Illustrations for the two new girls below:
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/493571895971807242/771369331112017970/Lux.PNG?width=472&height=677
Luxanna Ea Borealis
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/493571895971807242/773704093495328788/fantomose3.jpg?width=433&height=677
Alexi Malchka
"I can't believe we actually made it in. This place looks pretty sweet."
"I would hope that with what we have been through, they wouldn't require much for us to
advance our education, especially after they heard our stories."
"You are usually right, but I still can't believe it," I remarked.
"Usually?"
"Er-- always, that's what I meant, Fiona."
"That's what I thought. This is going to be a fun four years." She smiled and took in the
view of the entrance.
It had a massive arch with NAMU stapled in bold white characters on top. We had just driven all
the way from Massachusetts and my legs were still nearly asleep.
Man, Fiona had a lot more fire than usual. She must be really excited about us both
getting accepted.
I wanted someone to respond to my inner thoughts, but that was impossible. He was
gone and would not be coming back. It was for the best, but I still panged with sadness. With
the end of him came the end of my unique magic. I did have others to make up for it, but
none of them truly represented me. If only…
"Viri?"
I shook my head and turned her way, "Yes?"
"It's kind of heavy, can you help me with this?"
"Yea, my bad. Hand it over."
She was holding my stupid game console that I brought from home, one of the few
actual items to my name that I decided to bring on this new journey. I didn't know how much I
would use it now, but maybe I could invite some friends over to…
I almost laughed out loud.
You knew how hard it was to make even two other friends and they have both parted
with you. Don't act like a bigshot just because you have a girl.
It was wishful thinking, but I brought it nonetheless. Besides, Fiona and I were in the
same dorm, but the boys and girls had different floors. I was on the first floor while she was on
the third. We also both had roommates. Roommates…
When I first got the email about our dorms last week, I was overjoyed, but the more I
thought about, the more despair filled my chest.
Another person that ignores you. Someone that will just be nice to you because of our
proximity. It's hard for someone to be genuine when you're so low on the food chain yourself.
I had changed in the past few months, if only slightly. I had someone that cared about
me and I would do anything to protect her. I talked to the other two, but long distance
relationships are a pain. I was so nervous to be around another person that I didn't know. Even
one just seemed like too much.
"Viri?"
I looked back, "Oh, sorry, I was just a little nervous about our first day."
She nodded, but sported a frown. Her cute face should never have displayed such an
emotion; I had made a mistake.
"I have never had a roommate before, so I don't know what they will think of me.."
We walked across the cement paved path towards our new home while I told her how I
truly felt.
She smiled as we passed some dandelions that had been planted in the courtyard in
front of the street. It was our large old fashioned dormitory. It was almost completely made out
of bricks. The whole place looked like it was designed 200 years ago. The only thing that
brought it into the modern age was the I.D. swiper that opened the door.
"This place really doesn't belong on a modern college campus. Wait, how are we
supposed to get in, we don't even have our I.Ds yet."
I frowned, turning back to Fiona when a new voice spoke up.
"That's where I come in, you two are first years and are in Wick Hall, correct?"
We both nodded in unison.
"Well then, it's my job as the RA to get you two set up. I'm Abigail Underwold, second
year and majoring in magical detective research."
She gave us a salute with tongue sticking out which made me crack a grin. She wore a
green tank top and jeans and had short black hair that was done into pigtails. Her eyes were
bright orange and full of excitement. Her chocolate skin brimmed with vitality as she moved. She was taller than Fiona but slightly shorter than me. Her chest was modest, but still something guys would look a---I'm gettin off track.
Her smile beckoned me forward to introduce myself, but I stopped for a moment.
What if she thinks I'm weird or a loser, I don't want a second year to tell others about
what she saw in me. While I was in emotional turmoil, Fiona beat me to the punch.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, I am Fiona Bellis and a first year graduate from Heartford
Academy. I plan to major in Botany. This over here," she pointed to me. "It's my boyfriend, Viri
Inumbro."
"I.. uh.. Am also from Heartford and don't know what I want to major in yet, but I like
magic a lot… uh that's all."
I couldn't rely on Fiona for everything, that's not what a guy should do. I needed to hone
my social skills anyway.
"What's the magic you specialize in, Abigail?"
She smiled, glad that I had taken the initiative, "Please call me Abbie and It's not
something I can show you right now, but it relates to necromancy. I know I know, scary stuff, but
it is also important to learn from the deceased to build a case against the accused. "
She seemed incredibly calm when discussing such an icky subject. Necromancy huh? I
have seen it in movies and stuff, but that usually just created mindless corpses also known as
zombies. Was she implying that these undead could actually still have their intellect? I wanted to
ask, but Fiona beat me to the punch once again.
"We don't have much time before class starts, how can we get inside and unpack?"
Abbie smacked herself on the head, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I forgot. Here."
She handed us both a blank I.D. card. Shouldn't it have had something on it?
"I know what you are thinking. To register yourself to that card, you must put some of
the mana of your magic into it, that's all."
We both nodded and started the procedure. I realized that I would raise some questions
if I had more than one magic on the card. Better to play it safe.
We showed her the cards when we finished and she cracked another smile," Hmm, so
plant and ice magic.. Those aren't too common, but they also aren't too rare. Just slide them into
the door and you should be all set."
"Uh… Thank you."
"Thank you so much, Abbie."
She waved away our praise, "Just doing my job, just head on inside and check out your
rooms. You too are rather early so I don't think there should be many others still in there."
This was intentional. I had begged Fiona to get us in there early so I wouldn't have to
chat with many people while moving in. She was the one with the license, so I knew it came
down to her decision. But she caved and this was the result. I looked at my card and then
Fionas.
Name:Viri Inumbro
Age: 18
Year: Freshmen
Magic: Ice creation X.X.X.
Major: Undeclared
Dorm: Wick
Name:Fiona Bellis
Age:18
Year: Freshmen
Magic: Plant Growth
Major: Botany
Dorm:Wick
I wonder why there were some X's after my magic. Could it detect it?
I shoved my new I.D into my pocket and waved goodbye to Abbie. I slid it down the black square on the right side of the door and pushed it open. I was finally inside my first college
Dorm.
2
"This place looks great. They even have a large common room," Fiona exclaimed.
I nodded. On the right side as we entered was a spacious room decked out with two
couches, a reclining chair and a T.V. There was even a bathroom and mini fridge in the back.
"My room is at the end of this hall on the left, it seems. Do you want me to help you
move in first?"
It's alright, you brought a lot less than me, so I think it's alright if we get all your stuff in
first. Let's go check it out."
The room wasn't too big nor small. It had two beds, one on each side of the room and
two closets in the back. I was glad to have gotten here early because the place was still
undisturbed by human life---the way I liked it.
"Abbie was right about no one being here, well let's get to moving. Our new life begins
Here."
As I said that, I felt some unknown presence focused on us. There were other people on
the floor already for sure, but it was just so foreign and distant. I walked out of the room, but
there was no one around. I still couldn't shake the gaze off of me.
3
Fiona had so much stuff that we were only a few minutes early to class. When we got in,
there were already at least twenty other students in the classroom. The middle row was already full of students while only a few sat in the back and two sat on opposite sides of the front. As we
walked in, one head turned its way to face me. It was a girl with long blond hair formed into twin
tails with red ribbons on each side. It was the second gaze on me today. Was I really a person
of interest? I pulled Fiona along to the less crowded back of the room and avoided the new girl's
invective stare. I found two seats in the third row from the back. One other kid sat in the row, but
he was chatting to two kids behind him. Before we could take out seats ever, Fiona was pulled
back from behind. I turned around to see what yanked her from my loosely gripped hand and
was appalled.
𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.
The twin-tail girl had grabbed Fiona by her other hand and pulled her away. The backpack almost smacked into my face. She was still giving me the thousand yard stare when she pulled Fiona to the right front of the class where she was sitting. Fiona looked reluctant at first, but the twin-tail captivated her in a conversation that she didn't want to ignore. I was left standing there with my mouth open as this all went down. No one really seemed to notice me though and at last their conversation seemed to be finishing up. She left Fiona at her desk and confidently walked over to me. Her gaze was stronger than before, sucking me into it.
"You. Come with me to the door. We need to talk."
She had a cute face but her glare could cut through glass. I reluctantly obeyed and
followed her to the entrance of class. That was when Fiona followed. The three of us
bumbled out the door and into the hallway right beside it. Her waist long hair smacked me in the
face as we looked right at each other, Fiona at my side. I wanted to give her a piece of my mind.
"What's the big idea? Do you have something against me and Fiona?"
She looks right up at me, her dazzling pink eyes full of malice, "That's my line! How can
someone who's made a pact with a demon to be with such an innocent girl. I know your kind is
evil, I can feel it in my blood!"
"Hey hey. Keep your voice down, I'll explain, but I don't want this to spread."
I was surprised how calm and natural I was to someone I just met, let alone, a girl. She
seemed to know about my pact with shadow. I wasn't sure how though.
She furrowed her brow, but spoke in a lower tone, "My family has hunted the gorgos for
generations and the ones they made a pact with. There's no point in lying either, I can see you made a pact because of my Celestial Factor. Plus, I would never trust a man without a shadow."
She pointed at her eyes when she said that. Welp, there it goes. She was the first person to recognize it as well. After what happened a few months back at the end of school, I ended up without a shadow. It wasn't noticeable to most people, but she had keen eyes. I had to find a way from her spreading this around. She also mentioned the "Celestial Factor��. It was a term I'm pretty sure I heard before though I was in no position to ask her about it and to be honest, she kind of scared me.
"Listen. It's true that I made a pact with a gorgos, but I didn't have a choice in the matter.
It's gone now anyway, my shadow was part of the collateral."
She nodded as if she understood, but still had her misgivings, "I can tell that it is gone,
but that doesn't mean I trust you." She pointed at Fiona, her fierce face morphing into one that
was much more mellow, "You should stay away from him. There's no telling when another one
will come to take the last demon's place. Once you make a pact, it lingers for the rest of your
life."
Fiona nodded, but gave her own two sense, "I have known Viri for years and I know he
would do anything to harm me or anyone around him. We are dating after a-"
A new voice butted in, "Pardon me, you three, but may I step through, I have a class to teach."
He was pretty tall and looked around forty. He wore a grey suit with long slacks and glasses that were hard to see behind. He had salt and pepper hair that went back to his shoulders and a gleam of mystery in his eyes as he leaned on his cane with one hand.
"Oh, it's our fault Professor Archon, we were just finishing out. Please go on through."
It was like this annoying girl had shifted into a completely different person. We all parted
the way to let him in.
"Well, I'll see you three inside."
He casually limped on through and the angry blond followed suit, but before she went in,
she once again grabbed Fiona's hand.
"I still don't trust him and I'll make sure that this girl doesn't fall into your clutches. We are sitting up front, don't bother coming near us, hmph."
She puffed out her alluring chest at the end of it, but I was too angered to focus. She did
have a cute face though and a great outfit. She wore blue short-shorts and a pink t-shirt with a necklace that looked like a star hanging from around her neck. What was strange about it was that she had a metal hilt tied a belt around her waist. It was like
the bottom half of a sword. I was going to say something, but the two of them disappeared
inside, leaving me out alone.
"This is going to be a long semester…"
I hurried inside.
4
"We will commence class in five minutes, be prepared to introduce yourself."
Professor Archon was writing his name on the white board before unpacking a briefcase
that had already been in the room. This was everyone's chance to continue to chatter. Not long
after Archon's statement, a new girl walked in with two more right behind her. No one really paid
her mind, they were all too wrapped in their own conversations.
I was Fionaless and in the dumps because of it, so I had nothing to do but glance at people for entertainment. It seemed this girl would satisfy my need. She walked to the left end of the classroom's front desks where no one sat yet except for one lonely girl. Out of the ten seats of the widely spread four rows and bisected down the middle of class to have five on each side, the lone girl sat at the second closest seat to the left side window-- the opposite side of where the teachers podium was. Each row had two long tables that split in the middle as well.
The new girl sneered down at her with dissatisfaction. She seemed visibly pissed from the lone girl who was just reading something. Her two friends minced her annoyed attitude and visage.
"Wouldja mind moving outta my seat. I will only say this once."
Her two black haired lackeys nodded triumphantly behind her. She had long dark blue
hair that was bundled in a ponytail that swept all the way down to waist length. Her skin was full
of complexion, she clearly took well care of it. Her dark red eyes pierced directly into the lonely
girl. She was wearing a black mini skirt and a blue cut blouse with white polka dots which really
excelled in showing off her sexiness and fine physique, especially because of her long legs and slender waist. She also wore a black baseball cap covering her forehead which seemed kinda off for a pretty girl like her, but whatever. Her chest area was pretty massive,though not as big as the girl she was talking down to her. The girl also wore thigh high socks and red shoes that only slightly elevated her height. She seemed to be from one of the eastern countries or at least a descendent.
While I was analyzing her, the meek girl finally responded, "Uh… um.. Im sorry."
Her voice was weak and hoarse, I was surprised I could even hear it from the third row. She fumbled with her book to put it away, but the antagonizer held out her hand, "Let me help you with that."
A magic circle that was the same color as her hair appeared around her palm. In a flash
the other girl disappeared and reappeared where the blue haired girl had just stood. Her two
lackeys were also gone. They all reappeared in the three seats closest to the left side of the
room, the blue hair girl in the center.
My eyes opened wide. Some sort of teleportation magic. She's someone I'm going to have to keep an eye on. The craziest thing about her, however, was the fangs she had. When she smiled just now, I spotted four in total, on the left and right most sides of her teeth. That was not something a typical human had…
I could also now see the other girl clearly. She had light pink long hair that went to her back. Shorter and thicker strands went down from her ears and rested on her shoulders with a black bow that connected her braids to the back of her head. .Her hair parted in the middle of her forehead which made it easier to focus on her alluring purple eyes. Over them were semi-circle shaped glasses that were even covering her eyes completely. She wore a dark sweater that clearly left an imprint of voluptuous breasts on them. She was also sporting thigh high socks attached to her slender legs and a normal sized black with white striped skirt that coiled around her slender waist. She had sweat drenched all over her cute face. If she didn't look so nerdy, I think she would be pretty beautiful, if not the best looking girl in our class.
𝘍𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.
She fidgeted quality in her new predicament. Her backpack had opened up and many of her books and whatnot were strewn across the floor. The blue haired girl was sneering and relaxed in her newly acquired seat. The pink haired girl was scrabbling to pick up her items
when two others approached her.
"Let us help you with those."
"She's a bitch, don't let her get to you."
Fiona and the paladin helped her get her stuff together and put it back in her backpack.
The paladin shot a disapproving glare towards the blue hair. She glared daggers right back at
her. I could sense the sparks that were about to go flying. Fiona tapped her back before that
could happen. The paladin reluctantly strutted back to her side.
"Why don't you come sit with us," Fiona held out her hand. "I'm sure we could be great friends."
The pink hair girl nodded and took her hand. Fiona led her back over to the right side of
the room. The three of them sat together like three peas in a pod. While this was all going down,
the professor was still sorting out his papers and putting them on his desk next to the podium.
Model teacher.
Finally it seemed all the dust had settled and with it walked the last student of the class. He was slightly shorter than me with a brown buzzcut. He wore black ripped jeans and a tank top that showed off his muscles (though there didn't seem to be much there). The strangest part about him was the red tinted sunglasses with a black frame. I had never seen someone wear sunglasses inside. It was bad manners. He sat down on the right most desk at the left end of the room. It was located in the very back. Only one other student was in that row and he was on the opposite side.
"I heard you were talking about demons earlier with that girl. You know any?"
I was surprised by the new face that had appeared from my right. He had moved over to
the seat where Fiona would have sat to speak with me. I was at the end of our row on the right
side and looked for a way out. A short haired kid on the other side gave me a wave. There was
nowhere for me to go. I itched the back of my neck and turned his way. He had spiky black hair
with white highlights mixed in. He had a smile that was sure to captivate girls and guys alike,
similar to a friend of mine. He had eyes like the gold in a treasure chest. He wore a white t-shirt
and black jeans. His shoes also looked pretty expensive.
"Uh no.. I don't," I turned away to focus on something else, but he wasn't going to let me
get away that easily.
"My name is Dyrus Albior. My magic is pretty weak and I love making friends."
He looked at me as if for me to complete the transaction. I sighed, The names, Inumbro,
Viri Inumbro. I don't have anything fancy either." I tried to sound cool and summoned a block of
ice in my hand. "This is about as cool as it gets. Though, I can make them sharp if I put some
effort into it."
There was a time when I could make massive walls of frost and even igloos, but my
mana was not where it once was and I still did not practice with it very much. I had my hands full
with other issues.
"Not bad, i'm sure there are some pretty cool ways you could use that magic. Anyway, I think class is about to start, but I would love to talk to you more."
His vortex of talking was so strong, I couldn't resist him. I nodded.
The professor now faced us. Most of the thirty-some students sat up straight when he
did. Others like blue hair and sunglasses laid back in their seat even further. He wrote
something right under his name on the board: Introductions.
"I want each of you to stand up, say your name, magic and what high school you came
from."
Most of the class nodded, but there were a few that disagreed. Just the thought of speaking in front of others filled the air with tension, I could even smell sweat.
The girl on the left of blue hair stood up and showed her magic. It was just some simple
healing magic. I had already forgotten her name by the time the blue-haired girl took the stage.
That wasn't like me. I guess I really have changed in the past few months.
Her aura was strong and fearless. She took command of the room with ease, "Hello. Im
Mai Furijima. I'm sure most of you won't make it to graduation, but i'll give you a little treat."
She quickly made the white board maker that had been in the professor's hand appear
on her own.
"This is only a fragment of my magic. I didn't want to do anything too flashy because I
didn't want to get any sweat on my outfit. I look forward to working with those of you that will be
worthy of me. I'm from Private Freedom High."
A few murmurs went around the classroom. I turned over to Dyrus, "what's the big deal
with her?"
The kid sitting next to Dyrus whispered to us, "She was known as the Empress back in
high high school. I heard she might be a candidate for the Mago 7 next year as well. She has
quite the reputation."
"The mago wat?" I asked.
"The Mago 7. The top seven mages in the school. Some of them have already gotten
offers from different Mage precincts and university jobs," Dyrus whispered.
"I kinda get it, but I also don't. Well anyway, she seems important but also pretty mean."
They both nodded in unison. The next few students went that filled the front row, none of
them interesting to me in the slightest. The next girl that was about to go had been on my mind
since she shoved her annoying face into my business.
"I'm Luxanna Ea Borealis of the Paladins Guild. I attended high school back at the guild
to hone my magic." She tapped her waste. I spotted the hilt I glanced at earlier when she pulled
it out.
"I can make them without the hilt, but this is my preferred way of using my magic. It's
called prismatic light creation."
She displayed this by manifesting a sun-like ray from the hilt. It sprung up to be s feet in
the air with an edge that looked like it could slice through anything like butter.
"That isn't all," She said triumphantly, puffing out her chest. The blade up light changed
form, first to a morning star, then to a whip and lastly a double sided battle axe.
"It sure has a lot of versatility," Dyrus remarked. "Quite impressive."
So she specializes in light magic? If I still had my shadow, she would be a strong
contender for taking him down. Her job also sounded familiar…
The next student stood up, but she was shaking pretty violently. Was she just nervous or
having a seizure?
"My name i-is A-Alexi… Alexi Malchka. I can't really control my magic which is
pretty pathetic, but it has to do with body augmentation… I think…"
"That is fine you can sit down, Miss Alexi." She didn't even say her school, but I don't think anyone wanted to force it out of her. She loudly sat back down and continued to read her
book. I wasn't exactly sure what "body augmentation magic" actually was but it could have been
like him. I thought back to the herculean brute that was Caces Giggas. He looked nothing like
that in his normal form. Could she also have some hulking-inspired ability? Also I don't know
how anyone would be able to pronounce that name. It sounded Russian.
"Maybe she used her magic to get that impressive rack."
I looked over to see who said it. It was the kid that gave me the thumbs up earlier and
was leaning over to our side of the room. I was about to say something, but Dyrus beat me to it.
"You shouldn't say those kinds of things. She's clearly just nervous and just
uncomfortable with others seeing her magic. Introverts are just like that."
The other boy frowned, "My bad. Was just on my mind you know, didn't mean any ill
W---"
"Please wait your turn," the professor said in a soft but stern voice.
"Sorry!" the boy returned to fully sitting on his side.
Fiona had already stood up and was preparing to speak. She was so adorable. She
wore a green wool sweater and black pants. She still had the green flower in her at the top of
her hair, her golden locks falling behind her ears and shoulders.
"Hello, I'm Fiona Bellis. I specialize in Plant creation and growth magic. It's a pleasure to
make your acquaintance. I plan to become a botanist that can create new types of plants that
will benefit human and mage society. I came from Hartford Academy."
"!!!"
A gasp from many of the students filled the room with unease. Before anyone could
actually say anything, The professor chimed in, "Hartford huh? I don't agree with the way they
choose Mages to graduate, but I am impressed. Thank you for sharing, next please."
Fiona politely sat down. I heard whispering everywhere in the room. I hoped no one
could hear my large gulp. I guess it was a pretty big deal since we were the survivors of a death game.
The second row of students began, but once again they did not peak my interest. They
had pretty basic elemental magic like fire and water and whatnot. Nothing really rare or
interesting I guess. We finally got to my row which had a few students before me. The one I was
watching for was the guy that paid the comment about Alexi's body. He stood up, he was about
average height and on the skinner sight. He had a white shirt with palms and blue khakis.
He had blond spiky hair that went down from his forehead, but they were tied black
halfway through. It reminded me of a penguin.
"How's it! The name's Johnny Keratos. I'll be showing a bit of my magic now." He
casually walked over to me and touched my shoulder. "Vanish."
Huh? I looked down at myself, but my body looked the exact same. I looked over at Dyrus to see if he noticed anything, but he wasn't even looking at me even though I was right next to him.
"What the hell?"
"Woah! Viri! You're still there," He turned his head left and right to pinpoint my voice.
"Yea I haven't moved. Is something wrong?"
He nodded, "we can't see you anymore. You just vanished the moment he touched you."
"Can you feel this then?" I poked his chest.
"Gah! Hey!"
Johnny snapped his fingers making every pair of eyes in the room look my way. It was
pretty uncomfortable. I wanted to go invisible again.
"As you can see, I can make anything I touch invisible even myself or inanimate objects.
Of course you can still see your own body, but no one else will be able to be. You become the
ultimate ninja where not even your foot steps can be heard. It drains a man every second for me
so I can't do it forever, but there you have it. The more people that I have stealthed, the quicker
the mana drain is. Pretty cool right? I'm from Presino Academy by the way."
He sat down with a satisfied smile, crossed his arms and immediately dozed off.
Invisibility. With it you could spy on anyone at any time. He really was the perfect ninja. Of course no one would want to spy on me but…. I looked up to the girls at the front of the room.
I wonder how they feel about it.
"Next please," The professor was looking right at me. It seems I was lost in thought for a little bit too long. I was already standing up, so I just tried to speak with confidence.
It should be easy right? However, even though I could speak well to those I was acquainted with, even if only a little while, I was absolutely terrible when it came to public speaking. I always had been. Either way, I needed to get through this. However, I wouldn't be opposed to an alien invasion on the school to prevent me from having to go. That would be fine too. I decided to finally speak.
"MynameisviriInumbro,itsnicetomeetoyouall! Ahem…. I'm Viri Inumbro. I can use ice magic like this," I created a few icicles above my head. "I'm not sure why everyone was gasping earlier, but I am also from Heartford Academy, so yea…"
The resurgent of gasps filled my ears as I sat down. Right as I did, Dyrus spoke to me again, "Wow… I'm sorry… I didn't know. You must have gone through some awful stuff right? I heard rumors of how people graduate there and why their rate is so low. I'm sorry."
I shook my head, "It's fine really. I'm trying to forget it myself and move forward."
He nodded, his face still full of remorse.
"Well, if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here for you."
Dyrus stood up now. It was time to see his magic. The remorseful look he had on before was replaced with a gentle smile that was as warm as the sun.
"I'm Dyrus Albior. You probably haven't heard of my family because of what happened to our bloodline, but I look forward to making friends with everyone here. I have a special type of body-born magic; I will need someone else to use theirs on me to show it off."
He turned to me and I stood up without hesitation. I created three blocks of ice that were harms less and hurtled them at him. He smirked. A white and silver armored gauntlet covered his left hand with a small canister on top. The second it formed, a white spray shot out from it, covering my cubes. When the spray disappeared, my cubes had vanished.
"Hey Viri, can you give me something bigger."
I made an ice cube twice the size of his arm and tossed it his way again. The spray shot up again and even though it only hit a portion of the ice cube, it all dissipated at the same time.
Dyrus pumped his metal fist in front of his body, "As you can see, my anti-magic armor is able to disperse spells. They can also deflect them if they come in contact with the armor. It sounds super cool, but it's pretty specific and hard to train with myself which is why I have only been able to make an arm. It has to do with my descendants, but I hope it can be of use to the college. This is also my first time going to school, since my parents always tutored me at our family home."
With that performance, he sat down. There were many murmurs throughout the classroom. This time it was my turn to whisper to him.
"Anti-magic. That is so cool and will always be useful in mage on mage combat. Your family must be pretty impressive."
He nodded lightly, "Well it used to be a lot more impressive, but I guess to outsiders it must be pretty cool and uncommon."
Archon spoke up, "I have high hopes for you as a Mage. There are very few people who are able to neutralize or cancel out magic. Now who is next."
The guy next Dyrus, the last of our row, stood up. He had bright green hair and a large cowlick. He had tan skin and dark blue eyes. He wore a green button down and black khakis.
"Hey all. My name is Jimmy Buscher. I specialize in wind magic. I can make blades of wind and even float for a little while. I can make tornadoes as well, but that takes most of my mana area and is pretty hard to control. I can make a mini version though." He twirled his pointer finger around and just as quickly as he did, a miniature tornado curled around it. "I am also from Private Freedom High."
He then sat down. There were only two people in the last row and they were each on opposite corners. The one on the left side spoke first. He didn't get out of his chair though. He sat down exactly where he was and started to talk. He had neck length red hair and deep sea blue eyes. He wore a black blazer and dress shorts which was pretty strange for a college classroom. We all really had to stand up to actually see him clearly. He had already taken command of the room.
"Greetings, plebeians. Allow Darius Austere to grace you with his presence. As for my magic. I'll let those two idiots put on a show for it."
He pointed at Johnny the invis guy and Jimmy the wind mage. They didn't seem to be the kind to lose their temper easily, but they both seemed pretty flustered when they said that it got out of their seats.
"Hey man, that was uncalled for."
"Why did you only insult the two of us? You jealous or something?"
Darius brought his hand through his hair and snarked, "No of course not. I just know that you two losers are my friends and friends can treat each other in that sort of manner. Don't you agree?"
Their emotions changed from anger to that of happiness. It was really a strange scene.
"Yeah that's right, we are friends."
"Only makes sense that we get to fool around with each other like that."
Darius relaxed back in his chair and said nothing more. The two that had confronted him went quietly back to their seats.
"I see. The professor scratched his goatee. Command magic and a very strong version of it at that. If there is any chance that the targets will do something, command magic can make it a reality."
We all nodded. That was a pretty strong type of magic and the fact that he was body-born with it made it even more of a threat. I'm glad that he's not on the other side.
"The last student, you may go."
All eyes went to the back right of the room where the boy who wore glasses inside sat.
"Can you please remove those glasses for me while we are in class," Archon said gently.
The glasses kid still had his arms crossed and said nothing.
Someone in the row in front of him leaned over his table and tried to take them off. The kid didn't even try to stop him.
"What the hell? They won't come off. It's like they are glued to his face or something."
He backed off and looked up at the professor.
"Well if you don't want to present, I guess that is fine. Just make sure to introduce yourself when people are talking to you. That is all."
Johnny whispered over to use, "Those two in the back each have titles as well from what I heard. That obnoxious Darius guy is known as King and the loner with shades has been called Deadeyes for ever since middle school I heard. I didn't expect to get both of them in our class."
We sure have a lot of rebels in this class and I don't even know what power the Deadeyes kid even has. I wonder how my next few classes will be?
5
My next class was pretty boring and had no one I knew or was remotely interested in. I'm not even sure why I took historical studies, but whatever. The next class, however, was a different story. I was in Magical education or M.E. It was located inside our gym and had a few familiar faces. Fiona also took this class, but she was in the girls section in a different period. There were two people here I recognized immediately.
"Looks like we meet again, Viri. We also have Deadeyes."
Dyrus pointed to the back corner of the gym where a boy with shades was bouncing a tennis ball back against the wall like it was a normal P.E. Class. I felt a pain in my chest when I looked at the boy, lost in his own solitude. I was once like him, well I still mostly am, but I have a few people in my corner and that's what matters.
"I'm going to go talk to him."
With that, I headed over to the 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘳. Ah.. why does my heart burn from that word.
The end of the gym was not that far away, but my walk seemed to stretch onto eternity. I glanced back to see Dyrus, giving me the thumbs up as I continued upon the great journey. After what seemed like eons, I finally reached the end of the gym. Deadeyes was alone on the right corner, still playing by myself. I wasn't the most quiet walker, but he didn't seem to notice my presence or at least not acknowledge it. The teacher had told us to just mingle for the first ten minutes of class to get to know each other before we starting sparring, yes sparring. of course I had been in a real battle before, multiple of them, but I had never participated in the trial matches back in high school due to my lack of a certain something… Anyway, I decided to profile the most unknown one in the school right now and see what I could learn.
"You… uh… having fun over here…. Alone?"
He continued to bounce his rubber ball against the wall as if nothing I said had reached his ears. Either he was choosing to ignore me or his ears are on par with the elderly. I had to assume it was the former.
"Do you want to come over and talk with us before class starts? I think we should all get to know each other a little better since we are in two classes together."
I knew almost nothing about this guy and it made me a little bit on edge, but more than that I knew what it was like to be on the outside looking in and I didn't want others to share that experience. He turned to face me at last, finally taking my existence into account.
"I applaud you for the nice guy act , but save it for someone who cares. I'm not interested in getting to know others. That's just how it's always been."
I could feel the sadness in his voice, but his stone cold expression and tinted lenses made it hard for me to respond.
"..."
With that I walked back over to Dyrus, defeated. He saw the scowl I was wearing and gave me a wry smile, "Hey you tried and that's all that matters. He's going to need to learn that you can't get through life alone, one way or another."
Soon afterwards we were able to choose partners to spar against and I of course went up vs Dyrus.
"I'm not going to hold back, ok? So you shouldn't either. Well as long as no one dies…"
"Uh… This is only for class right? We don't need to go that far," I said, quickly.
He held his arms up into the air and clenched his fists. He was truly rearing for a brawl.
𝘈𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦.
With that, our battle began. The silver and white gauntlet manifested onto his left arm. Without using the named spell of my ice creation magic, I had only a few effective options against him: Pillars, walls, and a barrage of icicles. We had moved to the other side of the large gym to make sure we didn't interfere with any other students' fights which meant I had the space I needed to work with.
"I wonder if your anti-magic can stop all of this."
I formed five large icicles that rotated around my body, awaiting command. Like a general at wartime, I sent my troops into the fray and hoped for the best. I had a trick of my sleeve as well and with our gym teacher specializing in restoration magic, I could knock him near death's door and still be fine. I didn't expect him to get hit by all of these though. My expectations were flattened into the pavement.
With quick body movements that displayed his years of practice, he avoided four of them with a move that looked straight out of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘹. He did not attempt to dodge the last one, which was on a one way trip to his right shoulder. I took this opportunity for phase two of my assault. He was close enough where I could make a pool of frost grow right where he was standing. I knew he was about to use his gauntlet to block the final icicle and that meant he wouldn't be able to disrupt my plan.
"Wa--woah!"
He desperately fumbled around with his body while blocking the final icicle. With that his fate was sealed, the impact of the icicle was the straw that broke the camel's back. He free fell forward, right where my wall of ice (dull at the top) was waiting to impale him, ensuring me victory. I was pretty proud of myself for thinking so far ahead, just like with the Aevi encounter, though I did have assistance from him. Dyrus was just inches away from my wall. I was so sure of my victory that I didn't even notice what happened next until it was too late. I tasted shoe as a boot crashed into my face, followed up with a left hook to the chest.
"Gah! How'd… You.. Here…"
I keeled over and collapsed on the floor after the wind was stolen straight from my chest. He grinned and stood to my side.
"I used the top of your wall to stop my fall and propel my body forward, like a rocket and right into you."
He held out his hand and I took it, not wanting to get petty over something like this.
"I must say, those were some impressive moves. I did not take your insane speed into account when I crafted my strat. You seemed pretty well versed in martial arts or something like that where you come off as OP in hand to hand combat."
Dyrus tilted his head, "OP?"
I thought Dyrus would have been an avid gamer like myself, but I guess I was wrong, "It's nothing, anyway where did you learn those kinds of skills?"
Dyrus slicked his hand through his spiky hair, looking truly satisfied.
"Get to know me better and I'll tell you and maybe teach you a thing or two."
So that's how he was going to be. Was I in one of those stories where the main character has a mysterious past and is revealed to be like a professional assassin or ex-military? I wanted to press him further because that was not normal in a world where you were either normal or had magic abilities. Those skills were not needed either. Dyrus was right though, we had only met a few hours earlier and if I wanted to know about his past, we would truly need to become friends. That was a subject I was quite new to.
"You are right. Either way, you really impressed me. Do you think you will ever get more armored parts on your body besides your arm?"
He shrugged, "no idea, I might have the potential, I might not. The only way to truly find out was to continue to train and learn more about it. That was one of the main reasons for coming to this school."
I nodded and then finally the pain from where he kicked my face, finally settled in.
"Go get your face healed. The Coach might look like a muscle-headed brute, but I heard he's actually not that bad and his healing is top notch."
"Whatever you say."
"By the way, do you want to grab lunch after this? I recall you mentioning you do have anything for an hour after this and the same goes for me."
His bright smile really forced an answer from me with ease, "I was supposed to go eat with my girlfriend, but I think it's fine if you come along."
Dyrus's eyes doubled in size, "You have a girlfriend. Jesus, Viri. Mad props to you. Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't really look like someone who is or has been in a relationship."
His words slightly stung, but I knew he didn't mean any harm. Most people would probably think like that anyway.
"A lot of bad stuff happened in my high school life, but meeting her was not one of them. I am truly a lucky guy and I'm glad I was given a second chance. And, I know I have this "loner gamer guy" vibe, but I am somewhat changed now from how I was for most of my life."
I sounded a lot more serious than I intended to be near the end. I was also back to my habit of scratching my neck when I was nervous, but I don't think that's how I felt here. He nodded like he understood, though. That made me happy.
"Either way you are a lucky guy to already be ahead of the game. Now go and get yourself healed up, class is almost over and I want to secure some good lunch seats in the cafeteria."
"Yea."
When I walked over to the hulking teacher in black shades, I looked over to the kid who reminded me of him. There he was, still bouncing the ball all by himself even though there were two mock battles going on right next to him. He didn't seem to notice or didn't care. I really felt like he was the old me. I formed a fist with my right hand as I watched him.
𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘵.
6
Lunch time was crowded and I was not surprised. The cafeteria was pretty massive, though. Upon entering, there were rows of circular tables going to a large window on the left while the right had marble sit up tables with long chairs. Past those on the left were the different outlets of food. The food vendor was pizza while the next one was more meat and veggie oriented and the last one was for those pesky vegans (Fiona would kill me if she heard that). The right side had more circular and rectangle tables all the way to the corner. The first lobby of tables was crowded with students that looked like third and fourth years while the other lobby was way less packed, especially near the corner. The part that confused me was that some of the students had strange things sticking out of their heads like antennas or even ears.
"What the actual fuck?"
Dyrus turned to me while we walked over to the less crowded section, "Have you never seen a Hybrid before?"
I shook my head, "Everyone was pretty normal back at highschool and so far here too."
"Well hybrids have blood of other species in them like cats, rabbits, snakes, bugs, etc. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I am a descendent of a dragon when they were ruling the earth."
This time my eyes doubled in size, "D-Dragon? Those things actually exist?"
He saw me staring at him in disbelief, "Let's sit down first before these seats get snatched."
We found a rectangular table enar the right corner that was facing a window and sat down. There were three seats to each side so Fiona would still be able to sit right next to me. As if right on que, my phone buzzed. I took it out and glanced at the notification.
[𝘉 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 5]
[𝘒𝘬, 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.]
I put away my phone and faced towards Dyrus, "I'm going to get some food, but after that, tell me more about these dragons."
With my chicken sandwich in front of me, I was finally able to relax and continue talking to Dyrus.
"So you are part dragon. You dont look like it though. You seem like a standard human through and through."
"Well I pretty much am, except for this." He opened his mouth abnormally wide and that's when I saw it. Dyrus was usually smiling and grinning so I didn't really notice it before but his teeth were very sharp and he had an extra few rows of them too. They all looked like they belonged to a shark or something like that. They were not meant for a human.
"That's about all I got for being half dragon. I am also fluent in Draconic and can absorb the souls of fallen dragons to make me stronger."
"Those sound useful, well, maybe like a couple thousand years ago."
Dyrus let out a laugh, "Yea, my Factor is pretty weak and it has such a cool name too, 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘈𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯."
"That name sounds sick, but I want to ask, what is a Factor. That annoying Paladin girl mentioned it earlier as well."
I was eager to learn about all these unknowns I had never heard about. If I didn't learn about these things soon, I was sure to be bitten in the ass later for it.
"Wow, Viri, you really don't know anything. That Heartford Academy must be pretty secluded if you don't know about Hybrids or Factors. I guess it can't be helped. A factor is different for each Hybrid depending on their origin and even among the same types of hybrids, their factors all give different abilities. The power scale is large and vast depending on the user. I personally haven't met anyone else with a Factor here yet, but judging by the upper years, there seems to be plenty"
"Wow, that's a lot to take it. These Factors seem like they can give the edge when people are matched evenly with magic."
So that's what a Factor was. That seems way unfair to us normal humans! Well I did have more than one type of magic so maybe I shouldn't be complaining. Then Dyrus said something that snapped me right back to reality.
"Hybrids also tend to have Body-Born magic more often than not, just like you see with me." He summoned his gauntlet. "I know this is connected to my dragon ancestry, but I'm not sure how." He made it disappear just as fast. He brought up another subject that intrigued me. I did know about that type of magic, but barely.
"So Body-Born magic always manifests in a certain body part or in the body overall, right? I wonder what would happen if they lost that body part, would they become useless?"
Dyrus shrugged, "Who knows. There's a lot of ways to get a body part back with our magic society, though losing it in combat would be another situation…
I was going to ask him more, but a familiar voice chimed in from the side.
"So we finally found you guys, thanks for holding the table."
I repeated what she said inside my head.
𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵, 𝘞𝘦?
I looked over to see my least favorite girl at this school. It was Luxanna Borealis. Fiona was holding a bowl of salad while Luxanna had a plate of chicken breast and potatoes.
𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭.
Fiona went to go sit next to me, but a hand stopped her from getting far, "I still don't trust this guy, Fiona. Men can be tricky… Let's sit on this side."
Fiona looked reluctant, but she let Luxanna lead her to the other side of the table. They took the two most right seats, so at least Fiona was still facing me.
"Welcome! Lux and Fionna. Am I correct?"
I was almost happy to see Dyrus interact with that savage, then he could feel what it was like to be treated badly for no reason.
"Yup, you have a great memory. What was your name again?"
I nearly choked on my chicken. Why was I the only one to get such unfair treatment? Didn't she just say men are ticky? What the hell!
While she was clinging on for dear life, Luxanna changed from her cheerful smile to a face that said "you are worse than dirt" to me.
"Well i'm glad we all met on our first day. Here's to a great year."
We all raised our water filled glasses to clink each other. It goes without saying that Luxanna did not come remotely near mine.
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶?
"So, what were you guys talking about before we got her? Fiona asked.
"Oh, I was curious about all these interesting looking people so Dyrus told me about these racial traits called Factors and that they are exclusive to Hybrids."
That reminded me, what Hybrid was this petering girl. She had to be part gorilla or snake or something right?
Fiona nodded, "Lux told me earlier about them as well. She's pretty cool herself, she's part Celestial though I don't know very much about them except they were an ancient race or something to that sort."
"Hey isn't Gil also part Celestial?"
She put her finger to her chin, "I think I recall him mentioning that he came from a Paladin background and was also part Celestial. What a coincidence. Don't you think so too, Lux? Lux?"
The paladin looked truly irritated now. Her pink eyes were full of hatred and Her twin-tails whirled around almost like a helicopter. She then noticed Fiona and Dyrus giving her worried looks and mostly calmed down.
"Sorry. You mentioned that name of someone that I didn't want to speak of ever again…"
"What do you me--"
"Viri," Dyrus's hand was on my shoulder which made me really uncomfortable, but I understood.
"Never mind, sorry."
I wasn't sure what she had against Gil, but I was already on thin ice with her as it was. I wonder if they were siblings or something, they do have the same sort of air around them, though their personalities are the complete opposite. There was also the sudden shift in Gil's hair that was not some normal dyeing situation. There was a story there and I am sure she knew about it. I was someone who licked to know as much about something as I could. There was so much you could do when you held so many cards in your hand, instead of only a few.
"Moving on… how were the classes for you two ladies? You also had a gym class right?"
Dyrus really was a smooth talker and I'm very surprised he doesn't already have a girl hanging around him. It's not like I'm jealous or anything, but I do envy his bottomless supply of confidence.
"Yea we had separate classes before gym, I had my intro into Botany class for my major and then we got to spar with each other to gauge each of our strengths."
Dyrus nodded, "Out of curiosity, which one of you won the match?"
Both Luxanna and I displayed great pain on our faces and looked down. I guess we had a lot to learn.
"You seem very nice Fiona, but I know plant growth magic can go a long way and be extremely strong in the right hands. Maybe you can give the loser of today's match over here some tips so he can improve."
He leaned on my shoulder as he said that, but I shook him off soon after, "You just had some insane moves that were not for a normal college student. I'm pretty sure I won in magic prowess."
I tried not to sound salty, but I think that's exactly how I sounded when I heard myself finish. Dyrus was definitely not a normal guy, magic and skills alike. Though, I was glad Fiona was still going strong even though she didn't plan to go into the Mage Corps. I knew firsthand how strong her magic could be when I had it myself in that other timeline. Just the thought of what happened then shook me to the very core. I put down my half eaten sandwich. I was not hungry anymore.
"In my defense, All I could do was cut down her plants, but they just kept coming until they overwhelmed me. Perhaps with some more practice, I could get through all of them before they grew back, no, I know I will be able to. She puffed out her chest which got my eyes to wander, but I pulled them away from the incarnation of evil that was at our table.
"One more thing, I noticed that when that girl, Mai Furijima, was harassing that pink haired girl in glasses, Alexi somethinginrussian and you two kindly took her in. What happened with that?"
Dyrus had already finished eating and really had command of the whole table. He asked the same question that had crossed my mind, but he also had a great memory and that was something I tried to accomplish as well.
Fiona twirled the verdant flower in her hair with her hand, Alexi seemed really lost and I wanted to help her. She was in our gym class as well, but the instructor said she was free to not participate since her magic wasn't suited for combat and she still had trouble controlling it."
"Honestly, I have never seen a girl like her before. Her fashion sense is non-existent with that ugly hoodie and she acts so small and weak that she can't do anything on her own. I want to help her, but she needs to make some effort herself."
Luxanna gazed sadly to a table all the way on the other side of where the tables first started. There sitting alone and eating what looked like a burger and fries while she looked down at her book. I felt bad too, just like with Deadeyes, this girl reminded me of how I was for most of my high school life.
"We should invite her over don't you think? She doesn't seem to have any friends besides us yet and I want to get to know her better."
Fiona was about to get up, but Dyrus held up his hand, "She seems like she's really invested in her book and I don't want to take that away from her. How about you invite her to lunch after a class you have with her. I think that would create a better environment for her where she could feel more welcomed."
Fiona nodded and sat back down, "I see. Well I don't have gym till wednesday, but there's a chance she's in one of my classes tomorrow. I want to get her number too."
"I will do the same. That girl needs all the help she can get. We should take her to the mall near campus; some new clothes should definitely boost her confidence."
Luxanna seemed pretty passionate about this other girl. It was a side I hadn't seen of her since our unfortunate first encounter. I guess beneath all that Viri hating visage there was a somewhat kind girl that cared for others. Now if only she showed me that… It was around that time where commotion broke out by the food.
"You spilled your fucking soup all over my jacket! This shit aint cheap you know."
We all stopped what we were doing to see what was going on. Some swole dark skinned guy was yelling at some kid in front of him who was around a foot smaller than the hulking dude. He was easily a junior or a senior and man he looked pissed. The kid in front of him…. Was wearing sunglasses inside and didn't say a word.
𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵, 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴.
For someone as cold and isolated as him, I'm sure he would be getting into situations like this very frequently. Deadeyes said nothing to the enraged upperclassmen and tried to pass by. The other guy blocked his way.
"You can at least apologize for what you did and fork over some cash. Or else this lunchroom may get a little hot."
His arms then burst into flames as he put his fist up. He had body-born fire magic it seemed. I wonder if he could do more or if that's it? Deadeyes still said nothing and tried to head to the exit with his spilled soup on the tray.
"That's it. You look like a freshy, so I guess I will teach you a little lesson," He prepped one of his fist which was now covered in flames and released it for a quick punch that was aiming for his gut. Before it could connect, Deadeye's quickly turned his head and body in a full 360 rotation as if he was looking at everyone in the room. The next second he was gone.
"What… the… hell?"
The angry senior turned around and started to look for where he went. He wasn't the only one either. Most of the students in the cafeteria had witnessed their interaction and to see him disappear in the blink of an eye was pretty strange. Teleport magic was one of the few that needed a magic circle activation before it went off and there was no indication of that with what Deadeyes had done. I looked towards the exit and that's where I saw him. He had made it around 50 feet away in those few seconds. His tray was already gone as well as his soup. Before anyone else could spot him, he slipped out of the cafeteria entrance. The senior was still angry, but did not want to make any more of a fuss with the other party not being present and went to sit down near the entrance where his group of friends were sitting.
"That was pretty strange huh, that guy, Deadeyes from what someone told me, just vanished into thin air. I haven't seen teleportation magic like that before," Dyrus remarked.
"Yea he was in our class earlier wasn't he? No one knows his magic or his real name. He also always wears those damn sunglasses. Like, who does he think he is?" said Luxanna.
"I saw him leave the cafeteria a few seconds after he disappeared. That man really is full of mysteries." I said
" I have a proposal."
We all looked towards Fiona.
"I think that just like Lux and I are trying to help Alexi, you two should try to help Deadeyes. They seem to have somewhat similar problems of being around others and I think we should try to make friends with both of them."
I scoffed at what she said out loud, "No offense Fiona, but I already tried talking to him earlier and he looked like he would rather drink bleach than hang out with me, let alone any of us."
Fiona looked back at me, a stern look in her eyes, "Well Viri, you above anyone should know persistence leads to results. I have faith in you."
"Wow your cheeks are all red, Viri!"
"S-Shuddup Dyrus!"
We had some nice chats while finishing up our lunches after I agreed to try to acquire the friendship of the man who wanted to only be left alone.
7
The last class I had after was uneventful and boring, but at least I was finally done for the day. Fiona said she was going to look at some of the clubs before she went back to the dorm. I have never been in a club and didn't care for it right now.
"All I wanna do now is chill and play some 𝘏𝘢𝘭𝘰"
I slid my school I.D by the door and pushed it open. The hall was just as grand as I remembered that morning, but it felt way more lively. There were even a few guys and girls watching something in the common room. I could have gone in and introduced myself, but I was exhausted from my long Monday schedule and wanted to be left to my own devices. I finally reached my room which was the last room on the left side of the first floor. I went to slide my key in, but the door was slightly cracked open. A chill went down my spine briefly, but I calmed down soon after when I recalled that there was a reason for someone else to be in my room.
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘔𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦. 𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯.
I slid the door open and peaked in. On the other side of our room was a large PC set up in front of the bed that was next to both of the closets. His face was away from me, but from what I could tell, he was rather chubby and short. The clicking of his mouse berated my ear every second. I walked closer to see what he was smashing his keyboard and clicking so much for and then I saw it.
𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥s 𝘩𝘶𝘩? 𝘐 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩��𝘵 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘴𝘪𝘢.
I was silent for a few minutes, watching him from behind. His shoulders were very tense at first, but they seemed to loosen up the more he played. He must have not heard me come in due to his large headphones covering both of his ears. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and took off his headset.
"Wow that was a close game. I'm glad we got that baron steal or it would have been gg."
I had no idea what he was saying, but he seemed to notice my presence. His voice also sounded familiar. He turned around to greet me.
"Hey, I'm your roommate, Ben Ji-- Wait, is that you Viri Inumbro? Hey, Long time no see!"
I couldn't believe my eyes. I had killed this man, not once, but twice. It was the fat Chinese kid that could control different types of matter, Ben Jiang!
"H-How are you still alive? Didn't he… didn't I kill you?"
Ben got up from his seat, " Well you see, when that arrow of darkness hit me, I used some of its matter to create a shield that protected me from dying from that blast. I was in some strange land though. Everything was dark and there were shadow monsters and people everywhere. I was scared shitless and just hid myself in a layer of shadows, hoping for someone to save me."
I had never heard of the place he referred to, but it must have had something to do with Umbra. Even so, I can't believe I didn't kill him and sent him to this place. Though, our fight was different from the original timeline where I acquired his powers. It was because of the different way the battle went that he had enough magic to even survive. I really felt bad about making him suffer, but there was nothing I could do about it now.
"So, what happened after that? How did you escape this place?"
"I was just getting to that. So, after what felt like hours, I was finally brought back into the real world. I was in a tree that we had many of by Heartford Academy. I looked down and I saw you, Gil Fulmen, Aevi Tempus, and that girl that I can't remember the name of. Anyway, I waited for all of you to walk off and had some tree soldiers carry me down. I was pretty exhausted, but I went back to the school to find out the results. The Headmaster couldn't believe that another one of the survivors from the 5th singularity, but since I did he let me graduate and gave me the title of Mage. With it I was able to attend this school and I decided to be a better me, one that isn't super annoying or looms down at others and I got rid of that phrase I always said as well."
I was taken back by all this information. He must have come back when Umbra was defeated. Well I guess i'm glad that he's turned over a new leaf as well.
"I don't know what I want to major in, but I think joining the Ministry of Magic Defense or the Mage Corps would be pretty sweet and here I am. Here my I.D by the way, it looks pretty cool, right?"
Name: Benjamin Jiang
Age: 19
Year: Freshmen
Magic: Matter Manipulation
Major: Undeclared
Dorm: Wick
I nodded, "yeah that's cool."
He wore his very annoying grin, "Now let me see yours."
I was about to say no way to hide my multiple magics, but Jiang already knew my secret. There wasn't really a point in trying to hide it now. It's better to get him to keep his mouth closed anyway.
"Here, but please don't tell anyone else about my multiple types of magic. Here I am just an ice mage."
He nodded way too many times," You got it, though what are these X's for and why don't you just go as a shadow mage? There are like no others like you."
I scratch my neck, "Well after the shadow left me, I lost the ability to be able to use any shadow magic. I guess it was never truly mine to begin with and those X's must be my other types of magic. I don't plan on using them unless there is a really dangerous situation for me or Fiona."
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦.I thought.
"Oh yea, you are dating that chick, Fiona right? What a lucky guy. What kind of magic did you use to g--"
It took many years ok and no magic was involved, well the lack of magic was probably the reason it took so long. I don't really want to talk about it. Anyway, I'm going to play some games, do homework, head to dinner and then bead. I guess you are welcome to come if you want."
I didn't really care for Jiang, I never saw him as a friend, but I thought it was a polite thing to do, especially with what I did to him.
He waved his back and forth in rejection, "I'm good, I got all the snacks I need here and I have a raid I gotta do with my gaming club members tonight anyway."
Wow, he already found his place here pretty fast. I couldn't really say the same, but I was happy. Happy that I didn't need to try so hard to get in good with my roommate and happy that he was so different than he was before and actually manageable. He didn't seem to hold a grudge against me either. I guess even people like him could change and come to a new understanding and outlook on life. I would like to think I had a similar transformation, but that might be giving me too much credit. Either way, this first day of school was actually pretty good and that was a first.