---

Gazing at the brown haired man stating his name, the old vampire teacher couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. "Hmm?" Nightbreaker? The Nightbreakers he meant? A quick smile crossed Yurius' lips. He knew that his intuition wouldn't let him down after all these years. "Haha. So you are their offsprings? I see now. I will expect more from you then, Nightbreaker..." He ended with a low-toned laugh as he looked at the centaur, waiting for him to state his name as well.

Once they had stated their identities, Yurius switched the subject to power. "Before we begin, I would require you two to state what you have in you. Everything. From the feeblest of magical or physical know-how to the most fearsome of powers. You would be focusing on all of those powers in specific in later classes, but now...now you will show me everything. Bear no shame, strip yourself bare and state to me everything you have up your tiny sleeves for the job of Dawn Slayers."

He patiently waited for the two of them to verbally tell him what they had as powers. When they were done, he took a step back and confidently put his two hands into his pockets, issuing these two potential students a challenge, an ambiguous order to attack him with everything they had. "Now...prove it to me. Prove to me that you are worthy of the powers you have stated."

Sonia looked a bit embarrassed as Mako explained that these spells weren't simple fire-and-forget spells like Sonia knew. They were full blown rituals, time consuming and difficult, which to Sonia meant they must be powerful. Or at least had a lot of potential; she'd hate to have to spend ten minutes to conjure a ball of fire as large as a torch. Still it felt a bit dirty; it seemed like Mako had already decided to do potions on the first day and wasn't really giving them a choice. "Oh well. Potions are important too. They're still magic so I can learn something from it." As Sonia was getting her things out one of the students came over to her and patted her shoulder. It was the only other student who spoke out about wanting to use potions. She didn't say anything, just nodded her head and left. Sonia was briefly confused. "Okay."

Back to business. Sonia had neatly arranged everything on the desk as well as had the instruction manual out. She already knew some basics to potion making through her previous training in general alchemy, though she needed a refresher on how some of these tools worked. She did a few experiments to observe their function and once she understood how they worked she began to make the potions. She made a few mistakes here and there, but she immediately recognized them and made sure to clean up and not do it again. Before long she had a complete product. It was blood red, with a watery texture. Sonia took a box off her bag and opened it up. Inside was Owldin. "Owldin, test this for me? It should be a healing potion." Owldin sampled the potion and made a bitter face, but described the feeling as invigorating but sour. More or less what the book said the potion would be like, minus the sour part. Most people say it's bitter. "Perhaps Owldin just tastes it differently?"

There was still some time left so Sonia tried to improve on the potion. Setting aside the first completed potion, she tried to create new ones with different tastes and effects. Taste would be important for those out on the field: while people should be disciplined enough to eat their medicine no matter how bitter, having something tasty or at least not disgusting makes it go down more easily. She tried natrual flavors like mint and strawberry, but they were state and tasteless. Then she tried something like bubblegum or chocolate, but the flavors were far too strong. The regular potion itself was indeed bitter, but not entirely unpleasant. In fact it gave Sonia an idea. Instead of trying to replace the bitter flavor, she should try to improve it.

As class was coming to a close Sonia was one of the last students to hand Mako her potion. The potion was still blood red, but Sonia had labeled it with the flavor she choose. It was nearly a perfect match though Sonia isn't sure if the flavor she put into it compromised it's effectiveness as a healing potion; she tried to balance it but since neither she nor Owldin were hurt, she had no idea what the potency was. "Here you go professor." Placing the vial on the desk, the label clearly said Expresso.

@Silver Carrot@Cerces22

---

Roland smirked at Yurius recollection of his family, though he had yet to decide if this was a good or bad thing. It hadn’t occurred to him that with Yurius being their teacher, he might already know everything Roland had to offer. No matter, he was still going to give the vampire everything he had.

Keeping his posture upright and his eyes firmly locked on the teacher, Roland began to speak. “As you’ve probably figured, I am a user of divine magics.” To give a little show with his speech, the young paladin activated his light aura giving him a bright glow as he spoke. “My abilities allow me to both protect and attack as necessary. In one moment I can heal wounds and cure ailments inflicted upon my allies, and the next, destroy me enemies and banish those who do not belong in this plane.” Finished with his powers, he let the light fade away as he ended with his physical skills. “When it comes to physical training, however, I have been taught in a variety of weapons with my specialties being sword and shield and unarmed combat.”

With his presentation done, Roland gave the stage to Duncan. Once he too had stated his abilities, Yurius commanded them to attack him. Roland eyed the weapons presented to them before jumping on a training sword and shield that were present. While the balance of the sword felt proper, it’s blade was dull and capped to prevent any chance of real injury. Not really Roland’s style, but this was just training after all, so it would do.

Not wasting another moment, Roland stepped in front of Yurius. Raising his shield and pulling back his sword, the blade was suddenly engulfed in the white flame of a Celestial Strike. Keeping his shield up Roland rushed Yurius swinging his blade the moment he was in range. Once his attack connected or was deflected, he followed it up by thrusting his shield forward. Instead of a bash, however, he cast an Exorcism sending a burst of energy out that enveloped Yurius. The vampire wanted to see his all, and Roland wasn’t holding back.

@Conscripts@Silver Carrot

Ceiran Strivelyn

He thought the whole thing was rather absurd. The exaggerated display at the gates, the headmaster, the death, and the curfew. Most of all, the fact that he would never be truly alone, and nobody knew it. All this is what kept him up all night, chuckling. Time is better spent laughing than worrying, after all. Another benefit of staying up all night was that he didn't have to drag himself out of bed to wash the blood out of his nails. He was never quite sure how it got there, it just was. Every morning since... since then.

He hadn't talked to anyone on the first day. He just hadn't felt like it. He knew someone died on campus, but didn't want to get close to the crowds that he knew would rush there. He didn't do well with crowds, especially if they're all there gawking at a dead person. He was legitimately confused as to why everyone thought death was such a bad thing. Better to make peace with the inevitable than to fear it. Instead he managed to locate a windowsill that overlooked the courtyard. He watched it all from there.

He wasn't given a schedule that day. Probably admin issues related to the death. He had read the other student's schedules, though. The potions class sounded most interesting out of the ones there, so he got dressed. He decided he'd make an effort today, so he donned a pair of dress pants, a buttoned up shirt (top two buttons undone.), and his broken in leather boots. Of course, he had his coat on over the top of that. It had a pocket on the inside that he slipped his wand into. His bag held all the less important things. He decided to set off, even though he was a touch late.

He had no-one to walk with, but there was nobody around to notice. He knocked on the door, and entered. No mind was paid to him at first, so he made himself unobstructive at the back of the classroom.

With the first day going as planned, there was time enough for Aria to be left to her own devices. So far, nothing more extraordinary had occurred on campus. A few of the students had decided to resign and wait another year or so, but it was no number that had seriously crippled their attendance rate. Indeed, it was almost as if the murder had never happened at all.

But it did, and its lingering effects were very much evident in the school’s atmosphere. The way people looked around, the whispers among students, and even the hardened gazes of staff members were all tell-tale signs. After the meeting yesterday, she had made sure Reiko had informed every staff member of what kind of creature they were dealing with here. Whether it was wild or had evil intent had yet to be seen, however.

Even now, sitting in her office and going over paperwork, Aria couldn’t help but frown. With Tholl’s spiders keeping surveillance and Reiko setting up magical barriers, she should have felt more relieved by the situation. Yet there was something off about it all, something that made her believe there was more to this. Well…it wasn’t like the mystery could be solved in a day.

For now, it was better to keep all their eyes open. At the moment, lunch periods were beginning for those students who had them, earning a brief frame of rest and companionship among them. And for those still stuck in classes or teaching, their time for food would come. No evil could be slain on empty stomachs after all.

As Roland stated his powers, Duncan trotted to the weapon rack and took out a large, hefty capped great sword, as well as a bow and training arrows. When Roland have finished and their Vampiric teacher turned to Duncan, he naturally felt quite nervous and unworthy. "I, um, I've had sword training, but my main strength is archery." he stated simply. And no sooner had he gave his complete rundown of his abilities did the fight start. Roland was relentless, and wasn't holding back for fear of hitting the teacher at all. Despite this, the gap in talent and speed was so vast it was hard to comprehend. Duncan felt no guilt in giving his all too, taking aim with his bow. Even though none of his arrows hit their mark, Yurius would note that he'd had to dodge every single one, and if Duncan were fighting a human without a vampire's reflexes, every single arrow would have been a perfect headshot. Even though they were in a battle situation, Duncan was taking his time aiming and allowing for drop, wind and even the enemy's movement.

When his arrows were depleted, Duncan dropped the bow and advanced with his great sword. This was not where his greatest talent lay, and this was obvious. Though he lifted the great sword with far more ease than a boy of his frame should be able to, the by-product of a Centaur's natural biological strength, his attacks were slow, telegraphed and left him wide open. It was a strategy designed to overpower the opponent, and just wouldn't cut it with Yurius or with any of the threats a Dawnslayer may face in the future.

---

The Centaur, his face and hair shining with sweat, trotted down the hall. He'd worked up an appetite and a Centaur's appetite was a lot harder to sate than a human's. He was slightly worried that there wouldn't be enough.

@Conscripts@Awesomoman64@TheWindel

Ceiran Strivelyn

From the back of the classroom, Ceiran watched. No-one seemed to pay him any mind, which was brilliant. He could work in peace.

He pulled a textbook out of his bag. He'd blotted out the cover in black marker, and labeled it using masking tape. It said 'Potions' on the tape. He didn't know too much about potions, except that they're something he will be able to learn. No spells required. He read the primer, and decided that familiarising himself with the equipment before trying to brew anything was a good idea. It was a right pain, though. He'd never even heard of these implements before now. After learning what the pieces of equipment do, he decided he'd try to remove the salt from some saltwater. He heats it over a flame, allows the vapour to condense, and collects the drops, but it wasn't any less salty. In fact, it seemed more so. He wrote what he did down. It may come in handy later.

Slightly disappointed in himself, he readies the equipment to try again, but Miss Mako calls the end of class before he has a chance. He cleans his work area, and leaves the classroom. He doesn't have anyone to walk with, but the hallways are packed anyway, so he just makes his way to the cafeteria. He stares around, rather wide-eyed. He isn't used to the amount of people here. Face after face, swimming through the magically shifting air to his eyes. He puts his head down, and doubles down on his attempt to reach the cafeteria in in the hopes of finding an empty table to sit at. He doesn't register that he's basically pushing people out of the way. Even if he did he probably wouldn't care. He must get food and be alone, or he might... twitch.

”Lunch time lunch time~

After her first class Sonia went to lunch. Owldin flew around her often getting ahead, stopping on a high elevation, then flying off again watching over her. That was because while Sonia was in a good mood, Owldin was more wary of danger. Sonia had heard of the murder but chose not to worry about it, whereas Owldin took it more seriously. Not that there was much he could do on his own aside from manning claw the killer’s eyes out if he’s lucky, but so long as Sonia was safe he’ll do whatever it takes.

In the lunch hall Sonia sat down by herself. She had packed her own lunch and it only needed a little reheating. Tomato and basil soup, two ham and cheese melt, and ice coffee. It was a lot of food for one person but Sonia was bigger than your average person. She only wished she could have brought something with more meat. She had spent most of her money on furnishing her dorm room and buying magic tones and scrolls for study, leaving her fridge fairly bare. And while she was certain that the shook served an excellent lunch, her own pride couldn’t allow herself to ask food from others when she is able to make her own.

A spider who cannot Hunt is no spider, as her father would say. So after warming up her soup and sandwich Sonia said a quick and quiet prayer before digging in. She daintily cut up her sandwich into smaller cuts, dipping them into the soup before consuming. Between bites she drank her coffee. The cafine helped her calm her nerves, though that was thanks to its intoxicating effects on arachnes. Most people get hyper when drinking coffee; Sonia gets drunk.

”Eh heh heh. This is... This isn’t so bad. I wonder if it would taste better with mayonnaise.”

---

The two students stated their power as they all got prepared for the combat exercise. It should not be that long anyway. The vampire's test would end very soon. Very soon...

As Yurius had expected, Roland possessed the ability of Paladins, just like his namesake. Memories are not lost so easily. He stated just as the previous Nightbreakers did. As for Duncan, no celestial or magical power, just pure physical. Good, good...He had rarely ever seen a centaur in battle before. Now is a good time for an account, though boring it would be, since this guy was still a student, not a worthy and equal opponent. Now that the two of them had finished their preparation, the vampire waited, his hands in the pockets, as they charged.

The first one attacking was Roland. He came at him with the training sword and shield. But before Yurius reacted to the seemingly casual attack, his blade suddenly turned white, bursting in the flames of the divine. It was at this moment when the vampire removed his hands from his pockets, as he finally got into battle. An aggressive start, wasn't it? He could deflect this, but doing so he wouldn't be able to fully feel the force. The boy should be giving his all. And the blade should not be able to cause any significant damage. It was a training sword after all. Therefore, as the blade was about to meet the vampire's face, one of his hand shot up and grab the sword; his hand feeling the whole impact force. 'Formidable for a youngling...' He thought. The impact force did little to actually damage Yurius, but he felt his hand ringing from that power. And the flame really burned.

But then came the second attack. Roland thrust his shield forward. The vampire expected a bash, but as his other hand reached out to meet the thing, he was taken aback by a sudden burst of energy from that shield that he was so, so familiar with. It enveloped him, as he took a few steps back. That attack triggered something within him...

---

"A shame that you do not take my advice, Yurius Diencrade. In that case..." The familiar knight, standing firm with his shield up, shouted. "Witness as your story ends. This is as far as you go!"

And everything went white.

---

"Exorcism..." The vampire muttered under his breathe as the energy slowly dispersed. The move that took him down at that faithful battle. The move done by the greatest adversary he had ever faced. The move now repeated by this fellow student before him. But to the contrary of what he had expected, or that he shouldn't have expected that at all, the energy was weak. A thousand times weaker than Alister's. It left the vampire nothing more than ringing sores in a few spots.

The vampire was about to give this guy a counter attack when the other student, Duncan, attacked. Of course. How could he forget him? Duncan had the range advantage, as he shot the vampire multiple times with his bow and arrows. A hollow of a smirk crossed Yurius' face as he casually dodge the centaur's projectiles. His vampiric reflexes kept him safe from the arrows, also from Roland's potential follow-up attacks as they both demonstrated their offensive power, as for every each of them, he just subtly jerked his head and body to let it pass through him. It was entertaining to him. The centaur certainly had the ability to fire precisely and quickly. All arrows should have hit his forehead, if he hadn't been dodging them. The vampire actually had to use most his senses and reflexes to dodge the arrows. It was good having to exercise, feeling the intensity and pain of battle.

Eventually, Duncan ran out of arrows, so he charged at Yurius with a sword. That meant one thing: the offensive test is over. Now for the defensive test. It was time for the two of them to take his spot now. While the centaur was charging him, the two of them would witness, perhaps to them, the most bloodcurdling actions they had ever seen. Yurius' hand, with his sharp vampiric fingernails, suddenly moved to his own neck and clawed it. The claw was not really as painful, and the wound did not run deep, but his blood was leaking here and there. People would find that confusing and obviously frightening, but to Yurius, pain was his daily meal. His adrenaline was rushing. His power was increasing.

"Hahaha, you two are stronger than I imagined. I am 'slightly' satisfied."

And with that, he took the offensive.

The first target was the charging centaur. Duncan was going as fast as he could, but to Yurius, his movements were slow. It left him wide open. And the vampire did not let that obvious chance slip away from his hand, as he delivered an upward punch to the centaur's abdomen area. The power was immense. If it was a direct hit, the centaur would be taken aback by it, not to mention he might fall to the ground because of the sheer force of some the vampire's finest punches.

Finished with Duncan, like a train locomotive was charging at him, Yurius headed for Roland. This guy had shield, he should be able to hold this out for a while. He delivered yet another punch to the shield, diagonally and downward. That should take the young trainee paladin to step a few steps back. Swiftly, he made a 360 degrees spin, slamming his other fist onto the shield, also diagonally and downward but in the other direction, with the same effect. Once done, he stood up and gave one last remark. "Good try with that Exorcism, but you are not enough." And then he sent this young boy to the floor. An earth-bending blow from his fist sent toward the shield, yet again. But this time the force was so immense that it would be transferred to the boy himself, sending him to the floor. But that was it to that. He should be on his feet soon.

"That's enough gentlemen." Standing on the ground, seemingly oblivious to the wound he just inflicted upon himself, Yurius announced to the two participants. His voice returned from excitement to being calm and austere. "A perfect example for those who will follow these two up, and for what your wild expectation may anticipate in future classes. You will not walk out of the class without eating the dirt. And as for you two..." He peered on Roland, and then glanced at the centaur, seemingly in deep thought. "A worthy performance." And then complimented. A rare thing to come out from him, but he soon got back to his usual demeanor. "But! Do not take this for complacency. You two are far from becoming a true Dawn Slayer." He began his general assessment.

"You." He addressed Duncan. "I haven't learned your name yet. But you have displayed an adept skill at archery. Your precisions are deadly to any human beings. However, your blade is unartful! Slow, sluggish and full of openings. Take note young man, for you, at the end of this course, will have to show me your improvement."

"And you, Roland Nightbreaker." He turned to Roland. "An applaud for actually attempting the Exorcism on me." He said. "But you, after all, are still a young frog. Your power are by no means feeble, but not enough. Progress! I want to see more, not just that! Also, although you appear to have a solid grasp on your divine magic, if you find yourself complacent with your physical prowess, I shall not see you passing this course. Do we understand each other?"

Once Roland had answered, Yurius headed back to the center of the arena. "Your demonstration is over." He said, as always ambiguous. He did not want to walk these kids in the park with all the details and instructions. As those two slowly left the arena, the vampire picked the next two for demonstrations. Knowing how Duncan and Roland had done it with Yurius, everything went a bit more quickly. Once done, the vampire had a few minutes left for another short exercise. It was slightly like a meditation session though, as the students shrug off the pain of the demonstrations, and relaxed themselves with moves, clearing their thoughts and let their inner fire speak to them. The vampire's method was clear. No students would be enforced with a pre-designed course or train on something irrelevant to their own style.

And then, lunch-time. Class was soon dismissed. The vampiric professor lingered for a few more minutes, tending the wounds that he, mostly, if not all, inflicted upon himself during the demonstration. He used a healing potion to heal his cuts that were leaking blood out of him. "Hmmm." He noticed that he was running low on it. "Ought to ask Mako for more." As a masochist who is a master of hitting himself, this kind of potion had become a common thing for the ancient vampire. He could save that to natural healings, but that would take longer, and seeing his face and neck full of blood marks would be a really disturbing thing.

"Yare yare...(What a pain...)" The vampire's aging voice slipped from his mouth as he walked towards the class, Mako's class. Class had ended, and the students were scrambling for food. As casual as he was, the old vampire did not make haste for the meal. No one was going take away his blood. There were very few vampires in the school, and probably none were staffs and teachers, so the source of blood in the cafeteria was nowhere being empty.

Arriving at Mako's class, seeing that the class was nearly empty, while she was also trying to finish up her work, the vampire, with his semi-casual yet semi-polite manner, said. "Excuse me Ms Akane." He held out the empty flask. An indication that he was asking for some more healing potions. It should be all-too-familiar to the witchcraft master. "Is it the right time for me to ask?"

@Silver Carrot @Awesomoman64 @TheWindel

As the students were finished, Mako watched them. The two students of note were Circe, who she already knew was worth keeping an eye on before the class even started, and Sonia, who has very quickly marked herself as another student to watch. Not for any bad reasons. She was just interesting. Of course, the only thing more interesting to Mako than a particularly interesting person in a school full of interesting people, was somebody who appeared totally unremarkable and invisible to the point where other students didn't look up when they walked in late. But Mako noticed. She pretended not to, but oh, She was intrigued by Ceiran Strivelyn. What was his story? Why was he so quiet? Why was such a person in a school for Dawnslayers?

She watched each everyone work. the three interesting ones really stood out. While everybody else started from step one the moment they had finished gathering their materials, Circe made sure to fully understand the theory before she even attempted the practical. Sonia experimented with her tools before beginning. Ceiran also made sure he knew what he was doing with the tools before starting. And their patience and methodical approach paid off. At least for the girls. In Ceiran's case, he didn't even have a potion by the end of class. She wondered if he was cut out for this school at all. From all angles, he struck as a regular, unremarkable, even sub-par human. So what was he doing here? He must have one juicy secret, and Mako suppressed a smile at the thought of finding it out.

Circe was the first finished, and her healing potion was sweet to taste. Blueberries to dilute the bitter taste and make it tart and tangy instead. She was going to be good at home ec. On the topic of taste, Sonia was close to last to finish, but hers was flavored with espresso. That earned brownie points in Mako's book but she would see over the coming weeks whether Sonia was a brown-noser. There was a fine line between pleasing Mako and annoying her with your efforts to please. The last test was their effectiveness as healing potions, and judging from the timetable, the tester for that would be arriving shortly. Once the equipment was cleared and all the students had left Mako waited for the door to open. When it did, she turned and smiled. The attack was a thinly veiled excuse that killed two birds with one stone. The real reason was that she didn't have to make the damn things herself ready for when the P.E. Teacher came knocking.

"Yuri!" She greeted the vampire using the nickname he hated. "Just the man I wanted to see! The students have been making healing potions and I need to test their healing effectiveness! You can start with these two!" Mako then pushed two bottles forward, one was purple. One was the color of coffee.

@Cerces22@Ryonara@Strange Rodent@Conscripts

The bell rang before Making could grade her work, so she packed up her bags and headed for the cafeteria. She pushed through the throng of students and teachers alike. Passing a slightly bloody Yurius on the way, her mind wandered to who could of given the ancient vampire so many cuts. She instinctively touched her wristbands to make sure both blades were secure. She had Yurius after lunch and just knew it was going grueling, to make it worse he was her first teacher the next day.

No rest for the wicked, right teach?? She thought to herself. She had hoped Roland would see her at lunch as well, tell her that he got the note. They needed to figure out what killed the student, they couldn't sit idly by and become it's next victim.

The lunch room was packed for of students, she thought about making herself a little smaller, but wanted to save her shifting in case Yurius forced her to in front of the class. Circe shrugged off the mental shudder at having to reveal her shifting powers on the second day of class. A lot of people still held onto their prejudices against shifters, they fought alongside the famed witch long ago. Many of her ancestors were a huge problem in the first war, they specialized in espionage and infiltration. After the war they were con artists, she had hoped that being invited her wouldn't bring those old stigmas with her, but she wasn't sure.

Circe sat down at her classmates table, the spider girl was at the other end eating her food with an intensity that Circe could appreciate. She looked down at her own food, a simple peanut butter and jelly with some plain chips in it. She took a sip of her chocolate milk while surveying the room, everyone was chatting, trying their best to put yesterday's events behind them. Circe wouldn't forget, for the sake of the slain girl, she couldn't afford to.

Mrs. Tholl continue her lesson while Lumen delved deeper into his thoughts. She did mention something along the lines of points or whatever and continued expanding on what was said, but Lumen didn't much place attention to it. There was something peculiar about it all, if one were to think about such in earnest. Their reason for coexisting in this world would amalgamate to keeping a balance. Lumen could only guess that the balance is that which keeps things stable within what's considered real. Magic in the other hands seems to both be damaging the world as it is keeping it alive... It's as if a disease was the primary staple that was causing one to live. Almost poetic in a sense, but that just rose the question of it all. What was causing such distraught? This had become the world's largest mystery. Of course that is if we considered the parameters are that a source even exists, if not we could only conclude that magic in itself is the damaging substance which causes a shift in the balance. A grin rose on Lumen's lips as the thought began to complicate itself, the information was too shallow and he couldn't come to any feasible conclusions, he tapped his temple with gentle blithe knowing the circumstances would escalate if action was not taken. The fear he sensed originally when noting the presence of death still lingered through his core, but there was something much more potent boiling through such sentiments which birthed a sense of courage through Lumen. A sense of curiosity about uncovering the truth... Would this mean he would become the means that would shift the balance?

His thought were cut off by a slamming of the door, a student came in, sweat dripping down his temple as he spoke between heavy breaths. He was late... Lumen witnessed the strange youth walk shamefully towards his desk, trying to avoid the inevitable gaze of his peers who all murmured about the spectacle that had just unfolded. This boy is known as... Trey? He seemed to have noted the wolf who gnawed at the table, like the ferocious animal that it was and it beckoned on Trey something fearful. Lumen could read it on this boy's gaze, he felt like coming late was a mistake. Anyone would be caught off guard by such a sight. Indeed, this class was one of mysteries and oddities alike. Nothing here made much sense when you place it on a periphery. All here seems awkward and out of place, but it was in fact as normal as it could get. Lumen smiled as the teacher delivered a stern response to this student's tardiness. Such then followed by what seemed to be a more... hopeful exchange, they didn't have to be potent magic users at the end result, they could become whatever they wanted, labor in whatever they pleased. This... Seemed odd to Lumen, but yet all the more intriguing. His ambitions were shallow, to be honest. They held as much passion as a child striving for the next thing that'll keep him entertained. Lumen merely wanted to understand the secrets of the world, to solve the mysteries of old and new, to understand that which he doesn't and see things he hasn't.

He doesn't care about everything else, he doesn't care about the monetary... He's lived without such for years. All his life, actually. He wanted to help Kresnik see what's beyond the first life. And this flame here, that which he could conjure at his behest, would be a stepping stone to witness the grandeur which lies withing the dangerous. He couldn't die until then, but... strangely, death roamed across his campus. Perhaps Lumen should be the first to understand this mystery... The teachers seem to be hiding it exclusively for their own protection. Or maybe even... for their own gain?

The bell rang, signifying lunch time. Lumen placed his hood back and smile rose on his lip. It was time to proceed with the day. What should he do other than eat?

As Sonia was finishing off her first sandwich she noted that the girl from potion and spells class was sitting with her. Circe, if Sonia remembered correctly. She ate more meekly, taking small bites from her sandwich and sips from her soup as she wondered why this girl was sitting with. Not that Sonia minded, but she just thought it was rather... Impolite to just plop down at her table without so much as a hello. But Sonia tried not to be offended. Maybe that's just how Circe was raised. Who was Sonia to question her culture? Instead she'll try to make the best of this situation and talk to the girl. "Be calm Sonia. Just say hello, introduce yourself. Go with the flow."

Gulping, the arachne leaned forward and smiled. "H-Hello! I don't think we've been properly introduced. My name is Sonia Weaver." But behind her polite and soft smile Sonia was now freaking out. She sounded way too formal for her liking, as if she was talking to some princess or something and not just a fellow student. "Aaaaaaah what am I doing I am such a dork! 'I don't think we've been properly introduced', who are you trying to be, some sort of lady killer? A black widow? Fix this you fool!" Clearing her throat Sonia tried to be more casual. She dipped her sandwich into her soup and took a bite, letting the flavors distract her from the awkwardness of it all. Once her jitters calmed down she tried again. "So... What's up? You look like you're on a hunt. Or something."

@Cerces22

---

A welcoming sight as usual. The flask in his hand was one step away from being crushed. A vein popped up on Yurius' forehead. That witch...

He never liked being called by some names other than his first or last name, even from friends. But still, it was just friendly addressing, he reassured himself. Nothing to get overly angered at.

"So what do we have?" He said as she showed him two potions, made by her students instead. A shame that he did not get to taste Mako's handmade ones. The flavor she made was delicious. Sometimes sweet, sometimes salty and ironish just like blood. But now, it was student's edition. And if there was one thing that his days of teaching had taught him was that the students are not to be trusted to make good potions. Especially the new ones. But fine. He had asked her favor many times, he couldn't just outright refuse her.

Yurius skimmed through the potion. One of which was purple. Not so common, but ok. He took it and had a sip. He didn't drink all, which wouldn't do good if his wounds end up healing before the second one. "Hmmm..."
He looked at the flask again as the taste dissolved in his mouth. "Palatable..." He remarked. Not much flavor, but slightly sweet. It was good. And he could feel the wounds beginning to patch up as well, though Mako would be the one who saw it best.

Then the next test subject on the line. This one was coffee brown in color. Coffee brown...'Don't tell me this is coffee flavored.' He said as he reached for the flask.

"Hnng!"

It is coffee flavored...

The vampire didn't like coffee. Not that it was bad for him, he just didn't like the taste. Quickly, he swallowed it, but the taste remained, as he tried to return the flask to Mako as safely as possible. A scowl was visible, but at least that was it. For now.

"I see your students have had some...creativity in their creations. He said, the taste still linger in his tongue. She was actually arranging the class schedule for this, wasn't she? Mako knew the vampire was a common guest after all. 'Please don't tell me she is going to give all of those to me for stock.'

"Anyway, it is the common break. Shall we head for lunch then? It would be my pleasure."

@Silver Carrot

---

Barring the tardieness of students and the clearly wild animal which made the student's attention spans more akin to cats blinding by laser pointers, Tholl didn't think the class was going to be half bad. Certainly it was an uphill battle trying to convey to them the importance of something so mundane as monetary wealth when some of them existed entirely outside modern society, but she was sure she'd get through to a few of them given time.

As such it was with a cheer in her step that she slipped into the cafeteria to stand vigil over the buzz of students unloading after their first classes. In her hands was a large transparent cup, with a straw built into the lid for ease of drink, that was filled with a slurry of red and pink. The wolf was nowhere to be seen, though perhaps if someone looked out the window at just the right moment, they'd witness a human sized Trapdoor spider walking the beast around the perimeter of the woods, the leash appearing almost comical hooked upon the arachnids front leg.

It can get some exercise, and if it smells the murderer coming back, it should react immediately. Win win. Tholl's smile was mirrored inside and out, uncaring if anyone took offense to the sight of giant and literally man eating spiders roaming the grounds. With Aria's green light, not even Lotte could brush away them or their webs for the foreseeable future.

However her smile faded into bewilderment as she saw the only arachnid on campus who didn't answer to her summons, prompting her to hurriedly circumvent the bustle of hungry students to loom over one Sonia Weaver.
"Huh. You know for half a second I thought one of my own came in here looking for a snack, but you're not part of my brood at all. Fancy that."

She noted the extra meal that the spider girl was chowing down upon and cringed at the lack of meat in it. Balanced it may be by human standards, but she didn't think it filling by any stretch of a spider's palette. Then she found cause for alarm as she downed a cup of coffee and reacted, in a word, drunkenly. If Mako were here she'd have summarized that coffee was Irish at the very least, but Tholl knew better from her numerous broods.

"Ahem." She coughed forcefully, and plopped down into the seat beside the arachne before shoving her drink before her. "Drink this. It's basically a meat smoothie, but without the milk. I wouldn't want to have to scold one of my students for public intoxication on their first day, so this should sober you up."

---

Despite the success of his first attacks, Roland soon found he was unable to land anymore hits on his opponent. Even with Duncan’s impressive archery to contend with as well, Yurius was still able to dodge every attack that came his way. It was hard to tell what was more infuriating for Roland, that he and Duncan were giving it their best to no avail, or that Yurius clearly wasn’t even trying.

Well, that last part wouldn’t be true for much longer. As Duncan fired his last arrow and switched to a great sword, the two started to close in. This time Yurius stayed still allowing the boys to corner him. Just as they attempted to move in, the vampire suddenly clawed his own neck followed by a compliment on their abilities. If his intent was confusion, it worked like a charm. The sight of the teacher inflicting wounds on himself during what was supposedly a demonstration disturbed Roland who froze in his tracks.

And then he struck.

Yurius charged Duncan, first, taking him out with a single punch before moving to Roland. Roland was only just able to snap out of his shock in time to raise his shield up to block the first punch thrown at him. The speed Yurius displayed appeared to be faster than he had already been moving, but somehow Roland was able to keep up. The second punch was a much easier block as Yurius continued using the same move albeit from the other direction.

By now Roland was starting to pick up on the pattern of Yurius’ attacks. Every time he struck with the downward punch it would leave his body turned or half a second. All Roland would need to do was wait for the next opening and use it to get back on the offensive. For a brief moment, the brown haired boy though he might be able to do this. Such hopes and possibly his arm were soon crushed as Yurius delivered a final punch with the force of a sledge hammer, knocking the poor boy to the ground.

Dazed and defeated Roland lay on the ground while Yurius announced their turn was up. Once he managed to push himself off the ground, the teacher gave him his overview and potentially his goal for the future. His powers needed to be strengthened and his physical abilities needed refinement. Good. Those were the reasons he came here, after all. And if there was anyone who could teach him these things, it was Yurius. Roland thanked his teacher for the feedback before replacing his weapons on the rack and taking his seat to observe the rest of the students. Even though he technically got his ass handed to him, Roland couldn't help but smile at his performance. He could tell he was going to enjoy this class.

@Conscripts

---
Lunch time!
---

“Hey, nice work back there. I don’t think even and elf could shoot a bow that well.” Roland said to his centaur battle buddy as they headed to the cafeteria. Despite having a rather excessive breakfast, Roland was looking forward to sinking his teeth into something.

Leaving the lunch line with a tray of mashed potatoes and a chicken sandwich, Roland looked around the packed cafeteria for any free spots. While there were a few open seats, the table that drew his attention was the one with the red haired girl from before. They didn’t get much of a chance to talk yesterday and he wanted to know more about what she saw in the forest. Though she was currently sitting with some spider girl and after all the commotion he had stirred up yesterday, he’d rather they discuss the matter privately. Still, no harm in being friendly until then.

“Hey, Duncan. Wanna go sit by that ‘cute girl’ from yesterday? Looks like she’s got a friend.” Roland asked giving his pal a nudge and wink.

@Silver Carrot

"You've clearly never seen an Elven archer shoot," replied Duncan, chuckling with sheepish humility. "I'd call my level of skill intermediate, or at the very least, there is a mountain of talent between me and the best archers I personally know. I can't even get guaranteed bullseyes shooting ride-by, which is inexcusable for an adult Centaur. I like to take my time with each arrow. Besides, you're one to lay it on thick. I don't know anybody under the age of 21 over in England who's half as good at close-quarters fighting as you were, and I mean that."

Duncan sat down with a plate in one hand which held an average, balanced human-sized meal, and a bowl in the other, twice the size, full of lettuce, carrots and chopped apple. When Roland nudged him and pointed out Circe and her new spider friend, Duncan also grinned. "Her friend's also pretty cute. Just my size, too," replied Duncan, winking back. "After you, my good man!"

The moment he said that, a teacher sat down on the seat besides the Arachnid. Duncan groaned, and looked back at Roland. "Trust our luck. I'm still gonna try and sit nearby, though."

@Awesomoman64@Ryonara@Cerces22

---

When Yurius asked what the potions in front of him were, she didn't answer, and just smiled. Revenge was sweet. Sweeter the potions she'd had to make last year, before the start of every single day that Yurius was likely to cut himself for the adrenaline boost during his classes, which was most days he had combat classes. She hoped that some of these potions were of a very poor quality and potency. The thought of him needing to heal after another fight, drinking from his flask a foul, battery-like tasting drink, and it didn't even heal him very well. Why, that image alone made all her toil worth it. Almost.

One does not simply receive free gifts and favours from a Witch. There is always payment.

As Mako observed him, she was the picture postcard image of sweet, with her eyes closed and her smile. She looked like a mom about to bake cookies. But a picture wouldn't have been able to capture the hidden subconscious feeling that you were facing a sly creature. A picture couldn't convey her thick dark aura. Nobody in the staffroom could deny that Mako was good, and kind, and cared about the students, but nobody would add 'trustworthy' to that list of positives.

She giggled at his reaction to the coffee potion, though, and took it from his hands. "You won't have to take that one. I prefer it's flavour, anyway." she reassured him, though her words hinted that he'd have to take the rest, and that there would be no batch from Mako's own cauldron today. While he drank, she took notes on the healing potency of the potions, until Yuris was fully healed, before he'd finished all of them, so for the rest of the students' potions, she simply noted 'Healing potency: probably average' and then shoved her notebook back in her desk.

At Yurius' invitation to lunch, she smiled and stood up. Now that payback had been had, she almost felt that she owed him as much. "Of course! Who could turn down an invitation like that?"

@Conscripts

@Silver Carrot@Awesomoman64@Lonewolf685@Ryonara

Circe was throughly enjoying her lunch, her eyes constantly scanning the room. Always assessing for threats, for anything interesting or out of the ordinary. Her concentration was broken by the young girl introducing herself. She blinked a few times to clear her head and turned to Sonia. She caught a view out the window of a huge spider walking a wolf, but when she blinked again they were gone. Shit she was imagining stuff.

Sonia wore a paniced expression on her which and tried to correct herself. But before Circe could stop her the teacher, Ms. Tholl, from the murder scence sat down and began chatting up the spider. Circe quickly diverted her eyes, which than landed in Roland and Duncan. It was her turn for her eyes to scream panic as they began walking towards her. She controlled her face to look like shy embarrassment before Tholl looked over. She even was able to produce a small, girlish blush on her face.

"So sorry, if you would excuse me I see a couple friends." Before either spider could answer she picked up the rest of her lunch and walked over to the boys. She stopped Roland and Duncan motioning to an empty desk.

"We can talk about it later." She said to Roland, noticing the questions in his eyes. She cast a weary glance towards Duncan, he spoke out vehemently against Roland at the assembly, she couldn't say anything and risk him running to Reiko or Aria. "I assume from your guys disgruntled appearence, you had Yurius?? Glad to see he goes all out even on the first day of class. Here I made these in Makos class. Probably not the best, but it will help." She handed the boys a small mixture of her potions but she waited for their response.

Sonia shouldn't be surprised at the strange things going on at this school, but she still was. As she was about to start on her second sandwich Sonia spotted another arachne but... Something was different about this one. There was a certain aura, and air about her that Sonia couldn't place. It wasn't entirely magical in nature per say, but something more... Feral. Instincts. Something inside Sonia's head warned her that this other arachne was no mere arachne. It was fight or flight but Sonia knew she couldn't possibly win this fight, nor did she have any means to flee. It was just an unfamiliar sense of dread and... Delight? Sonia couldn't put it to words. She was happy to see another Arachne. The other arachne just scared her. Doesn't help that she's also a teacher.

When Tholl approached and questioned Sonia she just froze, her face, stuck with a polite smile. Nothing to indicate any challenge, and just passively subservient. But in her mind Sonia was wondering what sort of a mess she found herself in. "Be cool. You're cool. it's fine, everything is fine. So maybe you might be a bit more popular than you thought. No problem, that's not a bad thing. So maybe this other Arachne has you in her sights. That's fine that's fine. You're not in trouble. You're a good girl. Nodding her head Sonia took a small sip of her coffee, doing her damnest to remain composed. "That is correct. My name is Sonia Weaver. I've... Never seen you before." Not Sonia's best rebuke.

Just when Sonia thought maybe she could keep herself cool, Tholl sat down right next to Sonia. She even offered Sonia her smoothie, knowing very well that the coffee that Sonia was drinking would be intoxicating to her. Granted Sonia only had a few sips so it's not as if she was even buzzed yet, but Tholl would know the intentions Sonia had with her drink. Clearing her throat Sonia nodded her head and grasped the cup. "T-Thanks. But I'm not drunk. One bottle of ice coffee is hardly going to make me feel buzzed." Sonia did take sips from the smoothie though. It was delicious; better than her own cooking. For something that looked little more than a slurry of red, it had a very pleasant taste that was neither overpowering nor faint, as if Sonia was eating a steak wellington in liquid form. The fact that Sonia didn't know what the meat was didn't really bother her; she can stomach all types.

As Sonia and Tholl had their exchange, Circe excused herself. Sonia didn't even get a word in before she left and met up with two boys who were walking in their direction. Sonia blushed at the thought of sitting with a couple of boys on her first day. Or rather, the boys coming to her table first. She knew better than to have such naive thoughts, but the idea of a guy coming onto Sonia was not unpleasant to her. She never imagined anyone would take the initiative to talk to her, sans other Arachne like Tholl of course. It looked like Circe was leading them away though, thus leaving the two spiders sitting together. Still nervous but trying to overcome it Sonia looked to her teacher. "Ah. Um.... Thank you for the smoothie. You mention you had a brood? Do your children attend too?"

@Lonewolf685

Ceiran Strivelyn

He stepped into the cafeteria, and almost immediately regretted it. He hadn't packed himself any food, so he had to wait in line. Lines are tedious. The only reason he tolerated it was the promise of the essential food. The line moved forward more slowly than he digested the meagre food he'd eaten that day. As he neared the food he considered he'd grab. Something cheap, but filling. Nothing special, but lots of it. Too much for any normal human, but quite enough for the demon and himself. When it came time for him to get food, he did it quickly, spied a table, and rushed to it. Halfway there, a red, ferocious pain grew from his chest towards his arms, growing larger and less bearable with every beat of his heart. Along with the pain was a familiar, but currently unwelcome sensation. He felt as if he occupied every place in the room for a brief moment, and if his arteries were fire, then his veins were power.

The pain hadn't overwhelmed him quite yet, though. He took a moment to compose himself, and redoubled toward a mostly empty table, the pain growing larger as he grew nearer. He almost runs into a centaur on the way, only just gathering enough reaction time to throw himself out of the way and throw a brief "Sorry about that!". He's only two steps away from the table now, and he feels his forefinger quivering.

He runs the last two steps, and begins to eat with all the enthusiasm of... well.. a demon. It tasted much worse than he was used to. The meat was dry, the vegetables were undercooked, and the spaghetti was essentially mush for how overcooked it was. He was grateful he had food, but made a mental note to make his own from now on. That way he'd never have to wait in a line. Bonus.

He'd made an effort to eat politely, but the pain had been quite severe, and he was slowly losing control of how much he was Twitching. As a result, he had quite a bit of cleaning up to do. It doesn't take long, and by the end, the pain had retreated to his torso. It'd be gone totally soon.

He takes a moment to see who he'd sat next to. It was that Arachne girl from potions. She was talking to Tholl. He hoped she didn't notice him, although that was an unrealistic hope. He'd made such a racket that some particularly keen people the next row up were craning their necks to see what was going on. He gives an apologetic smile "I was... hungry.". He certainly wasn't wasn't lying...

@Ryonara @Lonewolf685