"Oh man, I'm really not gonna get used to this..."
Petro remarked as he was still dumbfounded at how remarkable the hall actually looked. There were staff in special and ordained suits handing out snacks to other students and their guardian teachers, all the other students looked more presentable than Petro by a longshot too which didn't help his case. He felt and he was most definitely out of place, a country bumpkin like him did NOT belong to one of the most prestigious schools in all of the country. His face was grim and nervous, he wanted to backtrack and go back to his house and yell "Mom, I regret it all!".
The ever-observant Hugo Schepp once again observed Petro and knew exactly what went through the young adult's mind. He used his left arm to give a slight forward push to Petro's back, stopping him from backtracking. Hugo wouldn't want this young and promising talent from being scared off by school etiquette after all.
"Now, Petro, do calm yourself. I will admit that this can seem a bit intimidating for city outsiders but, please do understand that this is just tradition here in the University. As an upcoming student in the University of Arkangel, the Headmaster only wants to provide the best first impression for the best students! So no need to be afraid, I'm sure you'll make plenty of friends here!"
A warm hand was placed on Petro's shoulders and he looked up to see Hugo giving him an assuring and inviting smile, welcoming him to the world of the mages. Petro gave back a half-smile, it was all he could muster from his nervousness but he still tried to express gratitude.
Suddenly, another teacher talked to Hugo and his face turned to one of worry and angst, he looked back at Petro and spoke.
"Petro, I'll be off for a while, teacher stuff y'know? There's no other teacher to replace you but...you'll be fine! Yeah, you'll be fine...just go up to a teacher or a student and ask them something if you're wondering about something, ok? If I don't come back in time for your ceremony, just head to Seat 67. I'll be gone now!"
Hugo's face did not match up to his so-called "teacher business" that he had to tend to but Petro couldn't really object to that, he was a staff member of the school after all. Also, what does he mean by Seat 67? As much as he hated it, he'll have to endure this ceremony alone for the time being.
He'll just take Professor Hugo's advice and behave, y'know. And he stayed like that!...for about 5 more minutes because everyone got called to the main room of the hall. It got a bit crowded and messy and the security had to get everyone back in line and as they were letting each student and their assigned guardian one by one, one student stood out from the rest.
"Hold it, where's your guardian?" The security guard barred Petro's entrance to the room where the students gathered. Petro snapped out of his worries and looked nervously at the security guards.
"Uh...he kind of went off to do some...business..." Petro sounded incredibly suspicious, which did not help his case at the very least. He gulped as he looked away nervously, no way the guards believed that.
"Uh-huh, sure buddy. Where's your guardian? Every student is assigned one. If they're not here then we can't let you in. For all we know you can just be some random kid that stole a uniform!
"I promise he's here! He left me because of his work! He works here! Please let me in..." Petro started to bargain with the guards as his anxiety rose as students stared at him.
"If he DOES work here, then what's his name?" The security guard asked with a stern expression, he was willing to hear Petro out.
"He's a Professor I think...Professor Hugo Schepp, yeah him. He's supposed to be my guardian..."
The guards looked at each other with a surprised expression and suddenly, they looked back at Petro. This time, all smiles.
"U-uh, right this way sir. You're in..." The 2 smiled as they eagerly invited Petro inside, shocking Petro. What was that for?
The room was massive, it was ornate with large crystal chandeliers floating from the ceiling. There were many comfy and padded seats in the room with one massive stage with a podium in the middle. There were 5 other chairs behind said podium with some rather intimidating individuals seating there.
The 1st one looked to be a woman in her mid-30s wearing a white buttoned up coat decorated with gold trimmings. She had a smile painted on her face but her eyes told a different story. Those scarlet eyes were like a tigress, cold, calculating, and hungry. Her short silver hair rounded all her features up, she was not one to be trifled.
The 2nd person was a man Petro actually knew. He was a certified Tritonian prodigy after all. Niko Blackburn was a young 21 year old mage who had risen through the ranks of the University after graduating thanks to his immense magical power. He had curly and unkempt teal hair and white eyes that were on the verge of closing as he wanted to go to sleep. He wore a long dark blue trench coat with gold buttons and gold trimmings, under that was a simple red shirt and pants. The 1st woman sat to the left and smacked him on the head to wake him up which resulted in him snapping back awake.
The 3rd seat, was surprisingly empty. Petro wondered who was the one supposed to be sitting there.
The 4th seat had a rather intimidating figure sat on it. Compared to the woman, he was easily the most intimidating. He looked to be a middle-aged man with a beard, he appeared to be in his mid to late 40s as his brown hair had white stripes running through it. He wore a green trench coat with black buttons and gold sewn shoulder pads. He had a black shirt under that with a white shirt underneath them all, topped off with a tie. He had a black cane with a gold handle and he carried with him a noble composure, the sign of a gentleman.
The 5th and final seat had the least intimidating figure of them all. A woman in her mid-20s and was also a prodigy like Niko Blackburn. Sylvia Heathwood was from the same village as Petro and so he admired her intensely. Petro considered himself her biggest fan and he even had a crush on her at one point. Her curly hair was long and purple, she had purple eyes to boot and she wore a dark purple blazer with gold buttons. Underneath was a simple blue vest with gold buttons and a maroon skirt. She seemed more of a student than Petro was with her outfit.
After observing the rather prestigious people at the stage, he found his seat and made his way over.
"Seat 67 huh...? Alright then..."
Petro took a seat in the padded seat, it was as good as he thought it would be. Not only was the padding comfortable, the idea that he finally managed to get into the school and now has a real shot to be able to be a great mage like he always wanted, it fills him with determination.
His daydreams were cut shortly as he found someone else sitting to the seat next to him without a guardian, a female student wearing the same robes as him. She had short dark blue hair and yellow eyes which had the same ferocity as the silver haired woman on stage. He didn't wanna get it mixed up, he found her quite attractive but those eyes caused him to stare more, lost and filled with curiosity about that hunger filled gaze. Eventually, he had to look away and he did so fast as the girl caught him.
"Kuh! The audacity these people have to sit me next to these creeps..." The girl muttered under her breath.
Petro understood, what was he thinking? He got so lost in her eyes and features that he literally forgot how to be a decent human being, he turned again to apologize profusely but her next statement caught him off guard.
"I'm so sorry for stari-"
"Seriously, why am I here sat with underlings..." She pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head with disapproval. That statement alone made something snap inside Petro.
"Excuse me...underlings? Are you referring to other students like me as underlings?" Petro asked with an insulted tone.
"And? What's it to you? I'll let you know that you are talking to a noble." She remarked fiercely, giving him a cold and piercing stare which only highlighted her arrogance, stoling the fire inside Petro.
"Hey, we're all students here. I don't give a damn if you got mad at me staring, but you need to seriously get a reality check so you can stop insulting other stude-"
Petro and the voices of other students are cut off by loud boots stepping on the stage as all 4 of the people sitting, stood up. Even Niko, who looked rather sleepy as he stood up reluctantly. The girl sat next to him scoffed at Petro before looking on with eagerness at the stage. Petro also stopped talking as he started paying attention. The ceremony looked like it was about to begin after all.
2 people came out of the hallways to the side of the stage. One of which surprised Petro very much. It was none other than his guardian, Professor Hugo Schepp. But...how? Petro thought that he had business to tend to, and yet he's here in the ceremony?!
Hugo walked to the middle wearing a brown blazer with a red sweater below and a tie to cap things off. He had a rather serious expression painted on his face but when he saw Petro in the crowd, he gave a warm and encouraging smile.
The next person to walk out was a man who looked no older than Petro. He wore a long white coat with gold trimmings and he gave off a goofy, and yet somehow, a professional impression of himself at the same time. He had a smile plastered on his face as he stepped up to the podium and started to speak. Was...was this it?
"Greetings, students and faculty! I would like to welcome you all to the 173rd Annual Arkangel Enrolment Ceremony!"
The students and faculty all cheered and clapped, the girl sat next to Petro however looked a bit bored and clapped nonchalantly.
"Come on, come on! Get to the good part already, skip the formalities." She spoke, quickly getting impatient with all the boring talk.
"First off, I'd like to say congratulations to all the young souls that have entered our fine University, you are all now welcome to the family! I am of course your Headmaster, Orius Arathine and I am so excited to get this ceremony underway! We have broken and reached a new record as we now have the most amount of students entering the school in our long history! A cause for celebration indeed!" Headmaster Orius cheered, he clapped very fast and had such an excited expression that Petro thought he'd start jumping up and down the stage, the thought of which made him chuckle a bit.
"But, the ceremony has only just begun. Because as any good university, the University of Arkangel is here...to give you your very own magic." Headmaster Orius spoke as the students started murmuring and cheering in excitement. Petro can't believe it, it's finally time. He's finally about to get his very own magic and he'll finally be a real mage! The girl besides him finally looked to be interested as she leaned over and looked on with curiousity and delight.
"Before that however, why don't we give a rundown of the history of magic in this country? Professor Hugo, please step up to the podium." Headmaster Orius turned and nodded at the middle aged professor. He got down the podium and took a seat in Hugo's seat as Hugo got up to speak to the podium. Petro was excited to hear Hugo speak, he had no clue he was such an important person in the school!
"Long ago..."
____________________________________________
15 minutes earlier
Hugo Schepp was led into a secret backroom of the Main Hall, he had a grim expression painted on his face as he knew exactly where they were headed to.
He along with the faculty member arrived in a white, ornate door. The 2 men in front of the door nodded and Hugo Schepp was led inside.
Inside, Hugo saw Headmaster Orius Arathine and another man. The other man was tall and ornate with a white and gold cape wrapping around him. He wore a blue and red military uniform and had a mustache to pair with his gruff, aged look.
"General Richard Lythorpe, it is an honor sir." Hugo said as he gave a 2 finger salute, the standard salute of the country of Tritonia. The general nodded, signalling him to be at ease.
"Gentlemen, I have called you here to tell you to keep alert, for there may be a crisis unfolding in our country." General Lythorpe spoke with a gruff and heavy voice.
"What could this crisis be, o General?" Hugo questioned, as serious as ever about this situation. Meanwhile the Headmaster kept listening.
"One of the King's Royal Guardsmen, Balthir Azaleth, was found dead at the bottom of a cliff in Vagabond Valley. 8 other Guardsmen were found dead at the top of the cliff. Balthir is a skilled officer, the perpetrator is obviously a very skilled mage for him to be able to kill 8 Guardsmen, let alone Balthir himself." The General spoke once more, with a heavy heart.
"And...why does this concern my University?" Headmaster Orius spoke, coming off as an insult but he assures the General he meant no such thing.
"All but one of the Guardsmen died in that battle, one managed to escape, albeit heavily wounded. He said that the fighter was unlike any mage he'd ever fought. He had special magic, something Twisted..." That last word hit Hugo with shock and the Headmaster's eyes open wide.
"The surviving guard claimed that his fellow soldiers were "swallowed up in darkness". Sound familiar, Headmaster?"
Hugo's face still remains fixed in absolute shock and terror. The Headmaster looks down with a serious and gloomy expression.
"There is one last piece of information, Headmaster. We know that this man is trying to get some sort of powerful ability, something that will let him control Tritonia, maybe even the entirety of Aesthelia. And I believe his first target, is here in Arkangel. We are already investigating the event, but that is all, you know how to contact me, do so when something related to this crisis happens." The General spoke before leaving the room.
"Headmaster! We must suspend the ceremony and start investigating! What could this mean for the city-"
"It will mean nothing Hugo."
"What?" The reply stuns Hugo dead in his tracks, what does the Headmaster mean? There's an incredibly powerful mage looking to take over the country, with Arkangel being the first target and yet...the Headmaster doesn't care?
"The ceremony will continue as intended. There is no visible threat to be seen so there is no viable reason to suspend the ceremony. We will leave the investigating to the Army."
"But sir-"
"No but's, Hugo. Go up on that stage and prepare yourself for the ceremony. If something happens related to that mage, I'll deal with it."
Hugo is cut off but is too stunned to reply again and so he looks down and goes up to the stage, prepared to do as he is told.
The Headmaster turns and watches him leave before he turns around and slams his fists on a table in anger, his face filled with rage.
"Not again, I won't let something threaten my students again! I will handle this, I will most certainly handle this. I will find that mage and I will absolutely obliterate him, with my own two hands." The Headmaster's eyes are filled with that same spark of determination in Petro's eyes, but this time it's more hungry, more carnal.
"For my students." The Headmaster composes himself and fixes his tie before putting on a smile and getting up on stage, the students' loud chatter being very evident.