We stuffed most of my possessions in a tightly packed chest, then got an early night. I was a little nervous for the next day and found it difficult to meditate.

Mother shook me awake when it was still dark outside. We had to get down to school by the crack of dawn.

We ate a solemn family breakfast, and neither mother nor father looked like they had slept much. But as we walked down the mountain path, father in particular brightened up significantly.

While we made our way through town, mother listed all the things that I couldn't forget about. Brushing my teeth, washing behind my ears, checking for lice, anything little she could think of.

Reaching the front entrance, there was a crowd of parents saying goodbye to their children.

"Baby remember, you don't have to wait until break to come back home.." mother started.

"Oscar, they work scholars hard here," father continued, "If you feel overwhelmed, please tell us in your weekly letter."

My parents enveloped me in a tight embrace. Mother steeled her resolve,

"Baby, you're going to do amazing. Just remember that we're always here, just up the road."

"Good luck Oscar. You'll do great."

"Mum, dad, I love you so much."

Mother's resolve shattered, and father turned away and cleared his throat. I walked into the entrance, and heard mother's last remark,

"Good luck baby! I love you!"

That might have embarrassed me if I was eight in my past life. But I couldn't give less of a shit now. Mother and father loved me, and it was heart-warming.

The huge gates were shut, and kids were queueing up at a small entrance on the side. I waited in the queue for a few minutes before reaching the front.

A guard took my ID and placed it in a block, and it blinked gold. He looked at the block for a second, then gave me an instruction,

"Head to the back of Little Yard and meet up with the other scholars."

He let me through a turnstile, and I made my way to the back of the yard. Chairman Liu stood waiting, and he beckoned me over with a slight flick of his hand.

Next to the chairman was a three-story building with green columns and a patinated turquoise roof. While all the buildings in the yard featured similar rooves, this was the only one with green columns.

The buildings jutted out and overlapped each other, forming an irregular boundary to the yard. It gave the impression that this school had been built up incrementally over a long time.

Reaching Chairman Liu, he offered a few greeting words,

"Welcome, Schwarz. This building to my right is called College. It is the scholars' living quarters. Head inside, and Mr Dong will show you around."

I gave him a polite bow, then walked to the door. I tried to open it, but it didn't budge.

"Your identity card will let you enter various parts of the school. Place it on the panel on the left."

"Oh, thank you chairman."

I placed the card in a slot next to the door. After a short blink, the door swung open.

I was greeted by a magnificent sweeping spiral staircase and a middle-aged man standing at the bottom. He wore the standard green robes and had a whimsical smile on his face.

"Are you Oscar?"

"Yes Sir."

He walked up to me and offered a handshake. I took it graciously.

"It's great to meet you, I'm Mr Dong, but please just call me Dong."

"Lovely to meet you, Dong."

He smiled even more, squishing and contorting his features into a somewhat creepy mask.

"I'm the head of College. I take care of all the scholars," he lowered his voice, "but really all that means is I make sure you don't get into too much trouble."

He laughed and started leading me up the stairs.

Dong was very friendly, but that made me slightly nervous. Seemingly pleasant teachers were often difficult to read. I would be careful around him until I knew him better.

"You're the second to arrive. Daiyu's been here since last night."

We reached the next floor, and Dong turned around to face me. He caught me looking at the dozens of powerful portraits lining the walls.

"Those are the previous chairmen of this school. We've got quite a history you know!"

"How long has this place been around?"

"Well, we've been here for at least 800 years. But the archivists downstairs have yet to find a time when we haven't been around in some shape or form."

Such a long history surprised me a bit.

"This same military school?"

"Hmm.. Well, not exactly. We change with the times, following the emperors' needs."

He clapped his hands together,

"Anyway, there's plenty of time for that later!"

He pointed at the corridor behind him,

"This is where your bedrooms will be for your first three years here. Make sure you don't go upstairs, or you'll get into trouble!"

He started walking down the corridor,

"You will share your room with one of your fellow scholars. This year, there's just you and Davide, so you're stuck with him!"

My heart picked up a bit on hearing that.

"I heard a rumour that you two are already friends, so you should have a good time. But if you have any worries, please come to me."

He turned and swung open a door. The room inside was a little cramped but had a lovely view over the gardens behind the square. Two sets of beds, desks and cupboards lined the walls.

"And this will be your room! I'll leave you some time to get unpacked but give me a shout if you need anything. Oh, and when the bell rings, please come downstairs."

With a quick smile, he left the room and shut the door.

It was exciting to have a new independent space, and I wasted no time to throw my chest in the corner and jump on the bed.

With Davide living in the same room, I wouldn't have to worry about cultivating at night. This was an ideal situation.

After a few minutes of lazy unpacking, Davide came in with Dong. He was practically humming with excitement at the prospect of sharing a room.

"Big bro! This is gonna be so fun!"

"I know! This school's gonna be so good!"

No sooner had we started chatting when the bell rung. Davide chucked his chest under his bed, and we made our way downstairs.

The other scholars were sleepily opening their doors in various conditions. Some were immaculately dressed, bright eyed and ready for the early morning. The majority seemed lazier and somewhat dishevelled.

After a few minutes, everyone seemed to have gathered. I counted 25 of us, of which 10 were girls. I spotted Yao Daiyu tucked away underneath the stairwell and walked over.

"Hey, you alright? The chairman was worried about you yesterday."

She nodded and gave me a little smile. She still seemed nervous, but a lot less on edge than yesterday. Perhaps Crow gave her something to relax.

"Okay everyone, let's go to Hall," Dong called out.

With those words, the scholars straightened their backs in unison. All signs of fatigue disappeared, and they formed an orderly queue following Dong.

Swept up by their organised behaviour, Yao Daiyu, Davide and I proudly followed at the back.

We marched into Little Yard and were greeted by a mass of kids. We filed up and into the empty hall and made our way to the front.

The crystal was gone, and the platform had been extended. The scholars sat on the platform, facing hundreds of chairs that had been lined up in neat rows.

Once we sat down, the rest of the kids poured in, grabbing seats. It was quite a strange experience, being put on a literal pedestal in front of our peers.

The way the scholars presented themselves and now this.. there had to be some pretty steep expectations.

When everyone was sat down, Chairman Liu walked steadily and solemnly down the aisle. Reaching the platform, he sent a crack of his cane reverberating through the hall.

"Let first assembly begin!"