The Commission Hall
1126 Words
After the assessment ended, the first-year students gradually filed out of the testing hall. Their conversations quickly filled the once-quiet stone corridors, but Claire barely heard any of them. The only thing echoing in her mind was the same four words.
Unable to Analyze.
They repeated over and over like a verdict with no explanation.
Even the supervising instructor hadn’t offered one. He had simply written a few notes into her file before dismissing her like everyone else.
Just before the crowd dispersed, he closed the ledger in his hands and addressed the students in a calm, steady voice.
“Your class schedules and placements will be uploaded to the academy application before nightfall. During your first month at Nocturne Academy, every freshman is required to complete at least one commissioned assignment. If you’re unfamiliar with the system, visit the Commission Hall for more information.”
With that, he turned and left.
The brief announcement was enough to spark excited conversations. Some students were already discussing what kind of assignment they hoped to receive, while others looked uneasy, uncertain about what awaited them beyond the academy’s walls. Claire quietly slipped out of the building without joining in.
The late afternoon sun cast a pale golden glow across Nocturne Academy. It looked so peaceful that no one would have guessed an entirely different world existed beyond its gates.
Her phone vibrated.
She pulled it from her pocket.
Julian Everhart: Are you free? Yesterday was pretty hectic, so I figured you probably haven’t had a chance to explore yet. If you’re not busy, I can show you around the academy.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Claire’s lips.
Sure.
She slipped her phone back into her pocket and made her way toward the eastern plaza where they had agreed to meet.
Julian was already waiting beneath a towering ginkgo tree. The afternoon breeze stirred its golden leaves, sending them drifting lazily across the white stone pavement.
When he saw her approaching, he smiled.
“So? Judging by your face, the assessment didn’t exactly go the way you hoped.”
Claire lowered her eyes.
“It was… strange.”
“How so?”
She hesitated for a moment before answering.
“The device couldn’t identify my ability. It only displayed four words… Unable to Analyze.”
Julian let out a quiet laugh.
“That’s definitely unusual. I’d probably be freaking out too.”
He shrugged.
“But those devices aren’t always right.”
The two walked side by side toward the center of the academy. Watching students laugh, chat, and pass by as if nothing had happened made Claire realize that life at Nocturne Academy carried on exactly as it always had. She was the only one still struggling to find her footing in this unfamiliar world.
She clenched her hand slightly.
“I keep feeling like there’s… something else inside me. Some kind of power. But I can’t control it.”
Julian didn’t answer immediately. His brows drew together as though considering her words.
“Then the Commission Hall is exactly where we should go.”
He lifted his gaze toward a cluster of older buildings tucked deep within the academy grounds.
“Almost everyone at Nocturne starts there.”
Claire followed his eyes.
Beyond rows of ancient trees stood a weathered stone building with a black-tiled roof, separated from the rest of the campus.
As they continued west, the academy grew noticeably quieter. The lecture halls gradually disappeared behind them, replaced by an old black-stone building nestled beneath towering trees. Above its wooden entrance hung a faded sign worn smooth by time.
Commission Hall.
The moment Claire stepped inside, she instinctively slowed.
The hall was dimly lit. The scent of aged parchment lingered in the air, mixed with dried herbs and the faint metallic trace of blood.
Her throat tightened for an instant before the sensation quietly faded.
In front of several massive obsidian tablets, students silently watched as commission requests appeared and vanished one after another. Every assignment pointed to somewhere beyond the academy’s walls.
Until now, Claire had believed the supernatural world existed only within Nocturne Academy.
Only now did she realize the academy was merely the beginning.
There were forests, forgotten villages, abandoned ruins… an entire hidden world waiting outside.
As she quietly observed the hall, the wooden door leading to the restricted section suddenly opened.
The sound was soft, yet several nearby students instinctively looked up.
A man stepped out.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, his powerful frame carrying the unmistakable weight of countless battles. His sharp features were accentuated by a narrow scar running from the corner of his left eye across his cheek.
Over his academy uniform hung a black cloak worn thin in several places. In his hand rested a long wooden case bound by three silver chains, its lid covered with faded sealing talismans.
The instant he appeared, the hall fell almost silent.
Without a word being spoken, the students standing near the counter quietly stepped aside, opening a clear path before him.
He placed the wooden case on the counter.
The attendant carefully removed each talisman sealing the lid. The moment the case opened, her pupils narrowed ever so slightly before her expression returned to normal.
She pressed a silver seal onto the parchment beside it. Ancient runes flared across the page before fading away.
“Verified.”
The man gave a slight nod, accepted his academy badge, and turned to leave.
From beginning to end, he hadn’t spoken more than a single word.
Only after his figure disappeared beyond the door did the whispers slowly return.
Claire watched the doorway for another moment.
“Who was that?”
Julian withdrew his gaze.
“ Damien Blackwood”
He answered casually.
“He’s pretty well known.”
Claire looked at him.
“How well known?”
Julian smiled faintly.
“He’s currently ranked second on the academy’s Commission Rankings.”
“The rankings?”
He gestured toward a stone corridor farther inside the hall.
“The academy updates them regularly. Combat ability, completed commissions, contribution records… everything counts. Most of the people near the top are upperclassmen.”
Claire looked once more toward the door Dean Mo had disappeared through.
For the first time, she understood something about Nocturne Academy.
Here, reputation wasn’t earned through admiration.
It was earned through strength powerful enough that others stepped aside without being asked.
The attendant picked up the wooden case and disappeared into the back room.
Claire’s eyes remained fixed on the closed wooden door.
Only then did a quiet realization settle over her.
Ever since arriving at Nocturne Academy, everyone had talked about power.
But no one had ever told her…
what that power was truly meant to protect.
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