Academia

Chapter 1: The Assembly

"Is this your dream or mine?"

Edwin looked to his left. The boy who'd spoken gave him a quizzical look. Confusion blatant on his round face.

"Weird. I've never worn a school uniform before," he continued, looking down at his crow black jacket. A dark violet vest bulged out at the top, covering a white dress shirt pinned to the top button. His tie was tucked in neatly. The collar pushed in a deep crease in his neck fat. "This doesn't seem to be my childhood school either. This all feels..." His eyes darted back to Edwin, "Is this real?"

Edwin frowned. He'd never met this boy before. He'd never been here before, at that. Where was here anyway? When is here, too, he thought, realizing he had the build of his 16-year-old self. He averted his gaze from the boy next to him, who was now pinching various parts of his skin, grimacing at the self-inflicted pain. Edwin looked down. The heft of his 30's had left him, and now, just like in his former schoolyard days, he was rail thin.

Huh, I forgot how small I used to be.

Rows of benches layered out in front and behind his own, filled with youth like him, all garbed in school regalia. A single-aisle split the audience like a chasm. The walls vaulted upwards around the hall, arched like the roof of a gaping mouth, a maw of a room. Large columns twisted towards the ceiling between large banners before their peaks were consumed by the shadows above, vanishing into the depths. Each cascading tapestry bore the same sigil as their uniforms' breasts: a great serpent tangled in a knot. Large chandeliers teetered above them. Cobwebs interlinked their many sharp arms, and the litany of candles carved beachheads in the darkness.

All of the hall's features bore the mark of withering opulence: a light coating of dust, peeling paint, splintered wood, chipped stone. The air felt thick under its oppressive canopy.

Is this a playhouse? A symphony hall?

A towering red curtain cascaded down from the shadows to meet the floor of a modest stage at the front. Edwin narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look at the elevated platform. Four chairs rested behind a simple podium. A student sat in each spot — two girls, a boy, and one whose gender was indiscernible behind a fencing mask — They had their index fingers pressed to their lips in a simple request:

Silence, please.

The other students in the audience cast a blanket of murmurs over the room. The audience all shared the same looks of bewilderment. Many were ignoring the four on the front stage and their basic instruction. The whispers mixed with the dull air, filling the room like smog.

Something at the back of the hall thumped, and Edwin craned his neck to see what had caused it.

The double doors at the entrance clattered closed, kicking a shimmer of dust motes into the air. A figure locked the colossal wooden doors. The deadbolt banished the murmurs with a definite crack. The balding man turned towards them, the door now sealed. Tall and slender, he strolled forward, each step calculated and precise. Something about his gait gave the impression that each step was an unnatural occurrence, like a hound walking on two feet. His narrow arms hung low, ending at spindly fingers, half clutched. His suit did little to tie him together. It fit his figure, but not his presence. The light around him already dim, seemed to diminish in his presence, dampening his immediate surroundings ever so slightly. Whatever was off about this person wasn't any more obvious than in his eyes. Edwin couldn't tell if it was their large size, their irregular irises that seemed to look nowhere, yet everywhere, or the fact that they held the look of someone who was about to weep, but whatever it was, it repulsed him. A smile straddled the man's jaw limply as he made his way down the aisle between them.