Today had been a bit of a stressful day for Icarus; not only was it his first day in this strange world, but he'd spent the whole day basically lost. Sure, the school was navigable enough, and finding the Griffin dorms had been easy enough, but the town itself was a new surprise around every corner, and so much of it made no sense.
For example, there was some kind of store on one road with signage depicting a mermaid, but he still wasn't sure what deer from the stars had to do with that; and while an enticing aroma had emitted from the doors as he passed by, he hadn't gone in. It was busy. And he had no idea what they sold there anyway. He'd also passed by some weird place called a "Game Center", but as far as he could tell it was simply full of flashing lights and screens, and peeking his head in through the door his curiosity had been sorely disappointed at the lack of game to be found in the center. In fact they didn't seem to have any game, as far as sight and smell could tell him. Perhaps it was simply a poor season here on Seidoujima.

At some point in his trek through the market district, he had acquired a very odd traveling companion, a vase full of flowers. He'd ended up in the florist's after one of those metal chariots had screamed; not at him, he hadn't even seen the reason, but he'd been spooked and he'd darted into the shop in that instant.
He'd gotten back his cool, eventually, desperately hiding in amongst the wallflowers. The flowers were nice in there, and somehow he'd been convinced to buy the bouquet of amaryllis and white roses.
If nothing else they would bring a little life to the dormitory. Something personal.
And if they wilted well they could maybe be repurposed as nest material. Which would also be a nice personal touch.
Either way, they were going with him wherever he went until he made it back to the dorms.

Down another road he decided to walk, this time more cautious and aware that just because something wasn't alive didn't mean it couldn't speak

---

Today was just the sort of day for new inventions, really. For example, inventing whole new levels of being lost.
The lush, open field had just been too tempting to resist, to be honest. It got him away from the streets at least, for a little while. And he couldn't exactly just fly off now that he had precious cargo that could not simply be so easily abandoned. On the other hand it meant he now no longer had the option of getting his bearings from a bird's eye view if necessary, though he had been avoiding that since arriving on this less-than-magical world.
What was the point of going to human school in a very human world if not to experience it the way the humans themselves did, for the most part?

Looking down from his thoughts of the sky, he took note of some kind of event going on between a couple of girls who seemed to be somewhere around his age. One of them had a spear and a shield in hand, though they looked a little odd. He kept his distance from the situation, but found his eyes drawn to see what would happen next. Hopefully no one got hurt...

Even though she didn't get to rest on her full stomach, she ended up getting to fight as well. Besides, she can just burn it off during the fight so it works out in the end. "Heh, fine with me. Who knows how longs it's been since I've had a real fight." she beamed. Considering how things went in Igneus and how boring things been in her first month or so in the Academy, she's hardly had a decent opponent to fight with or had any fun. Her opinion of Asta was definitely changing. Considering she had no weapon on hand, like Asta, she casted her own "Solid Armament" spell and recreated her personal weapon with magic. With that, they begin their fight, with Asta making the first move.

Asta takes a stance shield front with spear over shoulder and shield, before she throws it, causing a magical spear of ice to hurl forth while she still holds her weapon. While noting the shield, Ultana steps into spear path attempting to block it with her sword and following with a sweeping kick at Asta's legs. Asta lowers her stance onto one knee and absorbs the strike with shield to her side while simultaneously using the rotation to thrust her spear in counter.

Ultana tries to scramble away to avoid a direct blow and swings her sword launching several earthen spikes at Astas upper body. Asta with her shield freed from holding Ultana's sword, pulls it front to guard from the earth spikes, before advancing through the attack with her spear going for a wide swing, a layer of ice tips the edge, increasing it's range. "That's more like it! Come on!", Asta was a different person in battle. "Guess I'm not the only who is excited, 'The brave shall know glory, onwards with fortitude'"

Casting 'Ward Of Shields' Ultana casts an area of protection with her magic, Ultana chooses to target Asta's spear arm with her Earthen Spikes and charges in on the opposite side to strike. Ultana's attack wards off Asta's advance, causing her footwork to step back and pull the shield up to defend against her follow-up. Seeing as Ultana charged at her shield side, it wasn't difficult at all to guard against it. It appears the moves will be a repeat of parry and shield until someone does something different. With direct attacks not working, Ultana decided to bet on luck and momentum and once again swinging her weapon and calling forth her Earthen Shards.

However, aiming upwards hoping for them to get high as possible before gaining momentum in fall and crash down like a meteor. Whether it succeeds or not, Ultana plans to use her leg strength to charge in for a suicide tackle. Asta spotting the ploy looks up, before back down, taking a kneeling stance and summoning a dome around her to guard her from the wide area attack while casting Archers of Ice. "Ten archers of the tundra, fire!" A volley of 10 arrows flies out from behind her just around the same time as the earth shards land on her shield, splinting it.

With her ploy snuffed out, she swings her weapon into the ground in a desperate attempt to ward off the incoming arrows as she rolls away on the ground from the momentum of her failed charge. With her attempts to get close to Asta going nowhere, she uses the dirt and debris from her swing as a smokescreen to give her some chanting time. “With the spirits of flame and earth, I shall sing a melody that’ll scorch the earth.” Changing her form, she sacrificed her enhanced physical prowess for spell power,she decided to go bring out the big guns.

“From the depths of the earth, you shall become a prisoner of the earth adorned with shackles of stone.” Hoping to bind her arms and legs for one last charge, she casts her 'Chains Of The Earth' spell, one of her best spells. The battle reaches a deadlock as her charge strikes Asta's shield, creating a deadlock, yet it is quite clear both are getting a little too into their activity, even casting large spells. A passing by teacher, the substitute history teacher Maeleene, spots them. "The fatal hunger of the deep shall claim it's meal, be prey to these fangs". Watery serpents rise up from around the two as they're grabbed and held apart.

In Hindsight, they probably went a biiiiiiiit to far in their 'little' sparring match, with the whole destruction of public property, casting attack magic in the open.....fighting another student and what not. Of course, the teacher wasn't exactly pleased with their actions. Ultana's 'It was only a friendly spar' line of reasoning also didn't fly with the teach. In the end, the teacher had them in, what Ultana would learn the hard way, the 'Seiza' position or 'Proper Sitting' while giving them a proper scolding. While the aftermath wasn't much fun, Ultana had fun. She definitely saw Asta in a new light and knew she was going to have a fun time in the Academy.

The two young men, after their little platonic double date of the Earth residents showing the Arcanis residents around the school, ended up breaking off from the ladies. Rodrick had displayed some interest in the outdoors fields for sports, while Helena did not, so Edward opted to guide him there. He enjoyed soccer, it was probably the sport he played the most, but he was a pretty casual sportsman. His interests lied in magic now, and before… well he got out enough, but he was no athlete. He wouldn't get in the way of a new friend joining the soccer club, however. He'd encourage it even. It'd be a good opportunity for him to really 'get' what Earth was all about. He had many questions after all, like education. Ed answered that one lickety-split.

"Basically, yeah. All first world countries, the ones with easy access to plumbing, electricity, roads, stuff like that, all teach the same four basic things. Language, maths, science, and history. The language and history you learn is your own country mostly, but the maths and science is based on knowledge from all around the world we've compiled. I never thought about it from outside before, but that is pretty cool if I say so myself." Ed explained, a smile on his face from his realization. This smile would soon become crooked, and awkward however. Once Edward had finished, Rodrick turned to him and told Edward to 'show his skills' while 'not holding back.' Maybe this was a common thing in Arcanis? It was a world ripped straight from games and comics, and he had heard those words plenty of times from rival characters and the like. Assuming that was true, Ed didn't want to seem like a jerk… but he didn't have any real skills to show, and he certainly wasn't in the mood to fight.

"W-well, I can do this?" Edward said, holding up his thumb and 'striking' his index finger like a match or a lighter. The air above his thumb sparked into a small flame for a moment before snuffing out, no fuel to support the burning. Rodrick was not impressed with this. With a sneer, he waved his icicle cane and light mesh of ice came flying out of it, straight towards Edward. Thinking quickly, he drew his right arm upwards diagonally, the standard motion to summon forth a Light Buckler. He shut his eyes tight with a shout, expecting the ice to hit him dead on, but after a few moments he opened his eyes and saw Rodrick had missed, intentionally presumably.

"Uhm, R-Rodrick?" Edward went to say. But he wasn't quick enough on the draw. The ice magus was already rushing towards Edward, performing a motion Edward guessed was to cast another spell. He dropped to the ground prone in a bid to avoid the now-forming icicle barrage being flung at him, and shot a Flashball from his palm with an emphatic 'Ha!!' The spell was pathetically weak, not doing much at all Rodrick despite hitting him dead on, but that harsh light suddenly produced proved enough to temporarily daze him. Blinded, the royal child incanted "O' loyal men of the Snow Queen, come to my aid!" and an ice sculpture of a warrior sprung from the ground in front of him. Edward was wise to stay prone as the thing flung more ice directly forwards, just above Edward's head.

Edward rolled a few feet away on got back to standing as efficiently as he could, eyes kept on Rodrick the whole time. What in the hell was this guy doing suddenly attacking Ed? Had he been offended somehow, or was this just how violent most members of Arcanis were? He had gathered Ramyu had been some kind of gladiator from a young age, but was the place really so barbaric royalty lashed out at the commoners with magic?

"Rod, stop! What are you doing?" Edward asked. Rodrick rubbed the stars out of his eyes as his snowy guard dissipated into water and responded. "If you will not share your knowledge willingly, I will make you! The full moon your spotlight, let your dance slay the enemies of the queen!"

Another ice sculpture, this one of a much taller, beautiful woman, adorned with dancer's garb and two thin scimitar, shot up from the ground. Edward, terrified, immediately began running away from the thing. It beset him with astounding speed, it's myriad slashes and kicks barely dodged, almost all by pure luck. As he was being attacked, Edward begged with his assailant. "Rodrick I'm sorry!! I don't know any magic besides what I just cast, I promise!! Please, I'm just some dumb kid, all I did to get in here was be lucky okay!!!"

With a snarl, Rodrick whipped his hands forwards and de-summoned his forces. Gasping for breath and sweating bullets, Ed turned back to the silver-haired young man. There was a terrible look on his face, like he hated Edward for even existing. All he said to Ed before turning around and leaving was this:

"Hmph. I will uncover your tricks, Edward. There is no man lucky enough to change fate like that."

Edward, entirely alone in the middle of the soccer field, covered in sweat and shaking, dropped to the ground and stared up at the starry sky.

"What a great way to start vacation..."

"T-This is...!!"

Nom.

"W-What is this masterpiece...?!" Shaken by delight from the new sensation of soft yet chewy texture and the mixture of sweet and sour flavors, the fox spirit could not contain the pure bliss as the fluff behind her swayed back and forth in excitement. Every bite made her taste buds crave for more and more until there was nothing left.

"It's just a crepe miss, have you never had one before?" Bewildered by the dramatic response, the lady in charge of the crepe stand simply stated.

"C-re-pe, hm? Back in the mountain I used to live, there was no such thing. I request another of this c-re-pe with extra of the white fluff!"

---

With another serving of crepe (and extra whip cream as requested!) in her hands, Koyuki the fox spirit aimlessly wandered a little ways from the market district to indulge in her new, delightful discovery. Ears of silver white fur twitched in excitement to try this other flavor, 'strawberry cheesecake', when they picked up some kind of loud commotion from their sensitivity compared to a human. Curiosity getting better of her as always, she walked towards the direction of a river not too far off.

Upon reaching an open area by the river, the girl's fangs bit away a bite from the dessert. The source of the noise seemed to be from a pair of girls sending forth magic at each other, was it a fight? It wasn't any of Koyuki's business but the girl with the crimson hair seemed familiar... Maybe a classmate? While it wasn't a relaxing place she had hoped to snack on her c-re-pe, watching a fight using magic for her first time piqued her interest to say the least.

Just when the fight seemed to have reached the climax, two watery serpents took the two fighters apart. Swallowing the last of the dessert, the fox spirit faced towards the source of the voice to see that it was one of the teachers. "Uh oh, I better take my leave as well.", she whispered as she slowly sneaked away from the scene. While she might've been studying in the academy for about a little over a month now, she was notorious among the teachers to get into trouble, usually for trespassing reasons.

Golden week had started off mostly quietly, after the rather odd first day. Apparently having a fight in a random field was not part of the school's curriculum, to Icarus's great relief. That had been a little bit concerning towards the end there.
A bit of seclusion was what he needed after exploring the town he'd be living in for the foreseeable future. Humans were interesting but they were also exhausting. Everything was so fast with them, they really didn't seem to understand how to just stop and smell the roses. They could smell the roses on the go thank you very much.
He cackled at the thought, looking down from his stony perch to the town far down below.
To be fair, humans also only really had the one chance to make life right. But that didn't mean he was used to this kind of always-on pace.

So here he was, perched on a little rock outcropping, sticking out of the rocks; surrounded by mostly-climbable mountain, watching a distant skyline as the little specks below wove back and forth with every care in the world. They'd been doing so all day, and he would know, he'd set out to find a nice spot at sunrise and they hadn't stopped skittering around even once.
I really should pick up a hobby...would give me something interesting to do when I'm out here. A project would be nice...
Just another hour, then I'll slip back into town...the long way, flying out here was nice this morning.

Ultana originally thought golden week would be quite boring but it started out better than she expected it to. Meeting Asta was quite something, to think she'd find someone else around her age that was a spell knight, let alone another girl. Though, Ultana's first impression of her didn't start out to good but that quickly began to change. Eventually it lead to her finding out more about her, well, that she too was a fighter and inherited a style of her own. The battle that followed definitely wasn't something she thought she'd be able to have at the Academy.

After fighting Asta, and finding someone other than her family, that can put up a fight like that against her, she found even greater motivation to get stronger. While she came to Silver Gate for something else entirely, she did want to get stronger. After all, if Ultana did find out the truth about the guys that attacked and killed her father and grandfather, she needed to be strong enough to take them out. So with that all in mind, she decided to head out to the mountains behind the school to get in some training in while she had the chance with school being out.

When she arrived, with mountain climbing gear in hand, she took a deep breath and enjoyed the view. She figured doing some climbing would help strengthen her body and balance. Especially with the thick mountain air, it was the perfect place to do her thing. After doing some climbing for a few hours, she took a short break before moving onto her main focus of the day. After that battle, she wanted to get some work done with the 'Solid Armament' spell. Her new goal for golden week was to be able to use it without the use of a spell book and make the formed weapon stronger.

Ultana had a feeling that more situations would arise in the future where she wouldn't have her sword on her and the reading from a spell book would hinder her battle performance. With that in mind, she casted her spell spell and began swinging.

@Ginnungagap

---

The young phoenix would eventually in this rather breezy and warm location doze off away. Be it for only a few minutes or barely a few hours, he would awake and notice someone else was here too now. A young boy in the shade, reading a book. His skin seemed white like ice, and hair a faded blonde almost like snow. Though it was a warm day, his presence felt cold, like there was a pervading shroud of frost around him, yet to the naked eye there was nothing. There was a curious silence, it did not seem like he was any kind of threat, yet there was something off-putting about him. As Icarus may round to get a better look, he would notice the sharp slits he had for eyes, signifying he was something not human.

"Hm? Does the firebird want to know what I am reading?", he noticed.

"The Count of Monte Cristo... A story of revenge, suffering, and hardship, and yet a the end of the road there can be happiness, no matter how unexpected, it is still happiness... For the story of man, such a story can be of relief to those who suffer, but what of those long-lived I wonder...? Ah, but perhaps that is not a topic you wish to mull over".

Icarus, if asked later, would never say that he fell screeching from his perch. Certainly not at the stranger's seemingly-sudden arrival. That would have been horrendously embarrassing if it had happened. Far to much for him to handle if the possibility even crossed his mind.

Recovering from his totally purposeful descent to foot level, and a quick flap of wings later to restore him to his rocky perch, he appraised the strange person before him. He didn't seem hostile for the moment, but he also clearly wasn't human either. At least to his own understanding, that should have meant the boy there was another student, or otherwise related to the Academy. Not many people from Arcanis Mundus would come over just to hang out in the mountains.
Then again he himself had just decided to hang out in the mountains, but that was different.

"I've not lived enough lives to see that come to pass, but I am assured that no matter what we suffer, my kind do always find happiness again, no matter how long the path it takes to return." Icarus chirruped, fluffing his wings up a bit, eyes tracing the stranger, "But who are you to wonder, offering such strange tales of foreign Counts?"

@Ginnungagap

---

"Such confidence and optimism, though the old see it as foolhardy, it is always a welcoming sight. As for me...", the boy snapped the book shut as he stood up, looking over the view. The wind blew cold for a brief moment, in that seemingly tiny space of time it felt as if the air and sky chilled into a shady gray, before reality would return to the sunny and warm day they were having.

"Hmmm... Let's just say my graduation had been long overdue. This is a nice town, and a nice school besides, but there are greater things I wish to pursue", though what he said was a fairly normal sentiment, a certain tone within his voice seethed with frustration, like what he looked upon was but a gilded prison. It can't help but be somewhat ominous.

"I am sure you will be just fine though. I suppose I can rest assured another appreciates this view besides me", he said. Say what the young bird might, as soon as he looked away, and then back to the boy, he would be gone, in his place an arctic breeze for but a moment. A mysterious encounter to say the least.


@I-Am-X

---

Perhaps the best place with a good deal of space, and just a refreshing sight was the large river that went down the mountain, seemingly from a mysterious source at the top, which upon it was perched a giant tree. The mystery of this sight aside, this riverside area was quite spacious, lending a great deal of space to train with.

Though she had troubles in class sometimes, being a rather abrasive individual, there was no way her teachers could say she wasn't hardworking. Soon though she would not be alone here, as emerging from the bushes was a familiar face.

"Oh, I thought I heard your voice, up here training?", it was Asta, she had some more outgoing clothes but from the looks of it, training wasn't on her mind like it was for Ultana.

"I came up here to look at edible herbs, I heard the townspeople talk of them. Who knows if one day I'll have nothing but the wilds of this land to contend with", a rather unique worry, but from the bag she was carrying she wasn't kidding. Those were all plants of sorts, and some mushrooms too. Alongside it was a book she was holding too, which seemed to have notes and pictures of edible plants.

While she was training, Ultana found a large river that went down the mountain side. It was definitely a sight she hadn't seen before, being from Igneus Caute and all. While curious as to the source of it all, that was something for another time, Ultana was thankful it was there as it was the perfect spot to take a break and train. Definitely should come back here someday.

As she was getting back to training, she heard a familar voice calling out to her. Turning around, she saw Asta in outgoing clothes, carrying a good size bag and holding a book. It would turn out that, unlike Ultana who came to the mountains to train, Asta came to collect edible plants and the book she held listed such plants. Considering how Asta is, of course that's why she was here. She couldn't help but laugh a little bit.

"Yeah, I figured I'd spent golden week training whenever I can. But anyways, edible herbs, eh? Definitely doesn't hurt to be prepared for anything." Being edible is one thing, taste is definitely another.

After talking for a bit, they went their seperate ways and Ultana resumed her training. After a few more hours of training, she'd find herself back in the dorms and fast asleep.

---

Silver Gate Academy was a prestigious school, or at least it's what it appeared to many, it was still in many ways an experiment, to bring together two worlds so far apart yet so close together. Earth and Arcanis had always known of the existence of the other for generations by now, but no effort was made to harmonize it, only keep them separate as to preserve the status quo, and at the head of this whole experiment was Mars Excellinus, the principle of Silver Gate Academy.

"Such a beautiful evening", he began. The moon was bright, high in the sky and far larger than one might normally see. It's white brilliant light filling the entire interior of the clocktower as it shone through the clock face itself. Seated at the desk below the giant clock was a man in a white hood, his immaculate white garb stood out among the drab and desaturated browns of the office. For a principle his sense of decor was rather... Limited.

"It is indeed sir", standing beside him was a lady, dressed in a full office attire with sharp and simple glasses. Her hair was tied up and neatly made into a bun.

"It's nights like these that one should always take some time, to simply relax. It has been perhaps a century since I'd seen a moon as grand as this, don't you think so too Reylene?", the hooded man turned slightly towards the woman he had addressed.

"I do agree, did you call me up here just to observe this phenomenon?"

"No, I do have things I need to send out. For now, perhaps we should take a moment... And enjoy the coming nights", he stated. As the conversation died down, the lady Reylene muttered under her breath looking away in a bit of puzzlement...

"But it's meant to be a New Moon now..."

---

"For today's class we'll be looking into exorcism spells", began the teacher. Everyone seated was rather... Petrified? A sense of pervading fear was set over the class. There were also some new faces, that being the new students who came from Arcanis. Rodrick and Helena were seated somewhere in the middle-back while that kid Rexus was as far back as he could go, and Asta was diligently in the front.

The atmosphere within the classroom was for one simple reason. The teacher today was Kuuto Kirizanto, who was a foremost expert of exorcism, and wielded one of the styles of exorcism swordsmanship. It was like any other swordsmanship, except the kind of focus required was compatible with deharmonizing demonic elements, making their techniques especially deadly against demons and yokai.

"We'll start with what defines an exorcism spell. Simply put, it's a spell designed to deharmonize the energies that hold a supernatural being together, such as a ghost or a demon. Such beings do not have a proper physical body, and so they cannot be wounded by normal means, their energies will simply replenish them again", everyone scrambled to take notes as he suddenly began the lecture.

"Exorcism is however simply specialized towards this effect, but it might also be a good idea to remember that exorcism is an act, not an arbitrary category. For example if you were to cast a healing spell upon Undead, they would be unravelled instead. I always suggest to watch for opportunities for alternative methods, when the normal might not be available to you", he looked around the class as he spoke, before pulling out what appeared to be talismans.

"Exorcism is perhaps a more advanced art here on Earth, as demons that appear here are more corporeal or hidden than they might be in Arcanis, and so we have numerous methods to rid them directly out of physical objects or even people without hurting or damaging anything. In particular I hold in my hand Shinto talismans, they can be placed to ward off areas, or even to seal weaker or dark spirits. Furthermore... They can work on people too, but that will be another topic", as he finished talking someone raised their hand.

"Sir what about... Vampires and all that kind of stuff? Not just yokai?"

"Those... While different in origin, they are also in some way yokai. However... In the topic of vampires, true vampires are far more than simply monsters. You may encounter a normal vampire, with the standard weaknesses such as sunlight and holy water, but true vampires cannot be harmed by something so simple. Not even exorcism may be effective against them. In lieu of that, perhaps they are not yokai, but something else... Hmmm, I suppose that's also a topic for another kind of class. For now, I'll be giving you all the knowledge to prepare your own basic talismans".

Golden Week had treated Lorelai well, beginning in a duel that re-affirmed her need for greater training and spurred her on with a passion burning hungrily in her chest. Oh to be just that little bit faster and turn a stunning draw into a clear victory, her heart would surely sing! Such was her elation and vigor that even the torpor of lectures couldn't bring her down and, dare Lorelai admit it to herself, she found the discourse on exorcism was actually sticking with her. To her it came across as a more martial skill then a magical, requiring precision movement of the wrist combined with forethought to prepare ahead of time. No different then what she already did invested hours to develop muscles and acclimate her body to firing on all cylinders.

Even better was the notion that all she would need is to slap a few talismans to her favored weapon and even ghosts couldn't harass her with impunity. Not that she'd seen one which could be struck even with the talents of eastern practitioners, but it never hurt to be prepared. Maybe it would prove useful in unraveling and piercing magic barriers she'd normally flounder against?

Filled by such joyous thoughts of opportunity to grow, she put extra care into making her notes neat and tidy as she dedicated the verbal and written nuances imparted by Mr. Kuuto. Lorelai could really appreciate a man so straight forward and intense in his teaching, even if it seemed to intimidate a majority of the class. It was like these people weren't used to tough love...

---

The class unfortunately had to end and Lorelai deposited a notebook far fuller with ink then it had been in any class prior, her bag held to her chest as she bounded towards her friends. At least, she considered them as such, though it was easy to see that Rodrick was harboring some open animosity towards Edward. The dual must not have gone well but she hadn't the opening to ask. Instead she settled her focus on Helena and Edward, using the noble woman as the interlocutor between them and her Arcadian peer.

"Hey, I was thinking we could get together and practice these talismans. More perspectives would keep us from forming any bad habits in our calligraphy, right? We can review each other and nail this the first time!"

Icarus had made a grave error.
A fatal mistake.
A deadly miscalculation.
He had decided that the best place in the class to sit was up front. He was a studious lad, after all, and even if not gregarious, he could get along with an instructor quite well. Kirizanto Kuuto was not an instructor one got along with. There was no mirth in how he taught the class. Function over form had been taken to extremes in this course, but Icarus could have worked with that too.
It's just that he was only one wrong move away from one of those talismans. And those he could not deal with. Sure, they were probably low level talismans, hopefully, ones that wouldn't hurt him, but they were still tools of exorcism. And he was quite vulnerable to that. They could hurt.
He spent most of the class with his eyes driven very solidly into his desk, unable to even look at the instructor. If he had a proper one, he was sure he would have also spent it with his heart hammering in his ears. Thankfully he only had to just listen to the lecture instead. Though he wasn't sure if blocking it out with a rhythmic thump would have been much more pleasant than listening to just how much more advanced the people of Earth had become at the art. The Arrows were already bad enough, but the Earthlings were better?
He resolved to never get on the bad side of an exorcist from this side of the portal. That would be disastrous. And painful.

---

The end of class was of great relief to the phoenix, who took a moment to observe his classmates now that their teacher was no longer being so forward. Looking around, eyes darting from face to face, he did see a few familiar people in the room, though some might be less familiar with him than the other way around. Golden Week had, if nothing else, given him quite the opportunity to at least observe.
He needed a friend today, and it didn't take long to spot one of the other students who had been given the dreaded worksheet instead of the normal homework. If nothing else, they could help each other get through this hellish class, if they just worked together, right?
Anything was better than weathering the storm of Kirizanto Kuuto alone. Even being outgoing and making a friend was a better option. And that is, ultimately, what drove Icarus to take those faint, nervous steps forward, and to start up the conversation himself.
"Hey, I'm Icarus...would you mind going through the worksheet together? I think I might have missed half of what was said in class...and people like us need to stick together in this class, eh?"

As she sat in the back of the class looking bored, Ultana made occasional glances around the class. Of course Asta would be in the front of the class, ever the diligent one. Though, the most of the others in the class seemed to have fearful expressions on their faces and found it hysterical. While she could understand why, it still seemed laughable. Not many people seem to like the teach, huh? He came off as cold and uncaring and, naturally, that will rub people the wrong way but it's nothing to dread over.

If anything, he's strict and takes his job seriously, of course people who slack off and don't put any effort in is going to get the short end of the straw. While she doesn't hate or fear him like the others might, she doesn't exactly care for him herself. Ultana's lack of interest in the class tended to draw herself some negative attention, but it's not like she doesn't put any effort in. Not exactly a diligent bookworm whose studies take top priority, she does work hard to improve herself. Though, like most people her age, Ultana tends to focus more in her select points of interest and Exorcism definitely isn't one of them.

---

As the class ended, Ultana glanced at the manuscript and sighed to herself. While it's a given there'll always be classes that one wouldn't care for, it's still a pain having to take it. She's definitely not going to enjoy taking this class this year. The only thing that really interested her was the mention of Yokai. A supernatural race of beings that are the basis of many myths, of whom is exclusive to this world. Coming from Arcanis, naturally, she's curious about them. Learning more about them definitely sounds more fun then this class, that's for sure!

Glancing around the class and back at the manuscript, she sighs again.

"How interesting! Do tell us more about this da-te you went on with the blondie upperclassman." A group of girls casually sat around the focus of the current gossip, one nudging the blushing raven haired student. The Golden Week holidays came and went in a blink of an eye, the classroom bustled with teens talking about how well spent theirs went or just taking the time off to laze around. The lively atmosphere was interrupted by the opening of the door, followed by the appearance of a specific teacher. Students who sat on the desks immediately scrambled for their seats in fear, stumbling here and there. There was absolute silence by the moment he arrived at the teacher's table.

If one saw how pale Koyuki's current expression was, one might even joke it's as if she's seen a ghost (the joke is her being one of course!) but there was no room to ever make one in Kirizanto's class. She, the notorious, trespassing troublemaker, of all people should know how terrifying he is when he catches a student causing mischief. Most of the lecture slipped through her other ear as she froze in place, considering it was a lesson that threatened her kind. Once the instructor pulled out a talisman, the fox spirit jolted in her seat and put her hands up defensively out of habit from the times she'd been subdued by him. Thankfully, he was just simply showing how one looked, not demonstrating how it was used.

---

The bell that marked the end of class rang throughout the school and Koyuki was never happier to hear it in her life at this school. The silver haired relaxed her stiff posture once the exorcist teacher was out of her sensing range, tails behind her finally resumed their usual swinging motion. She sighed in relief as blue eyes gazed over the 'special' worksheet handed to the select few in the class. A soft spoken male approached Koyuki with a similar worksheet as hers.

The girl was intrigued by the fact that he introduced himself as a similar kind and replied, "Oh? And what might you be, if not human? Hehe, pardon my curious question before my own introduction, I tend to be distracted when my interest is piqued, you see. I'm Koyuki and if it's not already obvious by my ears and tails, I classify as a fox spirit." After flashing a proud grin with a peeking fang, she continued, "I agree, it would be in both our interests to do this wo-rk-shee-t together. But uh, I must admit, I too have not been properly paying attention to the exorci-- I mean teacher. But worry not, I've been lectured enough to understand how talismans work."

"I would prefer not to say, really." Icarus said in response to Koyuki's question of what he was, a hand moving lazily to rest on the back of his head, "I came here to try and see what living among humans is really like, and some people might make some assumptions about me knowing what I am specifically, and I don't want to get in the way. Is it enough to know I'm from the other side of the gate? And well the obvious, I'm considered a demon."

He took a moment though, considering what else she'd said, and he pulled the worksheet up in front of his eyes, glancing over what all was on it. She was at least nice enough to not be too pushy about things. And while he wasn't quite comfortable enough to talk about the whole being immortal thing, other stuff was certainly on the table. Like the work for this class. "So what were your tutors like, if you've already had something like the lessons here? I'm somewhat more accustomed to the techniques from Arcanis, the ones here feel similar but it's not exactly encouraged to learn the details through something as dangerous as self-study. Also hard to study something you can't even practice."

Golden week passed by for Edward far too fast. After his horrifying encounter with Rodrick he mostly found himself staying inside with Ramyu and working on his spellcraft. He bumped up that sort of thing in importance, knowing there was someone out there insane enough to try and kill him in broad daylight. The first incantation he would learn, then, would be something useful for self-defense. He pushed himself hard, and ended up nailing down the basics of Arcture Academics' Elemental Blast, though all he had so far was the Light element version. Ramyu did so too, but admittedly she only did so to pass her and Ed's class, and would promptly be forgetting it after. Edward had treated her to a nice lunch at a cafe after all of their studying was done, but it certainly took some convincing-- he even forced Ramyu to bring one of her more concealable blades.

Luckily, the week did indeed pass without incident despite Edward's fears. Unfortunately, afterwards he could no longer hide in his room, and would have to rejoin society to attend his classes once the ninth hit. He and Ramyu would have to be apart for at least some of those classes, so he took two precautions assuming fate wouldn't keep Rodrick from seeing Edward forever. Firstly, he began keeping a small novelty switchblade/comb he had gotten for his birthday on his person as a form of insurance. Secondly, he made sure to report what had went down between the two of them first thing in the morning to Ed's homeroom teacher, Utsumi. The young teacher assured Edward action would be taken, though Ed had a feeling it wouldn't be a substantial prison sentence or restraining order like he hoped. Either way, it was something, and left Ed feeling more prepared than before about his inevitable encounter with Rodrick one day.

He was not prepared for that day being today however. The last class of the day was something Ed was a bit interested in, Shinto style exorcism of Yokai and Demons. He took notes eagerly and excitedly, hoping to make a few protection talismans for himself and coat the inside of his jacket with them or something else he often wore. Once the bell rang and he began packing all of his stuff up, though, Lorelai, who admittedly he had completely forgotten about much to his dismay, called to him... as well as Rodrick and Helena. Rodrick was glaring at Ed something fierce, it seemed. In fact it seemed Rodrick had been doing so for a significant portion of the class without Ed's knowledge, just a few rows behind him.

"Uh-hum... s-sure, Lorelai..." Edward mentioned, slyly positioning himself behind her, and moving his hand to the pocket where he kept his knife. "Hey, Rod. You uh... you're not gonna try and kill me again right buddy? Since I'm just lucky and really not in any way special or powerful or magic or anything. Also Ramyu would totally kill you back for me, she mentioned hating your guts, hehe... Anyways! Talismans, right, let's all go work on them, right team?"

---

The quiet island town of Seidoujima was a peaceful place, people woke up early, worked in the day, then went home to eat dinner and then go to sleep. It was a typical day for any Japanese suburb, with a decent flair of activity from lunch following through until sunset, today was no different. As the people went home to sleep, nice and early, they would not notice the frigid air that began to pervade throughout the town. Delicate blades of grass began to frost over and shatter at the tips, the water's surface ever so slightly showed signs of freezing, and windows began to fog up.

Many would not notice this slight change if they were inside, but those who were unfortunate enough to be caught outside... Well perhaps they were not destined to have a peaceful sleep tonight.

A convenience store clerk stepped outside on his way home from his shift, his windbreaker jacket and beanie may have protected him from the cool spring breeze of a town so close to the sea, but unexpectedly he found himself a fair bit colder than anticipated.

"Is there a cold front...? Jeez, the weather report didn't say anything about this", he walked along the suburb paths towards his home, he muttered to himself just wanting to get home for tonight as he sped his walking up, yet in time he would speed it up for a reason other than a desire to be home.

From the corner of his eye he spotted a shadow, not unusual, stray cats were not too uncommon here, yet the next shade he saw was positively translucent, disappearing behind a corner, causing him to stop as he felt a cold sweat come upon him. The instinct of every man that cannot be removed from them. Fear of death. He had no idea why he felt such a thing, yet with some added urgency he began to move quicker yet again. He felt a presence around him, urging him to sprint now, and soon he was in a full-blown marathon towards home, and as he reached the door, he reached for the knob. It was ice cold, so much so that he flinched. He felt that presence yet again behind him, fearfully he did not want to turn and see, and yet he did out of morbid curiosity.

The man's eyes were drained of life as a white hand reached for him, translucent, like the mist itself had taken form. The man would crumple onto his knees, before the white presence flew away towards the sky. Towards the castle visible through the moon as if it were a window into another world.

The Castle of the Frozen Moon.

---

@Kafka Komedy@Ginnungagap@Amaterasu@I-Am-X@Lonewolf685@TheHangedMan

What a horrible night to have a curse, or more accurately, what a horrible night to be dealing with one. It was quite unexpected that these students would be putting their exorcism class notes to real life application the very night they were taught the subject. Try as they might to go home, the undead would waylay them. Skeletons, ghosts, and some minor ice yokai would peek their heads out. Tonight, this small island town would be quite close to the realm of the underworld, the large moon like a window into this world as the grand ice castle was visible through it.

Their movements would bring them closer to the moon by one reason or another, unable to remove this compulsion from them to do so. Everything in their bodies screamed to step away yet a hypnotic suggestion brought them closer, as if the moon hungered for their souls, demanding it from them, a demand so powerful they could not step away.

Eventually, they found themselves stepping up to the large open ice doors of the castle. The ghosts that they had been fighting through the town converged here, flying through the open doors, ignoring the group. It was like they were gathering... Did they ignore this group of young students because they saw them as willing sacrifices? Or perhaps they were mere drones with a blindspot for their directive? Who knows.

As this group of students walked in, the fear of death becoming palpable, this entire castle felt like it had eyes on every surface, like a dark castle. The castle of a true monster. Standing at the end of the hall was a young boy... Icarus would recognize him, the strange boy he met on the mountain.

@Kafka Komedy Beside Edward as he walked through the hall was Rodrick, crossed arms as if he had always been there like it was the most natural thing. Ask him why he was here or what he was doing here his answer was simple. "I saw you slinking off in the night practicing the class subject in secret. Of course I had to observe and see what trick you may demonstrate". Adamant as ever that Edward's luck was more than what it was.

---

---

@Kafka Komedy@Ginnungagap@Amaterasu@I-Am-X@Lonewolf685@TheHangedMan

As the battle came to a close Aresvius’ form changed back to that of the young pale boy he was originally. Was it over? The ritual seemed to continue as he clinged onto it, but a few small spells to disrupt it would be more than enough at this point, as it’s caster had no power left to protect it’s maintenance.

“So that’s it huh? Am I so cursed as to never… Know my own freedom?”, Aresvius began to sit up, being a half yokai half vampire, though he had no magical reserves left he was not exactly injured, but in his current state he was quite fragile.

“Just end it… As soon as you dispel the ritual, the night will return to how it was before I began this. I’ll have to find some other way”, he seemed defeated, his face hid a great deal of frustration as he looked away… Yet, as soon as he did his nose picked up a sweet scent.

In an instant he turned back to the group, eyes wide with shock and horror, he looked around in what appeared to be a panic until.

“How disappointing, I had such faith in you”, Aresvius’ vision would turn to the party as they looked at him in shock, only for his vision to follow theirs, looking down. A cane with a sharp tip had pierced his chest.

Standing behind the young vampire was a man in a black suit, sharp, cold eyes, with a hungry gaze, topped off by a wide-brimmed black hat. His gloved hand held the cane now jutting through Aresvius’ chest.

“But… I can’t exactly let it end here, here… Allow me to do you a favor young scion of Arsenios”, after some moments, Aresvius would begin to scream in pain as red wide-petalled flowers began to grow from his wound. The ice of this beautiful pristine blue castle began to dye a caste of red as the moon in the skylight began to become a deeper light of crimson, before turning black as the sky itself turned red.

All around the party they would begin to smell a rather thick sweet scent, red vines burst from the ground and pillars, snaking around, parts of them growing more of those red flowers. Those observant would recognize them as rafflesias, and those well-versed in poisons would realise this scent was deadly. As it began to pervade the area he began to speak,

“I had such high hopes for the descendant of my good friend Arsenios, the blood of Noah flows within you after all, and yet you fall short to a few students”, he leaned in closer to Aresvius.

“We are the Descendants of Noah, the highest order of monsters, the top of the food chain, but it appears you are not yet ready to be one of us. And what was that form before…? Why such an ugly image of your origins? Hm? Well, consider this a gift from your dear godfather”

In moments, the poison should disrupt all bodily functions, as their breathing became coarse, they could even feel their magical power being sapped from them as the bright red, cold eyes looked upon them like trash. Who was this man…?



A giant nail fell from the sky, crashing and imbedding itself between the party and the newcomer. From the heavens they could hear a booming voice.

“He who weathers both heaven and hell, with righteous fists alight with justice, descending upon the scene comes....!”

A man landed on top of the nail, with muscles like marble and a body like that of a body builder.

"K A I D A N B A K U S A T S U!"

It was the PE teacher.

As he landed, a flash of blades filled the room before appearing like a breeze in the wind was Kuuto stepping in beside Kaidan, holding out a plain katana without a guard. Time appeared to stand still as he flourished the blade, sheathing it.

The room appeared to shatter as it turned back to the pristine palace it was before, and amidst all that, the newcomer’s cane was struck, freeing Aresvius.

“I’ll never understand your need to make chants. Your skills don’t even require those”, he sighed.

“It’s cool isn’t it? I need no other reason! Besides, your entrance was no less flashier than mine!”

“Hmph. Well we’re not here to bicker… The principal's word was correct. To think he was right…”, Kuuto’s voice was now projected at the black suited newcomer.

“I suppose it was too much to ask that I simply got away with this… But, maybe I should be thankful he cares enough to give me a welcome party”, despite the show of strength earlier, he seemed not at all fazed, yet… Why would he be, if he could take over someone’s grand spell with such speed, even if it was weakened.

“And I suppose it’d be too much to ask that today is when I get to slay you, but I suppose I’ll have to settle for ruining your fun… Ruthven”, the man now identified as Ruthven smiled.

“Oh come now, don’t be such a downer. Have a little more faith in yourself”, he responded in jest, walking forward and then picking up the sword Shatterstar, which the Dullahan had been using. He opened up his arms as if to invite an attack, and as soon as he did, a gust of wind blew through him followed by an array of slashes was all over his body, for an instant it appeared as if he had been decapitated, quartered, and severed top to bottom, but all that followed was a gust of red petals and shining shards of the sword he was holding, following the wind of what appeared to be Kuuto’s attack.

“Never seen you just lose your cool like that, you know this guy Kuuto?”, he didn’t answer. He looked around, everyone was a bit weak, but everyone besides Aresvius should have it in them to run. Kaiden then turned around, it appeared Kuuto was a bit too focused to give orders.

“You kids should run. Don’t worry about Aresvius. We were here for him too anyways”, he gave a thumbs up before ushering them on their way.

--------------

As everyone got a safe distance away… Or completely ran if they wanted to, they watched from afar. A familiar voice rang out through the halls.

“Aresvius my dear boy, I’ll show you what a true descendent’s form is”, he lectured. The petals that had scattered before began to reform in the center of the room in front of Kuuto. It was the man from before, except this time his hair was bright red, eyes glowing, his coat was larger, long, the tails forming bat-like wings. Other than these features he didn’t seem at all different front his previous form. He turned a little to address Aresvius,

“Have some more pride in yourself, monsters may we be, but we don’t have to be ugly monsters”, a moment was given to let the line sink in, before his image disappeared in a red flash. In an instant Kuuto drew his blade, creating a kaleidoscope of slashes, yet each one was shattered by lines of red running through them as Ruthven appeared in front of Kuuto, arm raised with a scarlet blade of energy surrounding him, poised to strike like fangs.

In that very moment an array of explosions rang out, obscuring Ruthven’s vision of Kuuto who quickly slipped away. Very soon the vampire would meet the fist of the burly ninja who used his free fist to make hand signs, causing several images of himself to appear, each one making a different handsign.

“Instant Hi-Ougi! Bite of the Winter Forest Technique!” at that moment several trees grew out from beneath the battlefield, constantly moving, but it looks like he wasn’t done as each image made the same sign he did earlier, creating even more images of each one, using different hand seals again.

“Instant Mass Hi-Ougi! Eternal Dragon’s Slumber, Sealing Technique!” there was nowhere to run for Ruthven as he stood there looking around, although he didn’t seem at all panicked, in fact he was rather amused. Several images of flaming dragons surrounded him before forming an egg around him.

“God Killing Technique, Heretical Susano’s Descent”

A single flash came from the heavens as Kuuto reappeared, was he preparing this technique the whole time? Or was he waiting for the right time? Regardless, with Ruthven trapped, he had the perfect moment to dish out a significant blow. The thunderous noise of a blade rang out as not just the flaming egg, but the trees too were caught in the technique’s strike.

As the dust settled there was… Nothing in the egg.

“Blood Moon’s Sanctuary, Coup d’etat of the Witching Night”, Kaidan and Kuuto looked up towards the source of the voice to see Ruthven descending slowly before settling somewhere high in the air. The entire castle turned red like before, a quick Scan can tell anyone that all the magic generated by the Walpurgisnacht was now being directed towards him, as if he had taken ownership of the spell.

“Witching Night’s Forecast… Rain of Blood”, the vampire raised a hand, then slowly motioning forward as a rain of blood-red lances descended from the heavens. This move alone would not be able to do anything to Kuuto and Kaidan, both of whom were incredibly agile combatants, yet…

“Blood Moon’s Sanctuary, Suspension”, as those words were uttered, Kaidan and Kuuto froze in place as dozens of lances were poised to strike them. In that moment Kuuto began to do a chant, dispelling the effects just enough for Kaidan to get some hand signs done.

“Forbidden Technique…! Protective Seal of Amaterasu”, a flaming dome appeared around them protecting them from all attacks, and in time, they would be able to move again, now immune from the Walpurgisnacht, yet as the technique concluded, Kaidan fell to his knees panting as the technique took a lot out of him. Ruthven began to descend back down to the ground in front of them.

“Truly exhilarating! Such a wonderful combination of techniques, I’ve even had to take over this Walpurgisnacht to be able to avoid such an attack! Hmmm… But I am not here to drain the life of this young boy, this night has gone on long enough my dear friends”, he gave a courteous bow.

“I suppose you two are lucky for the time being. Farewell… Oh, and do keep this boy safe for me would you?”, he began to dissolve into petals.

“After all, it’s not every day we Descendants have children”, and with that… He was gone.

---

The city had returned to normal, Seidoujima was back to a peaceful night, except this time there was no moon in the sky. The group had ended up in the park at the conclusion of the events. When the castle disappeared from view, they felt as if they'd been pulled back by some otherworldy force before landing somewhere in Seidoujima Park. Appearing shortly after they had managed to get their bearings was Kuuto and Kaidan, the latter on his shoulder was carrying the young Aresvius, who some may suspect, is not as young as he initially appeared.

"Good work out there kids! Man I really didn't expect to be seeing some students in the castle itself... Must've been a stroke of bad luck to be there... Or good luck perhaps", Kaidan seemed undecided on that.

"I didn't expect it either, but I held that class out of curriculum order to keep the students safe tonight. Any normal undead this boy's Grand Spell would've summoned would've been put to rest with even a weak exorcism spell... I didn't expect anyone to be fighting the boy himself though", Kuuto added on. There was a bit of silence as they wondered what to do next, but Rodrick spoke up.

"I have heard of Vampires before, in Arcanis but... These ones, are nothing at all like what I've read", he inquired.

"That's because these ones aren't. The vampires you know of in Arcanis are still demons of a sort... The ones originating here in Earth and their root is known as the Descendants of Noah. Their roots are not demonic", he explained.

"As their title or name implies, they're descendants of Noah, the man from the biblical story... Though... That's what they claim. I suppose unless one of the ones who know their origins explains, we won't ever know the truth... The one we saw up at the castle is Ruthven, claiming to be the first descendant. I suppose if anyone knows it'd be him... But that's already a complication in of itself... Well, it doesn't change that they're prodigiously powerful beings with vast near limitless potential... Top of the food chain may be correct", Kuuto didn't seem to be fond of talking about Ruthven. It didn't seem like a grudge, more like... Annoyance?

"As for Aresvius here, he's also one of them, but... Partly. The principal-",

"The principal has allowed him to stay here at the academy until he fulfills a certain task... There's no more that needs to be known... For the time being, it's late... And... You all have class tomorrow", Kuuto cut Kaidan off who upon being cut off, realized what he was saying. There was more to this boy than this, but for now, it seemed this whole deal with the Descendants was all they were going to learn.

"See yourselves to your homes. Oh... Don't worry, I'm not the teacher for tomorrow's class",

"I am!... That being said I should also get some rest very soon".