First Day

Arisu and I had conversed about what had happened, and I told her everything, except for Damien turning into a Demon. She was surprisingly accepting about the situation and immediately went over to cook us a meal. May was just excited that I was going to be living in the same house as them, but I knew Arisu felt somewhat awkward just from the small deviations in her body language.

Shortly after, Arisu had come in the living room to tell us that dinner was ready. May bolted straight for the dining room, and I was close to follow, although I wasn't really feeling like eating. The dining room was adjacent to the kitchen, and had the same hardwood floors and white walls with a chandelier above the long wooden table.

There were three plates filled with rice and chicken with all kids of herbs and spices splayed out across them. May's eyes lit up as she scrambled up to a chair and waited for me and Arisu to take our seats. We both sat down and immediately brought our hands up in a praying gesture before saying "Thank you for the food."

It felt like the right thing to do, and it almost felt like it was instinctual. I watched as May and Arisu took the first bites of their food before dipping my fork into a tender piece of chicken and lifting it to my mouth. The smell was tempting and the taste was even better. It was cooked perfectly with the right amount of spices and herbs, and left a savory aftertaste.

I raised my brow in surprise before getting a piece of chicken with a bunch of rice and tasting it. The flavor was the same, but the rice made it feel like the dish was completed. I quickly scarfed up the remainders and took any leftovers that May or Arisu didn't eat. "Wow, I didn't think you'd like my cooking if I'm being honest..." Arisu looked at me with a smile and a slight amount of pride in her glittering eyes.

I let out a light chuckle before responding honestly. "The food was some of the best I've ever had. I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted it, and I'm looking forward to what you make tomorrow." A slight blush tinged her cheeks as her smiled widened. I looked over at May, who was falling asleep in her chair, and said "It's getting late, s-"

Suddenly, a knock came from the door. 'That's probably my uniform and schedule.' I excused myself for a second as I made my way to the door and opened it. A tall man in a blue, button-up uniform with a blue cap on his head handed me my folded uniform and a piece of paper with a detailed map of the Academy, as well as the classes I'll be taking.

I looked up and was about to thank the man, but he had vanished. I then realized that I couldn't even feel his presence when he was right in front of me. 'Maybe there are more things going on than I thought...' I closed the door and saw Arisu carrying the sleeping May toward what I assumed to be the bedrooms.

She looked back at me with a questioning glance and I raised the uniform and paper before whispering "Do you have a room for me...?" Arisu used her free hand to cover her mouth as she let out a quiet laugh, before pointing to the door at the far end of the hallway. The house was laid out in quite a simple manner.

The door opened into a short hallway and then the living room was on the left, while the kitchen and dining room were on the right. The hall leading to all of the bedroom doors was straight across from the door with three doors, two on either side and one at the end, which was mine. I opened the door and saw large, curtained window in front of the door, while the bed was on the far right corner with a fair sized dresser in the far left corner.

The room had a nice layer of soft white carpet, and the bed itself looked to be made out of high-end fabrics. I didn't care that the room was sparsely furnished, for I had a soft ass bed that was beyond comfortable. I quickly caught myself as I noticed I was about to fall asleep. I took my vest off and tried to take my earrings off, but it was like they were stuck to my ears. I shrugged my shoulders and put my coin pouch on top of the dresser before walking back to my bed and toppling down onto it.

---

I opened my eyes and was blinded by an intense light as an unbearable heat singed my very skin. I heard the sounds of people screaming in pain, fear, and rage as a sharp pop knocked me out of my trance. I swung my head around and saw that the house I was in was covered in flames. Another loud pop sounded out and I looked up to see a large wooden beam break in half before tumbling down toward me.

I dove out from under it and went to stand back up, but noticed that my body was different. I was smaller and less coordinated, but I also felt much weaker than just moments before. I frantically reached around my back and couldn't find my daggers, nor bow anywhere. Even the earrings and tattoos had disappeared from my body.

Deciding that I would worry about this later, I ran out of the house and onto a muddy road as all kinds of people ran the opposite way from where I was looking. A strong, yet gentle hand grabbed my shoulders as a husky voice filled my ears. "C'mon Take! We have to leave now, or else we'll be killed!" The man picked me up and I could see his sharp features, brown hair, and green eyes from the light of the fires.

A woman was running by his side as well. She had fair skin, hazel eyes, and raven-black hair. These people looked so familiar, yet I couldn't remember how I knew them. They continued to run while the man carried me in his arms, however, the sounds of heavy footsteps echoed throughout the air, and they were getting closer by the second

The shrill cry of a woman rang out behind us, and the man immediately moved his arms to cover my body as he said "Don't worry my boy, we'll be safe I promise you! Don't lose hope!" As we were nearing the base of a steep hill, the woman by our side suddenly stumbled. The man quickly stopped and ran back to help her up, but there was an armored man on top of a large, quadrupedal, green scaled lizard.

The man had a wicked smile on his face as he raised his spear and aimed it at the woman, but the man holding me quickly put me down before dashing forward and grabbing the spear's shaft and yanking it from the man's hands. He then turned and stabbed out with the spear, piercing the armored man's heart through a gap in his armor.

The man quickly helped the woman up and scooped me up once more before running up the hill and down toward the mountains in the distance.

---

I awoke to the sounds of birds chirping outside with fresh tears streaming down my face. I blinked a few times and frantically felt my face and ears as I looked at me chest and noticed that I was back to normal. I let out a sigh of relief before wiping the tears from my face and reluctantly getting up from my bed. I let out a large yawn as I walked through my bedroom door and toward the smell of food being cooked.

May hadn't leaped out at me yet, so I thought that she was most likely asleep considering it was pretty early in the morning. I walked out into the kitchen and saw Arisu in a pair of white shorts with a plain white shirt on. "Smells good. Do we have to go to the Academy today?" I asked as I leaned over the marble counters.

Arisu nodded her head and turned to look at me as she said "Yes, we have to go to-" She quickly turned her head away before yelling "Go put a shirt on you idiot!" I dodged a random fork as I raised a brow and said "It's not much different when I wear my vest though, so why does it matter?" I heard a sigh escape from her lips as motioned for me to take a seat at the table.

Arisu set a plate full of eggs, bacon, and some meat out in front of me before sitting on the opposite side of the table. We once again folded out hands and gave out thanks before eating. The eggs melted in my mouth, the bacon was savory and left me craving more, while the meat was the perfect blend of spicy and juicy.

I finished my plate and closed my eyes with a smile before letting out a relieved sigh as Arisu chuckled softly. "My, you really weren't lying were you?" She said with a sly grin. I opened one eye slightly and asked "Why would I lie? Your cooking's amazing and I'll cherish each and every bite."

She chuckled once more before standing up and taking both of our plates to clean them off. I stood up myself and walked back to my room to go and fetch my uniform, which consisted of dark blue pants, and a white, long-sleeved shirt with a collar. It was rather basic, but also allowed for a decent amount of customization and creativity with your apparel.

I donned the shirt, and made sure to roll up the sleeves halfway up my forearm, before taking my pants off and putting on the uniform pair. I grabbed my black shoes and slipped them on before hiding my coin pouch in one of the shirt's inside pockets and throwing my bow over my back, as well as strapping my daggers to the back of my waist.

I walked back out of my room and sat on a chair in the living room as I waited for Arisu.

She emerged from her room wearing a white shirt tucked into a blue skirt, that went just above her knees, with her long white hair tied up neatly, and a pair of thin-framed glasses on her face. I stood up and noticed that she had a thin wand at her waist, before walking to the door and waiting.

We then walked out and locked the door before Arisu walked to the middle of the street and beckoned me over. Deciding to trust my newfound roommate, I walked over and a bright blue circle appeared under out feet as the scenery changed abruptly. We appeared at the front of the castle-like academy and saw hundreds of people dressed just like us walking inside.

"Damn, it's still impressive." I said as I looked up at the Academies high stone walls. Suddenly, a voice called out from behind us. "Hey, Ari! It's been awhile, where have you been?" A boy, no older than sixteen, with his muscles showing through his clothes and his arms wrapped in black bandages walked up with an amiable smile.

He had long, wild black hair, that went just above his shoulders, and black eyes. I could tell that this boy was a strong person, probably more so than Syn himself. He had the build of a pure fighter. "Ah, Azrael! I'm sorry for being gone for so long, but May had a fever, so I stayed with her and took care of her."

The boy, Azrael, nodded his head in acknowledgement, however, he was looking toward me the whole time with a scrutinizing gaze. "Who's the punk?" I felt my mouth twitch as my veins bulged and a fake smile crept up my lips. "Can you repeat that for me bud? I didn't quite hear you..." Azrael cocked a brow and scoffed before really pissing me off.

"I can tell you're ready to fight, but I'm much stronger than you. Give up and go home, for this academy has no place for the weak. You reek of commoner anyways."