Chapter 5: Introductions, Part One

Rin barely slept last night.

She only ended up being able to fall into her dreams at around midnight, so when she woke up, she worried that she was too late. Those worries were half-confirmed when she looked at the clock near the bed and saw that it was already 7:30 in the morning.

[Crap,] Rin got off the bed, yawning. She stretched as she noticed that the bed next to hers was still empty. Shaking her head, she tried to focus up.

[Shower. Smell like shit. Need shower.]

She turned and glanced to a small door to her right. [Is that supposed to be a bathroom or a closet?]

She opened it and found a single toilet and some toilet paper but no sink and no shower. [What? Where... Is there like, a public bathing place? Dren had a few of those. Well, these are the dorms. If they're anywhere, they're either here or at the gym on… The fourth floor? Yeah.]

All she was wearing, unfortunately, was a white shirt and pajama pants. This was a problem because, in her tired state of mind, she forgot that since it was daytime people would probably be out of their rooms by now.

As soon as she opened the door someone instantly walked past and saw her in her graceless form. Her face had probably never been that red in her life. The student who happened to see her in this unlucky state was a dark-skinned girl with short cinnamon hair and cute, mischievous eyes. Eyes that turned upon her and found a smile touching them as soon as she caught a glimpse of Rin.

"FUCK!" Rin yelled and slammed the door closed. She could hear the girl laughing from behind the door. Rin sighed.

[Well, this morning is off to a great start.]

With a new set of clothes, a different sleeveless shirt, and some black shorts, she walked out a little bit more confident. [Okay, now to find a place to brush my teeth, take a quick shower, and, yeah. It'll be fine.]

It took some searching but eventually, she found two doors, one with a large M painted onto it and one with a large F. She grabbed her backpack, which had a towel in it along with some soap, and carried it over there. To her pleasant surprise, these were in fact the showers.

It sounded like someone was already occupying one. Whoever it was had a fairly high-pitched voice and was singing some strange tune Rin hadn't heard before.

[Wow, she sounds adorable.] Rin chuckled lowly, trying not to let the person know she was here. She wanted to get in, take her shower, and get out, after all.

Before she could even get ready though, the stream of water from the nearby shower ceased and the person inside walked out.

Or, no, rather, she flew out.

Rin's eyes widened when she saw a little girl with what looked like sparkly, glitter-covered wings fly out of the shower nonchalantly, humming the same song she'd been singing. She had dark, wet green hair and her eyes held multicolored irises, like two rainbows.

Seeing this creature, Rin reacted the only way she could have.

She screamed.

"AHHH!" Rin slipped and fell on her ass. The girl flinched, yelping in return and flying back, hitting the door, covering herself, and then looking down at Rin, annoyed.

She scoffed.

"W-What are you doing? You scared the hell out of me!" The girl with the incredibly high-pitched voice said.

"You… What…? That's my line!" Rin replied as she blinked multiple times to make sure she was not dreaming.

This girl looked like something out of a dream. It was a reality-shaking vision that she was seeing.

"Huh?" The flying creature was confused.

"I, uh, I mean, what are you?" Rin asked.

"What kind of… Oh, wait... you've never seen a fairy before?" She asked, shocked.

Rin nodded and a grin appeared on her face.

[Am I about to get eaten or something?]

After that acknowledgment, suddenly, the girl's confusion turned into confidence as though she possessed some sacred knowledge. "Well, what luck you have. My name is Eve of the Northern Clan! I am a fairy, and I am here to be the greatest adventurer there's ever been!"

…

[Um... What's even happening?]

What the "fairy" said probably would have been more impressive had she not been entirely naked with nothing but a towel to cover herself up.

"Anyway, yeah. I'm surprised you haven't seen one before. We're kind of all over Libera."

"I… only just got here."

"Oh. From Cradle?" The fairy asked.

"No, from Dren."

"OH!" Eve gave a sagely nod. "Yeah, that would explain it. There aren't any fairy clans south. All of us come from either the Nothern Clan or the Western Clan. Well, I'm proud to be the first fairy you meet!" In an instant, the girl flew over to Rin and extended a hand.

As she floated in front of Rin, the brunette found herself chuckling.

"Uh, yeah, I'm Rin... Hi." Rin shook her hand and the fairy grinned.

[Well... this is a thing that happened. She doesn't seem half-bad, honestly, but I don't know what anyone here is like though, gotta keep my guard up. Make sure I don't get scammed.] As someone who had stolen from quite a few people herself, she understood that appearances could be deceiving.

Still, she did need to be normal. So, Rin slowly stood up first and then placed her hand in the girl's own.

"By the way, how old are you?" Rin asked. "I didn't know the Guild was hiring kids."

A brief look of anger and disappointment passed over Eve.

"I'm… I'm just going to let that one slide."

And then, with utmost seriousness, she said:

"I'm twenty-seven years old."

"Seriously!?"

"Y-Yes, seriously," Eve blushed. "You humans are just really big, so you don't notice."

"Wow, uh," Rin chuckled nervously. "Noted, noted."

"No worries. It's not your fault if you've literally never seen us before." A charming smile emerged on Eve's face. "So, how long have you been here?"

"Oh. I got here last night." Rin said, looking over at one of the few sinks and taking her toothpaste out.

"Hm. I had a feeling. I'd met most of the other first-years, hadn't met you though." Eve saw the things she had brought in and nodded. "Oh, you're going to, oh, okay. Yeah, go ahead." She flew past Rin and quickly put on some clothes that Rin hadn't noticed lying on a sink. "Find me again though once you're done, I'd love to show you around!"

Rin blinked.

[Well, either she's going to take me to get kidnapped or I just found a guide. I'd love to say no, but I don't think I have that luxury. I know literally nothing about this place after all.]

"Uh… Will do."

And just like that, she was alone again. Her heartbeat steadied and Rin continued on her journey to have an acceptable level of hygiene for the day. She hadn't been to any school in quite some time, but one thing she did remember was that any and all embarrassments were permanent. People just did not forget things.

After twenty minutes or so, she was back out in the same clothes she came in with, but with an entirely different smell. Her raven hair had curled slightly, still humid while it draped over her back. She nodded to herself and walked over a window, breathing in the morning air.

And subsequently, let that air out sharply when she saw a small crowd gathered at the front of the academy.

[WAIT, SHIT!] Rin thought as she realized she was late.

She ran to the elevator and spam-pressed the "1" button. The elevator slowly descended and as soon as the doors reopened Rin was running outside. The secretary laughed at her as she passed but Rin didn't care at this particular moment. All she cared about was, as subtly as possible, joining the crowd.

And of course, that did not work.

"Alright," a man in a wheelchair said on a small stage in front of the crowd when he saw Rin. "That makes nine of you."

Rin hadn't run or done any exercise at all in years. She was dry-heaving, trying her hardest not to die of embarrassment. Everyone's eyes were still ahead, but Rin knew better. She'd been the subject of side-eyes and low mockery for quite some time. At least a few people here had to be laughing at her. Even if she couldn't hear it.

"Alright… We'll wait for the last one, then." The man in the wheelchair, someone with an old body and a short grey beard below a scar that ran over his left eye, said to the crowd.

"Why?" One brash man said. "It's probably some lazy bum. Can't you just tell us what we need to hear and let us go?"

As she caught her breath, Rin found the source of that voice. A man who had to be at least in his mid-twenties, with large arms and a sculpted abdomen that he was showing off proudly. He had unruly blonde hair equipped with long bangs covering blue eyes. He looked up with disrespect plain to see in his expression.

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"Negative." The man on the small stage was unfazed. "I won't give the same speech twice."

"Say it once then, fuck 'em." The boy shrugged. "If they got here late, that's on them."

"We don't know what their situation is. We will wait, that is final. Besides, if I'm not mistaken the person who has yet to arrive is definitely no 'bum' as you put it."

A few of the students clearly shared the boy's sentiment though, as whispers spread through the crowd.

But, before anyone else could raise their voice, a carriage arrived outside the academy's gates. Rin turned around. The carriage had smooth-looking wood painted white along with gold lining on the sides. The horses that pulled it were equipped with actual white and gold armor.

"Ah, she's here, it seems." The old man said.

A woman climbed off the carriage. Rin couldn't see all of her but from what she could see, she was impressive. The woman was surprisingly tall, taller than anyone in the crowd with the sole exception being the tough-sounding boy who spoke earlier. She was wearing a white business shirt and tight pants of the same color. Her firm muscles were noticeable even under the outfit. Sharp teal eyes, a slender jaw, and a confident smile. She was about to walk toward the crowd but someone in the carriage called out to her.

From this distance, she seemed a little familiar.

Rin watched her get annoyed, spin, and say something she couldn't hear from that distance before she resumed her walk.

"So, that's her?" A boy in the group whispered.

"Yeah," a girl replied. Rin noticed that it was the same girl who had caught her walking out of her room earlier who was speaking. "The prodigy of the D'Ana family."

[Wait... What?] To Rin, the entire world froze. Her lips split open of their own accord. It became harder to breathe. [What family!?]

But, she took a moment to calm down.

[No, no. Maybe it's a cousin or something.]

"The only one here who might be worth a damn then." The strong-looking boy from earlier stated.

"Weren't you calling her a bum earlier? Changed your-" before another boy could finish his question, the girl tapped him on the shoulder and shook her head. The boy nodded and stopped talking.

As the woman neared the crowd standing a full head over most of them, Rin looked away. [It's... It's probably not...]

"Good. Well then, let us begin. My name is Mannon. I am the dean of this academy and have been an adventurer for over sixty years." The old man declared. The group quieted down as he spoke. "Before I tell you about how your school year will proceed, I would like to know your names. So, from the front here, one by one tell me who you are. You, start."

Rin peeked around people to see who was speaking. The first one to talk was a skinny pale girl with light green hair tied into a ponytail. Rin couldn't see much of her, aside from the fact that she was dressed in a grey skirt and had on an intricately designed long-sleeved grey top.

"Alea Marina." She said quickly with her hands crossed.

"That's not exactly much of an introduction." The old man said with a raised brow.

"Oh, let me try again then."

She cleared her throat and put on an absurd voice as she said: "Hiiii! Oh my gosh y'all, my name's Alea, my last name's Marina and I like, love to waste time talking when I don't need to! Nice to meet you, everyone!"

As she stopped, she scoffed.

"Is that what you want?"

"… Very well then." Mannon shook his head. "Next up, you."

The next person was, honestly, slightly intimidating. She had raven hair like Rin's, but smoother and a little shorter. She was carrying a sword at her waist with a silver-colored sheathe. And, finally, she was dressed in the kind of traditional robe that for a second Rin mistook as one from a brothel.

[What the hell?]

"…" The girl didn't speak for a moment.

"Well?" Mannon asked.

"Sara." An eloquent, quiet voice answered. She said nothing more, nothing less.

"Hm… Alright then." Mannon moved on to the next person. "You."

The next one happened to be the girl Rin had run into before she met Eve. Getting a better look at her here, she showed all the signs of being the most extroverted student there. Short, unruly cinnamon hair, dark skin, a wide easy smile, and if all that wasn't enough to create a certain image, she stretched out an arm to the sky and answered:

"My name is Carla Bianchi!" Her energy was dangerously infectious. [Oh, she's got an accent. Cute,] Rin noted. Mannon nodded.

"Next."

The boy next to her was the one who'd almost picked a fight with the tall guy. He had on a strange hat, was dressed in a full business suit, and had short black hair. He almost looked like some kind of politician Rin would have been working for back at Dren. [Well, I think he definitely went a bit too far in his prep.]

"John Ates, at your service." He bowed and Carla rolled her eyes with a kind smile. [Are they friends?] For some reason, the thought that some people would join this academy as a unit hadn't crossed her mind.

"Alright. Next."

Of course, the next one was the tall guy. He didn't even bother making eye contact with Mannon as he said his name.

"Seth Maxwell."

"You." Mannon pointed at a boy who was a little bit shorter than the others. He wore an oversized shirt and ripped jeans, he looked nervous, distrusting. Rin almost reached over to say, "dude, it's okay". Then, Rin noticed his ears. This boy had the ears of a wolf, an animal she had only seen in art. As he opened his mouth to speak, she noticed fangs as well. If she hadn't seen Eve earlier, she probably would have fainted. But, upon seeing this boy, she realized there was probably a lot to this world she just didn't know about.

"Varyn Altaire." He stated.

"A beastborn?" It was the first time that the dean actually appeared surprised.

"Yeah, so?"

"Hm… I suppose there's no problem. First of your kind to show up here is all. Well, next?"

Eve was up to introduce herself now. As they weren't in the middle of an embarrassing situation like before, this time, Rin could see her properly. Her irises were multi-colored, like rainbows in her eyes, and on the ground, she must have been a little more than four feet tall. She was carrying a small wooden staff and her "clothing" were just leaves and vines wrapped around her body.

"I'm Eve of the Northern Clan!" She cleared her throat before proceeding, "I'm here to show that fairies can be heroes too!"

At that statement, a few people in the small crowd chuckled and yet, if Eve was at all shaken by that, she did not show it.

Mannon stared at her for a worrying amount of time before shaking his head and moving on.

"Alright, you?"

The next one to speak had grey hair, crimson red eyes, and almost grey skin. He was a little less tall than the tallest person there and had a strong, thin frame. He had on an unzipped black hoodie with no shirt underneath.

With a deep voice and a kind smile, he said, "Dylan Von Saila. It's a pleasure, everyone."

"Alright. We're almost done."

The next one was the only woman there with a bigger chest than Rin herself. She had a somewhat friendly appearance to the point where Rin wondered if she was actually here as an adventurer. Bright green eyes, shining red hair, she looked like a character in a fairytale.

"My name is Lisa Styre." She bowed. "I am training to be a healer. I hope to be of use to everyone." [Her voice sounds like she should be giving lessons to kindergarten kids.] Rin chuckled light-heartedly.

Next up was herself. Rin tried to stand up straight. Everything went silent as all eyes focused on her. She breathed in, out, and said, "I'm Rin Asahiro. Nice to meet you all." She hoped to the Divine she didn't sound nervous. Someone whispered to her from the left and Rin found Eve giving her a thumbs-up.

Finally, it was that other woman's turn. Rin hadn't noticed, but she had chosen to stand right behind Rin.

And that, that small coincidence was what made this revelation possible.

As she grinned at the crowd and put her hands on her hips, flexing strong arms under her shirt, her fiery. sunlight-colored, long hair flowed in the wind, and at that moment, Rin nearly gasped.

She thought back to the necklace she had stolen years ago. She could see it. She could see herself pinned down in a passionate kiss that burned more intensely than the sun ever could. Every sense from that day returned to her. The smell of the woman's perfume, the taste of her lips, the beating of her own heart, the sound of her gentle voice in Rin's ears. At this moment, Rin felt her breathing speed up as she realized:

[That's her.]

"My name's Elisa D'Ana. It's a pleasure."

[That's her.]

Rin blinked.

[I'm so fucked.]

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