With Oracle Nandra

The rest of the ceremony seemed to pass quickly, at least to you. The talents of others didn't seem to intrigue you all that much, especially as it became apparent your interaction with those outside of your apparent skill set wouldn't meet with you very often, which further put you at ease, allowing you to look inward regarding your apparent powers of Divination. As much as you hated your life before, you never wanted to hurt anyone. You didn't feel sad that your village had been razed to the ground, but you doubted you'd be able to do what happened to them yourself. Still, you were curious as to what you'd be able to bring to the Eternal Empire. Your feelings of loyalty were barely existent, but Lady Morgana didn't spare your life for any reason but that.

Thankfully, you weren't so caught up in your thoughts that you'd miss the closing portion of the ceremony... well, all of it. There were some words about how, regardless of the talent your possessed or the power you had, all of you were expected to forge yourselves through the trials of the academy and become magic users devoted to the Tyrant King and his Eternal Empire.

What you did catch upon was her naming a number of the Academy's scholars, those that would guide you through your time here and bestow upon you the skills that will make you feared by the Alliance and its ilk. Given it was given in not quite as simplified words, glorifying the students, the Tyrant King, and the Eternal Empire as a whole more, while showing no fondness for the Alliance.

The only one that really ended up mattering to you was Oracle Nandra. From what you could tell of her, she was a short woman, perhaps just a bit taller than a dwarf would be, assuming that's not what she was. Unlike most of the darkly dressed instructors, she was enveloped in what looked to be ceremonial raiment the exuded warm colors. Light yellows and bright orange radiated from her attire, with a white veil falling over her eyes so that all that could be seen of her face was a smooth skinned, slightly angular chin and pink lips.

As the ceremony came to a close, the differing schools of magic split up, each setting out for their own to follow their respective instructors. Those that gathered by Nandra were fewer in number, with only Necromancy apparently smaller in number than your group. Thankfully, they seemed like a more civilized group, with mostly humanoid races and even those that weren't almost mild mannered. There were a few almost... rogueish beings there, but you didn't have much time to assess them as Nandra addressed you all.

"Greetings my disciples, I am blessed to have you gathered with me this day." the oracle greeted, her voice incredibly soft, yet oddly enough, her lips barely moved, leaving question as to whether she was really talking or not. "I know a few of you did not expect to be drawn into this way of life, and that it may not have been the one you were seeking, but do not let our tame magics discourage you. We may not be the ones that lead the soldiers into battle, but Diviners are the ones that will win the war. We see, while others are blind. We know, while others are clueless. We live, while others will die." Nandra elaborated, her words holding an encouraging tone, but it didn't take a wordsmith to understand the meaning behind it. For someone so... priestly in appearance and speech, she very clearly had no qualms about the war or what it meant. If anything, she knew others were going to die, but she wasn't, safe from a distance.

In all honesty, that's what you wanted. Glory of battle and reward from victory weren't your calling, at least you never thought it would be. You'd much rather be safe and sound, away from the bloodshed. Generally speaking, one of the few things you had enjoyed about your village had been that it was so far from anything of importance and so small, nobody had ever given it a second look, keeping you safe from the war that raged between the Alliance and the Eternal Empire. Of course, you quickly found that wasn't quite the truth.

"Now, we shall further delve into your respective futures in this mystic art, but for the day, let us retire. Come, follow me to your new home." Nandra added, not motioning a hand or anything as she began a steady pace out of the assembly hall and to their new abode. Oddly enough, while her pace wasn't necessarily fast or slow, the manner in which Nandra moved seemed to be perfectly fluid. Despite the cloth wrapped around her body, it was clear she was not rising and falling with her steps, but seemed to be almost... floating across the ground, totally unhindered.

The trip went in silence, Nandra offering no other words as they passed over the campus of the Academy, the sights mostly.... horrific in nature, to say the least. Like a landscape drawn out of hell itself to raise new devils, which you figured you all essentially were. But even the other students seemed to avoid speaking to one another, although that didn't mean there was no interaction whatsoever.

Cursory glances were cast from one student to another, as though they were trying to silently size up the competition, but also seeking for something... more. There wasn't really any malice in it, but you didn't quite know what to expect of students with such a non-violent path in life, yet were determined to use it for the sake of this empire.

Suddenly, a cold chill sunk into your bones, like ice had filled your very veins. The heat of the campus and its resident volcano made it very unlikely you just stepped into a cold spot. Looking around, you tried to discern what it was that was making you feel so cold. None of the other students seemed at all disturbed, making you all the more concerned.

Casting your gaze behind you, you caught sight of eyes as icy blue as the chill you felt, but they disappeared in the flood of students before you could make out anything further of who they belonged to. With them, the cold sensation left, but in its place left confusion and concern over who those icy orbs belonged to and why they were glaring at you so intently.

Your curiosity was left for another time however, as your attention quickly turned to what seemed to be a small patch of heaven in the hellscape. Hidden in the shadows of the larger buildings and monuments to destruction the campus provided. It was an ivory tower, which seemed to spiral upwards and stood taller than any building in your village, but was smaller than most here. No ordinary windows seemed to exist in it, only mosaics with vibrant colors depicting a large variety of scenes, some terrible like the rest of the school, but others sweet and angelic. Even the grass around it was a vibrant shade of green that made the rest of the Academy's plant life seem dull and lifeless in comparison.