The students were expecting their hero to appear on the screen. However, what happened next left them stunned for several seconds and then changed to surprise and wonder.
"What…?" A student muttered in disbelief, their gaze roaming the change of environment.
What was their classrooms a second ago was now a beautiful and starry backdrop of outer space. Stars glimmered brightly in the distance and nebulae of mesmerizing colours decorated the heavens in an ever-changing spectacle.
The millions of students were seated in rows and rows of arena seats, facing a platform with the instructors sitting behind the stand. They were just as surprised as the students, looking around with curious and fascinated gazes.
"Look!" One student called out. "It's Lord Alexander himself!"
Standing behind the stage, in front of the seated instructors in the back, was Alexander. He wore his official instructor's attire: a high collar slim-fit jacket reaching all the way to his thigh.
"Hello…" Alex said with a dashing smile, and instantly the crowd of students went wild.
Students called out his name at the top of their lungs, attempting to rush out of their seats. Unfortunately for them, Alex wouldn't let that happen.
While they were bound to their seats, they couldn't leave that space. They could still interact with their friends and classmates, but they couldn't move more than a few inches forward.
'Yikes…' Alex thought, his gaze looking over the gathered student body. 'Were we always like this? Hormones are no joke…'
The kind of thoughts going through the students' minds were better left unsaid, especially for the girls. Alex had to shut out their leaking thoughts to save himself the trouble.
"Alright, everyone. Calm down." Alex gestured for the students to sit.
Wanting to be on his good side, the students promptly obeyed, swiftly taking their seats but never losing their excited smiles. Had they been normal people, some would have fainted from being overexcited.
Once everyone became calm and quiet enough, Alex went ahead with his address.
"For many of you, being here is a dream come true." Alex began, his tone calm and resonating. "I know because I have been in your shoes. Well, at least for a year or so." He chuckled slightly.
Naturally, his audience responded positively, knowing exactly what he meant. He may have not completed his hunter training, but he was able to survive from the little bit he gained at the academy.
"Being a hunter back then and being one now has become a new thing altogether. Back then, it was a means to survive; to protect our peace from the monsters that plagued our universe.
"Now… It has become a sort of profession. Brave individuals taking on the difficult role of gaining the power to explore the unknown."
The students and instructors felt his words resonated with their goals. They recalled the way life became harder and harder the more powerful void creatures that appeared.
Those were some dark times, and people could not sleep in peace.
"However, exploring the unknown comes with its own risk." Alex continued a second later. "To have a better chance of surviving the dangers, you need to have a better understanding of yourself and your abilities.
"That is why I am here." Alex appreciated their determined gazes, succeeding in lighting a fire in them. "You, the fourth-year students, are the future of this new profession." Alex turned to look at the instructors behind him.
"With your instructor's guidance and the little bit I will be adding…" He nodded at them and then looked back to the students. "...you will come out of this great academy as the very best versions of yourselves."
A clap echoed from somewhere within the midst of the students and quickly grew to become a standing ovation. Many shed tears of joy, touched by his simple speech.
"I love you, Lord Alexander!"
"Marry me, Lord Alexander! I will do anything!"
Of course, shamelessness could be found everywhere. No one was above expressing their heart-felt desires to him.
"Your brother is good…" A student said, turning to look at Aaron who remained seated. "Is he always like this?"
"That's just a speech, dude." Aaron shook his head wryly. "But he is chill like that…"
"Yeah, I'll bet." A friend who was envious of Aaron couldn't help but say. "Everything you have now is top of the line, personally crafted by your brother."
"What can I say…" Aaron shrugged. "Things turned out well." He recalled how things were for them many years ago.
'Things really turned out well…' He thought with a small smile. 'That cosmic mana wave brought a lot of headaches and blessings to our family.'
A minute or so later, the applause came to an end as the students and instructors sat back down.
"As my first day as an instructor in this academy…" Alex smiled knowingly, his gaze shifting to the spot his brother sat. "...a small gift is in order."
"Hehehe… I knew it!" A student exclaimed, the excitement in their voice barely contained.
Ignoring the shouts of excitement, Alex added a bit of condition. He didn't want to spoil the students so much.
"Do note that I can and will take the gifts back if I deem you unfit to have them." His words quickly caused a wave of grumbling. "Haha… sorry."
Alex raised his left hand and everyone focused on that hand, instructors included. With a smug grin on his face, he snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, a wave of light shrouded every student, all except one. Then, as quickly as the light came, it disappeared.
"Oh my god…!"
"It's a suit! A fucking suit made by Lord Alexander himself!"
Alex gave the students time to bathe in the glow of their new and fancy toys. And for each student, it was designed with colours matching their abilities.
"The suits you have now are different from conventional ones…" Alex said, slowly catching their attention. "Aside from very few beings around, they can't be broken. Also, they are linked to your energy signatures. That means, it can't be stolen or used by anyone else.
"There are other features and perks the suits come with, but I will leave that for you to find out…" Alex took one last glance at all the students. "...it's a pleasure seeing you all. I hope we will have a fruitful time together. Thank you."