"It's nice to get a break", Remi collapsed onto the bench, her body heavy with exhaustion.
The Umbrax cafeteria was a large, dimly lit room with long tables and benches. And the walls were made of dark stone.
The kitchen was at the far end, where cooks in black robes stirred steaming pots and pans.
The tables were filled with hot food: roasted meats, stews, and dark bread. The room was loud with students eating and chatting.
Remi nagged about the Academy while Asher was swept away in his thoughts. 'Why did he wave to me? Does he want everyone to find out on our first day?'
"Ginger baby!" Remi called out.
"Uh!" He snapped back.
"You like your new name so much that you've forgotten your real name?"
"No, it's not... never mind," Asher trailed off.
Just when Asher thought it was alright, he realised he was wrapped around Remi's finger.
He couldn't look her in the eyes or talk to her without stuttering.
A few moments later, two students joined them, one of them, June, was transgender, and the other was Marnie.
They sat at the same table with Asher and Remi, but in the opposite direction.
"Hey guys, I'm Marnie and this is June".
June was cute and tall, and they were giving off the aesthetic vibe. Marnie was shorter, with an hourglass body, and her hair was tinted yellow and black.
Asher laid his head on the table, looking at his feet. 'What the hell am I supposed to do?!' He thought.
"Uh, is he okay?" Marnie asked.
Three more girls joined in just when Asher summoned the courage to talk to Marnie and June.
His Charm Sense was responding, or rather, calling them towards him.
Kaito had unravelled this to Ahser when he had an argument with Rowan.
It wasn't a defensive or an offensive power.
But it was going to help him get on with leadership opportunities, social advantages, protection, support, and also personal connections.
This made him wonder if Remi was genuinely his friend or if it was his Charm Sense.
The tour continued after the break; they were shown the underground safety hall, which was immune to any attacks, the clock tower, the classrooms, and much more.
"And finally, your dorms...please hold out your hands, " the teacher demanded.
They did as they were told, each of them felt their hand palm grow hot and then return to normal temperature.
"The doors to your dorms would be able to recognise your palm prints and only you have access to your dorms, no one else. Now follow me".
They were taken to a broad hallway with dark wooden doors on each side, with numbers imprinted in silver on each of them.
When Asher entered his room, he felt like he was in a different world.
He had taken some of his belongings from home and was surprised at how they had been laid out in his new room.
His old drawings were hung up on the wall, his books were arranged on a silver shelf in the corner, and the bed was massive.
He sank into the bed, feeling the warmth and the soft duvet against his face. "This is nice", he whispered to himself.
Remi's room was next to his, and there Asher thought, it might be the Charm Senses' doing.
He got up and leaned on the wall that separated them, hoping to hear Remi's voice.
"Ha...look at me, I'm such a pervert, He laughed.
Shortly after the students had gone to bed, an earthquake woke them up again. The emergency bell rang, informing all to evacuate to the assembly hall.
"Sir! We've detected Argentrix!" A guard reported.
Maverick flinched at the sound of Argentrix, an underground python.
The school hadn't been attacked by it, not since when they had new students come into the school two years before.
The underground python, Argentrix, was a type of Sagea that was attracted to power.
More guards assisted the students to the assembly hall.
"Well, I guess the underground safety hall doesn't stand a chance against earthquakes", Rowan blurted out.
Maverick appeared at the podium "You all must remain calm!" His voice echoed across the hall, silencing the panic of the students.
"No one leaves this hall unless you're asking for a death wish!" He commanded before disappearing, allowing the guards to take over.
Surprisingly, Argentrix had increased in power.
[Coil crush: 80% increase]
[Seismic Sense overload: 40% increase]
[Currently level: Legendary - 955]
....
Argentrix made its way to the Umbrax battlefield and gave a loud screech.
The silver underground python was attracted to someone in the school. Someone with raw power.
'Tsk! Every student at this school is slightly above average, so who could it be attracted to?' Maverick thought.
"Karmus defensive!" Maverick summoned a protective barrier around the school, and nothing could go in or out.
Argentrix was a relentless, calculating predator. It would stop at nothing to claim young Sagea's masters' abilities for itself.
This year, however, Argentrix was drawn to a particular student, and the powers that it sensed were undiluted.
It released the Earth spike. A type of attack that draws electricity from close areas to attack the opponent.
Maverick had always struggled with this attack alone.
"Dualityx!" Maverick summoned his two-headed python to hold off the attack.
BOOM!
The students watched in fear through the Aetherscope, a magical screen that displayed battles in real-time.
"That thing is strong!"
"Maverick can't hold it off with Dualityx"
Rowan pushed past Fang, determined to assist Maverick.
"Hey, where are you going?!" Fang shouted, his voice echoing through the hall, which caught everyone's attention.
BOOM!
Dualityx was struck against the wall, causing it to shatter.
Argentrix gave a high-pitched screech, the sonic shriek.
This stopped Maverick from moving while damaging his sense of hearing in the process.
It created an opening for Argentrix, as it launched another attack. Gravitola.
This magic could apply pressure on the opponent, causing them to feel an intense, crushing weight as if their body mass increased exponentially.
Maverick was at the mercy of Argentrix.
"Maverick is no good"
"He's supposed to be the headmaster, right?"
"The creature makes him look weak, we're goners".
The students' complaints carried on as Rowan stepped into the middle of the arena.
He had somehow gotten through Gravitola with ease.
"That's him! It's the guy from the bonding ceremony!" A student yelled.
"The guy with Erebus!"
Asher's face went pale, and his heart dropped when he saw his brother out there.
'What the hell! Rowan, what has gotten into you!' Asher thought. His knuckles turned white as he gripped his trousers, trembling in fear.
"I call upon the eternal pact! Erebus!" Rowan summoned.
Argentix moved around Maverick in circles before coiling him up with its tail.