Cross-Referencing Destiny
It might sound obvious, but there isn't just one academy. Come to think of it, it makes perfect sense. All underage supernatural ability users are legally required to attend an academy, and there's no way a single institution could accommodate every single one of them, right? No matter how rare ability users are, they aren't that scarce.
North, West, East, South. There are four academies in total, and the one Lucia attends is the Southern Academy. I recall it wasn't a particularly unique setting. In Dawn Swordsman, the only academy that mattered was the Southern Academy where the protagonist enrolled; the others were just glossed over as "they exist."
Still, the reason I'm bringing up the other academies is because I need a point of comparison. Academies have a long history, so their buildings naturally wear down over time. However, all the facilities at the Southern Academy are pristine and state-of-the-art. It makes sense, considering the remodeling was completed just last year.
Since academies are places that throw around obscene amounts of money like it's nothing, the others are probably similar, but compared to them, the newly designed facilities of the Southern Academy are exceptionally superior. A simple example of this is right here—the library.
The academy's library is an eleven-story high-rise, with every single floor packed to the brim with books. The variety of literature available is staggering. Novels, essays, poetry, biographies, workbooks, encyclopedias, magazines, comic books, philosophy texts, children's books, newspapers, academic papers, and so on. It would honestly be easier to search for what isn't here.
All of this is for the students' convenience. It's part of the adults' efforts to ensure we live without any discomfort during our time at the academy. It might seem a bit excessive, but who cares? As a beneficiary of this luxury, I'm just grateful. Actually, now that I think about it, is it really excessive? The academy students are essentially child soldiers who will be dragged onto the battlefield in times of emergency. If they're going to demand our sacrifice, the least they can do is provide this level of comfort.
After school, I stopped by the library. I had something to verify. I possess a wealth of information about this world, but all of it comes from reading Dawn Swordsman. It's knowledge gained from a novel. Therefore, I need to cross-reference it. I have to see how closely this world aligns with the novel Dawn Swordsman. If it's just a similar but entirely different world, my knowledge becomes utterly useless. I'd hate to get complacent relying on novel settings only to get stabbed in the back later.
"Heh, it's not really any different."
After spending over two hours wandering between the bookshelves and skimming through various volumes, that was the conclusion I reached. First, the history. The invasion of the interdimensional monsters began about three hundred years ago. That was when monsters started pouring out of suddenly appearing Rifts in Space. Those were chaotic times. Since there were no systematic countermeasures like we have today, more than a few nations collapsed during that crisis. People died, died, and died again. Just as dying was becoming a daily routine, humanity barely managed to mount a counterattack. Led by the Church, they gathered supernatural ability users and began resisting the interdimensional monsters. Humanity's first counterattack, after doing nothing but getting pushed back helplessly, ended in success. From then on, the tedious war between humanity and monsters officially began.
Next, the interdimensional monsters. They were also exactly as described in the original work. As the term 'interdimensional' suggests, they are unwelcome visitors from another world. When a Rift in Space occurs, they swarm out of it. Their abilities and appearances vary wildly, but they share one common trait: a blind, absolute hatred toward humanity. They kill humans. As if that is their sole reason for existing.
But if that were all, so many people wouldn't have died during the era of great chaos. Humans are a species that are already itching to kill each other anyway. They had armies and established combat techniques even back then, so why were they so utterly helpless against the interdimensional monsters? It was because of a fatal characteristic of these monsters. Humans cannot look at them. The moment a normal human lays eyes on an interdimensional monster, they go into convulsions and foam at the mouth. If they look for too long, they go insane. This is Mental Pollution. Just looking at an interdimensional monster destroys a human's mind. This was the fundamental reason why humanity was unilaterally slaughtered by them in the past.
And that is also why supernatural ability users are humanity's only hope. They are immune to Mental Pollution. Even if they look at an interdimensional monster, they suffer no ill effects. On top of that, they possess the power to fight back, so their importance naturally skyrocketed. Nowadays, they are treated as heroes destined to save the world.
Next, supernatural ability users and the Church. A supernatural ability user refers to someone who possesses a special power called a supernatural ability. One ability per person. There are exceptions, but that's the general rule. The Church is a religious organization that worships and believes in the gods of the Four Seasons. Although its influence has waned significantly in modern times due to a rise in anti-religious sentiment, it once boasted immense power. The Church refers to supernatural abilities as miracles bestowed by the gods. While devout believers accept this without question, non-believers dismiss it as mere propaganda to boost the Church's authority.
But the funny thing is, the Church's claims are actually true. The God of Spring and Creation. The God of Summer and Will. The Goddess of Autumn and Healing. The God of Winter and Justice. These four gods protect this world and hold back the interdimensional invasion. Huh? If they're holding it back, why are monsters still slipping through? Hey, cut them some slack. Those four are busy pulling the hair of the interdimensional gods in a desperate struggle, so they don't have the luxury of a perfect defense, okay?
Even in the original work, the interdimensional gods weren't described in detail, but from the brief glimpses we got, they were definitely not benevolent deities. They were referred to as the Old Ancient Ones or the rulers of the past. Unlike the monsters, which at least don't drive you mad at a single glance, humans go insane just by learning of these gods' existence. Even supernatural ability users are no exception to this. Wow, this world is surprisingly bleak, isn't it? But don't worry. This is a world brimming with the classic shonen manga sentiment where dreams and love always triumph. The gods bestowed upon humanity the power to protect themselves, and that is the supernatural ability. A supernatural ability is a power that brings one closer to 'God.' The closer that power reaches its limit, the more the user sheds their humanity and becomes a divine entity.
"Hmm... It mostly aligns."
I closed the book and stretched deeply. Ah, my eyes hurt. Staring at tiny print for so long has left my mind exhausted. But it wasn't a bad feeling at all, so a soft giggle escaped my lips. Reading is a great hobby. I should read more often. Now that I've looked up all the important stuff, maybe I should head back for today. Since I'm already at the library, I might as well borrow a few books.
"Now, where would the human anatomy charts be?"
As someone with Super Regeneration, I believe it is absolutely essential to have a detailed understanding of the human body. Think about it. Regeneration is actually a pretty problematic ability. What if my body regenerates while there are foreign impurities inside? Or what if my organs or bones are misaligned, and it just fuses back together like that? Of course, Lucia's Super Regeneration automatically restores everything to a perfect, pristine state without any of those worries, but you can never be too safe. Seriously. I don't have any other ulterior motives, okay? I wasn't thinking at all about where the body's vital points are, where the major blood vessels lie, or where I should stab myself to bleed more and feel the maximum amount of pain. Okay? I swear.
Thud.
"Eu-he?"
I stopped in my tracks reflexively. Did I just hear a strange sound? Driven by curiosity, I headed toward the source. It wasn't very far. After passing a few bookshelves, I saw a girl clutching her nose with a tearful face, surrounded by a messy pile of books scattered all over the floor.
"...?"
Uh, what's going on? What is this situation... Ah, I get it. She was trying to carry that massive stack of books all by herself and took a spectacular tumble. Judging by her uniform, she's an academy student. A supernatural ability user wouldn't drop books just because they're heavy, so she must have tripped over her own feet. Or maybe she bumped into a bookshelf. Geez, you shouldn't push yourself too hard just because you have physical strength, you know? If I hadn't seen it, that would be one thing, but since I did, helping her out is only the decent thing to do. I carefully picked up the books to keep them from getting creased and spoke to the girl.
"Are you okay?"
"A-A-Ah... Y-Y-Yes! I-I'm f-fine, I'm okay! Ah..."
The girl snapped her head up to answer. She shouted energetically, but trailed off as she realized her voice was too loud. Right, this is a library. Silence is golden here. Wait, but this girl... I've seen her somewhere before. Actually, more than just seeing her, I see her every single day when I go to school. We're in the same class. Deep, abyss-like navy-blue hair. Round, heterochromatic eyes. A prominent nose and tiny, adorable red lips. Cheeks that practically beg to be pinched, and a completely innocent expression.
"Uh... Aris?"
"Huh? Ah, yes! A-A-Aris, I'm Aris!"
Aris answered vigorously, only to shut her mouth again. Her voice had been too loud. Blushing furiously, Aris hurriedly began gathering the books scattered on the floor. I moved my hands quickly to help her. But seriously, isn't this way too many books? She carried all of this by herself? She wouldn't have been able to see an inch in front of her. No wonder she fell. Even I would have tripped. Did Aris join the library club or something? Wait, I don't think the academy even has a library club.
"Th-Th-Thank you f-for h-helping me... Um, uh... Y-You're Lucia from my c-class, right?"
"Yep, that's me. Just call me Lucia. But what's with all these books? Where were you taking them? Running an errand for the librarian?"
"Huh? Ah, no, I was going to... borrow them..."
"...All of them?"
"Y-Yes... I-Is there a p-problem?"
I mean, there have to be over twenty books here. All of them? ...Well, I guess it's fine since it's Aris. She was depicted as a massive bookworm in the original work too. Aris. Though she looks fragile on the outside, she is a member of the Golden Generation alongside Yujin, Leo, and Arin. Remember how they said there was a girl who wiped out five golems with a single beam during the ability measurement? That was Aris. In terms of pure destructive power, she is the strongest in the academy. And she was the main heroine of Dawn Swordsman.