Every story has a crucible — a place where ambition is tested, alliances forged, and failures laid bare. In Vicious Circles, that crucible is Vikan Academy, a walled university that functions as its own city.
From the moment you pass its wrought-iron gates, you are sealed inside a world designed for one purpose: to shape the next generation of leaders, influencers, and manipulators. Behind its curated plazas and glass façades, the Academy hides a truth every student learns quickly — beauty here is never free, and nothing goes unseen.
This guide will walk you through Vikan as a whole: its systems of surveillance, the rhythms of the academic year, the districts and landmarks that define its space, the Six Halls that anchor instruction, the dining halls that sustain daily life, and the student clubs — especially the EVE Social Club — that shape its social order.
Vikan Academy at a Glance
- Established by: Aradox Corporation
- Type: Three-year university
- Annual Population: 2,700 students (900 per incoming year)
- School Colors: Black, gold, royal purple
- Motto: Ab initio. Ab intra. Ad finem. (From the Beginning. From Within. To the End)
Unlike a typical campus, Vikan Academy is self-contained. It occupies one-third of the Academic District, ringed by hedges, walls, and security gates that seal it off from the city outside. Within those borders, it operates like a miniature metropolis: plazas serve as town squares, dormitories rise like residential towers, and every district has a distinct identity.
Every building is cut from the same architectural cloth: sleek modern lines, glass façades that auto-tint with the light, and interiors infused with smart systems. The uniformity projects order. The surveillance embedded in every wall enforces it.
Security and Surveillance
At Vikan, surveillance is as natural as breathing. Most students adapt quickly, folding its presence into daily life. What unnerves outsiders feels ordinary to them — a reminder of how carefully the Academy reshapes its residents.
- ID Cards – Every student, staff member, and faculty member carries a biometric ID. It doubles as wallet, dorm key, classroom pass, intranet login, and health record. Location tracking is built in, though only security officials can access the logs. Most accept it as part of campus life — a convenience rather than a leash.
- Classroom Monitoring – Attendance, participation, and performance are tracked by integrated systems. Midterms and finals, administered in Vance Hall, are overseen by AI that monitors every keystroke.
- Health Oversight – ID-linked health logs track meals, exercise, and medical visits. Nutrition alerts and wellness reminders are delivered like routine notifications. Students see it as normal — another layer of optimization, nothing unusual.
- Security Drones & Patrols – Small, quiet drones glide along main pathways, while uniformed patrols circle plazas and dorm entrances. Students nickname the drones “ghost hawks,” a way of making light of what they can’t avoid.
- Intranet Oversight – The Vikan intranet hosts coursework, research, and communication tools. Every search, message, and draft is logged by the Academy’s governance AI. Jokes about “the leash” circulate, but they’re never voiced too loudly.
At Vikan Academy, surveillance is not hidden. It is seamless — comfort and control, fused into one.
Vikan Academy’s Academic Year
The academic calendar begins in Eshar and ends in Cry, divided into three tightly scripted terms. Each carries both ritual and pressure.
First Term
- Entrance Ceremony & Orientation introduces new students under the full gaze of the Academy. Even on the first day, reputations form.
- Aptitude Placement Test (APT) decides a student’s core courses. Results arrive the same evening — a single number that defines their year.
- Secondary Course Selection (SCS) locks in afternoon specialization. Choices here feel like wagers on the future.
- Student Organization Recruitment lasts four days. Behind the posters and pitches, competition for talent is fierce.
- First Term Closing Assembly distributes report cards and reorders the rankings. One shift in place can redefine alliances.
Second Term
- Student Exhibit & Festival invites outsiders inside for a single day. Families, alumni, and guests tour displays and events, but for students, it is a performance — strength and prestige on public display.
- Second Term Closing Assembly reorders the ranks. Tension builds.
Third Term
- School Excursion takes students off campus for an overnight trip. A reprieve, but rivalries follow even there.
- Third Term Closing Assembly finalizes ranks for the year. For many, it determines whether they rise, stall, or collapse.
- Graduation crowns third-years with ceremony and applause, though the weight of survival lingers long after the speeches.
Vacations are brief and conditional. Clubs may continue, but only under regulation. For most, the year feels like a cycle of public tests — every assembly another chance to rise or fall.
The Districts Inside Vikan Academy
Vikan Academy is divided into eight districts, each with a role, a reputation, and a subtle social weight. To walk through one is to learn not only its function, but the unspoken rules it carries.
- Duskmire Plaza (Northeast) – The student crossroads. Bright shops and cafés make it the most approachable district, but also the most performative. Reputation: social, lively, chaotic.
- Ashwood Plaza (East) – Anchored by Ashwood Towers and its dining commons, a showcase of privilege. Reputation: polished, competitive, exclusionary.
- Ravelle Plaza (Southeast) – Athletic heart of Vikan, dominated by Rath Recreation Center. Reputation: spirited, ambitious, aggressive.
- Linwood (South) – Warm after classes, commons glow in the evenings. Reputation: communal, welcoming, modest.
- Aeres (Southwest) – Neutral district of diplomacy and truce. Reputation: calculating, watchful, dangerous in restraint.
- Ebon Park (West) – Shaded greenery and unsettling quiet. Reputation: contemplative on the surface, unsettling underneath.
- Starling Plaza (Northwest) – Home to the library, where silence hums with tension. Reputation: studious, intense, ruthless.
- Valmont Plaza (Center) – Ceremonial heart where ranks are announced. Reputation: formal, public, symbolic.
Landmarks at Vikan Academy
Every Academy landmark is more than a building — it’s a stage where status is displayed, tested, or quietly decided.
- Vance Hall – Administrative and ceremonial core.
- The Auditorium – Where the student body gathers for ceremonies.
- Student Center – Crowded hub of meetings and recruitment.
- Ashwood Towers & Ruen Towers – Dormitories designed as status statements.
- Rath Recreation Center – Athletic noise and rivalry.
- Aeres Building – Neutral ground of truce and calculation.
- The Six Halls – Academic backbone, glass corridors under pressure.
- Starling Library – Archive where silence feels conspiratorial.
- Student Association Building – Official governance, unofficial whispers.
The Six Halls
Morning instruction belongs to the Core Classrooms, each sorted by year:
- Aster Hall – First-years.
- Widmore Hall – Second-years.
- Morden Hall – Third-years.
Each hall stratifies by floor: standard below, accelerated in the middle, advanced above. The climb is literal.
Afternoon instruction belongs to the Secondary Classrooms, tailored to funnel students into elite universities:
- Asha Science Hall – Focus on biogenetics and pharmaceutical science.
- Devane Engineering Hall – Digital information and network engineering.
- Seton Arts Hall – Business law and entertainment artistry.
Dining at Vikan Academy
Dining reflects status as much as taste. Each hall, café, and lounge signals identity, rank, and belonging.
- Ashwood Dining Commons (Ashwood Plaza) – Practical yet polished, lively and communal.
- Ruen Towers Dining Commons (Ebon Park) – Reserved for Gold-tier and above, refined and leisurely.
- Courtyard at Six (Valmont Plaza) – Three stories of dining stratified by rank.
- After the Six (Linwood District) – Weekend retreat, casual and restorative.
- Linwood Dining Commons (Linwood District) – Evening dining with a communal glow.
- Bistro 14 (Duskmire Plaza) – Sit-down bistro with indoor and outdoor seating.
- The Last Lantern (Starling Plaza) – Late-night café near the library, warm and focused.
- Steep Dreams (Ruen Towers) – Tea and mocktail bar glowing like starlight.
- The Axis (Rath Recreation Center) – Hydration bar with smoothies, bowls, and juices.
- The EVE (Aeres Building) – Tea and conversation club, a stage for presence.
Student Clubs and Organizations at Vikan Academy
Life at Vikan Academy extends beyond classrooms into a tightly monitored network of clubs and organizations. While membership is not mandatory, it is strongly recommended. Clubs give students a way to build connections, demonstrate skills, and strengthen their reputations — all under the Academy’s careful oversight.
Most clubs range from cultural and academic societies to athletics and performance groups. Meetings last one to three hours on weekdays, with all activities approved and tracked by the Student Association, the official governing body for organizations. Funding, event space, and recruitment are tightly regulated to prevent anything from straying beyond the Academy’s control.
The one exception is the EVE Social Club. Unlike every other organization, the EVE operates outside the Student Association, answering only to itself. Where other clubs provide hobbies, teamwork, or career preparation, the EVE functions as a stage for presence and influence. Its unique position makes it both coveted and feared — and sets the foundation for the EVE Society, which will be explored in the next guide.
The EVE Social Club
The EVE Social Club, known simply as the EVE, is the Academy’s most exclusive student-run venue. Officially, it organizes events and entertainment. In truth, it is where reputations are made and unmade.
- Operations: Open after classes for three hours, with patron fees covering food and entertainment.
- Reservations: Students may book EVE members as hosts, alone or in groups.
- Events: From seasonal festivals to private dinners, the EVE shapes the Academy’s social calendar.
Membership in the EVE Society begins here — but that’s another story, and the focus of the next guide.
Defining Vikan Academy
Vikan Academy is more than a school. It is a sealed city, a crucible of ambition, and a stage where beauty and surveillance coexist. To belong here is to live in constant motion — climbing ranks, cultivating image, and surviving the gaze of an institution designed to test every choice.
Would you rise through its districts, or be defined by them?
Dive Into the World
Vikan Academy is its own world, but it does not exist in isolation. Every choice made inside its walls ripples outward — into the districts of Azalea City, across the ports of Gadina, into the cultural heart of Lorea, the glowing waters of Sona, and the traditions of Kalia. Students may feel walled off, yet their stories remain bound to the greater nation that built the Academy in the first place.
If you’re ready to see where it all begins, step back beyond the gates. Our Newcomer’s Guide to Cerellea introduces the nation as a whole — from the bustling streets of Azalea City to the coastal lights of Sona. Taken together, these guides form two halves of the same world: one broad and sprawling, the other closed and relentless.
Cerellea sets the stage. Vikan sharpens the blade.
Read the full Cerellea guide here → Newcomer’s Guide to Cerellea
This is only the beginning. The EVE Society — the Academy’s most dangerous inner circle — is next.
Explore more about Vikan Academy on World Anvil.
Start Esias’s story in Circle of Secrets — free to read on Ream.