Finally, Alden returned to his room, his mind spinning with thoughts about everything that had happened so far. He sat on the edge of his bed, deep in contemplation, wondering what he should do next. Suddenly, his Aether Band glowed faintly for a few seconds. Curious, he looked at it, and a translucent screen popped up before his eyes.
There was a message waiting.
"All first-year students are to gather tomorrow at 8:00 AM sharp for the coronation ceremony. Attendance is mandatory."
Alden read the message carefully and decided he might as well take a walk and explore the academy. He had barely seen any of it since his arrival. Leaving his room, he made his way down to the ground floor.
Before him stretched a vast, open garden bathed in the golden hues of the afternoon sun. A few students were still wandering about in small groups, chatting or relaxing. Alden turned back to look at the hostel building, now clearly visible in daylight.
It was a long, rectangular nine-story structure. The ground floor housed the mess hall. The second and third floors were reserved for female students, while the fourth to seventh floors were allocated to male students. Each floor had ten rooms. The building had two access points—one on the left for the girls, which connected to the first three floors, and one on the right for the boys, connected from the ground to the seventh floor.
There were also basement levels. The first basement contained the armory, where students could access practice weapons. Real weapons required special permission from higher authorities. Deeper down were private training chambers for advanced practice. Behind the hostel lay a massive training ground equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.
Time passed quickly as Alden explored, and soon it was time for dinner. After eating, he returned to his room and went to sleep early.
Even before dawn, Alden awoke. Old habits died hard. With several hours before sunrise, he decided to use the time productively. He changed into his training gear and headed outside. He began with a warm-up run around the garden and then sat down to meditate, focusing on absorbing Aether more efficiently.
Minutes passed.
Suddenly, he felt footsteps approaching from behind. Turning around, he was surprised to see Vorian Ironhold—the fourth prince of the Ironhold Kingdom.
"No wonder you got admitted here," Vorian said with a slight smirk. "Even on your first day, you're out training while everyone else is still asleep."
"You know me?" Alden asked, surprised.
"Who doesn't? You're the commoner who made it into the Academy. Even children of nobles with all their wealth and connections didn't qualify, but you did."
Alden wasn't sure how to respond, so he offered a modest smile. "Thank you, Your Highness."
The prince nodded in return, and the two parted ways to train separately.
Not long after, two more figures entered the training ground. Alden recognized them immediately—Lysa Dawnridge and Veydan Bloodridge.
Lysa glanced briefly at Alden but then silently moved to a far corner to train alone. Veydan, however, gave Alden a polite nod and a quick greeting before beginning his own exercises.
As the sun began to rise, the four students concluded their training and made their way back to the hostel. Lysa used the left entrance to reach the girls' wing, while the three boys shared the right-side access. Alden still felt a bit uncomfortable around them, unsure of how to act among nobles. But both Vorian and Veydan reassured him, urging him to treat them as equals.
Vorian exited first on the fourth floor, followed by Alden on the fifth, and finally Veydan on the seventh.
Alden entered his room, feeling calmer than he had before. He didn't know what tomorrow's coronation would bring, but he felt ready to face it head-on.