, you’ll find professors’ officers, as well as classrooms and lab rooms. They call this the education complex. Any questions? No? Excellent, let’s keep going.”

  Jace blinked. He hadn’t given a chance for anyone to ask. But, then again, he didn’t really have any questions.

  Except for what his and Lessa’s schedule would actually be. That, though, would probably get decided after they passed the entrance exam.

  They passed underground to another temple building. This time, Tillman said, “And these are the dorm rooms.”

  He stopped in the vestibule on the first floor, and pointed to an enormous holographic billboard. “All applicants will receive a dorm room for their stay, but they must relinquish it upon failing the entrance exam. You will share your room with one other partner. Boys stay on the left side of the dorms, girls on the right.”

  Jace turned in a circle, trying to take it all in, but before he could, Tillman announced, “Head to your dorms, get yourselves situated. We’ve wasted enough time here, and you only have a half hour before you’re expected for dinner, so don’t take your time.”

  He was about to walk away, but he stopped for a moment and turned back to them. “Common rooms are a shared space. Each floor has one common room and two shower rooms. Don’t take any longer than five minutes, or you’ll run out of hot water. Understood?”

  “Understood, sir!” some of the students shouted. The rest nodded or mumbled some sort of half-hearted agreement.

  Tillman took another few steps away, before turning back toward them again with his finger raised. “And remember, if we catch a boy and a girl sharing a room, that’s an immediate strike on your transcript. Three strikes, and you’re out. Understood?”

  Again, there was another chorus of agreement.

  Jace glanced at Lessa and whispered, “They have…lots of women here, I guess?”

  “There’s nothing stopping a woman from being born a Wielder,” Lessa replied. “Though, few of them are discovered, I guess, or sent to the school.”

  Jace nodded.

  “And we don’t get to share rooms,” she added, somewhat glumly.

  “What, you were looking forward to that?”

  “Oh don’t be like that.” She went red in the face. “I…didn’t want to be too far apart from you.”

  “Sounds like you wanted to share a room.” Jace gave a slight smile.

  They approached the holographic board where the names were listed. Jace scanned down the list for his, taking slightly longer than the others to decipher the different symbols. Finally, when he reached his name, he put his finger up on it. It passed right through the holographic board. “Room Three-Oh-Six.”

  “At least we’re on the same floor,” Lessa said. “Room Three Fifty-Three.”

  Jace breathed a sigh of relief. At least they wouldn’t be too far apart. They set off toward the elevator bank, but it was taking a while, considering how many students were travelling up and down, so instead, they took the stairs beside. It was only three levels.

  The stairs were definitely a more modern addition to the temple. In fact, most of the interior dormitory structure had to be. The walls were simple white brick with a heavy layer of plaster overtop, which didn’t match the outer aesthetic at all. The stairs were made of metal, and just like the handrails, it was starting to rust.

  They climbed to the third floor, then went their separate ways to find their dorms. “I’ll see you at dinner!” Lessa called excitedly.

  “See you at dinner,” Jace confirmed.

  Each level was a large circle. There was a main hallway with dorms on both sides, almost like a hotel, and at the very center were the common rooms. Jace found his room on the outside ring. He stopped in front of the door, wondering for a moment how to open it, until a hand clapped him on the shoulder.

  “Hello, roommate! You must be Jace? I’m Min!”