Sia's and Jace's reaction when Altair returned was as he had expected. Jace seemed momentarily confused before simply turning his attention away, while Sia nagged on about it for the rest of the day. When Altair made it clear he wouldn't say what he got up to after running off, she sulked and refused to talk to him until the sun rose the next morning, and even then she was still iffy.
Shortly afterwards however, her resentment turned to barely contained giddiness as the start of the school year inched ever closer. After another arduous battle with his tie, Altair and Sia managed to put on their uniforms and left the assigned accommodation, Jace having gone on ahead an hour earlier to prepare his class.
The apartment the siblings stayed in was located on the fifth floor of the Student's Tower, one of the three giant pillars Altair saw when he first arrived at the Academy. The other two towers were for teachers and less important staff respectively. For the matter, each apartment was massive, fully decked out with a kitchen, sitting room, toilets, dining room and pretty much every utility you could imagine.
The two took the elevator down (yes, Orvonia had magic elevators powered by Mana) to the lobby of the apartment block and exited the building. They ran into a magnitude of other students and some staff on the way, most directing a confused gaze towards Altair. Such looks have long since started to go over his head, though Sia seemed miffed by them in his stead.
"People should really learn not to stare" she grumbled. "So what if you're a little young? The world of Ascenders is a place of infinite possibilities and oddities, so they should have seen their own stretch of strangeness."
Altair was torn between feeling touched by her concern or annoyed by Sia admitting he was an oddity in the first place before deciding to speak up for himself. "Mother did say I was the youngest Ascender she has ever heard of. Though the fact she entertained the thought that I Bloomed because I was near you when you did in the first place hints that artificially Blooming young children isn't impossible."
Sia mulled over his words as the duo progressed towards the main building, where classes took place. When the time came to separate, she sighed and turned to him, getting down on her knee to get to eye-level with her brother. This act of convenience slightly irked Altair, as it once again hammered home the fact he was currently a small child. 'At least I am older as Endyr, even if the gender swap is a bit disorientating' he complained. His little reverie was broken however, by his sister's next words.
"Altair, you must be careful. While Sky Cross Academy is meant to be free from infighting, and Le'garde zealously defends this neutral status, corruption is like water: it seeps through even the slightest of cracks. I don't know if nay teacher or faculty has been swayed by opposing parties, but you can't place your life and safety in the hands of others, do you understand me? So while I do hope you make friends and have a good time here, remember to keep your guard up, okay?"
Altair took in her words, before deciding to be slightly cheeky. He opened his eyes and drew upon all the cuteness and humanity within himself as he spoke quietly. "What about you sister? Can't I place my life in your hands?" he questioned innocently, though internally he was rejoicing at the opportunity to get back at Sia for all the pranks she had pulled over the years.
But this joy was squandered immediately when Sia stiffened, before hugging him tightly without a word. Altair froze, completely abashed by what was occurring right now. He had no way of knowing it, but his words had reminded Sia of the times when they had been attacked: once at the mansion and again at Fellise. Both times she had tried to defend her brother but failed or been beaten back. If not for pure luck on both occasions, they would not be here today.
The reaffirmation of her weakness began to torment the young girl, causing her to instinctively clutch her brother tightly, who remained ignorant o0f the trauma he had just unearthed within his older sister.
Eventually, Sia removed herself and smiled at Altair sadly. "I will always try to protect you, but I may not always succeed. So please, take care of your own life too" she asked, her voice steady yet melancholic.
Faced with such a tone, the usual sarcasm and snarkiness within Altair was smothered as he nodded solemnly. "I promise not to put my life at risk sister, and I also promise to protect yours" he stated firmly.
Sia laughed a little at the second half as she stood up. "Thank you for the promise, but I doubt the need will ever arise. Now, go to class. We can meet up at lunchtime later" she instructed, turning away from him and going towards her homeroom. Altair did the same, though guilt made itself known before he could take many steps.
'Even if the Title only appears when I'm Endyr, the fact remains that I am the Abomination and potential seed of the Apocolapyse. All sort will come for me, ranging from Kings to Gods, and they may target those around me. To stop this, I would have no choice but to draw even more attention to myself and myself alone. I am sorry sister, but I don't think I can keep myself away from trouble.'
Altair walked down countless corridors and passed at least a hundred other people as he followed the directions Jace had given him. With an average of 150 students per year, Sky Cross' campus was always bubbling with activity. Adding on the population of teachers, faculty and workers makes it easy to imagine the greater city being filled.
Eventually, he stopped at a certain door and looked at the name plastered on it: Class 1-A Homeroom, Vera Quadreign.
Altair grabbed the handle but paused before twisting it. According to Jace, the letter in the Class marked its prestige and the importance of its inhabitants. Sia had been placed in Class 1-B, and according to Jace, several other Ducal heirs were present too. Yet Altair had been placed in Class A, which was even more elite. His instincts were whispering to him, putting Altair on edge about his placement.
'Why was I put here? Even if Blooming at four years old is incredibly rare, the fact is I should lack actual ability and strength. The people here are the best of the best across the entire Continent, no doubt possessing a massive foundation...why would Sky Cross associate me with them?'
With these doubts and concerns within his mind, Altair pushed open the door and strolled in, taking care to maintain a passive and indifferent expression. The door closed behind him with a slight bang, attracting the gazes of the other students. While there seemed to have been some conversation taking place, it all came to a stop with Altair's entrance.
Six pairs of eyes studied Altair with intrigue or confusion. More than one seemed shaken by his age, nearly causing Altair to break his impassive mask within the first few seconds. 'For the love of whatever Gods you believe in, will you stop looking at me like that?!' he complained loudly in his mind.
At this rate, Altair might just develop a trauma of social attention. Though it wasn't the gazes themselves that upset him. No, it was the fact that condescendence and mockery that often came with it. Altair had taken more than a few strange vessels as a Denizen of Infinity, ones often looked down and spat upon by others. If he wasn't careful, he might just become the target of bullying. The loss of potential friends bothered him none, but at the same time it just seemed like too big a hassle.
Altair seemed to have ignored the possibility of the opposite occurring however: that his young age garnered respect instead of ridicule. After all, even if he artificially Ascended, he could not have Bloomed without a certain (high) level of talent in the first place. Coupled with his positioning in Class A, very few would look down on him during his stay at Sky Cross Academy. Or at least, very few smart people.
Altair ignored all the looks and immediately headed for the back of the class, occupying the window seat. He sat down and opened his bag, pulling out a book about the geography of the Gaia Continent, and began to read silently.
The gazes watching him seemed taken aback by this action, but then decided to just ignore Altair in turn. And thus, the next ten minutes passed with Altair reading, a few talking and others staying quiet. A sudden chime ringing throughout the Academy caused Altair to look up and conversation to cease, as such a noise signified the official start of the school day. Moments later, the door opened and a woman walked through.
With raven black hair, soft yellow eyes and an hourglass figure, she instantly captured all attention in the class. Altair felt involuntarily drawn in, his eyes darting as they took in the beauty before them. It was only after several seconds of staring that he managed to control himself and reel his desires back in.
'This strange aura she carries...is this the power of a high level of Charm?'
Altair had recognised her as Vera Quadreign, homeroom teacher to Class 1-A and apparently a Grandmaster with an S Rank Core. Such a designation placed her stronger than Jace, who only had an A Rank Core, despite them both being Grandmaster. While the affects of a higher Core are less pronounced than the difference between Tiers, once one reaches S and above the gap becomes unimaginable.
Now free of her charm, Altair looked around to see how the other students had handled it. Two girls seemed to have handled it fairly well, with in in particular seemingly never charmed in the first place. Apart from Altair only one other boy had come to his senses. The other three students only snapped out of it once Vera clapped her hands loudly, forcefully dispelling her own charm.
"Greetings students. I am Vera Quadreign, your homeroom teacher for the year. I look forward to teaching you and hope that you will strive for and achieve greatness during your duration at Sky Cross Academy. To begin with, I am going to give a roll call. Please speak up once your name is called."
Vera cleared her throat and summoned a piece of paper from thin air, before looking down to read it. "Zeze Solaria?" she called out.
"Here" responded a girl with frizzy red hair, whom Altair recognised from the opening ceremony. She had been one of the targets of Le'garde's scrutiny alongside himself, automatically causing Altair to place her as a possible threat. She looked slightly older than Sia, with light tanned skin and freckles adoring the bridge of her nose. She gave off a slightly aggressive aura, and her clothes seemed rough and well-worn despite being (as far as he knew) brand new.
"Gordan Willow?"
"Here"
A young boy with soft green hair that fell to his shoulders and bangs. His eyes were brown, and his complexion serene. His exact age was hard to grasp, but he was probably thirteen or fourteen. Altair tagged him as yet another victim of Le'garde's gaze, making him intensely uneasy. After all, it seemed this years Class 1-A was full of potential troublemakers...
"Nezra Ul-Harzar?"
"Present" came the reply of a boy with dirty blonde hair and red eyes. He was sitting slouched in his chair, with a haughty and arrogant air around here. Yet his eyes held a predatory glint, and a murderous disposition tainted his arrogant aura. It seemed directed at both Zeze and Gordan in particular, though the two victims ignored it with impressive normality.
"Nephelae Sentorius?"
"Present, Miss"
Nephelae was a very young girl, the youngest after Altair, who couldn't be older than eight. Her hair was silver-white that seemed to become slightly purple-tinted in the light. Her eyes were a softer shade of amethyst than Sia's and Raphaniel's, and she wore a serene and utterly indifferent expression. Altair instinctively knew that getting a reaction from her would be nearly impossible, and was also startled to realise his usual ability to read people failed to penetrate her. She was also one of the two girls unbothered by Vera's charms earlier.
He marked her s dangerous, but for a different reason to Zeze and Gordan: quiet people were often the most unpredictable, and he felt a great deal of danger from her, more so than Nezra. While the blonde felt like he could claim Altair's life, this little frail girl filled him with a deeper, more primordial fear: death was far from the worst thing she could afflict on him.
"Elizabeth Tortaga?"
"I'm here" said a girl with blue hair and glasses. She wore an aura that just screamed scholar, and her black eyes held a glint of mischief within them. Her posture was relaxed but not disrespectful, and she was gazing at Vera with open admiration.
"Ophelia Augustus?"
At this name, every student, including Altair turned to look at a girl sitting at the very front of the class. Her bright golden hair and green eyes paired nicely with her crystalline facial features, making here seem like an Angel come down to Orvonia. She remained steady under the gazes of her fellow students and answered in a clear and soothing voice, like that of a swan's. "Present, Miss Quadreign."
Altair subconsciously ran his tongue over his teeth. Ophelia Augustus...with that name, her identity was obvious. A member of the Augustus Royal Family, rulers of the Gaia Continent. She was the only one who's actual identify and reason for being in this Class he knew, as being Royalty obviously dictated such a measure of prestige.
"Altair Atrazark?"
At his own name, Altair straightened up slightly and answered. Upon learning his identity, all the gazes in the room swivelled from Ophelia to him. Even the Princess looked over at him, her eyes containing an unknown but deep emotion. Altair nearly broke out into a cold sweat under the intense gazes of his classmates. In particular, the gazes of Zeze, Gordan and Nezra burned into him.
'What is this about?!'
At that moment, Altair felt like he was in a lion's den rather than a classroom and had to actively fight down the urge to flee or unleash his Mana. His instincts, which had been silently tugging at him, were blaring at full force. He was in danger, but knowing this did nothing to help stop it.
"Alexander Legendry?"
Several seconds passed, but no one spoke up. Vera took her eyes of the ledger and scanned the classroom, but everyone within it had already answered. She furrowed her brows and looked towards the door just as it swung open. A youth walked, no, "swaggered", in the door and raised his hand mockingly. "Here I am, Teach. Sorry I'm late, I had to shake the girls outta my bed."
The mouths of everyone present dropped, including Altair's. Not only was this boy late, he was blatantly disrespecting Vera Quadreign to her face! In his mind, Altair was betting on how long this boy would live, with the bet ranging from 3 to 10 seconds. Yet his brain was quick to catch on to what the teacher had just said.
'Alexander Legendry. As in, the scion of House Legendry, a Ducal House of the Gaia Continent and heir to perhaps the greatest powerhouse in the land, whose might was unknown even to the Royal Family? That Alexander Legendry?!'
Alexander had black hair that was somehow even darker than Vera's and skin like a porcelain doll. His features were maddeningly handsome, yet also ambiguous. Much like Altair's own, Alexander would have no trouble pretending to be a girl. A perpetual smirk played on his lips, and his whole figure emanated pride. His arrogance dwarfed Nezra's by a wide margin, something that caused the blonde boy to scowl.
Yet as Altair continued to gaze upon this new arrival, he turned to him and stared directly at him. His eyes bored into Altair's own, bright eyes that swirled like molten gold...