587: Entrance Ceremony

Entrance Ceremony

Soon, the team-formation period was over. Every Elite managed to find a Support partner, of course, but that did not mean every Support who passed the exam was able to find a suitable Elite. As such, they were left dumbfounded, at a loss for what to do next.0

Just then, an announcement blared through the speakers of the auditorium via the PA system, and those who didn't have a partner yet tightened their throats in nervousness. What was going to happen to them? Would they simply be expelled? Sent home, despite having completed the entrance exam successfully?

I found the butler a ways off on the other side of the auditorium, sitting beside what looked like a satisfied girl with a wide smirk on her face. She was an Elite, judging from the uniform she wore almost identical to mine, and as it would seem… she was quite happy to have gotten the butler as her Support. Not that I blamed her—the butler was quite capable and looked like quite the gentleman too.

… Too bad he already had a wife and child, eh?

The questions flooding everyone's heads soon came to be answered as Tian Lin's voice was projected through the PA.

"Attention, all students. Please make your way towards the central assembly hall, following the guards stationed around in the corridors. Those who have formed teams, sit on the right side of the chamber once you arrive, and those who have not, sit on the left. That is all."

Right after the announcement ended, the two doors in the auditorium slowly opened, making way for the students inside to leave and head out. Outside, in the corridors, several guards were stationed, blocking off certain paths so the students knew where to go. No one dared to try and be funny and slip past a guard, since that would probably result in punishment. And a punishment directly from the world-managing organization known as the International Magic Foundation could never be good.

*****

In the matter of a few minutes, all the students who had previously been in the auditorium were now gathered in the central assembly hall. This chamber was somehow even bigger than the auditorium they had previously been in, and stood taller than churches.

Inside, the seating design was clearly and distinctively split between two sides—the left, and the right. On the right, the layout was filled sets with one wide table and a bench behind it, clearly meant for two people to sit side-by-side. On the left, however, the layout was more similar to that of a church, with rows upon rows of pews. 

"Woah… this place is really beautiful," Qing Yue mused, looking around as the lot of sat down in the same row on the right side of the chamber.

"No kidding… I wonder how much money they put into the decoration of this place," Feng Mian muttered.

They were right—it was quite extravagant for an exam center that would probably be never used again after today. Stained glass lined the walls like a real church, and a massive silver chandelier hung from the ceiling, filled with candles that lit the entire huge room up with light.

Once everyone was seated, Tian Lin walked up onto the stage below, tapped on the microphone on the podium a few times to make sure it was working, and then leaned into it and spoke.

"Congratulations, everyone, on making it into Counterhex Academy."

A brief pause. Then:

"That line is probably the most praise you will receive from superiors in the following years you will be spending at this school."

Wow. What a dramatic turn of events indeed.

"Allow me to explain a little about the establishment of this academy," Tian Lin continued after the silence from the crowd, and cleared his throat.

"For the first time in history, an alien threat poses a threat to us. They are known as the Hex, hence the name of this school. According to our estimates, they will arrive on Xenith in approximately six months… which also means in six months, you will no longer just be students. You will be soldiers, fighting for your home."

At this, murmurs rippled through the seated crowd, but Tian Lin did not stop.

"The Hex are dangerous creatures. We cannot outnumber them, so we need to outskill them. As such, only very few elites among the population of this planet will make up the main fighting force to combat them. Those are you, the Elites. The Elites' Supports will assist them. Together, they will be known as the Vanguard. And as for the other Supports without an assigned Elite, you will be still called Supports, nothing more. But worry not—your role is just as important as the Vanguards' is. After all… simply combat is not the only weapon in warfare."

Spreading his arms, he continued.

"There is no going back. There is no backing down. There is no option for defeat, only victory. Here at Counterhex Academy, we will train you. Train you to prevail over the monstrous Hex, and protect the planet we are all living on. Remember—in just six months, you won't be a simple student anymore. You will be a soldier. And from then on, although we will still be teaching you, you must also be prepared for emergency summons and sudden invasions."

As his speech neared its end, he finished with one final, perhaps somewhat grim, touch.

"I will not sugarcoat anything. Our chances of winning against the Hex are slim, very much so. But so long as there is a possibility, we will fight. For this is our home, and we will not give it up so easily. Prove that you can be the warriors to protect this land. Prove that you can be the Counterhex soldiers we will be aiming to mold you into. And most importantly of all…"

He clenched his fist.

"… Prove you're worth all the resources and time we are investing into you all."

After a short delay, cheers and applause erupted throughout the crowd. After that speech, their morales were all boosted by quite a lot, so Tian Lin seemed to have done his job.

"From here on out, you are all formal students of Counterhex Academy," he boomed into the microphone above all the clapping. "Do not let us down… soldiers."

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