Alex slipped into the assembly hall through the door at the far end, arriving together with the other students who were also running late, and made sure to walk close among them so that no one in particular would notice him and start whispering about it.
He didn't want to walk in alone as it would surely draw the kind of attention he never wanted and never would want. Attention creeped him, and he had hated it more than anything ever since the very first day he had set foot outside the walls of his home.
He quickly made his way to the back of his class's row of boys and slipped in at the very end of the line. A taller boy stood in front of him, blocking most of his view, but he didn't bother changing his position.
He had already drawn a few eyes on his way in, and more attention would only mean more hassle. The teachers were already stationed on the raised platform at the front of the hall, and the vice principal stood at its center, her sharp eyes sweeping over the students and settling, again and again, on the ones who had come in late. She had glared at him too, just as sharply, the moment he had ducked into the back of the line.
Alex was grateful that he wasn't late. The teachers and the vice principal stayed silent, since the clock had not yet struck ten in the morning, the hour the assembly was supposed to begin.
Alex checked the time on the huge clock hanging on the wall. It read 9:58 in the morning, and he nodded to himself, relieved at having barely made it. If he hadn't, the looks from the other students would have been sharp as knives pointed straight at him, since nearly everyone always arrived on time, save for the unfortunate few who came late, and he had no wish to be counted among them.
Alex's eyes drifted to the front of the students' lines, where the student council stood with their backs to the rest of the students and their faces toward the platform. Alex caught a glimpse of the princess's back, standing as still and straight as a statue. He let his eyes linger for a second or two longer than he meant to before turning his eyes back toward the vice principal.
Soon the hall, which was already packed, grew even more crowded as more students filed in and joined the rows of students.
The clock struck ten sharply, and the vice principal, standing at the front, swept her eyes across the hall one last time. Then, with a nod, she reached for the microphone.
"Good morning everyone, hold your position and stand straight. The morning prayer will now begin," the vice principal declared, and the hall fell deadly silent almost at once.
Alex straightened at once. His back went stiff and straight as a statue, and his hands settled still at his sides.
The prayer began, everyone singing together in a single rhythm.
Born of flesh and blood,
We pray to the almighty gods and goddesses,
To give us their blessings and guidance,
To move us in the right direction…
The morning prayer ended within a minute or two, but the hall remained silent. No one dared to speak, and everyone's head stayed turned toward the front.
The vice principal quickly moved on to other topics, mostly about the academy's founding purpose, words Alex noticed she had been repeating since the very first day. Having already heard them more than enough times, he let his eyes wander around the platform, even tilting his head back to look up at the dome above, which blazed bright white with sunlight pouring straight through it. He had to squint just to look at it, but no matter how much he searched, he couldn't spot the principal anywhere.
Where is he? Didn't he say not to be late, and now he's the one who's late? Alex couldn't help but complain about it in his mind.
Alex had expected the principal to arrive before him, but the man hadn't shown up at all, and even now, with the morning prayer already over, he was nowhere to be found no matter how hard Alex looked.
Alex had searched for the principal the moment he'd first entered the hall too, though he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised, since the principal had arrived late the day before, and hadn't attended the morning prayer at all on the very first day.
So he had expected the principal to come late again, but he still felt a small knot of anxiety and excitement twist in him, thanks to the principal's exact words he had heard earlier: Don't be late to the assembly hall today, if you don't want to miss out on the fun.
Alex soon noticed that the vice principal had begun repeating herself, her eyes subtly darting around the hall much like his own. Looks like she is waiting for the principal too. Alex felt strangely at ease, knowing he wasn't the only one waiting.
Even the teachers behind the vice principal on the raised platform began exchanging glances. They leaned their heads together, murmuring so quietly and deliberately that no one below could hear a word. Alex wondered what they were discussing. But from the way they kept glancing at one another, he guessed they were uneasy, maybe even worried.
While Alex was still turning thoughts over in his mind, a loud clap rang through the hall, a thundering crack so sudden and so violent it felt as though it might tear his very soul from his body. The sound came too fast, too sharp, and far too loud.
Alex's ear ranged with pain. Despite the pain, he snapped his head up toward the dome and squinted.
Just as he'd expected, Toren was descending from above, a smile already on his face. The light spilling down from the dome behind the principal swallowed most of his features, so Alex couldn't make out his exact expression, but he could still tell, somehow, that a smile was stretching across his lips. He seemed to be savoring the crowd's reaction.
Isn't the principal being a little too childish? The hall, which had been deathly silent and half-bored to sleep by the vice principal's lecture, filled with quiet murmurs, not loud enough to hurt the ears, but enough to disturb the deathly silence.
Toren slowly descended toward the platform, his white robe fluttering in an invisible wind that seemed to exist only around his body. His hands rested in his pockets. His long white hair fell loosely down to his waist, and despite the robe billowing around him, not a single strand of his hair stirred, as though the wind had made an enemy of the fabric alone and left his hair well out of the quarrel. He landed silently and walked to stop beside the vice principal, whose eyes twitched at the display.
Alex looked around and noticed the other students' eyes filled with open awe, the girls' cheeks flushed a soft pink. He turned his gaze back to the principal, not wanting to look at the others who were so plainly impressed by Toren's antics. Honestly, though, Alex was probably no different from them, and he wondered if he had worn the very same look on his face the first time he'd seen the principal, before the start of the battle royale, or yesterday, when Toren had appeared much like today in the hall, minus the clap, if he remembered correctly.
It felt strange to even call it yesterday, since everything that had happened at the gate made it feel as though far more time had passed than actually had. In truth, though, it hadn't been long at all. Even yesterday's morning assembly, where he had received the golden bracelet, already felt like it had happened more than a couple of days ago.
Principal Toren stood at the center of the raised platform without reaching for the microphone. The vice principal murmured something inaudible, much like the other professors had before her, and quietly stepped back to join their ranks.
Toren didn't seem to be affected by the vice principal's words. Instead he swept his gaze slowly across every student, a small smile playing on his face. He was clearly enjoying everyone's reaction, and he seemed to relish the attention most of all.
Seeing all of this, Alex was beginning to think of the principal as someone younger than himself, despite Toren's face, which looked like it belonged to a man in his twenties, and despite everything Alex had learned about him, which said he was far older still. However, seeing such a disparity between his behavior and his actual age was something Alex found hard to digest.
Toren's eyes lingered on Alex's a little longer than they should have, and even with the taller boy standing in front of him, the principal seemed to notice him anyway. Alex quickly ducked behind the boy's shoulder before stepping to the side again to peek out. Why am I hiding? He didn't know why he'd done it. Still, he composed himself quickly.
"Ahem!" Toren gave a theatrical cough, and the hall, which had been filled with small murmurs, quieted to deathly silence once more.
Toren continued, "I'm sorry for being late. It's because of my lateness that you all had to sit through the vice principal's words of caution. But worry not, I'll keep this short and end the morning assembly quickly." He smiled a little, cupping his cheek in one hand. Despite having no microphone or anything of the sort, his voice carried across the entire hall with perfect clarity. No one failed to hear him; everyone heard every word.
No one said a word. Everyone was too busy watching the principal, trying to read meaning into what he'd said. Alex was doing exactly the same.
The principal suddenly cupped both hands over his heart, feigning pain. "It pains me to announce that my academy has been infected with vermin who bully and torment other, innocent students," he declared, his brows knitting together as though the words themselves hurt him.
Alex's breath caught in his throat. What is going on with him, and why is he acting like this? He's clearly acting, right? Didn't he say he didn't have time to look into every little affair of the academy? Alex was starting to doubt everything he had heard from Principal Toren the day before.
The students grew even more silent, so silent that even the sound of breathing seemed to stop.
"I'm greatly saddened that I failed to look into this in time." Toren shook his head sorrowfully. "Had I not intervened when I did, Eldric and the others would have tormented Alex far worse than they already had. Even arriving as late as I did, they had already gone much too far with their bullying. They had already crossed the line, tormenting Alex both physically and mentally."
Alex clenched his fists. He couldn't understand why Toren was telling everyone all of this so openly, without so much as a word to Alex first. Is this the fun thing he was talking about? Making fun of me? And why is he saying he intervened in time. Liar.
Toren continued under the eyes of the silent crowd. "I am sorry, Alex, and everyone here at the academy is sorry. We have already penalized the bullies, suspending them for a week." Small murmurs stirred through the hall once again, but Toren silenced them instantly, a single finger pressed to his lips, his white eyes flashed with something cold and dangerous. Then, as if nothing had happened at all, sadness and guilt crept back over his face.
"This morning, the faculty of this academy met with the bullies and their guardians. Not all of them have arrived yet, but about a third have already come and taken their children home." Toren continued with a nod.
Toren went on without pausing. "I don't know why children so young have grown so cruel. I've expressed my sadness and my worry to their parents directly."
A small glint of sharpness flashed in Toren's eyes as he rested his chin on one hand, tilting his head, and sighed visibly. "It was quite hard and taxing for me to meet with all of them, to tell them how difficult it was for me to watch my students being bullied. Actually, I probably shouldn't tell you this." His eyes swept across the students. He wiped away an invisible bead of sweat from his forehead.
Alex noticed a dangerous glare from the vice principal, her eyes fixed sharply on the back of the principal's head, while another professor beside her rested a calming hand on her shoulder. Alex could tell the vice principal was, for some reason, quite angry with the principal.
"But since you're all still a little lacking in experience, I'll tell you how it went. I met with their parents, standing straight alongside the professors and the vice principal. The guardians were shocked, silent, and angry, and could hardly say a word to me. Oh, and don't tell anyone else, but" His voice dropped low toward the end, though everyone still heard it perfectly. Every student leaned in and nodded along, the way children lean in for a story from a favorite grandparent.
Toren continued in that same hushed, whisper-like voice, the only difference being that it wasn't really a whisper at all, since everyone caught every word. "I saw some of the guardians beat their children right there, for the bullying. I managed to stop a few of them, but, oof." He pressed one hand to his chest and the other to his forehead, as though overcome with sorrow. "I tried to stop most of it, but I couldn't. I'm quite powerless and weak, after all."
Alex's eyes twitched at that last line.
Toren continued, "Those bullies are probably being kicked and punched right now, either back home or in the very carriages carrying them there. Even though I managed to stop it once, once they're alone with their parents or guardians, no one can stop what happens next."
Alex finally relaxed, a small wave of relief washed over him as the conversation shifted away from him and onto the bullies instead. And by now, he had realized that a lot of the students must have already heard the story of the bullying and the suspensions, which made perfect sense, given the way they had reacted around him while he'd been walking through the academy earlier.
Toren shook his head as though shaking off some heavy burden, and added, "But worry not, innocent children. If the bullying continues, report it to the student council, and they will resolve it in time. And though the suspension was only for a week this time, future punishments won't be nearly so light."
Some of the students nodded along. "Good, that's all I had to say, for" Toren clapped once, the sound no longer ringing thunderously like before. He had barely taken a step aside when he stopped, sweeping his gaze from left to right across the students once more. "Oh! I nearly forgot, there's going to be a duel between Alex and Eldric in a month, to settle their conflicts once and for all. Some of you may have already heard, but for everyone else, know that it will be held in the open, for all to see." He said this with one finger tapping his chin, his head tilted to the side.
He playfully winked at the end. "Don't bully one another. This academy exists to strengthen bonds, not break them. Well, goodbye for now." Toren waved a hand and suddenly vanished like a wisp of air, leaving nothing behind.
Loud murmurs and noise erupted across the hall as every student turned to talk with one another. Alex stayed silent and let out a long sigh at last. He couldn't quite call it fun, not entirely, but it had been good to hear and to see the principal take such open action, letting everyone know explicitly that bullying would not be tolerated.
"Everyone, silence! The assembly ends here. Head to your respective classes at once, quietly!" The vice principal suddenly shouted, without any microphone at all, her face flushed completely red and her fists clenched tight at her sides.
***
On Patreon, you can read 50+ chapters ahead. Your support would greatly help me continue working toward completing the story.
Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/imissmysun