Once again, all the first years were gathered in a large room, separated into groups of mostly friends while they waited for Ascended Dawn and Radiant Boar to show up and assign each of them their team.

"Yo," Devon called out as he finally located Nox, Cass, and Linda.

He had stepped out earlier, so Nox and Cass had arrived here before him, where they ended up running into Linda.

The trio turned to him the moment they heard his voice.

Devon jogged over, slightly out of breath in a way that suggested he'd been power-walking the entire way.

"Man, I swear," he said, stopping in front of them, "do y'all teleport or what? I step out for a few seconds and next thing I know, you're gone."

"We just got here," Nox explained as Devon got close enough.

"Right right," He said as he looked up the elevated platform, "so what's going on now? Is the teachers here yet?"

"No," Linda was the one who answered, "they're not here yet."

"Aight," he let out a sigh, "then I ain't late."

They didn't have to wait long before the two walked in, though there was a third person with them that made Nox's eyes, like most of the other first years here, widened.

Calmly walking behind the two with a small smile on her face. Most of the other first years that didn't recognize her by face alone were completely caught in a trance.

She had on a golden dress and a white blindfold on her face. Her white hair flowed down her back with grace that matched her being.

"T-that's," Cass stuttered out, although he hadn't met her in person, his family had a couple of pictures of almost all the Transcendent rank Solar knights, which was why he immediately recognized her.

"Headmistress?" Nox completed in surprise as he watched her move towards the platform.

He could've sworn she didn't leave the office, which, thinking about it now, was a dumb thought.

But if she was here, does that mean Ayla was also here? After all, according to Ayla, the headmistress was her parent like figure.

But the lack of dread that he usually got around Ayla told him that she wasn't, which meant she either wasn't participating in this or she would join in later.

Astra, on the other hand, looked like a child that had just been reprimanded by their parent...which wasn't far from the case.

The blind bat had somehow found out that she had almost let Nox die and put her in time out....which was just spending a year in that dreaded place.

Hence the reason for her mood.

Garron Boar, as always, had a serious look on his face as he looked at the faces of all the students before shouting, "Attention!"

The entire room immediately turned quiet as his voice rang out in the entire room, which made Nox wonder what the man's vocal cords were made of.

"Today," Radiant Boar began, his voice firm and loud enough to not need a mic, "you will receive your teams for the Rift Assessment. You will operate in groups of four, one student from each division."

Devon just sighed, this meant he'd have to deal with strangers, and from what he's seen, most of the first years were kids that were full of themselves.

"The groups were decided at random," Garron continued, "and each of you are expected to work as a unit to clear these Rifts."

A wave of murmurs rose, mostly from the combat students who thought the other divisions were just going to be a burden that they had to deal with.

But the silence soon returned when Garron Boar commanded it with his scary voice, "SILENCE!"

"Good," Garron said once the room fell silent again. "Now, listen carefully. The Rift Assessment is not a game and It is definitely not a friendly outing. It is the first real measure of whether you belong here."

"Each group," Garron continued, turning on a holographic screen beside him, "has already been assigned a number. Your watches will notify you of your teammates, your Rift gate, and your deployment time. Failure to arrive on time will result in an automatic fail."

The students gulped nervously at his words, none were willing to give up their positions in the academy, not after passing the entrance test and putting on the uniform.

"Don't be so hard on them," the headmistress suddenly spoke up before Garron stepped back, allowing focus to shift to her.

"As most or all of you know, I am your headmistress," she introduced, "and although you might not see me much, know that I'm always watching each and every one of you."

That sent a chill down their spines, especially when they finally recognized her as one of the few Transcendent ranks in Aureum.

The Oracle.

Not much was known about her, well except the fact that she was the one that came up with the idea for the Radiant Academies and the fact that she had one of the highest impacts in pushing back the Eclipsed.

Though, looking at her now, many found it hard to believe that she had been around for that long, after all, she didn't look a day older than 3 decades.

Ignoring their thoughts, Headmistress Aurielle continued.

"As Radiant Boar was saying," she started, "this assessment is designed to evaluate how you adapt under pressure, how you cooperate with strangers, and how effectively you use your strengths."

There was a small pause as she looked at their faces.

"But understand this clearly," she said, the smile on her face still there, "Rifts are unpredictable."

A few students visibly tensed.

"And while we have selected only Tier One and Tier Two Rifts for your assessment, this does not mean they are harmless. You may encounter circumstances outside our expectations and you may face situations you are not prepared for."

Again, a chill ran down their spines as they listened to her words, but her next words made them sigh of relief.

"But," the headmistress added gently, "this academy does not seek your death. We have protocols in place to ensure your safety. Your watches will alert us the moment your life is in danger."

There was still the question of whether the instructors could make it in time or not, but at least, they had something to assure them.

"Now then," the headmistress said, "for your assigned teams."

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