The trio of boys was made up of Ren, Arthur and Damian, all of who looked to be the same age as me, and had a unique appearance.
Ren had the look of a handsome class president, with elegant, natural, not too long, but not short hair. He had beautiful blue eyes and the perfect shade of tan on his skin. He looked a bit too handsome for an 11-year-old, and only God would know what he would look like in the future.
Arthur was the more outgoing of the three, having messy orange hair, and a gleaming white smile. He had a bubbly personality and was the one who first called out to me. His eyes were a shade of emerald green and looked like a genial naive kid.
Finally, Damian was the most timid-looking student there. He had ruby-red eyes, and messy black hair, similar to Aunt Mary. His eyes were big and clear and had slightly chubby cheeks, reminding me of an apprehensive kitten.
The trio looked like a stable friend group, each of their traits complementing and making up for the other's weaknesses.
With just a glance, I was able to ascertain their traits and habits.
"Hello, my name is Ray Steelheart, nice to meet you, and thank you for the compliment."
The three each made a small wave, and Arthur began to speak up.
"Yo, so... wanna be friends?"
'That was quick.'
Within less than a minute of interaction, we had become acquaintances, without any input from my behalf.
Arthur casually kept his left arm around my shoulders, with his right around Ren's, and we started walking as a group towards the training grounds.
"So... you have quite a blank face huh. Did anything happen?" asked Ren, trying to start a conversation.
"Not really, it isn't that anything happened, it is more that nothing is happening. Nothing really excites me." I replied truthfully.
I had no plan to hide, and I decided that I really needed to join a friend group to not be branded as a bully target.
"Oh..." Ren said awkwardly, expecting to be able to extend the conversation a bit longer.
'Are my social skills really that poor?'
My eyes started to glow a bit brighter.
I felt a small tap near the back of my shoulder blades.
"Uhmm, I hope it isn't too rude of me to ask, but why are your eyes glowing?" Damian asked.
"Oh, that is just my mana circuit flowing, it helps me see and think better."
"But your mana circuit shouldn't be moving through your head though?"
"I was able to adjust it."
The three stopped dead in their tracks and turned to look at me with incredulous looks.
"Isn't that normal?"
Arthur removed his hands from my shoulder and turned to look at me.
"A human's mana circuit is ingrained in their body, it is like a blood vessel to us. If we were to somehow move our mana circuit somewhere else in the first place, wouldn't the area that it was in before become weak?"
"I know, that is why I moved the mana circuit that was already near my heart and mana core so that there is still mana in that part of the body."
"Oh, I didn't think of that."
"Now hang on guys, let's go back to the topic first, how did you manage to move your mana circuit to your head?" Ren asked.
"I don't remember the feeling, it was when I was young."
Even though I had a perfect memory, this was before I developed it, meaning that it felt like a hazy record.
"You can't just explain it like that though..."
"ALRIGHT, GUYS! PLEASE HEAD TO THE MIDDLE OF THE COMBAT ARENA FOR THE START OF MY CLASS."
The booming sound of a speaker resonated within the grounds, diverting everyone's attention to Professor Rebecca standing in the middle.
After everyone had gathered around in a semicircle, the teacher started talking.
"Alright kids, today will be a brief lesson, getting accustomed to weapons, and for now, without magic."
Keeping in mind that the purpose of Athena Academy was to raise the generation to be strong enough to fight the demons, they also included the combat training class, increasing the physical prowess of the student as well as the magical aspect of them.
"Please head over to the weaponry room, and choose a suitable weapon for your liking. Based on what you choose, it will become your primary choice, and we will provide suitable training programs for you."
Students started to hurriedly walk away to a door leading to a great hall. The hall contained a vast amount of weapons and information, and it was almost like a museum display.
"Guys! Come quickly!" called out Arthur, who was pulling on Damien's wrist.
"We need to get the good weapons before they run out!"
At that, the four of us ran towards the hall, splitting up to find us what we need. We had agreed to meet up back outside to check what the others had gotten.
I was now left alone.
"What a bother."
I did not have any need or preference for any weapon, as I had been trained in every significant one since I was young.
Hand to hand, a sword, a greatsword, a spear, and a bow, were the five combat techniques I was taught. Oh, and also a gun.
This meant that none of the weapons here was something that I desperately wanted, so I could just stroll around aimlessly.
As I was walking past the other students, I observed how they managed to take their desired weapon from the clear glass, placing their watch near a scanner, and the see-through lid slowly opened, like the revelation of a chest reward from a videogame.
Having my interest piqued, I also wanted to try, so I placed my watch randomly to the nearest weapon box in my reach, not even looking at the weapon information.
BEEP
________
WEAPON REGISTERED: < MOON DAGGER >
SUCCESSFUL
________
BRRRRRRR.
The sound of the motor opening my weapon box came from the container, creating suspense within my heart.
I stared down into the open glass case, seeing a slightly large knife in the centre of a white pillowcase.
'Hold up, a dagger?'
My bored face and glowing blue eyes were reflected across the shiny black surface of the weapon.
The dagger looked like a normal, but a slightly large knife. It was coated in a shade of jet black, but had gleaming silver edges, reminding me of the colour of moonlight.
I picked up the weapon and inspected it, finding that it fits comfortably in my hand.
"Ohoh~ This could be interesting."
Although I had used an army knife to kill someone before, I had never trained with it and purely acted then from instincts, believing it was something like a smaller sword.
It seemed that now I had a chance to learn something actually new, and the academy wouldn't be as boring.
However, as I rolled the dagger around my palm, I felt an unsettling feeling coming from this weapon, and it seemed that there was something off about it.
Dismissing it under the pretence that I couldn't do anything about it now, I walked out of the weapons hall to the meeting place that the others had agreed.
I was not really interested in being with them, but rather, I was curious to learn what kind of weapons they wanted and chose, as it could tell a lot about their character.
One by one, the three came up to meet me.
The first was Damien, bringing in a charcoal black bow with an accent of red across it. I could tell that Damien had only chosen this weapon as he thought it would fit him and it looked cool.
The next to arrive was Ren, carrying a lightweight silver sword, with a blue intricate handle. This meant that Ren thought himself to be agile and decisive, but had pride in himself and his belongings.
And after a few more minutes, Arthur was the last to arrive, sulkily holding a big, blue shield. This surprised me, but I came to the conclusion that he most likely wasn't able to pick something that he liked.
After we had all discussed what we had brought, Ren then asked me a question.
"Hey Ray, I thought you were the next heir to being a hero, so why would you bring a dagger instead of something like a sword?"
After pondering for a bit, with a dead face and a brighter blue glow in my eyes, I replied.
"Because this... is more fun."
________
Author's note:
Just in case you haven't realised, every time Ray's eyes start to glow a bit brighter, it is because he has done something in his life which has majorly impacted him (explained before that you gain more mana with more life experience). This could be a form of foreshadowing, or it couldn't. You can decide. :)