[hider=Prologue]
[center]. . .[/center]
	The Headmaster took a moment to relax in his seat, as he went over his meeting with his sister. There was much to do this time around. Forces were converging on all sides, either through the contrived schemes of his antagonists, or otherwise by sheer happenstance; either way, this would be a trying time, and he only hoped that the students could walk away unscathed.

	Mortal problems, he could deal with - he wasn't the strongest Archemage when it came to combat, but he [i]was[/i] the most respected for a reason. But if events happened came to pass as Andromeda predicted . . . he didn't think he was ready to play the game of the Archetypes. Even their "games" were world-shattering incidents, and only a fool would deliberately stick their nose into them. Of course, wisdom and foolishness were not necessarily exclusive to each other - it could come to pass that one could be both at the same time. It seemed that this time, it would be his turn.

	He released a deep sigh. "Much to do, much to do," he muttered. 

	He took a moment and let silence reign, before rising from his chair and looking out the window of his tower. It was tall enough that it over looked the whole school, a view that he basked in every morning before breaking the fast of the evening. It was his pride, his joy, and his bastion of strength. Looking at it now reaffirmed his decision to not back down from the threats he would face. All of his life had been leading up to its creation, and the rest of it would see to its flourishing.

	A knock on his door turned his head.

	"Come on in, Poly."

	The large double-doors to his study swung open with more force than required, and in walked a grinning, short, hazel-haired girl, wielding a long ornate white staff with a lollipop bigger than his head fixed at the tip. She was wearing a loose, silky, pink nightgown with frilly sleeves, a design choice that made him question whether it was meant to be adult or childish.

	"Hey Nic, heard ya were back, an' I came ta check up on ya," said Polyanna, in her usual rough accent. "I lost ya sometime when ya flew across th' Caribbean. Wha' happened?"

	"My sister had a vision of the future. It looks like this year will be particularly stormy."

	Poly stared at the Headmaster for a moment, then nodded. "I see. So, who's it this time? Miltiades? Gremory? Or someone new?"

	The Headmaster shook his head. "All of three, but they're not even the true threat, or more accurately, they are the lesser threat."

	The Head Enforcer scoffed, almost disbelievingly. "[i]Three[/i] Archemages and they're not the real threat? What th' hell are we dealin' with here Nic, an Archetype?"

	When all that met her question was silence, Polyanna swallowed heavily. "H-hey, Nic? I was jus' jokin' when I brought up an Archetype. Please, [i]please[/i] don't tell me we're fightin' an Archetype!" 

	It might have been undignified of a Grandmaster, especially a Grandmaster combat-mage like her, to show fear towards an opponent, but fear was a truly appropriate response when it came to the Archetypes. They were more than just powerful mages, they were the powers-that-be, the be-all, end-all of authority in this world. They were the status quo of the universe personified. 

	"No, thankfully," said the Headmaster with a chuckle, and Polyanna sighed in relief. "But it might be nice to have their help this time around. I understand that The Golden Dawn is a particularly bitter enemy of the Forces Beyond the Dream."

	And again, Polyanna stared at the Headmaster, a blank expression on her face. "Ya gotta be kiddin' me. Veil-breachers? That's the threat this time? So on top of Archmemages we gotta deal with the Enemy too?"

	The girl sighed and took strides towards the Headmaster. With each step, she grew taller and taller, until a buxom, older version of the young beauty stood before the Headmaster. Her once loose nightgown now strained against her newly enlarged assets, and barely covered up anything below her waist. Wrapping her arms gently around him, the woman rested her forehead on Nicollo's own. 

	"I know ya promised me '[i]fights that will test me beyond my capabilities[/i]' but wow Nic, this might just be too much, even fer me," she whispered.

	The Headmaster closed his eyes, sinking into her embrace. "Would you like to call Ophelia back? We could use her help."

	"Nah, let her enjoy her retirement. We'll find a way ta handle this. Or, rather you will, an' I'll do all ta' heavy liftin'."

	Chuckling, the Headmaster broke from her embrace and smiled. "Business as always then?"

	Smiling back, Polyanna stepped backwards, reverting to her younger form. Her staff, which had been floating in place for the entire time, returned to her hand. 

	"Speaking of, th' opening ceremony is'n an hour, ya should get ready. Mede's got th' portal up and everythin'."

	"Oh, right." The Headmaster blinked. And then grinned. That meant it was nearly time for breakfast.
[/hider]
[hr]
	The teleportation glyph shone with life as Mede threw open the barrier between it and the school, ushering hundreds of new students inside. The ages between them were varied; others were old enough to be adults, others were barely looked past seven. Still, all of them looked around in wonder as they were met with the sight of the schools entrance: A large marble arc with all sorts of figures carved into it. The fairies that usually roamed around the school had gathered, creating a brilliant display of light, while the familiars of older students joined in. One student had flown above them riding a giant pigeon.

	"So welcome everyone! Oh, and please don't form contracts with the fairies, or they'll all start asking for one. Anyway, while I'd like to officially welcome you to the university, that's not my job! So instead, I'd like to call on the man who's job that is. Headmaster sir, if you'd please?" said Mede, gesturing the man, who'd just landed in from the sky.

	"Thank you for that, Mede. First up, I'd like to thank you for coming. It does my heart joy to see new students walk through that portal. Secondly, I can see some of you trying to form a contract with the fairies. I advise you to reconsider - trust me, you will [i]not[/i] be able to pay their price, and thirdly, for the new students, I think I'll continue this introductory speech on the train."

	Question marks popped up as the new students looked around for any sign of a train. With the light brightening the area made it clear that while grandiose, the area they were in was a train station, they didn't see any sign of a train.

	Suddenly, a powerful wind blew towards them, nearly blowing away the fairies and causing a few students to trip. All of a sudden, a gigantic silver-and-black train had appeared right behind the Headmaster.

	"That would be so much more exciting, don't you think?" said the Headmaster with a slight smile.

	The rest of the ceremony would occur on the train, finally stopping at the Communal Mess Hall, where a large feast of a breakfast was being prepared. For the older students, they were free to do as they wished while the orientation was ongoing.