Beyond the door, crowds of girls surround them.
'Oh yeah, Carolice assigned me to the girls' dorm. Well, this will be awkward.'
Kailus and Shalius walk side by side, their wings brushing in the cramped hallway. Akiro trails behind with her many tails shuddering at the thought of Shalius' warning.
'She must be lying. Surely, she wouldn't do that? Fairies aren't that strict—I hope.'
Outside:
In Infront of the entrance, a crowd gathers at a board. The commotion too loud and overlapping to decipher anything being said.
Kailus turns to them. "What do you think they're doing," he asks, expecting an answer from them.
Shalius squinches her eyes before shrugging her shoulders. "Something we'll do in the future."
"You sure about that?" Akiro asks with a disheveled look.
"Only time will tell."
On their way to the cafeteria through the endless, crowded halls, eyes follow Kailus at every opportunity, with slight whispers, chuckles, and whistles.
Kailus hides his face in his feathers, far from the peering lenses.
"Anything wrong," Akiro asks.
"No, the smell is getting to me," Kailus responds half-heartedly.
Akiro sniffs the air. "Smells alright for me."
Kailus lowers his wings. "Then, I guess it's over now."
As the halls begin to thaw out, two teachers walk past them.
One of the teachers, an archangel, holds a hand to his counterpart's ear. "Look over there, a Genesis Angel, and even better, a charged one. His physique is perfecto, yet his posture is imperfecta."
The other archangel nods, covering her mouth. "With such a posture from a CHARGED Genesis Angel, that's concerning for the future. I can't stand seeing children so weak. They're so precious and can grow strong like us with proper training."
The male archangel smiles approvingly. "Yes, everyone must feel proud, for the truth shall set them free!"
"Yeah! May he come to us, and we'll show him true theology!" the female archangel adds proudly as they clasp their hands.
Kailus gives a soft smile at their enthusiasm. 'They remind me of my father. Pray, they aren't as playful as him.'
When he turns around, his roommates are gone.
'Eh, not that big of a problem. I'll just follow the crowd.'
Kailus swims through the crowd of angels until someone taps his shoulder. Looking down, a shiny angel glares at him with glittery eyes. "Oh my gosh, so the rumors are true."
Kailus heart thumps at the sight of her. "You're charged as well?"
"Yes, a half-vampiric angel hybrid," she exclaims, showcasing her pointy teeth. "Pretty cool?"
Kailus mouth widens. "An angelic-vampire hybrid? Do you still drink blood?"
"No, I don't need blood like my mother," she replies, grinning. "Is your healing doubled?"
"Yes," he explains. "I can cut my arm and heal it in 1 hour max and that's merely my aura."
The girl raises her eyebrow, interested. "Wow, what's your name?"
"Kailus Afton, yours?"
"Juliet Hymel."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Juliet," he says, embracing her tightly.
Juliet pushes back slightly. "No, for me. Do you know how lonely it is to be charged? Everyday, people call me a glitter bomb. It's like everyone has a slur for everything."
Kailus jumps excitedly. "Yes, oh my goodness, I can't describe how much I loathe it. What about Flashlight?"
Juliet grins. "Now, you know ball. Rumors talk about a 'prodigy' entering the college. So, I went snooping around the corners and found you, pretty boy. You're quite different from what I heard. Anyways, I'll catch you later, freshener. Treasure those breakfasts while you have them."
"Cya!" Kailus waves as she disappears into the crowd.
A blush spreads across his face. 'She's so cool. Oh my gosh, hehahahaha!'
In a few minutes, he finds the cafeteria, crowded with both genders.
Akiro and Shalius are infront of Kailus by seventeen beings, with thirteen infront of them—making it thirty in total.
'Shh~, it's gonna take a while. Might as well look at my choices.'
He looks at the options on the board: d'waffles, faircakes, seggs, angel-toast, and olives.
'They have many alternatives, don't they, Shalius?' He says mockingly.
Awaiting the front line, his stomach growls continuously at the delicious vegetation smells.
'Well, aside from the short range of food, they're skilled cooks I'll give them that.'
Lost in the scent, nearby students whisper behind his back: "A charged Genesis Angel?" "Yeah, the rumors are true." "How quickly do you think he heals?" "Probably instantly." "Should we go ask him?" "No, he's probably had many come up to him. Give him a break." "But I—" "No." "The true question is: how would he fare in the trials?" "Excellent, for sure."
After what feels like an eternity, he finally reaches the counter. He exchanges a few words with the cafeteria lady before heading off.
As he walks toward his roommates, he notices parts of his food pulsing faintly.
He glances at others' food: non-magic races like night angels didn't glow, magic races (like the many healing angels and few fairies) gleam brightly, and halfies (like Kailus) have a slight glow to them.
'This must be magic protein. Never had this before.'
He joins Akiro and Shalius. Other students try to engage with them, but Akiro ignores them, and Shalius remains silent.
Akiro reclines in her chair, her stainless-steel plate before her, basking in pure bliss—unaware of Kailus's gaze.
She continuously mutters nonsense. "Pork~." "Beef~." "Chicken~."
"You need serious exercise," he mumbles.
Shalius coughs a bit. "Well, aside from… her babbling, I waited to enjoy this extravagant meal with you. As for my bacon, Akiro ate it while you were in line. She was quite needy of its nutrients."
Kailus' eyes brighten at her commitment. "Aw, thanks!" His halo shines a bright yellow.
People around the table shield their eyes from the bright beam.
Background:
A fairy shouts. "Hey, would you—"
"Shh~, relax. Can't an angel ever have some joy in his life? Not his fault he has a lie detector on his head."
Back:
Shalius smiles. "For you, my friend."
Kailus returns the smile and eats along. When he bites into his food, a loud crunch echoes in Akiro's mind. She instantly opens her eyes like a cat smelling fresh food.
"Hey Kailus, can you be a blessing for little o' me and hand me—"
Shalius cuts her off with a menacing tone. "For every bite you take upon yourself is fifty reps later for compensation. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."
"Ugh, we have a food officer over here," Akiro scoffs. She looks at Kailus with puppy dog eyes, begging for a slice.
'She's starting to scare me. Is this what a food addict is?'
A while later:
They finish eating as the bell rings. Shalius and Akiro leave in a hurry with Kailus tailing behind. He tries to keep up, but the crowd quickly engulfs them.
Pushing through it, he searches desperately, bumping into people and muttering feigned apologies, until a hand grips his shoulder.
'Oh no… Was I pushing too hard? Please don't be an overreactor?'
He turns around, expecting the worst, but instead sees Carolice kneeling and panting.
"Sorry… Kailus," Carolice says, catching her breath between words. "Here's the… schedule… I didn't want to interrupt your… breakfast, so I waited… until the bell rang. Thank God I caught up to you."
"Take this slip if you're late to class. I'm sorry for yesterday." Carolice hands Kailus a late slip along with the papers, then blitzes away, leaving sparks of light.
'Oh, Carolice is an Enhancer. Never seen one of those before.'
He glances at the first period: Class 209, History.
'Since I have this slip, I can go at my own pace without worrying about tardiness.'
He reads the schedule carefully.' It's unusual: eight subjects, split into four per day, alternating between Red and Blue classes. Red Class being: History, Morality, P.E., and Monopoly; and Blue Class covering: Health, Magic and Potions, and Racial Biology. They alternate daily, like a pattern. I actually like it—it gives a lot of leeway.'
While reading, a group of angels bumps into Kailus. "Step aside if you're standing in the middle of the hallway. I'm already late to Ms. Damaris!" one snaps.
Kailus steps aside and salutes. "Sorry!"
'I guess that's my sign to go.'
A few minutes later:
He steps into the classroom. With a loud sigh, he proclaims loudly. 'Finally, I'm free.'
He looks around, absorbing its unique layout.
It's a D-shaped room. At the left, rows of seats went along the curved edge, with nine tiered rows forming an elegant arc around the central podiums of seats. A whiteboard sits on each desk, accompanied by a soft, cushioned chair behind it.
Glancing right, the teacher's desk faces the students, a regal chair nestled behind it. A microphone, a thick book, and a coffee machine sit neatly on the desk. A mountainous layer of shelves filled with various books lay behind it.
Above them all, a single stained-glass dome bathes the floor in rainbows.
Akiro calls from above, "Took you long enough! Where've you been, Kailie? Shalius was about to leave."
Kailus responds. "Kai—know what, forget it. You left me in that crowded cafeteria while I was getting up! I'm surprised this room's still empty."
He settles beside Shalius and starts rifling through the desk, finding sketches, folders, magic pens—everything in one. Underneath, the desk bears the number 24, with Shalius's at 23 and Akiro's 22.
Across the desk's upper center, an instruction reads in bold letters: "Write your name."
As Kailus complies, the desk pulses with a soft glow, mana rippling from it. His name embeds into the desk before fading away.
Stunned by the aura, he blurts aloud, "Is this perma magic?"
Shalius, sensing the desk's magic, writes her name on her desk: "Shalius Eneurm."
Akiro peers at Shalius's desk, intrigued. "No middle name?"
Shalius replies flatly, "Why would I need one?"
"It's just… normal," Akiro says, puzzled.
Propping her head on her hand, Shalius mutters, "Says you," her expression blank.
Akiro shrugs and draws her name: "Akiro Ohashi Kogitsune."
Shalius furrows her brows. 'Did her parents really give her all of the most basic name combinations? No wonder you chose survival of the fittest.'
Kailus runs his fingers along the mana transport. 'I sense air and teleportation magic within it, along with a faint voice. That's probably connected to that microphone. Holy, these desks are incredible! There's an entire coding in it, but it's too advanced for someone of my caliber to try and interact with.'
More students pour into the room unannounced. Kailus glances up to study their appearances—already engrossed in his findings.
Instead, he catches sight of familiar faces—old classmates—staring back at him. They murmur among themselves and decide to sit far away from Kailus.
A pang of shame hits Kailus, though he understands.
Akiro notices his awkward position. 'Hm, looks like Kailus is getting used to the chairs. They are a little rough when you first sit on them.'
Shalius notices too, but her eyes remained unchanged. As the room grows noisier, only one seat remains empty, the corner seat beside Kailus.
'Wha—no one took a corner seat of all places? Am I that unbearable?'
Akiro laughs heartily. "Man, a corner seat left open? Did you not wear deodorant today?"
"…"
"…"
Akiro sighs heavily. "You two are so dull. Lighten up a bit."
At that moment, the door opens. Chatter immediately dissipates as their eyes watch his every move.
Loud whisping echoes amongst the students: "A time elf?" "No way."
Though the man's face suggests forty, his flawless skin, piercing green eyes, and pointed ears say otherwise—a living paradox amongst all. He holds a cup, sipping at every opportunity. An addict you can most definitely see with your very eyes.