**Kaiho's First Encounter at Orchids Academy**
The announcement echoed through the station: *[Orchids station. The gates will open on the right.]*
Kaiho turned to Mikoto. "So, what are you gonna do now?"
"I'll be heading home," she said, pulling out her phone. "But how about a picture for your first day of school?"
*Click.*
"Bye," Kaiho waved.
"Bye," Mikoto responded, her voice soft and full of pride.
As Kaiho turned to leave the station, he noticed the weight on his back. "Who is this guy... and why does he have a person on his back?" a voice grumbled in annoyance.
"This is quite embarrassing," said the unknown voice.
"I'm not that proud of this either," Kaiho responded, irritation creeping into his voice.
"Then just put me down!" the voice snapped.
"I can't," Kaiho retorted.
"Are you dumb? Just put me down!" The voice, now clearly frustrated, huffed.
Kaiho sighed inwardly. "This guy annoys me," he muttered to himself.
---
**Five Minutes Earlier**
As Kaiho made his way towards the academy entrance, he spoke to himself, still wrapping his head around everything. "Weird to think I'm going to school again... as a college student. And even weirder to think gods go to school."
"It's an academy," a gloomy voice suddenly interrupted.
Kaiho blinked, startled, and turned to see a figure slouched against the academy wall. "Uh... hi," he greeted awkwardly.
The figure glanced up, clearly uninterested in conversation. "I guess you're Kaiho... the Omni King's son?"
"Yeah. And you are?"
"My name's Lesser."
Kaiho squinted at him, curiosity piqued. "Hey, are you also a first year?"
"Yeah," Lesser replied flatly.
"So, what are you doing here?" Kaiho asked, noticing the guy didn't seem like he was in a rush.
"I'm just too tired to move," Lesser sighed.
Kaiho looked around, trying to hide his disbelief. "How long have you been sitting here?"
"One hour and 32 minutes," Lesser responded, almost bored. "Now would you leave me alone?"
Kaiho thought to himself, *My first day at this academy and I meet a weird guy.*
But something caught his eye—Lesser's leg. It was bandaged, and clearly not well-hidden.
"Your leg... what happened?" Kaiho asked, concern creeping into his voice.
Lesser quickly covered it up. "That's none of your business."
"Let me help you," Kaiho said, ignoring Lesser's protest.
"Hey, put me down!" Lesser shouted as Kaiho hoisted him up, carrying him toward the academy's infirmary. "Hey, hey, hey! Are you listening?"
---
**Present Time**
As they arrived at the nurse's office, the nurse took a quick glance at Lesser. "Your friend's fine."
"He's not my friend," both Kaiho and Lesser said at the same time, making the nurse stifle a laugh.
"Don't you have a new student assembly to get to?" the nurse reminded Kaiho.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot! I've got to go!" Kaiho shouted as he sprinted out of the office.
As he dashed down the hallway toward the assembly, both Kaiho and Lesser thought the same thing. *That guy was annoying.*
"Good morning, everyone. My name is Odin, All-Father, former king of Asgard," Odin's voice echoed through the hall.
Kaiho, unable to contain himself, muttered, "Just when I thought it wouldn't get crazier..."
"Silence, young man," Odin commanded, his eyes piercing through the crowd.
"Sorry," Kaiho apologized quickly, feeling the weight of the stares as everyone turned to look at him.
Dove looks at kaiho from afar " that guy "
"F... now everyone is looking at me," he muttered under his breath.
Odin cleared his throat, regaining the crowd's attention. "Ahem... Ahem... Attention, everyone. You are the 4th generation of gods, soon to be born from the Orchids this year. This generation is quite different from the previous ones because, for the first time, we have allowed non-golden blood to join."
Kaiho leaned toward his friend, whispering, "What's non-golden blood?"
"Shush!" the crowd hissed at him.
Odin, however, overheard and calmly explained, "It's alright. Golden blood refers to those who carry the blood of the gods. But this year is different—this year, new gods are meant to rise. The gods have been disappearing."
"What?!" The room erupted into panic, the air filled with tension as students murmured in disbelief.
As Odin's words settled in, a wave of confusion and unease spread through the assembly.
"Gods... going missing?" someone muttered from the crowd, their voice laced with disbelief.
Kaiho's mind raced. *Gods going missing? What does that mean?* His confusion was interrupted by the sudden buzz of murmurs around him.
Odin raised his hand, and the hall fell silent once again. "Yes, this is not something we can take lightly. Over the past few decades, several gods from various realms have disappeared without a trace. Our world is in turmoil, and the balance between realms is faltering."
The tension in the room was palpable, but Odin's voice remained steady and commanding. "That is why we, the High Council, have opened Orchid Academy to those outside of the 'Golden Bloodlines.' We believe that this new generation—whether of divine origin or not—holds the key to our survival."
Kaiho's thoughts drifted as he processed the enormity of Odin's revelation. *I came here so I could obtain power … so I could protect those two I don't care about anything else *
He glanced around at his fellow students. Some looked terrified, others intrigued, but everyone shared a sense of bewilderment.
Odin continued, "The academy's mission is not just to train gods, but to prepare you for the possibility of war—a war against an enemy we don't yet understand. Your journey here is just beginning, and it will not be easy."
Kaiho whispered under his breath, "Great, as if I didn't have enough on my plate already..."
Suddenly, a booming voice rang out from the crowd. "How do we know we can trust you? What if the gods are hiding something?"
The hall went deathly silent again as all eyes turned toward the source of the voice. Kalki arms crossed defiantly glaring from the corner .
Odin stared at him calmly. "Your skepticism is not unwarranted, young one. Trust must be earned, and I assure you, the academy and the council will reveal all in time. But for now, the priority is preparing for what's to come."
The assembly quieted down again, and Odin concluded, "Classes will begin tomorrow. Prepare yourselves. This academy may be your last line of defense—and your only hope to understand the power within you."
As Odin stepped down from the podium, Kaiho leaned back in his chair, overwhelmed. He glanced at Lesser, who was sitting nearby, just as bewildered.
"Looks like things just got a whole lot more complicated," Kaiho muttered.
A guy wearing a blood-red leather jacket, with fair skin and black hair streaked with dark red highlights, and a few strands of golden hair at the front, stepped forward confidently. The crowd buzzed with whispers.
"That's Merlin, the Great Sage," someone murmured. "Some say he's almost as powerful as the Omni King."
Merlin raised a hand, his voice calm but commanding. "Calm down, kids. While there's a possibility of war, it's the worst-case scenario. I don't see that happening anytime soon."
A female student with black hair and green highlights raised her hand. "You must be Yashoda, the one who came second," Merlin remarked.
Yashoda nodded, her voice steady, "Like you said, war might not be a possibility. So, what do you expect of us?"
Merlin smiled slightly, appreciating the directness. "Nice question and straight to the point. We're lacking staff, so all we need from you is to assist the gods. Think of it as being a helping hand—take care of the small fries while the adults handle the big problems."
Yashoda narrowed her eyes slightly. "Is that truly all?"
"Yeah," Merlin confirmed, his tone unwavering.
"Thank you," Yashoda replied, She nodded, her sharp gaze showing she wasn't entirely convinced, but she sat back down, satisfied for now.
Merlin then smiled, a knowing glint in his eyes. "I see many of you are skeptical, and that's good. You should be. While our task for you now is to assist and learn, don't think for a moment that you won't face real dangers. There's a reason you were all chosen, golden blood or not."
The crowd's unease returned slightly, but Merlin's commanding presence kept it from escalating.
"You may not see it yet," Merlin continued, his tone shifting to something more serious, "but each of you has a role to play. The world of gods is complex, and sometimes, it's the 'small fries' that cause the biggest problems. Stay alert, learn everything you can, and be ready. You never know when you might need to step up."
Merlin gave a final glance around the room, locking eyes with a few students before saying, "That's all for now. You'll be briefed further during your classes. And remember—trust in your abilities, because we're all going to need them."
With that, Merlin stepped back, and the assembly slowly began to disperse.
" Man I am tired I wanna go back home "said kaiho