Hale Academy: University of Sui Generis (Vol. I)

Chapter 3 (b): The Ascendants (...Contd.)

"You've got to be joking?!" Ash exclaimed, ignoring Zen laughing his head off on the first floor.

James smirked amused, "You can rename it. The name gets changed every four years, new candidates always change the name", he hummed, "It's the dorm known as the ever-changing dorm", he hummed, "So if someone says that, or calls it something like The Dynamic Dorm Room or Transitional Dorm-house, please do not take offense", he warned, "Some of the people chosen here have also been raised discriminated against others, and bullies are always universal", he stated, "This dorm where all of you will live together, is to avoid any kind of unnecessary complications. In this school, of the students only you know what an Ascendant is, you will need each other", he informed them.

"Are there other co-ed dorms?" Jasmine asked confused.

James hummed and shook his head, "No, the students in your class, are top of the top students that applied to universities like Harvard, Oxford, MIT etc, to avoid any God-like complexes we offered them a scholarship, a few full-rides, a few semi-normal depending on their financial background", he looked up then sensing Rinzen rather than anyone else, "The school does the research", he informed simply, "Some came here some stayed where they felt comfortable. Hale Academy is the only Academy that provides education to both Magicks and Mundanes/Normals", he stated, "The schools you may have noticed have been divided down the middle, segregation is still strong, and people like it like that, they want to feel safe from each other. Hale Academy doesn't function like that, your class especially has twelve Magicks and 12 Normals and 1 Mundane (Can sense magic but has no affinity for it at all)", he stated, "All classes are divided as such and like I said, we aren't insipid enough to sow seeds of dissent", he huffed exasperatedly. "And that is true with dorm houses too. The Transitional Dorm is smack dab in the middle of the All-Male Dorm on it's right and The All-Female Dorm at its left, and the Non-Binaries have their own, smaller dorm row-houses directly behind them", he answered at length.

"Non-binaries that may be biologically male or female", Zee stated almost questioningly.

"As you said, you don't associate with a particular gender, so we'll leave that in your capable hands, but the conscientiousness of acting responsibly is doubly on you not just as your duty, but because we expect that of you", he stated, "Leniency isn't applied to men and women who break the rules, so we're strict there too don't doubt that, we as an academy, the teachers, mentors, and guardians expect you to simply adhere to the rules", he stated honestly.

Zee nodded understandingly.

"So the Transitional Dorm is the only coed dorm, I can already feel the burning glares", Bell muttered shivering.

Red hummed, "I mean, they do say the grass is always greener on the other side until it's plucked. We may be the envy of everyone, but living with boys or girls or others is not all it's hyped out to be. And my experience comes from living as a daughter to my father. And Pajamas—", she laughed as the cushion hit her in the face, "—Jasmine", she corrected laughing harder at the expression the Indian sported, "Jasmine lived with over a dozen men", she reminded them all, "She has more experience than any of us with living with the opposite s*x", she pointed out.

"Yeah but that's all people she's related to", Ray pointed out. "We're not related", he gestured between her and himself, and "Any of us", he continued gesturing by them encircling all of them, and "Brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers shouldn't be included, in that circumstance, it's more often not having a choice", he told her.

"Well yeah", they nodded and then shrugged, "Well I guess it will be an experience", they said.

"Okay", Ash clapped his hand, bringing the main topic back up, "You realize you don't strike me or us as an advisor, more like an older brother-esque type", he said. "Who will go to meet our parents?" he asked curiously.

Ignoring the jab at his advising capabilities James hummed, "Teachers that will be training you, former Ascendants and guides. I will be given to one of you as well. I'll be personally assigned to one of you. I'll find out on the third", he informed them, "Until then I will escort you back to the main nexus—the foyer—where you will be transported back using the envelopes, with a designated teacher. They're probably waiting for you as I speak", he informed them.

"Aw…. Do we have to leave? I don't wanna", Rinzen pouted clutching one of the books he'd chosen.

James snorted, "Sorry kid, you're going to have to part with them temporarily", he ordered gently.

"B-B-But", he whined and when James simply raised a brow he looked towards Ash; "Ashie... help", he begged.

Ash laughed and jogged towards him, "How about we put your books aside, mark them, and then we can come back tomorrow. School officially starts on the third, we have the rest of today and all of tomorrow to enjoy these wonders", he stated glomping the older teen's back, "Come on Zen, I get to tell my nutty as a fruitcake grandmother I'm going to study at the most prestigious school on the planet, a school she definitely hasn't heard of—away from her controlling tendencies, and hunt for that bastard, and I'm no longer going to live in a town that knows me as the son of a serial killer", he gloated manically.

Rinzen leaned against him, "Fine", he pouted, "But I want access to all your case files", he demanded.

"Done", Ash grinned cheekily. "Let's go", he smirked then, and "I want to meet the person who's going to try and charm my grandmother, that's definitely going to be interesting", he smirked just thinking about it.

"I want evidentiary recording or I won't believe any retellings", Rinzen pouted.

"I second that", Red piped up, "There's something about your crazy family that makes my family seem tame in comparison", she stated idly curious.

"It's times like this and I am forever glad I am an orphan", Zee huffed.

"Oi!" Ray and Ash protested, "Your parents dumped you", the former reminded her tersely.

"Ah…Touché", Zee cringed, "Point taken, that makes sense", they huffed, "My adoptive folks were really good at raising me", they shrugged easily, and "I sometimes have trouble remembering my birth parents abandoned me", Zee said shrugging.

"I'm sure they had a good reason", Ray appeased cautiously.

"You really do see the good in people don't you", Red muttered amusedly.

"Maybe it has something to do with his name 'Ray Light'", Ash teased.

"Oi!" The blonde huffed rolling his eyes. "Says the man named 'Ash'", he retorted. "Why Ash though? Isn't that a remnant of something leftover from a fire" he asked weakly.

Ash hummed, "After my mo-the woman hired to play my mother was killed, I wished I could just erase my life, burn it down to nothing", he swallowed, "I didn't tell you the whole story, my grandfather killed or attempted to kill my grandmother when my father was my age, and it's apparently a family, initiation thing", he made a face as if he'd tasted something vile, swallowing he continued, "Obviously my grandmother survived probably using another decoy to protect herself, she, however, couldn't change the way her son ended up thinking, and apparently that man has wires in his brain screwed wrong", he said shaking his head. "If I can't erase who I am, or burn my past out, I'd rather the word ash, mean that I will rise from ashes stronger than ever. I want ash to be my moniker, because without it well a phoenix would probably just be a dead burnt bird", he stated simply.

"Well said", Rinzen clapped a hand on his shoulder and escorted him out of the library. "What about you Bell? I'm curious about 'Ookami' isn't that Japanese for wolf?" he asked curiously.

Bell nodded, "I'm not even surprised you know that", she muttered dryly.

Rinzen smirked, "Sorry, not sorry", he laughed.

"It is Japanese for wolf", she answered, "Before my mother died, she'd bought me a pet wolf as a familiar", she hummed, "I was told to rear him and raise him in equal measure", she explained, "For a long time that wolf is all I have as a memento from my mother, and it was born with my blood, the mother having consumed my blood over a period of time", she answered.

"How the hell is that possible?" Ray asked disgustedly.

"Blood magic", Rinzen answered, "There's an ancient custom that belonged to a cannibalistic tribe, not really sure where it originated from though, that if the mother drank the blood of the warriors of her tribe, the child would be imbued with the powers of its ancestors", he said shuddering, "Overtime when magic first came to be, I mean the non-hidden brought to the surface instigated the greatest war recorded magic-magic, people would feed blood to animals that were pregnant, to imbue a loyalty like bond with the bearer of that blood. So that's probably what she did", he explained.

"I think I'm going to be sick", Red said gagging.

Bell nodded, "Well that cannibalistic history lesson aside", she muttered disgusted, "My mother simply used blood transfusions, and magic to merge our DNA, Ookami is the only wolf I know that exists with my DNA, the mother died, the magical force of giving birth to an altered creature, killed it", she said with no inflection.

Rinzen snorted, "You named your familiar Ookami?" he laughed, "You could have been a little original", he teased ignoring the issue too with the blood transfusion.

"I was five, give me a break", she pouted at him.

"Speaking of", Red raised a hand, "I have a pet cat, that my sisters will eat—no joke, they'll gut the poor thing and make a potion out of him, are we allowed to bring our pets here?" she asked James as they made their way back through the tunnels, "Also didn't we come from that way", she pointed to the left, "I have a good sense of direction", she shrugged when they all turned to her.

"Odd for a banshee descendant", James muttered mostly to himself. "Also that way leads back to the school", he pointed forward, "This leads to the foyer", he stated simply.

"If you say so", she sassed ignoring his jab at her family, given that as banshees her family truly had an atrocious sense of direction.

Turning to Red, he nodded, "Pets and familiars are allowed, and we even have a menagerie in the village close by for students who wish to bond with an animal, when the stress builds up too much and for young witches, wizards, and warlocks in need of familiars to help balance their powers", he answered simply.

"Oh? What are the usual familiars?" Ray asked curiously.

"Well besides cats and dogs, we have snakes—usually boa constrictors, pet lizards—iguanas and chameleons mostly, rats and guinea pigs, and oh, someone did bring a pet alligator that grew in the three years they were here", he paused mid-recollection, "that thing grew big", he said gestured wildly, "Are any of you fans of reptiles?" he wondered, "My teammate loves lizards", he shuddered.

"Which one?" Zee asked genuinely curious.

"You mean who", Rinzen muttered, at Zee's baffled glance, he continued, "'Who' not 'which one', the teammate has to be a variant of human", he said rolling his eyes.

Zee waved the thought away.

"Edwards had a fascination with them, but it was really Maya that loved all things scaly and...eurgh", he grimaced, "I really, really, really hate reptiles", he shuddered.

"That's probably something you shouldn't disclose so easily", Ash warned amused.

"At this academy its practically ancient history, I scream b****y murder if it's anywhere in my vicinity, and since I'm 'Ascendant of Cerebrus'", he turned then, eyes glowing red and fangs, "Snakes and I really don't get along", he growled and then pulled his transformation back.

"Dogs have issues with snakes?" Red asked confused.

"It's more of an inherent dislike, also it's a personal dislike", he added unnecessarily.

Red raised her hands in surrender, "Okay, no snakes", she assured, "I have a cat, a male cat", she clarified.

"A male wolf", Bell answered.

"Female Cat", Zee answered.

Ray sighed, "I just got a puppy, thankfully I called the neighbor to check on him", he huffed.

"That was that call was for?" Rinzen asked amused.

"Of course you noticed I made one random call, discreetly", he paused, "How did you notice that?" he asked.

"We're seven people walking in a straight line, led by a man in his mid-twenties, how do you think" he snarked.

"Point taken", Ray huffed to the laughter of the others.

Red sighed, "I'm starting to think you really can't con people", she quipped.

Ash hummed, "It could be a long con", he teased.

"A long-con to what lull us in a false sense of security?"

"I don't think Ray has the patience for that", Bell joked.

"Oh ha-ha", Ray grouched.

Ignoring them Rinzen took a step closer to James, "Does our dorm have a kitchen?" he asked quietly.

"We have a perfectly good cafeteria—" James paused at whatever expression his face was making and exhaled, "You really are hyper-vigilant", he accused.

"It's not paranoia when they're out to get ya", he said wryly.

"Not paranoia indeed", he hummed, "I'll see what I can do", he murmured.

"Alrighty everyone", he called stopping in front of a simple black door, "Going up", he said smirking.

Bell took a hasty step back, "I'm starting to take that gesture–", she pointed at his smirk, "–as a sign of bad karma", she said.

James grinned, and "You're probably right and yet", he practically shoved all of them into what seemed to be a dark dankly closet, "I'm not really giving you a choice", he stated.

*

TBC...