Frosty Arrival

Draul's range of expressions seemed limited but the slightest of alterations to his dark face made all the difference.

His brows furrowed slightly and a dark menacing yet subtle expression of anger took over his formerly calm countenance, "I did no such thing." He barked.

"Then what sort of rubbish is a Leader's Wild card?" the scarred man hissed back, unbothered by Draul's clear irritation.

"It's not unheard of, you dolt. You know what happens when someone like the 'Arcanium' interferes with the proceedings of the Sorting. You can expect something like this to happen," Draul argued.

The man gritted his teeth and eyed the pale dark-haired boy seated at the centre of the tower of glowing amber runes. Darius stood up from his seat, his robes taking on Squad Six's deep green colour.

His eyes lit up when he noticed Momo and Tara seated in the same row he was meant to be in. The rest of the Squad welcomed him warmly, as they always did every newcomer… with handshakes, unexpected hugs, hair ruffles and slaps to the back.

It took the pale boy a few minutes to finally make it to the empty seat next to Momo.

Something about this boy turned the scarred redhead's stomach. He didn't like it very much.

'So the son of the Arcanium chooses to be a Hunter… and passes the Sorting test! What sort of twisted result will this present? Couldn't he have gone for something like a Specialist? I'm sure he would have excelled well enough in that field.

Hell, I think the Sorting Spell could sense this as well. If that's the case… then his conviction must have been strong enough to deny the Sorting Spell's absolute laws… And if that's the case, then… I don't even want to think about it.'

The man sighed and took his seat at the teacher's table once more, "Oh my! Is it hot in here? I've never seen you get your knickers in a twist before, Heldsworth," a lady in black beside him gave a hearty laugh.

"I don't wear knickers, Matilda…"

When the woman laughed even more, he scowled, "Shut up already. The Sorting Ceremony is still going on."

The students were in their own form of chaos at this point. A different form of discussion going on everywhere and from so many perspectives.

A few students that had chosen to remain quiet earlier began chattering at this point, joining the fray and trying to get in on the information that was freely sailing through the room.

Speculations were made… rumours spread like a wildfire, somehow never making it to the green row of Squad 6.

"Hey, Draul, have you seen the Headmaster? It's not like him to miss something like this," Matilda asked to the Deputy Headmaster.

Draul's eyebrows twitched, "No, I haven't seen the old man anywhere."

Mentally, he was dreaming up a storm of curses of frightening severity, in the hopes that he could use them all on the Headmaster.

"You're such a liar, Draul," Matilda sighed.

"Where do you think the Headmaster is?" Heldsworth asked the woman in black beside him rhetorically.

"Well, if I know that old geezer, he's probably watching a much more interesting show than this," the woman sighed.

"What could possibly be more interesting than this?" Heldsworth huffed.

"Oh, trust me, he wouldn't miss the Sorting Ceremony for just about anything. Just like he wouldn't miss the War Games. He's always where the action is," Matilda gave a high-pitched laugh before finally falling silent.

The Runes were shimmering once more, commanding the silence of the entire Mess Hall. What had happened with the previous student wasn't unheard of indeed…

…and at certain times during the Sorting, the ethereal voice had a tendency of providing a little bit more information about the student than normal.

That information was meant to guide the student's journey of growth during their time at the School and allow them to manifest their potential in the best way imaginable.

Information that was meant to guide the professors as well in the best way possible to help the student reach their peak potential before graduation.

"Name: Leo Smith

Course: Hunter

Category: Warrior

Role: Vanguard

Squad: Squad Six"

The students clapped as they welcomed another student into their ranks.

The Runes shimmered. A screaming student appeared, injured in grotesque ways, a name was mentioned, a course was assigned, a role and category assigned if necessary and a Squad as well before this process repeated all over again.

......….

As expected, the distribution was pretty even with the squads all getting an almost equal number of new members except for Squad Six which got fewer than the rest.

Right when the runes had stabilised and were about to summon another student towards the end of the ceremony, the large double doors of the Mess Hall swung open, their powerful metal hinges screaming under the weight of the ancient oakwood.

On the other side of the door stood an old man dressed in pale blue robes. A gust of cold wind blew in with his arrival.

All at once, like clockwork, the students stood up and bowed to the man that had just appeared, acknowledging his presence.

Smiling fondly at the students, he made his way to the front and took his place at the centre of the long teacher's table in a chair that was designed much more luxuriously than the rest.

"Welcome back, Headmaster Frost," the students said in unison.

"It's good to be back. But whoever said I was away? Gringer?" the man raised a brow at his deputy.

"Am I supposed to explain why you're tardy to perhaps the most important event of the school year?" Draul Gringer, the deputy headmaster, wouldn't meet the Headmaster's eyes.

"You could have just mentioned where I was. Overseeing the Hunter Selection Process. It was quite the delight to watch," the old man's voice replied, echoing through the halls with a hearty laugh.

Draul rubbed his temples, "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. Now, shall we proceed?"

"By all means, carry on, Gringer," Headmaster Frost urged him to continue.

The Runes shimmered once more, bringing with them a cold wind that rattled the windows and shook the chandeliers.

"Why am I not surprised?" Draul muttered under his breath.

"Did you say something, Gringer?"

"No!"

'Damn those sensitive ears!'

.....

The RuneCircles spun fast but didn't suffer complications like before and soon enough, a student appeared in the seat. No restraining circles came over him and his body showed no signs of a bloody battle. Unlike the rest of the students, he seemed to be in the best condition.

His face and the sweat that made his hair cling to it were the only parts of him that showed signs of exhaustion but other than that, he was perfectly fine.

The spell promptly tidied him up and clothed him in a set of grey robes.

The blonde boy stared on with a neutral expression and scanned the crowd before the ethereal voice of the Sorting spoke up.

"Name: Sullivan Steele

Course: Hunter

Category: Warrior

Role: Leader

Squad: Squad Four"

The students stared blankly at the boy that had just spawned in the Great Hall. He wasn't as heavily built as Cade and yet he had an air about him that suggested he was to be feared.

There was the matter of the state with which he'd returned. Unlike the rest of the students, he seemed uninjured. Like nothing had happened to him during the Sorting Test.

"That's impossible," Beatrice spoke up as she watched the boy, "…Unless… Unless the Behemoth really was defeated. But that's crazy right?"

Momo stared at the older student and took a sip of fruit punch, "I'm… not sure."

When members of Squad One stared at Cade, they noticed a faint hint of acknowledgement in his eyes, "Will he be a problem if you ever have to face him?" Carol asked the Leader.

"He'll certainly be interesting!" Cade replied, taking a sip of the tea in front of him.

"Oh? You sound like there is someone else to look out for," Carol searched his eyes.

"That's because there is," Cade smirked with a hint of glee.

...…