Altair opened his eyes with a groan, greeted by the same dark alleyway he lost consciousness in. With a quick scan, he confirmed that "he" was a "he" once again. Still slightly dazed by what had just transpired, Altair stood up and hurried back to where he and Sia were staying. By now, a few hours had passed and he was sure Sia and Jace were wondering where he was. So preoccupied was he that Altair failed to realise three things.
First, the raven that stood on the rooftops above, watching since an unknown time and having gleamed unspecified information. After Altair left the alley, the raven cawed ands took flight, travelling towards the heart of the Academy campus. Second was the absence of the System, who's presence seemed to have suddenly diminished within himself. And third was that our young protagonist no longer referred to himself as "Endyr", but rather "Altair"...
...
Within the tallest spire of the campus was a magnificent office. The walls and floor were adorned with gold and various precious metals, with beautiful paintings and meticulously crafted statues aplenty. Numerous artefacts that any half-baked appraiser could label as priceless were scattered around the room too, each erected on a marble pedestal. Yet all these pieces of splendour were covered in dust and seemingly neglected. From the state of these pieces, one could gather the owner of this office did not appreciate the artwork stationed there, a strange thought granted the presence of them in the first place.
Said owner was sitting at his desk, looking over a pile of papers with a bored expression. His dark navy hair fell beyond his ears, and a pair of half-moon spectacle perched precariously on the edge of his nose. A pair of striking amethyst eyes surveyed the words in front of him with casual indolence, his posture slouched against the chair he lay in. His entire posture radiated sloth, and the messy desk in front of him only exaggerated the feeling.
This man was none other than Le'garde, Headmaster of Sky Cross Academy and a Sovereign Tier existence with a past dating all the way back to the 4th Era, a man who had witnessed the rise of ,modern day Gods and may one day join "Them" in the future. But we are getting ahead of ourselves there, and as of right now Le'garde is simply doing some paperwork. Or at least he was, until his communicator lit up.
With a click, a light-blue gemstone shone and a figure shot up from it, a full body projection. Le'garde looked at the projection impassively before narrowing his eyes. "Dondarrion. It's not exactly my pleasure to talk to you so soon once more, not to mention the fact I never gave you permission to start a call on your own accord. Care to explain?"
The man-Dondarrion-simply shrugged his shoulders in response. The projection showed him as a man around his thirties with chocolate skin, matted black hair and hazel eyes. He wore a simple robe and sash painted gold and white, with a symbol of blazing sun attached to his chest. Dondarrion revealed a toothy smile at Le'garde's snarky question and replied in kind.
"It's something of an emergency, Mr Headmaster. My superiors were worried about how our protégé was settling in. They have never gone to an institute such as this, you see, and we are simply worried about them."
Le'garde rolled his eyes and yawned loudly, causing Dondarrion's eyes to twitch slightly. "Spare me your sophistry, priest. Zeze has settled in just fine, following your orders to the letter. And before you inevitable ask, Gordan and and the other Churchlings have followed suite. There should be no problems, especially since these children were raised by the Churches themselves, hmm?"
At the thinly-veiled mockery, Dondarrion snorted and dropped the last of his façade. "That attitude of yours needs some correcting Le'garde. Just because you survived the 4th Era does not grant you the rights to disparage the Churches. Remember your place, before we are forced to do so for you."
Silence fell throughout the office after Dondarrion's threat, one eventually broken by a gentle chuckle originating from Le'garde. It gradually built momentum, before bursting out in full-blown laughter. Le'garde threw his head and body back, tilting the chair and holding one hand to his mouth in a vain attempt to stifle his laughter. Dondarrion looked on in confusion at this act, before stiffening in place with a face of shock.
Le'garde lowered his hand and gazed directly at Dondarrion, purple hues flickering deep within his eyes. The air around him seemed to contort strangely, and the hologram of Dondarrion flickered dangerously. "Where are you now, priest? I imagine somewhere deep within the halls of the Sky Palace, guarded by many talismans and arrays. But you should have realised by now that they are of no help, no?"
Dondarrion expression contorted horribly, as he tried to disconnect the call but failed. Panic gradually consumed him as he realised Le'garde had him completely ensnared in whatever spell he had just cast. Panic gave way to terror however, when Le'garde slowly began clenching his fist, causing a great pain to grip the man. With each passing second, Dondarrion felt like his insides were slowly being crushed, and blood bubbled up in his throat. Just as the hue of death began to cloud his vision, Dondarrion managed to croak out one last line.
"The Gods will kill you for this!" he groaned, the words straining to escape his bloodied lips. Yet it seemed to do the job, as Le'garde relaxed his hand and Dondarrion felt the force pressed upon his body recede. He took many deep breathes, his heart hammering in his chest, before collecting himself. He glared at his tormentor with undisguised hatred. "My superiors will hear of this, you blasphemer! Mark my words, you will regret this!" he spat.
Le'garde merely looked at him cold before sighing. "It seems you do not fully understand, so let me be generous and explain it to you. Shamash and Dymistios will have care, nor would they have cared if I had actually killed you just now. Sol and Zephyr would barely look my way if I burned the Sky Palace to the ground, let alone killed a mere bishop. So go, prattle away and be dismissed as a fool. The only reason I have not killed you is because I would have to do the paperwork afterwards, the only 'punishment' I would receive."
Dondarrion stared, mouth agape, as Le'garde candidly explained his reasons for sparing his life. "You lie blasphemer! No matter how old or great you are, you are merely a Sovereign Tier being! Lord Shamash and Lord Dymistios are both Supremes, far above the likes of you! The Gods are the greatest presence in this world, and no one can resist "Their" splendour!"
Le'garde let out yet another sigh as he rubbed his forehead. "I forgot Sky Palace clergy are fanatics" he bemoaned, feeling his previous explanation went over Dondarrion's head, making it a waste of effort. He then leaned forward and grasped the communication gem tightly, staring directly in Dondarrion's eyes.
"Forget it, you were not born in the 4th Era, so you are not qualified to know how the balance of power has shifted. Be content with your ignorance, for that is all you shall be left with" Le'garde stated, as he clenched his hand holding the communicator. Before Dondarrion could respond, the gem cracked, causing the man's apparition to vanish with a stricken howl of pain. Le'garde cast the gem aside with a look of disgust as he picked up the papers he dropped upon Dondarrion's arrival. His eyes narrowed as he reads them, his lips curling downwards with each name he came across.
[List of special students]
[Sia Atrazark: Firstborn of Raphaniel Atrazark and Antoine Hyppiliote, inheriting her father's Lineage more so than her mother's. A premature Bloomer, her potential is believed to be amongst the highest of this generations Magi. Assigned to Class 1-B.]
[Lucas Gregorio: The scion of House Gregorio, who has been placed in Class 1-B.]
[Joshua Melvix: The scion of House Melvix, who has been placed in Class 1-B.]
[Kathline Ornstein: The scion of House Ornstein, who has been placed in Class 1-B.]
........
[Zeze Solaria: A member of the Sky Palace and protégée of both Shamash and Dymistios. She has inherited the Lineage of both Sol and Zephyr, and has been trained in the art of combat since a young age. Assigned to Class 1-A.]
[Gordan Willow: A member of the Harvest Diocese, he has been groomed as the successor to the Dendron Church and received the Blessing of Dendron "Himself". He has been assigned to Class 1-A.]
[Nezra Ul-Harzar: A suspected member of the Blood Coven, he has shown exceptional potential for Fire, Blood and Destruction type Skills and Techniques. His Level is also unusually high for his age, further implying his connection to the Blood Coven. Due to the sensitivity of the his origins, he has been placed in Class 1-A, so both the teacher and his fellow classmates may keep an eye on him.]
[Nephelae Sentorius: A member of the Floating City, she has inherited the Lineage of Chanteur and has the highest Rank out of all the first years. Due to her nature of belonging to an "officially" illegal organization, she has been placed in Class 1-A to both protect her and keep an eye on her.]
[Elizabeth Tortaga: A member of the Illuminative Ascetic Order, she has inherited the Lineage of Ingrid and had the highest theoretical exam scores of all the first years. Due to her nature of belonging to an "officially" illegal organization, she has been placed in Class 1-A to both protect her and keep an eye on her.]
[Alexander Legendry: The scion of House Legendary, he has the highest overall exam score amongst the first years. He has been placed in Class 1-A.]
[Ophelia Augustus: The third princess of the Augustus Royal Family, she has displayed remarkable wit and tactical prowess, along with a natural affinity to almost every type of Technique. She has been placed in Class 1-A.]
[Altair Atrazark: The second child of House Atrazark, who has inherited a pure Lineage from each of his parents and Ascended at the age of 4. He is suspected to be the current Abomination by the Churches and Gods, making him a precarious object to handle. It is recommended the Academy expels Altair Atrazark at the soonest opportunity.]
Le'garde gazed at the last profile, showing a young child with red hair and golden eyes. He frowned and tapped his finger against the table repeatably, before turning away from the desk and directing his gaze towards a painting hanging on the wall. It depicted a man resembling a young Le'garde and another figure, one with white hair and eyes that smouldered in purple fire. He stared at the painting for a long time, before turning back to the profile in his hands.
With a swipe of the finger, the words on the paper changed to something new. The mention of Lineages, Abominations and expulsions were removed, with with six new words replacing them.
[Altair Atrazark: Assigned to Class 1-A.]