Kaido and his older sister walked through the doors of the Second Male Dormitory. As soon as they entered, he raised an eyebrow. It was much bigger inside than out, similar to the black tent but on a far larger scale.
Looking around, Kaido saw banners hanging from the black and gold walls. Numerous logos and designs were on them along with some family crests. He even saw his own on one of them. Older students could be seen going here and there, sometimes being followed by a small Tamed monster or beast. Many had books in their hands or floating around them on all sorts of subjects. He even saw one that said, 'Eromancy! Learn to pleasure your partner and bring them to the Nine Heavens of Ectasy! Do it the right way, today!'.
In the middle of the lobby, all the newer students were surrounding a man who wore white robes with black trim. The difference between him and the other seniors was the band around his arm, signifying his status as the Prefect. Raeve led the way and directly ignored him, walking towards the elevator up. The Prefect noticed this and called out.
"Excuse me! All new students must-" Suddenly, she snapped at him, little orbs of blue fire appearing around her which soon transformed into flaming hissing snakes.
"Shut the fuck up or I'll roast you alive you retarded limp dicked bastard!" Her loud voice silenced the entire lobby, all eyes on her as Kaido simply chuckled. The Prefect shrunk back in fear, knowing her threat was quite real. She had a very… bad reputation.
"S-Sorry..."
Seeing him back down, Raeve smiled triumphantly and continued on, head held high as the snakes glared at the Prefect one last time before disappearing in a flash of blue light. Inside the elevator, she pressed the button for the top floor and the doors closed, leaving the both of them alone.
"How has your time been here?" While waiting, Kaido decided to pass the time with some light conversation.
"Fine I guess. Sometimes it can be boring, but other times it's fun. Like the Gathering which was awesome. Trust me, you'll have a good time here." He knew what she was referring to, because she was basically the only person besides his mother that knew how bad he really was.
Despite that, she still cared for him dearly and accepted him. How could he not love her for that?
"What about you though? Got any new girlfriends I should know about?" She teased him and seemed a little nonchalant. However, Kaido had a keen eye and could see a hint of something she tried to hide.
'Nervous and jealousy? Now why would she feel like that?' But he didn't make his thoughts known.
"Nothing like that. No one seems worthy." His words were arrogant, but Raeve agreed with them. Only the very best should be with her little brother.
At the same time, she heaved a silent sigh of relief as the doors opened. The floor they had arrived on was a little barren, with only a dozen students around despite over a few hundred doors. The reason for this was simple. This floor, and the three below it, were for noblemen only. Nobles had their own rooms and didn't have to share with anyone. Commoners on the other hand usually had three other roommates, sometimes making the place crowded. But this was the difference in status and wealth. Some were just born luckier.
After walking down the hallway, they eventually reached Kaido's dorm room. Raeve handed the papers back to him and explained.
"Take this paper and place your finger on the red circle there." He did as she said and felt a little prick on his finger, as if poked by something.
Suddenly, the paper in his hands glowed lightly and swiftly transformed into a golden key with his room number carved into it. It wasn't difficult for him to figure out what happened. The paper took his blood and made it recognize him as the owner.
Hearing Raeve impatiently tap the floor with her foot, he unlocked the door. She casually barged in as he smiled and followed after her, closing the door behind him. Without him doing a thing, it immediately locked as Runes appeared on the front and back of the door.
"Sound Proofing, Denied Entry, Alarm. That door has all kinds of good shit carved into it. High level stuff so not any random loser can break in all willy nilly." She explained as she plopped down on the couch and kicked her feet up on the table, as if the place belonged to her. Seeing him stare at her, she grinned cockily. Almost saying 'What are you gonna do about it?'.
Kaido simply ignored her, making her pout, and began exploring his new place. It was decently sized, nothing too extravagant like he was used too though. A basic kitchen, main and guest bedrooms, sizeable shower that could hold four people, and a study that had more Runes carved into the walls. There was even a computer given by the Academy in the study. Though, he would never use such lower tier trash. He'd much rather rely on his custom built one which would arrive in a few days time.
When he arrived in the bedroom once more and lied down, he let out a somewhat exhausted breath. Suddenly, the bed shifted as Raeve joined. Right next to him to be exact.
"Tired?" She asked, her hand gently moving througu his hair. A loving smile was on her face as he spoke up.
"A little. The ride over here, speaking with those insufferable morons, and the fact it's late in general." He wasn't wrong, the sun was already beginning to set. The clock on the wall read 7:30pm.
"I can get out of your hair if you want?" She tried to come off naturally, as if it didn't bother her.
But Kaido could tell she wanted to stay. And that's exactly what he wanted as well. After all, his relationship with her was the strongest out of everyone in their family.
"How long can you stay?" Happy with his answer, she bounced on the bed like a child as she answered.
"As long as I want. Though, if it's past ten I can't go out and have to stay here. Curfew sucks. Anyway, have you eaten yet?" Kaido's eyes finally opened as he sat up.
"Not yet. Why? Are you going to cook?" Ever since he was young, he always loved her home-made food.
Raeve got off the bed and headed towards the door. Clearly, that was her answer. Though, as she walked away, his eyes couldn't help but be drawn to her swaying hips.
'Is that on purpose?' He wasn't a fool and could see the signs. Especially when she looked back knowingly and grinned.
"Like what you see? You little nasty pervert. Lusting after your own sister?" She left the room with a laugh, her teasing voice still echoing in his mind.
"Fine Raeve. Two can play at that game."
Kaido got to his feet after a few minutes and entered the kitchen, spotting his gorgeous older sister in an apron as she expertly cooked some eggs and bacon in a pan. However, she didn't use the stove and instead her own unique fire. Unlike normal Pyromancers who had orange or sometimes red flames, hers was a bright blue.
The level of control she had to not immediately turn the pan to ash was immense. Especially when considering her flames could melt even a Troll to nothing within a minute.
"That's impressive." Raeve didn't take her eyes off the pan as she spoke.
"I know, I am pretty goddamn awesome huh? It's only natural after all. Take a seat, it's almost done." Hearing her arrogant words, Kaido realized how alike they really were. Even their morals were very similar. Maybe that was why they always got along so well.
It wasn't very long before they sat down and began eating. With just the first bite, Kaido shook his head and smiled.
"Delicious as always sister. I think your flames had something to do with it, giving the food an extra oomph."
Raeve felt happiness and joy swell within her heart at his praise. A light blush made itself known on her face as she kicked his shin under the table.
"Yeah yeah, just shut up and eat." But how could he let such an attack go unanswered? He struck back as hard as he could, not worried about hurting her as he quite literally couldn't.
"You little asshole!" Just like when they were younger, they ate their simple food and fought against one another under the table. Unlike previously however, there was no parent to make them stop.
After dinner, their under the table fight, and a quick shower, the two were under the covers of the main bedroom. The moonlight from the purple moon shined through the window, giving the dark room a hint of light.
"Just like when you were little. Brings back such fond memories. But now, baby Kaido is all grown up. Gods, I feel old." Raeve sighed happily as Kaido felt the same. He looked deep into her eyes, startling her as he kissed her on the cheek.
"Goodnight Raeve, I love you." Those fatal words made her heart beat wildly, a heavy blush appearing on her face. Thankfully, the darkness covered it.
"I love you too, little brother."
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
The next morning, Kaido found himself sitting in a classroom with over fifty others. He was seated towards the back, giving him a nice view of everyone. The new students talked amongst one another, unable to hide their excitement. Everyone in this room was a Mage, the Knights having their own separate building for learning.
As Kaido waited for the teacher to arrive, his eyes scanned the entire room. No one here seemed special enough for his attention except for one girl and some blond boy who he seemed to know from somewhere.
The girl was the same age as him with icy blue hair and same colored eyes. Her seat wasn't too far from his and was in the same row, all the way towards the corner. With a chuckle, he got up and grabbed his things before making his way to her. Luckily, no one was seated next to her.
Were his intentions purely lustful? Only half. The other half was because he had a feeling she was extremely talented and would make for a good chess piece.
'Besides, just imaging that cold and emotionless face turn into one of pleasure is just…' He shivered in ecstasy, but then put a small charming smile on and buried his evil thoughts.
"Is this seat taken?" Although he asked that, he took it anyway without waiting for her response.
The mystery girl raised an eyebrow at his boldness, but didn't say anything and looked ahead. Truly, no emotion could be found in her dull eyes, making his interest of her rise dramatically. For a moment, he took a good look at her.
She was extremely pale, as if she hadn't seen the light of day in years. Her face was beyond stunning, needing no makeup at all to eclipse any other girl. In fact, she was even slightly better than his sister, which was a surprise considering Raeve's beauty.
Her breasts were on the smaller side, but didn't diminish her sexiness in the slightest. Unfortunately, the majority of her body was hidden under the ugly brown uniform.
'Black would suit her well, and some Caronian Frozen Gems would really bring out her eyes...' His fashion sense was starting to kick in, ticking a nerve at how she was dressed. It wasn't her fault, but that of the school for depriving her of true beauty.
Just being next to her gave him a cool sensation, almost like being in the middle of winter. Based off that, and the light blue energy inside her, he surmised her Element was Ice.
"What's your name?" The mystery girl glanced at the boy who pestered her out of the corner of her eye. She was certainly a little surprised at first and couldn't deny he wasn't the most handsome man she had ever seen.
However, her face didn't change at all. She didn't care and wanted to refrain from speaking. But based on the look on his face, she knew he wouldn't give up.
"Caerwyn." Even her voice was cold and frosty. Kaido's smile grew a little as he offered a hand.
"A beautiful name, for a gorgeous woman. I'm Kaido." Caerwyn had heard plenty of praise beforehand, so it didn't even ruffle her heart in the slightest.
But when she grabbed his hand, he brought her knuckles to his lips and kissed them lightly, his black eyes staring at her own. Almost… possessively. It both interested and creeped her out at the same time. He opened his mouth to continue, but paused when seeing the door to the classroom open. He sighed regretfully, letting go of her hand.
"Such a shame. Another time then." No more words came from them as their full focus turned to the newcomer.
They walked up to the podium, confidence radiating out of every pore. She was a beautiful older woman, aged around thirty. Black hair and brown eyes made her seem very normal. But Kaido didn't care for her beauty, instead only wanting to learn. Besides, he had a better piece of eye candy next to him.
She stood right in front of the podium, clearing her throat to get everyone's attention.
"Welcome new students, to your very first day at the Academy. My name is Gloria and I am your Mage General Teaching Professor. For those who don't know, I will be teaching you about the World, Continents, Ranks, known Elements, and so forth."
She paused for a moment and turned around, writing on the black board with chalk. When finished, the words 'Star Gathering' left the board and floated in the air magically, exciting the students.
"Because of what we'll be doing later today, I think it's appropriate to explain the power system of this World. First, when every teenager turns 16 years of age, they can begin Star Gathering. Some also call it Star Cultivation or Star Generation. They all mean the same thing, so pick whatever sounds nicer."
Suddenly, a student at the front of the class raised his hand like a rocket. He had glasses on his face that screamed 'Nerd'. For some odd reason, Kaido had the instinct to shove his head into a toilet and a broom stick up his ass.
"Yes?" Being called on, he hurriedly stood up.
"Miss Gloria, could you explain why we needed to wait until the age of 16? Also, what did you mean by Mage General Teaching?" She smiled and waved her hand, making him sit down.
"You don't need to stand up in the future to ask a question. Just raise your hand. Anyway, the reason why one must wait until 16 to start Star Cultivation is because of the danger. Before then, your body is not ready to handle mana and is more than likely to explode." Her words terrified the teenagers as Kaido spoke up.
"By the tone of your voice, it sounds like one could do so before that age." Gloria was a little surprised and looked at the one who said so.
'Handsome, black hair and similar eyes? This must be Kaido then.' Her eyes brightened up a little.
"Technically yes, one could start cultivating beforehand and get a headstart as apposed to everyone else. But it is very likely that you would die. Thus, waiting until 16 is what everyone does. At that age, your body is completely sturdy enough to accept larger amounts of mana. At the same time, I should mention that every living being as Mana inside them. However, it is both in an extremely small amount and in a harmless state."
"As for your other question, this class is full of nothing but Mages. In fact, this building only contains us. Knights have their own separate building for their own needs and facilities."
"Knights and Mages have different ways of obtaining power, but at the same time very similar. For example, Knights have Mana Veins and Aura that increase the toughness of their body far beyond human comprehension."
Gloria took a breath and drank some water, about to continue when someone else asked a question.
"Are Mana Veins the same as our Mana Pools?" The speaker was a young and blonde haired handsome teenager, a regal air around him. This was the same one that Kaido marked.
'So familiar...' He couldn't remember where he had seen his face. But if he felt this way, that meant his identity was special enough to warrant such attention.
"It seems you are a little knowledgeable. But yes, they are similar but at the same time very different. Mages can manipulate the Mana in the air to do our bidding and are generally far more powerful. That is something they cannot do. At the same time, Mages are more rare than Knights." Her tone became stern as she warned them.
"Do not become complacent though! Knights might have weaker combat power in comparison, but they are still very dangerous if underestimated. Their bodies are extremely strong and durable, far above our own. They will easily slaughter you if close enough." A few gulps could be heard before she continued.
"Now, Mana Pools in the simplest way is your stamina. If you run out, you can no longer cast spells or manipulate Mana. This is also known as Mana Exhaustion. It... sucks." She sighed, shaking her head as if remembering an awful memory.
"They come in all different sizes. The larger they are the better for obvious reasons. There are two ways in which you can increase them. The easiest is to simply go up a Rank. Higher you are, the more mana you have access to. The second way is to find a certain treasure that can expand your Mana Pool. Though, it's very rare, so good luck with that."
"Now, I want to talk about my original lesson. We… drifted off course. There are 12 Ranks in this world according to humans and other humanoids like Elves. Monsters and Beasts have their own power system and will be covered another time. Before that however, come with me."
She waved her hand as everyone got up confused. Kaido wasn't any different but tried to make small talk with Caerwyn as they walked. Unfortunately, she said nothing and ignored him.
But that only made him more determined to break that icy shell of hers.