"Do I have to be here?" Demyx asked his mother as she stepped out of the car and closed her door. They were currently standing next to their parked car in a parking lot full of other cars and people walking from them to the building and back, bags and luggage in hand. The building was a boarding school that Demyx had been enrolled in without knowing. But it wasn't a normal boarding school. It was a school for 'special kids,' kids from the world of magic and fairytale creatures.
"Yes, you do. Now come get your things," he vaguely heard his mother said as he watched the other students and listed them off as what they appeared to be. 'Witch, warlock, um, not sure. Oh a fairy. What's he? Is he a werew-' his thoughts were cut off as his mother called his name from where she stood by the trunk.
He quickly went to her side and reached into the car to grab a couple of his bags. Turning around he almost dropped what he had in his hands. Standing there was a man who hadn't been there a few seconds ago. He had short blonde hair slick back and wore a long white coat over his pants, shirt, and tie. A red scarf was loosely around his neck and rested on his shoulders.
"Oh, uh, hello," Demyx managed to say through his shock. He knew who this man was. His name was Ansem the Wise. The blonde had seen the man in the school pamphlet, he was the school's headmaster.
"Hello," Ansem said back with a welcoming smile. He then looked around the area, scanning the people. "Where is that boy?" he said to himself. "I sent him out here to help new students. Seems he didn't bother to come." Turning back to look at Demyx he said, "I'll help you to your room then."
Before Demyx could say anything, everything went dark around them. Demyx closed his eyes on instinct then opened them again as light hit his eyelids. Blinking he looked around and saw that Ansem had taken him and his mother along with all his bags – even the ones they hadn't taken out of the car yet – to a room with two beds. There was a boy sitting on one of the beds watching them. Demyx put the bags he had down by his feet as he looked at the boy.
"Ah, there you are," Ansem said to the boy. "You know the least you could have done was find your roommate."
"Whatever," the boy said with a sigh.
Shaking his head slightly, Ansem turned to Demyx. "This will be your room for your time being here. Excuse your roommate, he's not great but he'll do."
"What's that suppose to mean?" the boy asked, irritation hinted in his voice.
"It means exactly what you want it to mean," Ansem said back without even looking at the boy. "Please make yourself at home," he said now addressing Demyx again. "The welcoming ceremony will begin in an hour. I expect to see you both there." With that he disappeared through black smoke that seemed to have swallowed him whole.
"Okay," Demyx's mother said and turned to her son. "You have everything you need right?" she asked and put her hands on Demyx's shoulders.
"Yes," he answered.
"Good. Now remember to just be yourself and you're sure to make friends in no time. And make sure to call every now and then, okay? I'll send you letters to check up on you," she said then hugged Demyx. Kissing his cheek she said, "I'm gonna miss you."
"I'll miss you too," Demyx said quietly, feeling the other boy's eyes watching him.
"Bye," his mother said and kissed his forehead before turning and leaving out the door.
Demyx sighed now that his mother was gone. Not because he didn't care for her and wished she leave him alone but because he was getting embarrassed. At the sound of light laughing he turned to look at his new roommate.
"What's so funny?" he asked and felt his cheeks flush slightly in embarrassment.
"Nothing," the boy said with a shrug. "But it was a bit amusing watching your mother embarrass you."
"Shut up," Demyx said and picked up a bag in each hand. Walking to the unoccupied bed he said, "I'm sure your mother did the same to you."
"Nope."
"Huh?" the blonde asked and turned to look at the other. "So you weren't embarrassed when your mother or father dropped you off here?"
"No I wasn't," the boy answered and flipped the pages of a book. "But that's because I wasn't dropped off. In fact I've never even met my parents before in my life."
"Really?"
"Yup," he said and paused to read a page before turning more pages. "It doesn't bother me though."
"Oh," Demyx said and tilted his head to try and see the cover of the book the boy held, but before he could read the title the words were gone, leaving a blank cover front and back. He was confused, but didn't question it. Instead he turned back to his bags on his bed and opened one all the while asking, "So what's your name?"
"Zexion," the boy said. "What's yours?"
"Demyx," the blonde said. "How long have you been at this school?"
"A few years," Zexion answered. "I can show you around if you'd like."
"Yeah, I'd like that. Thanks," Demyx said with a smile.
"Okay, follow me," Zexion said and closed his book and set it down on his bed before going to the door. He opened it and stepped out of the room, not bothering to wait for the other. Demyx quickly went to catch up, leaving his bags on the bed and floor. Turned out he didn't have to catch up since Zexion had waited outside the door. Students were going down the hall, all of them male, with bags in hand and occasionally checking the numbers on the doors.
As Demyx closed the door to the room Zexion started down the hall. The blonde followed him until they reached a spiral staircase and went down the steps. By the looks of it they had been on the top floor since the stairs only went down. They passed a floor landing before continuing down and coming to the main floor.
"This building is three stories high," Zexion said and stepped to the side of the stairs as to allow others to go up or come down. "There's also a basement and attic, but we're not allowed there."
"Right," Demyx said with a short nod. "Got it."
"The main floor works as a lounge for both dormitories. Boys are here on the left with the rooms on the top two floors and girls on the right the same," he explained to the blonde. Demyx looked around the room and saw all the couches and chairs which were mostly occupied by other students hanging out. There was also a TV that was currently on and a small snack bar. Further away he saw another staircase which he figured led to the girls' rooms.
"There's a lot of other students here, aren't there?" Demyx asked.
"Yup," Zexion answered. "The ages range from 12 to 18. Sometimes there's a student or two younger than 12 but only under certain circumstances. Come on, I'll show you where the classes are." He led Demyx down a hall that was connected to the middle of the lounge. There weren't as many students this way which was nice. There were a few adults going around which Demyx figured were the teachers. One with long blonde hair had gone by and greeted them before continuing down the hall. Demyx instantly hoped he didn't have the man as a teacher since he gave off a bit of a creepy vibe.
After being shown where all the classes were, Demyx was led back to the lounge. On their way there a small blonde bounded over to them with a smile. He started walking with them and Demyx eventually slowed down, confused.
"Um," he started. "Who're you?"
"Oh right," Zexion said and stopped walking as the blonde did the same. He turned to Demyx and said, "This is Roxas. He's a siren so he doesn't talk much."
"Oh," Demyx said then took in the other blonde's appearance. Just like most if not every tale Demyx has heard of sirens the boy had a physical charm that could easily pass as beauty. He understood why he wouldn't talk much but was just a bit curious of what a siren's voice sound like. He was pulled out of his thoughts as a bell started to ring. "Okay, now what's that?"
"The clock tower bells," Zexion said with a sigh. "It rings at mornings, start of classes, class changes, each meal, and assemblies. In other words it rings almost nonstop and definitely will get on your nerves." At his words Roxas smiled at his side. "Right now it's ringing for the welcoming ceremony. We should go."
The welcoming ceremony was held in the cafeteria which was outside the lounge and to the left. Across from it was another building the same height as the dormitories but a bit wider. The clock tower was on the front of that building, right above the door.
Crowds of students were coming from both buildings and going into the cafeteria. Roxas had silently left Demyx and Zexion and ran off into one of the crowds to catch up with someone else. As they grow closer to the building, Demyx thought that it would be like any other school cafeteria with tables scattered about. Instead when he entered the room he saw rows of pews facing a raised platform with a pedestal and two tables. Adults were seat at the tables and Ansem stood at the pedestal. Students filled the seats.
Zexion took Demyx's arm and pulled him to walk down between the pews until they found two available seats. Once everyone was seated, the doors were closed, cutting off the light they let in and silencing the students' conversations. The room wasn't dark for two long before the candles in the chandeliers and on the walls were lit.
"Welcome students," Ansem said loud enough for everyone to hear but not enough to be considered yelling. He then went into a small speech about what an honor it is to have so many new students and that a greet school year was promised. He went over the basic rules and introduced the teachers seated behind him. Eventually he said, "Now for the placement test. The order will go from the scores of last year highest to lowest, starting with last year's students. Once they're done we'll start with the new students."
Demyx heard a groan from beside him and turned to see Zexion with his arms crossed and biting his lip. "You okay?" he asked.
"Fine," Zexion answered. "Let's see what hell monster he has for us this year," he said and stood up from his seat as Ansem called his name. He made his way up to the platform and stood beside Ansem. Ansem then raised his hand, making a black portal open. Zexion stepped through the portal and once he was gone it closed and disappeared.
When the portal closed half the candles were blown out, leaving the room slightly dim but lit enough to walk around and see everything. "We'll have each teacher monitor a student or two to move things along," Ansem said and a teacher waved his hand in front of him, creating a small square that worked as a screen. Ansem called more names and students stood from their seats and went up to the platform. He opened a portal for them to go through and with each one that stepped through another teacher made a screen to watch.
"For those who do not know, if you get harmed then make your way to the infirmary immediately after the test. If it's a dangerous injury that needs immediate attention, you will be pulled out of your test and redo it once healed. Once you finish your test you are free to either remain here or go anywhere else on campus," Ansem explained, mostly for the new students.
Demyx was once again confused, this time by what this test was exactly. Apparently other students were just as confused as murmurs filled to room. Everyone instantly quieted as one of the teachers stood – the one monitoring the first screen – and said, "Ansem, there's a problem."
Ansem simply looked over his shoulder at the other man and the screen he was watching. Demyx then realized that Zexion had been the first to start the test and that the man's screen was monitoring his test. Ansem waved his hand and the screen disappeared and reappeared in front of him.
"The injury isn't in need of attention," Ansem said. "Though it does cause a disadvantage, he'll manage."
"But sir," the teacher started.
"Do not underestimate my son," Ansem practically snapped at the man. "He is capable of more than you know." With that he dismissed the screen and put it back in front of the other. The man slowly sat back down and monitored the screen, surprised by what he saw.
After a few more short minutes a portal opened in the back of the room and a few of the students that went for the test came back. Zexion was one of them and instead of going back to his seat like the others he turned and went out the door. Before he left Demyx thought he saw blood on the other's wrist. He wanted to get up and go after the other but remembered he had to wait for his time to test.
He sat there for about an hour or two, watching as students went up when they were called and the screens disappeared only to be replaced with new ones. Eventually most of the students left after their test or with a friend who just finished and the room became emptier. After a while Zexion came back into the room and sat down next to Demyx.
"You're still here?" Zexion asked not looking at the blonde.
"Yeah," Demyx said with a sigh. "What happened to you?" he asked and eyed the bandages now covering Zexion's left wrist.
"My wrist was gashed open," Zexion answered.
"Oh," Demyx muttered and looked at Zexion's wrists more closely. Since his left was covered he couldn't see much but his right wrist had what seemed to be a tattoo of half an open book. "Is that a tattoo?"
Taken aback, Zexion glanced at Demyx before looking at his own wrists. "Oh, no, not really," he said. "There marks to help summon my weapon. Most warlocks and witches have them. Others don't need them. Since my wrist was cut I was unable to use my weapon."
"What exactly is the test?" Demyx asked nervously just as Ansem called his name.
"You'll see," Zexion answered. "Good luck."
Mumbling a 'thanks,' Demyx stood from his seat and went to Ansem's side. A portal was opened in front of him and with Ansem's command to go on he stepped through. It was pitch black for a split second before light hit his eyes. He found himself on a circular platform with nothing but darkness surrounding it.
"Demyx Kiyomizu," a voice said making him jump. He then recognized the voice as Ansem's and relaxed somewhat.
"Oh, uh, hi," Demyx replied nervously. "Where am I?"
"You're at the beginning of your test," Ansem answered. "I'm here to help you through. Now tell me what your element is."
"My element? What does that mean?"
He thought he heard a sigh but wasn't so sure. "Your element is just that. It's the element your best at casting. So which is it?"
"Oh right. My element's water," Demyx said.
"Good, that's a nice element. Great for healing spells," Ansem said. "Now know that if you come unable to use your weapon or other spells that water will be the key."
Demyx stood and thought that over. Then thinking back to what Zexion had said asked, "Is that what happened to Zexion? What's his element?"
"You'll have to ask him yourself," Ansem answered. "Now attack your foes."
Demyx opened his mouth to question what foes but before he could a black form walked out from the darkness and onto the platform. A few more from other directions came as well and they all made their way to Demyx. He quickly thought of a spell and casted it on one of the creatures.
"Where is your weapon?" Ansem asked.
"Um, I don't have one?" Demyx answered and attacked another creature. This time the sigh was definitely there and not imagined.
"Let's see," Ansem said and suddenly the creatures stopped coming to Demyx and the blonde's necklace rose, the charm of a sitar floating out so he can see it. "This saw be your weapon." Before Demyx could argue a flash of light hit his eyes. Feeling something fall into his hands he opened his eyes and saw a fancy – well it was much better than his at home – sitar in his hands. His necklace fell back to his chest. "If you should ever need it your necklace will help summon your weapon. Now let's test it."
This time as the creatures started towards him he strummed the instrument causing two of the creatures to fall back soaked. Attacking them again they vanished and he turned to attack the others. Once they were all gone Ansem's voice was heard again.
"Are you ready for the final part of your test?"
"Yeah."
"Very well. Go up the steps." At his words, stain glass stairs appeared, starting at the edge of the platform and up to somewhere unknown. Slowly, he made his way to the first step and started up them. Suddenly he stopped and took a few steps back only to have his back hit something. "There's no turning back now."
Turning around, Demyx saw what he meant. The steps he had gone up were gone now, leaving darkness gaping between the one he was on and the platform he had been on. Taking a deep breath he started back up the steps, looking over his shoulder to see them disappear behind him. Continuing up led him to another platform. He walked to the center of it, wondering what he had to do here.
"Beware of the shadows," Ansem said. "Even yours is dangerous."
Before he could ask for an explanation Demyx was left alone. He could tell Ansem left by the sudden emptiness the darkness now held. That emptiness was soon filled as he sensed something behind him. Turning around he saw a huge black creature. He quickly summoned his sitar and prepared to fight.
By the time the test was done with Demyx felt completely worn out. A portal had opened in front of him when he was done and he went through it, coming back to the cafeteria.
"Hard time?" a voice asked and he turned to see Zexion leaning against the wall.
"Yeah," Demyx said with a sigh and went over to the wall. He leaned against it and put his head back. "I'm completely swamped."
"Let's go back to our room then," Zexion said. "We should get some rest."
"Okay," Demyx agreed and followed Zexion back to their room.
