(Author's note: This is my first time writing a novel and in all honesty, it probably won't be as good as other things you have read but I'm still gonna try and improve through this. Also there is alot of info dumped in this prologue about the world in this novel)
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: Only Love can do that" – Martin Luther King Jr
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His sharp and intimidating footsteps reverberated through the room as he entered.
His sharp gaze seemed to almost cut through the current atmosphere as the freshman and their newly formed friends shut their mouths in almost unison. Nobody could make a sound.
Nobody dared to make a sound.
His menacing eyes scanned the room, stopping once or twice on a few people before immediately moving on to the next. His expression remained cold and unreadable until finally his gaze landed on an empty seat at the very rear end of the class.
He continued, striding to the back of the classroom towards the seat his gaze had landed on. Some looked down in fear as he passed them. The girls seemed to silently admire his crimson pupils and his striking facial feature that made him eligible to perform as a model.
Upon reaching the seat, he pulled back the chair and sat on it, looking out the window adjacent to him, in seeming disinterest.
The atmosphere of the classroom soon returned to normal and the voices of many students could be heard as they began to form groups with their new-found friends.
Eventually another person entered the class with a great smile, clear excitement could be discerned from his eyes. His good looks too, while not as pronounced as the crimson-eyed boy before, was enough to make the girls blush, their cheeks turning a great shade of pink. His most admirable feature was his eyes that seemed to shine in a blueish hue.
The crimson eyed boy too, took a glance at the new entry, an expression leaving as soon as it came upon his cold profile, almost as though he knew of him.
"So, he has finally arrived", The red-eyed boy thought to himself, "And so begins the First Arc."
The boy quickly redirected his attention back to the view out the window. The azure- eyed boy, who didn't seem to notice his gaze, quickly found himself a place among some other classmates of which, he was eager to befriend.
Five minutes had passed before the bell rang, forcing the students to stop interacting with each other and take their seats.
A man soon walked in sporting a brownish coat with professor paths, carrying some papers and files in his right hand. Heavy bags formed around his eyes as though he hadn't slept for the past few weeks.
He walked towards the front-centre of the class where a podium stood and placed the files he carried upon it for him to read aloud.
"I will now be calling out your names for attendance, if you are present, stand up and state that you are present", he articulated with clear laziness that eliciting some judgmental looks from a few students.
"Felicia Harding"
"Present", A brown haired girl with emerald eyes stood up. Her proclamation seemed to cause a slight reaction from an individual at the rear which was failed to be detected by any other classmates as he stared out the window
The professor continued to say announce more names and one by one students continued to show their presence one by one
"Chase Graystone"
"Present", This time a brown eyed boy stood up to respond once again causing a response from a disinterested individual.
"Reinhardt Starfall", the professor announced, this time with more interest in this student than before.
"Present", The azure eyed student shouted with much more gusto than any of the previous students.
The red eyed pupils pulled its emotionless gaze towards the assertion of the boy named Reinhardt. His unwavering gaze seemed to scrutinize every fraction of being of Reinhardt.
The professor soon took his sights off Reinhardt and was about to announce the next name on the list before realizing who it was. With a brief pause he uttered.
"Raymond Darkborne", at the mention of his name, the entirety of the class descended into complete silence.
As he rose, Raymond observed the reactions of the rest of the class. Few began to whisper amongst each other, Others showed expressions interest and all of them felt fear. All except for the unknowing and naïve protagonist, Reinhardt who didn't seem to pick on what was going on and still only had a smile on his face from the excitement he felt.
"Present", Raymond said indifferently.
"Everything seems to be going as I had written it before", Raymond thought to himself as he seated himself back down. "That should be the end of role call and the first meeting between Raymond and Reinhardt."
However contrary to his expectations, one more name was announced by the professor
"Elizabeth Evernight".
Raymond's eyebrows furrowed at the mention of her name. His usually calm mind was now thrown into chaos as he stared at the girl who stood up.
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Mere words could not even begin to describe the majestic beauty. Her silver hair seemed to flowed gracefully as she stood up. Her silver eyes were like diamonds adorned unto her porcelain face.
"Present", She stated, her voice captivating the attention of everyone in the class including Reinhardt who didn't seem to care for beauty normally.
She glanced at the back of the class, meeting the crimson intensity of Raymond's gaze. Complex emotions seemed to pass through her face for an instance but went by unnoticed.
Raymond's mind descent into anarchy as he muttered to himself
"She shouldn't be here"
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"She shouldn't be here", is probably what he is thinking.
I sat back down in my seat ignoring the boys who gawked at me, some with lust others simply admiring my beauty.
"This is only the beginning," I reminded myself.
A part of me wanted to run to Raymond and cry in his lap. Another part wanted to angry because of everything he hid from me.But he can't know, not yet at least
This story must find its end and the author must bring it to its end himself, I'm only here to ensure that the ending he brings us to will be a good one.
As I felt his gaze at the back of my head, complicated emotions began to flow through me. I wasn't sure what I felt towards him now after finding out everything.
"Now as everyone know", The Professor started, snapping me out of my thoughts, "That in this world exists mana, and essentially mana is the base energy that led to the creation of this universe though it is not the only type of energy that exist, mana is the most powerful and everlasting of all those energies and can be used as a fuel for different types of technology."
"However, we cannot simply manipulate mana as we wish, it is mana itself that grants us the knowledge to use its power. However not everyone can use it the same way others can as mana grants us the knowledge to how we can use its power in the best way suited for each individual. Some may be able to manipulate elements, others can maybe augment themselves in armour, and all this is represented through the colour of your eyes. Now the colour of your pupils essentially determines the way in mana has allowed you to use it and since humans discovered this, we have recorded every colour of eyes and the ability that it corresponds to. But even after hundreds of years of recording, there are still irregularities where the colour of your doesn't always corresponds the ability you are supposed to use and to this day there are still eye colours we have never seen before, a few of home are in this class room," The professor briefly glanced at two students in particular, Reinhardt and Raymond
"And of course just because you have the same eye colour as another doesn't mean you can be as strong as them," he continued, lazily, "How strong you will become depends on how talented you are, And as you get stronger, the progress can be seen through your eyes as they absorb mana, the intensity and clarity they have will change accordingly, which is why we have designated ranks for these changes",
He took a brief pause to yawn, causing some of the prouder students to feel disgruntled.
"Haaa , anyway some humans have evolved due to their increased affinity with mana creating the different races that exists today, elves dwarves, subterranean etc, etc", he explained thoroughly unmotivated." And humanity has faced many challenges since then due to the tension between races and the constant dangers of Mana beasts,"
A seemingly unimportant raised their hand to ask a question.
"How did mana beasts come into existence in the first place?" he asked.
"Well, that's simply because animals have much more affinity with mana than humans have so they evolved much more powerfully becoming mana beasts and similarly their power level of their rank is also not equal to humans, i.e. One ranked 4 mana beast is more powerful than one ranked 4 human."
"Anyway that sums up most of everything and its simply this academy known as Moros academy, one of the most prestigious academies in the world located in the city of Alder, that helps students understand mana and go get jobs as soldiers, engineers, doctors etc, etc.", He said ending his speech unenthusiastically.
Of course, everything that he said was something I already learnt a long time ago or should say would've learnt far into the future
I glanced towards Reinhardt, free of the burning gaze of Raymond who seems to have held himself back from staring at me. Different emotions seemed to surface as I looked at Reinhardt in his aura of excitement, the primary one being pity.
"This is only the beginning", he seemed to say under his breath. I already knew what he was going to say. How could I not? After all I'd seen it before
I adjusted my neck to capture Raymond in my vision as he too stared at Reinhardt. Clearly knowing what Reinhardt was saying, after all he wrote it. He too repeated it under his breath
"This was only the beginning"
That's right
This is only the beginning, of all horrors that are to come.
"This is only the beginning", I whispered