Emily was bored.
The professor, Alex Skye, was the resident historian and expert in ancient languages at the Pyreptar Academy. The scions of the Great houses learned ancient languages to aid them in deciphering the dead tongues of Tenebris.
He was blonde, five foot seven, and with sharp cheekbones and narrow eyebrows.
Today, he was lecturing about the history of the geographical region where the academy stood since the talented students had joined the academy.
He enthusiastically explained to the class, gesturing wildly.
His blue eyes sparkled with passion, making his freckled face come to life.
But to Emily, it felt like he was simply droning on and on about the unique geography of Zandria and how it had played a pivotal role in the battles between the so-called founding families of the Estochia region, where the academy was located.
"How boring, when will this end?" she thought, lazily glancing around the class at the rest of the students.
The talented sat on one end of the room, and the assassins on the other.
They shared the same uniform, with only the emblem differing to distinguish between the talented and the assassins.
The assassins' emblem had a silver rose pierced through two diagonal daggers, while the talented had a golden eye pinned to the lapels of their blazers. It almost felt like they were in a normal school.
The lecture was taking place in a large auditorium that was lined with large concentric rows of seats, with the podium at its center.
Samantha suddenly yawned loudly, attracting the professor's attention.
"Anything you'd like to say, Miss Grenfell?" he said, smiling brightly, focusing his gaze on her.
"No, sir," she mumbled.
A siren shrilly blared, signaling the end of the morning lectures. Sammy cheerily made her way towards her.
"Talk about literally being saved by the bell." She exclaimed.
"Can you believe how long these lectures take? I swear I thought he'd never finish." She said, huffing.
"Yeah, well, you know Professor Alex loves his lectures."
Emily shrugged. They made their way out of the large lecture hall, joining the throng of students moving out of their respective classes.
As they moved across the glass arch, she noticed a black SUV parked in front of the reception hall.
A tall dark dark-haired youth stepped out of the vehicle. Even clad in the academy's uniform, there was a distinct air about him. The emblem on his uniform marked him as a scion of one of the great houses.
A stunning redhead circled the car to stand beside him. One moment, a slight scowl was etched on his face, and the next, his expression became indifferent. He turned his attention to the redhead, nodding at something she had said.
He cast an impassive glance at the glass arch, then nonchalantly began to walk towards the academy's reception hall.
She stood staring at him for a while. Something was riveting about him, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
" Is something the matter, Emily?" Samantha said, glancing in the direction her friend seemed to be staring at.
" What are you looking at?"
Emily shook her head.
" Nothing much."
" Hey, could you get a move along?"
A tall, scrawny-looking youth stood behind them with an irritated look on his face. Emily glanced at the emblem on his lapel. He was an assassin. A few other youths stood behind him, glaring at them, waiting to pass.
" Sorry about that," Emily murmured.
They made their way to the academy's mess hall.
The academy hadn't yet fully acclimatized to the talented assassins working together.
It was evident from the divide in the sitting arrangement in the hall. Like in the classrooms, the scions and talented didn't mingle freely, choosing to stick with the side they were familiar with.
" So much for fostering relations with one another."
Norvax had told her that since it was the first time the two factions had decided to work together, it wouldn't be easy and that there would likely be some slight resistance.
She also remembered why he had allowed Samantha to tag along with her.
***
" Originally, when I agreed to allow your friend to tag along, I never dreamed that the Council of Assassins and the Videntis would try to come to a mutual understanding, to work together," Norvax said.
He had summoned her to his office after Commander Gregory's announcement in the gymnasium.
His office smelled faintly of coffee, paper, and was that ozone?
" While this was unexpected, it could turn out to be a blessing in disguise, not for you but for your friend."
His amber eyes pierced her with a calm gaze.
"Since you'll be working with assassins, Samantha can become an assassin. That way, she'll be able to stand beside you, shoulder to shoulder, if your power awakens."
Emily regarded him curiously,
"But aren't assassins only born and bred from what we've been taught?" Norvax shook his head slightly.
"No, there are exceptions to the rule. If she shows promise, and I'm sure she will, she can take the test to enter Tenebris with the rest of the young scions."
****
Emily stole a furtive glance at her friend, then spotted Edmund waving at them.
Edmund walked over to their table with his tray in hand and plopped down beside Samantha.
His usually disorderly hair was stylishly slicked back. His mouth was curled in a mischievous grin.
" Guess what, you guys?"
Emily looked at him questioningly.
" What has you so excited?"
He leaned, whispering in a low tone.
" I think I just met the love of my life, it's this hot assassin babe. Her name's Talia."
Samantha threw him a disgusted look.
" Boys and your disgusting thoughts."
Emily quietly rolled her eyes, turning back to her meal.
" Hey, don't look now, but here she comes."
Just then, a trio of girls entered the hall. A few heads turned to stare at them. All three were wearing emblems that marked them as assassins.
Edmund grinned goofily.
A tall brunette walked at the front of the group. Her hazel eyes, cold, swept over the hall indifferently. A short blonde, blue-eyed girl, and a pale red-haired girl followed closely behind her.
The three seemed to decide as one, then made their way towards a vacant table.
Samantha shivered slightly.
" That's just downright creepy."
The three girls settled down, engaging in conversation. A few moments later, the tall, scrawny youth from the bridge made his way to the table where the trio sat.
"Hey, Talia, why don't you come sit with us instead?" He said with a lopsided grin. His eyes were both different colours, one was a shade of forest green, while the other was deep blue.
"Who is that guy?"
Edmund frowned slightly.
"That's Axel Dark. He's from the Dark family. He happens to be something of a big deal around here."
" I think I'll decline your invitation," Talia spoke quietly, but the whole hall went silent.
Axel stared at her in what appeared to be amusement. He slowly picked up a small bowl of soup from her tray.
"See, when someone offers you an invitation, it can hurt their feelings if you decline it without even considering it."
Talia stared at him expressionlessly.
Axel slowly poured the soup with a bored expression. In that moment, the youth seated at the table next to the commotion got up to leave.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" One of Draco's goons yelled, getting in his face.
Edmund's eyes widened in horror.
"Shit!"
"What's wrong?" Samantha asked. Emily smiled in amusement.
Edmund palmed his face.
"The guy they're messing with, it's Warren."