Svana and I quietly walked across the bridge as I opened up my menu so I could get a feel for the time dilation that would occur. Accordingly, for every day I spent down here, it would only be an hour in the control room. With that in mind, I felt a little more comfortable spending time down here. It should give me some breathing room to figure out what monsters I wanted to make for Ouradia. Hell, I could even plan out making more species if I wanted to, but that was a little down the road. I first needed to get my training underway. From reading through my menus, I saw that being an Administrator grants me an affinity for any magic that exists, which is a nice boon. However, I need to collect points to put any specific spells or even weapon arts into my class to evolve them further. My mind wandered over to my Oblivion elemental, and I felt a connection form, and a feeling of drowsiness washed over me. I guess the little guy was sleeping.

I pushed the thought to the side and read through my status menu and saw a trait that I overlooked, one that linked me to the hivemind of the Ancient Ones. I focused inwards since I was unsure of how to activate it. On the very corners of my mind, I felt whispers. They were fleeting, but they were there. I grasped onto one and immediately felt a wave of emotion. Dozens of different emotions assaulted my senses. I felt an all-encompassing hunger, and then waves of fear and pleasure. Mental images bombarded me of a distant land. I could see unimaginable waves of beasts clashing with what looked to be Orcs. They had feral grins on their face as they lunged into battle.

I could see twisted variations of their brethren rising from the lines of the Ancient Ones. The mental images faded, and another sense of emotion washed over me. This one was a feeling of pride and love. The feeling a child would get when their father noticed them. Suddenly all the whispers in my head quieted and focused on me, and I was bombarded with pride and joy. In a way, it felt reassuring, and it struck me that I have been neglecting them since their birth. I forced back through a small feeling of love and severed the link. Hopefully, that would be enough to sate them for now.

I returned my focus on the bridge and saw in the distance a shimmering haze that marked the end of the bridge. I glanced over to see Svana was lost in thought, and I kept quiet. It was moments like these that were nice. I never thought that I would get the opportunity to do all this, nor did I ever imagine that all of this was real. I walked to the edge of the bridge to look at the vast river. The water crashed against the shore in an unending torrent, and I could hear the roar of the water from where I was standing. Small amounts of plant life dotted the shoreline, and the vague outline of wildlife could be seen on the fringes of the shore. I took a deep breath through my nose and felt the cold air tickle my nose along with the familiar scent of water.

"Are you alright, Kairos?" I heard Nemesis ask me as she stood next to me and gazed out at the river as well.

"Yeah, I am fine. I'm just taking in the scenery. This is a beautiful place." I replied to her as I took a few moments to myself.

"Ouradia is a beautiful planet. I think most of that has to do with having Aphelia around. She breathes life into the planet."

I nodded my head in agreement, and my mind wandered back to Aphelia. I thought back to when we first met and how she would have killed me if she wasn't in a weakened state. I felt my heart flutter in my chest and was shocked since this was the first human emotion I felt since I became an Administrator. Maybe I was falling in love with her and didn't realize it since I was no longer human. I felt the telltale signs of a smile on my face as I thought about that. But then doubts started to cross my mind. How would a relationship even work out between us if I decided I want to pursue it?

After pondering on it for a short while, I brush the thoughts away. If it works out between us, that would be nice. Who I was needs to stay in the past. This is a new me. I finally focused back on the river and pushed myself off the steel railing. "Alright, Nemesis, let's get to the academy so we can get the ball rolling."

I started walking down the bridge, and the only sounds I could hear were the roaring water and the echoing of our feet. After what felt like an eternity, we finally came to the other end of the bridge. We passed through the shimmering barrier and before us sat a large castle-like building.

There were large stone walls that branched off from the arch that denoted the entrance to the bridge. Small fountains that had water materializing from the top and poured down into a basin littered the courtyard, and the ground was covered in grass that glowed a faint green color, giving the entire area a magical feel.

"This place isn't that bad, and I wonder what the control room could be once we get the funds." I mused quietly to myself as we both started walking on the dirt path that lead to a slate grey stone door. As we got nearer to it, the door let out a low rumble and slowly started to rise, revealing a well-lit room behind it.

We both walked into the entrance and down a small hallway that had torches lining our path. The walkway pushed in further before branching out into a small lobby that had only a single wooden table and a form clad in a black woolen robe. As we approached the form, it stood up and gestured at the table. "Applicants take your seat." The voice was deep and masculine, but I couldn't see the face behind the swirling darkness of the hood.

I took a seat in a rickety wooden chair, and Svana remained standing to my right. The man remained standing for a moment, and I could feel his gaze on my flesh. "What is your species?"

"Human," I replied, I mean I wasn't human, but I doubt they would find out otherwise.

"What is your magical affiliation?" He asked me as he remained standing as still as a statue.

I mentally cringed. I didn't think that far ahead. "Everything," I replied curtly. It wasn't a lie. I had access to every single magical variant in this universe, due to my status as an Administrator.

I really wish I could read the emotion on the robed mage. It makes me somewhat uneasy, not knowing what someone is thinking or feeling. The mage remained standing quietly, and I could feel his gaze intensify before it tapered off. "I will allow you to enter the academy. The fee is twenty gold coins."

I wasn't sure how the economy worked, but by the scowl on Svana's face, I assumed it was a bit on the hefty side. She presented the scroll and wrote in the amount and slid it over to the magus. He stared at it for a moment and grabbed it. The scroll vanished into his robe, and he made a quick gesture, and a wall opened behind him.

I stood and gave Svana a quick smile and a nod and walked over to the door. There would be no tearful goodbyes when I would only see her when I went back to the control room.

I stepped through the new doorway, well aware of the piercing glare of the robbed mage behind me following my every step. It made the hairs on my flesh stand on end, and I was thankful when the door slid shut behind me, cutting off his glare.

I stepped into the same courtyard that I left previously. I turned around and saw that the room vanished, leaving behind the entrance to the bridge. I was mildly impressed. I am glad to see that magic has come far, even though we are still in the early stages of this planet's development. It made me curious as to what the inhabitants would achieve given enough time.

I pondered the idea a little more until I noticed a man clad in a blue mage robe approaching me. He had blonde hair and with striking blue eyes and a beaming smile. "Welcome! You must be the new applicant!" He exclaimed joyously.

I put on a radiant smile as well and replied, "Yes. My name is Nia. It's a pleasure to be here." The man kept on his smile and reached out his hand, which I took.

"My name is Alexander Lestoris. I am one of the teachers here at the Imperial Academy. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." I could feel his eyes traveling over me, and I felt naked. I glanced at his eyes, and I couldn't discern anything other than joy, but I felt thoroughly creeped out.

I retracted my hand and kept a smile on my face and tried to hide any indication that I was off-put by him. "Come follow me. Let me show you to your dorm; you must be tired after your long journey. I will have your class schedule sent to the dorm so you can begin your new life." He told me as we started walking down the path and towards the massive castle-like building ahead of us.

"So, what brings you to our academy?" He asked, his words cut through the silence like a knife.

"I was selected by the church of Nemesis to come here." I responded quickly with the lie. He didn't need to know why I was actually here besides, it's not like he could find out otherwise.

"That is interesting! We saw the report from the gatekeeper and see that you have a magical affinity for everything. That's remarkable. Humans are the only beings that we know of currently that can have an affinity for every element." He paused for a moment as he pushed open a large wooden double door that was rounded at the top and had metal bands wrapping around the front. I remained quiet and listened to his words. I was more interested in learning than any other pleasantry, so I chose not to speak much.

The door opened up into a grand hall that had a blood-red carpet that sat on the entranceway and extended to a set of stairs that spiraled upwards and branched off at different points. Small torches flickered endlessly on some of the pillars that lined the room, and a plethora of furniture was laid out in various areas and gave the room a warm feeling. A large glass window sat above the stairs and fractured the light coming through into a rainbow of colors that danced across the floor. This was a lovely room.

"This is the entrance hall, and it also doubles as a lounge for our students because of the ambiance. But this isn't the only area, and I'll have someone give you a tour in the morning." He explained to me as we approached the set of stairs on the right and continued our journey.

"The left set of stairs will take you to the classrooms, and the right set will take you to the dorms and living areas." We walked up the stairs, and I only nodded my head. After that, there was only silence between us while we walked through the endless amount of halls and eventually came to a small area where there were furniture and a few different beings talking to each other. I could pick out the defining features of a Drow talking to a Dark elf, and a few humans in the mix. I was glad to see that there was no racial hatred or at least none that I could see though I haven't explored anywhere else yet, so I couldn't quite cross that off of the list.

"This is one of the lounges. Most students will hang out here in between classes, or eat. There is normally a larger amount of people here, but classes are in full swing." I nodded my head once more, and I saw the glances of some of the others. I gave them a soft smile, and I noticed one of the human males following me with his eyes. I felt a small bit of lust in his gaze, and I mentally chuckled. Oh boy. Someone finds me attractive. I gave him a teasing wink and saw his pale face flush.

We went into a smaller hall, and he stopped a simple wooden door that had a small alcove on the wall beside it and pushed it open. The room was pretty empty, barring a simple bed and some curtains that blocked out the sunlight. "This will be your room as the first year. Each year you stay, you will get a better place."

I walked into the room and flashed him a smile. "Thank you, Alexander." He nodded his head and leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms over his robe-clad chest. "Any time. If you need help, don't be afraid to talk to one of the other instructors or myself, Nia."

"I'll remember that. Is there anything else?" I asked him as I sat on the simple bed and crossed my legs.

"Not really. I'll drop by with your schedule, later on, I'll put it on the box outside for you so I won't disturb you. Get some rest, Nia." He gave me one last smile and reached out and closed my door, leaving me in the room alone. I sat there for a moment and felt an overwhelming sense of boredom wash over me. I glanced at my HUD and started scrolling through menus looking for a clock option.

I wanted a way to keep track of time relative to where I was at, so I could do other things and come back as needed. It's not like I needed sleep or anything, so why not make the best use of my time?

I eventually found the clock and set it for the area I was currently in and saw that it was only around five in the afternoon. I have all the time in the world to do as I please then. Maybe I will visit my children on the south pole and finally confront what I made.