All the pain Daikoku had felt had almost completely vanished, replaced with pure unadulterated horror. He stumbled backward, his eyes constricted as sweat began to form on his face. Every fiber, no, every cell was telling him to run. But his feat wouldn't move, no matter how much he told his body to move, it wouldn't. He was frozen in fear. Then the doorknob began to turn. Whatever was in his room was about to face him. Even at this moment Daikoku couldn't move, even though every instinct was telling him to run he simply couldn't. As the door began to open Daikoku slammed his eyes shut, bracing for the worst.
"Hey man!" The words caught Daikoku completely off guard.
"Huh?" He said, opening his eyes.
Before him stood a tall, relatively slender boy, his eyes were a deep blue and his short hair a fiery red. He was almost a head taller than Daikoku, but he seemed oddly kind.
"You must be my roommate, I'm Red, it's a pleasure to meet you!"
"I'm Daikoku….." he said nervously.
Red seemed ecstatic to meet Daikoku, his wide smile was evidence of this. Moving to the side, he ushered Daikoku into the room. Daikoku was confused but decided to enter with caution, still remembering what he felt only moments prior.
"Was that ominous feeling coming from him?" Daikoku pondered.
"I know it's not exactly the most spacious thing around but it works," Red said, his hand behind his head, eyes closed with a nervous smile plastered on his face.
"Um…yeah," Daikoku said, still cautious.
The room was almost a perfect square aside from the doorway to their bathroom on the left-hand side. The room was split evenly on both sides, each of them had a bed, dresser, and desk for their use. The bathroom was standard, with a sink, shower, and toilet. Daikoku felt almost as if he was back at home, the room was about the same size as his old room, only this one looked much nicer, for now at least. Daikoku stumbled over to the right side of the room. The pain in his back had returned now that the sense of danger had departed. Setting his bag down at the foot of his bed, he slumped onto the bed, wincing in pain. Red stared at him, concern visibly showing on his face. Even though they just met, Red wanted to make sure his new roommate was okay.
"Hey, you doing ok man?" Red asked while slowly approaching Daikoku. As he approached he knelt at the side of the bed, trying to figure out what exactly was wrong.
"Some guy threw me into a wall," Daikoku said softly, evidently trying to hide his pain.
"Shit," Red thought. "Alright, is it ok if I take a look?"
"W…what?" Daikoku asked, visibly confused.
"My dad taught me a thing or two about medical stuff so I might be able to at least tell if it's something serious," Red said, pulling a chair from his desk and placing it by Daikoku's bed.
Daikoku lay still face down on his bed, praying that it wasn't anything seriously wrong with. Though he was uncomfortable, he thought it would be best to allow Red to take a look. If there really was something wrong, he wanted to know. He slowly reached back and pulled up his gray polo, allowing Red to inspect the area. He felt Red place a hand towards the upper half of his back. Daikoku allowed Red to continue, even though he he was evidently uncomfortable with the whole situation.
"Alright so," Red said "you're bruised as hell but it doesn't look like anything's fractured. It's gonna hurt like a bitch for a while though."
Daikoku let out a sigh of relief, "Uh…thank you."
"Don't mention it!" Red replied, the same smile he had before was once again stretched across his face.
Daikoku remained lying face down on the bed, moving as little as possible. Classes were to begin tomorrow so the sooner this pain left his body, the better. He could see Red sitting at his desk, typing away at his laptop.
"Wonder what he's working on?" Daikoku thought before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.
Daikoku began to slowly open his eyes, the morning sun shining through the window. He closed his eyes once more as he began to stretch out his body before throwing off his comforter, slowly swinging his body to the side, and lightly planting his feet upon the wooden floor. His eyes went wide as he felt the cold ground. He lifted himself and stood tall, noticing that the pain in his back had become more bearable. As Daikoku stood he noticed Red begin to stretch. His arms were to the side, bent to where his hands touched his ears letting out an audible groan.
"Morning," Red said, rubbing his right eye.
"Uh…morning…how long was I out?" Daikoku asked nervously, he still wasn't entirely comfortable in this new environment.
"You were asleep for almost a day man. I seriously was starting to think you were dead!"
"Almost a day?!" Daikoku exclaimed.
"Yeah dude, but there's nothing you can do about it now, we gotta get to class. Oh, Don't forget your uniform."
"Uniform?" Daikoku questioned. He was under the impression that he'd be able to simply wear his everyday attire.
"What, you thought a school as prestigious as this wouldn't have a uniform?" Red responded almost laughing.
"Well, it's my first time going to a school so I didn't know what to expect," Daikoku said, seemingly embarrassed with his head hanging lower than normal.
"Oh shit sorry about that man," Red said with his hand behind his head "I didn't realize you were homeschooled."
"Yeah, um, it's fine," Daikoku responded.
"Alright I'll go change in the bathroom, you can change out here," Red said, clearly trying to get out of this.
"Uh…Okay," Daikoku responded.
Daikoku opened the top drawer of his dresser, there he saw six shirts folded neatly within the drawer. He pulled one out and moved to the second drawer where six pants resided. The uniform was relatively simple, a navy blue polo with "Pantheon" embroidered on the left and a pair of black dress pants. Daikoku got changed swiftly and almost elegantly. He put on his socks and shoes just as Red exited the bathroom. Red walked over to his bag and slung it over his shoulder. Seeing that Red was ready to go, Daikoku did not hesitate to do the same.
"Alright you ready to go?" Red asked Daikoku.
"Yeah, I'm ready," Daikoku responded, sounding somewhat anxious.
"Hey I forgot to ask but, what class are you in?" Red inquired.
"Oh, class C I think," Daikoku responded.
"Oh nice we're in the same class! Thank god, I was worried I wouldn't know anyone," Red said, incredibly relieved.
"Wait but we just met…" Daikoku was puzzled. Why was Red acting as though they had been friends for years?
"I mean sure, but we're still friends, right? And that makes things a lot easier for me, now I don't have to worry about trying to talk to people as much," Red said happily, his same beaming smile ever-present.
"What is he talking about? Is he already willing to be friends without knowing me at all? I've never had a friend before but this can't be right?" Daikoku thought to himself.
Red moved towards their door, opening it swiftly, rearing to get to class. He exited the dorm room as Daikoku followed closely behind him, his steps now just as light as they were before, contrasted by Red's long and heavy steps. The two of them continued down the long corridor towards the doors that led outside the dorms. They pushed open the doors with gusto, their day had begun. However, the bright mood quickly fell as Daikoku heard a familiar voice.
"Peasant!" Daikoku recognized the voice instantly. He saw the light blonde-haired man and was filled with dread.
"No…please don't come over here," Daikoku thought.
The blonde-haired man was already facing them, he had diverted his attention from the other students he had been talking to, seemingly for the sole purpose of calling Daikoku a "peasant". Even at this distance, the man was imposing, his muscular frame clearly visible. He pushed the students aside and menacingly made his way towards Daikoku and Red. Dakoku's eyes were wide and his pupils were contracted. He quickly dropped his head and turned it to the right, hoping to avoid the man's gaze. After what felt like an eternity, the man was now directly in front of Daikoku, towering over him even more than Red had. I almost seemed as though he was inspecting Daikoku.
"Ah, you're the girl I threw into the wall yesterday," The man said.
Daikoku and Red were puzzled by this statement.
"Uh…um…what?" Daikoku sputtered.
"Sorry about that, you just got in my way," The man said with an unsettling grin "hope that didn't ruin our future relationship."
"Wha….what are you talking about?" Daikoku slowly looked up.
The man placed a hand on Daikoku's shoulder and brought his face next to Daikoku's ear. "Do you know who I am, girl? Do you know the heritage which I come from?" He whispered with an unsettling grin. He couldn't help but laugh at the pitiful woman that stood before him, or so he thought.
"Hey," Red said suddenly, placing a hand on the man's shoulder "The fuck are you saying to him?!" The smile Red normally had was gone, replaced with a look of rage.
"Hold your tongue! I will say as I please!" The man boomed, removing his hand from Daikoku and staring down Red.
"Get the hell away from him, bastard!" Red protested, raising his voice.
"Watch your tone!" The man said, before turning his head back to Daikoku "But it seems I was mistaken, you're simply a feminine man? Not that it matters to me."
"What?!" Red exclaimed, his face began to redden with rage.
Daikoku stood in shock for a moment before speaking, "Red it's alright let's just go."
"The hell?" Red questioned in surprise. "He can't just talk to you like that!"
As Red spoke, a glowing light formed around the man's hand. Red's face turned from anger to shock, and quickly…fear. The light around the man's hand tightened and became solid, forming a bright golden gauntlet. Daikoku could only watch in horror as the man pulled his arm back, and with all his might, thrust the gauntlet into Red's stomach. A loud boom rang out as the gauntlet collided, Red bent forward, blood and spit flew from his mouth as his eyes went white. His body seemed to cave as it was thrown back, skipping across the ground before skidding to a hault more than fifty feet away. Daikoku had barely managed to track the man's blow, he was in complete shock.
"Did…was that a sonic boom?" Daikoku thought before snapping back to reality.
Having finally processed what had happened, Daikoku rushed over to Red, who was lying seemingly lifeless on the ground. Daikoku knelt down, praying to whatever god was out there, that Red was still alive. He placed his hand on Red's shoulder and began to shake him, hoping that he'd wake up. Suddenly, Red took in a quick, deep breath, and began to heave. Daikoku helped him up as Red winced in visible pain. His torso was badly bruised and it seemed as though he had broken multipe ribs. Daikoku slung Red's arm over his shoulder, supporting his weight. They stood as the man looked down on them, even at this distance. Daikoku could still see the man's grin. The man let out an audible laugh, seemingly amused by their suffering.
"It's best you learn your place," The man said before turning away and leaving the scene.
"Fuck," Red said under his breath.
"We need to get you to the nurse!" Daikoku said, mortified.
"Nah I'll be fine," Red's voice was labored, "I can't miss my first class."
"Wha…no you need to get treated!" Daikoku couldn't believe what he was hearing, he knew Red had broken multiple ribs and he saw the blood that Red had spat out. How could he act like he was fine?
"Hey, I'll be fine. You got nothing to worry about," Red said, his smile returning.
Daikoku somehow knew it was pointless to fight Red on this, thus the two boys made their way down the path past the fountain and towards the school. Daikoku was still supporting Red's weight and was beginning to grow tired. Regardless, Daikoku continued to press on, passing by multiple students. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a familiar figure. Their long, golden blonde hair was unmistakable. She turned around, presumably sensing something was wrong, a look of utter shock washed over her face.
"Daikoku!" She yelled, "What the hell happened!?" Iliya began to sprint towards the boys.
"W..we got attacked.." Daikoku stammered.
"Is he ok?" Iliya asked, looking at Red.
"I'm fine, just gotta get to class," Red said smiling, a drop of blood leaked out of his mouth.
"Jesus, it's the first day and I'm already dealing with this shit," Iliya said to herself disappointedly.
"Alright," She said moving toward Red "I'll give you dumbasses a hand." She lifted Red's other arm over her shoulder.
"Uh…thanks.." Daikoku said.
"Are you sure you don't need to go to the nurse?' Iliya asked Red.
"Yeah, I can make it through the day," Red said, attempting to reassure her.
The three students plodded along the brick path towards the school. As they walked they received multiple questioning looks from other students, which was to be expected. As they approached the building, the large automatic doors slid open, allowing for easy entry. Once they walked inside, Daikoku's jaw dropped at the sight. He knew buildings were usually bigger on the inside, but this was maybe a step too far. The extravagant hall that stood before him stretched out, shining very brightly as if it had been freshly waxed. Beautiful paintings and decorations were scattered throughout the hall, each depicting moments from various mythologies. The floors were a beautiful red carpet that complemented the hall. He almost forgot he was still supporting Red, nearly dropping him. They continued down the hall before turning left, starting down a second hallway until they reached a wooden door with the sign "C" above it.
"I'll leave the rest to you guys, I need to get to class myself," Iliya said, ready to rush off to her class.
"Uh…thank you for helping us," Daikoku said.
"Don't mention it," Iliya responded before launching herself down the hallway with tremendous speed.
"Why the hell couldn't she have done that earlier?!?" Red said with surprise and confusion.
Daikoku did not bother responding, there was no way he could have an answer for that. While still supporting Red he reached out and slid open the wooden door which led to his class. The classroom was relatively large, rows of desks sat on a polished wood floor, a larger desk sat in the front left corner of the room, decorated with articles, lesson plans, and research. A whiteboard hung on the wall in the direct front. A slight woman sat at the large desk, her hair was shoulder length and brown, with glasses adorning her face. The majority of the desks were filled with students sitting quietly.
The teacher turned her head to face the two new students who had just entered the classroom. Her face was filled with shock as she saw Daikoku and Red. After what felt like an eternity of her staring at them, she sprang up and rushed towards them.
"What happened to you two? Why is he so hurt?" The teacher asked, clearly distressed.
"Uh…um…" Daikoku stammered.
Before he could spit out the words the teacher quickly said, "Spit it out already!"
"We…we were attacked on the way here." Daikoku stammered out.
"By who? Who would do this on the first day of school?" The teacher asked desperately.
"It was some big guy with blonde hair," Red explained.
"That's not a lot of information but I'll do my best to administer disciplinary action" She said, now getting angry. "In the meantime you need to get to the nurse as soon as possible!"
"No no it's fine, really," Red said with a smile, "I can make it through the day, I'll go to the nurse afterward."
"What?" The teacher said, seemingly caught off guard.
"I..I've been telling him to but he refuses to go," Daikoku said.
"I'll be ok ma'am," Red said, trying to reassure the teacher.
"Fine, but don't blame any of this on me," She said sternly, "Find your seats and we'll get started."
Daikoku brought Red to the middle, Red pointed at the seat he wanted, middle row, second from the window. Daikoku brought him to it, allowing him to sit down, and then took the seat next to him by the window. As he got situated, the teacher stood behind her desk holding a pamphlet in her hands, looking toward the class.
"Good morning class," The teacher said "I will be your teacher throughout the course of the year. My name is Ms. Shine and I am a descendant of Vör. Now, when I call your name, raise your hand or say here. Anya Wilkerson?"
"Here!" Said a short girl at the front of the class enthusiastically. She had braided brown hair and seemed far younger than she was.
"Conor Clarkson?" Ms. Shine said, looking around the room.
"Here." Said a slight boy in the back of the room, his black hair covering the right side of his face.
"Mary Jin?"
"Here!" A muscular girl said at the far right side of the room.
"Red Hakari?"
Red lifted his hand and softly said "Here."
"You better be going to the nurse after class." Ms. Shine said, staring daggers at Red. "Now where were we? Gremmy Oldsmen?"
"Here." Said a white hair boy towards the middle of the class.
"Daikoku Albasta?"
Daikoku shyly raised his hand "H..Here" He stammered.
"Matthew West?"
"Right here!" A darker-skinned boy said enthusiastically.
"Yuri Kim?"
"Right here!" Shouted a dark haired girl in the front of the class. Yuri looked uncharacteristically younger than everyone else in the room, though she was the same age as the other students.
Attendance continued as normal as she continued to call the names of the class. The class only had 15 students, although it was filled with 30 desks. Ms. Shine set down her pamphlet, with every student marked as present. She moved the bored in front of the classroom, ready to begin her lessons. As she did so, the majority of the class turned to pay attention.
"Ok class," Ms. Shine said, "we are going to begin this year by learning more about our world. Now, I don't just mean the human world that we reside in, I mean the greater cosmology, unfortunately, a large amount of knowledge has been lost so there is only so much I will be able to teach you, but I will be able to provide you with what is important. Now, our great cosmology began with Ouroboros, the infinite serpent that created the laws of the world."
Daikoku was listening intently, or at least he was trying to. He felt exhausted after all that had happened and the lecture was not helping with that fact. His eyelids began to fall but he continued to force them open.
"Now, can anyone tell me what Ouroboros created after creating the laws of the world?" Ms. Shine asked.
Yuri's hand shot up "The four great gods!" She exclaimed confidently. She didn't just look like a child, she acted like one too.
"Correct. To allow the cosmology to thrive, ouroboros created the first four great gods, Buhdah, Azi..." Her voice seemed to trail off.
Daikoku had tried to pay attention but his senses were failing him. Everything seemed to go quite. His eyelids fell over his eyes and he rested his cheek on his hand. He could no longer fight it, quickly succumbing to exhaustion and drifting off to sleep.