A familiar voice booms, its tone thunderous and powerful. "Pride is the greatest motivator."
Another voice follows, soft and teasing-like. "And humility is its greatest gift."
'I've met these voices before, but who?'
The booming voice shout in unison. "Together, we create the greatest philosophy in history, Morality!"
(As the room materializes, everyone appears in chibi form.)
'As predicted, it's an archangel. Cockiness and Archangels go hand-in-hand like an unbreakable couple. You can tell if someone is buddy-buddy with one by their continuous, prideful praise or their constant demeaning of others. It's quite amusing for the first few times but gets annoying very quickly.'
The students glance around the room: everything has been drastically altered, except for their desks and bookshelf layout. Instead of a spherical glass-rooftop, it's a flat, space-like room. Instead of the casual brown concrete walls, it's grey with black swirls on the corners of each. Instead of a concrete floor, it's wooden with six unevenly placed carpets around its perimeter.
'Are they that lazy to not fix their carpets? My ocd is kicking in.'
The archangels look slightly bewildered by their hazed looks.
"Ah, so kids—why are you shocked?" The male archangel says. "Are you wondering how you got here? It's the numbers, dummytins. We teleport you by the numbers on the floor."
Shalius folds her wings. "I assume it would've been used for emergencies." She lets out a sigh. "My eyes need to adjust to this irritating light and perhaps a warning can suffice for it."
'Well, that explains the numbers.'
Akiro looks under the desk. "Whoa! That's so cool!"
Alanze yells at the teacher, shielding his eyes with his right hand. "Do you count us as ignorant buffoons? It was the light! The awfully blinding light! What a rude awakening amongst our peers! Do you not have any idea how blinding that was? At least give us a warning—it almost blinded the poor o' me."
One of the teachers, an elf, steps forward to the class. "You were supposed to be warned beforehand by Mr. Galfal. Certainly, you've enraged him to such an extent to cause such a blinding predicament to fall upon you. What have you done?"
Alanze, and a couple of others, yell their side of the story: many complained about the laughter, some ridiculed their classmates' inattentive, yet all averted their blame onto others.
A student puts a finger to his chin. "Maybe he simply forgot the school's system? You know he's old and stuff. Why would he leave the room? He could've just turned around?"
The Bunnyfolk teacher raises his finger. "Uh-ah! Remember, a time elf keeps 100% of their memories from a fetus to an old man, regardless of any illness. They won't forget something THAT crucial."
A slime student, Rhychill, asks. "Wait, so it was a fake-out? Oh, that Jackass! Why did I deserve that? I was listening the whole time!"
Another teacher, a druid, snaps his fingers for them. "Well, no swelling in the past, as the future awaits your input."
The kitsune taps her foot. "So, who's gonna do the mo—"
The archangels cut her off as they speak in unison: "Welcome to morality class! Select a teacher you deem worthy of your attention!"
The female archangel butts in with a pouty expression. "But I know, it'll always be us."
The male archangel daps her hand. "Ey-hey, we did the unison!"
They proudly grin and flex their muscles. The female archangel's muscles were toned, but not as bulky as her male counterpart. The male archangel's muscles are massive and sculpted, yet not large enough to be brutish.
The sugar-rush Kitsuné wags her tail feverishly. "Ahahaha, such prideful people I'll never get tired of. Ahahaha!!"
The haunting Druid holds his forehead. "Such behavior is doomed to have a fallout."
The night nymph mutters. "Arrogant, prideful archangels. Always ignoring your past, yet humility never bested them. But I will, and no mercy shall be granted, for I the great Mau—."
The ice elf faintly gestures towards the bunny-folk. "Can we get a handle on this situation before we humiliate ourselves in front of the newcomers?"
The magician bunny-folk clears his throat loudly, speaking in a bold, almost musical tone: "He-heh, well, back to the subject at hand, my friends."
He claps three times. "Welcome to morality class! A place where you'll always belong. Morality, as you know, is subjective—shaped by our surroundings, views, death, and experiences. The terms we create to define it will never come close to describing it like a Phylx in a bloodstream."
The haunted Druid takes over: "This class exists to get as close to your ideology and harshly criticize it to the max. There are six paths you can choose from. I, Damish, have inner peace and Discipline. I am here to ease your regrets and to let your anger go. Forgive all, as it does no good for you, and avoid conflict as much as possible."
The night nymph speaks in an assertive voice. "MY NAME IS MAUMUS AND I SET THE BOUNDARIES AND ENFORCEMENTS OF MORAL JUSTICE! There are levels at which you cannot forgive someone, and I know the limit! Become another me if you wish to walk the path of consequences!"
The male archangel says, "I, Reinhard—"
The female archangel cut him off. "And I, Pymei."
Together, they say: "Embody religion and humility. We derive all of our stories from the one above. If you ever feel insecure—visit us—and we'll straighten that back right up!"
Pymei winks at Kailus specifically, causing him to shudder in disgust.
The magician bunny-folk spoke gently. "I, Buford, teach Social Order and Duty within the hierarchy. I'm here to question what you know—"
Ulrus cut him off. "By asking more questions, even about simple understandings, until the person gets confused and/or gives up."
Buford shoots her a glare, yet the elf remains unbothered.
"What? I was telling the truth," she says, whistling.
"You know the old saying 'Opposites attract one another'? You two will get along soon enough, even if it's been thirty years of aggression," Damish responds naively.
They turn to face Damish with their eyes twitching ever so slightly.
The sugar-rush Kitsuné pats Damish on the back, laughing aloud. "Oh, Damion, you always know how to say the right thing at the right time."
Tension simmered between the opposing teachers as the students watched, amused by this rivalry.
Reinhard thinks quickly. "Uhhh… CHIRO, explain yourself."
The sugar-rush Kitsuné's face flushes red as her tails curl. "What? Are you talking about the cheese incident? That's inappropriate for the matter."
He plants a palm on his face: "No, your morality, idiot."
Chiro stares star-gated. "OHHH."
She faces the class and shouts in pure excitement, her voice bouncy and childish. "Heya, I, Chiro have Survival and Self-Interest. Nothing but me, myself, and I because I value my dignity above all. Pick me if you love yourself. The others all hate you." She teases the last part.
Damish chuckles a bit at her speech.
Chiro pouts in his direction. "What's the laughter for? I thought you were all peaceful and accepting, Damion."
Damish replies quietly: "No, I'm just seeing the hypocrisy in your words. Just giving some thoughtful criticism of your previous situations. And also, it's Damish, not 'Damion'."
Ulrus cuts their conversation short without any warning, her voice emotionless: "I, Ulrus, have Reason and Independent Thought, garnering my sources from studies, rather than religious or cultural engravings. Unlike what everyone says, it's not 'depressed and stupid'. It's only to live—"
Buford cuts her off. "By killing yourself, since 'everything is meaningless'."
They resume their stare-off as Reinhard and Pymei move them far from each other.
Damish finishing up their speech in a low voice. "Instructions will be given after you've chosen your teacher. Thank you for listening, you may rise."
As soon as he bows, the students begin to roam around, pondering the many options before them.
Akiro smirks. "I know where I'm going!"
She waltzes over to Reinhard and Pymei.
Shalius rolls her eyes. 'Of course you'll go there, pride is the only thing holding you from a nervous breakdown.'
Kailus remains silent along with the rest, still in thought. 'It's unfair to assume the demon's torture as a good thing. That isn't enough to repay for the thousands of years of conflict we have endured at their hands.'
Shalius stares at him. 'Kailus isn't taking the information quite well. I, too, am struggling to comprehend the tragedy that befalls our kind, but why stress over it if your heritage hasn't suffered through it? Were his ancestors in such a predicament?'
Suddenly, Reinhard calls them out. "Hey Natives, especially you angel boy, come over here and we'll teach you how to handle that anger of yours."
Damish yells: "Hey! You can't persuade them. They have to choose for themselves. Pressuring their choices is manipulation. It's their choice to—"
Pymei interrupts him. "Aww, but I think I'm a bit better off than just being all peaceful. Plus, two of the rarest races in our class? Who wouldn't want that?"
Damish squeezes his hand. "They're children and you'll treat them as such. The principal will handle any objectification of this matter if you continue this."
The two archangels groan at the mention of him.
"I'll be as direct as I can. That's honestly an achievement to make Damish mad." Buford responds.
Ulrus raises an eyebrow. "I, too, am surprised they manage to irritate him. But then again, pride is the greatest enemy to religion~."
"Shut up."
Kailus looks at the options before him. 'I really wish to join Akiro but many of my old classmates chose him as well, and I want to avoid them as much as possible. Damish's peace and acceptance really tempt me; I long for my guilt to erode and become an extrovert like Akiro—but Maumus is just as tempting~. Ugh, I guess I'll go with Damish.'
'As much as I value Kailus. I cannot follow him like a love-sick puppy.' She looks over the selective routes. 'There are many who collide with my personality; that being Ulrus, Chiro, and Buford. I long since practiced my religion, merely using it as a holiday rather than its intended purpose. For I have nothing to lose, but my sanity. I'm more of an agnostic leaning towards atheism—a centrist to say. It's a difficult decision, but I'll see what Ulrus has to offer.'
After the class is split into six groups, the teacher ensures their choice. "Are you sure this is you offer? You have thirty seconds to leave our group before we leave."
Amongst the assurance call, Reinhard whispers to Pymei. "I really wanted that chap to follow us."
Pymei mumbles back solemnly. "Yeah, he reminds me of him."
Reinhard's smile fades into a blank slate. "Stop talking about him. He wouldn't want to be a painful after-thought in your mind."
Akiro easedrops. 'Ooo~, teacher lore.'
Reinhard turns back to his class with an open grin. "DECISION IS UP. COME ON, STUDENTS TO OUR CARPET: NUMBER 44."
"Carpet 23 for us," Danish waves.
Ulrus says in a blunt, sophisticated tone, "Carpet 1."
Chiro shouts, "Carpet 67!"
Buford says with a bit of jazz, "Carpet 96!"
They go to their designated carpets. Once everyone's in place, the teachers activate the magic, as the room brightens once more.
Damish's group:
The students are in a meadow.
'Oh, this is the infamous Quiet Meadows. I've always heard great things about its beauty.'
Damish's voice enhances the peace with his calm and gentle demeanor. "We're in Quiet Meadows, Springford—the angel portion given to the Druids. We persevered and even went to great lengths to perfect it. Since we're in silence, let's relax our minds and soften our senses. Find an area to sit or stand—it wouldn't matter either way. If bugs are bothering you, I'll cast a warding spell."
Everyone finds their spot among the pulsating and vibrant ground.
Reinhard's and Pymei's group:
They're in an empty room with a push-bar door to one of the sides.
Reinhard speaks softly with a little excitement. "Now, I know that this isn't a part of religious studies, but I came here to…" he searches for an answer.
Pymei saves Reinhard. "To show the miracles God has provided over the course of history."
He smiles at her. "Thank you." He turns toward the class. "Pride's greatest motivator is your ancestors' history. That feeling when you realize your people used to conquer the world with God's will. It gives a sense of national pride and drives races like us with great energy."
They push the door to show the public library.
'My least favorite subject…'
The class follows with mild enthusiasm.
Pymei smirks smugly. "Oh, we archangels are full of history. We used to run the omegas for three straight centuries—"
Reinhard quickly shuts her off in a low tone. "And then they beat and forced our ancestors to become citizens here, but you get the point."
Reinhard coughs and declares aloud. "Well, they needed a lotta beings to best 'the great race of tomor—"
The library assistant lets out a loud shush.
Reinhard whispers, "Sorry."
The assistant nods before going back to indulge in her book.
He continues in a whisper. "So let's take a look at your ancestors, and what impossible feats they've accomplished."
Akiro smirks to herself. 'I like this man: he's strong, buff, has a handsome face, prideful but keeps it low, and his sweet body~. He's my type.'
Reinhard points to Akiro. "Let's check on yours, powerhouse Kitsuné, since you're among the most talented."
Akiro squeals within herself. 'He even pronounced my name correctly, unlike the 'religious zealot'. What a curse to be born later!'
Ulrus' Group:
Everyone is wondering where they're at and why she chose this specific place. The walls are run-down, the floors are covered with debris and insects crawling around the place.
Ulrus hasn't uttered a single word since they stepped foot. The rooms are covered with moss and mold, and some of the walls are infested with termites and genopedes.
'Given the sheer amount of rooms, the open spaces, and the many slash and burn marks; this is most likely a castle after it was raided—possibly from a revolution.'
After a while, Ulrus begins: "From what you stand was once the Ghana Family's estate, the richest human family in their respective era. Known for their virtue and vast sums of money, the people doubted their goodness, as they could not—for the better of themselves—believe a good man could be successful in a world such as Elrus."
Shalius's eyes widen when Ulrus mentions "human". She looks around, spotting rotting paintings of human portraits and ancient human inventions among the floor.
She blurts out: "Wait, s-so we're in human terri—"
Ulrus cuts her off, blade-like. "Shhh, we're currently outside the Golden Gates. We cannot be caught lest we become another prisoner by the Omegas. Shall we proceed?"
Her expression is emotionless, yet her words radiate danger. They continue to walk through this ruined palace, unaware of the future that awaits them.
Shalius shutters. 'If we're caught, we'll probably be used as sex dolls by the humans.'