Perseus Academy

"Ok, Ebony, this is it. Blow the candles!" A slightly overweight woman told her daughter with excitement in her voice. Ebony took a deep breath, but a knock at the door interrupted her. Her father opened the door. There was a tall and dark figure, who gave him a letter. The man opened it. "Ebony, it's for you!" The little girl didn't say anything. She didn't look shocked at all, her face remained emotionless. She slowly approached to her dad, who gave her the letter.

After she read it, Ebony looked at her dad and gave him a hug. She did the same with her mother, who asked "What's the matter?"
Her parents read the letter too. They understood that their daughter had to leave them.

Ebony took the stranger's hand. After a matter of time she was standing in front of the gates. The girl looked back to see the stranger, who was gone. She ran trough the hallway and suddenly stopped and looked around. Ebony didn't know where the rooms were. She was lost in the building and wandered inside for half an hour. Her heart was pounding, but her face was calm. There were other people passing by, but the little girl didn't have enough courage to ask them for directions.

As the man led Cassia up the stair he suddenly stopped as if sensing something amiss. A long groan was issued from the confine of the Messenger's hood.

"Fools are they..." Was murmured as the man swiftly descended the stairs and fetched a boy in one of the dark alcoves of the entry hallway. That boy was called Brenner and was promptly abandoned by his guide as soon as he arrived in the dark room. "Come, boy, we must fetch two lost lambs before we meet the Headmaster."

With that said, the trio set out up the grand stairway of the strangely symmetrical building, under the stern glare of past heroes painted on the round walls. After a dizzying amount of turning and twisting corridor they came about two very young girls.

"Come, I will be your guide as my foolish colleagues were not fit to lead you, apparently." This was said in a sullen time as the man gestured for the girls to also follow him.

A few moments were passed in relative silence as the group walked down corridor, ascended stairs and passed through bridges giving to emptiness before they reached a richly decorated door made of solid wood and precious metals. Knocking in an elaborate manner, the Messenger awaited an assent to enter from inside before opening the double doors with ease despite their heavy looks.

"The children have arrived, Headmaster." Said the man to an elderly gentleman sitting on an ornate chair behind an equally ornate desk. The older man was writing something with a quill on a similar vellum than the one having been used for the summon and did not look up from his task before the children started to fidget. Finally acknowledging his guests, the man pierced each of the children with his gaze, as if weighting their worth. Nodding once, he started talking with a surprisingly deep voice for his apparent age.

"Welcome to Perseus Academy, young ones, today you will be tested on your current abilities and will be given your quarters, complete with a change of uniform and necessities. We will start with the magical test, touch this orb, if you are indeed future heroes it will glow, confirming your innate magical abilities. Do not fear if you did not notice it earlier as that talent only appear on one's seventh birthday." Paracelsus said, holding out a bright orb made of an unknown material. As he put it on a pillow by his desk, it grew dark.

Nobody seemed keen to touch the orb, so Ansha hesitantly stepped forward. She kept trying to remember she was the daughter of two powerful gypsies, but a small voice in her head kept reminding her she was in fact adopted. As she reached out a pale hand to touch the spherical device, her hand was shaking. Two deep breaths, and her hand touched the ball.

A sudden warmth spread through her hand, but the orb didn't glow at all that brightly. In fact, it seemed to be vaguely flickering. Was she that weak? She jerked her hand away from the orb, stepping back to the group. Her eyes were tearing up but she swallowed hard, not letting them fall.

Being that his parents slept well beyond the time for waking due to their constant struggle with work, Isaiah had the liberty of being awake by his lonesome.
On this particular day, a knock on the door did not seem all that mysterious. Perhaps it was one of his friends wishing him a happy birthday, or a family member stopping by to deliver a wondrous gift.
On this day, he had been promised to be taken to the fields for training, so he woke and outfitted himself in his full attire. His gemshorne hung around his neck, and swayed with his steps.
His sword draped across his back, he always struggled to get his baldric to fit correctly on his small body.
Isaiah stepped across his living quarters with the notion that someone familiar would be on the other side.
Naturally, he reached for the door knob and turned it joyfully. Although, what awaited him was frightening, rather than joyful. He clutched the hilt of his dagger aptly, but listened to the well cloaked man as he spoke.
"Perseus Academy?" He whispered upon the completion of the man's words.
This was a chance he had waited for, the chance to be trained in the arts that make boys men. He aspired his entire youth to become a hero, and this was his golden, shimmering opportunity.

Isaiah loosened his grip on his weapon, and glanced back at into his home. It wasn't as if he had any options at this point. Step forth and endeavor in the opportunity of fate, or die a convict of this academy. Even his young mind could comprehend this in convenience.
Without hesitation, he extended his hand out to the man, and muttered quietly, "I ..will come along."

He followed the man throughout the tangled halls of this school without notice of his peers. This was his destiny, to become a hero, or die trying. Naively blinded by this, he listened to the headmaster speak of this orb, and decidedly refrained from touching it.
Fear bellowed through his body as if a fowl wind had swept by. He suddenly felt ill and disoriented. What if the sphere did not glow? What if he was not destined to become a hero?
In spite of this, he choked down the notion of such after the girl had touched the device.
He stepped forward, and slid his palm somewhat eagerly over the sphere, awaiting a response.

..for the first few moments, it did not react. This sent a burst of fright through the young boy's body. However, given a moment, the orb flickered lightly.
It did not resonate as strongly as he had hoped. He did not know the meaning of the lackluster glow.

Isaiah turned to the girl, Ansha, and gave a slight smirk. Looking to all of the other students first, his eyes finally reach the Headmaster, awaiting some sort of reply or confirmation.

When Ariadne opened her eyes she was shocked to be in such an unfamiliar place. The trip had taken a blink of her eye, but this new place was so strange. As she lifted her hands and rubbed her face she still felt the cold sensation from the Messenger's grip. However, when she looked around the cloaked guide was no where to be found. Before her was a set of two large oak doors. Ornate iron knockers in the shape of fierce lion heads hung just out of her reach. As she stretched up to take one, the door opened before her, revealing a grand entry way. The room was dark, candles hung off the walls casting light in round spots on the floor. She looked back once more to the darkness behind her as a chill ushered her to enter the building.
Her small shoes tapped against the aged marble floors as she cautiously entered. A loud smacking sound caused her to leap from her skin as the door swung shut behind her.
The small girl trembled as she wandered closer into the building, and watched as the candles lit themselves down a corridor to the left. After rubbing her eyes she realized, they were in fact urging her to take that hall. Meekly she followed the strange series of light until l she reached another large wooden door. This one too opened before her as she peeked her head in.

In the large room she saw the messenger that had brought her, an elderly man, and a few children. They were huddled around a ball that glowed every once and a while. Quietly she stepped in, gripped her arms behind her back as she trembled slightly with fear.
"Hello..." she peeped, "Where am I...?"

Brenner watched with interest as each new student went forward to touch the strange orb. The orb flickered and glowed differently with each person who touched it, and he wondered if it was because of different types of magic that flowed through them. After most of the others had already gone forward, Brenner realized it was time for him to do so as well.

He stepped silently towards the orb and placed a hand that he hoped was not visibly shaking on it. A very faint, almost undetectable light started in the center of the orb, and as he stared at it the light grew slowly but steadily brighter and brighter. He was captivated by the sight of it, by what it meant. It was true, he had magic, and now he could feel it in the warmth of his fingers touching the glowing orb. Any doubt he had felt about coming with the Messenger who had found him on the rooftop vanished. Brenner was supposed to be here.

Backing away from the orb, Brenner nodded a silent hello to Ari. He could see worry written on her face. In fact, he saw it on most of their faces. Even Cassia, although she was almost successful at trying to hide it. It was a new and terrifying and exciting experience for all of them, he was sure. He had never really had friends before, but he had a feeling that this whole thing was going to be a lot easier if they didn't do it alone. He looked to the Headmaster, waiting for him to say something.

A slow smile spread over the Headmaster's face as he nodded slowly to his new proteges. Slowly putting the orb back into his desk and locking it with a key that was previously hidden under his heavy robes, Paracelsus made his way to the front of his desk and walked to Ebony.

"Hm... there is protection runes on these... most curious... never mind. You are now all Hero Trainees, destined to protect the world from monster and your new life starts now. Do not fear about the lack of the orb's brightness compared to my own for I have studied magic for over seven decades diligently. You will find that your magical powers will prolong your life in time, and even save it in others so study it well. Now is the time for the Martial test. Follow me." The old man said to the children at large as the Messenger melted away in the shadows like he was never there in the first place.

The group made their way trough what seemed to be an eternity of corridors and stairs before entering a square room with a single dummy with glowing runes on it's body. The old man nodded and gestured to both the dummy and nearby practice swords on a rack.

"This dummy with measure your physical strength like the orb measured your magical one. Do not be alarmed if it does not glow brightly either for you are still very young and untrained. Now, choose one of the wooden swords on the weapon rack and let's get started." Paracelsus said gruffly to his young audience, apparently eager to get this task over with.

Isaiah followed ambiguously. He studied the movements of the man as they entered the next facility, and conjured from his analysis that the man was more than he appeared. He noted that had studied the arcane arts for many years, the man approved this conclusion, and his mind was at ease. Perhaps this man was a wise and mighty mage? Perhaps he, at once time, wielded some legendary weapon in combat? Many a thought ran through Isaiah's head, but this did not deter him from his next task.
Swiftly he stepped forwards. A test of physical strength, be it? This was, indeed, his cup of tea. The boy was rather downhearted that he would be using a weapon that was not of his own possession; however, his father had taught him that skill came not from the blade -- but from the one wielding it. He had spent much of his life training in swordsmanship, and it was now or never.

Isaiah mustered the courage to step forward, being the first to test their might against this practice dummy and the orb. He stepped ever so carefully to the rack, and pulled from it, the heaviest of the wooden swords. 'A perfect fit.' These words he muttered, and slid from his lips as he stood half-eagerly in front of the dummy.
He took a quick breath, and released it slowly. Assuming the stance of a powerful strike, he let the practice sword fly in the direction of the orb. Though, he did not follow up. This was merely a practice swing. He glanced back at his peers and, once again, took a deep breath. Exhaling slowly.

With a valiant battle cry, he maneuvered into swinging stance. Hitting the sphere with an upwards strike, with such force that this pulled him from the earth below, by just a few inches, of course.
He plopped back down to the ground with his eyes on the dummy as if it were an actual combatant.
He relieved himself of this aforementioned stance and eyed the orb.
A smile parted his lips as it shimmered radiantly for a moment. During this moment, he quickly turned to the group of children and gave a thumbs up, along with a childish smirk.

He parted ways with his lifeless, wooden adversary, and placed the practice sword back on the rack.
Isaiah then made his way next to newcomer, Theo, now confident. If not in his magical abilities, then of his strength.

As the last of the children stepped forward to touch the orb Ari simply stood and watched. Her shoulders were arched as she hung her head, twiddling her hands in front of her, occasionally smoothing out her red and white polka-dot dress. This academy was so large compared to her, with high vaulted ceilings and halls wider than her home. The gray stones gave the whole place a damp, unpleasant feeling.
The last child tested the orb, and the headmaster returned it to it's rightful place before ushering them to another room. As she stepped through the doorway goosebumps formed along her arms, and a chill swept through her body. They were asked to take a weapon, and attack a second orb. Ari looked at her outstretched arms as the first boy confidently grasped a weapon and took on the orb. Fighting was something she had never done before, she even set the spiders she found in their house free. Wielding a weapon was not something she was built for at all. She felt so very weak.

Meekly she stepped behind the one who had just returned from the test and the last boy to arrive. Though she believed their names were Theo and Isaiah, she was too afraid to greet them. Especially after such a display from Isaiah, she knew there was no way she could be the second to go. Her head hung low as she hugged her arms around her cold body, unsure of whether she was trembling from the chill, or fear.

Theo followed the Headmaster and the others to a different room. As the Headmaster stated, there was a dummy and an orb in the room with a rack of weapons on it, mostly just wooden swords of different sizes. Here they would be testing their physical strength. Theo was nervous. He wasn't very strong, and he wasn't even sure how he'd managed to make the orb glow so bright. This too was something completely foreign to him. Last week he wouldn't have even imagined owning a sword let alone wielding one in combat, or preforming magic spells at all. Now he was at a school for heroes, training to do those very same things. It was like a dream. I hope I never wake up. Theo thought to himself. A swish of movement pulled him from his reverie.

The boy named Isaiah strode forward with his head held high, his eyes burning with intensity. He grabbed the heaviest sword at the rack and stepped up to the dummy with pride and confidence. It was amazing. His back was turned to them, eyes burning holes in the dummy. He appeared to be thinking of nothing else. He moved fluidly, effortlessly, as if he'd been training for this moment his whole life. He swung once, testing the way the blade cut the air. The second time, he entered a deeper stance and swung his blade with such force that it lifted him off the ground! Theo was in awe. Isaiah had obviously been practicing swordsmanship his whole life, or at least since he could hold one. It was breathtaking. Theo stared dumbly at the image before him, that wide back emblazoned with pride, a sword in his hand, the orb shining like the sun itself. Theo was inspired.

Theo thought to himself, "That. That's what I want to be. A confident, proud hero." The girl named Ebony stepped forward next. It was her turn. She took one sword, then exchanged it for a different one. She stepped up to the dummy and swung with all her might, her eyes closed. It thunked solidly. A strong hit, but no where near Isaiah's level. My turn.

Theo stepped up to the rack of weapons, he took each of them in turn, ignoring the heaviest and the lightest ones. He took one towards the middle of the pack, but on the lighter side. He strode up to the dummy, holding the sword in his right hand. He tried to mirror Isaiah's stance, but it felt forced, and unwieldy, he abandoned it. If he had been training his whole life, he could see how he would have adjusted to feel natural, and it was, by far, better than anything Theo could come up with. Instead, Theo moved his body to where he felt most comfortable. Theo stared at the dummy, visualizing how he would strike. He would swing the sword over his head down across the body, turning his hips as he swung. He remembered seeing pictures in books about this. It seemed like the right way to do it. So he did it. Theo lifted the sword high over his head, twisting his back foot onto the tips of his toes, his ankle in the air. As soon as the sword was as high as it could go, he brought it down with every part of his body. He had no form, he had no poise, he was just swinging a wooden stick at a dummy.

It thunked loudly. No where near as loudly, or as solidly as Isaiah's, but it was a good strong hit. Theo could take pride in it. He watched as the orb glowed for a moment, then burned out. He was proud of himself. He'd never done that before. Theo walked back to the rack, placing his sword exactly where he found it, and then returned to the rest of the children, smiling widely. "That was fun." He murmured quietly, it seemed that being shy was still a part of Theo's nature, and he would have to work hard at it.

"Thanks Theo," she whispered with a smile, bumping him slightly with her shoulder, "I feel a little better."

Theo was glad to have done his part and made her feel better. He loved it when the people around him smiled. It warmed him up inside and filled his heart with joy. After that, she simply smiled and returned her gaze to the swords and the dummy. Theo too had returned his gaze to the dummy and the people who were taking their turn with it when he felt something small and cool wriggle its way into his hand. He looked down and saw it was Aria's hand. Theo blushed a little bit. This was something for grown ups to do. He was so nervous, but he didn't do anything about it. There was something nice and simple about it. They were just two kids holding hands.

"Let's be friends Theo...you don't have to say anything, because I have made up my mind already." She whispered quietly. Theo smiled widely. He looked over at her and nodded vigorously, still smiling like a goofball. He would like that very much. Aria was a kind girl, a gentle soul it seemed. He was so glad. He hoped they'd be friends forever. Theo's day had gone from the worst birthday of his life, to a brand new and exciting start of an adventure. It was so beautiful. It was the best wish he could have ever had come true.

"Surprisingly, they are better... when I was about to take the sword from the ground, the pain disappeared. I have no idea how did this happen..." Ebony whispered to Ansha.
Ebony had no idea how any of these things happened. It was like a weird dream, but so real at the same time. The girl could only hope that she would have a chance to live longer.