Ciel was pleasantly surprised to find these two days were rather peaceful, but hardly enjoyable.
Nothing to do.
Nothing to worry about, so long as he didn’t think about what would happen tonight.
Of course, he hadn’t planned to do ‘nothing.’ When Ciel first arrived, he had attempted to go to the academy’s famous library, in order to see if he could find something else related to his dream and the message within.
To his disappointment, it was closed until the start of the actual term, ending that plan before it began.
Because of this, the two days crawled by as Ciel had managed to begin to familiarize himself with some parts of campus, for better or for worse.
The first day was spent completely lost, only finding his way back in the morning.
Ciel didn’t mind though.
After all, he still wasn’t sleeping.
The next day, Ciel was seriously beginning to feel his drowsiness, constantly nodding off before snapping back awake instantly.
Thinking became a chore as well, as the thoughts of sleep consumed his mind.
Regardless, he busied himself much like the day before.
There were very few people, and Ciel was hardly in the right state to talk to them.
Although he did catch some of them glancing at him every now and then.
He could see their hushed whispers, even picking up his name a few times.
At first, Ciel thought it was because he wasn’t wearing their uniform, but even after receiving it the day before, these glances persisted.
Now Ciel stood on top of a balcony overlooking the main entrance.
The massive gates had been fully opened today, as hundreds of incoming students flooded through them, taking their first steps into the academy.
Ciel stared at the scene with a hint of sadness.
Under normal circumstances, he would’ve been going through those gates along with his peers, perhaps discussing their futures together.
What classes they would take, what mentors they wanted.
He did not doubt they were discussing something along those lines.
Instead, Ciel entered the academy with the escort of dozens of guards, days earlier from his peers.
He watched them for a while before leaving the balcony to return to his room.
The ball was only a few hours away, and soon the academy would come to life.
A few hours later, Ciel had put on his formal attire issued by the academy.
It was the epitome of elegance, composed mostly of white silk and alabaster wool.
He slipped on his tailcoat over a pristine white collared shirt.
He meticulously worked the golden buttons into place.
Ciel stood in front of the mirror quite surprised at the sheer regality of this uniform.
He stifled a yawn as he did one last look around his room.
Ciel put on a smile, just as he practiced, and descended.
The ball would take place at the far end of the main street.
Ciel joined in with several others making their way through, blending into the crowd, the men wearing the same uniform as him.
The woman on the other hand, wore white satin gowns with golden embroidery developed upwards from the waistline.
Truly, this ball reeked of posh nobility.
Ciel entered a large circular building with a dome made of glass sitting on top.
The inside was even more grandiose, with a large variety of golden ornaments falling from the ceiling, from chandeliers to… more chandeliers.
This place is very brightly lit, Ciel thought, squinting his eyes slightly.
The room was warm too, and Ciel soon saw why.
Around the center a brazier was placed on a pedestal.
This one was a beige color, with a bright yellow fire leaping out of it.
Ciel couldn’t help but marvel at the sight.
He hoped the lively atmosphere would ensure he wouldn’t fall asleep.
By now, it had gotten to the point where his willpower was waning.
All around, Ciel heard soft music playing that seemed to come from everywhere, with no clear sign of instruments or musicians.
Off to the side was a table set with food and drink.
Everything from roast beef, to pork chops, to shepherd’s pie lay in wait for everyone’s delight.
Iced punch and lemonade was provided to wash these hearty meals down.
A throng of students congregated around this area, but Ciel only vaguely recognized some.
He went up to a few and dropped a few words of greeting.
An Avelline daughter here, a Cartier son there.
He deftly made short conversation before excusing himself to talk to others.
Even if he was exhausted, he still had an image to keep up, after all.
A large clock was situated on a wall near the top of the ballroom, and Ciel often found his gaze flickering towards it between conversations.
Certain people commented on his early admission, to which Ciel mostly waved off with vague reasons.
It seemed they wanted to talk to him more than ever, which made him uneasy.
Eventually, he left the food behind, and made his way aimlessly through the hall.
He was already getting tired of all this, and a small sigh escaped him.
“Seems like you’re not enjoying this place either.” A voice said calmly behind him.
Ciel turned around to see an unfamiliar student.
He was tall and extremely lean, with his long black hair falling below his shoulders.
He had a rugged, confident appearance about him.
“You’re not wrong,” Ciel admitted.
“But it’s not as bad as I expected”
A bold lie, considering his fatigue.
The boy laughed softly, albeit slightly strained, “I don’t blame you, I hate all people you know.”
Ciel raised an eyebrow.
“That’s not something you say so happily.”
“Ah well it doesn’t bother me that much. You gotta live what you hate. Especially me.”
Ciel asked, rather amused, “How so?”
“Well the only thing I hate more than people are nobles,” he replied brazenly.
“Nope, I got in through the civil practical. It’s ridiculous, you know. Practically everyone dies. Just to get what you people get for free. Does that make it clear why I hate them?”
Ciel could begin to understand his reasoning.
There was a somewhat blatant warning to tread carefully around commoners.
They were a dangerous lot, with nothing to lose.
“It does. But why would you participate with such horrible odds?” Ciel probed.
He laughed again, even more forced this time.
“It’s a one way trip to a guaranteed life at the top. Who wouldn’t want that? I can become a noble too, so long as I graduate. Everyone in my family can move out of these slums too. It’s a win-win for me really. Either I become an all powerful Insighted, set for life. Or my parents have one less mouth to feed.”
“Well, it seems you’re on the right course.” Ciel congratulated.
“I can only hope so, but I fear this is where the real challenge begins.”
Ciel found himself in agreement, but one thing didn’t sit right with him
“If you hate nobility, why are you bothering to talk to me?”
“I can’t keep hating what I plan to become. That just spells eventual failure. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right?”
“What is Rome?”
He stared at him blankly, “It’s a figure of speech, man… don’t take it at face value”
Ciel nodded blankly.
It was clear he was trying to fit in.
He was failing, but at least he was trying.
He didn’t bother pushing further, but he believed there was more to this individual’s motivation than he was letting on.
“I never got your name.”
“It’s Tristan Reed,” he said with a mocking bow.
“Well Tristan, what Insight did you gain?”
“Air,” he replied simply.
“You’ll be going into your own ascension trial next month correct?”
More like six hours… Next month?
Am I ahead of schedule?
“It seems like it,” Ciel lied.
“Well at the very least you’ll be much more prepared then I was,” Tristan said with a touch of mirth.
“Do make sure to come back alive, you better tell me what you got too.”
“I will,” Ciel replied absently, before excusing himself again to continue his wandering.
Tristan seemed like an interesting person, but Ciel wouldn’t just tell him about his unique status with his Insight.
However, he was willing to seek him out again when the time was right.
He was a little curious as well.
“Hey Ciel!”
Ciel looked to his right to find Theo waving at him energetically.
He was surrounded by a crowd of other nobles, unsurprisingly.
Ciel waved back, his smile returning.
Some things never changed.