The World's Greatest Egoist

The Central Square, as you would have it, was in the middle of the large village-sized institution.

It was a wide open space with distinctive tiled roads of different colours. Neat and clean.

At the centre was a large, circular podium, although its size didn’t occupy more than half of the entire Central Square.

Seven statues stood in the middle of the stand on an elevated platform.

Their figures are covered in distinctive armour, wavy cloth material or none at all.

These seven statues represented the Archetypes. Knights, Brawlers, Snipers, Rogues, Shifters, Spell Casters and Harmonics.

All in their respective attire. Weapons stretched into the sky with a glorious aura exuding from their form.

As the Cadets– male and female began to form lines on each side of the Squares, their gazes and conversations lingered on the revered structures.

Luca was in one of such lines with Taren standing in front.

He looked around to find Caedun a few lines away. Locked in conversations with some low Nobles and others he had assumed were people of his status.

He acknowledged his presence and turned his attention to the statues.

Just like the other Cadets, he too was bewildered by the sight.

Taren, who stood in front of him, was no different.

He hummed softly and folded his arms as he pointed at the Knight.

"Lucamir, you see that man?"

Luca looked up in the direction he pointed.

"The Knight?"

"Yes, that’s Zarelle Von Ardenthal, the Guardian Knight. He and his cohort were the first to take down a Tier 5 Abyssal Gate."

Luca’s eyes flared slightly.

"A Tier 5?"

Taren turned to him with sparkling eyes and nodded.

"Tier 5s can only be closed by Integrators and Convergers."

He smiled sheepishly.

"They were the first Integrators in the Ostaria Federation."

Luca gulped and looked at the statues once more. "Interesting."

His gaze lingered on the statues before shifting to the Instructors that had begun to take the stage.

"They’re finally here."

On the raised platform, emerging from all corners were the Superiors of the Institution.

The figures whose presence would leave an imprint on the lives of these young Cadets.

They numbered fifteen, with one of them’s attire being distinctively different from the others.

Luca didn’t need to guess.

That was the Head Master.

’Nearly half are Ardenthals.’

Luca inspected the people gathered as the Cadets began to quiet down on their own.

Some of the Instructors owned familiar faces. Raziel, Sariel and even the two Instructors that had separated the boys from the girls in their group.

But there were many more with unfamiliar faces. A few with battle scars, and all of them with stern expressions.

Luca found it amusing.

’Are they sending us to war? No one’s smiling?’

Or so he thought until an Instructor walked up.

His face absolutely beamed with joy with his lips curled open while his teeth reflected the morning light.

’I think I prefer them when frowning.’

Luca turned away.

Soon, the entrance of the instructors came to a halt, and the noise made by the Cadets came to a halt.

No one had spoken anything, but these kids knew when to show decorum.

The Head Master, a man with short red hair, stern red eyes with a scar that ran across his face and a rugged build glanced over the Cadets.

He groaned softly.

"The pillars of fire are the foundation. The brimstone is clay. We are..."

"Unyielding!"

The Cadets screamed in response while Luca fell into line with a complicated look.

A tense silence lingered in the air as the Head Master soaked in the vigour of the students.

A grin spread across his features.

"You are no longer bigger worms, but Soldiers of the Ardent State.

It doesn’t matter if you’re affiliated with the Federation, a Guild or a Noble Household, as you will serve the State and the Great Household Ardenthal for your postulated time of one year."

His words sent a wave of complicated expressions to the Cadets gathered, including Luca whose expression grew more complicated.

’They’re just as proud as they say.’

"That means that you’re under our wings. We will push your growth. Put you under houses and protect you from forces beyond the walls.

Resources will be granted to the strong and those who linger behind will forage for themselves."

Luca narrowed his eyes.

’As expected.’

"While you train with us, you will also be granted access to the Abyss where our true purpose as Egoists begins.

The World is infected with a virus. That virus is the Abyss.

It grants us power, but it takes more than you could comprehend.

Continents have fallen. Countries flipped.

Monsters and Beasts beyond the gates of the Abyss call forth for our souls... eating us alive from the inside out."

The Head Master’s words were stern. Too stern, and the Cadets could feel the tremor of his voice down their bones.

Some shook in fear. Unable to resist the absurdity of what he said.

Even Luca found it strange.

’Was the world truly dying?’

He wondered.

’The Eidolon Beams have been controlled for centuries now.

It is near impossible for them to descend in Strongholds, and those who descend are immediately put under control.’

He frowned slightly.

’So what does he mean by the Abyss is eating us alive?’

"But fear not." The man’s voice rang out once more. "We as Egoists are the cure, and as cures, we must be deadly and strong.

The weak get consumed by the Abyss first. Facing the natural dance of survival of the fittest even without human control."

His grin widened and his eyes sparkled with a hint of something dangerous.

"A quarter of you will die. Some will be lost. Many will be killed without knowing how they died.

A few of you..."

His voice lingered in the air.

".. will be consumed."

Luca shivered. ’Consumed?’

Many of the Egoists faced the same reaction.

Everyone knew that dying within the Abyss and getting consumed were different things.

To be consumed meant to be corrupted.

And corruption... meant turning.

’I see...’ His brows furrowed in deep contemplation. ’Is that how Null Borns are formed?’

Luca and many others were yet to see them.

Null Borns.

They were found only in Tier 3 Beams and those could only be cleared by ranks above the Observers.

Meaning an Explorer couldn’t dream of winning a fight against one of these beings.

’Just how powerful can they be?’

"If you want to stand on the cornerstone of the world and survive the front against the Abyss... you must grow. You must strive. You must be powerful."

The Head Master’s words snapped the chatter that had begun to rise.

"We are here to aid you and you are here to simply follow and grow."

"By my side are your Instructors. Seven Head Instructors and twenty Instructors."

He spread his arms apart as he continued.

"Do not be deceived. The town is filled with people stronger than you.

Seek guidance through any means possible.

There could be a hidden Master amongst us and they will only attend to the hungriest Egoists. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

So do your best as one year is not a long time."

He turned his back immediately and walked down the podium.

His attention was completely drawn away from the students.

The Head Instructor filled in his spot, one after the other, making their own announcements.

"All Knight Archetypes head to the Silver Wing."

"All Spell Caster Archetypes head to the Blue Wing."

"Harmonics to the Green Wing."

"Brawlers to the Grey Wing."

"Rogues and Snipers to the Red Wing."

"Shifters... wait behind."

The once orderly line of the Cadets dispersed into motion as they went towards their instructed directions.

These were buildings that had also been identified by their Guide the day before.

These Wings were actually buildings with different open areas for practice.

The Male and Female Hostel Mansions were on either side of each other and they actually existed behind these buildings, being the only other buildings around them.

The rest were just foliage and trees.

Luca and Taren were walking at their own paces towards the Silver Wing when a voice– loud and stern– resounded in their ears.

"ARE YOU FOOLS WALKING?! IF I GET THERE BEFORE ANY OF YOU, YOU WILL PERFORM ALL TASKS WHILE KNEELING!"

Yeah, that set the crowd.

It was a marathon!

The kids slammed into each other as they ran faster than they had ever done before.

Luca had not realised when he had blasted through the group in a golden blur.

He had zero idea what tasks they were doing, but who the heck would want to do anything while kneeling? Better, who amongst thirteen to fifteen-year-olds would like the idea of being punished for anything?

Around him, the same thing occurred.

Many turned to their ego, amplifying their speeds and running down the streets and pavements. Some jumped buildings, a few ran through the sky with a trait or title.

"Get out of the way!"

"Move!"

"Faster, you fuck!"

Multiple explosions caused the air to distort forcefully as a chain reaction broke out from the chaos and Cadets ran like they were being chased by a Catastrophe ranked Null Bud.

The Institution had truly begun.

_______

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Fighting!