The corridors stretched far, farther than he thought was possible for a building. Growing up in a tiny cramp apartment screwed with his perception of size, and even though the dealership he worked at was much bigger than his home, it could not even compare with the grand marble building.
Corvus's finger traced the grooves of the white stone. Several eyes murmured as they stared at the weird newbie who was feeling up the walls.
He chose to block those rude words out, it was his first time in such a place, so he wanted to make sure it was all ingrained in his mind. In case he got kicked out, afterall, even if he died he would simply return to a checkpoint. But what was the last checkpoint? Would it have been the same day he received his powers, or could it have changed? 'So many questions, so little answers...'
The vanquishers were in charge of keeping the casualties low during a monster attack, they were the protectors of the public, but often their lives were the price payed for civilization's survival.
He sighed, thinking about having to die in the future again. It hurt to die, even if it wasn't permanent, it wasn't like the pain just went away instantly.
'There might not be many consequences to me dying, but it still doesn't feel good.'
His eyes were finally snatched by the corkscrew board. Several flyers and notices were strung up with multicoloured pins.
'Janitor needed. Hours: 7 pm - 12 am'
"Perfect! Let's see, Cassie could definitely hook me up with this job if I ask really nicely." He laughed to himself as the phone practically dialed itself.
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Within minutes his phone lit up with a text message from the academy.
'Your application has been accepted, your first day is tomorrow. All the information is attached to the email address you provided.'
Not to appear any stranger than he already did, he decided to jump around in his mind rather than his body. The hall was not particularly crowded, nor had it been for at least an hour. Since the class was short, many had left in packs to bars, karaoke booths and many more stores. Of course, some hadn't gone anywhere, Corvus being one of them. And another was, of course...
"Cor! Wanna hang out with me??" Rhya jumped at him from behind, wrapping her arms around him and tugging him toward the lunch hall.
"Do I have a choice?"
"Nope!"
'Sounds about right.'
They had passed many rooms, one was his room, another was a large library. A grand hall filled with hundreds of tables lay past just beyond a set of swinging doors. Some students like him, were either dragged by friends or simply chose to study here in their free time.
"Try this!" Before he could even turn his attention to Rhya, a glass bottle entered his mouth, the clear liquid guzzled down his throat. 'It...burns!'
He pushed the girl away. "What is wrong with you? What even was that??" His eyes glance at the glass bottle with a red label.
"Aww come on, don't be a party pooper, its just vodka." His heart sped up, thumping hard against his bony ribs.
"Don't worry, though! I will take good care of you sweet little Cor..." Her words were a little weaker than whisper, his head swinging toward the floor with great speed.
'-that was definitely not just vodka...'
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"-Where am I??" The cold floor slapped against his bare feet. His fingers ran against the grooves of his stomach. 'No cut...I must have blacked out...' Slowly some memories of a particular red-haired girl began to come back. 'Revenge will be sweet.'
The clock clearly read 6:47, the first classes would around 9 am. It didn't bother him too much, sleeping in had always been something he fantasized about, but being forced into it by a girl he had randomly met was not how he envisioned it. 'Wait...did we-' He tugged at his loose shirt, pulling it up. His jeans had been unbuckled, his belt undone and he just noticed his socks were off. Corvus never sleeps without any socks on.
"RHYA! WHEN I CATCH YOU, YOU ARE DEAD!!" His door smashed into the wall, golden rays of light solidified brushed against his skin, two green orbs peered into his own.
"Ah sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
Juliette stared at him, unblinking. Her small lips parted and whispered. "She didn't do anything...I pulled you away before she could do anything."
'Ah, that is great.' Corvus's shoulders eased, limping down with relief as he shook her hand strongly.
"You are a good person...no, a saint among us humans. I hope I can repay you one day!"
She shrugged, turning her back and walking off. Juliette cast one last glance back. "I will remember that."
Classes began with the ring of brass bell. Combat basics was the first class. For something so interesting and essential, the teacher somehow found a way to make it boring, even Corvus who had been curious about the course found himself sleeping.
The next class wasn't much better, it was all theory based and the teacher lacked the type of commanding voice necessary to grip the hearts of potential Vanquishers. You couldn't even tell she was an ascended by looking at her. The wrinkles ran from the top of her forehead, to the very base of her chin, like a weird fold monster.
At least lunch could break the flow of the mundane classes. Today aparently was pizza day, many different toppings filled trays in rows that stretched for at least fifty metres.
'Have all my years of hard work paid off? Do I finally get some respite? Delicious food? A reason to...'
A weighty hand smacked him across the back of his head. The energetic red-head seemed to be as friendly as always.
"Cor! Are you free after school??"
'Why is she acting like we are children? I am 23 damn it, show me some respect!'
"Even if I was, I don't trust you anymore." 'Not that I did before.' " You forced an entire bottle of vodka down my throat and definetly wanted to try some shady stuff." Corvus crossed his arms, a familiar smell began filling the air, but its faintness went undetected.
But his point stood. There should be no intercation between them two for a few days, she was not only getting on his nerves, but was becoming a borderline catalyst for trouble in his life. 'Whatever, I should just enjoy the food...'
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Skillfully, the dreaded mop slid across the smooth granite. Beads of sweat had built upon his brow. Even with becoming an ascended, cleaning a building of that magnitude was bound to tire anyone out. His back leaned against a pillar, a glimpse of sunlight caught his eyes. A radiant figure flipped through a giant book.
"That looks interesting, what is it about?"
She shuddered for a second, never having heard a single creak or footstep, and he stood directly behind her. 'Fate has a funny way of making these things happen.' But she remained silent, prompting Corvus to sit across from her. His eyes scanned the page. "Ah Loki, are you thinking of joining the Norse Pantheon? I heard his reputation wasn't the greatest, but if you get scouted by them why not..."
Silence filled the room once more.
'This girl doesn't seem to like speaking very much. Time to take some drastic measures.'
Her eyebrows scrunched together, a blade of shimmering diamond materialised, its edge cutting a red arc through the air.
"Woah! Be careful swinging that thing around!" But Juliette's barrage of attacks never stopped.
[Death's Deliverance] shimmered from the River Styx into the real world. The lusterless steal shuddered under the immense force Juliette exerted, sending him tumbling against a sturdy bookshelf.
"When you said you would make it up to me, I didn't expect you to mean that you would annoy me. If you are desperate to know about me then you get to ask me one question every time you beat me in combat. However, every time I emerge victorious against you, you must answer one of mine."
Her green eyes glowed from above. Intricate lamps of brass and copper flickered between on and off as her hair glowed with a low-pitched hum.
"Are you, Corvus, the catalyst?"
"Wha- What the hell are you talking about?! And don't go swinging your blade around at people? No wonder you have no friends!"
She sighed to herself.
"I guess you are not even aware of it. Very well, I will train you to reach the status deserved of a catalyst."
And just as before, she left the room. This time however not peeking over her shoulder.
'Why do women have to be so damn scary?' Corvus brushed himself off. His blade broke into sparks of shimmering essence that were absorbed by his soul.
The smell of death had intensified, but seeing as there was no one in the room he chose to ignore it. His eyes wandered onto the page she had been reading. Many lines of the text were covered in black ink or censored completely. 'Strange, aren't academic books meant to display the full information? Just what sort of trouble is that girl trying to get into?'