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Chapter 2 - Dark Beginnings

I didn't know how to describe it. Compared to what we learned in secondary school, what I had just witnessed surpassed all of my expectations. It was unreal. Magical. The speed and power at which they fought was incredible, as if they were born to do just that. Both of their movements were fluid and precise, countering and delivering. Their auras clashing in ferocious waves of black and white. I lost track of time and the match ended all too soon in a draw, albeit the snow leopard looked slightly more out of breath than the panther.

Looking towards the clock tower, a pristine white tower with glass that stretched from the top down to the bottom floor, only 20 minutes had actually passed since the start of the class. The first year students were then called down to the stage, many now struggling to contain their excitement. Even I felt a small tingle of glee flowing through my body, my striped tail swaying from left to right.

"Ughh, I can't see anything from back here!" Elucia complained.

Unfortunately for the both of us, we ended up being at the back of the whole crowd. And considering my relatively short height of 5'6", I wasn't even able to see past the sea of tall beast-men unless I jumped. From experience, snapshot views were unhelpful.

"Get down."

"What?" I replied.

"Get down. You're going to carry me."

"What?" I repeated. "But wh-"

"Just hurry up!"

"Fine..." I grumbled, lowering myself and waiting for Elucia to climb onto my shoulders. Grabbing her ankles, I stood and quickly found my balance.

"As expected of a cat, you're always so stable on your feet." Elucia said from above with her paws on my head.

"Just hurry up and tell me what's going on already."

"Shhh," she hushed. "I'm looking."

I waited patiently for a few moments, before I got bored with the silence. "So?"

"I can't decide which of the elite members look hotter..."

My whiskers twitched in frustration as I grinded my teeth and creased by brow. This horny dog... why was I friends with her?

"Oh! The headmaster's about to say something!" She said, leaning forward slightly.

I had to shift a foot forward slightly to keep my balance, though shortly afterwards I heard the powerful voice of the avian teacher.

"Now, I'm sure you all have a lot of questions, but I'm afraid they will have to wait. What you just saw is what you will be doing. Of course, not all of you will be able to fight such a level immediately, but you should now have a general idea of what you're getting yourself into. In order to fight our enemy, we need to be ahead of them in every way..." He paused, as if wanting to say something else. "Now, due to the fact that all of this has been spontaneously sprung onto you, I understand if you feel overwhelmed. Those who no longer wish to enrol may come see me at any time during the week."

My legs started to shake a bit from the weight I was carrying. Elucia must have gotten fatter - I mean, fat. Though, I'd probably have an arrow in my head if I said either phrasing to her. But, thinking about what the headmaster just said, I don't see why anyone would want to pull out. I mean, aren't we all essentially getting stronger? Wasn't it every child's dream to have superhuman powers like the ones just displayed to us? Something seemed off, but I didn't want to think on it too much.

"You better not leave me alone in this school, you hear me?" Elucia said from above, gently pinching the tip of my ears.

"Yes, yes, I won't leave you behind."

"Good."

She's always been like this, ever since we were kids. Bossy and demanding, but caring and sweet once you got past her walls. But with a name like Elucia Evericia, I supposed it was kind of justified. She was also rather picky with how her name was pronounced as well. The "c" in Elucia was pronounced "sh" and in Evericia the "c" is "ch". If you were using her nickname, Luci, the "c" would then become an "s". Quite a handful to remember for just name, but I put up with it.

"Ah, they're bringing in the weapons!"

That got my attention. "What? How many are there?"

"A lot. And I mean a lot!"

Back in secondary school, we had to fill out forms to get our weapons. After filing them, we'd all wait for up to a week before finally receiving them. Though, the fact that this university is just bringing out all of their weapons for us to choose... they must have been rather confident in their ability to cater for 400 students on demand. The only conclusion I could draw was that they either had a very good supplier or they manufactured these weapons themselves. Carrier vehicles arrived next to us on the field, stopping directly next to each other on the far end. The drivers each came out to open the doors, then proceeded to drag out interlocking display boards filled with an assortment of blades, bows, hammers, everything. With the students having scattered a bit, I could see my surroundings a lot better.

"Luci, get off me already." I complained.

"Hm?" She took her eyes off of the weapons and looked back down to me. "Oh, right." She said, finally hopping off of my shoulders.

"With the remaining time that we have left of this period, you may browse through these aisles and pick out whatever you like. I will remind you that your decision cannot be changed, so pick wisely. Once you've made your choice, make your way to one of these tables," he gestured to four tables where each member of the elite were sat. "They will help you fill out your forms and make everything official."

With that, he ended his speech. Hm? Can we go pick our weapons now?

Looking as if he just remembered something, the headmaster spoke up again. "Ah, yes, you may now go and choose."

And just like that, everyone went their separate ways into the aisles. I guess I should as well, as there will be less weapons to choose from once all the other students have made their pick.

"Well, I'm off to find something as well then," Elucia stated, before running off. "Good luck on your search!"

"Err, yeah..." I replied, though she was already out of ear shot. And just like that, I was ditched. "Better get moving then."

Minutes passed and I found myself looking at an assortment of gauntlets and other, strange contraptions. How do you even use some of these...? Although, having browsed through quite a few weapons already, these seemed a lot more... how should I say... basic? At least, compared to the weapons the two elite had previously. These ones were just lacklustre. In the reflection of one of the shields, I caught a blue blur and looked to the left to find the headmaster walking through the aisle, presumably making sure everything was fine. Good timing for me though.

"Err, sir!" I piped, holding up my arm in an attempt to get his attention. It worked.

"Hm, yes? Are you having difficulty finding something to your liking?" He asked, walking up to me, arms held behind his back.

Well, yes, but that's not what I wanted to ask... "Erm, not to be rude or anything, but why do these weapons look so plain? The weapons used by the two in the exhibition match were a lot more different looking and you said we weren't allowed to change weapons."

"Ah, yes, I suppose I should have explained that part," he said, stroking the bottom of his beak. "You see, though you cannot change weapons, you may make upgrades to them with materials you obtained in a war. Think of it as collecting the spoils."

He chuckled a bit and then continued. "Though, that isn't the only way to obtain such materials. A war every ten years might sound like a long time, though it's more like a series of battles. At the end of every year, during the war period, we send out select students and when they return, they usually have an abundance of materials. We then hold tournaments and different competitions where students are able to win these materials for themselves."

"I see..."

"Don't worry about it too much, more will be explained once the time to upgrade your weapon comes."

So that's how it worked. That's rather smart, as it not only raises competition amongst students and lets them improve, but these tournaments sound like they boost your skills as well! It sounds like I would be getting much stronger than I had originally thought... though I still have a problem that I have to tackle.

"Hmm? You seem to still have something else on your mind?"

Crap, what do I do now? If I tell him that I'm struggling to find a weapon, there's a very high chance that he'll find out I have no ability wield weapons at all! What to do...

"...Err, well I'm-"

"Struggling to find a weapon?" He asked.

My eyes widened a little and my tail froze. Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap. My day can't get any worse! This is it! The moment of truth. I have nothing to lose so I'll make this gamble. Game on, lady fate!

"Yes." I replied.

"Hohoho, students often have this problem," he remarked. "Take your time, we're in no hurry. I said you could take the rest of this period to pick out something you like, but if you have to you may even go into your lunch break if you haven't made up your mind by then."

And with that, he politely bowed and said goodbye, leaving me with my thoughts. Not that there was much to think, my mind was blank. I now have until the end of lunch to find something, no doubt most students will have finished and left by then.

And left they did. By the time the start of lunch began, half the students had already left and more were waiting to fill out their forms. Looking into the lines of students, I spotted Elucia, waiting to get her form filled by... I turned my head and followed the line of students with my eyes until... of course. Elucia always had a thing for leopards so I guess I shouldn't be surprised to find her in the snow leopard's line.

Which reminded me, that Aroga guy was here. I still needed to get revenge for my melon bread. Looking towards the other tables, I saw a panther, a lion and an empty chair. Did the wolf take a break or something?

"Looking for someone?" A familiar voice sounded from behind me.

Swiftly turning around, I saw the pastry thief standing with his back to me, inspecting a sword he took from one of the boards. I would've given him a piece of my mind, difference in hierarchy be damned, but we were currently next to the first row of display boards directly next to the students lining up.

"Hmm," the wolf hummed. Hanging the sword back up from where he took it, he started walking left and lifted his hand up, using his index finger to motion for me to follow.

Not knowing what else to do, I followed. As we both went further down the lanes, the chatter of the students started to drown out until my footsteps grazing across the grass could be heard clearly. Aroga was casually walking a few steps ahead of me, one hand in his pocket. He hadn't spoken a word and I was beginning to wonder what the point of this little trip was. Aroga suddenly turned down into an aisle and disappeared out of sight until I caught up, seeing him inspecting another one of the boards. Walking up to see what was so interesting, it turned out it was a display board dedicated to knives and short swords.

"Judging by your looks, I'd say a weapon like this should work," he gruffly said, picking up single edged dagger. "It's light, easy to wield and allows you to strike fast." As he said this, Aroga made a few quick, yet complex slashes in the air to demonstrate. "And your smaller stature makes it easier for you to get close to the opponent," he remarked, looking at me.

Ah, if only things were so simple. I would be so much happier and carefree had those things actually been true. Knowing me, I'd probably cut my own arm off and somehow set fire to my whiskers if I tried to replicate those slashes he just showed.

"Err, thanks, but I don't think that weapon would really work with me," I replied.

He gave me a blank stare.

"W-well, I mean, I've had experience with that type of weapon before, but I never really... connected?"

"You don't know how to use one, do you?" He smirked.

I stayed silent and looked to the side, now fiddling with my tail that found its way into my hands. Think, think, think, what can I do in a situation like this? Wait, is there even enough time to debate the possible outcomes?

"Do you have any combat expertise at all?" Aroga continued. Placing the dagger back, he calmly returned his gaze back to me, expecting an answer.

I guessed I must have taken too long, because Aroga then brought out his iScroll from his pocket. I had never seen an iScroll in real life before, I heard they were super expensive. iScrolls are one of the newest technologies created by the company Cherry. Cherry specialises in the creation and distribution of many forms of technology ranging from phones to even fridges and beds.

Pulling the iScroll open and stretching out the willow glass, he pressed a button to instantly light up the glass with a variety of controls and other sorts of data. Wasting no time, Aroga brought up what seemed to be my profile, judging by the picture of me now on his screen.

"I see," he remarked. "I'm amazed you actually made it into this university with scores like these."

Should I say thanks or be proud of myself for managing to amaze someone of the elite? I'm not sure, but what I am sure of is that said elite now knows of my complete lack of combat expertise. Great, I didn't even make it past a single combat session.

As Aroga flicked through my file, he abruptly stopped as something seemed to catch his eye. Taking a moment to read whatever was shown to him, he closed the device and tucked it back into his pocket.

"Come to the headmaster's office at the end of lunch." He said, before walking past me.

"But, wait, what about my file and my weapon?" I asked, quickly becoming alarmed at my current situation. Headmaster's office? I haven't heard those words since the beginning of my secondary school years, and none of the visits were good in any way.

"You don't need to worry about that." He replied, continuing on his way in very much the same fashion as he did earlier in the day. "Make sure you come at the end of lunch. I'll be waiting."

~

"So that's what happened." Elucia sighed, shaking her head. "You have the worst luck."

Currently, I was walking towards the cafeteria in the main building with Elucia. Having told her most of what happened, I could only sigh in defeat with my ears flattened over my head. Of course, sooner or later something like this would have happened, but I was hoping for it to be the latter.

"Well, it's not all bad," Elucia remarked, in an attempt to make me feel better. "Halcyon Uni almost never kicks anyone out. The only ones that do leave are the ones that want to and the troublemakers."

"But what if they do?" I couldn't help but panic at my predicament.

"Oh, stop worrying and go get yourself some melon bread." Elucia said, enthusiastically slapping my back in the process.

At those words, my ears perked up as my eyes scanned the cafeteria. "They sell them here as well?" I frantically asked. "Where? Where?"

"By the coffee shop."

You know, I'm really grateful that this university has such wonderful facilities. The moment you walk into the main building, you're surrounded by the wonderful smell of food, different stores on both sides of the wall with tables and chairs in the middle. The high ceiling of the cafeteria allowed for a few potted trees to be placed inside with comfortable sofas surrounding them, creating ideal areas for loitering. Further towards the back of the first floor, you'd find a grand staircase, much like one you'd see in a mansion, leading up to the second floor and hallways on both sides leading to the toilets.

"Well, you'd better hurry up. The stores are closing and it's almost time for you to be at the headmaster's office." Elucia reminded.

I had completely lost track of time. I we did have to go into our lunch break, with the amount of students getting weapons and only four beast-men filling out forms for them. Well, maybe three, considering one was slacking off.

With haste, I made my purchase of melon bread for the second time that day and headed off to the headmaster's office. I honestly didn't know what to expect, but I was preparing for the worst. If everything goes accordingly, I should be on the other side of Utopia where I can comfortably live out the rest of my life without having to put up with the embarrassment of running into someone that attends Halcyon University.

As I walked up the stairs, down some corridors and made a few turns, being careful to avoid collision with other students, a certain face popped into my mind. If I were to run as far as possible though, would I really want that? I'll be leaving Elucia behind, not to mention that Aroga was nothing but nice to me since the locker incident... where he took my melon bread. No, he is not nice. Stuffing my packaged bread into my hoodie's pocket in a huff, I continued on my way. A grudge concerning food will last seven generations.

Paying attention to my surroundings again, I take note of how quiet and less crowded it was. I wasn't a fan of the silence as it allowed me to think too much and, right now, thinking about that damn wolf was the last thing I wanted to do. Though, upon reflection, that might've been a good thing as less people will see me heading towards the headmaster's office. This part of the school was usually lot more deserted as it was considered more of a staff members area, even though students were still allowed to be there. If you looked at it from the outside, you'd see that the entire "staff area" was actually its own single building that had been connected to the main building for easier access. The school's second, and smaller, library was located here too. Walking directly towards the large double doors that separated the two buildings, I pressed my paw against one and pushed as I walked though into the reception.

The receptionist wasn't present, it seemed, but someone else was. Someone very, very familiar.

"Took you long enough, I was getting bored of waiting."

I would've replied and made a smart remark, but Aroga quickly started walking towards the stairs at the end of the room. Taking that as a hint, I begrudgingly followed. Would it seriously take THAT much effort to be nice even for a moment? I know I'm nice to plenty of people I wouldn't have necessarily been to had I not been obliged to follow the conventions of normal society. I'm thoroughly bummed out now.

"Do you know what you're here for?"

I thought for a moment. I hadn't really been told so I only assumed the worst, but at least that was better than hoping for the best. I wouldn't be disappointed that way. I replied with a negative as we ascended the stairs, but almost bumped into Aroga's back as he stopped all of a sudden.

His ears shifted about, as if listening to see if any other people were in this silent staircase. I couldn't see his face from where I stood, but from his words I could piece together a bit of what emotion he was portraying.

"Whatever happens in that room, just go along with it. Don't ask questions."

A bit baffled by what he said, I couldn't really find an answer as we continued on our way. After making a turn down into another corridor, we finally arrived at the headmaster's office. Knocking twice, Aroga didn't wait for a reply before opening the door and walking in. I quickly followed and closed the door behind me as quietly as possible.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Mr. Wulf?" The headmaster asked, as he continued writing from where he sat on the desk.

"I found a candidate that I deem to be suitable for the newly developed weapon, Blade SS."

Gently placing his pen down, the headmaster finally looked up at us. "Hmm? Aren't you the boy I spoke to earlier?"

He stood up from where he sat and took a small key from his pocket. Walking over to a large painting, he moved the painting aside to access the safe behind it. I didn't realise people still hid things like that.

"It's interesting how things turn out." The headmaster spoke, reaching into the safe and pulling something, causing the entire wall to open up and revealing an entire hidden room full of weaponry. "Now then, Blade SS..."

While the headmaster's back was turned to us, I glanced at Aroga only to see him staring back.

"Remember what I said." He quietly said to me.

Before I could get a word in, the headmaster turned back towards us just after Aroga went back to casually loitering on the side.

"Let's see, come over here to the desk." He gestured with his head, holding a large, rectangular box in his claws. I did as told whilst he fumbled a bit with the small lock placed in the middle of the box. "Aroga, are you sure that this student meets the requirements?"

"Yes." Aroga confidently replied.

Not knowing what else to do, I just waited. I had to go along with everything, right? The room was dimly lit by a few lights placed on the wall and it was starting to get dark from what I can see outside the window. Daytime is short in this era, especially as we get closer to the winter months. I resisted the temptation to graze my trainers across the dark red carpet and, instead, opted to look at what Aroga was doing.

To me, it seemed he was just as bored, walking around and looking at the displays, picking up random trophies or artifacts for inspection.

"What was your name again?" The old bird asked.

Quickly snapping out of my people watching mode, I replied. "Ryker. Just Ryker." Wow, I'm amazed I managed to sound so calm.

"Well then, Ryker." The headmaster said, almost giddily. "I present to you the Blade SS, formed with our latest technology and given a weapon ranking of SS, the highest possible ranking given to any weapon."

"Is that why it's called Blade SS?" I curiously asked.

"Oh, no, it's an acronym for Shooting Sabers. It just so happens that it's shortened to SS." The headmaster explained.

I looked at the weapon presented to me. It looked, honestly, rather interesting. It was a regular looking sword, but it was accompanied by what seemed to be a two bracelets. Both the weapon and bracelets seemed to have been made with the same dark metal.

"Now, since you're here and this is a special weapon, I suggest we move straight along to the blood infusion."

My ears twitched at the word "blood" and I instantly grew worried. "B-blood infusion?"

"Don't worry, all students go through it and it is to allow for the user to bond deeper with their chosen weapons. It's a technique that we've used and developed over the years and it's perfectly safe." He explained. "Since this is a special case, Aroga here will perform the infusion. All other first year students will have to wait until next week as all their paperwork is filed."

"So... what do I do?" I asked.

"Drink this." Aroga said, handing me a small vile containing a colourless liquid. Shaking off my paranoia, I twisted the small cap off and poured it down my throat. It didn't really taste of anything and I was almost disappointed.

"What do I do now?"

Aroga looked at me for a moment before he suddenly came up and pulled me close to his chest. I was met with a face full of chest and was hit with his scent instantaneously due to how he left his shirt unbuttoned at the top.

I was surprised, you could say. My arms dangled a bit by my sides, not really knowing what to do and I awkwardly stood there a bit in the embrace.

"E-er, Aroga, w-" I stuttered and fumbled with my words, not knowing what to say, while stopping myself from moving my head around too much in order to prevent further friction between my face and his chest. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, I guess. "Why- I mean, wha-!"

And then I felt it. The burning sensation that suddenly began tearing through my body, gradually becoming more and more intense. I could feel the pain flowing through all of my veins and with each beat of my heart, it only became harder and harder to keep silent. My breathing became jagged and my voice struggled to choose between screaming and keeping silent in order to gulp in larger mouthfuls of air.

I writhed and twisted and I could faintly feel Aroga's embrace tighten as my legs began to collapse. It hurt. It hurt so much. My eyes clenched shut and my tail was wildly moving about, trying to shake the pain away. I couldn't hear anything except my heartbeat, ringing loudly in my ears. I couldn't feel anything aside from the scorching pain piercing through my being. I couldn't think about anything but the pain, no matter how hard I tried to distract myself from it. I couldn't see anything. My throat felt sore. My mouth was dry. And my sense of balance was all but gone. And, soon, my consciousness went away with it.