Gold smirked, and flicked a strand of her strawberry-blonde hair backwards. So far, there were no complications. If the Headmaster had noticed something off about her background, he didn't do anything about it. It was the one and only flaw in the school's security system. Background checks of different students were thorough, so thorough that it was, in fact, impossible to fake or alter them. Which is why it was hers wasn't.

The abandoned castle where she lived in belonged to a disciple of Archemage Miltiades, but the man himself was just a cover for the fact that the Archemage himself was residing in there. For the entirety of her life, the Archemage lived in the castle only, never leaving, in order to fool the university into thinking that he had almost nothing to do with her.

The University accepted everyone from all walks of life. Stray practitioners, masterless and desperate would-be mages, and there were even a startling amount of students that were similar to her - orphans, raised their entire life in the shadow of the University; she pitied them most of all. To be in the pocket of a man like Archemage Niccolo, it was likely he was influencing them into becoming his tools, more arms with which he could work with, and they wouldn't even know it. They'd keep an illusory belief that they were free men, free to make their own decisions and shape their lives as they saw fit, when all along Niccolo was in their shadow, telling them what to do.

Given the amount of students with unusual circumstances here, her own would hardly stand out. She'd be another case, in a long file of them. It was the perfect cover to work from, and it seemed to be proving its worth right away.

The first thing she had to do was gather information. Potential allies to her cause, and of course, potential hindrances. Most notably, she needed to do a threat assessment of the most infamous mages.

Licking her lips, her eyes began morphing from their usual blue hue, to a brilliant gold.

Cycle Eyes

A spell unique to her branch of magic, and easily her most potent skill. While not primarily a combat tool, it was almost unparalleled in terms of information gathering - in fact, Archemage Miltiades himself claimed that at the current level of her ability, she was second only to Niccolo himself. The gap between first and second was as wide as that between heaven and earth, but it spoke volumes that the only one she was bested by was an Archemage.

When she used Cycle Eyes, she could take a single look at another mage, and with but a single glimpse of them, cycle through every spell and bit of magic they had used, going back to at most two hundred years - a limit that had only been tested when she tried her Eyes on Archemage Miltiades. She could see how they used their magic, how they cast their spells, and how potent they were. Of course that didn't mean that she could instantaneously copy them - even if she could, she would not. That was tantamount to spell-stealing, and even if she didn't kill the original user, the mere idea that she would act in any way similar to Niccolo repulsed her greatly.

Cycle Eyes was also utterly untraceable. No one would notice when it was being used on them - Archemage Miltiades stressed on this point. He had trained her in its use so thoroughly that the last time she used it against him, he hardly even noticed. It was the first time that she had honestly surprised him. From the look on his expression, she thought he would punish her for so brazenly using her magic on him, but in the end he rewarded her for her achievement with ice cream.

For a moment, Gold blanked out as she recalled the absolutely heavenly taste of the creamy dessert. Oh, that wonderful, sweet treat that just melted on her tongue in a frosty explosion of strawberry goodness . . .

"Buh!"

Snapping back to reality, she refocused on the task at hand.

As she walked through the crowds of students in the Mess Hall, she mentally categorized the students she passed through, going through them quickly and making note of the more interesting ones. So far there were a few notables, but none that would require her immediate attention.

And then, two she caught sight of two mages as they walked through an entrance of the Mess Hall at the same moment.

The first mage, a tall and - even for her - beautiful girl, with a powerful gait and confident air, had magic she had never seen before. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that she was not even seeing actual magic - rather than the usual spells and magic disciplines, all she saw was an endless body of water, mighty and angry as it was aggravated by the power of a storm that shook the heavens themselves. It was the wrath of nature unleashed, the rage of wind, water and lightning bound as one. The power of a storm. Whoever this mage was, she was the walking embodiment of the storm.

The second mage was no less notable. Her magic was as clear as water, as soft as paper, and more chaotic than anything she's ever seen. She could see her magic, she could see her spells, she could see her practice them, but for the life of her, she couldn't understand how she was doing any of it. Even when she looked at Archemage Miltiades, though she couldn't comprehend how he did any of his spells, she found that at the very least she could understand the basis behind it. The root behind his spells was something grounded in reality. Whatever this girl was doing was so twisted and vague that Gold was certain that she was absolutely insane.

These . . . these two. She had to keep a close eye on them. More than that, she needed to see what they were capable of.

Gold grinned. There was a new ability she was dying to try out. Time for a test run . . .

Sergei nodded. Though his face was still stern, it felt as though he approved of their decision.

"Very good, if that's the case, we had best be on our way. We have a lot of ground to cover, after all."

Just as he was about to get up and lead the both of them out, a chorus of angry yells echoed from nearby. Though the sheer number of them made whatever they were talking about incoherent, somethings could still be made out through the din.

". . . fake . . . !"

" . . . Archetype . . . !"

"Duel . . . !"

"Duel . . . !"

"Duel . . . !"

Sergei frowned, and looked at Charles and Leo. "Come, we'd best avoid this. It's none of our business, and I rather Charles not be exposed to something like this on his first day."

Talk between the two was cut short as train stopped at its final destination at the Mess Hall. It was here, that the ceremony officially concluded and breakfast was laid out.

Eventually, their two respective handlers found them through the crowds of students.

Rose and Harold gave each other a curt nod of greeting, before turning to their respective wards. "Good to see you again/You had a pleasant trip, I hope?" said Rose and Harold respectively.

"Nice to see you made a friend, if you wish to continue the tour with her, you may do so," Rose said to Alexander. Harold, with Phagora, nodded in agreement. The both of them both turned and frowned as a chorus of angry echoes reached their ears. It was quite far away, so nothing was audible, but it was still an unusual sound here, in the Mess Hall of all places. Most arguments were settled quickly, especially with the number of Enforcers flitting about.

Xinhua watched as Polyanna revived Viktor using her rather infamous sweets. Seeing the woman always put on her on guard. She wondered if the others were aware . . . no, they were probably aware, it was just that her awareness was more acute. Among all the girls gathered, she was the only one among them that was a pure "combat-type" mage. Calling her a mage was stretching it, even - she was more like a brawler that could use magic. As a consequence, it made her all the more aware of how terrifyingly strong the candy-themed Head Enforcer was. Being around her was nerve-wracking.

She recalled when she first arrived here, that she wished to join the Enforcers. It was a good group to find rivals her age, and perhaps someone that could best her. Enforcers such as Descartes Olton came to mind, and in her eagerness, she had perhaps been a tad arrogant.

Then she arrived, looking even younger and childish than she did now. Despite that, despite the fact that their first meeting hand been with her hair tangled, and with a lollipop in her mouth and a chocolate bar in hand, one glance from her instantly caused her to step back in fear.

Her! The Disciple of the Dragon God, to step back in fear, from an opponent she who's name she did not even know! The disgrace was so unbearable that she decided to forgo joining the Enforcers. She didn't need anymore reminders, not while Polyanna Saccharine walked around as a living one.

She had never completely gotten over it. As a result, she was always tense around Polyanna, despite her wishes. It aggravated her to no end, and perhaps the reason she accepted so many duels from different students, no matter their background or reason, was so that she could purge this steadily growing bubble of insecurity inside of her. Everyday, however, she was growing more and more certain that the only way to fix this issue was by facing the woman herself.

Lost in her own thoughts, Xinhua nearly jumped back as she was offered a lollipop. Seeing no reason to turn it down without looking suspicious, she accepted it, albeit reluctantly. Eating it was more of an automatic response on her part. She barely tasted the treat, which was a shame - it probably would have tasted like extra-spicy shezuan shrimp platter, her favorite.

"How, how would I do, should we actually fight?" she thought to herself. "No, a foolish question. I would be utterly demolished . . . but at the very least, would I put up a struggle worthy of myself?"

Such were the girls thoughts at the moment. If allowed to continue, she would have brooded all day long, perhaps not even moving from the same spot she stood on for hours on end. As it was, she was broken out of her stupor by the feeling a tongue sliding across her chee-

"Wai?!" she yelped in an unusually high pitch (It was not a squeak!) "Lee, that is undignified!"

---

In the background, Karen stayed silent. She didn't have much to add in terms of discussion anyhow. Besides the candy was good . . .

Until Lee opened her mouth, and then, despite still tasting like mangoes, it turned very, very bitter. "Oh yeah, totally forgot you were there-" could she be any more blunt? She knew she was just a plain, no good, talent-less bystander that no one would even spare a second glance at, but to hear a statement that all but confirmed it from someone who she considered practically a friend was-!

"No, I'm good, thanks though," she said, hiding the hurt behind a practiced smile. She'd know it for years now, so why was she feeling so surprised? No, she really should have seen it coming. So, she would act like usual. Nothings's changed, after all.

"Anyway, Luna's right. Shouldn't we be heading for the Mess Hall?" she said, casually tossing aside her lollipop into a nearby garbage bin. She wasn't in the mood anymore.

Xinhua nodded, quickly regaining her composure. "Yes, can we please get a move on, before we encounter even more distractions. I will carry Viktor, if he requires assistance."

And so the group made way for the train station closest to the Dorms. Despite his protests, Viktor was heaved over Xinhua's shoulders, who lifted him as effortlessly as would lift a paper bag. "No need for your thanks, you are rather light, despite your tall frame," she said, innocently deflecting any protest.

Once they arrived on the train, Karen suddenly looked up, and a grimace crossed her face, and stayed. Just as the group was about to take a seat, Karen whispered, loud enough for her to be heard by them, but not enough to be hear by others.

"Uh, guys, if you don't mind, can we sit somewhere not in front of her?"

By her, she was referring to the impressively short dark-haired girl seated across them. With a book on her lap and a blank expression on her face, her grey-green eyes danced with life as they practically devoured the information presented to her. The girl was Meruin Hazy, and she seemed wholly unaware of the world around her.

Karen really, really disliked being around Meruin. They had entered the University at around the same time, and where everyone else was quickly forming acquaintances and new friends, Meruin was doing the exact opposite and making herself unilaterally disliked by the student body. The "why" behind it, became quickly apparent to Karen.

All she wanted was to talk with her. Just one conversation, because she thought that perhaps the rumors were not so bad, and were merely exaggerations.

She seemed amicable enough, at first, if a little distant. Karen attributed that to her being an introvert - she knew the feeling, at least. Now though, she was sure that Meruin simply did not want to talk to her.

The conversation between them quickly turned to one of magic. It was when Karen demonstrated hers, that the tone of the conversation went down hill quickly. Meruin, in simple terms, ripped her a new one.

Every flaw, every minor imprecision, every inefficiency, in her spell-casting was pointed out and viciously brought to light. Meruin, by her own admission, never encountered a Plague Mage, and yet she had the sheer audacity to offer to correct her mistakes.

She remembered being embarrassed at what amounted to a public execution of her skills as mage, only to look around and find that everyone else was ignoring her, and glaring angrily at Meruin. She wasn't the first one she'd done it to, and from what she'd heard later on, neither was she the last.

So yes, for once, she insisted on something. She was not sitting near Meruin Hazy.

Xinhua, not seeing a problem, agreed, though she was slightly curious as to why. As for the others, they could sit here if they wanted to, but Karen wouldn't.

The train ride passed on in silence, until they reached the Mess Hall. Annoyingly enough, Meruin went down with them. Of course she would - even someone like her couldn't help but appreciate the breakfast the school served on a frankly massive scale.

Staying silent Karen resolved to ignore her. The moment they stepped into the canteen, however, she found herself growing increasingly aggravated by her presence. She sought a release. A way to vent against the small, arrogant mage. Then, a single glance at Xinhua, blissfully unaware that she was walking beside a spiteful demon, and something clicked within her.

She muttered, not silently, but loud enough to be heard by students around her . . .

"I wonder what would happen if a Dragon God fought an Archetype?"

And then all hell broke loose.

Gold looked on, her pleased grin growing positively radiant. Her experimental spell, Spiral Unravel, worked without a hitch. No one noticed, no one even felt that their actions were strange.

To prepare her for this mission, to help prepare for the Headmasters demise, she had focused on spells that would assist her in manipulating the social landscape. She had some training in combat, but her skills were concentrated around deception and manipulation. This being the first time she ventured outside of the castle, however, she wasn't sure how effective her skills would be - it would be terrible if none of her spells affected the students like she had practiced, but if this trial run was any indication, it looked like she would be fine.

Next up on the agenda was playing this in her favor. Honestly, she hadn't expected her spell to be so effective. Spiral Unravel prey upon the repressed or instinctive feelings of those it effects; essentially, it makes people lose control over what they do or say. She had targeted a huge area of people, and focused mostly on Meruin and Xinhua. The fact that their reaction was rather lukewarm at first meant that personally they didn't have anything against each other. The crowd however - the crowd! Their intense, infectious reaction made it clear that, whatever the relationship between the two girls was, they wanted them to fight.

At least, that was what she thought. The truth was that it was not so much that they wanted Meruin and Xinhua to do battle, but rather, they wanted Xinhua to completely paste Meruin. For all that everyone touted how they wanted to see a "fight" it was painfully clear that very few actually expected the other girl to win. Now Gold was curious - depending on the reason why, she could make a strong ally out of Meruin. Even if she wasn't a strong combatant, Gold didn't care. She of all people knew that for someone who wielded magic, fighting in the conventional sense wasn't the only way to demonstrate might.

There were a few things that did surprise her though. A few students stepped up to try and prevent the duel between the two girls. She wasn't surprised in the least by that; there were bound to be a few truly good-natured and helpful people in the whole crowd of violent thugs she riled, but she was surprised by how strong some of them felt. They didn't have the raw power that coursed through Xinhua, nor were any of them as headache-inducingly complex as Meruin, but they definitely weren't regular as far as mages went.

They would also be useful as allies. Good people like them would be, of course, naturally against things that endangered the school, but that was only because they new only the good things about it. If she could get them to listen for a moment and tell them the true nature of the University, then she could sway them to her side, not just as useful tools, but actual allies. Allies that she could trust. Archemage Miltiades warned against this course of action, stating that it was needlessly risky, but Gold knew that for all his wisdom, Archemage Miltiades was more than a little paranoid. He spent the last eighteen years held up in the same castle as her, after all, all just so he could throw off suspicion from them.

Just as she was contemplating her next course of action, a boy, far taller than she was, with disturbing red eyes and dark hair approached her. She recognized him as the boy that flew in earlier - whatever he wanted with her, she needed to be wary. Just one glance was all it took for her to know about this boy's bloody history - literally. From the cycle of spells she saw from him, she knew he was a bloodmage, and more than that, a bloodmage that killed his own Master. Granted, such an act wasn't unheard of, and may have even been justified, by the words "Master Killer" was synonymous to boiling puppies alive in the magic world.

So she watched him with caution, letting him be the first one to speak.

"Gold . . . ?"

"!@#$%^?"

Sergei nodded. He didn't show any expression that indicated that he might be, but he seemed pleased with their decision all the same. With a nod, he got up and led the way. The first stop, naturally, would be their dorm rooms. Or, actually, it might be more accurate to say that the first stop would be the train station.

"I know you've already seen and ridden it, given the Opening Orientation, but most students don't really pay attention to the details," he said, looking at the train parked just at station. Only a few students staggering from the Mess Hall entered, and it didn't seem like it would departure any time soon. "From this station, you can make it practically anywhere in the school. Given the speeds that which they travel and the number of available trains we have, there's no reason to have issues with falling in line."

Stepping inside, he showed Charles and Leo in. In less than a five minutes, they were already at the dorms.

"And, you'll be living here," he said. The dorm buildings were large, ten-storey apartments, sectioned off into four different parts. There were six of them in total, and were all labeled according to a different letter. Of course, Leo was already familiar with them, but Charles wasn't. So stepping inside, Sergei greeted the man managing the welcome desk of the dorm building, and in turn, he was handed a simply designed silver-key.

Entering an elevator, he brought the group to the third floor. For a few minutes, they walked through the hall before finally stopping at a room. Labeled in a black and gold plaque above it was "Room No. 62".

Turning to Charles, he nodded and using the silver key he obtained earlier, unlocked the door. Handing the key to Charles, he gestured inside.

"This is your room. You'll be sharing it with two others. It's rather barren for now, but you're free to redecorate," he said plainly. "Now, every room in the University is specially warded against anyone that doesn't typically belong there. If you or one of your roommates forbids someone from entry, then a barrier will be erected against them and stop them from entering - typically, only a Master-Class mage can break these barriers. Of course, you can easily lift the barrier by allowing someone access inside."

Showing Charles the inside of the room, it was indeed rather empty. There was only a lightly equipped kitchen, a single couch and a dining table and chairs. There were also plain and simple beds inside each room and a single bathroom.

"Mister Leo, I'd like to show him the Mall next, if you don't mind," he said. "And Charles, would you prefer to inspect your room for a bit more, or do you want leave right away?"

"!@#$%^&?"

The girl nearly jumped out of her seat in shock, before forcibly calming herself. Staring at Noah through narrowed eyes, she ground out her next words. "How . . . do you know my name?" she asked. She hadn't told anyone, and she wasn't aware of any operatives sent before her, if there even were any. This was bad. If he somehow discovered who she was and what she was after, then the whole plan could be ruined from the start!

Unconsciously, Gold had already prepared a gold needle in her hand - it was, needless to say, no ordinary needle, and held an intense artificial toxin that rendered its victim unable to use magic by paralyzing the flow of magic through their body. She may not be a professional combatant, but she was proficient enough with these weapons to give most mages trouble. Combined with her other abilities, it made catching her quite difficult.

"Who are you? And how do you know my name?" she said once again.

Rose looked on as Phagora separated from them, Harold trailing exasperatedly with her. That girl was not cooperating at all. Sighing, she turned back to her own charge, and smiled.

"Eh, sure. We've got a lot to covered today anyway. On that topic, where to first?" she said, handing the boy a map of the school. "We could stop by the dorms first if you feel like settling in first."

Trying to calm down Xinhua was a good idea. Meruin herself wasn't a very irritable person, so in the moments that followed, she had already regained her composure. Xinhua, however, was a person that was slow to anger - but the moment her anger boiled over, it was like a storm. It would rage unabated until its course was run, and only a truly supernatural force could hope to stop her.

Trying to calm her down was a good idea, definitely. If there was one fault with that idea, however, it was trying too early.

Lee's attempt at pushing down Xinhua barely moved her. In fact, she seemed to be immersed in her own thoughts, dead to the world around her. It was only when Viktor spoke to her that she reacted, snapping at him angrily.

"I am neither wild flame nor gentle bonfire, Weaver. I am the Storm! Grand and unstoppable, and blown to life by Longshen Bailong, Dragon God of the Autumn Season, and in the name of my patron, I shy from neither challenge nor insult. And Meruin Hazy has done both! The terms have been arranged, and this duel will happen."

Such an announcement would have been hilariously grandiose, had it not been for the fact that Xinhua chose at this moment to remind everyone present why she had yet to be defeated on the Dueling Grounds.

Thunder clouds gathered at the Mess Halls ceiling overhead. Hundreds of students ducked under tables for fear of getting struck by lightning, but it was pointless. Even at the height of her anger, Xinhua's control over her abilities remained top notch, and the lightning that flashed from the clouds remained strictly away from bystanders. Electricity discharged from her eyes and body, covering her like a second skin.

Without another word, Xinhua stormed out of the Mess Hall, smoke following her footsteps as she burned holes into the floor.

Stunned silence was all that remained in the aftermath.

Meruin for her part, froze the moment Lee hugged her. It was evident from the expression on her face that this was not a gesture she was used to receiving. Before she could respond to either Lee or Viola, Xinhua had her episode. The little mage watched impassively as she left, and only then did she respond to the girls.

The first thing she did was gently shake off Lee's hug. She could appreciate the gesture, but . . . she just wasn't a hugging person, most of the time, anyway. Still, she took the seat she was offered - she really did need one. Standing up to Xinhua had taken out more out of her than she expected, and it was a miracle her legs hadn't given up on her yet.

Eventually, Enforcers arrived and dispersed the crowd, who continued to whisper among themselves excitedly. Meruin looked on, her face unreadable.

"It's good to meet you as well, Viola Reifi," said Meruin, "and . . ." The tiny mage let out a deep sigh. This was bad. Very bad.

"Ugh, that was just . . . why did I . . . ?" That wasn't like her at all. Keeping her composure was something she was well trained at. For her to snap like that just wasn't like her . . .