[hider=Prologue][center]. . .[/center] The Headmaster stood over a cliff, as waves and waves of ocean water smashed against its surface. His back was turned to a wizened and gnarled woman, who stood only because of the staff she leaned on. The skies overhead were darkened with, heralding the approach of a mighty storm, and indeed, a few droplets of rain fell around them, though they remained untouched. "Thank you for informing me of this, Andromeda, but I'm afraid this changes nothing. The school will open as it always has, and I will repel the other Archemages as I have always done." The old woman shook her head, her wrinkled face stared at Niccolo with contempt only the wise could manage. "That is naught but arrogance speaking, Niccolo. The Archetypes will not lift a finger to defend you and yours - your plight will be beneath their notice, not even a dot on the portrait of their schemes." She took shaky, uneasy steps forward and joined him at the cliffs edge. "For all your power, even you cannot triumph if forces are arrayed against you from all sides. Something must be sacrificed if you wish to guarantee your survival." He said nothing in response, merely staring off into the distance. As the silence between them thickened, the storm began increasing in its intensity. Thunder roared as streaks of lightning danced in the clouds above them. Shaking his head, the Headmaster spoke. "If need be, I will sacrifice my own life. If it comes to that, my school will outlive me." Suddenly, an errant bolt of lighting flashed towards him, only for it to bounce of a magical barrier and into the ocean below. The Headmaster turned his head and looked at Andromeda. "What was that for?" "If you value your life so little, then I will gladly end it for you." Niccolo chuckled. "I will only give it up [i]if need be.[/i] Do you really think me eager to die? No, I will exhaust all other options before it comes to that." The old lady huffed. "You will find those options exhausted faster than you realize, I assure you." "Maybe, maybe not. Then again, perhaps arguing with you isn't the best choice." "So he [i]can[/i] learn! I am impressed." The both of them looked each other in the eye, before bursting into laughter. The whatever remained of the tense air between them evaporated, and as though responding to their mood, the storm that promised to flood the land with rain, and the sky with electricity abruptly faded, giving way for a beautiful blue sky. "It was good seeing you again, my cute little sister." The old woman made a disgusted face. "Ugh. I'm over seven hundred years old now Niccolo, and I look like a raisin, [i]please[/i] do not call me that." "Hahaha! You should just hurry up and become and Archemage, Andromeda. That way you can return to your young and perky self." "Guh. Would that I could, but this curse is proving more and more difficult to break. Two hundred years and I don't even know if I'm any closer to solving it or not." "I warned you about making a deal with her." "She was a [i]fire[/i] mage! A rather infamous one I might add! How could I suspect she could also curse like a goddamn Zoroastrian deity?!" "Whatever she was then, she's an Archetype now. That really should have tipped you off to how [i]bad[/i] an idea that was." "Ugh, in any case," she said, looking up at the sky, and narrowing her eyes as though she were searching for something, "it looks like it's almost time for breakfast." Niccolo imitated her, looking up, and smiled. "Ah, that it is."[/hider] [hr] [hider=Phagora Sanders] [center]. . .[/center] A man in a gray suit arrived at Phagora and her mother's doorstep, at exactly 11 o'clock. Knocking on the door thrice, he waited until someone opened it. Bowing, he introduced himself. "Good morning. Harold Messir, at your service. I've come to pick up Miss Phagora to bring her to the teleportation area. I understand that it is her first year, so I've been tasked with escorting her around the school so she may familiarize herself." Harold lifted up an ID, to prove that he was telling the truth. It read: [center]Harold Damien Messir [i][u]Official Escort[/u][/i] Breakfast University of Magic[/center] The ID itself was enchanted with powerful magic. Only the keenest mages could discern what kind of enchantment it held, however. It's function was to prevent its bearer from lying. "The system was set in place in order for the younger enrollee's to integrate themselves more seamlessly into the University. If you wish, you may also accompany your daughter for the first day, to see if everything is up to your standards." [/hider][@shagranoz] [hider=Luna Prior & Viola Rifei] [center]. . .[/center] Karen Almira, third year, was soundly asleep. Among the three assigned to Room 22-A - her, Viola, and Luna - she was the youngest, though she'd been at B.U.M. a year longer than Viola, she was still an Apprentice. Her Master was a professor at the University, however she'd only entered once her Master had declared that she was fit for entry "Now that your magic isn't so shamefully embarrassing." Her Master was an ass like that. Still, he was a nice person deep down. Really, really deep down. An alarm rang loudly, and she shot up from her bed, looking at the alarm clock positioned on the desk beside her. "It's almost twelve!" she yelled. The girl jumped out of her bed and ran straight towards her cabinet, swiped a handful of clothes, and burst out her room to the living room of her dormitory. The school dormitory rooms were fairly large, and divided into five main parts: three private rooms, a living room and a dining room that doubled as a kitchen. There was only one bathroom, however. Furniture was sparse, at first, with the a dining table, a few chairs, and beds being provided. Overtime, however, students added some character to the rooms, such as Karen's alarm clock and her Hello Kitty comforters. Karen made way towards the bathroom. Twelve AM was the opening ceremony of the school, and not to mention the breakfast buffet afterwards was quite frankly [i]amazing[/i], so she really rather didn't want to miss it! [/hider][@Rune_Alchemist] & [@SlashInfinite] [hider=Charles] [center]. . .[/center] At 11 o'clock, the sky was still dark, with the only light that was being provided coming from the gentle glow of the moon. What little light there was, however, was blocked out by the branches of trees that spread out through the forest. A man in a gray suit - black under the shadows - and carrying a brown leather suitcase, stepped through the forest floor, stopping in front of a Charles. The man put down the briefcase and put his hands up, to show that he was not hostile. "Charles, correct? I've been instructed to give you this." The man took an envelope from inside his pocket, and pointed it towards Charles. It began glowing brightly and floated slowly towards him, landing at his feet. Inside the envelope was a handbook, an I.D. bearing Charles face, and a pair of meal tickets. Also inside, was an invitation. Written on soft, yet durable purple paper, the letter was written with gold ink, and done by hand: [indent][indent][indent][color=fff200]"[u]To Mr Charles[/u] [center] [i]If you are reading this, you've been accepted as a student for the Breakfast University of Magic (B.U.M.)! We extend our congratulations to you as here at B.U.M. pride ourselves with having the best instructors, and a curriculum truly worth of being called 'the best!' and it has ever been our mission to guide potential mages, witches, warlocks, shamans, wizards, etc., towards the becoming their ideal self! "Attached to this letter is the university handbook with map, your student I.D. so you don't get disintegrated by the school wards (that was a joke! Mostly) directions on how to get there from your location. Also attached are your room numbers and complementary lunch tickets! "The term begins on the Spring Equinox (That's March 20 in mundane terms! See you're learning already!), please take care to arrive by 12:30 AM - yes you read that right,[/i] AM[i], as in,[/i] Ante Merediem[i], as in[/i] before midday[i], as in before dawn! It doesn't matter what timezone you're in, just get there by 12 AM![/i] [i]"Once again, congratulations Mr. Charles, and we hope that you may live in interesting times![/i] [/center] - [u]Secretary of Non-Academic Affairs, Germaine Gilliane, The Night Witch.[/u]"[/color][/indent][/indent][/indent] "So, what will your answer be? If you agree, I can take you to the University now. It's a good place, filled with all kinds of people. I don't know about your circumstances, but you probably shouldn't wander here too long," said the gray-suited man. [/hider][@olcharlieboi] [hider=Lee] [center]. . .[/center] Inside Lee's dormitory, her only roommate, Xinhua Yinyin, was already awake. The Chinese disciple of the Dragon God was in the living room, in the middle of a set of push-ups. The girl was sweating heavily, and was wearing nothing other than a pair of training pants. The school dormitory rooms were fairly large, and divided into five main parts: three private rooms, a living room and a dining room that doubled as a kitchen. There was only one bathroom, however. Furniture was sparse, at first, with the a dining table, a few chairs, and beds being provided. Overtime, however, students added some character to the rooms, such as Xinhua's large wooden training dummy's and her pet hawk, that silently watched her from its perch in the living room. "201 . . . 202 . . . 203," she counted. Sparks of electricity lit up around her body as she exercised, conducting her sweat and evaporating it into steam. The steam coming from her body floated around the living room unnaturally, forming dark-gray storm clouds that occasionally erupted with lightning inside of it. It was almost time for the opening ceremony, which also meant it was almost time for breakfast, and if there was any one thing that she would say was the best thing about the University, it was breakfast time. When it came to breakfast, the school was unnaturally fanatical - likely because the Headmaster was [i]obsessed[/i] with the idea of starting the day with a good meal - not like she was complaining. The breakfast served here would make even the Dragon Gods weep with satisfaction. And she does [i]not[/i] invoke their names lightly. [/hider][@Leoven] [hider=Britney Chambers] [center]. . .[/center] Meruin wasn't awake yet. Unsurprising, as the girl was up late - as per usual - preforming experiments. Still, if there was ever a time she would attempt to wake up earlier that afternoon, it was now. The opening ceremony was soon, and that meant the opening ceremony breakfast. If it weren't for the fact that she tested the food for tampering, Meruin would have sworn there was something magical about it. Actually, she probably still would. The breakfast served here was magical, but in a mundane sense - the same sense that made simple things such as joy and love magical. A chorus of bells suddenly echoed in her room, coming from a magically lit lantern in the shape of a King chess-piece. The tiny girl blearily opened her eyes and moaned as she stretched out the stiffness of her body. Her room was a mess. Books were scattered all over, nearly taking up all of the floor. Various utensils were propped up on disorganized tables, with papers tacked to the walls - a far cry from how the room used to look like. School dormitory rooms were fairly large, and divided into five main parts: three private rooms, a living room and a dining room that doubled as a kitchen. There was only one bathroom, however. Furniture was sparse, at first, with the a dining table, a few chairs, and beds being provided. Overtime, however, students added some character to the rooms. In Meruin's case, she added so much character that it filled up the room, leaving her barely any walking space. She got up and made her way to the living room and to the bathroom. The start of the new term would officially begin with the opening ceremony, which concluded with the best thing about this school - breakfast. She wondered if Britney and her other roommate was awake? [/hider]& [hider=Noah Salik] [center]. . .[/center] A man knocked on Noah's door. He wore a navy-blue suit - the uniform of the school Heralds, or the ones who brought official notices from the school to students. It was almost time for the opening ceremony, and the Heralds were going around delivering notices to different students to inform them of new living arrangments In Noah's case, though he'd been living alone up to this point, he would soon have a new roommate join him. The school dormitory rooms were fairly large, after all, enough to have a maximum of four people live so long as someone shared a room. The dormitory rooms were divided into five main parts: three private rooms, a living room and a dining room that doubled as a kitchen. There was only one bathroom, however. Furniture was sparse, at first, with the a dining table, a few chairs, and beds being provided. Overtime, however, students added some character to the rooms. Some would bring in pets, others, furniture from home. Of course, rooms with only one person living in them tended to have less furniture as a result, though that could be a good thing depending on the roommates.[/hider][@Hippo AF] [hr] The teleporation glyph glowed with a gentle blue light, and Mede Artus, Chief Custodian, admired the glow. No matter how many times he operated it, the entrance glyph to the school was a thing of wonders - all the more reason to admire the Headmaster, who constructed it. Normally, knowing how to operate a glyph meant that you would know how to reconstruct it. This was especially true when the one studying it was a Master such as himself, but after thirteen years of working on it, he was still no closer to figuring out how it was made. The whole thing was so complex, with facets hidden within facets, and yet, it still allowed for even an Novice to be able to operate it - so long as they were given the proper tools. Finished with his admiration, Mede stepped back, and stretched. The new semester was starting and that meant new blood would be rushing in again, though he wondered if it would replace the amount lost. Every year the teachers made bets - would there be more or less students than last year? Mede himself bet on more this time. Last year, relatively few dropped out and there were no graduations either. So unless a startling number of people declined their invitation to the university, they would probably see a decrease in the number of available dorm rooms. Once the students arrived, that meant the opening ceremony had officially begun. Which also meant that breakfast was being served. Mede grinned. There was nothing - [i]nothing[/i] - better in the school than breakfast. It was the Headmasters creed, no, [i]demand[/i] that every day began with a good meal. And by every god, were the meals good. It was also another reason why students were brought here at 12 am. So they wouldn't have a chance to eat yet, and by the time the opening ceremony concluded at 2, they would be practically starving. Of course, that made the breakfast served all the more savory. The Headmaster was a cunning bastard he was. He looked at his watch. The spring equinox was almost here. Soon, students would appear on the glyph, and hopefully, they skipped breakfast.