Northernsword: Hi, as you might have guessed, this is an OC centered fic. The original FE characters might come out. (Some definitely will) but I haven't planned much for them. Thanks to those who have helped me by submitting OC's. But please…next time, through email…

Chapter One: The First Day

The Intercontinental Hero Training Academy, an institution founded by some of the greatest heroes from Magvel and Elibe. It is in its third year of function that this story takes place, focusing on a small group of freshmen in the academy…

…here goes…

Hope was rising, Nergal's forces had been repelled and his power was now little. Most were ignorant of the threat and now, an inconspicuous army headed to the isle of Valor. The marquess of Pherae and his friends and vassals went by pirate ship to the shadowy place of the Dragon's Gate.

There was fought the last battle in which morphs would participate. On the flatlands of Valor a great battle was fought with Limstella, greatest of the morphs. She was said to be of the greatest beauty and grace but colder than stone.

"Ardrsil!" a voice shouted from outside the door of his dorm room. "Hurry up! You're going to be late! And being late on the first day says a lot about you!"

Ardrsil sighed and closed the book he was reading. He ran to the corner of his room and picked up a bag containing his books and other school stuff including a few flux tomes.

He exited his room and entered the main area of their dorm. The dorm rooms were subdivided into complex rooms for three people each. Ardrsil shared one of these with two other shamans, Arc and Erika. Arc was a fourteen year old shaman in the druid course. That made him Ardrsil's classmate but one year younger. Erika on the other hand was some sort of prodigy. She had managed to get into the school with hardly studying at all. She was one of the three people in the dark druid course. They had been in the campus one week before the official start of classes, this particular day.

In the main room, the one called Erika was waiting.

"Where's Arc?" Ardrsil asked as they left their room.

"Didn't keep him waiting. Remember when he got mad last week cause I was taking long in the bathroom?"

"Oh, right… Well, we'd better hurry…"

"Yes, we'd better. Honestly, you should learn to focus more! You could have been late!" Erika said a bit annoyed.

"Hehe…sorry. So, where do we go first? The magic tower?" Ardrsil asked pointing to a large stone spire shaped much like a termite mound in the distance which was over thirty stories tall.

"Yes. To be exact, the twenty-eighth floor."

Ardrsil sighed.

A little later…

Ardrsil finally reached the end of the stairs, breathing heavily. He saw the shamanic instruction room toward the middle of the circular hall of the magic tower's twenty-eighth floor.

He entered the room and seated himself between Arc and another shaman in pink bordered robes. Most of the other shamans were talking in hushed tones. In the front of the classroom, a man with long purple hair sat stiffly behind a large oak desk. On either of his sides there was an ominous axeman with a small buckler. He had a long hooded robe, the hood of which obscure around half of his face.

Suddenly, a bell sounded. The man at the front of the room stood up. Suddenly, the room dimmed and the axemen fell to their knees. Then he spoke.

"Greetings, little shamans. I am professor Knoll of Grado. I will be your class moderator for this year…maybe even next year." His voice was cold yet filled with an odd kind of eloquence and liquidity that made it seem so lyrical and hypnotic. "I will also be instructing the summoner course and basic elder magic. Coincidentally, the one teaching the advanced elder magic course is someone I summoned." He smiled at this. "Now let us begin with some…more casual introductions."

The room became a bit brighter and the axemen rose. Knoll pulled his hood back.

He spoke up again. "Let's try this again. Hi, I'm Knoll. Welcome to my classroom. Feel free to voice out any opinions suggestions or comments you have about me, my teaching style and my phantoms. Feel free to take your robes off when it gets too hot. I'm not very strict when it comes to uniforms. But never, I repeat never question what I say. I have extremely reliable sources."

There were some restrained laughs when Knoll mentioned removing their robes but other than that, the students were for the most part quiet.

"Alright, then. Why don't you guys introduce yourselves now?" Knoll asked.

A little later…

After everyone had introduced themselves, Knoll seemed to be quite pleased. He stood up and put a large stone slab with odd markings on the floor in front of his desk.

"Does anyone know what this is?" he asked.

Arc stood up. "It's a rune block." He said softly.

"Yes, that's right. Now for today I'll test your proficiency with the magical arts. As you know elder magic takes more than just knowledge, unlike arcane magic. By gauging your skill I hope to aid you more effectively. You will be using flux tomes for this, so I can standardize things."

The students proceeded to take out their flux tomes. The ones in the first row stood up and were directed by the phantoms to the rune block. There they cast a single flux spell on the block. Most left only a few small chipped areas. The next row came. Erika was in this one and managed to nearly shatter the whole block. Then Arc and Ardrsil's turn came. Arc got a critical hit and shattered the block. Another one was put to replace it and Ardrsil managed to crack it up a lot. After him the shaman in pink managed to accidentally flux one of the phantoms.

A little later…

Ardrsil exited the room with Arc. They walked off to their 'History of Elibe' class on the third floor of the magic tower.

The two soon found themselves in the room, surrounded by other students, mostly mages. Many 'Lords' were there as well, though.

Suddenly, a man with purple hair and a long red cape entered. He had a tome of Fimbulvetr tucked beneath his arm. His dragging cloak and slightly loud shoes were the only sounds filling the silence that had been suddenly born when he entered the room. He strode up to behind the desk then turned to face the gathered students. He raised his hands and suddenly several hanging maps unfurled and a stack of books immediately distributed themselves.

"Greetings. I am professor Erk. I am a student of the famed house of Reglay, one of the few students of Count Pent Reglay." At this some giggling and murmuring began among the mages. "Ahem." Erk continued. "If Miss Lute has told you anything concerning the two of us let me just say this…I AM NOT HER BOYRFRIEND!" The Fimbulvetr tome he was holding burst open and shot several icicles at the ceiling and the back wall. Needless to say, the murmurs stopped. "Ah, much better."

Erk then proceeded to ask the class to introduce themselves in the same fashion Knoll had. The class then proceeded to a general discussion of the overview of history itself. Then he had them write essays two pages long about why history is relevant and/or important to their present stations. Then they were dismissed.

"That was…boring." Ardrsil said as he and Arc walked up the mage tower. Coincidentally, they had the exact same schedules.

"Um…not really…sorry, I have a difference of opinion on matters…of the past." Arc said softly.

"Oh, sorry…" Ardrsil said.

They soon reached the room for their lab session. Inside stood a man with white hair and a slightly wild yet benevolent aura. He was flicking through a short book. He looked up as the last three students entered the class.

"Excellent, you're all here. It's a blessed day that I see you all here. I am Saleh." He said as he wrote down his name on a blackboard behind him. "I'll be teaching you basic biology and general science."

A general groan arose from the crowd.

"I know you must think that the study of the surrounding world is boring and wracked with confusion but let me say that you are correct. In your point of view. But wrong…in Miss Lute's point of view. You see, you can change all that. Just open your eyes. That's what this is all about…learning, seeing, and changing or accepting."

Suddenly a young axeman shot up and grabbed his head screaming. A cleric beside him smacked him with a sleep stave and he collapsed into his seat.

As always, it seemed, Saleh asked for introductions, but a bit more formal ones. Soon those were finished and Saleh began making lab groups for the term.

NOTES!

Well, that's all…for now…I thank all those who submitted characters, specially those who submitted them through review...

Anyway, I have more openings for OC's…for those who already have submitted OC's through EMAIL if you want your OC's to have siblings or other relatives in the fic, submit a separate form for up to two other OC's. Aside from that please submit any OC's you might have through e-mail. Only up to three per person. And by E-MAIL! If you have any ideas feel free to give them to me by email or review.

OC's E-mail

General ideas review or e-mail

Sincerely thanking,

Northernsword