There were still six days before the official start of classes, and Aston wasn't one to sit still for long. After a quick breakfast at the mess hall, he decided it was the perfect time to explore the campus so far—but there were six other divisions, and if this place was anything he'd already seen, he knew there was a lot more waiting out there.

As he was going to step out of the dormitory's arched entrance, a familiar figure stumbled out of one of the doors of the dormitory, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

Rowan Delle.

The laid-back youth looked like he'd just escaped a heavy sleep. His hair was more of a windswept mess than usual, and he blinked blearily at Aston.

"Dude, when did you get here?"

"Two days ago. I went with the group transport."

"I arrived here three days ago. There's nothing to do here but sleep. You going somewhere? Where's the cat and the bird?"

"Yeah," Aston replied. "I left them in my room. I was planning to tour the other campuses before things get too busy. Scouting division's great and all, but I want to see what the others look like."

Rowan perked up slightly. "Same. Verdy's still sleeping inside. Well, that sounds better than sleeping through the day. Mind if I tag along?"

"Not at all."

The two set off down the path that split from the Scouting Arts Division's sector. As they passed beyond the ivy-covered walls that marked the border of their campus, the scenery shifted—open glades as if cracked at the center by the monument, resulting in webbed pathways.

—

The first campus they came across was the Spirit Combat Division. The very air was charged here, like a coiled spring waiting to snap.

Aston looked up, and his mouth dropped slightly. Suspended arenas—massive platforms made of metal and stone—hovered in midair, held up by concentrated spirit arrays. Trainees leapt between platforms, their spirit beasts clashing. Some trainees battle with spirit beasts with their preferred weapon while instructors shout commands to their spirit beasts.

Sparks danced through the sky with every strike.

"Okay," Rowan said, watching a girl parry a flaming strike from a spirit beast with her bare arms, "I don't want to make enemies here."

Aston smirked, "Note to self: don't challenge anyone from this division without backup."

—

Next, they made their way downhill toward the Healing and Support Division, nestled beneath shimmering waterfalls that ran along tiered stone walls.

Domes of green glass sparkled in sunlight, and students moved gracefully along bridges of woven vines and light-formed platforms. Gentle spirit energy soaked the air like mist.

One student stood before a sickly plant and asked her spirit beast to channel gentle waves of healing essence, reviving it in seconds.

"Even the plants here are healthier than I am," Rowan muttered.

Aston gave a short laugh. "You've got a healer's envy."

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—

Crossing a bridge lined with glowing lanterns, they reached the Spirit Engineering Division, where the terrain turned metallic and industrial.

Steam hissed from vents, gears clicked in rhythmic harmony, and half-finished constructs lumbered across open yards. Multi-tiered buildings jutted upward in jagged stacks, kinetic lifts carrying cargo and students up and down in erratic bursts.

Aston's eyes lingered on a crab-shaped construct sparring against three students.

"Everything here looks like it's one mistake away from exploding," Rowan said, sidestepping a spark that flew past them.

"Well, that's the charm."

—

The Enchantment Arts Division was next, and the entire campus floated.

Literally.

Aston stood at the edge of a boarding platform, staring in awe as a rotating circular platform hovered in the air, glowing glyphs inscribed along its base. Enchanted bridges phased in and out of visibility, shifting between solid and transparent in waves.

Students here wore their purple robes lined with runes, and some floated as they walked. Entire buildings rotated gently like celestial bodies.

Rowan waved at the floating student. "Do you think they ever get dizzy?"

"They probably enchanted themselves against it."

—

By midday, they found themselves walking across the plains of the Spirit Alchemy Division.

Rows of greenhouses and fenced-off testing fields sprawled as far as the eye could see. Glass laboratories puffed colorful smoke, and students in their protective equipment dashed between brewing stations.

Aston winced as a beaker exploded in the distance, sending a puff of purple mist into the air.

"I swear someone's always blowing things up in this school," Rowan muttered.

"I know a guy. It might be a paradise here for him," Aston chuckled.

They peeked inside a dome-shaped vault, where shelves of rare herbs and glowing liquids were arranged in precise rows. A passing professor gave them a suspicious glance, and they quickly moved on.

—

Their final campus visit was the Trade and Commerce Division.

This was unlike all the others—its structures were elegant, symmetrical, and crafted with polished stone and bronze. It felt more like a grand plaza than a campus. Spirit-bound contracts floated midair, glowing faintly as students negotiated with animated scrolls or debated over commodity prices.

A coliseum-like structure in the center hosted live auctions, with rows of spectators raising tablets instead of paddles.

"This place feels like a marketplace run by nobles," Rowan whispered.

"It kinda is."

They passed a spirit beast stall offering courier contracts to spirit professionals, and another that auctioned sealed alchemical reagents. It was clear that business was taken seriously here as battle was elsewhere.

—

As they made their way back to their dormitory, the sun already leaning into the western horizon, they spotted somewhere walking up the winding trail below.

Aston's eyes narrowed slightly. "Is that—?"

"Seria", Rowan confirmed, waving.

The yellow-haired girl raised her hand in a small greeting as she approached. She wore a dark green cloak over her uniform and carried a brown satchel, likely from a supply trip.

"Touring the campuses?" she asked once they were close.

"Yeah," Aston said. "Tried to see everything before classes started."

"Smart," Seria nodded, "I was heading back from the Trade division. You?"

"Same," Rowan said. "We were just talking—tomorrow, we're heading to the city. Wanna come with us?"

Seria blinked, considering. "Sure. Better to get familiar with the place before the year turns crazy."

Aston smiled. "Alright then. Meet you both at the plaza gate in the morning?"

"Works for me," Seria replied.

"Will your maids be joining us, madame?" Rowan asked Seria jokingly, to which he received a glare.

As the three walked the final stretch back to the dorms under the soft twilight sky, a quiet excitement lingered in the air.

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