Lined in Silver and Gold

Chapter 3

As the students drifted out of the arena, I fell in with the crowd, drudging my legs toward the residential hall. My eyes were half-shut, and I felt noticeably more exhausted. The little "play" we did took more energy than I had expected. Yet, much to my frustration, my exhaustion still couldn't cloud my thoughts.

I felt much worse despite all the showing of happiness and camaraderie I showed Cadius. Those displays made me sick. And once again, I find myself criticizing my inability to act against it. Those fake acts were essential in the early days of being at the Academy but have lost purpose since then. The initial encounters with nobles forced the orphans and commoners to adapt in their behavior, but the years of being at the academy would have humbled even the snottiest of nobles. Yet, despite this, I still display this false personality as if it was true to my thoughts. Additionally, Cadius was one of the kinder nobles, even from the beginning, so there was no reason for me to act so disingenuous with him. There should be no reason for my current actions. I need to take off this mask.

But, I didn't feel like concocting a plan to escape this fate today.

Weary, sweaty, and soggy from the practice, I proceeded to the dorm shower room. Luckily, the room was empty as most students would be heading towards the cafeteria to satiate their hunger. Given this rare opportunity, I decided to indulge myself with a long and relaxing bath. I leisurely drenched myself in warm water and soap until the mirrors started to condensate. Wary of my skin wrinkling, and refreshed enough from the long bath, I dried myself with a towel that was in my bag. I then changed into one of the Academy casuals, a light variation of one of the uniforms, and headed to my dorm room. When I finished dropping off my bag and gears, I jogged toward the cafeteria.

...

The cafeteria was brimming with students. Fortunately, stragglers like me were the only ones left in line, making it much more convenient to grab dinner. As I walked towards the line, I recalled the first time I stood here, then an orphan that had just joined the Academy. Back then, the spectacle that was the Academy mesmerized me, and I stood still, wide-eyed at the sheer uniqueness brought along by this new life. Here, the atmosphere was warm and bright, with each corner shimmering with a feel of sophistication. Outside, the wind was bitter and the land was barren. The sheer contrast of life made me glorify my image of the Academy. It was at this institution that I would fulfill my....hmmm, well... everything—I swore I would think of the specifics later.

No matter how accustomed I've become with the Academy life, I can't help but feel enraptured. I was still no different than that wide-eyed orphan from many years ago. The glow orbs on the top of the cafeteria increased in intensity as the sky darkened, dusk had approached. The atmosphere was lively and bustling as the students talked and laughed with each other as they ate, ignoring the exhaustion they felt earlier. This life, my life, really was magical despite its hardship. Yet, there was still an unshakeable feeling that I was out of place among such luxuries.

"Your order if you will," I blinked, falling out of my reverie, my eyes eventually landing on a slightly irate server.

"Just a chicken soup and some bread please."

The gangly man quickly filled a bowl with soup and placed two pieces of wheat bread on the side bowl. I poured myself a glass of apple juice. The staff then passed my tray with a forced smile. "This was very popular tonight."

I glanced down at the bowl. The chicken soup was brothy but filled with chunks of chicken, potato, corn, and carrot poking through. The light layer of fat on top of the soup shimmered against the light giving the soup a golden glow. It did look scrumptious.

Balancing my tray carefully, I spied my two close friends who were frantically gesturing at me to join them at a table on the opposite side of the entrance. I gave a brisk nod and walked there slowly, careful as to not spill a single drop of my delicious soup.

"Hey what took you so long dude?" Larion greeted me as soon as I was in earshot. Snickering, he said: "Did you get lost in the academy again?"

"Haha, very funny," I said nonchalantly. "I just took an extra long shower, these training sessions are getting brutal, even for me."

"Yup, they should at least increase the portion if they are going to make us train longer." Jimmy, a ginger with an unrivaled appetite, inhaled his pasta and gave out a long and loud belch. "Oops, my bad"

I gave a disgusted expression but sighed as I quickly released it. I have known these two for too long to expect anything different. I sat down along with them and immediately began working on my meal. There was a long and comfortable silence as they waited for me to finish my meal. Comfortable, sure, but silent wasn't how I would describe these two.

"So, is there something you guys wanted to talk about?'' I said, finishing my soup and chewing my last bite of bread. "Spill it."

Larion and Jimmy glanced at each other, unsure of who and how to start their explanation. After staring and pointing at each other for three minutes, Jimmy pushed Larion off the chair and turned his back. Now standing awkwardly in front of the table, Larion took a deep breath while looking directly at me.

"Alright, so you remember how Jimmy and I applied for the Regionarie Corp last month? Well... we got accepted," Larion proclaimed hesitantly. He looked down on the table and started fidgeting with his hand. "A-and, well, since training starts two weeks from now... they will be sending us off next Monday."

His head bowed as he uttered those last few words, almost as if he was ashamed of committing some sort of wrongful sin.

"Oh." I smiled at them and started stretching my arms off to the side. The Regionarie Corp were a specialized task force that acted as military scouts and skirmish fighters for the country. They were an elite group of soldiers that were all composed of people with especially high magical affinity. It should be regarded that everyone at the Academy were Talents, a group of people that have at least ten-fold the magical affinity compared to the populace. Regionaries were chosen with an even higher degree of affinity. And so, because of their exceptional affinity for magic, Regionaries were less disposable than normal soldiers. Additionally, their training required an immense amount of resources, so much so that the Kingdom would rarely send one off to be sacrificed. Indeed, the Regionaries were the treasured soldiers of the Kingdom.

"C'mon, we expected this, why are you nervous? You asked me if I wanted to apply for it too and I declined. But I think it's great for you and Jimmy." I tried to say those words confidently but even I could tell it wasn't convincing.

He shot me a remorseful smile. It was clear that he regretted not being able to convince me to join them.

With that, I walked away to deposit my tray and bowl. I glanced back at Jimmy and Larion, who were both still sitting at the table, staring at their empty plates. I gave off a short sigh and then looked toward the exit, seeing the crowd of students moving out of the dining hall. I gave one last glance at my friends before I followed suit, heading towards the dorming hall with the horde of students.

I knew that Larion's concern wasn't without merit. After all, the Regionary was the most common specialized task force for academy students to join. Just about every student signed up for the program even if they knew they couldn't pass the insane requirements. Instead of the usual eight years of Academy learning, Regionarie students would only take six years of Academy with an additional four years of Regionarie training. About a third of the Academy students opted for this option with less than half of them being accepted. And although a minority, making up about three percent of the school population (myself included), nearly all commoner students sought this program in the hope of attaining a greater lifestyle. Those remaining applied for other jobs within the kingdom regarding its military or even a few (mostly the low potents) would return to their lives of peasantry after the sixth year. I could very well be the only commoner left in this academy (discounting the underclassmen). But, despite all these reasoning, I still couldn't bear the thought of spending my life so meaninglessly. I want my life to be noticeable and memorable, rather than wasting it for a kingdom that could care less for my existence. I always desired something greater in my life, something that would place me above the nobles who had a silver spoon placed in their mouths at the moment of conception. And though I still have no definite plan of obtaining it, I am sure that I will attain it.