[center][hr] [h1] [color=0072bc]Kano Hargor[/color] [/h1] [hr][/center] [@sif] Kanos hood obscured his face with unnatural dark, the only facial features visible were the glow of his crystal blue eyes that shone like fire even at a distance. His mood had never improved since the loss of his wife Eliza. Often his mind would fall back to memories of her when left alone and undistracted, but here in the grand hall with the throng of students gathering for their first step into the world their powers had created, he was focused and determined. Unfettered by the shackles of his self imposed prison deep in the bowels of the academy. [color=0072bc]"No, Old friend. We have overseen this day since the founding. It would not do the students to see their teachers flee from responsibility when we've already made our entrance. Some might get the wrong idea." [/color] Kano clapped the headmaster, as he chose to be called, on the shoulder and moved further ahead. The grand hall was open to the students for now but it was unfurnished to allow the masses in, both students and a great deal of parents from the village, had come to view the halls again. Some to relive their youth and others to see their children on the right path with encouragement and love. Kano secretly envied these parents for that simple joy. His eyes scanned the crowd and three peculiar students caught his attention. His adopted son, Samuel Watson. Ever the odd man out but a heart that rose above his curse. A curse that had taken the heart of another young girl, by the name of Eliza. If not for the calm and quiet authority she had received since departing her former home, Kano believed the dark would have truly taken her. The last was a student so rare it was thought to not exist at all. Eria Alexi Grandous, a student born with the affinity to Aether instead of altering herself to it. Aether energy was capable of amplifying energies, manipulating the elements forcefully, and even creating what some of the less learned would call 'magic'. It was a powerful element in itself but was often chaotic. The fabric of the universe, the spirits, even the air the students breathed, could be described as Aether. Kano realized he had been quietly staring at her for nearly a minute, his gaze fixed unmistakably on her and her alone. With a light chuckle Kano continued down the stairs with the other Headmaster until they reached a podium made of natural wood, the work of an earth elemental who had coaxed the the earth to create the foundation for the entire building. Every conceivable inch had been crafted through the unison of a very old and powerful Earth elementalist. The stone walls had been raised from the ground, the stairs had been grown over the course of 10 years, the metal railings had been created in the same way as the stone was raised. To some it would seem bland work lacking flair, but to others this place was a masterpiece of craftsmanship. [color=0072bc]"Students of the Academy. Fall into order, please."[/color] His voice rang out over the hall and well into the courtyard where the students milled about while waiting for something to start. All promptly found their way into the hall, standing near the base of the stairs and the raised platform where Kano stood addressing them. [color=0072bc]"I would like to personally welcome you to your new home. This mountain we lay under has been home to thousands of generations, each and every one to come have been energetic, determined, and eager. When they left these halls years later, just as you all will in the future, they left with knowledge and understanding. Skill. All of you will leave this place with new ideas and a heart full of serenity. Fear nothing, my students, and strive for academic excellence. Your highschool lives are over. As of this exact moment.." [/color] Kano paused to let the words sink in before raising his left hand, all of the teachers took their cue and stepped out from the upper stairways and onto the balcony overlooking the students. [color=0072bc]"You are an Elementalist!"[/color] To the sound of clapping from the parents and the chorus of cheering from a majority of the students, each teacher displayed their affinity. A blinding curtain of [color=fff79a]light[/color] shimmered into existence around the light teachers. The [color=a36209]earth[/color] teachers leapt down from the balcony to be met half way down by a rising pillar of stone, small shaped works of stone and wood danced across the air in front of them. The [color=ed1c24]fire[/color] teachers roared out over the balcony, their breath turning to pyroclasmic storm. The flames lingered in the sky over them. The [b]wind[/b] teachers took to the sky with grace, leaping from the battlements as a strong gust of wind picked up around their forms to carry them in the sky before gently depositing them near the doors of the entrance way. Finally, Kano stepped forward and ushered in a series of streams flowing from the open windows. Like the flower he had created on the roof, the [color=0072bc]water[/color] rushed around him before freezing into a solid pillar of smooth ice. His entrance was not done with just that. The core of the statue had a tiny bead of pitch black in it. To the onlookers at a distance it was almost invisible, lost in the immense statue. But within moments it began to spread through the statue until the depths of it were black. The [color=1b1464]shadows[/color] around him elongated to twist around the statue like creeping vines. The last effect would only be recognizable to a single student. Latent energy was visible to her and every student had a few dots of it swirling about them. Kanos hands not only throbbed with that energy, it focused it into patterns along his skin like tattoos. The more energy he put into his pillar the brighter it began to shimmer. When he reached a crescendo the ice shattered and reformed to water before swirling over in an endless cycle around the shadows. Like the age old yin and yang they flowed around each other in a maelstrom. [color=0072bc]"Students! You know your element. Please go to the teachers displaying the same as yourselves. You will receive your first lesson from them." [/color] Kano grinned inwardly at his own flashy display. The others chose to keep things simple but at heart, he was a real show off.