GLASS || The Catalysts, #1 [REWRITE]

XI

As Lena steps into the classroom, it's as eerie and cold as an abandoned house. The door she's entered through to get here shuts—and probably disappears—behind her, leaving her alone and utterly lost. She feels as if she's missing something. Can't she at least get an orientation? Or perhaps they don't do that in this magical school.

She takes in the average looking classroom. Once again, she suspects it's about perception, but nothing much changes. The desks in neat rows are just that—desks, but the front of the class has a screen that looks very much interactive and expensive.

If this is supposed to be her destination—her classroom—it's rather deserted. Only a few students loiter about, not in any discipline at all without the presence of a professor. Conversations are mild; most are either still on their desks studying their own holographic screens produced from their seats, or on their own integrated virtual assistants—as what Lena knows as mobiles. Those are the latest personal technology, and an individual's personalised database is tied to every citizen of Leatia's identity, injected within their own bodies through the use of nanotechnology. These have augmented functions and are easily activated by voice or hand gestures; and in this era, there is no such thing as forgetting your mobile.

Not knowing what to do, Lena takes a few hesitant steps forward, somewhat hoping to be noticed. The professor isn't around to introduce her; she'll have to wait for someone to point her out as a new girl.

It takes a few moments, but the mild conversations die down as the few students in the room take notice of her. Unfortunately, since there are only a scattered few hanging back in the classroom, all eyes easily turn toward her.

What is she supposed to do? Introduce herself? Is that considered normal in Arcane Academy?

And why are there so few students milling about in a classroom? Her eyes dart around the room. Every student, dressed in the same uniform as her, still has their eyes on her. Some appear bored, but some are genuinely curious. Yet no one makes a move—either to greet her, or to attack her (yes, Lena had assumed the worst).

Then, just as quickly as Lena had appeared in this room, the students divert their attentions to the glass windows on the other end of the room. Something else seems to be more of an immediate attention seeker, and no one pays her any more attention. Perhaps yet another duel is going on, and the students just want to watch. After all, the ground is shaking.

Lena ducks away and tries to enter the classroom. If no one can help her, maybe she can figure something out—

The quake from earlier returns, this time with much more force than before. Several of the students in the room gasp, whispering in hushed tones among each other, and Lena stumbles. She struggles to the windows where many students are gathered, looking and pointing at something beyond the glass panels.

Lena makes it halfway across the classroom when another door appears, swinging open. Relief floods Lena as she turns around, her eyes catching sight of a familiar face in this strange new world.

But then her friend, one palm still on the opened door, doesn't quite notice her as she shouts, "All right Aquila, it's Combat Training! Fields, now! What are you still doing here? The rest of the students are already out."

Someone argues, "But, Neesha, Lucifer's—"

"I don't want to be caught up in the battlefield," another says.

Neesha crosses her arms, but her golden eyes soften. "We're all going together. The ones down on the field are still attending classes as per usual. Unless this is brought to the professors' attention—which hasn't—this shouldn't be anything to worry about. Treat it as a duel you don't see every day between two powerful students; one that you aren't involved in. In the real world, we'd have to face worse than this... whatever outburst of power. There are demons out there, and besides, we do have our fair share of intimidatingly powerful students in this academy, especially the trained upperclassmen. Do you want to be a Catalyst, or not?"