As the train slowed to a stop, Evan stretched his stiff joints and limbs. He waited for the other passengers to collect their luggage before making his way toward the exit. Beyond the doors, the station opened around a broad central platform, its ceiling broken into overlapping tiers. For a moment, Evan looked over the moving crowd and felt like he might get swallowed by it.
A man in a suit brushed past, bumping his shoulder without so much as a glance back, still talking into his phone. Evan’s jaw tightened as he briefly considered kicking him in the back of the knee, then exhaled and forced himself to let it go.
He should find Reid. But with so many people around, could he even spot him? Evan scanned the platform, picking through the faces until he spotted a tall figure near a support column. Reid noticed him too and raised a hand as he approached. Thanks to his height, and perhaps his looks, people naturally shifted aside to make space for him.
"How was the ride?" Reid asked with a bright smile. It was so bright that even a few passing people glanced over, some of them blushing as they looked away.
"It’s fine," Evan said, lifting his luggage. "Help me with this. I don’t think I can carry all this through this hell."
Reid took the carry-on and duffel bag, leaving Evan with his backpack. "Yeah, it gets pretty crowded here in District 1. Follow me."
The two brothers threaded their way through the station, slipping between people as they made for the exit. Once outside, Reid led Evan to a nearby transit stop. A bus pulled up moments later.
They boarded the bus and took their seats as District 1 passed beyond the windows. The streets remained busy even beyond the station, with pedestrians moving along the sidewalks, many absorbed in their phones. Unlike the capital city Evan remembered from his previous world, traffic here rarely came to a standstill. An extensive public transportation network kept vehicles moving and prevented congestion from becoming severe.
Evan turned his attention to the city around them. Elevated paths linked the blocks overhead, while luminous advertisements covered the buildings on either side. Yet all of it faded into the background beneath the Tower. He found it even more imposing up close. Its white surface stretched upward until it disappeared into the clouds. He couldn't help wondering what the first people to behold it had felt when they first laid eyes on something so immense.
"Want to go inside?" Reid asked.
Evan elbowed him. "Don’t joke. I know you don’t have your Awakener license yet, and even then, what’s so great about going inside the Tower? Just more monsters and uppity elite people."
"But you were staring at it so hard."
"Yeah, because I can’t look anywhere without it filling my vision."
With a hiss, the bus came to a stop near Central Awakener Academy. Evan stepped off and looked toward the grand gate marking the entrance.
Reid led the way, taking Evan to a shuttle bus that would bring them closer to the Student Residence. They rode past academic buildings arranged in orderly rows on one side, while open fields and arenas occupied the other. Farther in, the campus gave way to a residential section set apart from the main academic grounds.
The residences were nothing like ordinary student housing. Several mid-rise blocks surrounded landscaped courtyards, with tall windows and recessed balconies. Covered passages connected them at ground level, while glass-fronted lounges and common areas occupied the lower floors.
The first thought that came to Evan as he looked around was that the place must have cost a fortune. The more he took in, the more extravagant it seemed. Was this really a school, or a small city?
He felt even more uncertain about being here. He was an F-rank Awakener who had gotten in through nepotism, and he had never experienced anything remotely like this. In his previous life, he hadn't even managed to finish high school because he couldn't afford it. Now he was expected to attend a place like this?
"You’ll like it here," Reid squeezed his shoulder.
"Let’s just get to my room," Evan said.
They entered one of the residential buildings and stepped into its wide central atrium. Students gathered in groups around the open space, chatting and laughing, while others sat at tables with their homework spread out in front of them. They turned into a corridor lined with identical doors, each marked by a small nameplate. After a short walk, they stopped at Room 209.
"Here’s your room," Reid said, pulling out a keycard and scanning it at the lock.
Pushing the door open, Evan found a simple room with a single bed against one wall. The bed was already made, and a desk sat beneath the window with a chair tucked underneath. A built-in wardrobe stood beside the desk, with another door leading to a private bathroom. Despite its size, the room felt surprisingly spacious.
Before arriving, Evan had joked to himself that the academy would probably stick him in some dim, moldy room covered in cobwebs, just to make it clear what they thought of him. Then again, considering he was a "nepo entry," that would have been a little too on the nose.
"What do you think?" Reid placed the carry-on next to the wardrobe and the duffel bag beside the chair.
"Looks nice," Evan said, sitting on the bed and finding it thick and springy.
"I was hoping we could share a room together, but they said those weren’t available here," Reid said. "Maybe I can try finding an apartment somewhere near the academy and—"
"Hold that thought!" Evan said, crossing his arms into an X. "Do you know how expensive those places are? No chance. I'm perfectly fine living here."
"If you say so, but you don't have to worry about the cost. I'll cover it, so if there's ever something you want, just tell me."
Evan resisted the urge to groan. "No. Let's not talk about this right now. We don't even know if I can survive here, and, ugh..."
"Of course you will! You’re very smart, and the kids here are nice," Reid said.
Evan doubted that. He looked at Reid's face and thought, as the old saying went, people were drawn to beauty. There was even a term for it: beauty privilege. Someone like Reid could fit in anywhere without lifting a finger. But Evan? No way in hell.
"Sure," Evan said, dead-eyed.
Evan’s classes would begin the following morning. He would have liked to spend some time exploring the academy and seeing what one of Nova Terra’s most illustrious institutions had to offer, but he already had plenty on his plate. Most importantly, he needed to catch up on the academic lessons.
He had been given access to online courses and a stack of textbooks, all of which he was expected to study before classes began so he wouldn't fall behind. The hours slipped by as he settled into his room, taking a few minutes to tidy it before burying himself in his studies for the rest of the day.
As the sun dipped toward the horizon, Reid knocked on his door again, this time carrying dinner. He set down two densely packed sushi boxes, their compartments filled with fresh slices of salmon, tuna, and shrimp alongside tamago rolls and small portions of pickled ginger. Beside them rested sealed cups of miso soup and packets of soy sauce.
"It’s too bad we can only cook simple things using the communal kitchen," Reid said as he picked up a piece of salmon sushi with his chopsticks. The two of them sat on the floor, eating together.
"Can’t trust kids with fire," Evan said, chewing on his tamago rolls.
"Hmm... maybe I should join the Cooking Club. I heard you get to take home whatever you make."
Evan nodded. Trying to stop Reid from feeding him home-cooked meals had long since become a lost cause.
Glancing at the stack of books on the table, Reid said, "It’s good to see you’re so studious, but don’t forget to take a break."
"I know, but unlike you, who only has to worry about Awakener classes, I have to keep up with the academic ones too."
Reid frowned, a flicker of guilt crossing his face.
"I’m not blaming you," Evan added. "But I’m going to be busy, especially since I just moved here. And it’s not like I have any friends who can help me with the assignments."
"I’m sure you’ll make plenty of friends soon."
"Whatever you say."
***
When morning came, Evan put on his new uniform. The dark jacket fit across his shoulders and waist, with subtle silver stitching along the cuffs and collar. Beneath it, he wore a crisp white shirt and a slim dark tie. His trousers had a smooth, matte finish, and the academy insignia sat over his chest as a small metal emblem.
Picking up his bag, he headed toward his classroom, where he was introduced to his new classmates. In their tailored, high-quality uniforms, they looked like a group of posh brats.
"We have a transfer student joining the class. Evan Whitfield," the teacher said, giving Evan a brief glance. "Take the empty seat at the back."
Such a cold reception, Evan thought, but he still gave the class the customer-service smile he'd spent years perfecting, even as hardly anyone bothered to look him in the face.
As he made his way to his seat, Evan wondered whether they had already heard about his status as a "nepo entry" and an F-rank Awakener. Given how quickly gossip traveled, he figured they probably had.
His desk was two rows from the back, one seat in from the window. After settling in, he pulled out his textbooks and notebook, then followed along as the teacher began the lecture. Thankfully, all the studying he'd done beforehand had paid off, allowing him to keep pace without much trouble.
The class dragged on sluggishly until the sun reached its peak. Then the long-awaited lunch bell rang, and the students sprang to life. They stood almost in unison and headed for the cafeteria. Watching them hurry off in groups, Evan couldn't help thinking that even rich punks turned into the same hungry gremlins at lunchtime.
He stood up at a more leisurely pace, but a lone teenage boy with dark blue hair caught his attention. The boy remained seated at his desk, seemingly in no hurry to leave. Hair like that would have turned heads before the apocalypse, but unusual colors had become a common side effect of Awakening. Evan glanced at his name tag and read, Konoe Hiroto. The name stirred a faint sense of familiarity, but his rumbling stomach quickly won out. He pushed the thought aside and headed for lunch.
The cafeteria was bigger than Evan expected. Long tables filled the room, with students already settling in for lunch. Along one wall, several serving counters offered everything from full meals to desserts and drinks. Conversation filled the room, mixed with the scrape of chairs and the occasional clatter of trays.
The sheer amount of food on offer made Evan pause. For a school, this place was obscenely well-funded. He filled his tray with a little of everything, then decided to find somewhere quieter to eat. The main dining area was already packed, so he headed outside in search of an empty bench.
His idea was quickly dashed. The seating around the cafeteria was just as crowded, leaving Evan to wonder whether he'd have to eat standing up or find some patch of ground to sit on. He was still looking for a spot when a loud splash caught his attention.
A teenage girl with dark blue hair had just thrown a glass of orange juice into a boy's face.
Evan blinked when he recognized the boy. It was that gloomy-looking kid from earlier, Hiroto.
"Didn't I tell you never to show your face to me, especially at school?" the girl snapped. "Are you deaf or dumb?"
Hiroto lowered his head, saying nothing.
"Deaf, then."
Evan pursed his lips, ready to turn around and leave them to it when a voice called out to him.
"And what are you doing here?"
He stopped and glanced back. The girl's glare had shifted from Hiroto to him.