The coliseum on Death Peak was bustling with activity as people came to see the new crop of the Academy enter the power rankings. Near the entrance, a boy and a girl conversed in serious tones.
“Have you found him yet?” Adeline asked with a worried expression.
“No, he hasn’t even come to the dorm since he went to find Sejus on the last day of school,” Peter answered. “But on the way here, I found churros!”
In his hands appeared two steaming churros with so much cinnamon it made some of the people around the two drool. Adeline’s face turned ugly, and she slapped him on the side of his head.
“Why the hell are you looking for churros?!” she scolded fiercely, “Garth is still out there! Who knows where that crazy geezer took him?! He may be cold, scared, alone...”
But as Adeline's voice trailed off while she thought of all the horrible things that could have happened to Garth, a voice resounded from behind her.
“Or, you know, I could be right behind you?” the voice suggested.
Adeline spun around. In front of her appeared a disheveled young man with rags for clothes and bedraggled hair. Nonetheless, the distraught appearance could not hinder Garth from swaying the hearts of women with his chiseled cheeks and deep, blue eyes.
“Garth!” both Peter and Adeline exclaimed, relieved that their friend was still alive.
Garth smiled at his friends, “Come on, I have to register, then let’s go find some seats.”
Walking into the coliseum, Garth glanced at the ranking board for freshmen.
Surprised, Garth muttered, “I’m second among the freshmen?”
“Humph, of course you are. Did you think everyone makes it to the peak of the second stage in their first year? I’m more surprised that you didn’t take first place,” Adeline snorted.
“Ah, how the heavens are unfair. Can you give me some of your talent, Garth?” Peter complained.
“As if. You’d probably just waste it anyway,” Garth replied with a chuckle before he returned his gaze to the rankings.
“But third and fifth place are rather troublesome…” he muttered.
Adeline sighed, then said, “Sorry that he’s such a pain in the-“
“Cousin! There you are! I saved us seats, so join me. I’ll help you get rid of those plebeians as well,” an arrogant voice interrupted behind them.
“Look, Adeline, it’s true that if you talk about the devil enough he’ll show up,” Peter cursed under his breath as he turned around with his two friends.
A scrawny figure wearing pure white robes appeared from the masses, with several people following him, and stood before the three friends. He had long, brown, curly hair that parted at the forehead to reveal a bony face with an arrogant smile. The boy had brown eyes, thin eyebrows, and an abnormally long nose. He looked average, almost ugly, but no one dared to tell him that because he was the heir to the Washington Family: Gregory Washington.
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After he gave Adeline a quick grin, Gregory turned to Garth and Peter and sneered, “Hurry up and bug off you pieces of shit. You think that you’re worthy of the privilege of associating yourselves with my cousin?!”
“Shut the…” Peter began to rage, before he was stopped by Garth.
“We understand, Sir Gregory. My friend and I will be going now,” Garth said politely.
Then, he turned toward the registration area and pulled Peter away. Gregory was surprised, but covered it up quickly with an arrogant sneer.
As he watched Garth and Peter walk off, Gregory said, “Now, cousin let’s-“
But Adeline had walked off, following her friends, and left Gregory to choke on his words. When she caught up to them, Garth turned around with an innocent face.
“Oh dear,” he said. “It would seem that, even though we left, Lady Adeline would rather accompany us than a sniveling ingrate like you.”
As the words resounded, everyone within earshot nearly tripped over themselves as they stared at Garth, mouths agape. Even the offended Gregory, and Garth’s friends, Adeline and Peter, were no exception. Gregory Washington, heir of the Washington Family, had never been so blatantly insulted in his life. Where he walked, men worshipped, and where he sat, women prayed to the heavens! And yet, the nobody who stood before him dared to insult him.
“How dare you!” Gregory seethed, “I am a chosen one! Lightning fell, the oceans roiled, and even the wind howled in worship at my birth! Who are you to dare insult me?!”
But his boasts were met with the deadpan, unimpressed face of Garth, who replied monotonously, “Oh, just Garth. Lightning did not fall at the moment of my birth, nor did the wind howl or the waves churn. Are you sure they weren’t just cursing that such a bastard came into existence when you were born?”
This time, everyone around the ranking boards stumbled in disbelief. Not only had this seven year old insulted Gregory Washington, he had done it twice. Gregory’s mouth was agape, and as he tried to retort, the words got stuck in his throat. Seeing the fool stutter and fail to speak, Garth rolled his eyes and walked off to register for the competition.
Meanwhile, within the crowd, Merlin Tesla watched the proceedings with a malicious smile on his face. With his long, wavy, white blond hair waving behind him, Merlin sauntered over to Gregory.
“Young Master Gregory…”