Chapter 1: Intro Pt 1: Chapters 1-2
CHAPTER 1
A gentle silver-white glow…
"Wake up", soft and faded, like a memory.
A midnight sky, adorned with a pearly moon, soaked in rays of gold and cast a lovely illusion... one of a lovely spring morning. Perhaps by miracle, a young lad laid upon a platform in full view of every horizon. He raised an arm to his eyes despite the mellow rays of the rising sun in response to the far off voice.
Like an echo another stunning voice followed called out, "I'm going on ahead, breakfast is on the table", she said in a more, lively, tone. A soft click, faded steps, then another click were shadowed by worrying silence.
Not a moment later, legs slid off of the platform sheepishly...
The lad's lumbering figure treaded through an endless expanse of white sands while the man explored a blue sky that stretched to as far as the eye could see.
Soundlessly, the pedestal behind the young man slipped into the sands. A similar monolith sprouted moments later in the path of the traveler. The human outline and indent carved into the solid silver brick reappeared as something soft and comfortable, almost intangible. The threat of walking into the outline did not stop the journeyman.
That said, an unnatural collision led to a startling observation. The mold within the silver wall possessed the same consistency as any other watery substance despite, oddly enough, the same appearance of blackened fur. Like a spider who laboriously spun its home around an object, the watery fur stretched and wrapped around its target as intended.
A fully clothed human being stepped away from the silken lines that snapped away after they reached their limit.
Pristine; white shoes, Flattering; tan pants, Impeccable; long sleeved button down, Smart; blue, black, and gold tie with diagonal stripes lassoed underneath a pressed collar, Eye catching; azure blue sweater vest that glittered intelligently with a golden rose broach pinned to the left breast...
"A vision of perfection", adequately described the figure.
A few dozen steps out, his hand randomly reached out into the middle of the air with a pointed index finger. Exactly where that finger landed, a small neon blue door symbol appeared. Three white dots elongated into three lines that revealed a doorway.
Once the room was empty, the endless skies and sands, faded away, like smoke being cleared In the wind. Without the illusion, the room would have been a simple, empty, white room. Thankfully, thin, dimly lit silver grooves ran along the floor, ceiling, and walls. The sand naturally retreated into those crevices like an intelligent hive mind... if that was at all possible....
It took trailing a hand along the wall, grazing finger tips against a handful of, polished, wooden bars, and faithfully taking a few steps through empty space, to find the source of a burnt toast smell.
Right hand like a hound, he reached out for, what could only be considered a block of charcoal. One piece managed to find itself a mouth to die in and a second found a hand to hold.
With luck, the left hand instantly landed on a nearby bag that rested upon the table next to the now empty plate devoid of any crumbs.
The front door was found in no more than a handful of seconds. The same door symbol appeared by the entrance, followed by a sphere that was surrounded with various rings right above it. A keypad with the an intuitive but nearly foreign alphabet and a number pad popped up next to the rotating sphere when pressed.
Some humming played along with the different tones of the keys as they were pressed. Simultaneously, the handful of rings on the sphere spun and twirled until a certain set of symbols overlapped and turned green; The green disc floated above the door symbol. A few moments later, the blue symbol chimed and flashed with a green light.
The young man parked himself in the small room he entered, eyes still closed. A mind boggling whoosh and a pop echoed once the door sealed itself. An overwhelming sensation of weightlessness would've hit anyone like a truck, after what felt like years of waiting in one spot.
With a sigh, a free hand ran through mess of medium length, curly, black hair. A gentle breath silently escaped thin and upwardly curved lips...
The young man opened the door despite feeling the long curvature of the handle, different from the circular knob of his front door.
Somewhere on the left, a young man said, "...I'm failing my ancient language class. I think I might buy an assistant...". As a response, a young woman said, "...that's tough and do you have enough money for one …".
From the right, a different young man said, "...did you get past the boss yet, I beat it yesterday and got a legendary drop...", before a sad young man cried out, "...dude, it's impossible to kill without a team. I don't know how you did it solo…"
Sound is a really good tool, anyone can use it to sidestep any and all traffic. There was also the matter of hiding a certain eye catching golden rose not that it truly mattered though. A personal thought from the young man who nibbled on a piece of toast. And held A piece of charcoal.
Unfortunately, anyone can make mistakes when they are down a sense... especially when said person closed their eyes and relied on sound to move through a busy yard.
In the time it would take lightning to strike, a casual misstep caused a loose rock to "accidentally" fly unto the path of someone running through the crowd. Knowingly, the human traffic parted to either side of this person.
A playful smirk danced on the face of the man with toast in his mouth. The mischevious guy opened his eyes to see two things: The person who ran and the aftermath of his completely purposeful, accidental, pebble kick. And what a sight it was…
A young woman with oceanic green-blue eyes and a crown of golden-orange hair blessed by the sun, brightened everything with a smile. Her eyes shone with wild emotion as she met a stranger's moon like silver eyes. Like any good moon, his eye's brightened from the unobstructed streams of light.
The girl and stranger lost themselves in each others eyes, so much so that she did not notice the small stone that rolled to a stop by the tip of her shoe. The stranger took the time to, not so subtly, scan her clothing, which was similar in style to his own.
Her smile melted into embarrassment an instant later when she noticed his gaze and because of her lack of attention, tripped on said small rock to an exaggerated degree. To no one's surprise, she curled her body and front flipped. Her arms hardened and coiled dangerously to rebound off the stone pathway in a mesmerizing arc.
The girl ignored it, but anyone looking in her direction let out a veritable array of yelps and held their eyes in momentary pain. The bystanders who looked away in advance could only curse their good luck.
The blinded fellows however, yelled out lines like, "...every time...", and, "...WHHhyy...", or, "Nooo, the plot armor". Only one person said, "I almost saw it…", and directly fainted with a huge knot on his forehead.
The stranger, oddly enough, was the only one who was not affected despite being the closest to the sun-kissed girl's graceful tumble. In fact, this stranger busied himself with kicking off the dirt that accumulated on his shoe due to... reasons...
The goddess like young woman stuck the landing with a gymnasts flair, and a bright red face.
"Did you see?", she asked rather meekly as she held down her skirt.
Respectfully the stranger smiled at her and did not respond, making her face a deeper shade of crimson. She shook her head a moment later and smacked her, springy, rose colored cheeks.
She skipped closer to him and whispered in his ear, " Do you wa...", but before she could finish her "innocent" question, her mouth was filled with a piece of toast.
Surprised, she looked into a pair of glittering eyes and said, "It's good...".
The stranger responded with a grim and distant look, "It was burned to a crisp this morning…". The gaze was directed at one of the largest windows in the cathedral like building, full of unintentional melancholy.
The stranger shifted his eyes to the human sized sun and asked, "How can you burn toast when there is an option on the toaster?". The brooding mask of thought the stranger wore fell away, replaced by a carefree and rather helpless visage.
Upon inspection of the "charcoal", everyone would not have believed this strangers words and for good reason. Overall, the piece of bread sported a Golden brown complexion. Its core, soft and firm and not at all soggy or crunchy. The taste, sweet but not overly so and bitter enough to be cooked but not to the point where it possesed a smoky aftertaste. There was even a thin spread of jam, which added to the wild array of taste and textures present in the single piece of toast. It was simply, divine mana.
In between bites and accompanying nods, she asked, "If you would like to, we can go out somewhere sometime and explore your questions. Right now though, you can tell me how you made this so delicious…"
The stranger scanned the chaotic surrounds with a singular, theatrical, spin.
"Hmm, I don't know to be honest. With your reputation, would that work?"
Red faced, she shamelessly replied with, "I meant around the campus. Think of it as a formal greeting from the student council's third seat and vice president of the Safe Snacks Club. Which you should join"
"Do you always use your position to poach new members or am I special?", he whispered in her ear.
She coughed up bits of bread and looked at the stranger with saucer sized eyes. She could see a look of disappointment and disdain on his handsomely archaic face. Her emotions were in chaos, at least, until she saw the wicked grin in his eyes. She could not find the words to speak when she noticed how easily he walked away from her after she noticed.
She caught up with the cheeky guy who played her and said, "If I was going to ask you join my club, I would've said it outright".
With a nonchalant grin, he replied, "That is true…", but he whispered, "...princess"
"I. No! Wait? Where did you ? Huh?", she stammered.
A brutish roars boomed throughout the courtyard, drawing the attention of mostly everyone. The bystanders who were not caught in the mysterious dust cloud that kicked up moments prior, referred those "everyone".
"New student? Huh? Look at this Tianyou, Jacob's!"
The person speaking stood at just under 195 centimeters. His uniform, a similar color scheme to the new student except for the collar and tie which were, respectively, flipped up and loose. His hair, a spiky mess like a hedgehog that framed his sharp features and hooked nose. He wielded a wild and aggressive handsomeness that disarmed people. He also walked with the gait of a delinquent, staggered and uneven but unmistakably restrained at the same time, like it was an act.
"New…?", said the young man who was named Jacob's. A large fellow to be sure, built like a muscular bear that did not have an ounce of fat on his stocky figure. He fell a few heads short compared to the mini giant beside him, a little bit shorter than 174 centimeters. The uniform he wore also resembled the new student's, except, the vest was a long sleeve cardigan and his tie was solid black. His brown hair was cut into a standard buzz cut but was personalized by three metallic stripes that ran along one side of his head. He walked with a controlled and steady pace that showed people that things will be done on his own time.
The third young man, called Tianyou, stood at exactly 180 centimeters tall. Unlike the two next to him, he was lean and not particularly muscular. Long black hair remained in a tight bun with an ancient hair Phoenix hair pin. His outfit was exactly the same at the new students except for his vest which was black and Azure. He glided over the earth toward the sunny Goddess.
He did not even look at the mysterious student, let alone, acknowledge the words that his friend spoke. Instead, he directed his penetrating gaze towards the young woman who, as he understood it, was walking alone.
"Elena, good to see you again"
She returned his greeting with a bright smile despite the confusion in her eyes, "Hi Tian, I thought you guys went home until, you know, got that thing sorted out?"
Tian gave her a gentlemanly nod, confirming her statement before he clarified, "You are correct, my brothers and I were scheduled to leave but, the matter was resolved quite mysteriously".
His purple black eyes couldn't help but shift toward the new student, flashing with a strange and emotional glint for a split second.
Elena, nodded her head and stole a quick glance at the student by her side after she caught Tian's eye movements. She said, "That's great but where are you three staying now?"
The tallest young man, who spoke with a booming voice cut in, "We actually get to stay in the same dorm this time around...", he said with a ferocious yet oddly innocent grin.
Jacob's reprimanded him, "Rajah. Too much...".
The wild guy Rajah waved his hand and replied with, "Sorry bro...".
Then he started smacking Jacob's back rather aggressively while he wantonly laughed.
Elena chuckled at the foolish trio and said, "That's good but are you OK, Tian?"
She noticed that ever since he spoke, his face had gone pale. His hands even bled because of how tightly he clenched them.
He chuckled, released his hands, and said, "Goodbye for now Elena. Forgive us for interrupting your walk".
"Farewell", Jacob's followed.
"Adios", Rajah ended.
"Did something happen between you two?", She was not surprised to see the blank expression on new student's face shift into a careless grin.
"Nothing, nothing you should worry about..."
She sighed and skipped forward, smiling as she turned back to him with a tilted head. The sun illuminated her back in just the right way that it made her look like a golden angel who descended from the heavens.
Half a second, a full second...10 whole seconds...
With a bright red face she asked the new student, "Are you coming?"
"Yes...", he pinched a thigh and cleared his throat.
Meanwhile the majority who had been ignored, the bystanders, and who had not been blinded, the "everyone" else, looked at each other in silence.
A beautiful girl was about to fall then a dust bomb mysteriously appeared and when It completely cleared, the girl vanished into thin air. Seconds went by and a voice drew their attention to the beautiful girl standing with a mysterious and handsome man. That would fine if the people involved weren't somewhat special.
And so, surrounding conversation went like this:
"...What did we just see?..."; Another person said, "...that did not just happen right?..."; A third person said, "...Did the three demon kings of the golden rose just allow someone near the princess…";
"Everyone" then focused their attention on one person and they all started to sweat after he spoke, "That may be the fabled Demon Emperor"
The dark and sullen mood that permeated the group was broken by a not so innocent young man. He woke up and walked out of dust cloud with a hand on the horn like bump on his head, "What happened?".
"Everyone" groaned and dispersed.
"... Bastard, read the mood...", someone said with a vile tone.
"What?... What happened?", the not so innocent guy said while he looked around in confusion.
"Ha..."
"Whats so funny..."
"Nothing at all...my fair princess..", the new student opened his eyes to study her priceless expression.
"Really, when did you hear about that?", she was cut off by the new students abrupt actions.
He stormed ahead of her with striding steps and entered the building. The maze like interior was nothing as he found his class and gracefully swung the classroom door open like an apparition. Swiftly and silently, he warped across the room, just in time, to twirl and cradle a young woman a second before she tripped.
One hand wrapped around her waist while the other caressed the back of her head, so she would not suffer any whiplash from the intense spin or the immediate halt. His efforts were unnecessary, but they were precautionary.
The new student stared into a pair of gold eyes that were dashed with a deep blue spray. Her black hair fell like silk threads and faned out behind her, in an almost picturesque manner.
"How did you fall?", he whispered, almost inaudibly, into her ear the same moment he caught her. She responded in a staggeringly beautiful voice that would take anyone by surprise if she whispered into their ear.
She quickly said, "Short- big; Skinny- fake; Tall- makeup", exhaling any negative emotion that came with those names.
He helped the girl to her feet and smiled like a gentleman as he looked at her with his, seemingly, glowing silver eyes. He let go of her once she regained her footing, her eyes flashing with bright amusement…
"Good morning...", he said with a bright smile, befitting a charming prince.
"Thank you...", she said, while she did a humble courtesy.
"No problem...", he replied as he took her hand and guided her to a seat of her choosing. He pulled on an intricately carved wooden chair and, when she sat down, pushed her into a similarly, archaically, designed desk.
He could see her face better as he backed away. Her features were strong and distinctly feminine. Her beauty possessed a certain worldly status that would be acceptable everywhere, but she also had an otherworldly aura that denied everything earthly.
In other words, she was so beautiful that men and women, young and old, human or otherwise, and anyone else could appreciate her beauty. She really did release an otherworldly area that barred entry, almost as if invisisble golden gates locked everyone out of her immediate area.
The new student ignored her face and looked down at her clothes. He could see a snow white, long-sleeve button down shirt (It could only be distinguished from her skin because of the mesmerizing honey glow that radiated from her skin) with a blue ribbon tied around her neck. Above the shirt, she wore a black waistcoat that emphasized the plumage of her shirt; it emphasized her breasts.
Further examination revealed a golden rose pinned to the waist coats strap near her left breast but it was expertly hidden underneath the shirts plume. Her upper thighs and waist were covered by a miniature blue, gold, and black skirt. Her legs were covered by tights that matched the black color of her waistcoat.
She even sat down with her legs folded to one side of her body, drawing attention to the immaculate curve of her calves as they melted into her small feet that wore polished white shoes.
He smiled at her clothing for a brief second before turning his head to the only other students in the room. He saw a young woman that could have been mistaken for a cute little girl if not for her... "assets" and mature... "disposition". Next to her, there was an average height young woman with insanely curvaceous proportions and a boneless waist that you could wrap a hand around. The third girl was just as if not more beautiful than the other two woman. She had an undefinable sexual attraction that left something to be desired in the other two.
As if drawn to the three woman, he walked over unblinkingly. The one with "assets" looked over to the girl who disgracefully tripped and smugly chuckled. The one with smaller proportions, but a golden ratio, giggled somewhat foolishly when the tall, dark, and mysterious guy approached them with a mesmerized gaze. The girl who must have recently stepped out of a celestial painting gently smiled, retaining her calm and collected beauty.
"Greetings ladies...", the first two almost faltered because of his smokey and penetrating voice. The perfect young woman, like the other two, tried to contain her glazed eyes and dry mouth; her body did the opposite.
She licked her plum like lips, which gained the new student's undivided attention. She could see his eyes light up with what she only assume was lust.
"Hello...", she said with a smile.
"Adam, pleasure...", he said with a gentle kiss to her outstretched hand.
"Teresa, likewise..", she replied as she gave him a slight bow. She received excited looks from her friends, hoping that she would introduce the new handsome young man to them. They were overly excited and struggled to contain themselves.
That is, before the mysterious stranger called Adam made a move that almost made them jump out of their shoes in ecstacy.
"Then, Teresa, will it be a bother to introduce these two young ladies to me?", he said as his grip tightened ever so slightly around her boneless hand. She smiled as she introduced her friends to the young man, holding his hand in the same loose but controlling grip.
She understood that whoever this Adam was, he was well versed in the unspoken rules of courting in the school. It was a system that the students had set up to avoid cosmic scale mistakes.
He was smart enough to figure out that she was the leader of her trio despite her not speaking or giving off the maturity of the shortest girl. He was fast and most likely strong, because she could only barely see him run from one side of the room to the other. And to top it off, he was handsome enough to match up to and maybe even surpass the young kings of the school.
Almost jumping, the two young women looked towards each other and then, discretely, at the perfect woman holding Adam's hand, decided who would speak first.
"..."
Just as the girls were about to decide who would speak first, Adam spoke, cutting all of them off.
"On second thought. There's no need", He let go of Teresa's hand and lowered his voice so that only the three of them could hear. "To associate with Dr. Elgalli...", he said with a tone similar to a stone being dropped into the abyssal depths of the ocean, "...truly, such a waste. The three of you were beautiful before aquiring his services".
He just turned around and left the three girls to their muted horror, shiftless bodies, bulging eyes, and unstable minds. Thousands of questions flew through their heads, until they all landed on "How could he know?", "Who told him?", and, "WHO THE HELL IS HE?"
Adam returned to the distant young lady he caught and decided to leave her alone. He could see that her golden eyes were closed but her head was still directed to the window on her left, as if her eyes were open. An ethereal, maze like garden of hedges and flowers were just outside the window, a mausoleum like building rested within the center.
"Later...", he thought to himself as he observed her similarly ethereal silence.
Adam sighed and shook off his involuntary shudders. He moved to the back of the room and lowered his head onto the desk he had chosen, yawning all the while as he closed his eyes.
He opened his eyes, not even a few seconds later and said, "How much of that did you see?".
He looked to his right and saw a set of green-blue eyes stare back at him. He heard a sweet giggle and felt his chest rumble in tune. Then his heart froze when he saw the charming smile she gave him.
"Should I let you catch me the next time I fall?", she said, childishly and inquisitively, narrowing her brows and bitting her rose petal like pink lips.
A few seconds of pause layer, he responded with, "What makes you think I would catch you?", and a casual smile.
Her smile deepened even further and warmth spread throughout his body.
"I know that you wouldn't pass up an opportunity to cop a feel".
The beautiful moment full of floating stars, hearts, and artificial lights came crashing down once she spoke.
His face instantly became stone cold and distant, almost emotionless, except for the chaotic lights in his eyes. He looked away from her so quickly that it was almost enough force to snap someones neck.
"Oh...", a certain someone exclaimed in joy before her mood fell.
Elena puffed her bottom lip and narrowed her eyes towards the young man that entered the classroom, "Tch...". Then she looked at Adam, who stared at the new entrant for a few seconds then stood up with a fanatical expression in his eyes.
"...Lucky...", Adam said to himself as he calmed his quaking heart.
CHAPTER 2
The girls barely scurried off to a corner of the classroom to lick their wounds before more students filtered into the class.
"Who the hell does he think he is?"
"Quiet down, did all of your brain cells move to that chest of yours?"
"What ever...", she said while adjusting her assets. She rested them on the desk and continued with, "Teresa, what do you think about him?"
"He...". She looked up just in time to catch Adam, a tall young man with dark skin and wave like black hair, starring at the new girl. She noticed his hesitation and then acquiescence as he sat in the back of the room. She was about to ignore the new, handsome, student but was blinded by a radiant young lady who smiled with eyes that resembled the boundless ocean.
Teresa's hair stood on end and her face turned red from anger, which drew the attention of her two minions.
"..."
"...That slut...", filtered into her ear from the left while "...Fucking whore...", sneaked its way into her right. The grip on her chair strengthened until the wooden armrest cracked. The red that invaded the corners of her eyes dissipated like steam being release.
Like venom, she muttered under her breath, " That bitch...".
That would've been all that Teresa allowed herself to express if not for the sudden change in Adam's expression. She swallowed her anger and smiled like a shining star.
All of the conversations that picked up around the room faded into silence when the door clicked open.
Black shoes and pants were followed by a blue and black waistcoat and white shirt. A blue, gold, and black tie crowned his torso and gripped his throat while a golden pocket watch bejeweled his waist. His brown eyes danced with sparks of orange, green, and gold , like fire flys. His hair, a thick field of neatly combed and gelled locks of light brown and black hair. His sharp eyes scanned the room while his face displayed an unobtainable charm.
His eyes met with Adam's and for a brief moment and he froze. Almost frantically, his head snapped around to survey the entire room.
Adam sat back down and looked at Elena, shrugging his shoulders to dismiss the questions that he could see in her eyes.
"He's here...", said a student with pinned up hair and professional posture. A young man by her side, took out a book and wrote down everything the new entrant did. Under his breath, he whispered, "The Good King of the Golden Rose...entry #2421...".
The third student in their row, held her stomach and groaned pitifully.
The so called King immediately turned his head towards the sickly girl and exited the room with phantom like steps, Returning moments later with a large trolly. He passed out drinks and treats that would promote health and tasted delicious. He made his rounds around the classroom after dropping a mountain on snacks on the pitiful girl's table.
He only spoke to those that had the courage to speak underneath his overwhelming holy aura, which were far and few between. Only the student with a tight bun greeted the "Good King", but even then, she kept it short so he could move along.
Sadly, continuing didn't always mean, progress.
"Good morning Li..."
"It is, Teresa...", he said with an amiable smile and a slight head bow. He poured Teresa a d the rest of her group drinks.
"So, I was wondering if you thought about what I said the other day...", she replied while twirling a strand of her hair, her bright red face expressed her beauty in a very straightforward way.
Li, The Good King, stared at her completely mesmerized, she thought, and said, "I have...".
He placed a small saucer with a small bowl of a colorful gelatin treat on her desk.
Outsiders could only see that the Heavenly prince, the Good king, spent the longest amount of time with the Thorn Queen of the Golden rose.
"Is he going to open it today?", said one student who was a little bit too interested in the unfolding drama.
The student with the books flipped through the pages of one book and recorded the current events on the other.
"He has never even looked at the tray once since he started this venture. I don't think he will change that today...".
The third student, as she munched on a mountain of treats, said, "What about the new students?".
The young man with the books narrowed his eyes and looked at the back and left side of the room. With bulging eyes, he pulled out another book and wrote down, "The Demon Queen of the Golden Rose... entry #4666253..." and said, "...Perhaps? Unknown variables usually indicate change".
His head flicked from one end of the class to the other at an unnatural speed. Both hands held a pen as he wrote at lighting speeds. The words, "How could I not have seen them earlier?", escaped his lips as little more that a heavy exhale. They did not go unnoticed.
"...And, What do you say?", Teresa asked with a voice that could give anyone diabetes as they drifted off to heaven.
Li's smile did not change in the slightest, nor did his eyes that resembled crescent moons.
Teresa took his silence as acceptance and internally squealed when he stood still as she held his hand. It was the same hand Prince Li used to give her a spoon.
Her misunderstanding was pretty clear to everyone else, especially when Li tried to back away after giving her the utensil.
Sadly, caught up in her own thoughts, Teresa extended her free hand towards the polished ivory handle of the dome platter at the center of the trolly.
Teresa's eyes buldged in absolute horror. She squeezed a soft pastry instead of an ivory handle. She blinked once again and saw the pastrie's light creme ooze out of her grip and fall onto her shoe. She blinked once more and in slow motion, then scanned the back of the man of her dreams.
He walked away with his dessert trolly. Not only that, he walked towards the back of the room where "that...bitch...", covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing.
Teresa could also see the joy in the new girl's face despite her best efforts to keep her expression neutral.
She was guided to her seat by her friends who saw her eyes dim and try as they might, they could not bring her back. They could only clean her shoe and wash her hand before she regained control over her thoughts.
Adam smiled as he watched the young man called Li, expertly swap out the pastry by his right hand with the tray handle in the split second of Teresa's, unfortunate, blink.
"Sad...", he thought, as he realised that most if not all of the other students would not have even be able to see what had just happened because of how it occured.
"Vanilla shortbread and coffee cake...", the smiling King said as he set a handful of sweet treats on their desks. He poured a large cup and said, "I assume you two are sharing?".
Elena looked at Adam, still struggling to cover her laughter and pink tinged face, while he stared at Li emotionlessly.
"Geez... ", Li said as he pulled another cup out and poured the drinks.
Adam had a cup of coffee, black, while Elena had a cup of sugar with a hint of tea. Elena took a sip of her drink and stared at Adam with dissatisfaction. He sipped his coffee in peace.
She asked, "Want some?"
Smiling, he swapped their cups and sipped on his sugar tea in peace. "It's rather hot, I almost burned my tongue so be careful", he warned.
She took his cup in both of her hands, sipped, and said while blushing, "You should have burned your whole mouth ya big dummy". The cup of coffee ended up being at the perfect temperature despite Adam's warning.
"I know...", he agreed while he followed Li, who rolled away. He bit Into one of the coffee cakes that were placed on a beautifully weaved handkerchief.
"And you know, so spread the wealth...", he dunked a piece of cake into into her drink and nibbled on it enjoyably.
"Do I though?", she said while catching his eye even though they both tried to look forward.
"How long has it been?...", She asked after taking a long sip.
"Eight years..."
She took one of her dry tea cookies and dunked it into his drink, copying his earlier action.
"Then there's no way you don't know...", Nibble.
"Know what?", he ate a third cake flat out.
"Unless you are an idiot...", Nibble.
"Oh. You're using an old example of my idiocy. I get it now", he said in between eating one of her cookies and another.
"Do you really get it though?...", she turned her head, eyes full of solemnity, expectancy, and beauty beyond belief due to the warmth that heated her cheeks. She ate his last coffee cake.
"I can only assume since its been eight years since we've spoken to each other, but...", he took a long sip, wetting his dry throat after eating two more cookies. He looked at her with a similar expression and said,
"You don't want me to burn my mouth, I would not be able to use it if Its burned...", he said with a serious, almost desperate, expression.
"What...?...", she could not even comprehend his words. Even if she followed the thought process he used, the words he used were just too... interpretive and far from the tone she used.
"What?...", he said while knitting his brows in thought.
"How did, how did you reach that conclusion?".
With an comically large smile, he whispered into her ear, "Your mom...".
She stared at Adam's innocent face and flush dark skin as he inched away.
Without care for anyone else, she could only laugh with wild abandon as she thought about her mother and a child version of Adam arguing about a month's usage.
"Ah...She would do that"
Meanwhile...
Li rolled his trolly back down the aisle and stopped in front of the new female student with golden eyes. He knew that she had golden eyes because he lost himself in them with each step he got closer. Their eyes locked ever since he scanned the room, at least, they were always within one anothers view.
Without speaking, he smiled at her and to everyone's surprise, opened the silver platter that he had never opened on the school's premises.
Teresa, who regained her soul from the jaws of crushed expectations, was once again beaten down into an abyss when she opened her eyes. She saw her friends freeze like they saw a ghost, paler than when the mysterious young man called them out by naming their plastic surgeon. They were not looking at her, but behind her.
Curiosity got the better of her as she turned around. Her friends tried to stop her, but they were too slow to regain their own spirits. All three girls could only watch, in slow motion, as the Good King opened the very object Teresa was just publicly denied.
Li did not attempt to serve the new girl and waited with baited breath as she swayed between him and the chocolatey assortment of freshly baked cookies that were in the shape of hearts. She raised her head once again and shook her head in disapproval before slowly grabbing the center most treat, a perfect size to eat in one bite.
A small crystal glass found its way into her hand, full of fresh warm milk that could be downed in a single mouthful.
She looked at the king with apathy after eating and looked into the distance on her left with closed eyes, like a goddess who had just been appeased. He let out a shaky breath and stormed out of the class, ridding himself of the trolly and delights.
Like a storm, the class saw their king leave and return before the door behind him closed on its own. Silently, he returned to the girl's side and sat down at a nearby seat, not even the shuffling of his clothes could be heard. Everyone, other than Adam, Elena, and the spiritually disabled Teresa and Co, watched with broken jaws that barely hung on loose hinges.
This was their living icon of pure ideals, a princely figure. This was a young man who possessed every possible right of excellence, Status in all aspects ranging from familial to personal, Wealth that could fill oceans or crush entire continents, and looks that could start a war. A young man marked as a bearer of the Golden Rose, one of thirteen young individuals in the entire cosmos. A distinction given to future leaders of the human species....
A King in the modern world yet...
He actually opened his mysterious silver tray for a new student. A silver platter that, even when five of the other golden rose bearers teamed up against him, he never opened, regardless of the circumstances. Who is she to make such a thing happen, to make the Good King of the Golden Rose act in such a way.
The class steam and sparked with tangible insanity. The gossip, the drama, the... impact such a seemingly small action would have on world politics. The gears that were just set into motion, unfortunately, couldn't be heard because the class shook at the voice of someone new. The door flew open and scraped against the floor with a loud bang that barely matched the voice in decibels.
"WHO PUSHED ME?...."
Most of the students watched as a giant barreled through the door. Muscles expanded to a violent degree while veins popped and coiled around his forehead, even his hair seemed slightly longer and spiker.
"Rajah, quiet down...", said Jacob's, waited for the third person to walk in, Tainyou.
"SOMEONE PUSHED ME AND RAN IN HERE, WHO WAS IT...".
Jacob's quieter than before, held his ear and said, "Pipe down...". Rajah stomped over to the first person to look at him and yelled, "WAS IT YOU?...".
With a sigh, Jacob's leapt from his location and chased Rajah, fist raised and aimed at his friend's head.
Like prey being stalked, Rajah felt the hairs on the back of his neck tingle and turned around, aiming his pan sized fist at whatever flew toward him.
Both young men locked up, their fists caught by Tianyou. The air kicked up around the three just as a sickening thud and crack echoed throughout the room. Both young men backed up before the attacks could fully go through.
Tianyou's right arm dropped to his side, the same one that blocked Jacob's fist.
Without uttering a sound, he reset his shoulder that knocked out of place and said, "Sit, both of you."
Rajah frowned and looked around the room once more with a murderous glint in his eyes. Jacob's had the same expression but it was directed at Rajah. It died down after a few seconds, replaced by even tranquility.
The class looked at the new trio and then towards the Good King Li. They watched him, amazed that he could somehow block the entire class from seeing the new girl properly. It was a good thing as well because the golden eyed girl half smiled. A playful little smile that would indoctrinate anyone to put their own life on hold and worship her just to get another.
The class ticked, on the verge of explosion, when heavenly chimes broke the turbulent silence in the room. Most students directed their gazes towards the bright ray of sunshine that blinded them all.
Rajah retained his threatening without being menacing expression. Tianyou did not have any changes of expression, but his eyes dulled a few shades compared to their previous sword like glint.
Teresa was still out cold, her eyes completely devoid of any light as her world crashed around her in the span of a single morning.
"What's so funny this morning students?", broke the class out of their reverie. Elena, who was still laughing yelled out, "YOUR MOM...", and immediately froze after speaking.
The man who walked in wore large rimmed yellow glasses frames without the glass and a bright yellow shirt under a button down vest. A black, red, and, yellow tie matched the pin stripes on his suit, giving him an overall serious, but enjoyable vibe. Long brown hair tied up behind his head and bright red-brown eyes shone ahead, giving him an approachable atmosphere because of the juxtaposition between his sloppy hair tie and lazy eyes to his sharp outfit.
Like a hawk, he singled Elena out with a dark and brooding silence. The entire class felt like they could see the red in his suit and eyes, flow like blood, hinting at all of the students that may or may not have died because of him.
They watched as he slowly captured their heart beats, turning them to the frequency of his steps. He placed his jacket on the chair in front of the class and turned around to face the wall, away from the class.
They all felt him change, like a demon had been released from its chains, as the red lines on his suit squirmed like veins. They saw his body shake, like the demon was tearing it's way out of his body but he fought it. In the end, he could not control the beast and the students were forever scarred for life.
"Oh no...", said one student who went pale.
"Have mercy...", said another student who curled underneath her seat.
"Elena...Why...", Mouthed Tianyou as he looked at Elena and her crumbling expression, from joy to depression.
"The Demon Queen strikes again...", said the student with five books on his desk. He pulled out futuristic noise canceling earbuds and calmly watched the rest of the class.
Li, pulled out a pair of crystal like noise canceling headphones and gently wrapped them around the new girl's ears before plugging his own ears with a separate pair.
The next thing Teresa heard when she regained her senses was not the joy and concern of her friends as she had hoped, instead, it was the worst sound humanly possible.
Like a banshee, the class shuddered underneath the formless, soul wrenching, power their teacher's laugh had over them. Bloodcurdling and mentally destabilizing, like a cross between the sound of nails on a chalkboard, the screeching of metal, the wailing sounds of dying whales, and bad elevator music played on an infinate loop and at the loweset possible volume so that it droned in the back of ones mind and interrupted every single thought.
"How could anyone simulate all of those sounds into a laugh...", Adam sincerely thought to himself as he looked at his new teacher who still had his back turned to the class.
The man stopped rumbling, resulting in the students looking at one another mouthing things like,
"Is it over?...", or, "I think hes done...", and, "I think we should wait a little bit"
"...".
The last one didn't say anything because he foamed at the mouth. He was a few seconds late putting his headphones on.
The students only saw the teacher use hand gestures and body movements that seemed very out of place. Obviously he turned around first…
But... First, he fixed his tie while looking at the class. Then he panned his head from one side of the room to the other, scanning faces. Then he took his glasses off and popped something into them, then he gave a thumbs up to the class(?), nodding and smiling like a madman. He clapped a few times before spinning, putting a peace sign when he stopped. After that, he hung his head low and then waved something away. He ended it by counting on his fingers, holding his head in failure, and then recounting.
The students that took their headphones off just then heard, "...Midterm projects are due in three days...", and collapsed.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone