[hider=Prologue] [center]. . .[/center] The Headmaster took a moment to relax in his seat, as he went over his meeting with his sister. There was much to do this time around. Forces were converging on all sides, either through the contrived schemes of his antagonists, or otherwise by sheer happenstance; either way, this would be a trying time, and he only hoped that the students could walk away unscathed. Mortal problems, he could deal with - he wasn't the strongest Archemage when it came to combat, but he [i]was[/i] the most respected for a reason. But if events happened came to pass as Andromeda predicted . . . he didn't think he was ready to play the game of the Archetypes. Even their "games" were world-shattering incidents, and only a fool would deliberately stick their nose into them. Of course, wisdom and foolishness were not necessarily exclusive to each other - it could come to pass that one could be both at the same time. It seemed that this time, it would be his turn. He released a deep sigh. "Much to do, much to do," he muttered. He took a moment and let silence reign, before rising from his chair and looking out the window of his tower. It was tall enough that it over looked the whole school, a view that he basked in every morning before breaking the fast of the evening. It was his pride, his joy, and his bastion of strength. Looking at it now reaffirmed his decision to not back down from the threats he would face. All of his life had been leading up to its creation, and the rest of it would see to its flourishing. A knock on his door turned his head. "Come on in, Poly." The large double-doors to his study swung open with more force than required, and in walked a grinning, short, hazel-haired girl, wielding a long ornate white staff with a lollipop bigger than his head attached at the tip. She was wearing a loose, semi-translucent pink nightgown with frilly sleeves, a designed that made him question whether it was adult or childish. "Hey Nic, heard ya were back, an' I came ta check up on ya," said Polyanna, in her usual rough accent. "I lost ya sometime when ya flew across th' Caribbean. Wha' happened?" "My sister had a vision of the future. It looks like this year will be particularly stormy." Poly stared at the Headmaster for a moment, then nodded. "I see. So, who's it this time? Miltiades? Gremory? Or someone new?" The Headmaster shook his head. "All of three, but they're not even the true threat, or more accurately, they are the lesser threat." The Head Enforcer scoffed, almost disbelievingly. "[i]Three[/i] Archemages and they're not the real threat? What th' hell are we dealin' with here Nic, an Archetype?" When all that met her question was silence, Polyanna swallowed heavily. "H-hey, Nic? I was jus' jokin' when I brought up an Archetype. Please, [i]please[/i] don't tell me we're fightin' an Archetype!" It might have been undignified of a Grandmaster, especially a Grandmaster combat-mage like her, to show fear towards an opponent, but fear was a truly appropriate response when it came to the Archetypes. They were more than just powerful mages, they were the powers-that-be, the be-all, end-all of authority in this world. They were the status quo of the universe personified. "No, thankfully," said the Headmaster with a chuckle, and Polyanna sighed in relief. "But it might be nice to have their help this time around. I understand that The Golden Dawn is a particularly bitter enemy of the Forces Beyond the Dream." And again, Polyanna stared at the Headmaster, a blank expression on her face. "Ya gotta be kiddin' me. Veil-breachers? That's the threat this time? So on top of Archmemages we gotta deal with the Enemy too?" The girl sighed and took strides towards the Headmaster. With each step, she grew taller and taller, until a buxom, older version of the young beauty stood before the Headmaster. Her once loose nightgown now strained against her newly enlarged assets, and barely covered up anything below her waist. Wrapping her arms gentley around him, the woman rested her forehead on Nicollo's own. "I know ya promised me '[i]fights that will test me beyond my capabilities[/i]' but wow Nic, this might just be too much, even fer me," she whispered. The Headmaster closed his eyes, sinking into her embrace. "Would you like to call Ophelia back? We could use her help." "Nah, let her enjoy her retirement. We'll find a way ta handle this. Or, rather you will, an' I'll do all ta' heavy liftin'." Chuckling, the Headmaster broke from her embrace and smiled. "Business as always then?" Smiling back, Polyanna stepped backwards, reverting to her younger form. Her staff, which had been floating in place for the entire time, returned to her hand. "Speaking of, th' opening ceremony is'n an hour, ya should get ready. Mede's got th' portal up and everythin'." "Oh, right." The Headmaster blinked. And then grinned. That meant it was nearly time for breakfast. Yes, even the Headmaster liked the breakfast afterwards more than the ceremony itself. [/hider][hr] [hider=Charles] [center]. . .[/center] The man nodded. Picking up his suitcase, gestured for Charles to follow him. They walked for a few minutes before finally stopping at a clearing in the forest. At its center, a magical glyph shone with a gentle blue light. "This is the portal to the school. I would think it would be best to show you around, at least until the afternoon. That way you can decide for certain whether to stay or not. If you'd like to, we could also return for anything you may need," he said, stepping into the glyph with Charles in tow. "Oh, and I've forgotten to introduce myself." He pulled out an ID and showed it to him. "Sergei Karakov. I'm an Escort for the school, and unofficially, I'll be your guardian for the duration of your stay, at least until you no longer need my assistance." The next second, particles of blue lights surrounded them, and in an instant, their surroundings changed. Where they were once surrounded by a forest, now only darkness stood. But it was a beautiful darkness, with stars of varying colors surrounding them, as though they stood at the center of the universe. Beside them, other students stood, many of them enraptured by the view being provided for them. Then, there was a large tear opened up in the "universe", assuming the shape of a door. At that tear stood a man. "Welcome everyone, to the Breakfast University of Magic! I'm Mede Artus, though you can just call me Sir Em! If you could kindly step through here, you'll arrive at the school proper, thanks!" As a crowd, the students and a few escorts stepped through the gate. Sergei looked at Charles. "Come. We'll part here for a moment, and I will see you again after the ceremony. Simply follow that man over there," he said, pointing at Mede. "For the time being." [/hider][@olcharlieboi] [hider=Luna & Viola w/ Lee] [center]. . .[/center] "Blegh! That was mean Viola!" said Karen with a pout. Gratefully accepting the dishcloth from her, Karen wiped her face. At least it wasn't hot. She bolted towards the bathroom right away, shooting a small glare at the poltergeists along the way. She was never really their biggest fan, but so long as Viola was her roommate she had to learn to live with them . . . or rather she was [i]forced[/i] to learn to live with them. "In a minute Luna!" she called out as she shut the bathroom door. Taking a quick shower, Karen couldn't shake the feeling something was missing. Ten minutes later, she realized what. Stepping out of the shower, Karen looked around for her towel . . . only to not find it. The girl promptly ran out of the bathroom, dripping wet and desperately hoping no one saw her, and straight to her room. A quick change later, and she stepped out, red in the face, her hair not properly dried. "Okay we can go now . . ." she muttered. She was dressed in denim shorts while wearing a rainbow colored hoodie with the tag "GOAT" emblazoned in fiery print across the back, and mismatching orange and green socks under neon-pink rubber shoes. "I wonder how many new students will have this year?" she wondered aloud. "Hopefully we'll get more neighbors." Their hall in dorm building A was peculiarly empty. In fact, they only had six other people occupying the rooms around them. And speaking of neighbors . . . "Oh, morning Lee and uh, X-Xinhua." Karen stepped out and was greeted to the sight of probably the most beautiful girl on the campus stepping out of her room. Guy or girl, it didn't matter - Karen was sure [i]anyone[/i] would have the hots for the Dragon Gods Disciple. Oh, she noticed Lee too, but her attention quickly zeroed in on the dark-haired girl. She cursed herself silently for getting flustered at her appearance. She [i]always[/i] got nervous around her for some weird reason![hr] Xinhua got up from her exercise and stretched, taking pleasure in the relief it gave her. Taking a towelette that was draped over the couch of their room, she wiped herself down and hung the towelette around her neck before turning to Lee with a smile. While she was unsure about her roommate at first, given the rather . . . [i]wooden[/i] introduction she had, she found Lee to be someone who's company she could enjoy. Perhaps others might not have been so tolerant of her 'unique' choice of decor, but she herself was an avid lover of nature - how could she not be, when she had a Dragon God, the very embodiment of natural forces, as a patron? So while others would have been irritated, she found herself relaxing in the presence of Lee's foliage. "Yes, that sounds nice. Just let me shower and change first. I'd rather not present something so unsightly to the new students," she added, gesturing at her perspiration covered body. It didn't take too long for her to shower and dress. She was an efficiently practical person, and consequently didn't put too much thought into appearances - which made her famous beauty all the more attractive. It was something that simply came to her naturally. Any effort she put into appearances was solely for the purpose of keeping in with the pride she had as one of the Dragon Gods Disciples. She came out, her long hair tied into a high ponytail and wearing a red long-sleeved sweater and jeans. "Tao Cai." She motioned to her hawk, and it flew towards her hand with practiced ease. Petting it affectionately, the bird preened under her touch. "Shall we?" she said, opening the door and motioning outside. "Oh, evening Lee and uh, X-Xinhua." A new voice joined in, sounding normal at first, then abruptly turning shy. "Ah, good evening to you Karen," replied Xinhua casually, before turning to Luna, who was outside with her, "and to you as well Luna. Are you going to attend the opening ceremony as well?" [/hider][@Rune_Alchemist] & [@SlashInfinite] w/[@Leoven] [hr] The teleportation glyph shone with life as Mede threw open the barrier between it and the school, ushering hundreds of new students inside. The ages between them were varied; others were old enough to be adults, others were barely looked past seven. Still, all of them looked around in wonder as they were met with the sight of the schools entrance: A large marble arc with all sorts of figures carved into it. The fairies that usually roamed around the school had gathered, creating a brilliant display of light, while the familiars of older students joined in. One student had flown above them riding a giant pigeon. "So welcome everyone! Oh, and please don't form contracts with the fairies, or they'll all start asking for one. Anyway, while I'd like to officially welcome you to the university, that's not my job! So instead, I'd like to call on the man who's job that is. Headmaster sir, if you'd please?" said Mede, gesturing the man, who'd just landed in from the sky. "Thank you for that, Mede. First up, I'd like to thank you for coming. It does my heart joy to see new students walk through that portal. Secondly, I can see some of you trying to form a contract with the fairies. I advise you to reconsider - trust me, you will [i]not[/i] be able to pay their price, and thirdly, I think I'll continue this introductory speech on the train." Question marks popped up as the new students looked around for any sign of a train. With the light brightening the area made it clear that while grandiose, the area they were in was a train station, they didn't see any sign of a train. Suddenly, a powerful wind blew towards them, nearly blowing away the fairies and causing a few students to trip. All of a sudden, a gigantic silver-and-black train had appeared right behind the Headmaster. "That would be so much more exciting, don't you think?" said the Headmaster with a slight smile. The rest of the ceremony would occur on the train, finally stopping at the Communal Mess Hall, where a large feast of a breakfast was being prepared.