Chapter 8: Your Affinity Is...
Helena couldn't believe her ears. She knew some people came here without prior knowledge of the school, but this was just insane. There has never been anyone who didn't even know what they did.
"How did you come here then? How did they enroll you?"
"I agreed to come… in a way. But I don't even know what you do"
Helena turned forward again as the elevator dinged and opened up. She began to walk and started to talk, "Well, I suppose there are newbloods who are just as clueless as you. We are twilight walkers."
"Twilight… walkers?"
"Yes. But what we are is not important. Rather it is what we do that is important. I'm afraid to even ask but have you ever seen a monster before?"
An image passed through Damian's mind. Black skin and red eyes. Sharp teeth tearing into his skin. Pain. Pain. Pain. He shivered, "Yeah, I definitely have"
"Well those monsters are called daemons. They are dark beings poisoned by the negative Karma from the air. It is our jobs to stop them."
"B-but how?" Damian still remembered the monsters that had attacked him and he didn't know how this girl could possibly stop them. Helena looked back at him suspiciously. He didn't even know how they did what they did?
"We use the opposite form of the Karma absorbed by these monsters. Positive Karma allows us to perform feats that normally shouldn't be possible." Helena rose her hand up and steam began to waft out from it, floating in the air and disappearing into the atmosphere.
"Woah," Damian said in awe.
"Don't look so shocked," Helena said, "That was just a regular Karma technique. Anyway, I take it that you don't know about affinities"
"Affinity?" Damian's face scrunched up, "What's that?"
Helena sighed.
Adrian sat inside a large classroom with four rows of seats arranged on steps. The front of the class had two boards, one a projector board and the other a regular one. He held a small book in his hand and was reading through it.
"Anything else that you need to know, you can just ask your homeroom teacher," a voice said before the door to the class was thrown open, "I have to go now. Goodbye, Damian"
Damian nodded, "Bye. Thanks for everything"
Helena stood there and simply looked at Damian for a while before she finally closed the door and stalked off. Damian blinked at her weird behavior, but he eventually decided to pay it no mind. He turned around and saw Adrian sitting at the far end of the class, on a seat one step above the ground
Quietly, Damian made his way to a chair as far away from Adrian as possible, on the side of the class closer to the door. He pulled out the chair and sat in it.
"Hey," Adrian said and Damian looked up quickly, "It's rude to ignore people, you know"
"Oh... Uhm, hi?" Damian said. He pushed up his glasses, "Sorry, I'm not yet used to the way things are done here"
Adrian closed his book and leaned forward, "You're a newblood?"
Damian frowned. This was the second time he was hearing that term, "Newblood?"
"Yes. You were born outside of the twilight world and only came into it recently"
"Oh," Damian said in surprise, "Then, yes. I suppose I am a… newblood,"
"I'm Adrian by the way"
"Damian,"
Adrian nodded and then opened up his book and went back to reading it. Damian took that to mean that the conversation was over and he turned to the front of the class. Everything was so… white. There wasn't a single speck of dust to be seen in the entire room and only the large brown chair and table in front of the class brought some color in.
"I know I'm not meant to ask till our sorting," Adrian suddenly said, drawing Damian's attention to him again, "But do you know your affinity?"
Damian was about to answer that no, he did not even know what an affinity was, but the door to the classroom opened up and drew both their attention to the front.
Helios walked into the room like he owned the place. He had on black slacks and dress shoes, a white shirt, and a black-tie, but that was where the formality ended. His tie was loose around his neck, his shirt hands were folded up to his forearms. His hair was roughly tied into a ponytail at the back, leaving a few strands to fall over his face. He had on sunglasses and earbuds in his ear. And from the loud sounds coming out of it, the boys could tell he was listening to heavy metal.
Helios walked to the front of the class and threw the folder he was carrying to the table. He then took out the earbuds and looked around, "Huh?" he said in surprise, "We're missing one"
"SORRY!!!" a voice shouted from the hallway before the door was forcefully opened. This time by a girl. She was of medium height - not too tall or short, and her skin was very fair. She had blond hair and black eyes that scanned the room once she entered.
Damian thought she looked very good in her uniform.
She bowed, "Sorry I'm late. M-My ride had some issues and I only came in now."
"Mah, Mah" Helios waved her apology away, "It's fine. Just grab a seat. We're about to begin"
The girl nodded and moved to grab a seat. As she passed Damian she gave him a shy smile and he blushed and looked away. She grabbed a seat at eh center of the class, equal distance from the two boys. Helios clapped.
"Now that we're all here. Let's begin." Helios moved towards the folder on his desk and pulled out a file from it, "I am your homeroom teacher, Helios. You may refer to me as Helios-sama or master if you wish"
Adrian sighed, "Sensei"
"Yes, that works as well" Helios came to the front of his desk and leaned against it, "You are all first years and you are all sitting in the same room, so I will take it that you all have the same level of knowledge concerning what you are doing here." Helios' stare became piercing, "And on that note, I want all of you to know that we aren't playing around here. The twilight world isn't a place you go to show just how strong or fast you are. We're hunters and our job is to hunt. But keep in mind that our prey won't just stand there and wait for us to kill them. Just like we hunt them, they hunt us as well. If any of you feel as though you can't do this, then I suggest you take the door right now. Don't worry, I won't stop you"
Helios looked around the room. His eyes landed on Adrian and he noticed the resolute expression on his face, 'Adrian. Age sixteen. A prodigy brought up in the Honshu islands below Mount Fuji, one of the coldest places in japan He won't be leaving for anything.' He then looked towards the girl, 'Persephone. Mild-mannered and a little absent-minded, but ultimately strong-willed. Grew up in the Yukashima Islands where there was more water than food. Probably trained her whole life for this moment. She isn't going anywhere,'
His gaze then moved towards Damian
Damian rose his hand, "Uh -"
"Good, so nobody's leaving. Very good. More fodder for the daemons." Helios ignored the hand Damian was raising and moved behind his desk again. He reached his hand below and pulled out an orb that looked like a snow globe. It was completely black on the inside and Damian wondered what it was going to be used for.
"For the sake of the records, we're going to be taking your affinities." he pointed to the globe, "This is a globe, and it'll tell you your affinity"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Adrian cleared his throat, "Sensei, shouldn't you tell us more. At least how it works"
Helios hummed, "If you're so keen on knowing, why don't you explain it to the class?"
Adrian glared at Helios. Helios smirked back and Adrian started talking, "The globe takes in Karma from the individual and shows their affinity by becoming one of nine colors. Red for -"
"That's enough, Adrian. Thank you" Helios then brought up the paper in his hand and called, "Persephone"
"Y-Yes, Master!"
Helios chuckled and Adrian groaned
"Come up here."
Persephone stood from her seat and walked to the front of the class. Damian noticed that her hands were shaking as she held them tightly in front of her.
"Okay, Persephone. Just put your hand on the globe. It'll do the rest of the work"
Persephone nodded and put her hand on the globe before she closed her eyes tightly. The globe pulsed once before it began filtering through various colors until it finally settled on a dark blue.
Helios smiled. Just as he expected, "Poseidon," he said, "Your affinity is to Poseidon"
Persephone opened her eyes slowly and looked at the globe. And then a dark blue button appeared on her collar. It was inscribed with a trident, showing her affinity.
Persephone beamed and walked back to her seat. Helios rose his paper up again and focused on it deeply. From his seat, Adrian's eye twitched. He knew he was next.
"Hmm." Helios said, "I wonder who this could be…"
"It's me!" Adrian shouted.
"Oh, yeah. Adrian, come on down"
Adrian fumed as he made his way down the stairs and to the front of the class. He thrust his hand onto the globe without ceremony and watched the colors filter. He didn't even bother getting nervous. He already knew his affinity.
The colors finally rested on light blue and Adrian watched as a light blue button appeared on his collar. It was inscribed with a lightning bolt.
"Zeus," Helios said with a smile, "Your affinity is to Zeus"
Adrain smiled and walked back to his seat, and then Helios looked towards Damian. Damian was nervous, to say the least. His heart was pounding in his chest faster than ever before and he felt like he was going to be sick any moment now.
He looked around to see everyone looking at him. He really didn't want to go out there.
"Hey," a voice whispered and Damian turned to Persephone, "Uhm.. Y-You'll do great," she said shyly, "Don't be nervous"
Damian almost scoffed at her. She was telling him not to be nervous? She was shaking like a leaf when she went up there!
But Damian didn't scoff. Helios did, "Come up here already," he said
Damian nervously stood from his chair and walked to the front of the class. He stretched his hand out and put it on the globe.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone