As Armis lunged at Alan, Alan's mind flashed back to the moment when Armis had unleashed his fury on the bully, crushing his skull into the ground.
Reacting instinctively, Alan closed the door and moved away, dropping his knapsack to the ground, his guard up.
"What's going on, dude?" someone called out from the side. Alan turned to see Aurelia and Lyco standing nearby, their expressions a mix of confusion and curiosity at his sudden reaction.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault. I startled him," Armis explained as he opened the door.
"Oh, so he's the roommate you've been eagerly awaiting, Armis," Aurelia remarked, bouncing around Alan and eyeing him up and down. "Hi, my name is Aurelia. I think we already know each other from the Trials."
Aurelia extended her hand for a handshake, and Alan, regaining his composure, reciprocated. Suddenly, Aurelia yanked him towards her and whispered in Alan's ear,
"By the way, epic performance in the Trials. You've got to teach me some moves like that."
She backed up as Alan just smiled in response to her request. Lyco, with his petite build and hat still on, approached Alan with a friendly handshake.
"And as you know, I am Lyco, but introducing yourself again makes your appearance marked on the receiver, which makes your impression all the mor—-"
"C'mon, Lyco, Armis is waiting too," Aurelia interrupted, yanking Lyco back by the collar toward her.
"Sorry for the sudden welcome," Armis said, stepping forward.
"I'm Armis. I guess you already knew that, but I was thrilled to see your name as my roommate. I heard that you helped me..."
Alan's heart skipped a beat, thinking his intervention was exposed, but he relaxed as Armis finished his sentence.
"...when I was about to fall in the Arena at the end of my fight. So, I was just excited about that."
Unlike the others, Armis didn't extend his hand for a handshake. Alan realized in the spur of the moment that if he wanted his mission to proceed smoothly, he needed the trust of others. Making friends and joining a group seemed like the best approach.
"Forgive me for such a rude reaction," Alan said, extending his arm to Armis.
"I'm not big on surprises, you see. With all the unfamiliarity of Academy culture, I'm a bit on edge. Please excuse my rudeness."
Armis grabbed Alan's arm, shaking it in joy. "No, you're right. But hey, you didn't seem like a foreigner to me. Where are you from?" he asked, curiosity coloring his voice.
"I'm from the west end of Pompeii," Alan replied. "We don't have many academic institutions there, so I'm still new to all this."
"Oh!!! So you're from Laiber Pompeii!!!" Lyco interjected, his expression a mix of curiosity and surprise.
"Good, and here I thought you were from some foreign country. You know, foreigners are not allowed in Pompeii. They are killed on sight to maintain Pompeii's sacred soil from being tainted by foreign disturbances."
Before Lyco could continue his spiel, Aurelia intervened, pulling him away. "Don't ruin the moment, you bookworm. Just because you know more than all of us doesn't give you the right to blabber away. Hey, by the way, I think it's time for our first class. Are you coming, Armis?"
"Yeah, sure. What about you, Alan?" Armis asked.
Alan, who had been absorbing the information shared by Lyco, pondering what else he could learn from the verbose scholar, was brought back to the present by Armis's invitation.
"Yeah, why not. Let me just put away my belongings," he replied calmly and maturely.
Entering the room, Alan placed his knapsack on the bed to the right before rejoining the group. Together, they made their way to their first class of the course.
As they made their way to class, Alan observed Armis, Aurelia, and Lyco chatting animatedly, their camaraderie evident.
"I was sure I wasn't going to survive that attack, but I closed my eyes and put all my strength behind that punch," Armis reminisced, his eyebrows knitting for a moment.
"Yeah, those brutes were incredibly rude. I thought I could distract one of them to create an opening for an attack, but that bastard..."
"I don't know what was up with those giants but I can see your point, anyone would fall for you at sight, believe me."
Aurelia trailed off, her cheeks flushing as Armis casually complimented her beauty, eliciting a shy smile from her.
"Well, I was confident in my victory," Lyco interjected proudly, running his hand through his hair. "What about you, Alan?" he asked, turning to Alan.
As Alan was lost in his thoughts, scanning every corner of the Academy, Lyco's voice pulled him back to the conversation.
"Hmm?" Alan turned towards Lyco, gesturing with his eyebrows.
"What do you think about your battle?" Lyco inquired.
Before Alan could respond, his gaze landed on a familiar figure. It was the same man who had objected to Alan's flawless victory, now walking across the training hall. Alan watched in surprise, realizing that the man was a teacher here. As the man's face filled Alan's gaze, his instincts prickled through his body.
"Alan?!" Armis called out, breaking Alan's reverie.
"Oh... yeah, sorry. What I think about my battle? Hmm," Alan hesitated, his gaze flickering back to where the man had been, now gone.
"I guess I could have done it better," Alan finally replied.
"Don't be so modest, my friend," Armis said, draping his arm across Alan's shoulders. "Your battle was over before anyone could blink. You were faster than lightning."
"Do you think so?" Alan responded with a humble smile.
Alan and his group entered the classroom, where the door bore the inscription,
"History of Pompeii."
Inside, Alan noticed that four of the other victors of the trials were already seated. The classroom was not particularly large, accommodating only ten seats and a platform for the teacher. However, what distinguished this classroom was the diagram of Pompeii's geographical map etched on the wall behind the teacher's platform. The map depicted everything in detail except the area outside the borders of Pompeii, which was smeared with dark ink, as if to suggest that beyond Pompeii lay only darkness.
As Alan and his group stood at the gate, observing the classroom, the teacher snuck up behind them and remarked in a firm yet taunting voice, "I believe it's time for class."
Startled, Armis, Aurelia, and Lyco quickly took their seats, and Alan, maintaining his composure, followed suit.
Alan took a seat beside Lyco, with Armis and Aurelia seated in front of him. Armis sat next to Leo, who ignored Armis's attempt to engage him, exuding a cold demeanor. Armis redirected his attention to the teacher as the teacher began addressing the class.
"I am Master Ortheus Yoros," he announced, his voice stern and unwavering.
"I do not care about you or anything unrelated to my subject. I won't be indulging in casual formalities. So let's get straight to the point."
Master Ortheus retrieved a binder of weathered brown pages, resembling a handwritten book, placing it on the platform he adjusted his wooden-framed glasses and continued with authority.
"First, I'll address the official formalities of this course," he stated, scanning the room. "By the looks of it, two groups will suffice."
"Leo, Felix, Cesar, and Augustus will be in group Solis."
Upon Master Ortheus's announcement, Augustus rose from his seat without awaiting permission, directing his gaze toward his assigned group as he spoke.
"My dear comrades, feel blessed as our esteemed tutor has assigned your mortal presence under my wing. Fear not, as I shall provide everything within my abilities to nurture our bond and skills."
Despite the mixture of humility and benevolence in his words, coupled with the present pride, Augustus's teammates remained silent, pointedly ignoring him.
"Nice speech, but please do not stand up unless asked next time," Master Ortheus interjected firmly, his words punctuating the air like a reprimand.
The warning only added insult to injury for Augustus, who struggled to maintain his smile while sitting down, his teeth seemingly gritting in frustration.
"Group Luna will consist of Armis, Alan, Aurelia, and Lyco," Master Orthues announced, his voice maintaining its firmness.
Upon hearing their names grouped together, Armis flashed a smile at his teammates, a sense of camaraderie already forming among them.
"Please remember your groups, as they will be part of each activity and assignment, along with the grading given to you," Master Ortheus continued, his words carrying weight as he picked up his book and began dictating.
Alan quickly realized the importance of the information being shared and swiftly retrieved his notebook, preparing to take notes. Seeing Alan's prompt action, Lyco, Aurelia, and Armis followed suit, ready to absorb the valuable knowledge that awaited them.