{~Sam~}Professor Goldstein is an...interesting man to say the least. After he dropped the bomb of Marcie and I being the heads of the phalanx class, Travis and Sidney's jaws dropped and Sidney badgered us with questions that made Marcie laugh softly. We answered her questions easy enough, most of them being how we had gotten so good at fighting and leading, et cetera. However, Professor Goldstein quickly garnered our attention saying "Alright alright, you'll have more time to socialize later aspirants. We only have four hours of class today and I plan to make the most of it! We've got a bunch to do and first on the agenda are your dorms. If you'll follow me."As we made our way through the halls Goldstein narrated "Your classes will be a bit different than your peers under my tutelage. I enjoy thinking outside the box as I am sure Ms. Garcia may know. As a result, I tend to have more unique classes and students which is why there are only four of you instead of the usual seven to ten. Now I will say to your unspoken question, once you have advanced far enough, it will be upon yourself to further your studies and magical talents. The teachers will mentor you until they deem you efficient enough to pursue your studies on your own. Of course, they are always there for your questions and other such duties such as signing off on any trips and the like that may come up. That is what makes Pixonia so unique and one of the top magical academies in the world. The timeline for that is usually two to three years, but for you four, I believe you'll be strong enough at the end of the year. Do not worry, I would not make my lesson plans for you to fail, rather the opposite I have high hopes for all of you. Each of you excelled in your own ways during your tests and I will help you excel more. Ah here we are."We exited the large academy and he pointed towards cottages that were within walking distance but had enough space for experiments, students to hang out, and general privacy. Goldstein continued as we approached "The cottages are magical of course, fitting their size to the amount of occupants. A spell that I'm sure Ms. Garcia will be interested in created by yours truly. As well as a little something special for each occupant depending on their magic. It has a privacy enchantment on it and will attune to the assigned occupants' pendants. You will also be able to change how everything looks easily although the magic will drain from you to power the enchantment."The cottages were simple brick and mortar style although many of them looked different from the others, some had workout areas outside, others had gardens or ponds. There were a few with simple outdoor pavilions attached to the cottages and as we came upon the last two which were closer to the forest than the others. The cottages were somewhat placed haphazardly, enough for you to just question where the yard of one cottage ended and the next began. Though a path winded past each cottage and then ended at the start creating a sort of circle. Goldstein nodded towards the left cottage and as we stepped onto the porch a wave of magic flowed over us and the sounds of moving furniture sounded from the inside of the cottage.I glanced back at the others who shrugged as Marcie teasingly said "Awe what? Afraid Sammy?"I rolled my eyes as I opened the door and stepped inside and was pleasantly surprised as the scent of flowers wafted through the open door. I took a deep inhale and smiled as I walked further in as I said "Well I applaud whoever makes the house smell like the forest."A soft "ooh" was heard as Marcie pushed past me and took a long deep breath with a large smile on her face. We all walked into a large living room with a firepit centered in the middle of it and couches set out surrounding the pit, a large vent was directly above it to suck out any of the smoke. There were four doors on the left and right of the firepit and what looked like an open kitchen and dining room opposite the front door. I walked into the dining room and spotted a door that led out onto what looked like a patio and animal corral. Sidney trailed behind me and a soft squeal erupted from her as she spotted the animal pen, I chuckled as I made my way back inside. Professor Goldstein was leaning against the wall by the front door with a smile as he said "Gentleman on the right, Ladies on the left. I will let you confirm your rooms then we will continue our day one tour."I walked over to one of the doors and as I put my hand on the doorknob I felt my pendant heat up before a symbol appeared over the door, it was shaped like a DNA strand and softly glowed red and black. I walked in and saw most of my stuff had already been placed in neat piles around the room. There were two doors that upon investigation were a bathroom and closet as well as a dresser that was in between the closet and the bathroom. The bathroom was in a corner alongside the closet on the right wall, with a king-sized bed placed on the left wall horizontally to a window that looked out onto the patio and the forest beyond. They were simple rooms.I made my way back out into the common area where Professor Goldstein was lounging on one of the couches as the others checked out their rooms, soon we all congregated in the common room and Professor Goldstein got to his feet while saying "All done? Alright, let's get going. We're burning daylight!"We followed after him with laughs and chuckles as he continued his narration "Now, as I'm sure you four know. While you are on school grounds, school rules do apply. Such as public indecency, unnecessary fighting, unlicensed magical animals and the like. What you do outside of class time is your business regardless of where you spend it. As long as you make it to my class, I do not care where you have been. You are fully competent mages and if I wanted to be a helicopter parent, I would've had children of my own." He chuckled to himself as we started walking alongside the many pathways that dotted Pixonia and continued "Regardless, I do have to mention it. Our second stop is one I'm sure you all will enjoy, the arenas."I perked up as we rounded a bend and medium large buildings came into view, where I could see a lot of others coming and going from. There were also significantly more people in this area than over by the cottages, a peculiar hangout spot that seemed to be favored by the students. We made our way towards one of the buildings and were greeted by a large arena where others were lounging, laughing and generally hanging out. Many older students were evident by their armbands, it seemed that once you started your independent studies you gained a colored armband that was stark against the dark color of the robes. Silver for new studies, green for second study, and gold for three or above. It seemed most that had gold were students that had declined either jobs relating to their fields, internships or simply didn't think that their study was done, which was not as uncommon as you may think.Entering one of the arenas, we were greeted with the noise and energy a place like this attracted, in this particular arena students were racing through an obstacle course. On one wall there was a leaderboard with a variety of times and names drawn on them with their magic scribbled in beside them. No surprise that the fastest times were air magic users, the highest was a minute and 6 seconds, the second was a minute and 15 seconds. The third was about 45 seconds behind. The course wasn't long but it was dense, layered with traps and pitfalls that would easily take you out. Some medical mages were on standby watching with amusement as new students attempted to tackle the course. Goldstein continued his narration as we took a few seconds to watch "There's five activity buildings, this one and two others are generally keeping the same layout, this one is an obstacle course, one's a battle arena, one is a general purpose gym area, and the last two rotate every few days and you can rent them out if you need. Let's keep going, you all can mingle later."We chuckled and followed after him as he led us out and we continued the tour around Pixonia's grounds, he pointed out a trail that led into the forest saying that some of the more adventurous students train in the forest and that many of the magical beast related students study the monsters that call the forest home, Sidney perked up a bit at that before blushing as Marcie giggled beside her. The last area before the cottage was a simple large open field that was currently being used by a group of gold students who were putting on a light show using magic. They were creating a ton of random animals from the suggestions of onlookers, from marine animals like whales and dolphins to a scene of a pack of lions fighting a T.Rex, when a large dragon flew down and it all erupted into a shower of sparks and fire. We all clapped and as we moved on Professor Goldstein said "This field is here for your experiments and anything that needs a space larger than the classroom or for those who simply enjoy nature. Most of the time it will be much more decorated with benches, gazebos, trees and the like depending on the field management staff's taste that week. Like many things, the scenery changes to keep everything fresh and we have found that it actually helps our students with breakthroughs and new perspectives on things. We call it, Conglomerate Field."We made our way back to the cottages where by now, the other first years seemed to be trickling in, two of the 8 or so cottages looked more decorated with some flowers, strung along the front of one house and a gated off area to the side of another that didn't currently have anything in it yet but looked like a witch's garden or at least the basis of one. As we lounged on the couches Professor Goldstein stood in front of us with his arms crossed as he spoke "One last thing, concerning you Samuel." I raised my eyebrow knowing what was coming and he sighed softly "As you two may have guessed Travis, Sidney, during their final test. Samuel underwent a magical conversion. Now, I'm sure that the news will soon be widely spread through the school. But as of now, you four and some of the faculty know this. Samuel's magic was completely converted to a new one. However, this magic is one that was unknown to us as of a few weeks ago. The council has determined that it is a magical element derived from magic as a source. And have even confirmed suspicions of a new goddess that heralded this magic. I will allow Samuel to tell you as I was only given the bare minimum unfortunately."I chuckled softly and shook my head "That was pretty spot-on Professor, well I didn't know about the whole goddess thing. Anyway, yea. I underwent a magical conversion at the end of the test. The council and many angry mobs are calling it Chaos magic." As I spoke I held my hand out, the black and red haze slowly floating up from my hand slowly shifting into different forms, a DNA strand, a warpick, fire and more. I continued "I've learned that it's much more...volatile than other forms of magic, seeking to consume and destroy but at the same time nurture and build. As of right now, the council has on record only five others who underwent the magical conversion around that same time as I did. They're calling us The Six. From what I've learned, it's much like magic, formless until given purpose. I can also imitate other magics, so far I've only been able to imitate a form of fire. But I'm still very new to this magic."Professor Goldstein nodded as Sidney and Travis listened with rapt attention before Sidney spoke "That must be horrible, being such an accomplished lava mage and having that all taken away and starting from scratch."I shrugged and responded "It's a challenge sure but I'm used to them. I can still call upon the magical element just not any other element, so I'm not totally useless."Professor Goldstein nodded with a serious face before it relaxed and he said "Well then, I've got paperwork to finish, do keep me updated Samuel. And I know how much you enjoy fighting, do try to keep it under wraps if you can help it. I don't have to say why. Now, for the rest of you. The school is instituting a curfew in response to these angry mobs, the school gates will lock at sundown, which during the spring is around seven thirty. The forest gates will lock thirty minutes later. You are required as study-less and first study students to be within the school grounds once they are locked or you will face disciplinary action that is up to your teacher. Classes will start at eight a.m sharp tomorrow morning. I chose you four because you are the best of your fields. So I expect the best. Now, relax and get some rest!" he gave an exaggerated bow before making his leave.I chuckled softly before laying my head back on the couch, the smell of lilacs floating slowly through the house before Travis's voice filled the silence "Oh spit it out Sid, you're gonna burst."I looked over to see Sidney blushing as she shook her head before asking "So Marcie...what's the story about you two? I didn't get to ask earlier but if you didn't know. You two are the height of the female gossip train right now."I raised an eyebrow at the blonde who unashamedly stared back. I shrugged and glanced at Marcie who was avoiding my eyes before saying "Well, I'm not a big fan of people. Gossip less so. So you could say I'm out of the loop. What might they be saying?"Marcie groaned much to the delight of Sidney who grinned and continued "It's nothing much, simply just speculations of course. Mostly just them swooning over how Marcie put her life on the line to save you during your combat tests. And of course, Sam, your amazing rallying and leadership you showed. People are calling you the Phalanx's Flag. Unfortunately Marcie, they can't seem to determine your title, it's currently still up for debate. But most of it is just asking if you two are a couple? And I've gotta know!"Sidney was basically vibrating in her seat as she spoke and I let out a chuckle and asked "The Phalanx's flag? Really?"Travis let out a laugh as Sidney gained a sour expression and pouted as I dodged her question before turning her hopeful eyes to Marcie who simply shrugged "We're not a couple. Just friends. Nothing more."She gave me a side eye and I raised an eyebrow in question before she simply shook her head and Sidney narrowed her eyes at us before Travis broke the silence once again "Welp. I'm all for the questioning and getting to know each other on the first day and all that but I'm gonna tuck in. I'm sure we've got a busy day tomorrow and I wanna at least get my room partly in order tonight."Sidney grumbled out as Travis stood "Oh come on, it's barely 5 o'clock. The grounds don't close for another two hours. I'm sure there's plenty to do around campus!"Travis sighed softly and shrugged "Sid, for an introverted nature mage. You have a hell of a party streak."I groaned when I heard that causing Travis and Sidney's heads to turn towards me, I simply shook my head and gestured towards Marceline who had a gleam in her eyes as she spoke up "A party streak? Well it just so happens that I may have a bit of a party streak too."I shook my head in defeat as both girls hopped up off the couches and disappeared into one of the rooms. Travis gave me a questioning look and I sighed softly "Marcie has a long streak of partying, especially after a particular test or event. It was well-known throughout the class. Those parties are ones that typically get largely out of control. What's less well-known about the Phalanx class were the parties led by the one and only. What's even worse about that is what the teachers and local PD called them. The Phalanx Tarachés, Greek for riots, aptly named even though we never really damaged much."He nodded and shivered as he glanced at the door the two girls disappeared in "Well... if what you're saying is true then. I guess we better prepare for the worst eh? It's only five fifteen after all." he chuckled softly and I simply groaned and replied "Oh you have no idea what you've got us into Travis." A simple laugh and clap on the shoulder was all I got in response.Lo and behold not even twenty minutes later, I hear a knock on my room door. Opening it I am greeted by the sheepish grin of Marcie. I sighed softly and held my arm up, the smaller woman slipping through easily enough. I sighed and folded my arms and asked "So?"She giggled and crossed her own arms before saying "Oh you already know what Sammy. You thought that I wouldn't throw a Tarachí on the first night of school? Come now, you know me better than that. You should have expected this Sammy, now get dressed. We're throwing a hell of a rager tonight! Ten minutes."I groaned as she left in a flurry before going through my clothes and getting dressed, when it came to parties Marceline took herself very seriously. I had learned long ago that there was no escaping a tarachí when she got into it. I never seemed to be able to hide once she and the others from the phalanx class got into the partying mood. I chose a simple black blazer and red ripped tie-dye jeans then slipped my pendant on as well before stepping into my tan Timberland boots and styling my unruly curly hair into a small sized ponytail that just barely hit the back of my neck. Just as I finished, I noticed that my pendent had gained a DNA strand symbol, styled in the same way that was on my room door. A knock at my door interrupted my musings, opening it to see the party menace herself and Sidney standing behind her. I simply shook my head as Marcie looked me up and down and nodded "Mm, that's much better."She was wearing a brown bomber jacket with a black t-shirt underneath that had a pyramid on it, as well as a black skirt with fishnets that ended in brown boots. Sidney was wearing similar attire, a sleeveless gothic styled brown dress that ended just below her knees which was joined by black lace up knee high boots. She wore her pendant alongside a decently sized rhinestone collar necklace that connected with the dress. I whistled softly and remarked "Well now I feel underdressed ladies. This is still a party right? You two seem dressed to impress."Marcie smirked as Sidney blushed and said "Well of course, it's been awhile since the Phalanx class has been together. Gotta pull out all the stops of course. We are getting the whole gang together again."I groaned and shook my head "Can't say I didn't expect this. Oh well let's get this over with."Just as I finished Travis's door opened and he stepped out, wearing a brown leather jacket with black pants and white casual shoes, his pendant proudly sitting on his chest, its symbol a tidal wave. He looked at us and shrugged "Seems the boys are casual and the girls are out on the prowl."I chuckled and nodded as Marcie rolled her eyes then turned her gaze to me "Samuel one concern. We all know you enjoy a fight. What happens if you get challenged? As the professor said to try to keep your magic under wraps if you can help it, we both know you won't step down from a challenge and there'll be a lot of them. I can have the Phalanx run interference but there's only so much a girl can do. "The question was one I hadn't thought about, and with the three pairs of eyes on me I simply shrugged and replied "Well...the news will be out eventually. I'm sure many who are gonna be there are going to have questions. Plus I wasn't explicitly told to keep it a secret or anything, so I think that it's best when it comes out that I prove I still hold the flag. I'm not some weakling who's going to hide behind his comrades just because he wants to keep a secret. If I'm challenged, I'll face them and crush them, no need for any interference. If they're confident, I'll prove to them I'm just as deadly as I was before, even more so."They all nodded and Marcie grinned and turned with a satisfied look on her face as she proclaimed "There he is, I'm going to have to alert the faculty ya know. For some medical mages for when it gets outta hand. It's just about 5:30. The others should be getting to Conglomerate field." I chuckled and said as we all made our way towards the door "Oh come on. The faculty definitely know that we're throwing a party tonight. There's no way they don't expect you to get up to your shenanigans."Turns out, both Marcie and I were right. Almost the entire Phalanx class was there, the only ones missing were Marceline and I, all seventeen in total. However, there were much more than our measly group of seventeen, there were over forty people milling about and it seemed more were making their way over from various directions. Conglomerate field had been transformed, there were balls of magic floating around the field lighting everything up, every so often they changed shape from non-descript spheres to fish, birds, snakes, and I even saw a dragon fly over. There were tables and chairs set up here and there surrounding an open area which was either for dancing or fighting. A DJ booth had been set up opposite all the tables and chairs and overlooking the open area, there was even a bar set up on one side that was currently unmanned but I was sure was soon to be occupied. A cheer went up as our small group was seen walking from the cottages. There were a few students that still had their gold year bands on and after some asking around was told that they were here as mediators and medics in case things got out of hand.Marcie immediately got to mingling as a few of the phalanx class came over to congratulate me on becoming one of the phalanx class heads, familiar faces such as Andre, Matt, and Charlene, one of phalanx classes healing mages. Our attention was soon drawn as Marcie got on top of the bar and drew our attention towards her "Alright! By now most of you know who I am but for the few that may not! My name is Marcie Garcia, the second head of the Phalanx class. As well as the originator of the Phalanx Tarachés! Now, as it is the first night of official classes for us combat and exotic mages! I believe that we should celebrate so loud that the entire city of Sangea will hear! Now, before we kick off this celebration, we all know that the legal drinking age is amended for mages once they enter academia and as such thanks to our kind and generous headmistress! We've got an open bar!" A cheer immediately went up as she continued "Of course we will be good responsible students and still show up for classes tomorrow but for now! Let. Us. Partyy!"As Marcie finished her speech, a student wearing a Green band took the DJ booth introducing themselves as DJ Zeez, a technomancer who specialized in the manipulation of technology and electricity, let loose a stream of music that immediately got the crowd of people cheering and dancing to it. Technomancers were excellent with anything to do with technology to no one's surprise but most became Sonomancers, or specifically, sound mages. They were able to manipulate any type of sound and soundwaves with great efficiency. As a result, we felt and heard the music on a magical level, they even threw some flare into their performance and we could see the soundwaves erupt from the speakers into the air.Soon enough, people started congregating around the bar and a Gold banded dwarven student stepped up. A water mage evident as many bottles started to float around and drinks started to make themselves as the student watched the area like a hawk. Two tip jars appeared soon after the party got into full swing, one on the DJ booth and the other one on the bar. Soon students aplenty were getting drunk though the Gold Bands kept many from drinking too much and cut them off, either sitting them down or having their friends cart them away. I had stuck to the bar simply sipping on a soda as I surveyed the party. It wasn't the wildest that the Phalanx had ever thrown, after all we used to get regular shutdowns by the local police mostly due to time and noise. Travis had been pulled onto the dance floor by Sidney and Marcie was floating through the crowd like the air mage she was known for.Soon my voluntary wall-hugging was noticed by a few of the Phalanx and they came over and joined me. Andre, Charlene and her partner Naxian, an elven mage that specialized in nature magic. I nodded to the three and continued to watch the party as everyone let loose, Andre ordered a glass of whiskey as he said "I see that you still haven't gotten over your distaste of people huh Sam."I chuckled and shrugged "People suck, crowds more so. Now stick in alcohol, music, and amped up feelings. Blah blah blah, someone's gonna burst and soon. I'm just curious as to who it's gonna be. And of course the target."Andre laughed as Charlene rolled her eyes with a smile and said "Oh come on, not everyone's out to get you Samuel, let loose! You're the head of the Phalanx class, a powerful mage. What's stopping you this time? Terms have just started, come on convince him Andre."Andre held his hands up in defeat as he retorted "Oh no, every Tarachí we've had, Sam's been at. No doubt due to Marceline. But, without fail, he never dances, never sings. Always just drinks and watches. And of course breaks up any fights that may happen. I've tried convincing the man over and over. No dice. He's like a glorified bouncer."I rolled my eyes at them but said nothing and Andre gave Charlene a raised eyebrow and a smirk. Naxian spoke up from where they were sipping what looked like wine "Well, I believe we're gonna have a bit of drama soon. Look there, that group's been hanging around each other and glancing over here every so often. Haven't seen them do much besides sit."I glanced over towards where the elf had subtly motioned and caught the stares of three or four students, Naxian was right. They were taking subtle glances and whispering to each other but with the music, they couldn't quite do it. I held one one of their stares and raised an eyebrow and they all quickly looked away. I smirked softly and said "Twenty bucks, first fights gonna be a challenge to me." I glanced over at my compatriots who grinned, Andre replied "We both know you'll win that bet. Fifty if they forfeit and you're on."I raised an eyebrow and downed the rest of my soda letting out a belch before saying "Fifty when they forfeit is unfair. Fifty if it's called off by a Goldie." Andre laughed and nodded "You're on but you gotta put on a show!"I chuckled and nodded "Fine deal. I guess I could make some fun of it."We shook hands and both ignored the raised eyebrow of the Gold student that had heard it all behind us. Charlene rolled her eyes and scoffed before saying "Look alive boys, looks like they put on their big boy pants."The group had gotten up, there were five unbanded students that were making their way towards the DJ booth and soon exchanged a few words with the mage who nodded and soon gathered the attention of everyone with a record scratch, their silvery voice echoing from various angles, another of their particular set of talents; "Well well well Ladies and Gentlemen! Looks like things are heating up tonight! We have a duel request for someone who a lot of you have no doubt been looking forward to seeing in action! Now, before we address the challenged! Let's introduce our challenger! The head of the Mountaineers! The Shaper of Steel Beams! Jasper Tannis!"The largest of the five students stepped towards the duel floor that was rapidly clearing as people scrambled to the sides, and leveled his eyes straight at me, he was taller and much more muscular than I was. With tanned skin and short black hair, he wore a shirt that was much too small and would probably rip if he flexed and a pair of cargo shorts. His hiking shoes and brown pendant solidified that he was an earth mage, of course the mountaineer title gave it away as well. DJ Zeez continued "And now! Of course, the challenged! You know him! You love him! The Phalanx's Flag himself! Samuel Degray!"Everyone's eyes turned to where I was leaning against the bar as I stared back at Jasper with a bored expression which seemed to piss him off as he sneered before being interrupted by DJ Zeez who asked "Do you accept his challenge Mr.Degray?"I titled my head up as if thinking before shrugging and pushing myself off the bar and replying "I might as well, after all. It wouldn't be a Tarachí without a bit of fighting now would it?!"I spread my arms as I addressed the crowd who yelled back "Never!"Catching Marcie's eyes, I winked at her as I cracked my neck and turned to my challenger, Jasper, who was seething but kept it in. I seemed to have gotten under his skin somehow. I smirked and asked "So now that you've challenged me. Dictate the terms of battle and I will abide."He scowled and said "General duel terms. One weapon, mid level magic, only enhancement and defense."I nodded and replied "My weapon is a twin set, but you would know that, smart. Very well, I accept. Will anyone volunteer as a ref?"A female wood elf, evident by the leaves in her hair and the necklace of flowers stepped forward and said "I will." Her gold band stark against the gray of her uniform.Marcie stepped to the front of the sidelines, her spatial magic tattoos glowing before I shook my head, her own tilting in confusion. I turned back to my opponent who sneered at me as he swung a large hand and a half sword "Awe does your girlfriend carry around all your gear?"I raised my eyebrow unimpressed as I fully stepped forward into the designated ring, a barrier going up to protect the crowd in case anything happened, couldn't be too safe. I retorted "Really? The girlfriend line? That's original. But for your information, I don't need weapons to stomp you, muscles."He let out a growl as the referee called out "Duelers ready?" We nodded as I cracked my knuckles kicking starting my chaos with a smirk as she called out again "Alright. Now this will be a clean duel, no maiming, no killing. As agreed upon beforehand, only defensive magic and only one weapon. Ready? Duel!"