TBATE - Not Bound By Fate

Part 26

Today marks the start of my attendance in Xyrus Academy, a week before classes start. Cynthia had asked me to move into the dorms earlier so I could meet the rest of the disciplinary committee, who Tess so graciously volunteered me to be the captain. She explained it would be beneficial for me as it allowed more freedom to act and move around the school but I had a feeling she was planning something else.

Speaking of Tess, she has been attending as the director's disciple for about two months now, instead of the whole year she did last time. Even though the time she spent here was shorter, her skills as a mage and as a leader far exceeded what was needed for the role of student council president so the position was more than guaranteed. There were some teachers and students who made a ruckus when they heard the news, but a quick demonstration and Sylvie being appointed as vice president silenced them. I still don't fully understand how she has so much influence in the school, but at this point I've just come to accept it.

Other events of note were the announcement of the council and the Lances, alongside the Flagbearers, a position similar to that of retainers. They are mages chosen directly by the Lances as apprentices who can either receive the title of Lance and a codename of their own once they are deemed worthy or inherit their master position and codename once they retire. This system had a few more details to it, like how there are very few restrictions on who can become a Flagbearer or the way they are rewarded for their work and progress as mage.

I was surprised when I heard the idea from Virion last time he came to visit, mostly because I wasn't expecting it, much less that it came from Alduin. To complete the surprise I was told Aya declared I was her Flagbearer in front of council and the other Lances for no apparent reason other than that she had bet with Alea on which of the two would get me. This obviously left Mica, Olfred and Bairon confused since they had no idea who I was, so when I heard about it from gramps I obviously took the position under Alea and received a share of the gold they betted on.

As to minimize the butterfly effect I once again gave Gideon the blueprints for the steam engine and received the phoenix wyrm pendants for my mother and sister. Of course I didn't stop there and gave him a few others for a different project that Regis proposed to me and gramps, quite the ingenious plan if you ask me. Once the Dicatheous was ready to set sail this project would start production without the knowledge of the council and hopefully will be finished before the Alacryan fleet arrives. I wish I could see Agrona's face once we put it to use.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when Ellie opened the door to my room telling me breakfast was ready. During the meal dad wouldn't stop talking about how proud he was of me for getting into such a prestigious school with an important position on top of that, and while I felt a bit embarrassed from all the praise, it still felt pretty good to be able to hear him say things like that again. Vincent and Tabitha asked me to keep watch over Lilia to make sure she was okay as she started attending last year. Mom just asked me to be careful and not beat up anyone too badly.

After reassuring her that the only kids getting sent to the infirmary were the ones breaking rules or who tried to hit on Tess and Sylvie I got in a carriage and made my way to Xyrus Academy while Regis stayed behind and said he would meet me there later.

During the ride images of the attack replayed in head. I had arrived too late last time, but things will be different now. While there were no plans to stop the attack, several contingencies had been devised to keep the students unharmed. I hated that I would need to let Draneeve go through with his plan, but the risk of stopping him before that and creating unwanted changes was too high. But knowing the fate that awaited him kept me calm.

Finally arriving at my destination I tipped the driver and stood at the gates of Xyrus Academy. Taking a brief look around I noticed a few changes were made to the buildings, no doubt this was Cynthia's way of preparing for the future.

A few seconds after arriving I was greeted by Avier, the director's bond, who looked at me with intrigue as he was perched on my shoulders. Taking the hint I made my way towards the administrative building, where the receptionist was quick to guide me to director Goodsky office.

The receptionist knocked on the door and said the younger Leywin was here to see her. I don't remember saying my last name so I just assumed she was notified of my visit ahead of time.

Getting permission to step inside the office I did just that and greeted the director who could barely be seen behind a gigantic stack of papers. I guess the workload just before the start of a new school year was on a different level compared to normal.

"It has been a while, director Goodsky. How have you've been?"

"I could do with less work, but I've been doing well Arthur." She replied with a friendly smile after getting up from her chair. "Now that you're here, why not sit down for some before I show you the new meeting and training rooms for the DC and your lodgings." She suggested, probably just to get away from all the paperwork for a while.

I accepted her proposal and we talked about trivial things for a while before we left for the tour of the new facilities.

The way the DC would work this time around was not as a completely independent entity from the student council, but like it was part of it, with the captain holding the same level of authority as the president. It was organized in such a way that it could still operate completely separate from the SC but it still could work with it smoothly.

To help accomplish that goal the two groups were housed in the same building, with the first floor holding the meeting rooms for the two groups near the entrance. They were both decorated with bookshelves pertaining to all sorts of subjects that were taught here and individual tables for each member to use when handling paperwork or school assignments.

In the middle section was a lounge with a kitchen on the left side of the building, with the opposite side having another meeting room for attending to individual students. At the back the training room exclusive to the DC and SC could be found filled with all the gear that was possibly needed.

The second floor was the dormitories for the girls, with the boys staying on the third floor. And the last floor was where the rooms for the DC captains and SC president could be found. When the director was explaining this last part I could see a faint smirk on her face.

I was about to confront her about it when I heard a voice behind us. One I hadn't heard in a few years and certainly wasn't expecting to grace my ears here of all places.

"Is that the dragon boy I'm seeing or do my eyes deceive me?"