Chapter One : Graduation Means the End

Finn shifted restlessly amid the somber crowd, all arranged in neat rows across the large courtyard. The burlap "gown" he wore over his clothes scratched against the patches of bare skin underneath. The others in his row at the back of the congregation, all around the same age as him, were similarly dressed in the drab and inexpensive ceremonial robes. Ahead of them, the assembled students wore more stylish clothing, soft, silken garments that seemed to glide across the floor as they swayed, lured into a stupor by the droning voice that drifted across the courtyard.

"... as of next week. Soon, you will each be bonded with your Sym, with whom it is your responsibility to establish good relations in the hopes of…" The speaker continued to drone on about the duties that lay ahead of the students arranged before the stage he stood upon. His graying, unkempt hair curled at his temples and stuck out a few in all directions, as if he spent most of his time too preoccupied to care. His eyes scanned across the students row by row, appraising the future generation of Hosts arranged before him. Finn couldn't help but notice that his eyes never lingered on the back row where he and those around him stood. Almost as if he couldn't see them. Or refused to acknowledge they were there.

Finn's attention was pulled away from the cold chill of the icy gaze sweeping across them as he felt a nudge against his leg. He looked to his right to see Ama, his lifelong friend, beaming at him, her smile wide and infectious. She was beautiful, even in the tattered sack that had been provided by the school for this very graduation ceremony. The other students had acquired their lavish robes from renowned tailors throughout the city beyond the schools imposing walls. He and Ama, along with the school's other wards, weren't so lucky. That had no parents to speak of, and most of them had never left the school's halls since the gray haired man, Principal Schechter, had "adopted" them. Although he acted more like a prison warden to his charges than an adoptive father.

He jerked back to the present with a start. Ama was still looking at him, a coy smile painted on her lips as she watched his momentary lapse of attention. Her long, straight black hair framed her pale face, her petite nose crowned by two piercing blue eyes that swallowed Finn like the midday sky on a perfect day. Finn gave her a small smile of his own, and turned back towards the endless barrage of forthcoming duties and tedious responsibilities that continued to spill from the principals mouth. His smile faded as he contemplated the future that lay before the two of them, as well as all the other orphans taken in by the school. Even as students they were treated as nothing more than servants and caretakers for the school. After graduation, the other students would leave, spreading out across the colonized plane. Everyone left behind would have their future left to the mercy of the school and its principal.

"Psst!" Ama hissed quietly at him, seeing his frown deepen. The students nearby all momentarily shook from their daze, glancing over to see where the noise was coming from, before the voice of the principal once again lured them into their statuesque vigilance. When Finn looked over at her, she held his gaze and whispered, "It's going to be fine. I'll always be by your side. I know together we can handle anything." She reached out and brushed his hand, the itchy fabric of her oversized sleeve grazing the backs of their knuckles. "Don't forget our promise." She smiled again, then turned back to the front as the monotonous sermon of Principal Schechter paused for breath.

Suddenly, a shadow materialized behind Ama. Like he was stepping out of the very darkness itself, a man appeared from the shadow, wispy tendrils of onyx vapor dissipating from his skin. Their now former combat teacher, Mr. Ignus, grabbed Ama by the arm, yanking her towards his lanky form. His stern face betrayed no hint of leniency as he began to pull her out of the formation of students at the edge of the courtyard, the inner walls of the school rising bleak and oppressive behind him, the pale gray stone seeming to leech all color from its surroundings.

"You know better than to be talking during the ceremony," He scolded Ama in a hushed tone as he jerked her along with him, striding quickly away from Finn. "That's about the last straw for you. We both know he's gonna punish you for this." Ignus grunted as he gave her a particularly vicious tug as she tried to resist him. "You'll be lucky if he doesn't withhold your Bonding Rites this time. You've caused us an awful lot of trouble during your years here."

Finn reached for Ama reflexively as she was dragged swiftly away from him, feeling a cold emptiness lingering where she stood beside him moments before. Seeing his reaction, Ama shook her head, her shoulders slumping and the fight leaving her body as she allowed herself to be led away. Just before they disappeared around the edge of the doorway set into the courtyard wall, he saw her wink at him, her lips mouthing the words, "See you soon!" Finn's eyes never left her, a look of worry and helplessness etched across his features. Some of the teachers had always taken pleasure in harassing the wards for every perceived infraction, using ridiculous and humiliating punishments that seemed to escalate with every passing month, almost as if the teachers had a competition on who could cause the most emotional trauma for the students. Fortunately, this had never spilled over into outright violence, perhaps for fear of public scrutiny of some of the schools less than savory practices.

Finn turned back towards the front, his thoughts racing as his worry for Ama sent his mind into overdrive. He knew they wouldn't hurt her, but he couldn't help the feeling that somehow it was his fault. If she hadn't been worried about him she never would have drawn the attention of Ignus in the first place. I have to help her somehow, he thought. But how am I supposed to leave the ceremony without getting spotted? He glanced around him at the other students, seeing the vacant expressions and faraway looks in their eyes brought on by incessant rambling drifting from the stage. As the last few minutes replayed over and over in his head, the thought of Ama's smile kept drifting to the surface. Her captivating smile, the only light in his dreary life. Then his thoughts drifted to the way that smile had frozen and melted from her face as Ignus had accosted her. How long had he been standing behind the students, watching them? Finn had seen no trace of him before he had stepped out of what seemed to be thin air. How had he hidden his presence so well? Could I do the same thing? If only I had an air or light soul, he thought dryly. He had known for a long time that his soul held no elemental affinity, and it was likely he would never successfully bond with his own Sym.

Finn slowly crouched, keeping his eyes on the students around him. They never even glanced his way, perhaps too entranced or too bored to care. He tried to empty his mind and make himself as inconspicuous as possible as he slowly backed away towards the doorway Ama's captor had whisked her away through what already seemed like hours ago. Finn needed to hurry if he stood any chance of catching up and helping her. Even if that meant taking her punishment onto himself.

As the shadow of the courtyard wall began to overtake his body, blocking out the harsh afternoon sun beating down on his back, Finn glanced around one last time to make sure no one had noticed him. The principal and other teachers near the stage couldn't see him through the throng of bodies, so his only real concern was one of the students catching sight of him and raising the alarm. He had no doubt that any of them would hesitate to raise the alarm if they thought it would gain them favor with the teachers. Principal Schechter ruled his small kingdom with an iron grip firmly around the students' necks.

When he was sure that he hadn't been spotted, Finn whirled, his gown flaring out and rubbing at his skin harshly with his frantic movements. He rushed towards the open doorway as fast as he dared, trying to remain as low to the ground and as quiet as possible, carefully aiming every footfall to avoid echoing throughout the mostly silent expanse. He practically dove through the door as he approached, quickly ducking behind the doorframe and heading down the hallway in the direction he had seen Ama disappear. He could only assume that Ignus would take her straight to Schecter's office to wait. That way the punishment can be doled out immediately, He thought grimly as he quickened his pace, practically sprinting through the halls in the direction of the administrative wing.

The school was arranged in a myriad of hallways and staircases going both up and down, twisting and spiraling in all directions. The hallways were connected together throughout the grounds in various hubs, each representing one of the five elemental affinities, laid out like the points of a star on the ground floor of the campus. These hubs were stylized rooms that were meant to be beautiful and captivating, embodying the element it signified. The hubs themselves were rarely used as meeting places, except when the classes of a particular affinity met for group training exercises.

Finn found himself oblivious to the beauty and opulence on display around him as he rushed through the fire hub. Crystal renditions of flames adorned the walls and the edges of the floor, catching the light and seeming to sparkle, giving the illusion of real fire dancing as it burned. Finn ignored all of this as he rushed through the open space, his bare feet slapping rapidly against the cold hard stone beneath them. Finn, like the other orphans, had never been given the luxury of a pair of shoes, so his worn and calloused feet barely felt the impacts as he pushed himself harder. I need to catch them before they make it to Schechter's office, he recited to himself frantically as he rushed up a set of steps to the next floor. He knew there would be no way to see Ama once she was locked inside that oppressive room.

As he rounded the final corner at the top of the stairs and stepped into the hallway outside of Schecter's office, Finn froze in shock. Ahead of him, the pale bleached stone gave way to a sea of red. Everywhere he looked, Finn saw nothing but crimson, sticky fluid, dripping from the ceiling and running slowly down the walls to join the growing pool that rushed across the ground towards his feet. In the center of the macabre flood, Finn saw a dark shape huddled on the ground. At first he was unable to make out any details in the dimly lit hallway. Then suddenly, the mound shifted slightly, and Finn gasped in horror at the scene before him as his mind finally processed what he was seeing.

In front of him, he saw a person on their knees facing away from him, their clothes shredded to ribbons and small pieces of fabric littered nearby like leaves from a tree. Every bare patch of skin Finn could see was stained with the dark red substance, even as it continued to leak from numerous cuts and gashes scattered across the person's body. Their head was tilted at an unnatural angle, forced to the side to make room for the small dark object that nestled against their neck.

That's not an object, Finn realized with a jolt, that's a creature. As realization dawned on him, his feet began moving of their own accord, shuffling towards the strange form, then running as he drew closer and the scene finally came into focus. The creature appeared to be a small, dark monkey of some sort, barely bigger than the ball he sometimes saw the other students kicking around in the courtyard. It's head was buried in what was clearly it's victims neck, one of it's hands holding their head to the side, while the other rested on their shoulder. As he neared, the monkey raised its head and hissed, it's eyes flashing a brighter red than the ichor staining it's face.

It's drinking their blood, Finn realized numbly. His mind was in shock, but his body kept moving on it's own, rushing towards the creature faster and faster. He had to get it away from the person who still knelt unresponsive on the ground. The creature, seeing Finn barreling down the hall towards him, hissed once more before leaping further down the hall, using it's victim's shoulder as a springboard. Finn gave chase, rushing past the prone form that had sprawled when the monkey had leapt. The creature landed, looked over it's shoulder at Finn with a look he could only describe as disdain, then disappeared in a puff of black smoke, leaving no trace of it's presence other than the carnage it had wreaked.

Finn stared for a moment in disbelief at the spot the beast had vanished, alarm bells ringing in his head. Before he had time to make sense of the intuition that was struggling to make itself known, he spun swiftly around towards the body behind him. His eyes grew wide as he took in the sight before him. Now that he was closer and the shock was receding, he could make out a few more details. The figure lay face down where it had landed, but from the profile Finn could tell that it was a girl around his age. He rushed toward her and dropped to his knees, checking for breathing or a pulse even as his mind continued to soak in details. The blood seeping from every inch of skin, starting to slow. The burlap fabric strips still clinging about the shoulders of a girl who seemed as still as the stone walls around them. The shock of raven black hair, once long and as soft as silk to the touch, now matted with congealing blood.

"No," Finn croaked, his voice barely audible even in the oppressive silence. "No, please no," he pleaded with anyone who would listen. He reached for the unmoving girl, attempting to flip her over. As he did, he slipped in his haste, falling on top of her body. Ignoring the blood that now stained his front, his eyes traced her form to her face, fearing the worst, but already knowing what he would see.

"Ama, no," he sobbed, tears pouring down his face in a torrential downpour. "Please, no. What about our promise? I can't show you the world if you aren't here with me." He reached for her face, his vision a blur, his mind refusing to accept that she was gone. "Please wake up." He wiped at her face, trying to clean the blood from it. Her soulless eyes continued to stare at the ceiling, the terrified look locked onto her features burning itself into Finn's memory for as long he would live. He pressed his forehead against her swiftly cooling one, pulling her close to him and losing himself in his grief.