Chapter 11 - Grand Tea High

"Hmm...Room 202...Class Matcha. This should be it right?"

Icarus stared back and forth on the map he was reading and the door in front of him. It was his first day of high school. He was now 15. It has been 3-and-a-half years since he has accepted being a Husk and there was still no progress. He still had no Essence and he was still a Husk. Not like he cared.

Just like any other person who've transferred schools, Icarus made a quick comparison of his new school, Grand Tea High, to his former, Royal Tea Academy. He somewhat missed the old castle-like hallways of his old school. This one seemed a bit modern. The hallways were as wide with three wingspans of a person. The floor was matte concrete painted mainly white with the occasional black and blue, the school's main colours. Lockers lined the sides of the halls but they were also bigger than the usual school locker. Each of them had a digital clock embedded into it that had 8:30 AM displayed.

Icarus didn't have a locker yet. That's why he needed to get into his homeroom, Class Matcha. With a quick gulp, he held Room 202's door handle. He double-checked the numbers on the door. Yep, 202. Turning the knob, he pushed the polished wood door open and was presented with a small group of students who've entered before him and settled on the seats of their volition.

The class wasn't the typical room where the windows faced left. They were on the right side. Icarus made a beeline to one of second last row of seats to the left. He loved using his phone in class and Icarus tend to avoid seats that may attract unwanted attention. Not the front. Not the middle. Not the back, and definitely not the protagonist window seat. His preferred position was perfect. It was near the door, someone in front blocks the teacher's view of you, the back distracts attention away from you, and you are far enough for the teacher to notice.

He sat on an ideal spot and rested his bag on the floor. Just like always, he minded his own business, only keeping to himself. But he couldn't help but steal quick glances at his new classmates. All of them had an aura of uniqueness. It wasn't much of a surprise. Grand Tea High was the most prestigious high school in Vallia which prides itself with its top-notch education Vessel Combat. Within "Dueling", the combat between Vessels(or Essence Users), Grand Tea High has established a dynasty, winning seasons back-to-back for an entire decade. Because of their prestige, the school only allows Vessels that have a Soul Rank of Green or above and an Essence Rank of C+ or above.

Icarus snickered at the thought. After all, he very well maybe the first student to not meet those requirements, a measly Red-Rank Husk. If people knew of his predicament, they'd asked two questions: "How and Why?".

As far as he was concerned, Icarus was only enrolled into the academy as an exception because of his outstanding grades in his whole life in middle school, and maybe some connections were at play. But as to why? He joined for two reasons even though its a Vessel-oriented school. First, he would be going to the same school as the love of his life, Violetta. Second, going to the best high school in the country will look delicious to employers once put on a resume.

His goal was to take advantage of all the business courses of the school and start his own business, or invest on one, or buy stocks. Then, he'll be a prominent figure at a young age and be influential enough to ask the Princess' hand in marriage. The only problem he'll be encountering in the school was to hide the fact that he's a Husk. He was able to fool his former school for 3-and-a-half straight years. He wasn't so sure about this one.

Icarus watched as students slowly poured in the class. The classroom itself seemed fine. The floors were just like outside and white walls were erected with wooden shelves that housed thick books. Math books.

"Ehh, so my homeroom's a math class, huh?" groaned Icarus.

For a guy fixated on money, he sure hated dealing with numbers. He was more inclined with English and History, especially when it came to Essences.

Finally, the first bell rang at 9:00 AM sharp. Their homeroom teacher walked in and placed her papers on the table in the front of the whiteboard. Upon seeing their instructor, the whole class fell silent. A typical jock from the back couldn't help out but let out a whistle. Their teacher was a hot woman in her late 20s. Covering her fair-skinned, voluptuous body was a red track suit. Her glasses balanced her beauty by adding maturity to her young face.

"I'm Mrs. Hinton, your homeroom teacher. I teach Mathematics, specifically Calculus," the woman introduced herself.

"Tch, damn she's married...what a bad luck..."

Icarus overheard a guy from the back and he couldn't agree more. There was no doubt that all 8 guys in the class was pining for their teacher, except him. He knew Mrs. Hinton was no match for Violetta.

As their teacher was about to say something, a handsome-looking boy with orange hair stood up and walked next to her.

"Ehehe, are you sure you're the teach? You look young enough to be hanging with us," winked the confident boy. "The name's Sylvai—

"Chrysus..."

"Ahhh!!!"

Mrs. Hinton wasted no time grabbing his arm and twisting it near full rotation. A golden statue manifested behind her and the student's arm began to turn to gold as she clutched harder.

"Ohh shit.... write that down...write that down," Icarus repeated to himself as he grabbed his tabled and began typing an entry in it. He started noting Mrs. Hinton's Essence and its capabilities.

After judging that the boy had enough pain, Mrs. Hinton let go of his golden arm and kicked him down the ground. His arm reverted back to normal as fast as the golden statue disappeared.

"Every year...," sighed the woman. "Must I remind you all that every instructor here is Purple Rank or above when it comes to Soul Force and have at least an Essence Rank of B. We will not hesitate in teaching students who cause trouble a physical lesson or two."

After the little incident, Mrs. Hinton continued on getting the new students acquainted as if nothing was happened. Everyone received their lockers on the same period. When the class ended, Class Matcha moved on as a unit to their second class which was Science. Student's didn't have an individual schedule. They were part of a class' schedule.

After the second class, Icarus headed to the library to search up the new Essence he witnessed. It was "Chrysus", the Greek God of Gold, a B+ Rank Essence. He proceeded to copy the additional information into his tablet with enthusiasm. Then he felt a hand place itself firmly on his shoulder.

"You..."