First on the list: World Formation.The WardNav described it as a class where they’ll “learn about the beginnings of Earth and other planets associated with it.”Whatever the hell that meant…Rafe, Andre, Joe, and Daeran marched down a wide corridor, followed by a group of several other first-years who trailed behind them like a bunch of toadies, which might have had a lot to do with Rafe’s fight with a certain barbarian last night. Rafe should have felt like a celebrity but, having been the cream of the crop at his old Coat school, it left him feeling a bit jaded.Their GPSs led them to a five-panel door, and upon opening it, their ears were met with the sound of music, a pop song that made Rafe cringe blasting throughout the classroom. The area wasn’t as amazing as the Crystal Grotto, but there was something impressive about coating your room entirely in world maps. Talk about dedication to the cause and all that.And sitting on the desk in the front of the class was, surprisingly,
The next class was back in indoors, though, it wasn’t located in the main building this time. The first-years traveled to a greenhouse dome, not too far from the gardens.Rafe grinned down at Andre. “You owe me a hundred bucks if I fall asl-l”Before he could finish that statement, however, the room began to distort the second they took a step in. The colors of the real world evaporated into darkness before orbs of light dotted the blacked-out canvas. Three-dimensional spheres of different sizes zipped into existence.Planets and stars.The group of first-years gasped, heads twirling about as panic began to arise among them.“The fuck’s happening?” the blond superhuman spun around, fists tensed as if waiting for something for someone to suddenly attack them.“W-We’re in space!” Joe yelled, and somehow despite being in a vacuum, his voice echoed.Daeran flinched as he gazed nervously out into the void. “Something’s coming.”As if on cue, a bright light flashed before them. The illumina
It was quiet for a moment before Rafe marched up in front of Daeran, standing tall a couple of feet away from the imposing, angry wolf as he glowered back.“What the hell are you talking about?”“Did those leeches put you up to this?” Zoel pointed an accusatory finger at the blond superhuman’s face. “They’ve already got you puny squirts on your knees sucking their little dicks!?”Behind Rafe, Daeran sputtered, his trembling arms clutching the satchel tighter. “What…? I-I-”Joe raised his arms in a surrendering motion, hoping to placate the raging ninth-year. “We’re just passing through, man. Some girl just popped up here and-”“Don’t lie to me!” Zoel spat. “Those filthy bloodsuckers put you up to this, didn’t they? Stealing all our shit!”“It’s true. We haven’t even checked inside it, yet,” Andre spoke up softly, but the gamma wasn’t having it.“Yet? So, you were going to anyway!”The others protested, but Rafe rolled his eyes.Narrowed eyes threw daggers at each of the first-years. “
The intensity of the beatdown with Zoel seemed to have simmered considerably as the four first-years sat at a round table in Dalhia Diner and stuffed themselves with their most exquisite meals. Just a couple of taps and swipes on their WardNav and they had all kinds of strange-looking food on plates before them brought by a waiter or waitress, but the oddity of it all didn’t matter when the first bite made them chow down for more.“I had no idea wolves were strong like that, man!” Joe wondered aloud. “I thought they had to transform into their big, scary beast forms first.”He turned to Andre for confirmation, who just shrugged while he ate.“Really, it’s just bonus power.”“Makes me wonder how strong the rest of the Argo guys are.”Rafe had the same daunting thought circling inside his head as well. Instead of speculating on such stress, he asked, “The hell was in that bag that jackass needed to beat the shit out of us so bad for? Makes me wish I lasered the thing instead.”“It smell
“In a story, there is always the main character,” Hallsworth spoke as the class ran circles around the huge gymnasium. “An individual whose survival is vital to the narrative. They get all the luck, plot armor, and the privilege of a happy ever after as their ending. Unfortunately, this is real life, and there are no such thing as main characters in the real world. All of you are fodder, and the next time you even blink could be your last millisecond on this plane of existence. No heartfelt speeches, tearful goodbyes, or dying wishes.”Arrows – wooden ones – randomly shot from parts unknown, occasionally disrupting the pace of most of the students. Andre slightly tilted his head forward to avoid an arrow aimed at his temple as he ran, and his peers behind him stumbled back at the object whizzing by.Even though he was an omega, what he lacked in strength, his enhanced senses made up for. Sure, it didn’t stop him from getting slapped by bigger and stronger wolves, but it was excused by
Zoel snickered as he stared the blond superhuman down. “Go ahead. Use those dumb eye beams of yours again. I’ll make sure to deflect them into one of your buddies’ hearts this time.”“I don’t need them to put you down!” Rafe scoffed, watching the gamma wolf closely.His surroundings disappeared, looking for the subtlest signature of when his opponent will come after him. Eventually, there was a brief gleam in Zoel’s dark eyes, and this time, Rafe was ready when the older male finally charged. His lackeys, Kodan and Radulf de Boule, did as well, but he didn’t pay them any mind. Joe could take care of himself, but he made sure to keep a close eye on Andre.Zoel was fast on his feet, but the blond was able to move his head back away from the punch aimed at his nose. The gamma kept up with his attacks, throwing fists and legs at him every which way. Rafe did the same, skillfully switching between offense and defense each second.Meanwhile, Joe was duking it out with Kodan. Being the leane
Despite a tumultuous first day, the rest of the week seemed to pass by seamlessly – or rather, as much as it could. In Andre’s mind, the last class of the day with Miss Hallsworth made the week slog by quite a bit. He was all too happy that it was Friday.“Oh, man,” the omé let himself fall back on his bed, blowing out an exhausted breath. “I don’t think I can take another day of that class. I can’t keep walking around without being able to feel my limbs.”Rafe chuckled as he headed over to his own, taking off his sweat-drenched shirt. “Your muscles are tearing themselves apart right now, but by the end of the weekend, you’ll wake up feeling like a whole new man. Trust me on that, dude.”“Of course, you’d say that. I can’t even imagine what you’re going through. Heading to the gym after a class with Miss Hallsworth? I think we need to take you to a psychiatrist soon because that is crazy.”Although Andre couldn’t help but let his eyes roam over his best friend’s body, his stomach stir
“Three and a half hours,” their lion shifter coach, named Sarabi, spoke near-monotonously as they moved toward the edge of the War Field. “That’s how long this whole thing will take. Six groups for six tests, and you’ve just done two. Which calculates to thirty-five minutes a station. Thankfully, Emais is strict when it comes to time, so this won’t take a second more.“Okay, so, luckily for us, we get the boring part over with early. You’ll be completing a brief written exam. And I use the term ‘exam’ loosely. It’s just a test of intelligence, where you’re currently at mentally, and what your abilities are.“There’s right or wrong, but none of it’s for a grade or anything like that. If you do exceptionally well at this but fail at all the others, you can still be useful. Brains over brawns is how the saying goes, so remember that. Let’s take it to the shed.”Rafe made sure to pace in front of the group as they all followed Coach Sarabi to a single-story structure just a few feet away