There was utter silence except for the rustling of the leaves caused by the slow and soothing breeze. In this calming atmosphere, every single student was looking at the man in white, without blinking.
The man broke the silence with a slight, pleasing smile of welcome. "Welcome to the Academy, O seekers of knowledge and power."
"Even his welcoming is profound," Shambhu thought.
"I am known as Guru Vidura. I will be your first teacher here who will teach you NEETI (the codes for living life) and history. But my purpose in being here at this moment is to introduce you to the Academy and tell you the basic rules of the Academy."
"'Hmm, a man of few words,' Raktaa chimed in." Shambhu was in agreement with her assessment.
"First, we need to get you all your identity tokens and get you admitted officially. Follow me." He turned and started walking with steady steps. The sounds of students' footsteps echoed behind him.
The newcomers now observed the nature around them. The Academy was on the border of a forest. One could say the Academy itself was the boundary of the forest. There were different kinds of trees everywhere. Banyan and Arjuna trees were planted beside the roads for shade. Green grass was everywhere except on the roads. Between these big trees, smaller flowering trees like Kachnaar and Rose were making the atmosphere more colourful. If one looked further from the roads, they could only see green. In this atmosphere, nobody was speaking. The sounds came either from their footsteps or the wind.
After a few minutes of walking, the trees changed to shorter, medicinal varieties. Neem, moringa, and the golden shower tree had taken the place of the bigger trees. Among these trees, different kinds of vines (Aparajita, Ghunghchi, jasmine) and creepers with vibrant red, blue and white coloured flowers were planted. The yellow flowers from the golden shower tree were numerous. The red jasmine and blue aparajita vines were woven in these trees, amplifying the scenery, making it look like a flower art museum. The scents of medicinal herbs and flowers added a new element to the newcomers' experience.
A few more minutes passed, and after taking a sharp right turn, three big buildings came into view. They were large and several storeys high. The central building faced north, and the other two faced each other (east and west), leaving a big, clear field unoccupied as their front yard. They were arranged in an inverse U-shape but were not connected at the corners. Very subtle sounds of metal hitting metal could be heard from both the south and east, probably from training grounds, after walking a little more.
Now Vidura spoke again. "These are the main buildings of our Academy—and now yours."
The central building was a building with a circular circumference, made from white marble which was shining in the sunlight. The buildings on the sides were rectangular rather than circular, and were much larger than the central building. The building on the west side was very sky blue in colour, while the building on the east side was brownish red in colour. Around these buildings were 10-metre-wide sidewalls of concrete in the same colour pattern as the buildings. These sidewalks were encompassing the buildings. An artificial fountain of clear water made up of white marble was present in front of the main gates of these buildings, and a big fountain made from the same white marble was in the center of the shared front yard of these buildings. Three pathways of almost 250 meters in length, following the colour pattern of the buildings, were connecting the central fountain to the other three fountains. A fourth pathway connected to the central fountain from the north side, on which Guru Vidura and the newcomers were walking. After reaching the Central Fountain, Guru Vidura turned to address the students.
"The Central building in the white colour is called Vyavashthapika. The management of the Academy is done from this building. It is also the building for storage of supplies and weaponry." He introduced the first building without any change in his expression.
"The buildings on my left and right are called Jnana Kendra and Raksha Kendra respectively. The blue building serves as a place where you will learn theoretical knowledge of different subjects such as history, war craft, weapon building and CHAKRA AWAKENING. The right building serves the purpose of indoor training in different fighting techniques and practical experience." He explained.
The students took in the information but they were not focused on him for now. They were in awe of the grandness of these buildings. All of them were decorated with intricate designs of different themes. The central building was designed with patterns of plants, flowers and nature. The left building had patterns carved of people practicing different arts such as music, dance, and even meditation. In contrast to this, the right building had patterns of people wielding different weapons performing different fighting arts.
"'You all can see and observe these buildings later,' Vidura said with a smile of satisfaction. 'We first need to finish our formalities.'"
He moved ahead to the Central Building leading the students, who were still looking at the buildings with turned heads. They were much more surprised when they entered the building. Just after the entrance was a hallway, after which was the central hall. This grand hall was also circular and could accommodate at least 500 people. The floor and the roof of the building each was painted with a big lotus whose petals touched the end walls of the hall. The pinkish red colour of the roof and floor and the white of the walls merged and complemented each other. 'It's more beautiful from the inside. It's just like a fair lady is complemented by a pink or red saree' Raktaa said. ' Yes , this colour pattern and design is really a work of art' Shambhu agreed. Some students were wide eyed, some were gasping on witnessing such beauty while some others had reactions like they had entered a dream space. Around this hall were 8 counters, one at the end of each petal of the painting. Behind these counters were accompanying rooms. Seeing that people had come, two people came to each counter to attend to their needs.
Then Guru Vidura informed the students, "These are the only 8 counters you need to visit for any kind of help, request, complaint, or for missions."
"'Currently, the counters on the left are the only ones you need to go to,' Vidura ordered them. 'Form a line based on your token number, and they will handle the rest. Remember to visit every one of them.'"
Then he ordered in a loud commanding voice, "These are the new students from today's test. Register them and give them the essentials."
The students and the workers both did as ordered. The first counter was for registration. One had to tell his name and give the number token to get registered. Shambhu registered and got a wide wrist band in black and red pattern and black identity card with his name written in golden colours. 'Hmm, so this thing is a communicator, tracker and ID in one' Shambhu thought. ' Don't forget the projector part' Raktaa added to his monologue. On the next counter they were given uniforms. Shambhu took the red shirt but asked for a black dhoti instead of black pants, which he was given. All this was now scanned by the wrist band he was given and added to his name. Other students have also taken the clothes they wanted but not much was an option. 'Kshatra Dharma Praveshika, good introductory book to protector's dharma. And this is ... a rule book and guide book of the academy.' Shambhu was thinking. He had just gotten these introductory books as the first academy books from the third counter. 'Everything is ok but where will we live?" Raktaa now had only one concern. Some other students were also talking about the canteen and food.
" Students, we are going to move to where you're thinking about next." Vidura read the room and addressed their concerns. They all came out of the building. A gush of wind welcomed them as a VIMAANA ( flying pod ) had just landed.