Chapter 229 229- Ophanim (Part 1)
With that, a few weeks passed rather quickly. During that time, Kai and Aria attended the classes inside Divinity's HQ daily with only a two-day break during which students had to recover and do homework for the next week.
The intensity of the training and lessons kept increasing quickly every day as Ascenders found themselves being challenged on all fronts. On the theoretical side, they learned about Origin, how it was discovered, and how to actually avoid self-destruction when using it.
However, the lesson didn't simply stop there, Kaya also continued teaching them normal subjects that they study normally in school since it was needed for their career in Divinity even if it wasn't the most important.
On the practice side, though, it was a whole different league. The Ascenders had to train every day, getting to learn how to control Origin, their talents, and how to efficiently use them in combat. By the time the day ends, most of them can't even properly walk.
Kaya was very strict and unforgiving when someone slacked off. That made everyone fear her even more and push themselves to their limits just so that they wouldn't get her cold glare
Most of the Ascenders found themselves under immense pressure because of it but with sheer determination and hard work, they were able to keep up, somehow.
With that, days passed and the improvement in the ascenders grew more and more noticeable. They went from complete newbies to individuals who could put up a fight for a few minutes against each other and deliver stronger punches in fast times.
Meanwhile, what many didn't know was happening in secret in the biggest high school in the capital was that Divinity was turning it into the next academy where every Ascender would able to study properly. Their classes inside the HQ were temporary before the announcement.
And when the actual announcement happened, the whole world was taken by uproar because of it. People flooded the capital to check this new academy.
Apart from interior changes, the school still looked the same from the outside since it was already a prestigious school for the rich upper echelons of society.
Many debated whether it was a good idea to integrate Origin into the curriculum and general atmosphere of a school. Since it was still basically something new and foreign, concerned parents felt like this kind of normalization of Origin could be lethal to their children.
However, after much explanation from Divinity and a sprinkle of smart propaganda, they were able to convince most parents of the safety of this plan.
With that, and exactly 3 weeks from the start of their classes, the Academy finally opened its gates for the students.
***
On the morning of the opening ceremony, Kai woke up as usual and made breakfast for him and Aria. After living together for a month now, the awkward atmosphere between them lessened noticeably.
Granted, Kai still hated her and had no intention of forgiving her for what she did but he at least learned to ignore that hatred and focus on his goal. He started treating her better since he needed her to be ready for anything that could happen.
As for Aria, she was simply glad that Kai didn't give her that disgusted cold look that he always did. Every time he looked at her that way, she felt as if a thousand knives were stabbing her chest. That look was one of the reasons why she hid away from him for all these years in the first place.
She feared that look more than anything else and when they met again after that time, it still hurt. Perhaps even more than before.
But, fate chose to change the certain to the uncertain, and now, she was seeing Kai being softer toward her. Granted, he didn't completely lose the hateful look but it was way less noticeable now.
After breakfast, the two left the house and headed to the academy. The two wore new school uniforms that they got a few days ago. The uniform was blue in color with black strips that gave it a sophisticated and beautiful look.
It was perfectly tailored to their sizes which Divinity probably got during their tests.
On their way, they saw many other students from their batch and from different batches heading in the same direction. After one month, most of them made new friends and acquaintances.
Kai and Aria did get to know some students who were friendly enough to talk to them. But, they wouldn't go as far as to call them friends. Neither of them had any intentions of befriending anyone in that place.
"So many people…" Aria murmured as she instinctively clenched Kai's hand tighter. The latter looked down at her for a second before he smiled and patted her head. "Don't worry, Calia. They aren't looking at you." He said.
Although he was acting in Jack's persona, his words were still carrying the same meaning as his true self.
'Keep yourself together, Aria.' He said to her through his eyes.
Although he knew that she had some kind of phobia toward people in general. However, Kai had told her to simply ignore them whenever she felt her anxiety hitting in.
Entering the school, the two looked around curiously. The school was gigantic, with multiple blocks dedicated to different activities and classes. There were multiple training arenas, more luxurious facilities for the students, and even a massive dormitory that could easily take in every student in the school.
Kai would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed by this place even though this wasn't the first time he had seen it.
Divinity had gone far and beyond to make this place the heaven for those who seek to learn Origin and its secrets.
After looking around for a while, the two walked inside the school and headed to their classes where they waited for Kaya to arrive.
When the bell rang, Kaya entered. However, they didn't start studying as usual and instead, she told all the students to stand in queue and head toward the auditorium.
The Opening Ceremony was going to be the first thing done just like a normal new school year. The Headmaster of the school will give a speech to all the students. However, this is where Kai was rather curious.
Who was going to be the headmaster of the school? He had researched into this and even asked Kaya but she also didn't know. In fact, nobody knew who was going to take that roll.
What Kai was certain of, however, was that this person wasn't going to be normal. Why would Divinity put a normal individual in that highly sensitive position? They weren't that dumb.
So, while most students were simply bored out of their minds, Kai was focused completely on the stage in the auditorium. As the place was getting swarmed with students, the light finally went off as a highlight focused on the stage where the microphone was.
The whispers of the students naturally died down and looked in the same direction, waiting to see who this Headmaster was. Eventually, the sound of high heels echoed in the room as a woman appeared on stage.
The moment Kai saw her, his eyes widened slightly and his breath halted for a second.
'What is she… Wait, she's the headmistress?' Kai was confused and quite frankly in disbelief.
The woman who appeared on stage was the same woman he met a few weeks ago and still sees every day whenever he leaves the apartement. The landlord, Ethia.
But, what shocked Kai wasn't her identity alone, but the complete lack of an aura around her. Or in other words, Ethia wasn't even an Origin User as far as Kai could see.
'Why would they choose someone like her as the headmistress? What does she have to do with Divinity? I thought that she wasn't even aware of what was going on?' A million questions popped into Kai's head.
Instinctively, he looked for Kaya in the crowd and when he found her, he noticed the same subtle surprised expression on her face that he had which further proved that even she didn't expect this.
"What is happening? Why is she here?" Aria asked. Even though she couldn't see her, Aria could easily notice Ethia's looming effect on the auditorium.
"I do not know. But, there is certainly something fishy about this." He murmured in response.
Who thought a seemingly inconspicuous lady like her would turn out to be hiding a secret like this one?
As Kai was thinking of the matter, Ethia had already captured everyone's attention with her sensual beauty. She didn't have to make any exaggerated moves or show any abnormal behavior to completely put everyone under her charming spell.
Even Kai could feel the effect on him but he could easily resist it. However, for someone like him who was never affected by the charms of women, this was certainly something worth noting.