The enrollment letters have been sent out and the zodiacs are meeting in one place for the first time. Lionel and Emmanuel are the first to arrive and they meet the headteacher professor Garvis. The headteacher spoke with such conviction and precision it caused the boys to shake in their stance.
Garvis: Are you to two boys students?
Emmanuel: Oh... yeah we are
Lionel: We come far. Our letters say this is a school for the gifted
Garvis: You've come to the right place. Welcome to Astro Academy
Professor Garvis provides a tour for Leo and Saggitarius. When the tour ended, a new student arrived.
Garvis: Welcome. Are you one of our new students?
Demetrius: Why yes I am. I received an enrollment letter in the mail. My names Demetrius
Garvis: Well welcome, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Garvis Armstrong but you may call me professor Garvis. These gentlemen are also new students. Boys ill let you show Demetrius around the school while I finish some paperwork.
Emmanuel: Hey Demetrius, I'm Manny and he's Lionel.
Demetrius: Hey Lionel
(A tense stare causes Demetrius to glance around helplessly with sweat trickling down his face.)
Emmanuel: Don't about him, he's not much of a talker, unless if you're looking for a sparing partner
(Both Emmanuel and Demetrius burst out laughing. As the two are gasping for air, Lionel notices a strange tattoo on Demetrius' left biscep.)
Lionel: You're a zodiac aren't you?
(In a split second the question echoes throughout the room)
Demetrius: Yes I am. I have the sign of the bull; Taurus
Emmanuel: Than that means other zodiacs were requested and will rendezvous here. Do you think Erica may have gotten a letter?
Lionel: Probably... Only a matter of time she'll come here
Emmanuel: And probably for a rematch
(The three stroll through the hallways of the academy conversing, sharing stories that they heard about the zodiacs.)
Emmanuel: So Demetrius, how did you become a zodiac?
Demetrius: I was known as the freak in school, no one wanted to be my friend because of my abnormal height and weight. It was the god of forgery; Hephaestus who offered me help by granting me powers that would allow the rest of my body to match.
Emmanuel: Sounds like he's a good god
Demetrius: Well... He was
(Lionel paused his movement with a sudden look of desperation in his eyes)
Lionel: What happened? What did he do?
Demetrius: Well I fell in love with a girl at school who for the first time noticed me. She noticed my personality and not my exterior. She knew I was a burdened child but the two of us bonded; she was everything I ever dreamed of in a girl like a fantasy come to life.
Demetrius: But the gods had other plans
(Lionel's eyes grow faint as he clenches his fist)
Lionel: Let me guess, the gods did something to her
Demetrius: Yeah
Emmanuel: What happened to the girl?
Demetrius: Before I met her, I had a hobby of blacksmithing. Soon I began to forge weapons that even the gods would use in their battles.
Emmanuel: Sounds like you were making a name for yourself
Demetrius: Indeed I was... I was their weapon maker; I make weapons, the gods approve them, and make money off them. A cycle that the gods wanted to keep so they made the decision to remove Lily from the picture.
Demetrius: The gods possessed some random thug to steal one of my weapons and later on use it kill Lily. It was too late when I figured it out. From there, everything's a blur, all I remember was Hephestus being upset with me and then I received my enrollment letter in the mail.
Garvis: Well the three of you have definitely been through a lot.
(The three turn around to identify the familiar voice)
Lionel: Professor Garvis
Garvis: Sure you three have gone through different hardships but the path has led you here; a stepping stone to a new beginning
Garvis: But enough of that let's get you guys settled in
(Garvis walks the boys to their dorms where they'll be sleeping)
The boys unpack and settle into their dorm room. As they begin to fall asleep Emmanuel breaks the silence with a huge loud yawn.
Emmanuel: Hey guys you asleep?
Lionel: I was getting their (He says in an annoyed tone)
Demetrius: Something on your mind Emmanuel?
Emmanuel: I wonder who else got accepted here?
(Lionel stares into the ceiling with that same question in his head)
Demetrius: Good question. They have to be some interesting people. I'm sure we'll meet them eventually.
Demetrius: Well hey since you guys are awake is their anyone out there that you left behind? You know like do you miss anyone since you've got here.
Emmanuel: Nope
Emmanuel: I've been on my own for a while
Demetrius: What about you Lionel?
(For a brief moment, Lionel thinks of his old friend as a tear drops from his face)
Demetrius: Lionel?
Lionel: Huh? What? You were saying something?
Demetrius: I was asking do you miss anyone from your hometown?
Lionel:... No, I've been a loner for as long as I can remember
Emmanuel: Well that makes two of us. What about you Demetrius?
Demetrius: Well I did have this one friend. We enjoyed each others company.
Emmanuel: Well what happened to them?
Lionel: Is this friend also Lily?
(A brief silence)
Demetrius: Yeah
Emmanuel: Oh, my bad for asking
Demetrius: It's ok, sometimes it's better to let it out than to keep it in
(Taurus' kind words leave Lionel and Emmanuel empathetic)
Lionel: Well guys, let's get some sleep don't know what's in store for us tomorrow