Ryad POV:

  "Here, wear this," Professor Houghton handed me a set of blue colored uniform for me to wear, "I'll show you your css for this year."

  The Headmaster opened the entrance to the training room and allowed me to change within there. I shed off the clothes Madison had given me before tucking them neatly and leaving the entrance.

  "All set? Let's get moving!" Professor Houghton remarked cheerfully as he headed to the door.

  "Wait." Before I could follow him, the Headmaster called out.

  I turned and saw him approaching me swiftly, handing me a bck ring with an onyx stone in the middle of it.

  "This is a storage ring, it wouldn't be convenient to move around with clothes in your arms all day now would it?" The Headmaster chuckled.

  I accepted the ring after muttering a word of thanks and fitted the ring on my right ring finger. The ring nestled itself comfortably, but other than that, I didn't know how to make it work. I guessed the Headmaster was about to show me.

  "Manipute your mana into the ring, can you do that?" The Headmaster instructed.

  I channeled mana into the ring and the onyx glowed with a purple hue before taking my clothes within the ring.

  "If you want your clothes back, your gonna have to repeat the same thing, but imagine having the clothes in addition to that," the Headmaster informed me, beckoning me to try.

  Following his instructions, I summoned my clothes back before I sent them back into the storage ring.

  "Normally, storage rings would have a restriction as to how much you can put into it. However, in honor of our first meeting along with our little scuffle, I've made an exception for you. Use it well," the Headmaster smiled as he waved me good bye.

  I could only bow lightly in gratitude, before I left the Headmaster's office.

  "Now that the Headmaster has accepted you into the Academy. All that's left is a bit more paperwork, and you'll be all set," Professor Houghton muttered as we both walked through the Academy's corridors.

  The hallways were empty this time, contrary to how they were before hand. I could hear professors teaching different lessons throughout the different csses. After walking for a couple more minutes, Professor Houghton eventually stopped in front of the doors of a rather quiet css.

  As a matter of fact, I would argue that this had been the quietest css in the whole school. It was almost as if they weren't there, but if I strained my ears properly, I could hear the voice of a female talking within the cssroom.

  'Is this css door covered with magic?'

  Professor Houghton knocked once before entering the css in an instant, walking into the cssroom with a confident stride before hugging a mature dy with gsses who had been holding onto a book. This happened for only an instant before the professor leaped back slightly to avoid a book swipe to the crown of his head.

  "As charming as ever, huh Lay?" Professor Houghton teased, lightly rubbing his hand. Looked like Professor Lay had gotten him on the hand.

  "Such behavior is inappropriate in the School environment, please refrain yourself from acting so," Professor Lay rebutted coldly.

  It was one of the first times I had seen Professor Houghton act like that, he normally would have kept a respectful distance from everyone he met.

  "I can't help it, you're normally easy to tease. You know?" The professor snickered mischievously.

  I could feel stares coming my way. Many of them, I had found familiar, others not.

  "Anyway, I just wanted to bring you that student that I was talking about the other day," Professor Houghton expined.

  "Thank you for bringing the student to our css, now please leave," Professor Lay stated as she pointed at the door.

  Professor Houghton could only smile helplessly before he saw himself out of the cssroom. Leaving me alone in front of the entire css along with Professor Lay.

  The professor turned to me.

  "Would you mind introducing yourself to the css?"

  "My name is Ryad," I announced.

  Silence followed as the entire css looked at me expectantly.

  "Do you not have a st name?" The professor asked quizzically.

  Damn, I forgot to get one. I had to make one up on the spot.

  "Brynwold. Ryad Brynwold," I stated after a few moments of silence.

  "Very well Mr. Brynwold, please take a seat anywhere you would like," Professor Lay instructed kindly.

  I slowly made my way to the only empty desk that happened to be on the third row of the css. The cssroom had been set up in rows of four and columns of five. Meaning that there were about twenty people within the css, twenty-one including me.

  "Now, Ryad, we were just going over the rules of the Academy. Your manual will be given to you at a ter time. For now, you'll just have to listen in," the professor expined.

  "One thing that will not be tolerated within the premises of this Academy is unreasonable acts of violence. Although duels are allowed within the schools. The school will not tolerate any acts of unmotivated violence, or unreasonable violence. Some of these reasons include racism, and blood-line discrimination," Professor Lay announced while looking around the css, "the reason I'm stressing these two conditions is because this css is full of high-css nobles. I don't know how you behaved back at home, but if you are caught perpetuating acts of violence based on these conditions. It will be seen as bullying, resulting in immediate expulsion."

  "You are held in a higher standard compared to the rest for a reason. So act like it," the professor stated coldly.

  I watched on calmly as she went on until the bell rang, indicating the end of the css.

  All the other students immediately began to talk to each other as soon as they saw the professor leave. Leaving me alone with my thoughts.

  "I can't believe that we're getting taught by the Ionia Lay, the Purple Valkyrie! The Academy really doesn't hold back does it?" One of the students excimed.

  "She's so hot, you don't think she would date students, does she?"

  "No way she'd date a bum like you, get real."

  "I can't believe duels are allowed in school. I heard that the other schools never let their students duel."

  "I'm starving, I wanna eat something so bad....."

  "Do you think that we can challenge the upper css students?"

  "Well, I think I already know who I wanna test out this duel system with already."

  Chatters like that buzzed around the css. Having nobody to talk to, the only thing that was left to do was to keep my head on my desk and get a little nap in.

  I was beginning to drift off to sleep, when I suddenly heard some footsteps approaching me. Judging from the number of footsteps, there were about three people who began surrounding me.

  I instinctively raised my hand to catch something that was approaching my hand; my eyes opening in realization that it was a hand.

  "Hm? Here I thought the dude was asleep," one of the boys remarked with a look of surprise.

  I let go of the hand before sitting up properly, and getting a proper view of my new cssmates.

  One of them had ginger hair and green eyes, he looked to be a year younger than me. While the other one had blue hair and brown eyes, his bowl hair chopped just above his eye brows so he wouldn't have to see with difficulty. Whereas the st one had really short bck hair and brown eyes.

  They all stood around my desk looking down on me, with eyes full of mischief. I could only imagine what they had stored in mind for me.

  "Hey.....Ryad, was it? I, Maximus Gilbride, challenge you to a duel!" The boy with the ginger hair and green eyes announced proudly. Causing everyone's chattering within the cssroom to come to an immediate stop.

  Suddenly, a bracelet that he had happened to have on his write wrist glowed with a blue light. The ring on my finger had suddenly glowed with a purple light in response, and the two lights immediately shot out before meeting and merging with each other midway.

  "A duel has been announced. Does Student Ryad Brynwold accept the challenge?" A voice suddenly rang out from my storage ring.

  For the second time, my mind went bnk once more.

  'What did I do to go through such a troublesome encounter?'

  "You'd better accept it, newbie. I'm trying to figure out the mechanics behind this thing and you look like the perfect punchi- I mean sparring partner," Maximus threatened.

  The purple and blue light continued converging between the two of us, waiting for my response.

  'I guess I can gauge where I stand with a student within this css....it shouldn't hurt to do that, right?'

  After hesitating for a bit longer, I finally accepted the challenge.

  I closed my eyes as the light that shone between Maximus and I suddenly expanded before encompassing the entire cssroom.

  Opening my eyes, I was surprised to find myself standing in the middle of a training room that resembled the one I had fought the Headmaster a bit earlier. Looking at myself, the dark blue bzer along with the white shirt and dark blue trousers remained the same.

  I was shocked to see that it was only two of us within the training room. I couldn't see anyone else within it except for Maximus, who had been gawking as he looked around the room.

  "This is sick! I wish I could show the other guys this too, is there an option like that?" Maximus thought out loud.

  Suddenly, the same mechanical like voice rang out again.

  "Inviting all cssmates to spectate the duel......"

  Suddenly, images of the students within the same css started popping within the room one after the other.

  I heard numerous confused voices along with excited ones to boot.

  "Now now, I understand your confusion to the sudden turn of events, but this is still a duel. It's a perfect opportunity to show you how the duel system works within the Academy," Professor Lay's voice rang out around the room, "now, let us commence the duel."

  Suddenly, the image of the number three suddenly appeared in front of me. The number began counting down till zero.

  "Let the Duel begin!"

  Maximus took out a long sword from his bracelet; it glowed with blue aura and his eyes shone with battle intent.

  I slowly took out my dagger before channeling mana into it. I had been instructed not to take out Maliketh under any circumstances, and I was pnning on doing just that regardless.

  "That's it?! Are you underestimating me? You're Dead!" Maximus, suddenly snarled as he gred at me with a burning hatred.

  'What did I do?'

  "This is all I had," I responded.

  My reason fell onto deaf ears; he kicked the ground and immediately appeared right in front of me and swiped his sword right at my neck.

  I deflected the bde with rather surprised eased before taking a leap back to create a bit of a distance from him, something that was more of a disadvantage on my part. Maximus didn't take that lightly, and instead kicked the ground and got right up in my face again. I kept deflecting and blocking every attack Maximus kept throwing at me. With every attack that I avoided and dodged, something was beginning to feel more and more wrong.

  This guy was way too weak.

  His swings were way too loose and I could see opening in nearly every attack he made. Though his strength was obviously greater than mine, and his speed was almost faster than mine, but his attacks made those two aspects about him almost obsolete.

  I ducked under another horizontal swing that he aimed at my neck again before I nded a solid punch at his gut. Maximus groaned before he stumbled back and falling to his knees and puking out some bile.

  "Y-you!" Maximus growled at me.

  "Damn! You're getting your ass kicked out there, Maximus! Stop pying around and end this already!" One of Maximus' friends, the one with the low bck hair, commented.

  "I know, shut up," Maximus growled before he raised his sword.

  Water slowly formed around him, He quickly raised his bde over his head.

  Aquatic Requiem

  Sshing down, water shot out from his bde and came at me with deadly speed. I slowly twirled my dagger before kicking the ground and dodging them just as they were about to hit me. One of the attacks ended up hitting one of the students. However, the attack phased right through the student, leaving the student astonished.

  "The Rest of the css who aren't involved in the duel are mere projections of their actual bodies. This leaves the duelists with the freedom to go all out to their hearts content, with certain restrictions," Professor Lay's voice echoed around the room.