Time Holders: The World of Balance

The noisy whispers of the students immediately fell silent under the indomitable presence that revealed itself without a warning. Looming imposingly over them was one of the six most powerful people in the Academy, and its headmaster.

Crap, not this guy! Aldrus’s face twisted as he hurriedly unglued his eyes from him and pretended not to notice his presence.

The principal stood quietly for a moment, observing the mass of trembling rookies, then grinned dangerously, squinted, and said in a raspy voice, ”Welcome.”

Everyone tensed, waiting anxiously for his follow-up words... but they never came. The old man just stood there, his face still contorted in an ugly grimace. As the seconds passed, the first impression everyone had of him quickly collapsed, and soon, as if to confirm their new verdict, another person approached him ponderously.

Aldrus’s desperate attempt to avoid visual contact failed miserably the moment a tall redheaded woman who seemed to be in her thirties grabbed the headmaster by the sleeve and yanked him closer, letting out a bothered sigh.

She was gorgeous. Her hair was shoulder-length. Her emerald eyes—sharp and piercing. She was wearing tight blue jeans, polished black boots, and a generously open black leather jacket with the academy’s symbol engraved on the zipper pull. Beneath it, a white shirt fought for its life as it tried not to rip apart.

The woman began talking to the principal, somehow whispering out loud, failing to keep her words discreet.

”You’re doing it again, Ludwig. Get a hold of yourself!”

The headmaster snapped out of his scary stare, glanced at the pale bunch of confused souls in front of him and replied, ”Ah, sorry Leona. It’s okay now, you can go. Thank you.”

The woman rolled her eyes, sighed and wearily disappeared from sight, heading into the complex through the guarded gate.

Ludwig watched her go, nodding with satisfaction as if he had done something great. Soon, he faced the students again, cleared his throat, and continued, ”Ah, welcome, welcome...” he said wistfully, closing his eyes.

Once again, the rest waited for his next words, but they never came. As the old man was about to get lost in thought for the second time, the students looked at each other in disbelief.

With Miss Leona no longer present, it took a while before one of them finally broke the silence.

”Uh, Sir Ludwig—I mean, Headmaster...Mister...” the voice faltered with each word.

Fortunately, Ludwig seemed to react.

”Oh, yes, welcome, welcome everyone!”

He opened one eye and spat, ”Huh? What are you lot still doing here? Get inside!”

He’s a fucking weirdo!

Aldrus already knew this, yet he couldn’t help but reach this conclusion again. And judging by the expression on their faces, his classmates were most likely thinking the same thing.

He joined them at a hurried pace inside and took one last peep at the principal. This time, however, Ludwig met his gaze as if he expected it, and a hint of recognition settled in his eyes.

The old man squinted and smiled faintly at him with a dangerous gleam.

***

The main hall of the academy was just as pristine as the exterior walls, and built of the same white stone. The floor was made of a mix of white and black marble, and the whole structure had a high ceiling with a magnificent skylight, which welcomed the faint sun rays inside.

The smell of winter brought smiles to the staff and significantly lightened the mood among the newcomers. Soon, the students were separated into ten groups, leaving only thirty per class.

Judging by Miss Leona’s words, there was no particular criteria by which the students were selected to join each class. It didn’t matter that much anyway, since all of them would be doing the same program and developing the same skills.

And as for Miss Leona...

It turned out she was one of the teachers in the academy, and had been assigned to class 3. Her main classroom was located in the C area, right in front of a huge training field.

Aldrus had also learned that each floor served a specific purpose, and all of them were named with a singular letter to differentiate them. In this case, he was assigned to class 5, and his classroom for theoretical subjects was in the B area: The top floor.

After noting down the essential information required to not mess up on his first day, Aldrus was asked to visit the manager of the F area: The dormitory complex downstairs.

As soon as he got there, he noticed that this particular floor was much bigger than the ones he had been in before.

Figures. This place is meant to hold five thousand people, after all.

The total number of students was much larger, of course. But only the Holders were allowed to stay in the dorms. Well, ”allowed” might not be the right word. They were required to stay there until the end of their formal training.

Many wild Holders who wandered around the streets had ended up causing trouble or worse, so it was only natural for the government to order the new generations to be placed under the academy’s supervision.

Shaking these thoughts off, he arrived at the reception and cleared his throat, ”Um, excuse me... I was told to come here.”

A sleepy-looking middle-aged man turned his puffy eyes to him and let out a heavy sigh.

”Sure. What’s your name, boy?” he mumbled.

”Uh, I’m Aldrus Dagon, sir.”

”Alright, Dagon. Let me see here... Class 5, huh. Take this. You’ve been assigned to room 412 with another classmate of yours.”

He handed Aldrus a white keycard with the number of his room.

”W-Wait a moment, sir. What do you mean by ’another classmate’? I thought each student was assigned an individual room...” he said in disbelief.

There’s no way I’m sharing my room, damn it! wasn’t this academy supposed to be prestigious? What kind of scam is this?!

Aldrus didn’t really mind company, but he refused to answer any questions about how he became a Holder. Only his grandpa and principal Ludwig knew. If anyone else found out...

”Listen, boy. I’m not the one who made the rules. If you have any complaints, you can always ask Sir Ludwig. Although considering his personality, I’d bet he would get you a room of three instead.”

Aldrus shivered at the mention of the headmaster, then lowered his head and stammered, ”A-ah!, don’t—I mean, it’s not necessary, sir. Please do not worry about it, it’s not like I’d have a problem sharing my room, pff.”

He grimaced and looked away.

”T-Thank you, sir. I must go now.”

With sudden hurry, he grabbed the card and scurried away with a forced laugh, leaving the man behind.

”Class 5... Heh. Good luck, boy.”

Some moments later, Aldrus found himself scratching his hand with the other, looking around with a weak frown.

He checked endless corridors while searching for his room, and a few moments later, he found it—the last door on the left of a long hallway that ended in a window.

He stood there in silence, staring at the number on the plate. He hesitated for a bit, took a deep breath, and swiped the card near the handle.

...

A young boy with milky eyes and black hair suddenly strode into the room.

The place was better than Aldrus expected. It was wide enough for three people to move around without much trouble, and each of the two corners had a queen-sized bed. Though only the one on the right had a window.

So the last room does have its perks, huh.

From the ceiling hung a single modern chandelier. The floor was covered in a dark brown carpet, and all four walls were paneled in polished light wood. The air smelled like a brand-new book, and he could taste a hint of sweetness.

As his mood finally began to lighten, a melodic voice swiftly turned his smile into dust. ”Uh, excuse me... Who might you be?”

A young girl sat on the right-hand bed with a slightly concerned frown. She had sharp, delicate features.

Her hair shimmered with gold all the way down to her waist. Her eyes were two shining amethysts—luminous as an angel’s, yet fragile as glass. Everything around her seemed captivated, from the honeyed air to the window by her side. Her skin looked like marble while bathed in light.

He was dazzled.

Aldrus studied her for a few more seconds, noticing her clothes were the same as his.

Don’t tell me...

”Oh, uh, sorry about that. I’m Aldrus. I’ve been assigned to this room.” He tilted his head lightly and added, ”I guess you’re my roomie?”

She stared back at him with a glint of understanding, blinked a couple of times, nodded, and said, ”Yes, I guess so. I was told that this room was meant for two, but they didn’t say who was supposed to be my roommate.” She offered him an awkward smile and continued, ”My name is Alice, nice to meet you. Oh, you can have the other bed if you don’t mind.”

Aldrus smiled back and sighed with relief. At least I got paired with someone nice.

He couldn’t be sure just yet, but based on her introduction alone, she didn’t seem like someone who would bother him much—or at least, not someone who would stick her nose into other people’s business.

Somewhat at ease now, Aldrus shrugged and replied in a friendly tone, ”That’s fine by me.”

After a few minutes, he was done unpacking his belongings. The atmosphere of the room, pleasantly quiet at first, was now slowly giving way to a heavy silence that hung over them both. He even went so far as to take longer than needed to tidy up his bed; he wished to slow down time, hoping to put off talking to her for as long as possible.

It’s not like he hated her or anything; he just wasn’t used to talking to new people, especially to a beautiful girl his age who also happened to be his roommate starting today. But more than that, he really didn’t want to explain anything to her—or anyone, for that matter.

However, as he was thinking that, Alice suddenly spoke again, crushing his hopes.

”Um, say... Wanna play something?”