"Leodonis, welcome." The tatted up bald man greets as I step through the doors. I smile when I see it's the bad guy with the tattoos on his head and the eyeliner.
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I look around and see it's like any other classroom, but unlike public school I'm used to, this one was well kept and posters on the wall of planets and different constellations. Floating around the class are small objects that mimic the solar system, all orbiting a sun that emits a soft yellow glow.
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I look up in absolute daze before looking back to Professor Eternus.
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He tilts his head a little and the seat opposite his desk moves for me to sit. I don't think I'll ever get used to all this magic stuff.
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Nonetheless, I walk over and sit opposite him.
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"I feel the sense that you have a lot of questions." He says, his voice humorous which kinda surprises me because by his appearance he seemed very intimidating.
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"Uh yeah, I have a few." I say tentatively and he nods.
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"Ask away."
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Now that I'm put on the spot, I have no idea what I should start with.
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Oh!
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"Could you explain to me where we are?" I decide to ask.
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He hums. "There are two distinct realms. There's the mortal realm, where you are from, and the spirit realm. In the spirit realm we have things like the celestial realm and the infernal realm, heaven or hell. That leads to where we are. The First Veil, a little pocket between time and space. A Great Powerful spirit created this as a safe haven for creatures and bodies of flesh bound to the spiritual realm. When we hear stories of mythical creatures and other mythologies, this is where they occurred." He says, his mouth moved slowly and his hands moved in gentle gestures. It was almost serene hearing him speak.
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"Okay...so we are in another dimension." I says more to myself.
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Professor Eternus laughs slightly. "That conclusion may work as well."
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I nod, still trying to wrap my head around everything. "Now could you explain the whole Essence thing please?"
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The professor nods. "It is a bit complicated so you have to pay very close attention." He says to me and I nod getting myself ready to pay closer attention.
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"So what we've learned is that magic originates from a universal life force known as Essence, which binds all living and non-living things. Essence exists in a spectrum of textures and variations, with each variation tied to a distinct magical effect. These different forms of Essence are called Strains, each representing specific magical abilities and qualities. Are you with me so far?"
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I nod, still listening intently.
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"Okay so firstly there is Luminis , a Silver color– it represents knowledge and illumination. Used for insight, telepathy, light manipulation, and vision beyond physical sight." He says and I nod at that.
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Okay so Silver, basically you know stuff and see stuff, rightio, next.
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"Then there's Umbrus, Void Essence– Represents shadow and concealment, used for stealth, illusions, and obscuring memories." He says I nod at that.
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"Next is Ferax, Life Essence: Represents life and growth, used to manipulate organic matter and enhance physical abilities. Then Aetheris, Astral Essence. It represents energy and movement, used for teleportation, telekinesis, and cool things like energy blasts." He says with a small amused smile which I find myself reciprocating.
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He continues. "Then there's one we don't use at here at C.A.A because of its danger. Mortis, Nether Essence. A rare and dangerous form, represents decay and endings, used in necromancy, entropy, and curses. Accessible only to the most disciplined and is heavily restricted like I've informed you." He says to me, his voice more quiet and cautious.
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"Why is it so dangerous?" I ask him.
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"Mortis is dangerous because necromancy comes with many consequences. Firstly a sacrifice is needed. And secondly, most times when corpses are reanimated, they're corrupted and violent. They cause everything around them to decay as well, that's why necromancy was banned a long time ago." He says to me, his tone grave and low.
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I nod, to be honest all of this is so much more interesting than I thought it would be.
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"Now that you know what Essence is and what Strains there are, we move into the conduct of Essence manipulation. Firstly Essencers don't simply "cast" spells, we must attune to the Essence around us, forming a brief connection that harmonizes our souls with the selected Strain. Each spell takes a toll on the user, especially if it isn't aligned with their Affinity Strain." He says and I make a mental note of that.
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"Each Essencer has a Resonance Limit, a threshold for how much Essence they can safely channel at once. Overstepping the limit results in Resonance Burn, a state where the user's life force is depleted and their body and mind begin to break down." He says and my eyes widen at that.
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"We die?" I ask him in shock.
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He laughs. "Now now, don't fret. In most cases it's not fatal. But it can happen, so keep that in mind."
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"Then there's Conduits. Essencers channel Essence through Conduits, a unique, personalized items that act as anchors for power. Conduits might be family heirlooms or personally crafted objects and are carefully guarded by their owners. A Conduit breaking means losing the ability to control Essence safely, sometimes permanently. Many at C.A.A don't require or use conduits until their last year at this institution." He says and I nod again.
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"Wait, I have a question." I'm sure he could see the gears spinning in my head and how painfully stupid I looked right now.
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He nods. "Go ahead."
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"From what you've explained; I've already used multiple Strains. When our family pet got ran over, I was really upset and from what I remember, I just saw a really bright light and then Tom was okay, I know now that that's bad because I used Mortis. He was a bit off, he didn't eat and he was a bit more violent, so Craig had to put him down. Other than that, there was a time I didn't know what to write on a test then all of a sudden I just started writing and I got a hundred percent for that test, which now I know means I used...Luminis. How is it possible for me to use more than one?" I say and he nods almost excitedly with a smile on his face.
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"That's why we've spent a millennia looking for you Leodonis. You can use any Strain without a binding ritual. You are the incarnation of Essence." He says to me.
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You know that look puppies make when they hear a strange sound?
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That's probably how I looked right now.
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Welp, for everyone expecting some grand reveal like my parents are some king and queen of some secret world, sorry to disappoint you.
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"Wait...sorry, what do you mean? Isn't Essence like a life force?" I ask him in confusion.
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"It is. And what better way to be a life force than be living, breathing person." He says simply.
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"So...I'm...Essence?" I ask.
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He laughs. "That is an accurate conclusion, but let me try explaining it more. I know this is confusing. You see how plants can reproduce asexually. They pollinate themselves and produce offspring identical to themselves. That's the case. In the First Veil, stories of 'the Golden Child' have become popular for hundreds of years. The 'Golden Child' or 'Jïlar Grufaas' has been prophesied to be star born or 'One with Essence'." He explains and I nod, my head again is flooded with information.
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"So what I'm hearing is I'm a part of this huge, massive, giant, thing in the universe?" I ask him, still pretty confused.
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He laughs and nods. "That's a good way to put it."
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"Okay, and you spoke about Conduits? I don't think I have one."
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"You in fact do, it was forged out of the bones of Kronos." He says to me and my eyes widen.
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"The guy that eats babies?" I ask him in slight horror.
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He laughs. "Take a deep breath Leodonis, he's not in this realm." He says. "But yes, your Conduit, well at least from what is said in the legends, your Conduit is formed by the bones of Kronos, blessed by Ra, the Egyptian God of the sun and kissed by Apollo." He says.
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I nod. "Okay...but I've never seen it before." I tell him.
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"It will make itself known to you in good time, for now you just have to keep learning and keep working."
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"Okay...and also I've been having really bad dreams about things happening where I think might be here. Is there some sort of conflict here?" I ask Professor Eternus.
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His features turn solemn. "The First Veil is plagued by a great terror. A man who was once apart of the Devine Council, known as Nepheros connived with other members to over throw the council, many many years ago." He says, his voice quiet.
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"Why did he try over throw the council?" I ask.
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"Nepheros was a troubled young man. He often got in trouble at school for his art of necromancy." He says. "As he grew older, he broke another rule which is to not get involved with a mortal. But he did and impregnated her. Birthing this sick and dark evil child, that the council had to deal with. The woman died during child birth and Nepheros accused the council of killing her. He tried to reanimate her many times, but he failed. So he started to connive to kill the council members, when they found him, they banished him. The night of his departure he tried to join his lover in the spirit realm, but the council cursed him with immortality." He explains.
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My heart immediately twists in sadness, but not for the council. But for Nepheros in a way, it seemed he lost a lot. But I keep those thoughts to myself.
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"With that, Nepheros left and started to craft his own dark monsters with the remains of dead creatures he found. He reanimated them, they started to reproduce and kill, these creatures terrorize surrounding areas. Over his many years he's managed to recruit armies worth of warriors and destroy towns and cities with his monstrosities. C.A.A is becoming the only safe haven in the First Veil." He explains, his voice not cracking, steady but it was forced steadiness. Something I know well.
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"So he doesn't have a goal, he just wants revenge?" I ask him softly and he nods.
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"Yes. Quite a tragic story this is." He says with a sigh. "But now that you're alive, now that you're you. We have some hope, for the first in a very long time." He says to him.
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I feel myself slightly panic at that, but instead of spiraling I fidget and pick at my fingers on my lap.
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"I really don't think I am who you guys think I am." I say softly, feeling very ashamed that these people have been waiting for someone who clearly isn't me.
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"Leodonis, from the moment you stepped into our school I knew you could be who you need to be. We have that faith in you, you should have some of that faith in yourself too."
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I look up and give him a soft smile.
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"Now, onto next task at hand." He says. "Essence rules and code of conduct." He explains.
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I'll explain how he said, then put my own understanding. From what Professor Eternus said there's a group of people called the Harmonists, who make sure Essence is being used ethically and monitor access to the Mortis Strain. But no one knows who they are, they just kinda hover around secretly.
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He then says there's these tests students go that identify their Affinity Strain, basically what Strain aligns with their gifts. And only people who have licensed Strains can practice openly.
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Then there's the Oath Of Resonance. Basically an oath saying you won't over do yourself and not take Essence from a life force because that would hurt them or be fatal.
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"Now you need to pay close attention for this one." Professor Eternus starts. "These are forbidden and restricted magics. Firstly, Vincere , Domination Essence: Allows for manipulation of others' minds and actions by binding their Essence to the caster's will. It's forbidden due to its power to corrupt and its use in dominating others. Only the highest members of the Guild have been known to use Vincere in emergencies."
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That kinda scared me, mind control was stuff from movies, hearing this in real life is terrifying.
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"Then there's Sanguis, Blood Essence. It taps directly into the Essence within blood, drawing power from the caster's life force or that of others. While powerful, it is outlawed due to the lethal risks it poses and the devastating Resonance Burn it leaves behind."
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I nod, soaking up all this new knowledge. God, Tony would think I'm in a looney bin.
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"Fatum, Fate Essence. A legendary and mythic form, Fatum Essence allows users to influence probabilities, luck, and even destiny. It is feared because it often backfires, causing great misfortune. Many believe using Fatum Essence incurs the wrath of ancient entities known as The Weavers of Fate. You'll learn more about them in Ancient History class." He says. It's amazing how he doesn't even have a book where he's looking at all of this. Or maybe he's using Luminus.
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See? I'm getting a hang of it already.
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Yay me!
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"Then there's Umbra-Vincere Fusion, Essence of Chains. A dark hybrid between Umbrus and Vincere, Void and Domination, this allows for physical or mental binding of souls and memories. It has been banned after causing permanent memory and personality fragmentation in test subjects."
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"You guys tested that on people?" I whisper in shock.
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He heaves a heavy breath. "Not a proud moment of ours. But we did."
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"Were they able to live normal lives?" I ask him softly.
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He nods. "Most. Others simply killed themselves because of the madness." He says casually.
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My mouth flies open in horror.
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He just continues like he didn't just casually say he and other members didn't drive people into madness and eventually off themselves.
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"Then there's Mortis Rebirth, Soul Inversion. Involving Mortis and Ferax, Soul Inversion manipulates Essence to raise or reanimate the dead by reversing life energy. Banned not only for its unnatural nature but because reanimated beings are corrupted, often hostile, and draw Essence from their summoner,like your reanimated cat, leading to inevitable Resonance Burn. This is what I explained to you earlier about Nepheros." He says and I nod but my face twists slightly in confusion.
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"But isn't Ferax, life and Mortis, death? How can those- oh never mind I got it now. Mortis Rebirth uses reanimating and Ferax breaths life into the reanimated corpses right?" I ask and Professor Eternus looks at me with a proud smile.
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"You see, you're getting a hang of it already." He says.
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Then a loud clock chimes a few times and I look around in confusion because where the heck do all these sounds come from.
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"It's nearly dinner time." He says and my eyebrows furrow. I fish my phone out of my pocket and look at the time to see it was four.
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"Could you tell me some more please?"I ask him and he smiles.
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"So eager to learn. Admirable quality. But we may continue until dinner time." He affirms and I smile.
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"Oh what is Essence Dampening?" I ask.
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"Repeat offenders may be subjected to an Essence Damping curse, limiting the Strains they can access and permanently weakening their Resonance Limit." He explains.
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"That's a little harsh," I say softly.
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He nods. "It is. But we need to send a message so people do not hurt other students, or themselves."
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"Reasonable I guess. Okay and also the giant circle with symbols on my back? I've had to swim with a shirt on my whole life. Whats up with that?"
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"That is the Ordeiga Seal. It placed on you by the Harmonists to keep your powers in check. It was a very complicated and long process," He explains and I nod in understanding.
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"So what would happen if I like took it off?" I ask.
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"You'd probably implode." He says casually and my mouth hangs open.
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"Why would I implode?" I ask back with widened eyes.
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"Because you don't know how to control your gifts. I understand you can shapeshift successfully, and you're an empath. But those just scratch the surface of the things you can do with your gifts."
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"So...how do I learn to do more?" I ask him.
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"The educators here were trained on the soul basis of the possibility of you arriving at our school. So you will work closely with your teachers to get a better handle of your gifts." He says to me. "Since the Seal doesn't stop you from channeling and manipulating Essence, you'll be able to do a lot, even with that Seal."
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I nod at that and let out a sigh. Which I'm not sure is of relief because I finally have some of the answers that I've been asking for a really long time, or it's of shame and frustration because now I'm expected to be some big hero when I don't really play the part.
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"Okay, but could you just explain the symbols? I have tried to google and find what they mean but I have had absolutely zero luck." I huff.
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Professor Eternus seemed more than amused, his dark eyes gleam. It was startling but in a cool way.
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"Of course. The symbols in the outer ring are primarily for containment. Keeping your powers under control. Then the second ring if for stabilization, so if your powers do overwhelm you, your seal stabilizes them. Then the inner circle divided with pizza like slices are The Sigils Of Ordeiga. Or the Sigils Of Gods. There are eight sigils in that circle, each rule an aspect of god-like abilities." He explains, and I try not to giggle at how he says pizza. He says 'pitza'. Hehe. Sorry.
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Wow, I'm gonna disappoint all these people huh?
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"Leodonis, stop worrying. You'll do great." He says to me and my eyes snap back to him in surprise.
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He smiles. "Can you guess how I know what you're thinking?"
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"Uh...luminus?" I ask sheepishly.
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He lets out a laugh, which kinda makes me smile because the laugh is like a chorty cackle. If you had you to imagine what a hen laughs like, it would be what Professor Eternus laughs like, that's the best way I can describe it.
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"Didn't need to. Your face said all I needed to know." He says and I give him a smile.
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"Sorry, it's just a lot. It's kind of overwhelming." I say, albeit softly.
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He nods in understanding, sympathy on his face.
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"I can imagine. But you have every teacher here to help you." He says with a kind smile and I nod, feeling reassured.
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"Is there anything else I need to know?" I ask him.
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He nods, his face seeming more serious. "There's one last thing, and you may not like it." He says.
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I already start to brace myself a little.
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"Every grade goes through Trials before moving onto the next grade. Usually, the freshman have two, one at the the beginning of the year and one at the end. After freshman year, students have one test at the end of the year. But with you it's a little bit different. Since you are a Caeles, we have to deal with you differently. So this year you'll have a total of eight trials. Known as the Ascension Trials. One every month and a half." He says to me.
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I wait a second to think.
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"What does Caeles mean?" I ask him.
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"It's a rough translation to a God." He says to me and my brain freezes for a moment.
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Wow.
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That's kinda cool.
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I nod my head, processing. "Okay...and what are the Trials?" I ask him.
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Professor Eternus paused for a second before continuing.
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"I'll only tell you about the first two, so you can prepare yourself. First is the Trial of Shadows. This trial requires you to enter a pitch-black labyrinth beneath the school, called The Twilight Zone. Here, you must confront manifestations of your greatest fears, each more intense than the last." He says, his voice low and almost cautious.
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I feel a lump form in my throat and I swallow it down.
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"But do not fear, you just need to prepare yourself efficiently and effectively. And I'll be sure you are ready." He says and I nod, feeling slightly reassured.
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Sorry, I've been nodding a lot, my head just does that.
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"Then there's the Trial of Blood." He starts and I already feel dread settling in my stomach. "Also known as the Crismon Rite. Here you are lead into a ritual chamber with someone you must sacrifice into the Gods Mouth." He says and my heart drops to my stomach.
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"I- I have to sacrifice someone?" I whisper in dread, my breathing becoming labored slightly.
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"Leon, take a deep breath. The person you are sacrificing volunteered to be the sacrifice. They know it is a great honor. And they do not know you as the Jïlar Grufaas, they only know that they will be sacrificed by someone important. But they won't know its you. Everyone will only know your identity after some time."
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"So...someone has to die for me to do this trial?" I ask him in at most horror. "I don't think I can do that." I say softly, my eyebrows furrowed.
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"Leon, it's for a greater purpose. We aren't the ones that determine or create these Rites of passage. Powers beyond the council curated these for the greater glory of your Ascension." He says, his voice soft and empathetic.
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Oh Lord.
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"Leon we need you. Many many innocent people die everyday at the hands of this war. Children, mothers, fathers, all of them. Many hostages have been taken, many people have been slaughtered, so much destruction and you can stop it."
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I look up at him. "I don't think I can." I say, his eyes dropping to my lap.
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"But you can Leon, and you will. We'll make sure you become the best version of yourself. So don't worry, you have a support system."
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I let out a heavy sigh. "So I have one month and half before my first trial?" I ask him and he nods.
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"I guess I should start getting ready now." I say, getting ready to leave because it was almost dinner.
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Professor Eternus nods and gives me a smile. "You need your textbooks and class work books." He says before he waves his hand, the door behind him opens and a trail of books wafting on an orange shimmery cloud float onto his desks.
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Holy cow.
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I stand up and grab some of my books, and right before I could start to panic about how I was gonna carry all these books on my own, there was a knock at the door.
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The door opened and in came Raphael.
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"Good afternoon Professor." He says politely.
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"Ah Raphael, good afternoon. Done with my assignment?" He asks and Raphael gives him a sheepish smile while nervously scratching the back of his neck.
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"Almost there, sir." He says and Professor Eternus lets out a chuckle.
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"Please assist Leodonis with taking his books up to his dorm." He says and Raphael nods.
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"Yes sir." He says walking over to the monstrous pile of books and helping me by grabbing a few.
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I grab some as well before smiling at the professor. "Thank you for answering my questions, Professor Eternus. And thank you for your help. I'll do my best," I say and he smiles.
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"It was lovely speaking with you Leodonis. Now you boys hurry back to dorm before you're marked late for roll call. Leon, your timetable is in you school diary." He says and I nod then Raphael starts heading out and I follow.
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As we walk Raphael turns to me. "How was your talk with the professor?"
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I huff slightly. "Uh it was okay I guess. There's just a lot I have to remember and a bunch of stuff I didn't know."
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Raphael hums. "You understand Essence and all that stuff now?" He asks.
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"I think so...? I'm not sure, but I do get the concept of it."
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We continue to walk until we get back to our dorm. We make our way up to our room and I almost panic when I see Seraphim just casually lounging on my pillow, then I remember the charm doohickey and let out a sigh of relief.
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We put down my books on my desk and I take this time to look out the window. We were ways off the ground, the sky was in perfect view and I could see the the sports fields from here.
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"I don't think I'll ever get used to how cool the sky looks." I say more to myself and I hear Raphael laugh.
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"What's the sky in the mortal realm like?" He asks.
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I turn to look at him and lean back on my desk.
"It's not as cool as this one. We just have it blue during the days, then it's like yellow, blue and pink in the evening. Then almost black at night. And we also only have one moon." I reply.
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"Technically it's like that for us too. But because we're between realms we have a clear look of mortal celestial bodies and spiritual celestial bodies." He explains.
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I smile at that. "You're really smart."
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He laughs and waves his hand. "Stop trying to get in my pants." He says and heat immediately rises to my face.
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"I wasn't- I didn't mean- I just-" I rush out and Raphael laughs loudly, his back even hunched over as he laughs at my embarrassment.
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"I was kidding, jeez Leon." He says and I groan at that and pats my cheeks trying to get them to cool down.
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"Not funny." I grumble out and he smiles at me.
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Luckily, I was saved by the bell. No, literally the bell for dinner started ringing. I let out a sigh of relief and Raphael opens our door.
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"After you." He says with an exaggerated bow. I laugh at that before grabbing the lunchbox on my bed and made my way out and he follows.
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The lunchbox is to for Seph by the way.
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We walk down our hall and down the stairs again and into the common room. We head out of the big double door and everyone was waited there with Michael at the front holding a clipboard and two other older men. One caught my attention, and it seemed I caught his too. He had one eye. Yep, one HUGE orb of green bam-smack on right at the center of his forehead. I looked away quickly.
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Michael reads out names and ticks off everyone, when it comes to me he reads my name out and I respond by saying 'Present' he moves on the list until everyone was ticked off.
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Then everyone headed to the cafeteria. I stuck close to Raphael, and by the time we got our food and went to the table Cassius and August were already there.
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August gives me his— what seems to be his default smile. "Nice to see you again." He says to me charmingly.
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I give him a smile. "Uh you too." I say before sitting down next to Raphael while August and Cassius sat on the other side.
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"Apparently from next week we have to start sitting with our forces." August says and that makes Raphael surprised.
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"Really? Why the fuck would they do that?" He asks in soft outrage, it was almost funny.
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August shrugs as he continues to eat his food, after swallowing he responds. "No idea, they're changing a bunch of stuff all of a sudden." He says.
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They continue back and forth for a bit. Cassius not really saying anything expect a small quippy comment before returning to burying his nose in whatever book he's reading.
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Again I have no idea what Raphael and August are talking about. So I keep quiet and just eat my dinner. It was beef stew, I think. If they even have cows here. Oh lord what happens if I'm eating an endangered animal?
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This is why I want to become vegetarian.
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My mind stops racing for a second when something August says peaks my interest.
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"Did you see him Katia? It's like she wasn't in a relationship with Michael two seconds ago." August says, with some edge in his voice.
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"Of course he's with Katia now. They're both sick and twisted, and Katia is a fucking Aether too. She makes us look bad for going out with someone like Deimos." Raphael spits.
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Aether? Where were these conversations when I needed to ask questions.
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"Raphael, what exactly is an Aether?" I ask him softly and he smiles brightly, his eyes beaming with pride.
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"Aetherborn. What do you guys call it? Oh, an Archangel, is what you guys call us." He beams, almost gushing.
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I nod at that, the gears slowly moving in my mind.
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Ohhhhh.
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Michael and Raphael. Huh.
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The two get back to their conversation while my head was still spinning with trying to make sense of this whole thing. Not Raphael, okay that too, but being chucked into an environment where pigs can actually freaking fly would throw even Einstein through a loop.
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My attention zeros back into the conversation when I hear something about a seven-some?
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Jeez.
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"He did WHAT?!" Raphael says in shock, not really loudly but enough to kinda startle me.
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"Yeah, I heard he had like six guys up in his dorm room last year and everyone in the hostel said they heard weird noises coming from his room." August says and my head tilts at that in confusion.
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"What if they were doing like a group project or something?" I catch myself saying and I kinda regretted it as soon as I heard it.
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Raphael and August laugh, loudly, a stomach clutching, knee smacking, eye watering type of laugh.
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I slightly shrink into my seat, not because I was necessarily embarrass- actually no, I am very much embarrassed.
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I even saw Cassius's lip tug a little, just a tiny bit.
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Raphael pats my shoulder, their laughs dying down a bit.
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"You're funny and hot? Must be my lucky day." August smirks in my direction.
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"Down boy." Raphael says and I smile a little.
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Raphael turns to me. "Now back to what you said— Deimos has been known to be a bit..."
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"Adventurous." August finishes.
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Cassius scoffs. "More like promiscuous." He says under his breath, but everyone heard him.
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"Once last year, he almost got suspended cause he was caught with two girls in his bed, naked." Raphael says to me and my eyes widen at that.
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"Maybe he's just...lonely?" I offer but they laugh slightly at that again.
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"And to make it worse, he's a complete asshole. Like the dude is just a piece of shit." August says and I feel bad. I would probably cry if I found out people had such strong feelings towards me.
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Maybe he deserves it?
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I'll have to find out eventually I guess.
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The bell rings and the loud deep voice, Laemon, speaks.
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"A moment of silence for prayer." It commands and everyone does so, bowing their heads in a silence as some whisper words of prayer while others just keep their mouths closed.
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I bow my head as well then the bell rings again and everyone starts talking again.
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I turn to Raphael. "What happens now?" I ask him.
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"We have about thirty minutes until prep, which is like time to do homework and stuff, until then you can do anything. You can walk around outside, go to the library, go to the computer lab, chill with friends. It's your choice." He explains and I nod along.
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"But for today you are coming with us, we just chill outside until we have to head back to dorm." He says and I smile at that.
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"I'll be in the library." Cassius says standing up. "See you weirdos later." He says before leaving.
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That was kinda sweet, but I know he's not talking to me so I won't get excited.
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Wait, what if he's calling me an actual weirdo?
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That would be sad huh?
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Oh lord that is sad.
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I hear Raphael laugh. "Leon you terrify me when you go quiet and stare off into the distance."
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I turn my head to look at him and give him a sheepish smile. "Sorry."
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He laughs. "No worries man, let's go." He says getting up and I follow and so does August.
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We walk to the food scraps bin and I put the food I didn't eat in it. After everything that had happened today and what I know, I'm surprised I ate at all.
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Raphael looks at me in confusion. "You saving for later?"
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I panic. "Uh....yes! Exactly, I'm totally saving for later. You know...growing boy stomach and all," I say and he laughs, shaking his head and starts to lead us out of the cafeteria.
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That was a disaster.
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We make our way through the halls, Raphael and August chit chatting away while I continue to marvel at the architecture and art.
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This is the type of art I'd want to eventually make. My art wasn't bad, it was pretty good actually but this is a whole different type of beast. Raw, vivid and dense with culture and history.
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I wonder what happened in these, like actually.
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Aiaiai, when I'm not with professor is when these questions come up.
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We get to this huge wooden double door that opens widely showcasing the sports fields.
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"Tomorrow Leon, I'm gonna give you the grand tour of this place." Raphael says, he puts his hand on my shoulder and with his other hand he gestures to the school, as we stop to just look at the view.
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Holy cow.
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We continue walking and I look around the fields, small groups of people are playing around. I get startled as a girl flies over heads with a cheer. People are sat together, I hear some music playing from a speaker, honestly the vibes right now are good. For them at least, my brain is spinning.
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The sky is almost like the one back home, the pinks and yellows, the oranges and purples with the gradient of blue at the bottom. But even with the same colors in our skies, this one puts ours from home to shame. The planets were so visible here, the moons so much closer and the sun so much brighter, it was honestly so breathtaking.
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A ball gets thrown in our direction and right before it hit me square in the face, August caught it.
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I let out a breath of relief. "Thank you so much." I say, not even realizing my breathing was labored.
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August flashes me a wink before throwing the ball back to whoever threw it.
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We walked around the field a little bit. My mouth still closed because I was just taking in my new surroundings and not really paying attention to what August and Raphael was saying.
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"Shit, Leon we have to get back." He says to me.
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"Oh okay," I reply.
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August waves at us as he starts to leave, instead of waving I just smile at him and he shoots me a wink before leaving.
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"He's not in our dorm?" I ask as we start to head back.
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"No, he's in Hermes. There's Apollo, our dorm. Hermes, Hades and Ares. And then for the girls there's Hecate, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite." He explains more and I nod. I'm sure he is tired of explaining and babysitting me at this point.
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We make it up back up to the dorm in time, but the house master was waiting at our door and he gave us the stink eye. Well to be honest it felt like he was just giving me, the stink eye. His singular stink eye.
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Huh.
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That will most definitely cause me problems in the future, but for now, I will not care.
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I have bigger things to worry about, like that fact that I have to freaking sacrifice someone in three months.
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Gosh darn.
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We eventually get to our room and close the door, Seraphim was still lounging on my pillow. I smile at him before walking to my bed.
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Time to unpack I guess.
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Raphael settles at his desk and puts his earphones in. I put the lunchbox in the space between my bed and wardrobe so Raphael didn't see that food was just randomly disappearing. Seraphim hastily climbs off my bed and goes to eat.
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I put my earphones in and with Pink Pantheress blasting in my ears, I unpack.
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I finished about right when prep finished and Raphael was heading to the bathroom for a shower. I tagged along because I didn't know where the bathroom was.
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There were five showers, divided by walls and a sliding door that is concealed with this canvas like fabric that made sure no one could see into the shower.
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While I was showering, loud music starting playing and it sounded like more people were showering.
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I was done not too long after that. I put my towel around my waist and put a shirt over my wet chest and walk out the bathroom.
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Some of the other guys were showering without sliding their doors closed, luckily they weren't fully naked and no one really cared about me being there, and for that I'm glad. Also the guy with heaves was there too, he gave me a small smile and I reciprocated.
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I walk to the sink and brush my teeth before heading back to my room where Raphael was already, funny enough he was in a panda onesie.
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I stifle a laugh, and he looks at me from his position in bed with a mock glare.
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"Rude." He mutters and I laugh again.
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"Sorry." I laugh before sitting on my bed, grabbing my lotion and moisturizing the heck out of myself.
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I stand by my mirror and do my hair stuff before getting dressed into my pajama pants and a different over sized shirt then packing my backpack for my first day of classes tomorrow.
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After which, I was suddenly feeling really really tired. Maybe jet lag? Is it even jet lag if we didn't fly? I mean we did fly when we went over that gorge.
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Anyway—
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I walk to the door where the main light is. "Can I turn this off?" I ask Raphael and he hums, giving me a thumbs up as he scrolls on his phone.
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I wonder who makes the phones here. Is it possible they get it from the mortal side??
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Cause his phone looks newer than mine.
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Oh well!
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I turn off the lights and walk to my bed and get in, Seraphim comes and nuzzles in my side as I lie down.
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I grab my phone and text my parents to see if they got home and they said they did.
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With that, I answer some texts from my siblings. A few from Sarah and Tony. And one from October.
38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1u7DSMpH5
After that, with a small smile I close my eyes.
38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYA5RNTTz5r
"Goodnight roomie." Raphael says gleefully and I smile.
38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjtnFeoeia
"Goodnight Raphael." I reply.
38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dgI8INDDl
And with that, I drifted a lot faster than usual.
ns216.73.216.13da2
and then Add to home screen.