Chapter 9: Meeting a Freshman

After leaving the dorm, Briar, Sereia, and Grim walk down the school and soon come across an area of the school known as Main Street, there is a stone path with grass areas and large trees around the area. Between the stone tile path, there are seven statues. Each one has a pillar with a statue of someone, and all of them are different. On one base side of the statue towards the path, it has some writing on it.

Grim is amazed, "Wow, so this is Main Street, huh? This is incredible!"

"You're right. This place looks very beautiful," Sereia says.

"I know. It actually looks very nice in the day," Briar says.

"I have to agree. I didn't get to see much of it yesterday," Grim says.

The group continues to walk alone in the area and see the seven statues as they walk by.

Grim wonders, "What's the deal with these seven statues? All their faces look pretty scary."

"I have to agree, some of them look pretty serious, and at least two of them have resemblance to animals," Briar says.

Sereia notices one, "Look, this one looks like an octopus."

"You're right. And the one next to it looks like a lion," Briar adds.

Then Grim notices, "And look at this one. This lady looks like she's got awesome repeal anger management issues."

Suddenly, they hear a boy's voice, "You don't know the Queen of Hearts?"

The three turn their heads to notice a young boy walking towards them. The boy appears to be around Briar's age.

He has messy, dark orange hair and red eyes. Over his left eye, he has a red patch shaped like a heart. Judging by the uniform he's wearing, this boy is a student. He is wearing a white button up shirt, a black and white striped tie, a red vest with yellow buttons, He is wearing a black blazer with black dress pants with a black belt with yellow buckle, and red shoes. He is also wearing what looks like a black and red color ribbon around his left arm, and has some kind of pin attached to it.

"Queen of Hearts?" Sereia says, confused.

Then Grim asks, "Is she some kind of big deal?"

"Well, she is a queen, so I have to guess she is a big deal," Briar says.

Then the student says, "She was a queen who lived in a maze-like garden of roses long, long ago."

"Really now?" Briar replies.

The four turn to the statue to see the Queen of Hearts statue. She is wearing an elegant dress with a crown on her head, and her hair is in a bun. She is also holding a heart shaped fan, and on the base has roses on it.

"She was a strict woman who prized order above all. She wouldn't tolerate a rose being off-color, or her playing-cards soldiers being out of step. She basically ruled over a kingdom of madness, but not one of her subjects dared to defy her. You wanna know why? Because the punishment for breaking a law was immediate decapitation!" The boy explains.

Briar places her hand close to her neck, "Goodness."

Sereia hugs Briar's legs, "It's scary!"

Grim is in terror, "Wah! That is seriously messed up!"

"Pretty cool, right? I'm a big fan. I mean, who would bother to obey a queen that was kind all the time?" Ace says.

"Yeah, true. A leader needs to be strong," Grim says.

"I guess so, but decapitation might be a bit over during it," Briar replies.

Then asks, "And who are you?"

"Name's Ace. I'm a first-year student here, as of… today! Pleased to meetcha!" The boy introduces himself.

Grim introduces himself with Pride, "I'm Grim! I'm a prodigy who's plannin' to be, like, the greatest mage who ever lived.

"That girl there's my far less interesting hench-human, Briar," Grim adds.

Briar crosses her arms and questions, "And since when I'm your henchman. I'm supposed to be your supervisor in case you forgot."

Then turns to Ace, "My name is Briar Hawthorne."

"'Briar'? Huh. Name's got an odd ring to it," Ace replies.

Briar smiles, "Thanks, and it's nice to meet you."

Then the little doll girl says, "I'm Sereia."

"Well, aren't you a cute little girl, uh, doll… I suppose…" Ace replies.

Then Grim flies to the other statue, "So tell me, Ace. Is that lion with a scar in his eye a famous ruler too?"

"Of course!" Ace says.

The others walk over to see the other statue. The statue has a line with thick mane, and like Ace says, this one has a scar in his left eye. He is standing on a rock platform with pride and close to the rock is a skeleton of an animal.

Ace explains, "That's the King of Beast who ruled the savanna. But he wasn't born into the throne - he had to earn it through hard work and elaborate schemes. When he became king, he decreed that the hyenas would be pariah no more, and should live among his subjects as equals."

"Sounds like a great guy! Not everyone's able to look past social status like that," Grim replies.

"He looks kind of scary," Sereia replies.

"Yeah. And it's kind of surprising that he allowed lions and hyenas to share the land, considering they can be very aggressive towards each other," Briar replies.

Sereia walks to another state and asks, "What about the woman, the one with the octopus legs?"

The group walked to the statue to see a woman that has a round body, and her hair is standing on end. She also has long and large octopus tentacles. She also appears to be holding a parchment paper or scroll.

"The Sea Witch who lived in an underwater grotto. She basically devoted her life to helping trouble merfolks. If they were willing to pay the price, she'd help them change their appearance, find love, whatever! They say she was so good, there was no wish she couldn't grant. They also say the price was a tad steep, though. But she was granting wishes! Of course it was!" Ace explains.

Grim gets excited, "Myaha! So you're sayin' that once I'm a great mage, gettin' rich off folks will be a total cinch?!"

Briar giggles, "I don't think it works like that Grim?"

Then Grim flies to another statue, "Oh, oh! Do the dude with the big hat next!"

The group walks over to see the man wearing a hat of some kind. Judging by the appearance, he seems to be an Arabian man, and is holding a staff with a cobra on it.

Ace explains, "That's the Sorcerer of the Sands. He was an advisor to a total dolt of a sultan. He was a smart guy. Really capable sort. He exposed this swindler once - some guy pretending to be a order to trick the princess! After that, he got this magic lamp and became the greatest sorcerer in the world. Then, they say… he used that power to become sultan himself!"

"Wow! Guess it's true that a mage needs to be an excellent judge of character, huh?" Grim replies.

Then walks to the other statue and asks, "And what about this beauty over here?"

The group walks over to see an elegant woman wearing a long dress with long sleeves and a cape. She is also wearing a rope of some kind around her waist, and a crown, meaning she is a ruler as well. She is holding an apple by the stem and seems to be covered by some liquid making a face.

"She's beautiful," Sereia says.

"She sure looks pretty," Briar says.

Ace explains, "She's a queen who was said to be the fairest in all the land. In fact, she used her magic mirror to check how she ranked on a daily basis! When it looked like her position was threatened, they say she'd do whatever it takes to keep it. Can you even imagine the level of dedication it would require to keep a record like that? Also, they say she was a master of making poisons!"

Grim soon becomes uneasy, "Geez. She's pretty, but that sounds kinda scary."

"You think so? I gotta respect the hustle!" Ace replies.

"F-for sure… Sounds like she fought hard for what she believed in, and never gave up!" Grim says, surprised.

Then he walks to the other statue, "And that one there, with the flaming head? Now THAT guy looks scary."

The group walks over to see the statue of a male being wearing a black robe and a smoky base, sharp fangs, and seems to have fire for hair.

"That's the King of the Underworld! Single-handedly ruling a kingdom packed with rambunctious spirits - that takes competence! He may look scary, but he was a straight shooter who worked tirelessly at a tough job he never even asked for. I mean, this is a guy who was ordering Cerberus, A Hydra, and the Titans into battle for him," Ace explains.

"Hmm. That IS something. Think he could have that much power and not let it go to his head," Grim replies.

"I guess, but he seems frightening," Briar replies.

"He does look scary," Sereia replies.

Grim then walks to the last one, "And that last one there, with the horns?"

They look to see the statue is a woman with a long robe with large sleeves, a collar, and with horns. She is holding a staff with an orb on the top end. The base of the statue has thorns and vines.

"That's the Thorn Fairy who lived on a mystical mountain. She was noble and elegant, and a master of magic and curses - even by the standards of these seven! She commanded storms, covered the kingdom with thorns… She could use her magic on a massive scale! She could even turn herself into a giant dragon," Ace explains.

That catches the three by surprise.

Briar asks, "A dragon?!"

Grim is very excited, "Ooh, a dragon! What all monsters yearn to be!"

"Pretty cool, huh?" Ace replies.

He smirks and turns to Grim with a remark, "Not like some piddling cat."

Hearing that, make Grim look at Ace with a disturbed look. Briar and Sereia look at Ace with a dumbfounded expression.

Briar says to herself, "This is not going to end well." knowing that she is right about it.