Lyren let the boy sit next to him and the boy spoke the next moment.
"My name is Julian," he said and stretched his hand out.
"Lyren as you already know," he replied without hesitation.
"So how do we find the SQ?" Julian asked and Lyren was silent.
"Are there other tokens available or is just the SQ?" Lyren asked obviously knowing that Julian had gone through several student's tokens.
"You are right. I have seen several tokens and some have acronyms like OQ others are and some are sQ uncapitalized. I wonder whether they are actual names or acronyms. Maybe we can start there," Julian said and Lyren nodded. It appeared that Julian was also the thoughtful kind just like him. He had come to the same conclusion as he had.
"Well, what about a few guesses assuming that they are acronyms. What do you think SQ might mean?" Lyren suggested and Julian agreed. They went silent for a few seconds before they started brainstorming.
"Special Question,"
"Standard Question."
"Standard Quarters…" Julian said and Lyren's eyes lit up. He was silent and it was Julian doing the guesswork and the word quarters seemed to be the most appropriate.
"Quarters it is then," Lyren said and when they looked around the others were already leaving and deciding to go try guess their way towards the dorms. It was actually the most logical way to go because everyone here was new and even Julian who had an older brother here had not been told anything at all.
"Maybe we too should go out on our way. I guess," Julian said and Lyren agreed. Sitting here was not going to automatically give them the academy's blueprint. They had to find out on their own. By the time they were standing, they were the last ones to leave the amphitheater.
The two walked side by side with their clothes carried in their hands.
"You really are cool. You know…" Julian started and Lyren gave him an inquiring gaze. "I mean you are the only one among us who has a sword. I hear that it takes a few months before we are allowed to use weapons. Only those who have mastered their weapons can be allowed to use them. First years like us have little experience and you are an exception."
Lyren looked at Julian and then he realized that not many students even the older ones had weapons. Some went with hand-hand combat and very few used weapons.
"I didn't know. It was given to me by my father as a family heirloom. I have just used mine for a just around a year," Lyren said and Julian seemed to be even more interested.
"You are cool. I am not the first son so I cannot bear the family heirloom and my brother is the number three in the academy. It will be hard to beat him to it," Julian said with a sigh and Lyren just nodded.
"Can I see your sword?" Julian asked and Lyren wanted to refuse, but when he looked at Julian, he could not refuse because he was making such a face that he shouldn't be making as a boy. Maybe it was part of being the lastborn kid.
"Okay," Lyren said and Julian sopped and placed his clothes on the ground and took the sword from Lyren.
Julian pulled the sword and he almost fell face first when he held it. He quickly let it go and looked at Lyren sheepishly. Lyren smiled at this and he bent to pick it with one hand and placed it o top of his clothes once more.
Julian watched with jaws dropping because that was ridiculous. It was going to take a lot more to convince him that Lyren was only a year older than him and that he was already int the seventh stage. That did not make any sense because he was sure there was no way to reach that level without a powerful backing in the span of just a single year. Not even here in the academy.
He picked his clothes and followed after Lyren who was already a few meters ahead of him. Julian ran and caught up. He was surprised how quickly Lyren enlarged the distance between them that first when he had just bent to pick his clothes. This was the difference in cultivation and five stages between them was huge.
They walked out of the amphitheater and they had just walked a few meters into the pathways when they were stopped by a few older students. There was a flash of surprise in Lyren's eyes which was quickly overtaken by an evil smirk that sent shivers down Julians spine. He could tell something was up.
Lyren recognized who the two were and it was the same guy who had started the commotion during the market day. Back then, he had been burnt with flames but they were not hot enough so they had just made his face sooty. It appeared that he had come for payback. The two by his side were both in the seventh stage and Julian was already shivering because it was not the norm for first years to get stopped by their seniors.
The leader was still in the eighth stage which was to be expected. He wore a smile because it was within the rules of the academy for students to have scuffles amongst each other as long as they did not kill each other or cause irreparable harm.
"You must be James's brother. We do not want to involve you in our business thus you should stay away. We only have problems with the kid next to you," the leader said and Julian was shocked why it was like that. He was new so how could he already have enemies?
"You are not to bully first years on their first day. It's in the rules. You are not even supposed to approach us," Julian spoke and the three of them smiled to the extent that they started grinning.
"We are not touching first years. We are touching an inner disciple who is legible for challenges," One of the two seventh stage guys spoke and Julian was helpless. He was about to speak again when he felt a hand on his shoulder and his neck turned to look at Lyren who was handing his clothes to him already.
"Do not worry. These three just saved us quite some time," Lyren said and took is sword before standing in front of Julian. "So, what are your thoughts? Should you come one at a time or should you come as a group? Either is fine by me," Lyren said and the three started laughing. That ought to have been a joke. To beat a seventh stage, just one of them was enough.
Julian was on the verge of shedding tears because Lyren was acting arrogant when he was already overpowered. He should have been begging yet he was just provoking them. Now he was in even more trouble.
"I am enough," one of the seventh stage guys said and Lyren sighed.
"Stop wasting time and come at me at once or I will attack," Lyren said his voiced laced with annoyance. He wanted to beat them up quick. Now he seemed to have struck a chord and they were annoyed this time. They were doing him a favor and he was insulting them already. The guy who had spoken first charged as his fist lit up with the fire element quickly.
He reached Lyren almost instantly and his fist came at Lyren's face scorching the air as it flew. Julian closed his eyes and waited for the expected. A lesson being taught to an arrogant junior. The flaming actually made contact with Lyren but what was surprising was the fact that there was no collision. Almost as though the impact had been absorbed.
Julian happened to open his eyes and when he saw the flaming fist getting extinguished in the grip of Lyren's palm right in front of his face, relief colored his face. There was hope after all.
The seventh stage guy had his fist under a hard grip from Lyren and he could not pull it away. He could not believe that it was coming from someone in the same level as him. His flames had been extinguished and when he felt a tug, he could not resist as he saw a flaming fist being driven towards his belly.
The fist connected and his back arched and his eyes threatened to pop out and his feet left the ground a few centimeters and he fell or Lyren's shoulder motionless. Lyren stepped aside and the guy fell face first on the stone pavement.
Lyren then turned to look at the remaining two and he charged towards them. Too fast for Julian to follow clearly…