Chapter 196: Changing Tides [1]

The human domain.

The Imperial Army's full focus was expanding its military power. They had lost a lot during the incursion.

First on their agenda was to finally open up their military academy.

Several academies had already opened. But the elitist culture, such as the previous Astrea Academy, were no longer present.

They were now accepting students, regardless if they were adept or not.

But for Raven Blackheart, he chose to admit himself in the new Imperial Academy.

Of course, he had already passed the screening test.

And today, September 13, 2149 was its opening ceremony.

After the calamity, the only friends he kept in contact with were Amy and Reinhard.

For the others, they would occasionally converse on the phone.

He was never that close to Rachel and Claire anyway.

"....!"

The students quickly fell into a hush silence. All heads suddenly flicked towards the podium.

There, a figure walked the flight of stairs, making his way towards the center. His military robe fluttered in each step he took.

He took a good look at all the students present. His gaze also met Raven's and Raven immediately straightened his posture.

"That's Field Marshal Bellion, right?"

"Yeah, he looks just like on TV!"

Field Marshal Bellion.

A name Raven was all too familiar with.

After the death of Lucian, the expectations around Bellion blossomed. After all, he was the ranker, second to Lucian.

Bellion Van.

The uncle of his best–friend, Reinhard Van.

—Kuhum. Testing. Testing.

Shortly after, his deep voice echoed throughout the entire vicinity.

—I see a lot of eager faces out there, and I can tell you're excited to start this new chapter. Each of you, young cadets, has shown great promise, and that's why you're here today. At Imperial Academy, we're dedicated to helping you grow, learn, and reach your full potential as the future of the human domain.

.

.

Raven listened attentively, his eyes glistened with expectations. After all, throughout his entire time in Astrea Academy, he had only been there for four months.

Not once had he even participated in a single ranked duel.

The academy was a mess.

But it was now fairly obvious why their standards were so high, and why they were eager to weed out the crops.

"Because the academy was planning on shutting down in the first place."

The same went for all its students.

It had its problems.

It shouldn't have been running when its Headmaster was... dead.

—And with that, I officially declare the entrance ceremony open. Take this time to meet your fellow students and professors, and start building those connections that will last a lifetime."

Before he realized it, the opening ceremony ended. Everyone present seemed to brim with expectations, just like him.

Bellion gave a light bow after his speech.

Clap– Clap—

And cheers, applause, and whistles, echoed.

Looking around, Raven saw some familiar faces, mixed with new ones.

Some of them were previous Astrea Academy students, while some were probably from the other academies.

Raven couldn't help but smile as he returned her embrace and caressed her hair gently.

"Hehe. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too—"

"Kuhum..."

Before Raven could finish his words, a dry cough cut him off.

He fixed his attention towards the source of the sound and his eyes widened.

"Rachel. Uh..."

He was deeply embarrassed.

All that flirting with Rachel's twin sister, and right in front of her as well.

"Good to see you, Raven."

Rachel's cold voice cut through, and Raven couldn't help but shudder.

"....You too, Rachel."

He was quite unsure how to approach Rachel. After Brandon and her grandfather's death, everyone tried reaching out to her.

But Rachel blatantly ignored their messages.

It was only months later when Raven realized what Rachel was up to.

She appeared on billboards.

Not just her, but Amy as well.

The two of them...

They were now co-owning the Asami company. One of the biggest business conglomerates in the human domain.

During the early months, the Asami company instantly disappeared. But it seemed like through Rachel and Amy's efforts, they rose back to the top.

It was an insane feat for two seventeen–year olds.

But according to Amy, they had several people helping them.

One of them was their mother, Samantha Ashfield.

Seems like some form of reconciliation happened.

"What's with that look on your face?"

"Hm?"

Raven tilted his head.

Was he being that obvious?

"I'm fine. People move on, you know?"

"Ah."

Then there was no need to approach her as if she was a stranger.

If her words were true, and she had moved on from her loss, then it was for the better.

The world was changing, and everyone had to look forward to the future.

If they couldn't adapt, then they wouldn't be able to cross the tides that were changing.

The world had significantly changed.

Rankers were being put to work like adventurers, and there were new sightings of new races everyday.

But still.

Brandon Locke.

The thought of his late best–friend.

A bond he had formed for four months.

He couldn't forget him.

And the same probably went for everyone else.