The flickering of the runes and the spell's resonance always changed in response to how well a student had done during the Sorting or how much raw potential was expected from them.
And it was students like this that caught the attention of the whole Mess Hall, including the teachers. The bored teachers looked up from their seats with the first hint of interest in their eyes while the cheery ones suddenly got serious, waiting patiently for the next student to appear.
With a violent shimmer of runes, a tall muscular teenage boy with short black hair, an easy six feet tall was thrust into the chair with a puff of amber dust.
Unlike the other students who'd come from the Hunter Sorting Test before him, his clothes were in comparatively neat condition and he wasn't screaming like the rest.
His short black hair was a mess and he looked a tad bit exhausted, but in no way injured. His calm demeanour sent shivers down everyone that witnessed this. He didn't scream like the others and quickly took in his surroundings, displaying a frightening sense of spatial awareness.
A First Year that wasn't screaming after the Sorting.
Everyone in the Mess Hall had been through the Sorting at one point in their lives, especially those that offered the Hunter Course.
They all knew what it was like to go through the perilous ordeal and for someone to emerge with barely a scratch, hyper-alert and barely shaken was nothing short of unreal.
'What kind of demon is he?' one of the students murmured.
As if in response to the student's question, the feminine voice of the Sorting spell spoke out loud:
"Name: Cade Black
Course: Hunter
Role: Leader
Squad: Squad One"
The Hall went completely silent.
The students of Squad One had almost completely forgotten to clap their hands as the new Hunter stood up.
His robes elegantly took on the spotless white hue of Squad One and a great uproar of claps filled the Mess Hall. The students of Squad One stood up this time, welcoming their newest member.
Not only was he tall, handsome, muscular, unrealistically impressive and exceptionally aware of his surroundings but he was also... a Leader.
This time, the members of the other squads did not roll their eyes.
They all knew Squad One had gained a very powerful asset.
'We can get another Leader, can't we?' Finn asked one of his upperclassmen near him.
'Yes, we can. It's possible there are other Leaders to be announced but Finn… Leaders are rare. By the end of the Sorting, each Squad will at least have gained one of each role, category and course of varying qualities.
They might be squads that are more powerful in some aspects than others… but that's only natural.
Except for Leaders. Leaders are a rare breed and we'll be lucky to get one.
What's worse though… is his name! Did he have to become… a hunter?!'
Finn nodded in understanding, 'I see your point there. We better pray for the other Leader to be ours then. Perhaps Sullivan will join us.'
'Matching up to Cade will be hard. A Leader that was sent straight into Squad One of all squads.'
After Cade's arrival, it was clear which squad had the advantage.
Draul smirked at the change of mood in the room, 'I love the Sorting,' the man chuckled darkly as the runes began to shimmer once more.
The runes shimmered. A student in tattered clothing covered in blood appeared, dishevelled and screaming their lungs off. Their name, their Course and if necessary, their Role and Squad were announced, awarding them robes and sending them to the row in which they belonged.
Not all the students that applied for the Hunter course made it there… Many of them were pushed to courses that the spell deemed fit for them instead of the courses they wanted. The decision, however, was final and they all understood that.
Choice was always just a factor taken into consideration after all.
For a while, the runes shimmered and coughed out students of average skill, which paled heavily in comparison to Cade Black. And even then, Squad One was still receiving valuable members, increasing their arsenal of First Years to match anything that was thrown into the other squads.
The scales didn't balance or tip in any other Squad's favour, keeping Squad One confident and at the top while they still received valuable members from those that came through the magic circles.
The mood was turning sour when another cold breeze blew through the Mess Hall and the magic circles flickered and wavered, resonating loudly with powerful magic. With a rain of amber runes, another student appeared.
This one had a look of horror written on her face. Blood covered her clothes, just like the others and deep holes were visible in her torso, running up to her neck in a vicious half-bite.
Even so, she didn't scream like the others. She was clearly shaken by whatever ordeal she'd been through but quick to recover. The wounds healed up instantly and her mended clothes, which looked luxurious and expensive, were replaced with the grey robes of unselected students.
With long hair tied back in a ponytail, she had the complexion of a porcelain doll and the figure and height of a seasoned athlete.
She was remarkable for a first year and yet, the next words that rumbled through the Great Hall threw everything into a massive rumble of chaos.
"Name: Carol Hopkins
Course: Hunter
Category: Warrior
Role: Archer
Squad: Squad One"
Carol looked on as the Mess Hall erupted into a messy rowdy uproar. Dignified, if not, then a humble and somewhat smug chorus claps from the rightmost row, clad in white and enraged chaos from all the other rows of students.
Her robes took on an elegant white colour and she intuitively knew what she was supposed to do.
However, the noise coming from the other Squads was unsightly.
'The Sorting is rigged this year. Squad One already has that insane Leader. Why do they get this one too?'
A dark-haired man behind her raised his hand and the students immediately went quiet, "Are you suggesting the spell made a mistake?" the man asked with a cold look in his eye that suggested he might just smack anyone who said otherwise, "…When it is I who cast it?"
There were a few murmurs before the Mess Hall settled down with resigned looks of defeat. "Please, proceed to your designated Squad, Miss Hopkins. Welcome to Barthlorn School of the Supernatural."
Carol nodded in appreciation and stood up, walking to the row filled with students dressed in white. The rest of the rows glared daggers at the white-clad students. Somehow, she could already tell what had happened when Cade waved her over to his seat along the wall.
The room fell silent once again and was filled with the shimmer of runes. Just when the room was about to settle down, the upper ring of the amber-glowing magic circles began to tilt and pivot out of alignment, becoming more and more unstable.
A heavy wind blew through the room and Draul was forced to pull out his wand in an effort to try and keep the Sorting Spell stable. A couple of runes cracked within the spell only to be quickly replaced at the flick of Draul's wrist before anything drastic could happen.
The spell crackled and shook before finally resigning under the control of the black-robed Warlock. Draul narrowed his eyes at the thick rune-covered chair in dark anticipation.
The Mess Hall was now very interested in knowing what was about to happen. The next student to appear inside the spinning column of runes was a girl with silver hair. Her clothes were mostly intact except for the bloody row of teeth staining her torso.
Once again, the students were startled to see a student who wasn't screaming after being expelled from the simulation of the Sorting. However, this girl was not only calm but she was smiling quite fondly.
There were murmurs going through the room on who she could have been and the feminine ethereal voice in the circle of runes confirmed which of the rumours were true and which ones weren't.
"Name: Momo Hawks
Course: Hunter
Category: Warrior
Role: Archer
Squad: S__Squad Six"
The students murmured in confusion at the sudden static in the spell's voice… It had sounded somewhat… indecisive.
Draul stepped forward and raised his wand. The circles of runes floated lower and closer to him, spinning a bit faster as he started inspecting the runes that he had just repaired.
The ethereal voice seemed to have glitched with a bit of static while announcing the girl's squad name.
This made him worry but after meticulous scrutinisation of the spell, he sighed.
In the end, it couldn't be helped. The spell was just as fine as it should have been. He stepped aside and let the girl stand from her seat. Her petite robes took on a deep green colour, tailored to suit her small frame perfectly.
'Can she really wield a bow?' some of the students murmured.
Before these rumours could get to the girl, the Squad on the very left of the room rose to their feet and erupted into chaos like no other, welcoming the newest member to their Squad with so much vigour.
Unlike the other rows in this Great Mess Hall, Squad Six had the least members making it to only half the entire length of the Mess Hall.
Momo walked to her row surprised by their boundless enthusiasm, "Wow, she's so cute." One of the girls in green swooned, scooping Momo into an unexpected hug.
"Don't smother her, Beatrice. She only just got here and shouldn't her abilities matter more than her looks?" a male argued.
"Oh, shut it, Edgar. She'll do just fine with us. I just know it. As for her abilities, that doesn't really matter. We'll train her till she can keep up. Though I doubt the Sorting Spell would make such a scene when bringing in someone who didn't have potential.
We'll have her as a smooth part of our family in no time," Beatrice replied, leading the girl to a seat next to hers.
'She didn't mention my name. Is that intentional?' Momo wondered.
"Welcome to the squad, Momo! Can I call you Momo?" Beatrice beamed, her cherub face lighting up with glee.
"Yes, it's fine. Th-Thank you," Momo replied shyly.
The runes shimmered once more, attracting the attention of the entire room.
'This year's group of First Years is insane,' one of the students mused, 'Were we anything like that during our Sorting Ceremony?'
'True! Though I still don't like what's happening. First Squad One gets two powerhouses and the next one goes to Squad Six. Could there be any worse way to waste potential? It would have made sense to have her in Squad Two at least,' the third-year beside Finn spoke.
Finn, on the other hand, wasn't complaining. It's not like he knew much about the squads. When he looked at the welcome they gave Momo, he couldn't help but feel like she'd made it to the right squad for her.
She fit in perfectly and they welcomed her warmly. They weren't so many either… just like the group she hung out with during the Sorting Test. Suddenly, he remembered a white-haired individual that was with them during the Sorting Test, 'Could he…' the boy shook his head and smirked.
The Sorting Ceremony was only beginning. Now he understood the enthusiasm behind this event. The ceremony had the power to drive the success of a squad through the school year. It explained the aggression coming from the students in a bright new light.