As Sidis slowly opened the door of the automobile, a wave of warm air brushed against his face. Before him stretched a long, gleaming marble road, its surface catching the sunlight like glass. At the far end stood an enormous, inspiring structure—a grand building composed of stone clock towers, one proudly rising at each corner. The architecture blended the majesty of a castle.
Overhead, the sky was a deep blue, and several zeppelins drifted gracefully across the skyline, their shadows sliding silently over the rooftops of the nearby town. The air was crisp, almost invigorating, but carried with it the faint scent of coal smoke—a subtle reminder of the industrial world that surrounded this world and institution.
Sidis reached into the back seat and pulled out his modest suitcase, the leather edges scuffed from age and use. As he stepped out of the car, his polished shoes clicked against the pavement, the sound lost in the vastness of the open academy grounds.
From behind him, his father leaned forward through the driver's side window, his expression weary but filled with effort.
"I'd come with you to the enrollment ceremony," he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "but I still have too many patients waiting on me today."
He sighed, and in a brief moment of frustration, he gently let his forehead rest against the steering wheel. His knuckles tightened on the wheel before releasing.
"Anyway... I wish you luck, son. You'll be staying in their dormitories for a while, so try to settle in. Make it your own."
Sidis nodded quietly "I'll be just fine father" Sidis responded with a smile.
Gripping the handle of his suitcase, he turned to face the academy once more. The road ahead seemed endless, but for the first time in a long while he knew that this time he won't let him self be let down by this hellish academy disguised as a pristine angel.
"Well, in that case… see you next time I visit you!" his father said with a strained smile as the car's window slowly rolled up. A second later, the automobile drove off, its tires humming against the stone road, leaving behind a faint trail of dust.
Sidis stood still for a moment, watching the car disappear into the distance. Then, gripping the handle of his suitcase a little tighter, he began walking toward the academy gates—his footsteps echoing softly across the pristine marble path.
Each step was steady, but his heart beat with a strange rhythm. The grand front gates of Kronfeld Academy were already open. He passed through them in silence.
Inside, the academy was as immaculate as ever. The floors were polished to a mirror shine, and the scent of fresh parchment and faint citrus cleaner hung in the air. The maintenance crew must have cleaned the place just that morning—it was always like this.
Students moved through the corridors in a lively stream—some walking in small groups, others rushing up the stone staircases, their laughter bouncing between the walls. Boys in uniform, girls in sharp red and black jackets and skirts, many of them carrying stacks of books and their luggage. There was motion everywhere, but Sidis remained still just taking it in that he was 11 again.
He straightened his back and tried to keep his expression firm and composed. This time, he wasn't going to let himself appear weak. In his previous life, at this exact moment, he had been nothing but an anxious and clumsy child. He vividly remembered how, as he walked into the ceremony hall for the first time, the latch on his suitcase had popped open, spilling everything he owned across the floor—clothes, books, even his homemade notebooks. The humiliation had burned deep, and he'd nearly burst into tears trying to gather everything while the older students watched, some of them laughing openly.
He clenched his fist.
A soft clicking sound echoed. "You're gonna be closed properly this time."
With purposeful steps, Sidis entered one of the main corridors leading toward the grand ceremony hall. The building's layout hadn't changed—it was all the same as before. As he entered the hall, he saw most of the new students already gathered, standing in front of the elevated stage where the faculty would soon speak.
Sidis was the youngest in the entire hall—just 11 years old. Nearly every other student towered over him, ranging in ages from 15 to 18. No one younger had ever been admitted to Kronfeld Academy before. That fact alone made him a curiosity.
His admission wasn't some miracle, it was the result of relentless pressure from his parents. His mother had been the one who planned pretty much everything. But it was his father, a respected psychologist, who played the more practical role. Unlike his mother, his father at least showed kindness. Still, they both agreed on one thing, their son was meant to be a prodigy. Whether he wanted it or not.
From the moment he was born, Sidis's life had been an endless regimen of study, and more studying. By 18 months old, he could read newspapers. By the age of 2, he was fluent in both English and Latin. At 3, he added Greek to his arsenal and began correcting grammar errors in books far beyond his age. By 5, he could speak more than 20 languages with near native pronunciation. He even invented his own language—Vastanian—a fully structured language with its own syntax, phonetics, and lexicon. By 6, he was solving mathematical problems that most professors struggled with. By 7, he had already been submitted for entry into Kronfeld Academy.
But the institution had rejected him—not for lack of intellect, but for his lack of emotional maturity. He remembered that rejection but even after turning 11 in his previous life, he still was too immature for this Academy, this was the sole reason his entire life went down the drain.
As the last few students trickled into the grand ceremony hall, a loud, confident voice rang out from the elevated stage.
"Greetings, everyone! I'm Elisabeth—your current Student Council President. Welcome to Kronfeld Academy!"
A wave of murmurs passed through the crowd as all eyes turned toward the girl on stage.
"I'm thrilled to see so many new faces—so much potential, so much to work with!" she continued, smiling brightly. "I'm sure we've got plenty of future inventors, innovators, and pioneers among you—eager to prove yourselves. And that's exactly what this academy stands for, innovation, and making life better for everyone!"
She spoke with clarity and pride, her voice echoing throughout the hall with charismatic authority. Elisabeth Gremanoit, long, flowing blonde hair that shimmered under the lights, piercing cyan blue eyes that pierced the crowd with regal sharpness, and a posture that radiated confidence and control.
She came from power—an aristocratic family rooted in wealth and influence. Her father was a high ranking military engineer, famous for developing the world's first operational military aircraft. He wasn't just a celebrated inventor, he was a prominent political figure, someone whose name carried weight in every corner of the nation. And Elisabeth? She was determined to follow in his footsteps—no matter what it took.
She would do anything to rise. Absolutely anything.
Sidis knew that well.
In his previous life, Elisabeth had done whatever was necessary to get ahead—even going as far as stealing blueprints and ideas for inventions he had created. She wore a dazzling smile, but behind it was ruthless ambition and a hunger for control. Right now, she didn't know who he was—only that an unusually young student had been accepted into Kronfeld this year.
Back then, after this very ceremony, she had gone out of her way to get close to him—feigning interest, building fake friendships, even flirting with him as the years went by. All of it… just to get what she wanted.
From the back of the crowd, Sidis narrowed his eyes, his gaze locked on her as she soaked in the applause.
"I've got something special planned for you, Elisabeth…"