The boy awoke free and unfettered. The thick tape no longer melded his lips shut, the chain-like ropes no longer fastened and restricted his body. Better yet, he could feel the grass and see the sky—a vast sky of radiant azure.
A patch of velutinous grass cradled his skin like warm silk. No insects crawled all over him. No rashes or itchiness. Just… calm and serene.
The voice of a haggard old man begged his attention:
"Welcome, I'm your FYE leader, Book."
'Book?'
The boy couldn't help but question the name.
He rolled over and gently picked himself off the grass. He tossed a glance at the old man, expecting some hideous monster. But instead, it was a regular old man.
The old man was bald with a few specs of hair here and there. He had a pointy downturned nose with sunken eyes and hollow cheeks. To complement this decrepit style, he had a thick, white beard.
As for clothing, he wore something akin to what the boy wore.
The boy wore a velvety, dark black blazer with golden buttons lining the trim, paired with a pristine white, collared shirt with a plain red tie. As for pants, they were an elegant and sleek black dress pants. Finally, he had on tight-fitting black loafers.
The only difference was that Book was wearing a green tie instead of a red one.
Looking around, the boy found himself in a courtyard of sorts. He would try to make sense of how he got here, but he quickly realized nothing would clarify that.
'But wait… aren't FYE leaders supposed to be… students?'
"My duty as your senior is to show you around the campus and teach you the basics. First, as you may have noticed, both Princ-Yeh-Pal and I possess unusual names. This is because our past names were associated with our physical bodies; our true names, on the other hand, come from the soul and are based on the life we once led. For starters, I will teach you how to read your soul."
The boy looked around at the four people surrounding him, other than Book. One was a small girl with auburn hair. Another was a busty woman with long, curly jet-black hair. The third was a tall, handsome, dark-skinned man. The last was a fat, pale, and pudgy guy with short brown hair.
Each of them wore clothes that matched the boy's, which looked to be of the utmost purity and quality.
"Reading your soul will be the most important thing here at Oath. You'll use it to learn your name, keep track of Restrictions and Privileges, as well as your Merits and Reputation. To do so, close your eyes and touch your chest, and feel the flow of your soul."
The boy did as instructed. Placing his hand near his chest, he felt a steady thumping. Yet, it was awkward. It was too rhythmic and too consistent to be the sound of a heartbeat. As he focused, Words started to form and appear on the back of his eyelids.
✦ ✦ ✦
Name: Talon
Rank: Pledge
Restrictions:
Privileges:
Merits: 0
Reputation: 5
✦ ✦ ✦
"Once you see words appear, thinking of them will allow access to more information. If you think of the shop, it will also appear."
Talon wanted to explore and listen closely, but a seething anger rose inside of him.
'Why the hell is that my name?! I didn't live like some dog who was their master's weapon!'
Talon hated his name.
His entire life, he'd looked down on others and belittled them despite his position under them. Now, apparently, he was being told he lived a life befitting the name 'Talon.' In other words, he lived on someone's foot as their tool. Or at least that's how he took it.
He wanted to scream and argue the name was wrong, but who the hell would he even argue to? The words in his head? It was nonsensical.
Trying to force back his hatred for his unfortunate name, he focused on
✦ ✦ ✦
[You're fate is bound to another, Raven. You two share a deep connection. All of your Restrictions, Privileges, Merits, Reputation, and Currency will be shared. You also share pain as well as Existence. If one of you breaks a Restriction or dies, you both are Punished.]
[You and Raven are bound by fate. At will, either of you can make this Immutable string connecting you visible and tangible. You are also faintly able to sense the other's emotions.]
✦ ✦ ✦
That did it.
Talon was pissed.
He'd gone from seeing this place as a new freedom to a fresh hell. He'd once again been locked down and shackled by the same fate he so desperately tried to escape from in life.
He was once again a slave.
At least this time, it seemed like an equal partnership. But for Talon, who dreamed of a seclusive liberty, this Restriction was harrowing and despicable.
The names fed into his hatred. The person he was bound to was named Raven, while his name was Talon. Was the world itself making fun of him? Was it his fate to be a tool? His fate is to be forever in servitude despite his ability?
'Hell no.'
He was going to rise above his fate. He wasn't going to be a tool for this 'Raven.' Not only that, he'd rise above everyone else here. Starting with those around him. Of course, given the situation, he'd have to be tactical to the utmost of his ability.
Talon, filled with anger, thought of the word 'shop' in his head. Then, every word was reformed and made into a new shape.
✦ ✦ ✦
Merits: 0
Buy a Restriction: 10 Merits
Buy Reputation: 2 Merits
Beginner Class Enrollment: 1 Merit
✦ ✦ ✦
'Buy… a Restriction'
It was like that devil Princ-Yeh-Pal had said.
Talon was the first to reopen his eyes and look around at the group. They all had different looks of horror on their face. The busty woman with curly black hair seemed as if she'd just seen a ghost.
'Her Restriction must be horrible… Not as bad as mine though.'
On the bright side for Talon, until he was given another Restriction, his Restriction was virtually undetectable… well, as long as a sharp pain didn't assail him or the person named Raven.
One by one, each of the students reopened their eyes and looked toward Book; each had an expression of fear or confusion, except Talon, who controlled any outward expression.
Book after a long silence continued:
"It may seem counterintuitive, but buying a Restriction also means gaining a new Privilege as well as some Reputation. Reputation is… think of it as the measurement of your physical and mental power. The more Reputation you hold, the stronger and smarter you will be."
With that said, Book clapped then waved forward and continued:
"Follow me, I'll show you the facilities."
The five new students all looked at each other, but none of them was foolish enough to speak. They all just quietly followed Book.
The first place Book took them to was a large, ivory-colored brick building. It had two gigantic white, gold-trimmed doors adorned by a mural of a naked muscular man with short, curly hair fighting a horrifying tentacle beast. Leading up to the massive doors was a set of marble stairs. This led to a patio with a portico supporting the pediment. On the pediment, the naked man was once again sculpted into the ivory sheet. This time, he was resting on a cloud.
Book stopped and spoke:
"This is the first year's dormitory. In other words, where you'll be staying. You will each get your room. Oh! Because we are all just souls, we don't need to eat, sleep, or use the bathroom; however, there will still be bathrooms in case someone has a Restriction that requires them to use one for some reason. There is also a cafeteria for those who need to eat or drink. Or those who just wish to taste food…"
Book had a weird look on his face, but like before, nobody dared speak. They knew anything they said could potentially give a hint to their Restriction. Even worse, if they did something now that they're restricted from later…
Talon, at least, was trying to make his movements as simple as possible. He controlled his expression, his gait, his hand movements, everything. Not a single slight movement was left unchecked. At the same time, he was carefully watching the others.
The busty girl looked terrified. The pudgy guy kept nearly tripping over himself as if something was wrong with his body… The petite girl with auburn hair was observing the surroundings, as if looking for something. The handsome Black man looked at the dormitory as if it were his first time seeing it.
Book led the group to their following location, which turned out to be a gymnasium. The group looked around for a bit, then departed and made their way to the sparring atrium, where practical combat classes would be held, or it was open to those who wished to train. It had swords and other weapons lining the wall, as well as some practice dummies here and there.
Talon had never held a sword in his life. What master would give their slave a weapon? But something within him told him he should visit this place often.
After leaving the training hall, Book said something that piqued Talon's interest:
"None of you are forced to say here… at this school. But if you think this is hell, you'll soon learn why there's a training hall."
It seemed none of them were forced to stay here… Talon wasn't particularly keen on finding out what the world of Below outside of the academy had to offer just yet.
Then, Book led the group to the lecture hall. The lecture hall was a huge building where all theory classes would be held. He showed them in different classrooms, which looked foreign to anything Talon had ever seen.
Some classrooms were small and had brown desks for each student, as well as a small lectern for the professor. Other classes were huge, with seats arranged in tiers, and the desks formed a single long platform. In front of the big rooms was a dais for the professor to lecture from.
After exploring the lecture hall, Book led the taciturn group back out to the wondrous embrace of the outside then led them to one final building. The building resembled a massive warehouse. Book led the group in the archaic front door and led them down a series of corridors until they found a room marked with a 'SE.'
Book's face grew dejected, then he spoke up while holding four scrolls:
"Merits can be traded, but it doesn't have to be directly. One can imbue a Merit into a conduit, like this scroll…"
Book's gaze fell to the floor as he continued:
"Restriction Academy conducts several 'Special Exams' that pit their students against each other… Merits will be awarded based on completion. Regardless of whether you eliminate a fellow student and earn a Merit yourself…"
Book paused for a second, then looked as if he wanted to cry, and said:
"I'm sorry... But I assume you can all reason why I only have four scrolls… You must all enter that room, and only four may leave."
Talon had suspected this the moment he saw the scrolls, but the others looked somewhat in shock. The busty girl even took a step away from the door and looked like she was ready to run.
Then, the old man started to scream bloody murder:
"I advise you, take this test! If you refuse this test, you'll be thrown out into this accursed world! Trust me and take it! I know it's scary... But I implore you, beg of you, don't make that grave mistake!"
Talon could tell some of the people around him wanted to leave, but this old man's words seemed to scare them into staying.
Book opened the door and stepped to the side, allowing the group members to walk in. After they all entered, he left them with one final remark:
"May the blessing of Atla be with you."
Book closed the door, and Talon heard the clink of a lock behind him. Still, nobody spoke a word.
The door was plain and had a small glass window that looked out into the hallway, yet it was blacked out. It was either not a window at all or a one-way window.
Talon walked through the room, which was a replica of the small classrooms they had seen in the lecture hall; however, this room was slightly smaller. The room was a perfect cube and about 10 of Talon's strides in each direction. There were four desks evenly spaced, and a small lectern stood at the front of the room.
Behind the lectern, the wall was entirely a dark-green chalkboard with a holder full of chalk off to the side. The wall on the left side had a small window that looked out into nothingness. Other than that, the wallpaper was split horizontally in the middle, each side a different color, a light shade of red and a dark green.
In the back corner, near the entrance, was a fridge containing food and water. Next to the refrigerator was an open door leading to a small bathroom.
The floor tiles were black and white, laid in a straight grid. Finally, on the lectern was a stack of papers and a pencil—next to it a small green apple.
Talon stopped his slow walk when he stood behind the lectern and looked back at the group, each of whom had a different storm of emotions swirling behind their eyes. He picked up the apple and bit into it, and swallowed. It tasted sweet and juicy. Even though he'd lost his body, it tasted like an apple should… probably.
Talon savored the first bite of fresh apple he'd ever gotten in his life as an unwilling panivore. Well, now it was a postmortem life…
Then, he put his first plan into motion. While he was scared he might do an action he would be restricted from in the future, he couldn't think of a better strategy than to play the featherbrained fool.
"I believe we should all introduce ourselves."
He held a hand to his chest and boldly proclaimed:
"You may call me, The Prince!"
He began his ostentatious act by making himself sound as pompous as possible.
After all, if there was one thing he learned from his life as a slave while observing the machinations of the scions vying to become heir of the house, the one who won in the end was a girl who'd been doubted and initially came off as foolish, only to turn around and backstab her brothers and sisters.
She'd cleverly tricked everyone, hiding her genius under the guise of stupidity.
Talon intended to do the same here. He'd be pretentious, hedonistic, asinine, and zany.
What better way to do that than to parade around as one of the beings he hated most in the world?
He would be so bold, foolish, and provocative that he'd trick others into tricking themselves.
He'd let nobody discover his genius.
Yes, he'd be The Prince of Fools.