A dark and cold cave laid ahead. A scene unfamiliar to Avures's eyes. Though he tried to remember what he was here for or why, nothing could be ascertained. He was alone. There was no one around him, and nothing to note in the distance. He was free to do as he pleased, but the cave called forth. A guiding sense led Avures forward. Step after step, he carefully went deeper and deeper. No light was ahead, but he followed the instinct that gripped his mind. The drought of light ended as a dim visage lay ahead. The shadows and darkness cleared out of his eyes as Avures stepped into a strangely formed room within the cavern.

"Dark omens, barren futures, the obelisk of corruption, the sigil of change..." A soft voice spoke. Avures could recognize the figure. The same one from before, though he had no clue of her name or origin. She paid no head to Avures's presence, instead, pointing at what laid ahead.

A pillar of purple and black looked to be lodged into the earth at a slight angle. The purple areas seemed gem-like, and had a subtle radiance to them that seemed to brighten and darken at intervals. The blackness was unwavering, and felt cold. Carved into said blackness was a symbol. Lined in white chalk, as if to stand out against the pillar, a diamond-shape was drawn. This shape held a multitude of intersecting and dividing lines which had symmetries throughout.

Avures could feel a pounding sensation course throughout his body as he stepped closer to it. The glowing of the purple-like surface reminded him much of his own heartbeat. Avures looked back at the girl. She stared back, not saying anything. He took a few more steps forward. The pounding started to feel more intrusive. The intensity of it was almost overwhelming. Avures was finally close enough to reach his hand out. His fingertips moved slowly, and finally made contact with the obelisk...

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"Hey! Avures, get up!" Rael said loudly, shoving Avures over and over again with urgency. Avures groaned and shot up. It was pretty normal for Rael to wake him up in such a manner. She always went to wake him up with a similar manner, as if the world were ending or something. On the other hand, Rael couldn't understand how easy it was for Avures to just keep sleeping during a new day.

"I get it, I get it." Avures turned and stepped off the bed. He took a gaze at the window at Rael's side of the room. That early, orange glow shined through the glass.

"I don't think you do get it. Today's our first day at the academy!" Rael grinned ear to ear.

"What?"

"Oh if it was up to you...you'd still be sleeping in that bed. Classic Avures. Always looking like he just woke up."

"I did just wake up."

"Well duh-...I just mean...you always lack that excitement. Especially for something so life-changing." Rael walked over to her side of the room and pulled out her clothes from her dresser.

"If you're worried about what I'm feeling...I guess I'm pretty excited. Maybe nervous too." Avures responded, mirroring Rael's actions on his side of the room. They both looked away from each other as they started to change clothes.

"You never show it." Rael said.

"Is that a problem?" Avures asked.

"Not for me. I feel like I get you pretty well, being your only friend and all, but other people could get the wrong idea about you." Rael explained. She finished dressing and started to brush her crimson red hair using her mirror.

"It's just unnecessary, that's all." Avures shrugged as he finished getting dressed. He looked in the mirror. His hair looked a little messier than normal, so he just started patting it down where he could.

"See… You say that sometimes, but I still don't get it." Rael replied. As she finished brushing her long red hair, she pulled out a hair tie and started fashioning it all into a ponytail.

"Well… It's like-" Avures stopped. The door to their room suddenly burst open. The two teenagers didn't stop their routine, but they did look over to see who was there.

"Oy, everyone else is waiting on you two. Care to hurry it up a bit?" A voice sighed into the room accompanying the sound of their door swinging open. A somewhat lanky man was standing in the doorway. His hair was a pure white color and was messy much like Avures's hair. His eyes were a deep blue, and his facial features were somewhat soft looking. His skin was pale and fair. His attire consisted of a dark blue cloak draped overtop of a purple dyed piece of leather armor. His leggings seemed to consist of the same type of armor, but they were black colored instead. And lastly he wore a pair of black boots as well.

"Sorry, sir!" Rael squeaked out, rushing to finish her ponytail. Avures walked over to the door, already finished with his routine. Rael soon joined him. The man looked over both of them and smiled. Rael and Avures cautiously moved to the door. Avures looked nervous, and so did Rael, but she had a bit of hopefulness within her eyes, enough for Avures to at least feel a little better.

"Alright. Follow me." The man waved behind him, walking out into the hall. The two of them were hardly a step behind, eager to walk into the future. As they exited their room and closed the door behind them, they were greeted to the sight of a few other people who seemed to be new students just like them.

The first was a boy dressed in a beat-up pair of brown overalls and a white shirt with several holes and stained with dirt. His hair was a shoulder-length, bright and light blue color, just like his eyes. His skin was relatively tanned and was littered with cuts, bruises, and scars. The way his facial features looked made it seem like he was fairly confident and full of hate. He sat against the wall of the hallway, staring at the ground as he waited.

The second person they noticed was another boy who seemed to be the exact opposite from the first. He wore a white suit which gave off a sort of regal aesthetic. He had somewhat curly blonde-hair which reached down to his shoulders. His gaze had soft, hazel colored eyes. And he was pale and seemed to look soft. He made a glance at Rael and Avures, but quickly glanced off.

The third was a girl who was dressed in a purple garb which seemed to have some nuance in it like the blonde boy's clothes. In fact, her clothes, eyes, and hair were monochromatic. Her complexion was lighter than the dirty looking boy, but darker than the blonde one. Her eyes were fixed on Avures and Rael. She had a cold, angry looking face that seemed like it could freeze lava with just a glance.

And lastly, the fourth was another boy who had short brown hair which looked well-combed. He wore a humble looking garb that looked similar to Avures's and Rael's clothes. His eyes were also a brown color, and seemed to give off a bored stare. His complexion was tan, and he hardly looked like a standout compared to the other three.

Lots of looks were exchanged between all of them, but was soon broken by the man's request for them all to follow him. Obliging, they all walked behind the man while keeping a certain distance from each other. Rael and Avures walked closely together, and they quickly caught on that the other four must not know each other at all. Rael was thankful to at least have Avures with her, but Avures was indifferent as usual. There was a strange animosity. None of them quite knew what was happening yet. They didn't stare at each other, but they were very mindful of each step and movement taken. There was no doubt, they were all nervous.

Traveling down the same halls as before, they eventually ended up in the entrance area of the academy. From there, the man led them down a different path which seemed to be more in the center of the academy. A few more minutes, and the group stood at a pair of large doors. The man leading them pushed through and opened the doors. The teenagers were greeted to the sight of a large, open arena.

The ground was a light brown, much like sand or packed dirt. There were walls which circled around the area. This wall looked to be made of a light marble material, and on top of the wall appeared to be some chairs. The area was quite large, so much so it baffled Avures. The size of the Academy didn't seem to align with the size of this room. Just where were they? In the middle of the room stood a figure. Leading them closer to the center, the teenagers managed to get a good look at her.

She had white hair in the same sort of tone as the man leading the teens, though hers was long and put into a ponytail. Her eyes were a sharp, light green, and her skin was a dark brown complexion. Her face looked soft looking, but had several scars overtop of her nose and cheeks. The scars seemed to also be along her arms and legs as well, as far as they could all see. Her outfit seemed to consist of several beaten, worn, and heavy-looking pieces of steel armor with a torn-up red gambeson underneath. She had a pair of gauntlets, boots, and a chest-plate, but the state it was in left her arms, lower torso, and legs exposed. She was wearing undergarments, a pair of black boxers, but her somewhat voluptuous form was already exposed with her risqué fashion choice.

Eventually, they all reached the center of the room. The man who led them placed himself to the side of the woman, and all of the teenagers lined up in a silent agreement. The woman scanned the six teenagers. It was hard for them to tell what she was thinking, but it wouldn't be a mystery for long.

"Well. It seems that there's nothing too out of the ordinary between you all. Welcome to Lancer Academy. My name is Grula Lakentos. You will call me Miss Grula." The woman announced in a gruff voice, pointing her thumb at herself. She then pointed to the man. "This is Zen. You will refer to him as Mister Zen. We're going to be your teachers for the next four years that you're here. I'll teach you how to fight with a weapon. He'll teach you how to use magic. Any questions so far?"

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The room was silent. Her voice had practically boomed throughout the arena. All of the teens looked around at each other for a brief moment, not really sure if they needed to say or ask anything...except for Rael and Avures who both raised their hands.

"You. Red hair girl." Grula called out while pointing at Rael. Avures lowered his own hand and watched.

"So...excuse me for asking, but what exactly is a 'Lancer'?" Rael carefully worded aloud. The dirty looking boy let out a chuckle, and the other teens seemed a little confused by the question.

"A Lancer is a specialist who solves problems that normal guards or soldiers cannot. This can range from tracking down criminals and killing them to doing mundane tasks. There's a broad horizon...But basically, any problem that arises which falls past the expertise of guards or soldiers comes to Lancers who can contract themselves out to solve it." Grula explained.

"Anyone can become a Lancer as long as you get a license. Think of the Academy as a fast and sure-fire way to become qualified. The caveat being we usually only take those with an inherent knack for magic or martial prowess… And that it takes four years." Zen chimed in.

"I hope that answers your question." Grula stated, looking at Rael. Rael nodded, thinking about what they said. Grula then pointed to Avures, whose question had shifted a little after hearing their response.

"Oh, uh...so...why four years? I mean as in being our teacher for that long...and I guess also for being here." Avures carefully spoke.

"It's so that we can mold you to be your best without any interference or switching of goals by other teachers. And consider this. Four years is a short time to become qualified for a Lancer license." Grula replied. Avures almost went wide-eyed. Four years is a 'short time'. A silence hung in the air before Grula nodded.

"Alright. We're gonna have all of you introduce yourselves now. You all are going to be spending the next four years with each other as well. So, it'll be good for you all to get along." Zen beamed. He pointed at Rael. "We'll start with you and go down the line. Tell us your name, where you're from, and something about yourself!-"

"Is this really necessary?" The boy with the short brown hair groaned. Zen didn't say anything in response, opting to stare him in the eyes instead. The boy reared his head back after a moment, and then bowed his head. Zen then signaled for Rael to step forward.

Rael hummed and turned towards everyone else. Everyone looked at her, waiting for what she was going to say. She rubbed her chin for a second to show she was thinking before speaking.

"My name is Rael. Uh...I'm from an orphanage in Kakodo Village. And...uh...my favorite food is beef stew!" Rael grinned ear to ear, struggling to come up with something. Still, she held the smile and walked back beside Avures, who was now up. Avures took a few steps forward. He stared at the other four teens he didn’t know.

"My name is Avures...I'm also from the same place as Rael. I...don't really have anything interesting to say." Avures’s gaze shifted away as he started to murmur. He walked back to Rael's side. Zen shrugged and Grula didn't seem too interested, but it was now the blonde guy’s turn.

"My name is Ventrix Felsta. I come from one of the Felsta houses south of here. And I have a particular love for playing the violin." The blonde boy, Ventrix, placed his right hand upon his heart. The teachers raised their eyebrows at Ventrix’s manners. Though, the other three teens who hadn't gone yet rolled their eyes.

"My name is Olicia Yulva. I'm from Mudstow, a place located in the swamps some ways away. Something to know about me is this.’ The purple-haired girl walked forward. She then turned and lifted up her hair, revealing a black symbol in the shape of an eye. "Pretty cool, right? Boom, Demon Sigil."

Olicia’s lips curled into a cocky smile as her vision narrowed down onto Ventrix. Afterwards, Olicia walked back into her spot and waited. The other four teenagers seemed a little confused, but Grula and Zen looked at each other with wide eyes. Ventrix didn’t give off any sort of reaction, but had stared back at her.

"Seems like we got the real characters this time around." Grula sighed and rubbed her temples. She then gestured for the next one. The dirty looking boy. He practically jumped out from the line and began.

"My name is Bif. Short and sweet. I'm from here, as in the capital. And I like to scrap. I could probably beat any one of you up." The boy’s lips curled into a wide smile as he pointed at all the other teens. He then took his place back in the line while looking pretty proud of himself. Then the last boy walked up.

"The name's Lylas. I'm also from Palmenae, no connection to the loudmouth. And uh, oh yeah, you don't need to know any sort of thing about me." The brown-haired boy cast his gaze downwards and waved the attention off of him. Bif stared daggers at him, but Lylas paid no heed as he walked back into his spot.

"Hm. Alright then. Rael, Avures, Ventrix, Olicia, Bif, and Lylas...just so you know what you're all getting into, I'm going to lay it out. This is phase one of your first year. For the next three months, we're going to be getting you all into shape, mentally and physically. And during that, you'll be learning the basics of magic and combat. It's going to be hard, and grueling. Regardless of your current knowledge or skill level, you will all go through this as if you are a beginner." Grula’s demeanor and command created an oppressive atmosphere.

"Even though Lancers tend to work solo at higher levels, this is a team affair. A certain level of cohesion is needed, along with the ability to form cohesion in the first place. Which means that Miss Grula and I will settle disputes in whatever way we see fit if it comes to that." Zen added in.

"That's right. Let me say this. Making mistakes is natural. But if you make problems for others, or disregard Mister Zen or I...there will be consequences. Understood?" Grula finished, staring daggers at the students. All of them nodded their heads. With that, Grula smirked and turned around. She walked towards the edge of the wall and, much to the surprise of Rael and Avures, jumped at least fifteen feet into the air and overtop the wall. She then reached behind one of the chairs and pulled out a wooden crate. It was quite large, at least almost twice her size.

Then, with a large heave, Grula threw the box straight at Zen. Zen caught it with ease and then sat it down with a thud. Grula then hopped from the top of the wall and back to where she previously was standing. This was, still to the shock of Rael and Avures who had only recently been exposed to this type of physicality. The two of them were left speechless and breathless. Grula lifted the lid off and revealed its contents. Clothes and books.

"These," Grula began by lifting up one of the books. "Are guides to the Academy. Though it may seem a little impersonal and strange, it has a map of the grounds and academy itself along with descriptions of every place here. It also describes some of the people you might meet here. The headmaster, other teachers, yada-yada."

Grula then tossed a book to every one of the teens. It caught most of them off-guard with just how heavy it was.

"And then there's these. Official uniforms. This is a 'school', so you'll wear these any time we're teaching in a real classroom. Oh, and don't worry about size. They're enchanted so that they'll fit your shape. But much like the rest of these clothes, make sure you send them to the janitors so they get washed. The enchantment will amplify any smells it obtains after a week without being washed. It's to let you know they’re dirty and smelly of course… But uh. It reeks." Grula explained, handing out three sets of them to each student.

The uniforms themselves were a dark blue vest with buttons, a white undershirt with buttons, a red tie, a pair of dark blue pants (or skirt), and finally a pair of black loafers.

"And this stuff is training gear. It's pretty special, so I'll have Mister Zen explain it." Grula said, handing out five sets of the gear to the students.

"Ahem. So, at a glance, this is a set of leather armor. It's fairly lightweight, and also fits the wearer. However, the intricate part of it is the set of enchantments lining it. The first, and primary, effect is to artificially increase its weight and strain on the wearer based on the amount of mana deposited into it. The secondary effect is to increase its resilience and protective aspects based on the mana deposited within as well. Make no mistake, this is purely for training purposes and has no practical use outside of just that...also it will smell bad as well if you do not wash it." Zen explained as the outfits were handed out.

"At some point, you'll be able to commission armor pieces to be specially made, but that's some ways down the line. Any questions?" Grula asked. The teens all looked at each other as they all held a large stack of clothes in their arms. After a period of silence, Zen put the lid back on the box and carried it away.

"Also, if you wish to change roommates, just let one of us know. It just occurred to me that I had both girls sharing rooms with guys. I can fix that if needed." Grula spoke.

"No thanks." Rael shook her head. "Avures would be pretty lost without me."

"Shit." Olicia whispered under her breath. Though, upon hearing Rael's words, Bif let out a quiet laugh.

"Hmm. Alright. Mister Zen and I are going to let you guys go do whatever. Your first, official, day will be tomorrow. Come dressed up in your training gear and be ready to exercise. Oh, and breakfast is at eight in the morning, lunch is at noon, and dinner at six. Class dismissed." Grula briefly explained. And just as quickly as it all started, it ended for the day.

The suddenness of the end of their orientation felt strange, but the teens were pretty glad to have the rest of their day open. After-all, even in a school that isn't traditional, it felt all the same. While Grula and Zen reconvened and started to talk, the six of the students carried their new belongings to their dorm rooms. As they were all about to head into their respective rooms, Rael looked out the window at the end of the hall. It was still early in the day. Come to think of it, Rael realized it must be breakfast soon. Everyone was slowly entering their rooms...

"Hey! Wait!" Rael frantically waved towards the other five of them. They all turned to look, stopping their movements. "Why don't we all eat breakfast together? Ya know...as classmates."

"I like that idea." Ventrix replied with a slight smile.

"Sure, let's do it." Olicia glanced off and shrugged.

"Gross. But, yeah." Lylas rolled his eyes.

"You had me at ‘eat’." Bif tossed his new items into his room without any hesitation or care.

"Hey jackass! That's my room too. Put that away!" Lylas shouted in response to Bif's actions.

"Pf. Shut-up..." Bif huffed as both he and Lylas entered their room to put their stuff away.

"I give it a day." Olicia shook her head.

"Two hours." Rael predicted, holding up her two fingers. Avures and Ventrix looked at each other and shrugged. The rest of them put their stuff away as well and rejoined in the hall. The day was still young, and the students would see to it that they at least got to know each other a little better.