[hider=Prologue] [center]. . .[/center] Gold Miltiades fidgeted anxiously in her seat in the train, surrounded by hundreds of other kids on the train. She'd never been around teens her age before. No, correction, she'd never been around [i]teenagers[/i], [i]period[/i]. Not that she'd ever had the need for the kind of company, but it was highly disorienting at the moment. Especially so when [i]he[/i] was standing right there. He'd appeared before them, all pomp and pride and smiling. The sight of him sickened her, so much so that she felt as though she would hurl if she stared at him too long. The Headmaster Niccolo. Archemage, world renowned spell-caster, and murderer. He put of this facade of amicability, but Gold knew the truth. His spells were focused on [i]Analyzation[/i], a branch many mistook as one belonging to Creation or Existence - they were wrong. The Analyzation Branch of magic, unique and belonging solely to the Headmaster, was a branch of [i]Destruction[/i]. Furthermore, it's powers were only useful for one thing: [i]Spell-stealing.[/i] Perhaps for lower-ranked mages with spells only nobodies cast, it might not seem as severe, but this was one of the most heinous crimes that a mage could commit. A spells and magic were the lifeblood, the very reason of existence for mages! The carefully crafted spells, the painstaking hours they committed to each word, enchantment and the amount of literal and metaphorical blood spilled by them all went into the development of their magic. The results they gained were due to the effort they had put into it, and the only time they could feel joy if another person cast them was if that person was their Apprentice, hand-picked and carefully raised as the next successor to the magic! And the Headmaster could invalidate [i]all[/i] of that. He [i]has[/i] invalidated it. Several times. Several, bloody, atrocious times. Perhaps what was even more painful than the fact that the man had murdered her father and mother to steal their spells, was the fact that they were probably no more than a footnote to him. They were just another in a long, long list of victims on his rise to power. Power that only other Archemages could curb, and power they were slowly starting to lose. It was why she happily agreed when Archemage Miltiades sent her on this mission. Asides her personal grudge against the Headmaster, she was also nothing short of grateful to Miltiades. The man had taken her in the night her parents were murdered - they were once his disciples, and he had planned to visit them to see how they were doing. He had taken her under his wing ever since. He taught her more magic, raised her over ten years. When she turned fourteen, she assumed his first name as her own. Details of her parents murder were given to her - though not easily. She prodded him relentlessly for years, and only got bits and pieces of information before finally having the full story. Now, the other Archemages had had enough. For years, Archemage Niccolo was impenetrable, always fighting on his own terms, on his own grounds. This time, things would be different. Bringing down an Archemage was no simple task, not even when one or two worked together. But it could be done. And it would start with her. [/hider][hr] [hider=Phagora & Alexander] [center]. . .[/center] Rose nodded, and motioned for Alexander to follow her. Taking the train ticket from his hands, she waved it in front of the ticket booth, the inside of which was concealed using faded glass. Suddenly, a thin, skeletal had shot out and grabbed the ticket, and an inhuman yelp of glee could be heard within. The train station, which was empty, was suddenly filled with the presence of a single train section. It's arrival was accompanied by a sudden, powerful gust of wind. Stepping inside, Rose waited until Alexander was inside with her before the train sped up. The speed at which it moved should have been nauseating, but strangely enough it seemed relaxing instead. A good second later, the train section went 'thump', and it slowed down greatly, enough so that the scenery the train overlooked could be viewed with a reasonable amount of time. "We've join the rest of the students now. Do not be alarmed by the amount of people." Rose slid open the compartment door, and the voices of a hundred other students, lined up across the seats, filled their ears. More than their voices, however, there was someone who's voice stood out the most. "May he sit here, for a moment?" she asked Phagora, gesturing to an empt space beside her. Turning to Alexander, she gave a curt nod. "From here on, I'll be leaving. I will rejoin you after the opening ceremony, at the Mess Hall." With that, the woman stepped out of compartment and into the one behind them. Despite the train still moving, she calmly slid open the exit doors and stepped out. About an hour passed, and eventually the train stopped, arriving at the Mess Hall, were breakfast was already well underway. [/hider][@shagranoz] & [@KiritoAsuna] [hider=Luna, Viola, Lee & Viktor] [center]. . .[/center] Karen couldn't help but feel so . . . small, in the presence of these girls. Viola was so confident, and honestly, as much as it annoyed her, she admired her aggressiveness; Lee was, well, she was so cheerful, so fun to be around; Luna was just plain awesome, and the less said about Xinhua, the better for her self-esteem. Even in the magic department they outdid her. Viola was only three years older than she was, and she was already a Novice, whereas she was still stuck as an Apprentice, and it didn't look like she was going any higher any time soon. Not to mention they all looked so much prettier then she did . . . She sighed quietly, in a way no one would notice. It was business as usual for her then. Well, whatever her personal gripes were, they were decent people that she enjoyed being with. Anything negative was always redirected towards herself; she couldn't bring herself to hate any one of them, it just wouldn't be fair to them. Perhaps this mentality of hers is why her Master always said that she was unsuited to Plague Magic - how was she supposed to direct a spell to deliberately harm another? - but since that was the case, why the heck did her Master choose her as an Apprentice in the first place! So all she did was sigh. They walked for awhile with nothing of interest happening until an oddly dressed person collapsed in front of them. Xinhua and Lee immediately rushed to assist him, while Karen just looked on, unsure of what she could do to help. When Lee asked for help in bringing him to the infirmary, Xinhua got down and attempted to pick him up, when a voice reached her. "Step back, I'll deal with this." Dressed in the all-black uniform of the school Enforcers, her long hazelnut-hair tied into a single braid behind her, was Polyanna Saccharine, this time around looking like she was in her early teens. She was holding her usual ornate-white staff with a lollipop bigger than her head at its tip, while also sporting a sheathed sword at her side. For anyone with enough perception, they would notice that all trace of magic died as it touched the surface of the sheathe. "Well well, look who's back," she said with slight grin. "Did it again, eh, Viktor? How many months was it this time, four?" The Head Enforcer approached the boy, and Xinhua stepped back to allow her some room. Polyanna smiled and conjured a regular-sized lollipop out of thin air, and stuck it inside Viktors mouth. The sensation would be electric, as though a current was attached to the sweet and was passing through his body, revitalizing every cell, and temporarily sustaining him. Getting up, Polyanna looked at the other girls. "He should wake up soon, when he does, tell 'im to get a meal, an' get some rest . . ." Polyanna's head slowly turned and looked into the distance, at some place the girls couldn't see. If Viktor were awake, he'd probably realize she was staring at his [i]room.[/i] Suddenly her grin looked a lot less happy. "An' tell 'im to get to my office afterwards. I wanta have a [i]word[/i] with him about [i]losing[/i] school property." Before leaving, the Head Enforcer handed each of them a lollipop. Specially flavored too - or rather, it was a flavor that could become whatever flavor you wanted it to be. Even Xinhua accepted one, albeit reluctantly. [/hider][@SlashInfinite] & [@Rune_Alchemist] w/[@Leoven] & [@13org] [hider=Charles & Leo] [center]. . .[/center] The man in the gray suit, Sergei, walked towards Charles and Leo. With a curt nod, he greeted the latter, before turning to the former. "Good morning Charles, I you're well, I hope?" he asked, taking a seat in front of him. "Sergei Karakov, official Escort for the school," he said, introducing himself to Leo. "If you're done having breakfast, I could show you around the school more, or if you prefer, I can show you to your room. You're friend can come, if he'd like to." He added the last part, referring to Leo. [/hider][@olcharlieboi] & [@Letter Bee] [hider=Britney Chambers] [center]. . .[/center] "You know, they built the gyms and dueling grounds so you [i]don't[/i] destroy school property," said a dry voice behind Britney. Dressed in an all-black uniform, that represented the school Enforcers, around Britney's age stood, arms crossed and looking at the damage she had caused. "Now I know it's a hassle going through paperwork just to secure a spot at the training grounds, but it's honestly not that tedious. Moreover, it has the benefit of you [i]not[/i] getting into trouble with authority," he said, pointing at himself, then at her, "like right now. So, anything to say in your defense before I bring you over to the disciplinary office?" [/hider][@Hippo AF][hr] The feast at the Mess Hall was, needless to say, an exorbitantly grand one. Breakfast foods from all over the world were arranged in tables according to region. More than a thousand students were gathered, and yet the food had yet to be found lacking in quantity or quality - there was always something to choose from, and you could spend the whole day sampling the food arrayed for them and not even be halfway through. The Headmaster himself was there, in his authoritative, large brown mantle cloak, with a serving tray in hand and lined in with the rest of the students over the service areas. He was talking with some of the newer students - who were rather reluctant to be so amicable with authority. At this point, pretty much everyone had gathered into groups they were comfortable with. Some had finished eating already and went outside in order to explore the school, or otherwise had some other business to attend to - most of the newer students would likely pursue a bed. Some others had broken into a fight somehow - as per usual - and the Enforcers stepped in to stop them. Polyanna, who was dining with the Headmaster, took delight in watching them settle matters through force, while the Headmaster preferred if they were settled through diplomacy. So naturally they began betting on every fight. At some point the fairies and other spirits that roamed the University had intruded on the breakfast. Some of them began picking off servings of food for their own - fortunately not from any of the students. All-in-all, a typical way to start the morning here at B.U.M.