I cast Earth Shield, summoning the large barrier infront of myself. The shadow hit against it, roaring out in anger. The sound was tinged with metallic, screeching through my ears. I clenched my teeth, digging my feet into the ground to avoid being thrown back by the force of the shadow hitting the shield. It was relentless and obviously powerful.
Damn! When did my luck turn so rotten? Next I'll be stepping on a dragon's tail… Knock on wood! Knock on wood!
I payed close attention to the rise and fall of the shadows arm, timing the moment when its' arm was pulled back the furthest. The shield was beginning to crumble apart now, and I summoned a ball of Holy Light. I waited for my opportunity patiently.
1… 2… NOW!
The shield fell apart and the shadow retracted its' reach, ready to bring its' claws back down on me. I didn't give it the time, instead stepping forward and thrusting the Holy Light at it. It began to disappear like a shadowy flame, screeching the whole time. When it finished there was no signs of the fight left in the room.
Urgh. I'm going to get a headache. At least I don't have to clean anything up.
"That… WAS SO COOL!" Somebody yelled from the doorway and I jumped, not having realised somebody had been watching.
Hey wait, if you were there… WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP?! BASTARD!
I turned to look at him angrily, realising who it was with a start. Ed stood in the doorway, face alight with excitement. I resisted the urge to sigh.
"Hello," I greeted him with a smile, trying my best to look innocent, "I didn't see you there."
"No it's okay! That was awesome! Who are-" He started excitedly.
"Ed!" Somebody called from the hall, steadily approaching the room. That voice… The person stopped to stand next to Ed, looking surprised when he saw me, "You're the guy from before," Adair looked at Ed in annoyance, "What do you look so excited about?"
"He just killed a shadow!" Ed explained with wide hand gestures, "He used all sorts of cool magic!"
Adair turned to look at me in wide-eyed surprise, "Really?"
"Nope," I shook my head with a shrug, feigning innocence, "I have no idea what he's talking about."
They both looked at me oddly, faces confused. I pretended to ignore it as I moved back to my desk, setting my chair upright and sitting on it with a yawn. They still looked confused, Ed talking to Adair in hushed tones as they sat at the front of the room. The bell rung and people began to file in, talking and laughing in groups as they sat down. In the end nobody sat in the back two rows, instead giving me odd looks and sitting in clumps at the front of the room.
Have I got something on my face?
Still, I didn't mind too much. The people streaming in were all tauntingly familiar, faces exactly the same as my memories. Not one of them showed recognition, or even acknowledgement, of my existence. I realised with a start that a few of the Vice-Captains were in this room, including-
Huh? What was his name again… Radar? Urgh. I don't even know anymore.
I plopped my bag on the desk, using it as a pillow. As I stared out of the window I couldn't help but feel a bit rueful.
Maybe I should have entered school since the beginning? All of these people already know each other. Why do I even have to go to school? This new world has weird rules. Why do you need a certificate to fight undead? Tcht.
"Okay everybody," Somebody said loudly from the front of the room, making me look up in curiosity. What I saw almost made me hit my head on the desk. Infront of the room, wearing a suit and glasses, was Aldrizzt. Even as a human he was easy to recognize with his dark skin and white hair. Which was currently trimmed to sit under his ears. His whole image screamed 'Teacher' now. He continued with a smile, "I'll be your homeroom teacher for this year. You can call me Mr. Aldrizzt," he turned to write it o the board while my classmates begin to complain under their breath, saying it was hard to pronounce, "But if you have trouble pronouncing it just call me Sir."
The class immediately liked him more. He looked up at the class, then back to the roll in confusion, "Why are there so many people missing?"
"The disciplinary committee has a meeting this morning," Adair explained helpfully.
"Is that so?" He mumbled, brows furrowed in confusion. With a shake of his head he looked up again and smiled, "Well that's all for Homeroom, I suppose..."
What? Is this class seriously just for checking absences? How stupid...
"Teacher," Adair said in a confused voice, "We still have ten minutes of homeroom left...?"
"Oh," He looked flustered, "Sorry. This is my first day of teaching... A-hem. You may converse until your next class."
... You were a lot more reliable a thousand years ago.
I rolled my eyes and popped my earphones back in, closing my eyes and listening to the music absently.
What classes do I have on Monday's? Hm it was... Shadow Hunting 101, Magic Training, History and Advanced Sword Training... Urgh. Do all senior's have to take Sword Training? Maybe I can just... Skip? Nope. Chasel is one of the teachers here... if I skipped he'd definitely tell Teacher. I could pretend to be sick? I don't really feel like another lifetime of getting my swordsmanship mocked. Not that I don't at home. A thousand years and he's still a master swordsman. That's just unfair.
"Hey," A voice made me look up. In front of me stood Adair and Ed, both looking awkward, "I met you this morning on the bus."
And five minutes ago. I'm not stupid, you know?
"Hi," I said with a smile, making sure it didn't morph into the 'Sun Knight' smile that sometimes slipped. That was too shiny for everyday use.
They instantly looked encouraged and sat down near me. Ed was the first to talk, "Hey, You're new, right? Where'd you go before this?"
"I was homeschooled," I replied simply.
He looked impressed, "Your teacher must have been really smart!"
He's an idiot.
"I didn't have a teacher or anything, just my Dad," I answered.
Not that he was much good, mind you.
"That's cool," Adair said, "So this is your first time in a school?"
"Yeah," I smiled and he began to look suspicious.
"Have we ever... met before?" He asked cautiously. My eyes widened.
It can't be... he remembers me?
"Why do you ask?" I asked, not quite able to keep the hope out of my voice.
"You said my name this morning when I bumped into you," He said simply, looking guilty, "I'm sorry, I must have forgotten you..."
Oh.
I shook my head, a little bit disappointed, "No, we've never met before. I heard somebody say your name, that's all."
"Hey, If you're new why don't we show you around?" Ed asked with a big grin.
"That sounds good," I said slowly, despite knowing the whole schools layout. This is an opportunity to make friends, right?
"What classes do you have?" Adair asked curiously.
So not everybody has the same classes?
"Shadow Hunting 101, History, Magic Training, Advanced Sorcery, Homeroom, Weapon Training 101 and Advanced Sword Training," I offered my full list of classes. By the time I was finished their eyes were wide and their jaws slack, "What?"
"I can't believe you're in Advanced Sword Training!" Ed exclaimed. Don't worry, neither can I. Sob. He continued in a voice full of awe, "Even Adair couldn't get into Advanced Sword Training."
Hey wait... ADAIR couldn't get in? Either his abilities have dropped or, which is more likely, I've been put into a high-level class.
"Don't tell me..." My look was turning horrified, "It's not for master swordsman, is it?!"
"Of course it is," Adair said, looking confused, "How can you not know that?!"
I groaned, letting my head drop to the desk with a soft 'bang', "What kind of cruel joke is this? I'm going to get killed!"
"No way!" Ed said in an incredulous voice, "You're super strong! You killed that shadow like it was nothing!"
Your butt-kissing has gotten better.
"You should definitely duel me one day!" Adair sounded excited. He was like a puppy. I felt too bad to turn it down, but at the same time... I didn't have a death wish.
"Maybe," I said weakly, wondering who would pull this kind of joke.
"Hey, you haven't told us your name yet," Ed commented mildly.
"Neither have you," I retorted instantly. I had always hated introducing myself to people that I remembered. It was an odd feeling.
"Ed Castere," He introduced himself easily.
"Adair Romand," Adair said.
"Nice to meet you," I said, looking away when I introduced myself, "Grisia Sun."
"Grisia?" Ed said, frowning a little, "Weird name."
"Wait..." Adair had a look of realisation dawning, "Your last name is Sun? Do you know Neo Sun?!"
I nodded, not quite understanding his newfound excitement, "Yeah, He's my Teach-Father."
Ed had a worshipping look on his face as he mumbled, "No wonder you're in Advanced Sword Training..."
"I can't believe you're his son!" Adair exclaimed, looking as energetic as he used to, "He's such a famous Shadow Hunter! You're so lucky!"
Don't worry, I can't believe I'm his son either.
"That's so cool!" Ed said, eyes bright, "I can't believe you got to get homeschooled by the Neo Sun!"
It wasn't much of a homeschooling.
"I think we'll have History together," Adair said, looking at his timetable before asking, "Mr. Patrick?"
"Yep," I said, remembering the teachers name, "What do you usually do in History?"
"Mostly Knight-Theory and study on the social evolution," Ed said, sounding bored, "It's not really interesting."
"Hey!" Adair complained, "Knight-Theory is really interesting! It'd be so cool to be a Knight!"
You were a Knight. Though I suppose you seemed to genuinely enjoy it.
"My favourite part of History is the Twelve Holy Knights," Adair said in an excited voice, "They're so cool!"
I smiled in amusement, nodding to myself, "I know a bit about them."
"My favourite is definitely the Sun Knight!" He continued, a faraway look in his eyes, "He's so cool!"
Adair, you're the best! A thousand years and you're still loyal!
"That guy?" Ed rolled his eyes, "He sounds way too good to be true!"
Obviously reincarnation has made you forget the cliff/boulder lesson. Should I reteach it?
"He's definitely the best!" Adair argued, making me proud. They continued to bicker while I looked out the window, feeling the soft breeze ruffle my hair.
Maybe this school thing won't be so bad. It's kind of nice being able to talk to these familiar faces. Even if they don't remember their past, they're all so very... themselves.
I heard the sound of people entering the room, but ignored it. In our little corner Adair, Ed and I were still talking happily. Okay, scratch that. They were still bickering. And I was still looking out the window. But it's still nice.
I leant back, raising my arms over my head and stretching with closed eyes. Nearby I heard a quick intake of breath.
This seems like it might actually be fun. Except for Advanced Sword Training. How did that happen?! Urgh. I bet it was that damn Father of mine. Or maybe Chasel.
"Oh no!" A concerned, soft and innocent voice sounded nearby, "You're injured!"
Ha. Who's stupid enough to get injured on the first day?
I turned to look at the voice which had exclaimed, but instead met a very familiar face. His bright, big eyes were open wide in a concerned way, his eyebrows drawn upward in worry, his uniform neat and his green hair cut in its' usual manner.
My eyes widened in surprise and I barely managed to keep my jaw from hitting the floor. In a whisper I asked, "Leaf?"
Cliffhangers are becoming a thing with me, aren't they? Thank you all so much for the reviews! They're all so nice! TuT