CHAPTER 69: SPIRITUALISTS AND AURERS

The outer section of the academy on both sides of the path was filled with training grounds and parks, with some old buildings reinforced with special materials in the distance.

But the boy’s gaze never wavered from the oddly modern-looking building in the front. It was not completely something he would have seen in his previous world but a mixture of primitive materials like wood and stone with materials like alloy metals he had never seen before.

The building was structured in a way that the ground floor seemed less wide than the three upper ones. The building was the pride of the city, like a jewel encased in a safe.

Inside of the building was just as beautiful as the outside, if not more. The well-lit surroundings gave off a pleasant scent all the time. After verifying his offer letter from the academy, someone took him to a spacious hall where hundreds of other young men and women around his age were gathered.

’They are all those who have awakened their dragon energy.’ The sight was a bit overwhelming for Jinn as he realized that everyone inside the room was an awakened one.

As soon as he entered the room, several eyes were drawn to him. Even among others his age, Jinn could be counted in the top 10 good-looking males in the bunch, and that was just when he was in his human form.

Once he turned into a devil, he had no match.

Jinn realized that everyone is carrying a suitcase, as living in the academy meant ’living’ there.

Despite the eyes on him, Jinn did not show any signs of nervousness on the surface, but inwardly, he thought, ’Thank god the supervisor is here to make sure no one moves from their seats.’

He could feel several heated looks on him. It was not just him; every one of them was checking out the rest. They all wanted to talk to one another.

...not counting the introverted ones.

Like always, Jinn found himself a secluded corner where to take a seat like everyone else. He placed the suitcase beside his feet and turned his attention to the front, where a thin lady who appeared to be the same age as Agnes walked up to the podium.

The young woman was all skin and bones. Her eyes were just attached to the sunken sockets of her skull. One look at her and someone might think she was suffering from malnutrition.

Her long, thin black hair fell all over her frail figure. She might have dressed in new clothes, but they looked like an odd decoration piece on her.

Many flinched under her calm and chilling gaze, but there were others like Jinn who did not show any reaction when they saw her.

"A lot more kids than I thought." The frail lady whispered under her breath, but everyone heard her clearly. They watched as she leaned forward on the stand and finally addressed the crowd.

"I am Aurer, Mary Dunn. A soul blessed by The God of the End."

Everyone listened without making a sound. Jinn kept an eye on the woman as well as the crowd out of habit. He took in most of their expressions and reactions to each piece of information.

Some seemed bored and lazy, like they already knew what was coming, and there were a few who were keenly listening with some confusion.

The former was the kid dressed in lavish clothing, clearly of a wealthy background, while the latter were children who had more humble backgrounds.

’It seems like I am not the only commoner who got the favor of the church.’ Jinn wondered to himself while keeping an ear on what Mary said.

"Here, you will not be addressed as ’awakened’ beings. Those are terms for unprofessional... common people." There was no disdain in her voice, unlike other nobles, but clear indifference. "Here you will be called based on your power classification, Spiritualist or Aurer."

"Spiritualists are those people whose dragon energy materializes in the form of a spiritual power that indirectly affects our surroundings and natural elements. Aurers, like myself, are individuals who control energy and shape nature itself based on the powers granted to us by the blessings of the gods."

While she was speaking, she raised her hand, causing a black mist to escape it and touch the edge of the podium; almost instantly upon contact, the wood visibly began to rot.

"Each power has its own characteristic that gets embedded in the dragon energy. The god Of the End is the closest deity to death, and so the nature of my energy can do this."

With a wave of her hand the energy disappeared, but the effects continued to linger. In the end the whole desk collapsed into a pile of ashen dirt, which made the stone-cold-faced man in the back sigh dejectedly. "...here goes another one."

Mary seemed to have heard his words but chose to ignore them.

"Although this is something you should be hearing from your teachers, I do not want everyone to be ignorant while walking into the class."

Mary stepped on the ashes and continued coldly, "I hope you have said your parents, friends, or lovers goodbye because you won’t be seeing them for the next two years."

Jinn almost laughed at her words. ’I wonder if there are any other orphans in here.’

Some girls blushed at the mention of lovers, while some paled, realizing how long they were going to stay in the academy without any touch to the outside world.

Some of the heads turned; the kids looked out of the window of the hall, from where they could see the wide metallic gates of the pentagon slowly closing up.

Watching the fear and other negative emotions in their eyes made Mary’s eyes glint in odd satisfaction, something Jinn caught at a single glance. ’I like this one.’

Before any of them could digest reality or show any adverse reaction, Mary shifted to another topic casually with a voice loud enough to catch the attention of every child.

"Now on to the topic of what you will learn in this academy and how you will proceed after this orientation ends."