Early the next morning, Zane woke up feeling unusually refreshed. His body was light, and his mind calm—like the silence after a storm.
He looked around and noticed that Shelby was already awake, sitting cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed in meditation. The morning light danced gently across the room.
Sensing movement, Shelby opened his eyes and turned to Zane.
"Good morning," he said, then cut straight to the point. "Zane, the politics in the Academy run deep. Especially for someone like you… most will try to pick on you because of your origin. So listen carefully. I've already submitted your applications to the administration. Tonight, the selections will be announced. But before that, everyone will go through a short interview."
Zane frowned. "What announcement? I thought once we registered, all the newly awakened students were accepted. Why's there another interview?"
Shelby nodded slightly. "You're not wrong. All of you are accepted into the first year. However, there's a small detail your Pre-Academy probably skipped—it's about the internal settlement system and the rivalry between major factions within the Academy. To minimize conflict among noble clans, super-families, and other powerful groups, the Academy decided to establish six student factions."
"Do I have to choose a faction?" Zane asked, already feeling the weight of it.
"Yes," Shelby confirmed. "And for the record, I'm also part of a faction. Let me break it down for you: the six factions are House Aether, House Noxis, House Ignis, House Umbra, House Astralis, and House Drakon."
He waved his wristwatch, and several documents transferred over to Zane's device with a beep.
"I've sent you the files. Read them when you get the chance." Shelby stood, strapped a weapon to his back, and laced up his boots. "Come to breakfast when you're ready. I'll wait for you at the diner. Later, we'll head to the interview. Just relax and take everything in stride. There's always a way." He walked out of the room, humming an old tune.
Zane watched him leave, his words lingering.
He knew exactly what Shelby had been hinting at.
Given the strained relationship between his father and most of the Academy staff—and even the Hero Association—Zane expected to be treated with suspicion or outright hostility. Shelby had been warning him, gently, to stay calm and be patient.
Zane had grown up as an orphan in Whistler Town. He was used to all kinds of treatment—mockery, rejection, neglect. He knew how to either endure it… or teach people a lesson when they crossed the line.
But just thinking about his father soured Zane's mood.
He shook his head, pushed the thought aside, and sat cross-legged on the floor. He closed his eyes and began practicing his breathing exercises, drawing in deep, steady breaths until his mind settled into a calm rhythm. When he felt centered again, he opened the files Shelby had sent and scrolled through the faction information on his wristwatch.
After carefully digesting all the data, he made a decision—one that would shape his entire future in the Academy.
What caught his attention the most wasn't the five grand factions backed by noble houses, super-families, or high-tier corporations. No—his interest gravitated toward an independent faction, one that operated without any sponsors, without powerful patrons breathing down their necks.
The other five factions—House Aether, House Ignis, House Umbra, House Noxis, and House Astralis—were funded to the brim with financial, technological, and strategic resources. They had internal hierarchies, external investors, and were deeply involved in the academy's internal politics.
But there was also a Seventh Faction. One Shelby hadn't mentioned at all.
House SEA—a faction specifically designated for Overseas Exchange Students.
Even though no one seemed to speak about it openly, Zane's curiosity had been piqued. But in his heart, he had already picked the one he wanted. The path less traveled. The independent one.
After that, he took a long, refreshing bath and changed into his Academy-issued uniform. With a focused expression, he walked toward the dining hall.
The dining hall was massive—easily half the size of a soccer field. Dozens of tables stretched across the space in neat rows. Long queues of students formed at the food counters, while others were already seated, eating or chatting in lively clusters. The entire place buzzed with energy, chatter, and the occasional burst of laughter.
Despite the chaos, everything ran like clockwork. There were no fights, no disorder—just an unspoken rhythm of Academy life at work.
Zane's eyes scanned the crowd and quickly found Shelby, sitting at a large round table with five other people, all older than him—clearly Shelby's colleagues.
He picked up a breakfast platter and walked over, taking the seat to Shelby's immediate right.
A man with short, spiky hair and an amused grin leaned in. "Well, well, who's this bright-eyed fella? Shelby finally broke his habit and brought a junior to the table."
The woman beside him smirked. "I thought I'd live to see dragons before Shelby accepted a junior into his fold."
Zane blinked as they chuckled among themselves.
"Shut it, fools," Shelby said with a wave of his hand, feigning irritation. "This one's from my hometown. Don't read too much into it. And for the record, I am good with juniors. Every single one of them looked up to me."
"Sure, sure," chuckled a silver-haired man with a piercing gaze. "They look up to you the same way we look up to cafeteria prices."
The table burst into laughter.
Zane couldn't help but smile faintly.
Noticing his glance, Shelby gestured toward the group. "Go ahead and eat. They bark loud, but they don't bite."
"Anyway," Shelby continued, trying to reel the group back in, "we're here for breakfast, not gossip. Let's finish up and move on with our day."
The teasing died down, replaced by the clatter of cutlery and chatter about upcoming classes and interviews.
Awkwardly at first—but eventually relaxed—Zane finished his breakfast. Shelby stood up first, brushing off his pants. Zane followed, and the two of them left the dining hall, heading toward the Interview Center.
The day had officially begun.
After a long walk down the vast corridors of the Academy, Zane and Shelby entered another grand hall—this one buzzing with excitement and tension.
Zane's eyes immediately fell upon six elevated platforms spaced evenly across the room. Each platform was adorned with a colorful banner representing one of the Academy's six major student factions. Bold insignias shimmered on their flags, and placards clearly displayed their names: House Aether, House Ignis, House Umbra, House Noxis, House Astralis, and House Drakon.
In the center of the room, rows upon rows of plastic seats stretched like a sea. Hundreds of new students had already arrived, most of them accompanied by their senior representatives. Some chatted nervously, others looked around in awe. The air thrummed with anticipation.
Zane and Shelby found a pair of unoccupied seats near the middle and sat down. Moments later, Shelby handed Zane a standard A4-sized sheet of paper.
"Application form," Shelby said simply.
Zane glanced at the form. It was straightforward—basic credentials, educational background, birthplace, and identification number. He began filling it out, leaving the section for Father's Name blank. He simply wrote "N/A" and moved on without hesitation.
When he reached the main section of the form, his brows lifted slightly.
There was a slot to list the six student factions in order of preference—ranked from first to sixth. The form explained that if a student's first choice was rejected due to incompatibility or insufficient qualifications, their second preference would be considered, and so on.
Zane paused for a long moment, then quietly filled in only one name—his first choice.
He left the remaining five slots marked as "N/A."
Once finished, he signed his name with a calm hand and passed the form back to Shelby.
Shelby scanned it briefly. When he saw Zane's choice, he chuckled under his breath.
"Good-good," he said with a grin, folding the paper and tucking it into his folder. "Looks like you'll be seeing this handsome face a lot more often."
Zane arched an eyebrow but didn't respond. Still, there was a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
Shelby covered the folder with his mana and tossed in the air. It twirled and entered the large cubical box that was levitating in the air.
Soon Zane realized other representatives of the freshers also did the same.