Headmaster's Office
Varying Images of mankind's two genders shifted continously along the twiddling hands of a man clad in black.
After a while, he grew bored of what he was doing and decided to retire for now until a blonde haired girl popped out from his hands, catching his attention. He read the files attached to the name, his expressions morphing into one of delight and excitement.
" Akamine Aiko. Triple Avesta Wielder. Avesta and Martial Prodigy. Borne of the famed Akamine Household and their only child. Invented the [ True Martial Way], [ Launcher 3011] and many more. ", He mumbled to himself whilst taking a sip of coffee.
This was interesting. He hadn't seen or heard a case as rare as this for a couple of years. Just one of the reputation this girl had was enough to make her into a world wide celebrity, yet she was unknown until now?
' What the hell has this world come to? To think we couldn't even notice such a genius... ', He thought. The overly robed man smiled as the cold expression he'd been wearing for years slowly melted.
He wasn't unmasking his expressions in respect of the girl's reputation. No, It was because of how much the girl reminded of his younger past.
He remebered his origin. An ordinary boy borne of a servant for a mother and a fisherman for a father, he had sweat blood and tears to get to where he was now.
" Everyone was bred equally and fairly. "
That had been his motto.
The Headmaster of the World Academy of Japan's motto.
Even now, he'd still believe it. But seeing the prestige the girl held behind her, he wondered if it was time to change it.
The old Headmaster scanned his room and spot the little desk tag that clarified any doubts about his authority.
[Headmaster]
The desk tag laid proudly on the front of his classic, floating desk with traces of dust covering the glass linings. It proved the long years of expierence and power behind him.
Beep!
A small beep rang out in the room, signifying that someone was requesting an audience.
The headmaster's expressions grew cold again as he swiped his finger across the futuristic desk. The door turned and shifted open in response with a fiery, mature woman walking into the room.
" Headmaster. " She bowed in respect, awaiting the command to rise. It was the order of conduct one had to do in front of the man before her.
". . .You may rise, secretary. ", the headmaster leisurely waved one of his hand and commanded gruffly.
The secretary rose and bowed once more before adopting a proffesional gesture. The ginger woman parted her lips to speak of the report she had assembled.
" The students have been notified of their call. They should be arriving promptly. May I ask if you are ready, sir headmaster? "
". .Tell them I will arrive in Herme's speed. ", said the wise headmaster.
" Yes, sir headmaster. ", the buxom secretary replied quickly and walked out of the door to carry out her task.
Now left alone, the robed old man took one more sip from his coffee before rising up from his seat, his feet taking him to where his companion hovered proudly.
The Staff Of Dreams.
Acquired after killing Morpheus, the primordial god of dreams, it grew from a mere weapon to his only ally. As the headmaster suceeded in killing a god, he was, by the natural order, an [Anomaly], one of the very few godslayers in existance.
The staff was ephimeral, meaning you could see it and also, you couldn't see it. An oxymoron in itself, but that was how the illusionary staff worked.
See, the headmaster was a bit different from the classical godslayer. Where they attained powerful Avesta levels or intermediate god-level physical abilities and the like, he instead acquired a sentient staff that brought forth his imaginations into reality but of course, within a limit.
Thus gaining him the title, " The Usurper of Dreams ".
Shaking out of his nostalagia, the old godslayer took one last look at the blonde picture hanging on his index finger before laughing wryly at the ridiculous idea that sprouted in his head.
He had this nagging hunch which was telling him that the blonde girl was a fellow godslayer.
But it couldn't be. The girl was 14 years old, for Avesta's sake! He'd been well over 30 when he defeated Morpheus. And, it was through losing one of his most precious treasure! Futhermore, if killing an Entity had been that easy, there'd none of the wretched existence left!
Ignoring his paranoia, he grabbed his beloved staff and chanted a spell to go meet the future prospects of mankind.
[ Teleportation ]
A bright light encompassed the room as the headmaster blinked out of existance and onto his destination.
x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o
Meanwhile,
Akamine Aiko was mortified. She, a highking had been waiting hours, just for the headmaster to give the goddamned opening speech.
Due to her prodigious accomplishments, she was elected as the representative for the freshmen and therefore, she bears the responsibilty to give a speech.
Of course, she would do it. It could be considered practice for when she led her army. But, in her own version of a "speech".
" I swear, if that old man doesn't arrive in thr next second, I'll kil-", She was cut off by the gasps of shock that rang around the assembly and the brief flash of light on the stage.
An old man, robed in black clothes appeared on the middle of the stage accompanied by a illusionary staff that floated beside him.
" Greetings everyone, My name is Haruto Asahi, your headmaster. ", said the glorified old man , " I have come here to give you a wake up call. You believe yourselves to be geniuses. A prodigy to have been admitted into my Academy?! WRONG! All I see before me is wasted talent! All of you! But, that's what I and this Academy are here for. To bring you to the very peak of humanity!"
"In the end, It is your choice to make. Live in fear and pity or throw your lives to be hounourably known by fame and power!", he ended his speech and stared at the crowd for a while before teleporting away.
Almost instantly, furious roars and cheers of morale shook the assembly.
The truth was, they had been nervous about attending the Academy and battling Entities and what not. But, hearing the inspiring speech given by the headmaster, an influential figure even in the world, any traces of fear and doubts went out the window.
The cheers died down after a couple of minutes as the announcer called Aika out. " The Freshmen Representative, Akamine Aiko is requested to make an appearance. Please come forward to the stage. "
This was it.
Her first step to glory and fame.
The Gates of Akasha awaits her.
Aika tucked a stray hair behind her ear as she gracefully walked onto the stage. The crowd of people immediately shut their mouths close, stunned by the girl's beauty and young age.
This is the prodigy? The one who is rumored to later be the champion of Japan?
Similar thoughts ran through everyone's head as they stared at the young girl who looked younger than, well. . .all of them!
Aika ignored the portable microphone and enchanced her voice with Nature, more specifically, Wind Avesta.
" I'll cut to the chase. I'm not here to play house or make friends. I have but a simple declaration to make." the crowd peeled their ears further, " I will take the top and sit upon my throne as the HighKing of Gaia. Until then, I believe this Academy and all of you can be a good stepping stone for me~ "
The reaction was swift and angry. Everyone, both male and female yelled at the prodigy, cursing her for her arrogance and wishing to send her to the lowest pits of hell while the teachers tried their best to calm them down.
Of course, Aika couldn't give a rat's ass about it as she too, walked out of the Assembly and onto her next class.
Apparently it was Avesta class. She smirked.
Oh~ How she would toy with them.
She passed through the empty hallways and searched for the class. It wasn't hard, seeing as she literally had directions on her hand.
She stopped before two conjoined doors. The automatic doors opened by themselves as it sensed the heat signature saved by Aika's wristwatch. The classroom was, more or less, a fighting ground, or Avesta ground in this case.
A small arena for PvP, a wide space for battles, Avesta dummies and if you were injured, the sensors on the PE clothes would immediatly wrap you up in a sort of medical 'cocoon' and notify the infirmary.
After a couple of minutes, the room filled itself as the teacher and students came into the room. The students grimaced as they saw the self-proclaimed HighKing.
The teacher walked to the front of the crowd, " Okay, everyone listen up. My name is Tsukiyama Don and I'll be your Avesta instructor. Note that we, the hopes of humanity, have one job and one job only. And, right now I'd say around. . .half of you will probably die before even fufilling it."
Gasps of shock and anger rang out the room.
" But that's why I'm here. To help you young'uns survive. I'll teach you everything you need to know regarding Avesta. So! First of all, " He smirked, " Get into groups of 4 and I'll tell you what comes after. "
Shoes scurried around the Avesta Room as the students formed parties of 4. It seemed as though most of the students were well taught enough to respect their instructor.
But of course, one was left out.
Aika turned to look at the people around her. She wondered why not even a single person wanted to party with her.
Her question was easily answered when she saw the apprehensive looks of fear and anger. The young prodigy rolled her eyes but then turned to the instructor.
Tsukiyama didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or cry as he tried to make eyes contact with everyone who turned as soon as he looked.
Yeah right. You want US to party with an arrogant prodigy who looks like she'll kill if something goes wrong? No way!
" Hmph. " Aika let out a snort, her eyes scanning the crowd. Her lips quirked slightly when someone caught her eye.
Her eyes narrowed, the sun-kissed girl walked towards the person as everyone spread out almost as though they were renacting the scene of Moses splitting the Red Sea.
" You. You will be my servant. ", Aika firmly held onto a girl whose skin tone brightened up the area as her hair drew blood.
" You want me to serve you? Try again, Mrs Cocky. ", the girl shrugged Aika's hands off her shoulders. Both of them made eye contact, one pissed and the other, fierce.
" What did you just call me, peasant? "
" I called you what you are. Mrs Cocky."
" Onto the arena, now. " Aika's already cold face hardened. Both of them gracefully jumped onto the arena as onlookers gathered around them.
The Instructor finally snapped out of his stupor and was about to call the match off but was stopped by a dainty hand placed in front of him.
" M-Mrs Kokoa?! Wh-?!", Don was cut off by the little girl as she said, " Shut up and watch. This will be interesting. "
Don immediately shut his mouth as he held no authority to even talk against this seemingly grade schooler girl.
But the truth was far off. This l**i was the only daughter of the headmaster and president of the student council, Ryoji Kokoa. A 16 year old prodigy known for her mastery over Space/Time Avesta.
Don diverted his attention to the fight occuring in front of him and pleaded inwardly ' Please, at least don't destroy this arena of mine.'
Meanwhile, Aika and the crimson girl stared at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Growing impatient, a thought sprang into Aika's mind, ' This is ridiculous. Tsk. I'll end this fight in a flash.'
Tendril of fire grew from the ground as they slowly formed into wings that embraced Aika protectively and carried her above. The temperature rose drastically as even the ground seemed to be slowly melting.
Aika could't help but to throw a smirk. The audience's jaw dropped, gobsmacked.
Most of the time, people would run away when they see a girl who looked no more than 14 with two giant flaming wings that could evaporate a lake in an instant. But no, the fierce-looking girl called upon her own Avesta nature and paused, standing still.
Aika's smirk turned into a frown as she looked in confusion. Why was she not moving? Did the girl think she wouldn't attack her?
In response, a shadowy hand lurked out of Aika's shadow and tried to knock the girl unconsious. " Foolish actions. ", Aika, being herself, didn't even bother to turn around as she blazed the hand to crisps.
" Tsk. " The shadow retreated inside its 'space' and appeared next, above Aika's head. The plan failed again.
Whenever the hand appeared, Aika would blaze it but not before the shadow escaped. It was annoying the impulsive HighKing to no end.
You want to play with me?! Die then!
Aika's eyes blazed as she circulated her Avesta pool and intoned loudly.
[ De Solem Circulum ]
A ring of fire followed by a bright flash of light spread out from Aika's body as it decimated everything in its path. Thankfully, the audience was left intact, courtesy of the High grade barrier.
The arena was silent as the world lost its color for a moment. Franctically, Aika tried to recompose herself from the heavily mana draining Avesta attack she just used.
Obviously no enemy would waste the chance when their opponent was weakened. This was the crimson girl's thought as she intoned a spell.
[True Death]
The girl blurred into a black flash as she raced to the recovering prodigy and outstretched her left hand. The skill had the ability to cast any debuffs and even death once her hand touched her opponent. It was a finisher move.
But, it only worked if the opponent was in a weak state.
" Don't get cocky, servant. " A pissed voice sounded from her left as she immediately try to block the expected incoming attacks but failed to do so.
Bang!
An oustreched wood palm hit her chest causing the crimson assassin's body to fly meters away from her original location.
Dust puffed out of the place she had landed as Aika released her wings of fire and calmly breathed out. After regulating herself, she walked towards the girl and healed her.
The girl beffudled at why her attacker would beat her until the inches of her life and suddenly heal her like nothing serious just happened, looked up to lock eyes with the blonde girl.
" See here, servant. I chose you as my servant not because I frown at your skills but because, you were worthy.", Aika continued, " Be proud that you managed to last that long against me. Not many could. So what say you, servant? With or without? "
The crimson haired girl felt frustrated at her herself for not even landing a single attack before sighning exasperately.
" Fine, I'll be your servant or whatever. The name's Himeko by the way. Himeko Juubei. Nice to meet you, Mrs. . .", Himeko trailed off.
" Aiko. Akamine Aiko. The World's HighKing to be. " Aiko kept her introductions short as nothing good would come along with boasting too much.
But Juubei had other thoughts. ' HighKing to be? How arrogant. This is my master? Hah~ At least she's a strong one. '
" Kakaka, I knew it. You're very interesting, Mrs HighKing. ", A soft voice caught both their attention. Aika assesed the l**i girl in front of her.
Diligent, black hair. Black Kimono instead of the Academy's attire which hid the explosive body beneath. But of course, this was definently a violation of the school. Baby face, a pixie's nose and full red lips.
It seemed as though Aika just had the knack for attracting the most weird of the general population. And, looking back, it's getting out of control too.
" Who-", Aika was cut off, " My name is Ryoji Kokoa, president of the student council and a space/time Avesta wielder. Nice to meet you. "
The latter part of her introduction caught Aika's attention. Space/Time Avesta wielders were already very rare, globally. Yet, a young girl came in and announced herself as one? Heck! Even she couldn't comprehend it.
And, Aika thought she was boastful.
Sensing the fellow prodigy's distrust, Kokoa puffed before cutely yelling out, " You don't believe me, do you? Just watch me."
A wormhole appeared beside Kokoa the moment she concluded her statement. It enveloped Kokoa and, much to Aika and Juubei's shock, she reappeared behind them and poked their backs.
" See? Told you. ", Kokoa said, her eyebrows wiggling in satisfaction. Both of the girls were surprised. Especially Aika, as she had always casted a Gravity field around her in case enemies try to pull a sneak attack on her.
That was how she had won against the crimson assassin.
" Ehh~ That's a pretty useful ability to have isn't it, Miss Prodigy?", Juubei turned to look at her mistress who was still processing what just happened.
Aika evaluated the space-time wielder.' This ability will be great for sneak attacks and an instant exit. Perhaps she's already nearing the level of [Anomaly]. If that is true, she needs polishing. '
" I see that you require one more person which brings us to our next topic. I, Ryoji Kokoa, would like to accompany in your adventures and journey. ", Kokoa declared.
The headmaster's daughter had always loved interesting thing and this? This was something she could not let out of her grasp. Besides, she was a vacant piece.
" Hmph. Do as you want. ", Aika cooly stated and jumped out of the arena.
The new friends/servants looked at each other before giggling and also procceded to follow Aika.
The Entities would later weep in sorrow at this team of monsters and cry in regret for not disposing of it beforehand.
But, that would be a story for another time.