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[center][i]Not a single ray of sunshine fell on Fódlan that day. The funeral was brief as this was the life of a mercenary, after all. But his life had ended much too soon, taken from him before he could truly live. And all for nothing; the girl he had died saving would never again see the light of day. It was a tragedy of unspoken proportions, the effects calamitous. It would take much good will to prevent Fódlan from cracking further. 

Letting out a sigh, the woman looked up at the sky. So much had gone wrong in so little time. It was clear now that no one could be trusted. For Sothis to return among the living, stricter measures needed to be put in place. Yes, that was the way. Next time, she would make sure that the child would be protected. No harm would come to it--she must take things into her own hands. She would not make the same mistake twice.

Before taking her leave, she would gaze upon the gravestone that bore one name: Byleth Eisner. [/i][/center]

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The opening ceremony of the Officers Academy took place in the cathedral of the church. An assortment of knights and members of the Church had decorated the place with a multitude of red, blue, and yellow ribbons, celebrating the arrival of the students. Although the seats weren’t filled, it was clear the number of students didn’t matter; each one was welcomed whether they were noble or commoner.

Among the clergy was a young boy who stood out among the rest. The [url=https://i.imgur.com/gvchchs.png]garb[/url] seemed to swallow the child whole, but he stood proud nonetheless, as if channeling the spirits of the previous archbishops before him. His stature did little to impede him as he strode over to the center of the floor, a humbled smile on his face as he looked over the many faces before him.

[color=springgreen]“Welcome, one and all,”[/color] The volume in his voice betrayed his size, easily carried over the entirety of the hall with ease. [color=springgreen]“The goddess blesses us with another group of hopefuls! It warms my heart to see so many new faces here at Garreg Mach. I am [b]Archbishop Ioannis[/b], and I am humbled that I have the opportunity to accompany you all through your year at the Officers Academy.”[/color]

Taking a small pause, Ioannis continued, [color=springgreen]“This is but a final step for many of you before taking your place in the world, and all of us are eager and willing to ensure that this year is a smooth one. We here at Gareeg Mach implore you to lean on your neighbor, to support those who may need it. While the world will always present challenge after challenge, we hope to supply you with the knowledge and wisdom to take hold of your future; no man is a nation, and we must all work together for the sake of Fódlan and the people.”[/color]

He looked over to his left side, gesturing to a taller man with silver hair. [color=springgreen]“My right hand, Sirius, will be supporting the school faculty in addition to his usual duties of overlooking the Knights of Seiros,”[/color] He introduced the man. [color=springgreen]“He, as well as Cleric Arianthe, have been vital in the transition from one archbishop to the next.”[/color]

The man motioned to the boy’s right. Remembering something, Ioannis sheepishly looked to that side, clearing his throat. [color=springgreen]“This year’s faculty is a little more varied than in previous years. With Lady Geraldine’s return to Adrestia, we decided to better assist the students with more professors to lead classes. Professor Lysander Roland oversees much of the school’s curriculum and is the liaison between the school and church--that said, he has a generous open-door policy and is one of the kindest souls you’ll likely meet. Assisting him will be a nurse who serves both school and church by the name of Kaira Simeon--their offices are located on the second floor.”[/color] The dark haired man’s jaw dropped, his gaze following as his face flushed with color, quietly shaking his head as he avoided looking anyone in the eye. A green haired girl nudged him, clearly trying not to laugh as she gave the students a small wave.

Ioannis looked like he had more to say, but after a moment decided against it, once again giving the students a warm smile. [color=springgreen]“Your professors await you in your homerooms. May the goddess watch over you all.”[/color]

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[hider=The Black Eagles’ Classroom]
[color=red]“Listen up, the sooner I finish talking, the sooner I can leave,”[/color] The dark haired man stated, clearly disinterested in the students as he threw himself into his chair. [color=red]“I’m [b]Tomai Malathice[/b], I’m from the Empire, yes I am the author of the recently published study of crests, no I am not interested in talking about it. Unfortunately I am obligated to assist any that come to my door after class hours, but I’ll save you a little time: I’m a mage specializing in dark magic. So if you’re looking for that, fine, come along, otherwise you can go bother one of the other professors.”[/color]

Messing with the stack of papers in front of him, he managed to get them into a neat pile before smoothing them out on top of a book. [color=red]“Professor Lysander has decided on a new initiative in an effort to ‘encourage inter-country relations’. Because people don’t mingle enough or something, I don’t know, I stopped listening halfway through the explanation,”[/color] He admitted with a slight shrug, squinting at the page in front of him. [color=red]“While you’ll still belong to one house and should come to me first with any issues, on a day-to-day basis you’ll all gather here for homeroom, and at the first bell will be joining a smaller class with mixed members.”[/color]

He paused, looking up at the ceiling as he tried to remember something. [color=red]“...eh, you don’t really need much more information than that. If I call your name at the end of this--oh, one thing, right,”[/color] He snapped his fingers, laying out several pages on his desk and snatching up his book. He seemed to notice something on the back cover, his expression souring. [color=red]“This year, your class leader will be His Highness, who has graced us with his presence for whatever reason. With that out of the way, you’re free for the rest of the day to talk or mingle or get to know your fellow students. As for me, I need to have a word with Professor Michail. Dismissed.”[/color]

He outright ignored any raised hands as he stood from his desk, a scowl discouraging anyone from asking anything as he walked out of the room.
[/hider]
[hider=The Blue Lions’ Classroom]
A blond knight finished writing his name on the board, turning to face the classroom with a dazzling smile. [color=00aeef]“What a first day, am I right?”[/color] He asked the students at large, placing the chalk down as he chose to remain standing. [color=00aeef]“My name is [b]Michail Kalonic[/b]. I’m a Knight of Seiros--it’s basically my first time here, too. From guard to professor! Who would’ve thought?”[/color] He chuckled. [color=00aeef]“Like you guys, I’m also from the Kingdom of Faerghus. Aside from that, I share Professor Lysander’s approach--my door is always open even after hours. Of course, you’re more likely to find me in the Arena than any classroom, but you know what I’m getting at.”[/color] He paused for a moment, scratching his head. [color=00aeef]“...Hm, I don’t really know what else to say. I guess I should get to the technical stuff?”[/color]

He went off his thoughts, walking over to his desk. [color=00aeef]“So things are getting changed up a little from my understanding. The school decided to go off a plan Professor Lysander came up with; instead of your classmates only consisting of those in the same house they’re breaking you guys up in groups. Of course, I’m still the person you should come to if you have any problems--I mean it, I’m here for you guys--but otherwise your classmates are going to be people from all three houses. It’ll be interesting for sure, at least!”[/color]

Taking a hold of the stack, he started scribbling names onto the board, diving the students into groups. [color=00aeef]“You can come over here and take a look, I suggest getting to know who’ll be in your class--I believe there’s a master list on the bulletin boards outside the classrooms, too,”[/color] He wrote surprisingly quickly, his handwriting neat and efficient. [color=00aeef]“Your House Leader is Auberon of House Galatea--that means you’ll have a few more responsibilities. See me later and I’ll let you know what that entails.”[/color]

Finishing his writing, Michail dusted his hands off as he grinned. [color=00aeef]“That’s everything from me. You have the rest of today off--we start bright and early tomorrow. If you need me, I’ll be right outside the classroom, possibly getting yelled at. Dismissed!”[/color] He gave the class a wave, practically giggling to himself as he walked out.

[/hider]
[hider=The Golden Deer Classroom]

[color=yellow]“Hello, hello! Settle down, settle down,”[/color] The woman’s blonde hair bounced after her as she scuttled into the classroom, heels clicking along the floors. She stopped before her desk, picking up a rod and whacking the chalkboard and underlining the name written there. [color=yellow]“I am [b]Euphemia Kalonic[/b], and I’ll be leading the Golden Deer this year. Don’t worry, even though I normally teach the Blue Lions, this isn’t my first year with the Leicester Alliance. I’ll make sure to take good care of you!”[/color]

Walking down the aisle, she continued with, [color=yellow]“As students of the Officers Academy, you are here to learn the ways of warfare. Your fellow professors and myself have made it our goal to educate you on that count and more. While you’re here, I recommend you take advantage of this opportunity to meet people from all walks of life; I don’t doubt some of you may know one another due to the Alliance's Roundtable, this academy is notable for accepting noble and commoner alike.”[/color]

[color=yellow]“Normally, you stick with your fellow Deer during your classes, but this year you’ll all have a chance to experience something new. Professor Lysander Roland made a suggestion that Archbishop Ioannis approved of--he thought that to encourage a positive future for Fódlan it would be nice if the classes were more varied instead of sticking with the same house. Of course, once a Deer, always a Deer, so you don’t have to worry about alternate room assignments and I am still responsible for your well being! But now you’ll be joined by Black Eagles and Blue Lions, too. I believe the class sizes are around fifteen people, though how many of each class join varies. And of course, you all still have your House Leader for this year: and the lucky one--”[/color] She checked her papers. [color=yellow]“--is future Duke Jorah Riegan! See me after and I’ll be happy to explain what that entails, okay?”[/color]

[color=yellow]“Now, as for where you’ll be fitting in for these new class assignments…”[/color] Euphemia flipped the chalkboard to the other side but froze. Instead of an organized list of students that she had spent nearly half an hour writing in cute handwriting, instead was a (admittedly good) sketch of a blond knight on a horse--most students would notice that it looked an awful lot like one of the knights that had been in the church earlier.

Euphemia’s smile never left her face, but her smile became decidedly icy. She slowly looked at her students, clearing her throat as she slowly turned back to her desk. [color=yellow]“...will be on these papers. I’ll...go ahead and lay them all out here.”[/color] Her tone was sugary sweet still, even if she looked like she was ready to choke someone.

Once all the pages were laid out, she held her rod tightly. [color=yellow]“Now, you’ll have the rest of today to yourselves. If you’ll excuse me, I have to speak with Professor Michail,”[/color] She dismissed the students, her smile betraying her body language as she practically stomped out of the room.

[/hider]

Outside of the classrooms stood [color=plum][b]Professor Lysander[/b][/color] and [color=springgreen][b]Professor Kaira[/b][/color], the pair in a spirited conversation. The two stopped long enough to to watch Michail run out of the Blue Lions classroom, a giant grin on his face. Said grin turned into a howl as he was promptly thwacked by a furious Euphemia, though it was Tomai stopping him in his tracks that really cause the knight distress. Lysander and Kaira looked at one another briefly before running interference, briefly catching the tail end of an accusation of sabotage.

[color=yellow]"Have you any idea how [i]humiliated[/i] I was?!"[/color] Euphemia kept her voice low as she cracked the rod on Michail's arm, right against the chainmail.

[color=00aeef]"Stop--how do you manage to hit my unarmored spots--it's just a harmless prank!"[/color] He defended himself, hiding behind Kaira.

[color=red]"This book is [i]centuries [/i]old and you decided to scribble all over it,"[/color] Tomai said flatly, showing the group an identical sketch to the one in the Golden Deer's classroom etched onto the back of Tomai's book. 

[color=plum]"Oh, Michail, we talked about how you should be acting in a position of authority..."[/color] Lysander sighed, shaking his head. [color=plum]"Sirius won't be happy to hear this."[/color]

Across the courtyard, the silver haired man in question watched the scene unfold, letting out a sigh. A small laugh caught his attention, and he looked down at the Archbishop. Ioannis watched the professors and students as they began to leave the classrooms, a sparkle in his eye. The man was aware they should head back to the church, but he was all too aware the boy was eager to interact with the students--even if they were all older than he was.

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