I sat back in one of the bus seats and watched everything pass by as the low hum of the engine allowed me to escape into my thoughts. The bus stopped for the next passengers, one of which was a girl who walked towards me. Looking at her uniform she was a student of G.E. High like me. She had long, strikingly dark blue hair with gradient red eyes that briefly made contact with my own before sitting down in the seat diagonally to me. Thinking nothing of it I closed my eyes and began to think.
Seeing the uniform reminded me that I'm a transfer student meaning I'm gonna have to introduce myself in front of the whole of my class. Being sixteen years old and turning seventeen in a couple of months, I'm transferring quite late into the seven year stay at G.E. High, meaning groups and friendships have already been established so I'll need to make a good first impression. Especially because I don't think my classmates will be pleased to have someone like me in their class.
Let's see. Hi, my name is Amane and it's my honour to… no. If I say it like that I'll come across as a pushover. Hmm… Hi, my name is Amane and I know what you are thinking but don't try and start something with me ok… No. I'll look like a real asshole if I say that.
"Hey, you mind if could borrow your phone quickly."
I was interrupted from my thoughts and opened my eyes to see an elderly woman ask one of the many other students in uniform if they could borrow their phone.
"Sorry lady but mine just ran out of battery and I'm going to use it when it's recharged." The student said pulling a portable charger out of his pocket.
"Is they're anyone else who wouldn't me borrowing their phone?" the elderly woman asked.
Unsurprisingly there was a long silence while no one offered up their own phone. I suddenly found myself looking over at the girl with the gradient red eyes wondering what she would do. She looked to be leadership material, possibly a president of sorts in the school? She had a commanding aura around her, not to mention the fact that she was also very attractive looking.
I then spotted the badge on her shoulder.
And judging by the symbol of a dragon head in the centre of the badge she is also apparently very powerful.
Aged sixteen to seventeen and already at the Rank of Dragon. Well, G.E. is meant to be one the best Ethation schools in both the human world and Valhalla.
The girl also did nothing, and the long silence continued.
"Here you can borrow mine." Said a younger looking female student, finally breaking the silence and passed her phone to the old woman.
As this happened the girl I had been looking at turned around, catching my gaze as I was turning to face the bus window. I felt her stare for a few more seconds before she turned back round herself.
Let's just hope we're not in the same class.
I closed my eyes again to return to my thoughts on what to say when I introduce to myself.
I stood outside the school as all the students passed me heading inside while I could hear the bus drive off. The school looked pretty normal. In fact, it was surprising how average it looked for supposedly one of the greatest Ethation Schools out there… Then again.
This school is pretty damn big I thought practically screaming in my head even though none of my surprise registered on my face. Like how can the school have such an average looking aesthetic but then be as big as the castles you read about in Fantasy Novels.
"Hey Lion Rank."
Considering that all the students that had passed through the school gates and I was the only one still standing outside I'm guessing that voice is referring to me.
"Hm?" I murmured as I turned round to find that girl on the bus with the gradient red eyes.
Now I'm not ugly but neither would I say I'm an extremely attractive person by traditional standards. I'd say I'm a little above average when it comes it good looks, I was tall and people have complimented me on my lean build and blue eyes but not many people come up to talk to me, especially people who look similar to a super model like this girl here.
"Is there something I can help you with?" I said bluntly.
The girl stared at me with her gradient red eyes boring into my own almost as if she was trying to intimidate me.
"Why were you staring at me on the bus earlier?" she said getting straight to the point.
"You want to know that?"
She nodded.
"To be honest you look like someone who could be a student council president and was wondering if you were or not. If you went to give your phone to the lady, I would think there's a high probability of that."
"Because the student council president is meant to set and lead example?"
I nodded.
"Well, you're wrong" she said bluntly. " Even if I was the president why should I give my phone to someone who was careless and didn't bring their own on a bus."
Interesting.
"Anyway, I could ask you the same thing. Why didn't you give your phone?"
"Simple reason" I said. "Firstly, I agree with what you said about being careless."
She raised an eyebrow as I said that.
"Secondly I'm not a fan of drawing attention to myself."
The girl took a few step closer towards me making it so we were only a few inches away from each other while she looked up into my eyes as if she was trying to figure out if I was lying.
"What's your name?"
"Amane." I answered causing her to raise an eyebrow again.
"What's your surname?"
"Bakura."
There was a pause before she nodded like she was satisfied before then walking past me towards the school gates.
"What's your name?" I asked stopping her.
"Why should I tell you."
"Because I told you mine."
"Fair enough" she shrugged her shoulders. "It's Shion."
She then walked straight through the gates and out of view.
I paused for a moment as I processed everything.
Why do I get the feeling I'm going to be seeing her a lot?
I shrugged my shoulders before walking through the gates and into the school, thus beginning my new life.
After walking for a bit through the school I came across seemingly two separate buildings that looked like they were designated for different students. I took out a note from my pocket that would supposedly tell me where to go.
Let's see. Enter the building titled Upper and attend Class One - S.
I looked at the two buildings and found the one titled Upper on the left. I looked at my note again just be sure and shrugged my shoulders.
Seems to be accurate.
I entered through the doors and came across a very typical school layout with multiple corridors and lockers on the walls all filled with students talking with one another. I walked down thie corridors passing all the students, most not even noticing my presence like I hoped however a few spotted me and narrowed their eyes along with other unwelcoming expressions.
Class Three – A, Class Two – A, Class One – A, Class Three – S.
I took note of each class I passed as I walked down the corridor of the different classrooms, counting them down.
"Take that!"
I turned round after hearing a shout and a crash.
A male student collapsed to the ground clutching their stomach as a big brute of a student, at least six foot four, with bulging muscles stood over him.
"Come now you said you'd have the money." He snarled with a grin. "Time to cough it up."
Yeah. I ain't touching that
I turned my back to the commotion, the smaller student cowering in fear as the brute gave a nasty grin before beating him relentlessly. I merely ignored it and continued my towards class.
"Class One – S…" I muttered to myself as students passed behind me while I looked up at the sign above the door. "Seems like the one."
I put the note back into my pocket and pushed open the door. The classroom looked like the rest of the school, remarkably average, with multiple desks and chairs laid out with the larger teacher's desk in front, surveying the scene before it with a large chalkboard behind it. All the students were either sitting down minding their own business or standing and talking with friends.
I immediately counted twenty students in total, all of them being slightly more advanced for their age as this section of the school was for the more prodigy types. Most of them had a symbol of a many headed, serpent like creature, a Hydra, or had the symbol of Dragon head within the badge on their shoulder.
"Come along now class, quiet down."
Who I assumed was the teacher, passed me and started dishing out commands. She wore a very professional suit, had long black hair that was tied in a high ponytail with bright green eyes.
I began to walk down the classroom and the students finally noticed my presence and wore expressions of confusion while others wore expressions of contempt and glared at me. I sat down at the only free desk which was in the right corner all the way at the back of the classroom next to a window. To only add to the awkwardness I was graced by quite the coincidence of the person sitting at the desk next to mine being none other than the girl on the bus, Shion.
I get the feeling she doesn't like me that much.
Her eyes locked onto my every movement as I sat down, even after she continued to stare at me as attempted to ignore her despite it proving very hard.
"For someone who says they dislike attention you have a funny way showing it." She whispered while glancing down at the Lion symbol in the middle of the badge that on my shoulder.
I ignored her and looked through the large window beside me and stared off into space.
The teacher suddenly slammed the multiple books she was carrying down onto her desk immediately catching everyone's attention causing her to grin slightly.
"Welcome everyone I'm sure you haven't missed school, but you came of your own volition so now you have to deal with it for seven years."
Everyone gave a mixed reaction of groans and giggles however I noticed that Shion made now reaction whatsoever.
She seems like quite the serious character.
"Now this break you had was a long one. A whole six months so even though I know you guys already know this, it's standard procedure to go through it after every break."
The students moaned and sighed while some even protest, but the teacher waved them off.
"Ok let's start things off." She said and began to write on the large board behind her.
"As we all know an Ethereal gets all their powers from abilities called Skills. They can be acquired through a multitude of ways but the main two ways of attaining them are through birth or being able meet certain conditions before attaining one."
She paused and turned to face the whole class.
"Question." She said aiming the chalk at the students. "Are all Skills the same?"
A female student with short brown hair raised her hand and answered when the teacher gave her the go.
"No there are a variety different types of Skills." She said with confidence.
"Correct." The teacher replied returning to the chalkboard. "There are a total of six different types of Skills. Active Skills, Passive Skills, Topic Skills, Unique Skills and Incarnation Skills."
She glanced back at her students with a sly grin.
"I'm going to explain all of these so pay attention and write this all down, I don't like to repeat myself."
All the students either rolled their eyes or got out their books and pencils while I did nothing but listen intently, curiosity beginning to itch my ears.
"I'll start of with Active Skills and Passive Skills as these are the most simple and basic. The majority of Skills fall into one of these two categories. Active Skills, like the name suggests, are Skills that need to be consiously activated and like most Skills, need to be fuelled with Ethos in order to be used. Contrary to Active Skills, Passive Skills are active at all times while they also don't consume Ethos in the way that Active Skills do and drain the user of their power. In fact they are continuously being fuelling by Ethos and recycling it back into the body ensuring the user doesn't become exhausted."
I noticed most people writing this down furiously especially Shion who was filled with concentration.
"Topic Skills are a fairly simple but a little more complex than the previous. These Skills act like a folder that house multiple Skills in one with all the Skills being connected or related to the theme of the Topic Skill in question. You!"
The Teacher whipped round and pointed at a female student.
"Explain to me what a Class is when relating to Ethereals."
The Student immediately stood up and explained.
"There are three Classes in total. Tanker, otherwise known as Tank, Assassin and Mage. A Class is given to all Ethereals at birth and dictates the way an Ethereal will fight by automatically giving them a set of Skills that become the user's primary armoury."
"Correct." Said the Teacher. "These Skills given to an Ethereal by their Class are simply dubbed as Class Skills and can only be permanently acquired by if the Ethereal is that specific Class. Can someone tell me what all the Class Specific Skills are?"
The teacher turned and surveyed the class before picking Shion to answer her question. She stood up and answered.