Like most entrants to Central Academy, Viviana Adler-Stern had an agenda. Unlike most entrants, she had a simple, achievable pn. Step one, take over the academy. Step two, kill her father. She would make up the details along the way.

  Viviana looked out the window as she was driven down the interstate, cruising in an Adler-Stern armored personnel vehicle. The silence of the vehicle would be an optimal time to think, but Viviana couldn’t get much on her mind. Her hands couldn’t stop moving, subconsciously twitching and tapping on her only possession; the bde that sat on her p, issued standard to all Adler-Stern heir candidates.

  Was it nervousness? Fear? No, Viviana thought. Anticipation.

  Massive gray walls loomed in the distance as the vehicle moved, casting long shadows on the city. Even from here, miles away from the main estate, Adler-Stern logos could be seen pstered along the walls of a dozen skyscrapers. Of course, they weren’t the only logos. She could spot the signature FM logo, the crest of Ferric Meridian. She could see a couple buildings that belonged to the Ophidian Pact. She could see the main headquarters of VAC, short for Vulx Arc Cooperative. She counted about a dozen other logos of other massive companies, all interconnected with each other in a web of corporate warfare, all pstered amidst the skyscrapers of Central.

  Before long the armored vehicle gently slid to a stop. Viviana’s personal maid opened the side door and stepped out. Viviana didn’t know her name. Her maids changed more often than she changed clothes.

  The maid’s clipped, short voice came out, one hand brushing her practically short hair aside, the other offered to the young woman still in the car. “Ms. Adler-Stern, welcome to the Central Academy for the Soulbound.”

  Viviana only nodded at this, stepping out the car while giving her hand to the maid, simultaneously adjusting her sword to hang at her hip. It was much easier to draw this way, so it felt far more comfortable.

  As Viviana id her eyes on Central Academy for the first time, the maid re-entered the vehicle and left, leaving Viviana standing alone.

  She took in the grand scale of the academy campus. It didn't reach kilometers into the sky, like many buildings in Central did, but sprawled outwards in a vast array of different courtyards and domes, housing unique environments for the most promising (and the most rich) students.

  Even now she could spot the cliques that students formed. Many students wore the militaristic, sharp bck and white uniforms of Central Academy, with the only distinguishing feature the pins the students attached.

  Affiliations for the guild-companies. The logos of Adler-Stern, Ferric Meridian, Ophidian Pact, and Vulx Arc Cooperative.

  The cliques that formed weren’t due to friendships, exactly, but more so the companies that each student was affiliated with. It was simple– if you were guild affiliated , you stuck with the people with the same guild.

  Viviana walked forward. A couple people spared her gnces. Normally, the youngest heir candidate to the Adler-Stern guild would be something to gawk at, but today worrying about yourself was more important. It was the first day of school, after all.

  “It’s the Adler-Stern!” a whisper-yell from a Ferric Meridian girl with a mocking grin. The whisper part wasn’t quiet enough.

  “Are you even sure it’s her? Sure, she’s blonde, but that’s not too distinctive…” another girl said, covering her mouth with one hand.

  “I’m sure! She got out of an Adler-Stern car!”

  “Then don’t talk to her. She’s the one that got exiled.”

  “Exactly! Look, she might have gotten out of that car, but she doesn’t even have a uniform. She’s unsponsored! We could do whatever we want…”

  Viviana ignored them as she approached a moderately sized crowd, standing around at the entrance to the academy. Most people were talking to their fellow clique members, but quite a few were just standing around awkwardly, their ck of uniforms singling them out as outsiders.

  Viviana stopped just outside of the crowd and took in the sheer amount of people. She couldn’t guess accurately, but if she had to, it’d be around three-hundred. A bit more than half had uniforms on.

  All the students were standing in front of what looked like a stage. On top of the stage was a podium and a microphone.

  Viviana wasn’t sure what to do, so she just stood there. She was sure the crowd was waiting for something.

  “Hey, how’s it going?”

  Viviana turned to look. She observed the young man who just spoke to her. Tall, bck hair, brown eyes. A somewhat nervous expression. Most importantly, no uniform, and no guild affiliation pin.

  Viviana shrugged in response to his question. She deemed that an adequate answer, so she said nothing else.

  The young man scratched his head. “...You’ve heard rumours about how orientation goes, right? Me and a couple of guys are trying to make a group so we don’t get targeted. Would it be too much to ask you to join us?”

  Viviana thought about it. It’d be in her best interest to join. If she had any sort of backing, it’d make people think twice before messing with her. She’s already been singled out as an Adler-Stern, so people were guaranteed to try. Plus, to execute her pn (take over the academy, kill her father) it’d probably be best to have some allies.

  Viviana could deal with the inevitable consequences of working in a group, like backstabbing and betrayal, but what if they were weak? A group of weaklings would be no good. Viviana took another gnce at the guy. The way he carried himself showed clear signs of training, and perhaps even practical experience with the bde. His hand never drifted too far from his hilt, and his stance never fully rexed.

  “I’ll consider it,” she said.

  “That’s enough for me! I’m Lucian, by the way. See you around?” he said, sticking out his hand.

  Viviana grabbed it. “Viviana Adler-Stern.”

  Lucian shook it up and down to Viviana’s surprise. Was that a custom? She had only ever been offered hands from her attendants, and they never shook them.

  Lucian blinked, drawing his hand back and walking away towards two other students talking animatedly. As soon as they saw him approaching they welcomed him with open arms, seamlessly integrating him into the conversation.

  “Attention, academy students!”

  A loud female voice rang out from the front of the stage, startling a few people. Viviana’s eyes moved to the front.

  Breach armor. Viviana had an instinctive reaction to it. Threat. She calmed herself, logically reminding herself that the woman at the front wasn’t sent for her. For one, her armor wasn’t painted the distinctive shock white of Adler-Stern. Instead, it was colored a bright red. For another, she was clearly a student of the academy.

  The breach knight, or perhaps knight in training, cleared her throat. When hardly anyone stopped talking, the student smashed her armored boot into the ground, empowered by a skill. The physical shock reverberated around the entire area.

  At this, everyone became quiet. Then the breach knight began talking.

  “Good morning. I am your student proctor for the duration of the orientation. Welcome to the Central Academy for the Soulbound, or CAS. After being founded by the great guilds Ferric Meridian, Ophidian Pact, and Adler-Stern in 2043, CAS has taken in the newest generation of soulbound across all of inhabited earth year after year. These soulbound would go on to become the defenders of humanity, the rangers of the walls, the pioneers beyond, and the warriors of the great-guilds.

  “Time and time again, countless hopefuls shed their blood at CAS to prepare for what's to come in the future. The, and the great guilds all wish for the success of the students of Central Academy. The academy also thanks the great guilds Ferric Meridian, Ophidian Pact, and Adler-Stern for their continued support.”

  After that rather dry speech, like she was reading off a sponsorship segment, she clears her throat again.

  “Anyways, we will now begin with unranked orientation. Those who have already received rankings exit behind the stage and into the academy, where optional ranking matches are avaible. Otherwise, do whatever. I mean, you are free to explore the academy as you wish.”

  At those words more than half of the crowd starts moving, heading behind the stage and into the main academy gate. Soon, only the unranked half remains.

  “Okay, now that that’s done…the rest of you lot, make groups of three. You’ll be doing the orientation in teams,” the armored student said. Nobody moved for a second, unsure of what to do. “Huh? What are you waiting for? Go!”

  The people around scrambled to make groups, leaving Viviana completely unsure of what to do. Everyone just seemed to automatically find someone, causing groups to be formed faster than she could think.

  Maybe she should have accepted Lucian’s offer. Actually, no. Lucian was talking to two other people, which would mean even if she joined them, she would exceed the maximum group size. And judging by how well those people were talking to each other, she’d definitely be the one who had to leave.

  In any case, the groups quickly formed without her.

  Viviana, having not moved from the back of the crowd, spotted two individuals. Each of them were looking around to find groups that were looking for a member, yet time and time again they could only find full groups. Great. Her inaction caused her to be grouped with the unwanted ones.

  One of the two, a scrawny young man in gsses, spotted her and jogged over awkwardly. Finally, the st person, a timid looking, squirrel-like brunette, joined the group. No words were exchanged as Viviana pondered the situation she got herself in.

  “Alright, you guys done?” the armored student said. She repeated herself in a louder tone, finally stopping the students from talking. “Stupid freshies… Okay, now, I’ve got some rules here that I’m gonna read. Listen up.”

  The student at the podium pulled out a piece of paper from a hidden pocket in her armor, unfolding it loudly. Then she spoke.

  “Ahem. The activity is team based. The group you are currently in is your team. Each team will receive a fg. If a fg is held, it will generate points over time. Eliminating enemies will increase the amount of points generated by the fg. Rankings will be decided by the end of this activity based on the point value of the fgs possessed by the teams and individual performance.

  “The activity will be held in terrarium four in two hours. I suggest dropping off anything you need to in your dorm and then meeting with your team to discuss strategy. Any questions?”

  Silence. Then, one person raised their hand. Someone on Lucian’s squad. “Um, Miss, what are rankings?”

  The proctor sighed. “Ranks are your worth in the academy. The higher ranked you are, as in closer to rank one, the better the guilds will treat you. It’s how the real guilds, the ones sitting in Central, know which students to send permanent offers to. As a result high rankers gain a ton of influence, while low rankers are good as ghosts. Is that all?”

  The student nodded as a couple whispers made their rounds through the students.

  So that’s how the infamous ranking system works, Viviana thought. I’ve got to get the highest rank possible, no matter the cost.

  “Alright. Then, one st rule. The only rule of the academy proper. No soulbound weapons. No killing. That’s all.”

  The armored student threw her paper away and activated her breach armor, causing boosters on the back of her feet to throw her over a nearby building, disappearing from sight.

  Viviana sighed. The ‘no soulbound weapons rule’ was fine for her. As long as no soulbound weapons were drawn, no one in the academy could die. Viviana would certainly take advantage of an academy without permanent consequences. But that meant Viviana had to rely on her longsword, which was strictly her secondary weapon. This is going to get difficult.

  Viviana turned away from the stage as the entire area erupted into conversation. She looked at her team. The scrawny young man was somehow still panting from jogging over to her. The timid brunette was somehow half her size and carried around a sword that Lucian could probably hold as a dagger.

  She was screwed.