Shattered Sanity

(The Imperial Academy, Drafting Grounds)

By the time Riven finally reached the Drafting Grounds, hundreds of students had already gathered within the open-air amphitheatre, with more continuously arriving from the four appraisal facilities scattered throughout the Academy.

’I still can’t believe the size of most buildings around here.

Back in Ashfang, a structure like this would most likely be considered a central attraction, and be used for every public celebration....’

Riven thought, as he studied the amphitheatre and the four booth like structures constructed on the central stage, that represented the four houses.

However, although the stage itself was impressive, what captured his attention first was the gigantic leaderboard suspended above it.

Hundreds of nameplates covered its surface.

Every student who had completed their appraisal was displayed alongside their official score, with the rankings constantly shifting whenever another result arrived from one of the testing chambers.

Naturally, Riven’s eyes immediately travelled towards the top.

Gary Ironveil — 4.00

Elena Voss — 4.00

Bastian Marroway — 4.00

Riven Dawnriver — 4.00

Diggory Dewey — 4.00

Chrono Vesper — 4.00

Gon Kilua — 4.00

’Seven perfect scores...’

He had known from the examiner’s reaction that his appraisal had gone exceptionally well, especially after watching the man nearly sweat through his robes while asking him to remove his hand before damaging the Array.

Yet actually seeing his name sitting at the very top of the incoming batch produced a strange sense of relief that Riven hadn’t realized he was waiting for.

’Good. Father won’t be disappointed.’

Some of the tension quietly disappeared from his shoulders. Whatever happened during the Draft, at least nobody could claim that the heir of House Dawnriver had embarrassed his family during the Imperial Appraisal.

With that concern settled, Riven finally turned his attention towards the four large pavilions constructed behind the stage, each bearing the crest of an Academy House.

Argent’s pavilion carried silver banners, Sable’s was decorated almost entirely in black, Viridian’s banners were deep green, and Aureate’s pavilion was decorated in gold with victory laurels plastered all across it to show that they were the previous year champions.

For now, however, every tent remained empty.

’I wonder how long before the draft begins?’

Riven thought as he eventually found himself a seat among the incoming students and patiently waited for the appraisal process to be completed.

Every few moments, the appraisal board changed as another name appeared, pushing some students higher and others farther down the rankings.

Occasionally, a particularly impressive result sent whispers through the crowd as everyone tried to determine which candidates would disappear during the earliest rounds.

Although nobody had officially explained the House Draft yet, nearly every noble child entering the Academy already understood that being selected early was a matter of pride.

Outside the Academy, family name, inherited title, and territory often determined someone’s position before they had even spoken, but within the Imperial Academy, another hierarchy existed alongside it.

Draft Round.

A First Round selection meant that, out of nearly four hundred of the Empire’s most promising students, one of the four Houses considered you among the most valuable candidates available, meaning that you were the best of the best.

While the farther the Draft progressed, the less remarkable the distinction became.

There were nobles who entered the Academy expecting their surnames to command immediate respect, only to spend the next two years being reminded that they’d been selected in the thirty-seventh round, while commoners who arrived with nothing could suddenly find themselves walking the Academy corridors as third round selections.

Blood still mattered, especially in noble politics, but within the Academy itself, Draft Round became one of the quickest measures of how much potential your peers believed you possessed.

Which was precisely why almost everyone seated in the grounds felt nervous about exactly when they would be picked.

’Regardless of where I end up, I need to dominate.’

Riven thought as he glanced around at the other candidates.

Unlike many of them, he wasn’t hoping the strongest students would end up in his House. It hardly mattered who stood beside him.

As in his head, his mission remained the same, which was to surpass them all and stand at the very top!

"ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS. THE APPRAISAL IS NOW COMPLETE. ALL FOUR HUNDRED ENTRANTS HAVE BEEN OFFICIALLY TESTED, AND THE DRAFT WILL NOW BEGIN."

A loud voice echoed throughout the amphitheatre through a hidden Aether Array as the doors positioned behind the central stage slowly opened.

Thrummmm

Eight House representatives emerged first, followed by groups of senior students already wearing the colours of their respective Houses.

At the front of the Argent delegation walked Cedric Valemont alongside House Secretary Gwen, both taking their positions behind the silver booth while the remaining Argent seniors entered the pavilion behind them.

House Sable followed, with Darius Ravencroft and Mira Veylan taking their positions at the black booth as their fellow seniors disappeared beneath the pavilion behind them.

Then came Viridian.

Alistair Thornwick and Celia Arden took their positions beneath the green banners, followed by the rest of their delegation.

Finally, the reigning champions entered.

Cassius Drevane walked onto the stage wearing Aureate’s golden colours, with Seraphine Corvell beside him as the remaining members of their delegation followed behind.

A considerably louder reaction greeted them. They were, after all, the students who had won the previous House Championship, and because of that victory, everyone knew which House would make the first selection.

Once the representatives had settled into their respective positions, Vice Principal Chadwick walked onto the stage and took his place behind the central podium.

"Well. All four hundred of your official appraisal results have now been finalized and transmitted to the four Houses, which means there is nothing left between you and your first introduction to Imperial Academy politics."

The enormous board changed.

HOUSE DRAFT

ROUND ONE

1 — HOUSE AUREATE

2 — HOUSE ARGENT

3 — HOUSE VIRIDIAN

4 — HOUSE SABLE

Several students immediately straightened.

"The rules are simple. Each House makes one selection per round. Because House Aureate won last year’s Championship, they receive the opening selection, followed by Argent, Viridian, and Sable."

The board changed again.

ROUND TWO

5 — HOUSE SABLE

6 — HOUSE VIRIDIAN

7 — HOUSE ARGENT

8 — HOUSE AUREATE

"Round Two reverses the order, with Sable selecting first and Aureate last. Round Three returns to the original order, and the pattern continues until the end of Round One Hundred."

One hundred rounds, four selections each.

By the end of the Draft, all four hundred students would have a House.

"However, there is one additional detail."

The board changed.

PROVISIONAL ALLOCATION PERIOD: 48 HOURS

Riven’s eyes narrowed.

"Every House allocation made today is temporary. Once the final selection of Round One Hundred is completed, the Imperial Academy’s forty-eight-hour Trade Period begins."

Whispers spread through the seating area.

"Temporary?"

"What does that mean?"

Chadwick raised a hand, waiting until the noise settled.

"During those forty-eight hours, Houses may exchange drafted students among themselves. That might mean one student for another, several students for one, students alongside Merit Seals or Academy resources, contractual concessions, or any other arrangement the House leaderships can negotiate within Academy regulations."

Hushed murmurs spread throughout the crowd.

If the initial allocations were only temporary, then a House didn’t necessarily need to draft someone it intended to keep. A valuable candidate could just as easily become leverage in a later trade.

"Can students refuse?" someone called from the seating area.

Chadwick turned towards the voice.

"No."

The answer drew an immediate wave of protests and startled conversation, forcing him to wait before continuing.

"You are being drafted into Houses responsible for teaching you governance, diplomacy, and resource management. Allowing the resource in question to simply refuse a trade would rather undermine the exercise."

That earned a much less enthusiastic response.

"For forty-eight hours, your allocation remains provisional. Once the Trade Period ends, however, your House assignment becomes permanent for the remainder of your Academy education."

Chadwick gestured towards the pavilions behind the four House booths.

"When your name is called, leave the candidate seating area and report directly to the pavilion belonging to the House that selected you. You may celebrate, complain, or spend the next forty-eight hours hoping someone trades you, but until that happens, the colours behind your new House Lord are your colours."

Several students exchanged uneasy looks.

Riven’s gaze moved across the four pavilions.

Aureate. Argent. Viridian. Sable.

Until now, the Houses had meant nothing to him, however, very soon, one of them would become his new home.

’If there are seven individuals with perfect scores, then there’s no guarantee I’m going in the First Round.’

Riven thought, as although he tried not to show it, the idea of being drafted in the Second Round bothered him more than he expected.

Chadwick glanced towards the golden booth.

"House Aureate. You have the first selection."

He declared before stepping away from the podium, as the conversations throughout the amphitheatre quickly died down.

At the golden booth, Cassius Drevane leaned towards Seraphine Corvell and exchanged a few quiet words with her.

Across the stage, the other House representatives watched them while hundreds of first years waited, until eventually Cassius stepped towards the Aether voice amplifier.

"With the first overall selection of this year’s Imperial Academy House Draft, House Aureate selects..."