The closer the carriage moved toward the center of Ravendale, the quieter the four boys became.
There was simply too much to look at.
Massive stone roads stretched between towering buildings while bridges connected structures high above the streets below.
Students moved everywhere wearing dark grey uniforms mixed with red and white.
Some carried books, some weapons, and some things the boys could not even recognize.
Kijaga nearly leaned halfway out the carriage window trying to see everything at once before Bruknash grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him upright again.
“You’re going to fall out.”
“I’m trying to look,” Kijaga complained.
“How big is this place?”
“Too big,” Bruknash answered.
Kaizer sat beside the window quietly watching students pass below.
One floated through the air sitting cross-legged on a stone platform while reading a book completely unbothered by the world around him.
Kijaga pointed immediately.
“THAT ONE IS FLYING.”
“He’s sitting,” Jugashar replied calmly.
“In the air.”
Jugashar paused.
“…Fair point.”
The carriage continued deeper into the academy grounds.
Kaizer spotted students sparring openly in training fields while others controlled water, fire, or floating weapons nearby.
A beastfolk student sprinted across one rooftop before leaping clean onto another building without slowing down.
Nothing about Ravendale felt normal.
And somehow that only made Kaizer more curious.
Eventually the carriage slowed near a massive courtyard filled with students from all over Felaris.
New students gathered near the center while older students stood farther ahead in clean organized lines.
Above them all flew the banner of Ravendale, a black raven with emerald eyes clamping its claws around the continent itself.
Kijaga stared upward.
“That bird looks angry.”
“It’s a raven,” Bruknash replied while climbing down.
“They always look angry.”
“That one looks personally angry.”
The four boys stepped into the crowd and quickly noticed people staring.
Mostly at Kaizer.
Dark skin, white mask, human appearance, standing naturally beside ogres.
A few nearby students whispered openly.
“Is he human?”
“Then why’s he with ogres?”
Kaizer ignored them completely.
His attention stayed fixed on the academy itself.
The main structure alone looked larger than entire towns.
Beyond it stood towers, forests, lakes, training grounds, and buildings stretching farther than the eye could comfortably follow.
A loud bell suddenly echoed across the courtyard and the chatter slowly faded.
Then the student council arrived.
Even among thousands of students, they stood out immediately.
At the front walked Bianca de Ravendale with long black hair resting neatly over her uniform and a slender sword hanging from the gold belt at her waist. This chapter is updated first at novelping dot com.
Beside her stood Arkham Sphinx, tall and broad-shouldered with sharp golden eyes that carefully scanned the crowd.
Lilly von Tessa carried a small ledger beneath her arm while Kojo Ama quietly spoke beside her.
Billy Sparta and Krux Yuma looked more like guards than students, while Cipher Dark was the only one openly smiling.
Kijaga leaned toward Jugashar.
“Why do they look stronger than actual adults?”
“Because they probably are,” Jugashar answered.
Soon movement spread through the older students.
An older man stepped onto the large stone platform overlooking the courtyard.
Dolaris de Ravendale.
The principal wore dark robes lined with silver markings that shimmered faintly whenever he moved.
His white hair rested neatly behind him, but his posture remained steady and upright.
“Welcome to Ravendale,” he began calmly.
“You come from different nations, species, and backgrounds.
Some of you were raised by warriors.
Others by scholars.
Some by wealth.
Some by hardship.
Inside these walls, none of that guarantees success.”
The courtyard remained completely silent.
“This academy values discipline, adaptability, curiosity, and effort above status.
Talent alone is unreliable.
Pride even more so.
Here you will study combat, medicine, magical theory, dimensional studies, strategy, commerce, science, history, and many other fields.
Some of you will discover talents you did not know you possessed.”
A faint smile crossed his face.
“And some of you will discover you are far less impressive than you believed.”
A few older students laughed quietly.
“The student council will assist in maintaining academy order.
I advise listening when they speak.”
Billy Sparta crossed his arms immediately.
“Especially if you enjoy not getting dragged outside.”
Lilly sighed beside him.
“You say that every year.”
“And every year it remains true.”
Even Kaizer laughed quietly at that.
Bianca stepped forward once the small chuckles settled.
“Dorm assignments have already been prepared.
Instructors and dorm masters will guide you to your designated sections.
First-year students are expected at Ground Hall tomorrow morning by seven.”
“Not seven-oh-one,” Billy added.
Arkham rubbed the side of his forehead.
“Billy.”
I’m helping.”
The assembly slowly broke apart afterward and the courtyard became noisy again.
Teachers organized groups while students gathered luggage and moved toward different academy sectors.
The ogre boys followed a beastfolk instructor through one of the western pathways.
The deeper they moved into Ravendale, the stranger the academy became.
One field contained students sparring with swords while another held floating stone platforms suspended high above the ground.
Kaizer spotted a creature near one of the distant towers that looked half bird and half reptile.
Kijaga looked overwhelmed.
“How is all this one school?”
“I don’t think normal schools look like this,” Jugashar admitted.
They eventually arrived before a large dormitory built from dark stone and polished wood.
Warm light glowed through the windows while students constantly moved through the halls.
Inside, conversations briefly stopped as the four ogre boys passed by.
Once again, most eyes settled on Kaizer.
A vampire noble narrowed his eyes slightly before looking away while a wood nymph openly stared at the white mask until her friend dragged her along.
Kijaga whispered quietly, “They keep staring at him.”
“Of course they are,” Jugashar muttered.
“Look at him.”
Kaizer tilted his head slightly.
“What’s wrong with me?”
All three ogres looked at him for a moment.
“You wear a mask all the time,” Bruknash answered.
“You barely talk,” Jugashar added.
“You look human,” Kijaga finished.
“And you’re creepy sometimes.”
Kaizer blinked behind the mask.
“…Oh.”
That made all three laugh.
Their assigned room sat on the upper floor overlooking part of the academy grounds outside.
It was spacious enough for all four boys with large beds and wide windows that let in the cool evening air.
Kijaga immediately threw himself onto one of the beds.
“This is NICE.”
“Don’t break anything,” Bruknash warned.
“I just touched the bed.”
“With you, that’s enough risk already.”
Kaizer walked toward the window quietly while the others settled in.
Outside, Ravendale stretched endlessly beneath the evening sky.
Lights flickered across distant towers while students still moved through the grounds below.
The place felt huge.
Strange and Unfamiliar.
But for the first time since leaving the forest, Kaizer felt excited about something other than growing stronger.
He wanted to see everything.