The students filed out of the Royal Training Hall in orderly groups.
Professor Hale remained behind while the instructors spoke quietly among themselves.
Waiting outside was a young Academy guide wearing a crisp black-and-silver uniform.
She couldn’t have been older than twenty.
A silver badge on her chest read: Senior Student — Mira Solis She smiled warmly as Kael’s group approached.
“Group Seven?” Rex raised his hand enthusiastically.
“Present!” Mira blinked.
“…Wonderful.” She checked her list.
“Kael Draven.” “Here.” “Adrian Vale.” “Present.” “Aria Everwood.” “Here.” “Rex Calder.” “I was already present.” “…I know.” Rex grinned proudly.
— “Welcome to New Haven Beast Academy.” Mira turned toward the wide stone path leading deeper into the campus.
“Today I’ll introduce you to the places you’ll spend most of your first year.” She smiled.
“By the end of the tour, you’ll probably still get lost.” Several students laughed.
“Don’t worry.” “Everyone does.” — The campus was far larger than Kael had imagined.
Stone walkways wound through gardens filled with flowering trees.
Small streams crossed the grounds beneath elegant bridges.
Students from higher years walked confidently between buildings, chatting and laughing.
Some carried books.
Others wore training gear.
A few displayed Partial Beastification while walking.
Feathered arms.
Fox ears.
Scaled tails.
No one paid them any attention.
It was simply…
Normal.
— “What are those?” Rex pointed toward a line of floating crystal spheres hovering above the pathways.
Mira glanced upward.
“Campus Guides.” “They help students navigate.” As if responding to her voice, one of the glowing spheres drifted closer.
A soft female voice emerged from it.
Destination?
Rex stared.
“It talks.” “It does.” “What if I don’t know where I’m going?” Suggestion: Begin with the dining hall.
The group laughed.
Even Adrian smiled.
“It already understands you.” — Their first stop was a broad courtyard surrounded by four large buildings.
Above the entrance of each building hung a different crest.
A sword.
A book.
A shield.
A wing.
Mira stopped in the center.
“This is the Academic Courtyard.” She pointed toward each building.
“The Hall of Combat.” “The Hall of Theory.” “The Hall of Engineering.” “And the Hall of Beast Studies.” Kael looked toward the final building.
“What happens there?” “Monster ecology.” “Beast Soul research.” “Ancient history.” “Field survival.” Aria’s eyes brightened immediately.
“I think I’ll spend a lot of time there.” Mira laughed.
“Most researchers do.” — As they continued walking, Kael noticed students gathered beneath several enormous trees.
Some read books.
Others played board games.
One group simply lay on the grass watching clouds drift across the sky.
“No classes?” Kael asked.
Mira shook her head.
“Registration Day is meant to help everyone settle in.” “The real work begins next week.” Rex sighed dramatically.
“I was hoping we’d fight today.” “You’ll have plenty of opportunities.” “I knew I liked this school.” — They soon arrived before a long stone building with dozens of doors.
“This is Oak Residence.” Mira gestured toward it.
“First-year male dormitory.” Across the courtyard stood an almost identical building.
“And that’s Willow Residence.” “First-year female dormitory.” Rex looked impressed.
“So we’re all living here?” “Only students whose homes are too far away.” Adrian nodded.
“My estate is inside New Haven.” “So I’ll commute.” Aria smiled.
“My family lives just outside the northern district.” “I’ll be commuting too.” Mira looked toward Kael.
“What about you?” “Our house is in the central district.” “I’ll stay with my family.” She nodded.
“Many students choose that.” — Inside Oak Residence, the atmosphere felt surprisingly warm.
Instead of narrow hallways and identical rooms, the building resembled a comfortable inn.
Wide corridors.
Large windows.
Bookshelves.
Common rooms filled with couches and fireplaces.
Students wandered freely, introducing themselves to future roommates.
Rex looked disappointed.
“…I thought dormitories were supposed to be scary.” Mira tilted her head.
“Why?” “I don’t know.” “It just sounds right.” — A loud voice echoed from upstairs.
“I CALL THE BED NEAR THE WINDOW!” Another answered immediately.
“YOU CAN’T CALL SOMETHING YOU HAVEN’T SEEN!” “I JUST DID!” Rex nodded approvingly.
“Now it feels like a dormitory.” — Back outside, the tour continued.
They crossed another bridge before arriving at a massive circular building surrounded by flowering vines.
Above its entrance, silver letters shimmered in the sunlight.
Grand Library Kael instinctively slowed.
Aria noticed.
“You like books.” “A little.” “A little?” She smiled knowingly.
“You stopped walking.” He hadn’t realized.
— The doors opened automatically.
Cool air drifted outside.
The interior stretched upward through five enormous floors connected by elegant spiral staircases.
Shelves seemed endless.
Books floated gently between sections, carried by tiny crystal constructs.
Comfortable reading corners overlooked gardens through towering windows.
Kael simply stood there.
Speechless.
“This…” He finally managed.
“…is a library?” Mira smiled proudly.
“One of the largest in the kingdom.” Aria looked equally amazed.
“I’ve never seen so many books.” An elderly librarian appeared almost silently.
He adjusted his glasses before smiling.
“Please remember.” “No eating.” “No running.” “And no attempting to hide inside the shelves overnight.” Rex blinked.
“…Has someone done that?” The librarian sighed.
“Twice.” — As they left the library, Mira laughed quietly.
“Every year.” “Someone thinks they can secretly live inside.” “Can they?” “No.” “…That’s disappointing.” — The next destination lay at the edge of the campus.
Wide stone walls surrounded an enormous open field.
Training equipment filled every corner.
Obstacle courses.
Archery ranges.
Artificial cliffs.
Practice arenas.
Several higher-year students sparred under instructor supervision.
Unlike Marcus’ calm lessons…
These matches were fast.
Explosive.
Partial Beastification appeared everywhere.
Scaled arms collided with armored fists.
Feathered wings carried students into the air.
Wolf-like speed blurred across the training grounds.
Kael watched carefully.
Every movement had purpose.
No wasted energy.
Marcus would approve.
— “You’ll train here often,” Mira explained.
“Eventually you’ll also participate in field exercises outside the Academy.” Rex’s eyes sparkled.
“Real monsters?” “When your instructors decide you’re ready.” Adrian quietly added, “Which probably won’t be anytime soon.” Rex sighed.
“I know.” — Their final stop overlooked nearly the entire campus.
From the hilltop terrace, New Haven stretched into the distance beneath the afternoon sun.
The city looked peaceful.
Bustling.
Alive.
Beyond it, forests surrounded the capital like an emerald sea.
Kael rested his hands on the stone railing.
This world still felt new.
Still unfamiliar.
Yet…
Less distant than before.
“You’ve gotten quieter.” Aria stepped beside him.
“I’ve been thinking.” “About what?” Kael looked over the city.
“When I first came here…” “I thought this Academy was about becoming stronger.” “And now?” He smiled faintly.
“I think it’s about becoming someone worthy of that strength.” Aria looked at him for a long moment.
Then smiled.
“I think Professor Hale would agree.” Below them, the Academy bell rang once.
Its deep tone drifted across the campus.
Mira clapped her hands.
“Our final destination.” Rex immediately straightened.
“The dining hall?” “The dining hall.” “Best tour ever.” The group laughed as they followed Mira down the hill.
For the first time since arriving…
The Academy no longer felt overwhelming.
It was beginning to feel…
Like a place where memories would be made.
«End of Chapter 15»